View allAll Photos Tagged Absorption
VU, Amsterdam
March 2012
The Netherlands
Urban life in the Netherlands
Ricoh GRD IV
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Apparently, the deep amber color of the fantastic whisky Aberlour a'bunadh is due to absorption and subsequent fluorescence.
The Hague
May 2012
The Netherlands
Urban life in the Netherlands
Ricoh GRD IV
Please do not reproduce or use this picture without my explicit permission.
If you ask nicely i will probably say yes, just ask me first!
If you happen to be in one of my frames and have any objections to this.
Please contact me!
All rights reserved
Amsterdam
May 2012
The Netherlands
Urban life in the Netherlands
Ricoh GRD IV
Please do not reproduce or use this picture without my explicit permission.
If you ask nicely i will probably say yes, just ask me first!
If you happen to be in one of my frames and have any objections to this.
Please contact me!
All rights reserved
This is about the colour of water, a subject that interests me. Both pure water - seen against a light-coloured background - and transparent (few air bubbles) ice have a beautiful pure blue colour when seen in sufficient depth. The layer of either ice or water needs to be at least a metre thick before the colour becomes clearly apparent. The picture here - taken by me in 2006 from a kayak near the landward end of Glacier Bay in Alaska - shows the beautiful pale, transcucent blue of the glacier ice as it calves into the sea.
Why is the water blue and not transparent like pure clear glass? It is not due to an impurity, it is due to an intrinstic property of the water molecule itself: one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms (H_2O, where the "_" indicates that the following character is a subscript). The hydrogen atoms - about 16 times less massive then the oxygen atom - can vibrate in a number of different ways. The hydrogens sit next to the oxygen, not in a straight line but bent with an angle of almost 105 degrees separating them. They can vibrate along the line joining them to the oxygen, either symetrically (both together) or antisymetrically (like a boxer punching with one arm followed by the other): these are called 'stretch' modes. The two hydrogens can also 'bend', changing their separation angle around 105 degrees. There are other vibration modes but they are not really relevant to the colour.
Because the hydrogen atoms are so light, their vibrations are very fast and, unlike most other molecules, extend from the infrared into the frequencies occupied by red, yellow and green light. Combinations of different vibrations produce a series of 'absorption bands' extending from the infrared down through the visible red and, with decreasing strength, into the green part of the spectrum. The result of this is that deep water or thick ice has much of its red and eventually yellow and green light absorbed, leaving the blue light to travel without hindrance.
The rather complex-looking diagram here shows what these bands look like in water vapour, liquid water and ice. They are all measurements made with my JAZ spectrometer.
Focussing first on the liquid water (the pale blue line), you can see that a few cm of water is perfectly transparent (100%) in the visible spectrum (up to 700nm) and only as we look into the near infrared does it begin to be absorbed strongly. This measurement was made through a path of 5.5cm of water but, with a metre or two, the absorption would extend further towards the green - to the left of the diagram. Ice (the brown line) is similar in its effect although the dips are shifted a bit towards the red - basically because the vibrations of the hydrogen atoms are inhibited by the neighbouring water molecules in the solid. The positions of the water bands are marked by the light blue 'X' and '+' symbols (the difference being due to the different combinations of vibrations).
The vapour bands (seen in the dark blue spectrum) are furthest to the blue (left) because the hydrogen atoms are less affected by neighbouring molecules in the gas phase. They are marked with the dark blue circles and triangles. This water vapour spectrum was obtained at sunset when the Sun has to shine through a very long path of air. This maximises the strength of the absorptions which are due mostly to water but also to other gases such as oxygen and ozone. The features in the solar spectrum as well as the ozone absorption have been removed from this 'telluric' spectrum (see: www.eso.org/sci/publications/messenger/archive/no.143-mar... ). The ozone actually has a huge effect on the colour of the twilight sky: but that is another story! The molecular oxygen bands have been marked with the green squares. On the left hand side, there are also some quite strong absorptions due to the O_4 'dimer': a loose and temporary coupling between two oxygen molecules. These dimer bands are shown overlayed on the blue spectrum.
Water is seen not only in absorption. In a hydrocarbon gas flame, here from a butane kitchen blowtorch, the same vapour bands are seen in emission (the red spectrum). Water emission bands can also be seen in the spectra of comets as they near the Sun. The positions of all the 'flame' bands are marked with the red diamonds.
The final spectrum in this diagram is the transmission of an emerald pebble (green line) . The emerald crystal structure contains 'channels' which are big enough to contain almost 'free' water molecules which reveal themselves here as the dip at a wavelength of 960nm.
