Monolith

, Brazil

A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains, or a single large piece of rock placed as, or within, a monument or building. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often made of very hard and solid metamorphic or igneous rock.

In architecture, the term has considerable overlap with megalith, which is normally used for prehistory, and may be used in the contexts of rock-cut architecture that remains attached to solid rock, as in monolithic church, or for exceptionally large stones such as obelisks, statues, monolithic columns or large architraves, that may have been moved a considerable distance after quarrying. It may also be used of large glacial erratics moved by natural forces.

The word derives, via the Latin monolithus, from the Ancient Greek word μονόλιθος (monolithos), from μόνος ("one" or "single") and λίθος ("stone").

Geological monoliths

Large, well-known monoliths include:

Africa

Omid Walizadeh

Omid Walizadeh, also known as Omid or OD, is an underground hip hop producer based in Long Beach, California. He has produced tracks for Freestyle Fellowship,Busdriver,2Mex,Subtitle, and Awol One, among others.

History

Omid graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a bachelor's degree in recording arts. He has produced tracks since 1992.

Inspired by the underground hip hop movement at the Good Life Cafe in the early 1990s, Omid released a collaborative album, Beneath the Surface, in 1998. It features over 30 rappers, mainly from Los Angeles.

The solo debut album, Distant Drummer, was released on Beneath the Surface in 2002. It was inspired by Dan Simmons' novel Hyperion, the music of Sun Ra, among other things.

In 2003, Omid released the album, Monolith, on Mush Records. It features contributions from Abstract Rude, 2Mex,Buck 65,Luckyiam, Aceyalone, Murs, and Slug, among others. The title comes from Arthur C. Clarke's novel 2010: Odyssey Two.

Omid released the instrumental album, Afterwords 3, on Alpha Pup Records in 2007.

Monolith (Space Odyssey)

Monoliths are machines built by an unseen extraterrestrial species that are described in Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey series of novels and films. During the series, three monoliths are discovered in the solar system by humans and it is revealed that thousands, if not more, were created throughout the solar system, although none are seen. The subsequent response of the characters to their discovery drives the plot of the series. It also influences the fictional history of the series, particularly by encouraging humankind to progress with technological development and space travel.

The first monolith appears in the beginning of the story, set in prehistoric times. It is discovered by a group of hominids, and somehow triggers a considerable shift in evolution, starting with the ability to use tools and weaponry.

Origins

The extraterrestrial species that built the monoliths is never described in much detail, but some knowledge of its existence is given to Dave Bowman after he is transported by the stargate to the "cosmic zoo", as detailed in the novels 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: Odyssey Two. The existence of this species is only hypothesized by the rest of humanity, but it is obvious because the monolith was immediately identified as an artifact of non-human origin.

Umi

Umi or UMI may refer to:

Čumić

Čumić (Serbian: Чумић) is a village in the municipality of Aerodrom, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 1600 people.

References

Coordinates: 44°09′N 20°47′E / 44.150°N 20.783°E / 44.150; 20.783

Pi Ursae Minoris

The Bayer designation Pi Ursae Minoris (π UMi, π Ursae Minoris) is shared by two star systems, π¹ Ursae Minoris and π² Ursae Minoris, in the constellation Ursa Minor. They are separated by 0.64° on the sky.

π¹ Ursae Minoris

Pi-1 Ursae Minoris is a triple star system approximately 70.8 light years from Earth. The system is dominated by a binary pair of two yellow G-type subgiants which are 32 arcseconds apart and have apparent magnitudes of +6.9 and +7.8. They also have an 11th magnitude companion, Pi-1 Ursae Minoris C, which is 135 arcseconds away.

π² Ursae Minoris

Pi-2 Ursae Minoris is a binary star approximately 384 light years from Earth. The primary component, Pi-2 Ursae Minoris A, is a yellow-white F-type star with an apparent magnitude of +6.89. The companion star, Pi-2 Ursae Minoris B, has an apparent magnitude of +8.3 and is 0.67 arcseconds from the primary. The binary star completes one orbit every 188 years.