The water molecule behaves in a wonderfully complex way, giving water the most amazing and life-enabling properties. These spectra give a mere glimpse of the full set of complexities!
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are almost wholly carnivorous, and live mainly within the Arctic Circle. Adult males can grow up to 3 metres in length, and weigh up to 700 kg.
Although their fur is white (this one has been rolling on the soil, hence the browny tinge), their skin is actually black, which assists heat absorption.
Arp 212 (NGC 7625, UGC 12529, VV 280 and others), part of Arp’s “irregularities, absorption and resolution” class, is considered a polar ring galaxy (arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/0808/0808.1696v1.pdf) located approximately 81 million light-years away in Pegasus.
Luminance – 25x600s – 250 minutes – binned 1x1
RGB – 8x300s – 40 minutes each – binned 2x2
370 minutes total exposure – 6 hours 10 minutes
Imaged October 16th, 17th and 18th, 2020 from Dark Sky New Mexico at Rancho Hidalgo (Animas, New Mexico) with a SBIG STF-8300M on an Astro-Tech AT12RCT at f/8 2432mm.
The ultimate Yogi, the diety of salvation, the highest source of attaining a state of bliss and absolute energy for man, Shiva is the personification of enlightenment - the state of nirvana, a freedom from suffering and the transcendence of the mind to the spiritual realm of limitless joy.
Shiva signifies absolute action and at the same time He is the stillness in the movement and the absorption of co-existing contradictions - the absolute reality beyond time, space and reason. He is the conciousness which bestows bliss and the eternal experience of energy, the portrayal of the potential energy contained in every atom.
The dance of Shiva is the divine motion that goes on inside every atom and the universe as a whole - the spectacular celestial dance, the display of all movements that occur in the inside and the outside of us. Represented in the form of a cylinder, the most stable and elementary shape in creation, He sustains all creation and is the source of all energies emanating from what he represents - Silence and Space.
As described on an audio CD titled The Chants of Shiva. Author - Anonymous.
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Om Namah Shivaya is a popular mantra (chant/prayer) in Hinduism.
Its translation is "adoration (namas) to Shiva", preceded by the mystical syllable "Om".
The meaning of the Namaḥ Śivāya mantra was explained by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami:
Namaḥ Śivāya is the most holy name of God Śiva, recorded at the very center of the Vedas and elaborated in the Śaiva Agamas.
Na is the Lord's concealing grace, Ma is the world, Śi stands for Śiva, Va is His revealing grace, Ya is the soul. The five elements, too, are embodied in this ancient formula for invocation. Na is earth, Ma is water, Śi is fire, Vā is air, and Ya is ether, or Ākāśa. Many are its meanings.
Namaḥ Śivaya has such power, the mere intonation of these syllables reaps its own reward in salvaging the soul from bondage of the treacherous instinctive mind and the steel bands of a perfected externalized intellect. Namaḥ Śivāya quells the instinct, cuts through the steel bands and turns this intellect within and on itself, to face itself and see its ignorance. Sages declare that mantra is life, that mantra is action, that mantra is love and that the repetition of mantra, japa, bursts forth wisdom from within.
The book "The Ancient Power of Sanskrit Mantra and Ceremony: Volume I" by Thomas Ashley-Farrand defines Om Namah Shivaya as:
"This mantra has no direct translation. The sounds relate directly to the principles which govern each of the first five chakras on the spine...Earth, water, fire, air, ether. Notice that this does not refer to the chakras themselves which have a different set of seed sounds, but rather, the principles which govern those chakras in their place. A very rough, non-literal translation could be something like, 'Om and salutations to that which I am capable of becoming.' This mantra will start one out on the path of subtle development of spiritual attainments. It is the beginning on the path of Siddha Yoga, or the Yoga of Perfection of the Divine Vehicle."
"Na" refers to the Gross Body (annamayakosa), "Ma" refers to the Pranic Body (pranamayakosa), "Shi" or "Chi" refers to the Mental Body (manonmayakosa), "Va" refers to the Intellectual Body (vignanamayakosa) and "Ya" refers to the Blissful Body (anandamayakosa) and "OM" or the "silence" beyond these syllables refers to the Soul or Life within.
________________________________________________________________________
The metaphoric representations of Shiva as per the Holy scriptures:
Shiva's form:
Shiva has a Trident in the right lower arm, with a crescent moon on his head. He is said to be fair like camphor or like an ice clad mountain. He has fire and Damaru (drum) and Mala (beads) or a kind of weapon. In some depictions, he wears five serpents as ornaments, and a garland of skulls. He is pressing with his feet the demon Muyalaka, a dwarf holding a cobra. He faces south. Panchakshara (five syllables/elements) itself is his body. It is believed that Shiva became a god through meditating everyday.
Third eye:
Shiva is often depicted with a third eye, with which he burned Desire (Kāma) to ashes, called "Tryambakam", which occurs in many scriptural sources. It is said to symbolize him as the destroyer of all evil and ignorance.
Crescent moon:
Shiva bears on his head the crescent moon. The epithet "Chandraśekhara" - "Having the moon as his crest" (chandra = "moon"; śekhara = "crest, crown") refers to this feature. The crescent moon is shown on the side of the Lord's head as an ornament. The waxing and waning phenomenon of the moon symbolizes the time cycle through which creation evolves from the beginning to the end. Since the Lord is the Eternal Reality, He is beyond time. Thus, the crescent moon is only one of His ornaments. The wearing of the crescent moon in his head indicates that He has controlled the mind perfectly, is the master of time and is Himself timeless.
Sacred Ganges:
The Ganges river flows from the matted hair of Shiva. The epithet Gaṅgādhara ("bearer of the river Gaṅgā") refers to this feature. The Gaṅgā (Ganges), one of the major rivers of the country, is said to have made her abode in Shiva's hair. The flow of the Ganges is said to represent the nectar of immortality as well as signify the flow of scriptural teachings passing wisdom from one generation to the next.
Tiger skin:
He is often shown seated upon a tiger skin, an honour reserved for the most accomplished of Hindu ascetics, the Brahmarishis. Tiger represents lust. His sitting on the tiger’s skin indicates that He has conquered lust and is fearless.
Serpents:
Shiva is often shown garlanded with a snake. His wearing of serpents on the neck denotes wisdom and eternity. It is also said to signify the ego, which once mastered can be worn as an ornament.
Deer Skin:
Represents that He has removed the "Chanchalata" (tossing) of the mind. Deer jumps from one place to another swiftly. The mind also jumps from one object to another.
Trident:
Shiva's particular weapon is the trident. Held in His right hand it represents the three Gunas (qualities) — Sattva, Rajas and Tamas - Knowledge, Desire and Implementation. That is the emblem of sovereignty. He rules the world through these three Gunas.
Drum
The Damaru (hourglass shaped drum) in His left hand represents the Eternal Sound. It represents OM from which all languages are formed. It is He who formed the Sanskrit language out of the Damaru sound. With this language He gave us the teachings of the Holy Scriptures to guide us through life.
Beads:
The wearing of the beads denotes purity, sometimes with a rosary in the right hand denoting concentration.
Nandī:
Nandī, is the name of the bull that serves as Shiva's mount. Shiva's association with cattle is reflected in his name Paśupati, or Pashupati, translated "lord of cattle" or "lord of animals". The bull represents Dharma (righteousness). Lord Siva rides on the bull. This denotes that Lord Siva is the protector of Dharma, is an embodiment of Dharma or righteousness.
The Hague
June 2012
The Netherlands
Former Synagoge turned Mosque in de Wagenstraat.
Even today the weak and underprivileged seek alms at houses of prayer.
Urban life in the Netherlands
Ricoh GRD IV
Please do not reproduce or use this picture without my explicit permission.
If you ask nicely I will probably say yes, just ask me first!
If you happen to be in one of my frames and have any objections to this.
Please contact me!
Please no glossy awards, scripted comments and big thumbnails back to your own work.
I will remove them...
What are the benefits and advantages of Virgin Coconut Oil to Your Health ?
Why drink Virgin Coconut Oil? (Must read) Sinusitis & Alergy, Chronic Tiredness & Asthma
Protection from disease Dandruff and hair fall
Advantages of VCO & Metabolism and Energy Remove excess fat- Obesity
Remedial, Substance digestion and absorption Prostate Enlargement, Ulcer and constipation
Mother's milk & MCFA,pregnancy & Your baby Acute myocardial infarction deterrent
Anti aging, Scars on skin elasticity, Protect & treat skin High blood & Diabetes
Cracked heel, Accident wound, wound and sore Cancer , AIDS Treatment & other Researches
Prof.Dr.Mary G.Enig Director, Nutritional Science Division,
Enig Associates, Inc. 11120 New Hampshire Avenue
500 Silver Spring, MD 20904-2633 U.S.
"Coconut oil is the important and beneficial food for 21st century . With the availability of clinical and scientific information of its healthy qualities of antimicrobial virgin coconut oil particularly and coconut oil in generally, makes it very attractive."
“Virgin Coconut Oil is most salutary oil in the world"
Dr. Bruce Fife (Doctor Naturopati – USA)
" Virgin Coconut Oil has anti virus, anti bacteria, anti fungus and anti natural parasite characteristics can control a variety of diseases "
Dr. John J. Kabara (Universiti Michigan –USA)
" Virgin coconut oil stand strong alone as the most salutary oil that you can use. It contains nutritional value and research treasure that is really valuable. I really indeed want you make virgin coconut oil as part of your daily nutrition's plan "
Dr. Mark Atkinson, Holistic Medical Physician
MBBS Bsc (Hons) FRIPHH FCMA BETD SAC DIP
(Clinical Nutrition)
Dr Joseph Mercola
(Author of Total Health Programand Rachael Droege)
6 ways for your
skin to really look young
1-Control from excessive exposure to sunlight.
2-Avoid from practicing a 'yo-yo diet'.
3-Use Virgin Coconut Oil
Using virgin coconut oil as a lotion is the ideal method to control your skin's youthfulness. It does not only prevent the formation of harmful free radicals, but it also act to protect it from free radical. In fact it is also capable of sustaining the skin from whitehead and other skin problem due to aging factor and excessive exposure to sunlight.
Virgin coconut oil is capable of strengthening the 'connective' tissue of the skin, thereby helping to stop the skin from slack and wrinkle. It contains certain elements that is capable of restoring damaged skin or preventing the skin from contracting a disease.
Virgin coconut oil not only give temporary relief to the skin, but it also helps to restore and improve the skin, and that cannot be done by any other types of lotion. It functioned to r5estore the youthfulness of your skin by removing the external dead skin cells. Virgin coconut oil will penetrate deep into the underlayer skin and will reinforce that layer of tissue. Finally your skin will be soft and healthy.
If you want the maximum restorative effect, you must choose those oil that is genuinely of high quality, free from chemicals, no bleaching and non hydrogenated. All these are available in virgin coconut oil.
4-Rest your face muscles
5-Take plenty of Omega-3.
6-Avoid smoking.
Hj.Ishak Basiran
(Mechanical Engineer)
M.Director Desaku Maju Marketing, Desaku Trading, Mudah Niaga & Teknologi Desa Hijau Sdn Bhd.
Dr.AH.Bambang Setiaji, MSc
(Expert Virgin Coconut oil Nusantara)
Lecturer Fakulti Kimia Matematik dan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam Universiti Gadjah Mada Indonesia
Everyday drink Virgin Coconut Oil @ Black Seed Oil @ Honey- What you will get?
Relieve breathing– dilute phlegm and cleanse the respiratory tract and throat.
Ease defecation and urination – overcome constipation & uncomfortable urination and remove toxin through excrement.
Increase the metabolism rate on the whole body cells– Virgin coconut oil will be diffused on as the energy component inside the body – your body will consider stronger.
In the ileum and colon, it destroys the harmful organism like viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoan (worm). The digestion will achieve maximum level.
Reduce the condition of being easily hungry – when the digestion achieves maximum level, the body will gain more nutrition and energy.
Therefore the body weight is controlled – don't need to eat much and often.
Reduce body fat – the body weight decreases to suit the person's body.
Not easily infected by diseases – with the strengthening of the body immunity system.
Reduce the stickiness of the blood platelet – the stickiness of the platelet is the contributing factor of the plaque formation in the blood vessel.
Reduce the risk of heart attack and high blood pressure – avoid the formation of plaque in the blood vessel especially the blood vessel to the heart.
Speeds up the process of repairing the damaged cells – restore the flexibility, tenderness and fineness of skin.
THE LONG TERM EFFECT ON THE BODY FOR CONSUMING VIRGIN COCONUT OIL
Reduce the cholesterol level – it does not contain cholesterol. Therefore it is the best alternative to other oils that have high high cholesterol level.
Control diabetes - the pancreas is more efficient to secrete insulin while the cell work more efficiently to diffuse the needed sugar.
Overcome degenerative disease and old age problem - the natural anti oxidant in virgin coconut oil is the free radical formation obstructer.
Does not increase the stickiness level of platelet in the blood – overcome plaque formation in the vessel which is the factor of heart attack.
The body is more resistant to diseases because VCO has anti virus, anti bacteria, anti fungus and anti protozoan agents.
Restore the flexibility, softness of skin – it speeds up the process of building new cells, besides protecting it from ultra violet radiation.
Stimulate new hair growth and guard against dandruff –the hair cell will gain adequate energy and nutrients for maximum growth.
Prevent allergy – virgin coconut oil acts as an anti histamine agent.
Prevent the risk of cancer disease – virgin coconut oil destroys the presence of any pathogen. Therefore leucocytes can act maximally destroy the cancer cells, because the leucocytes is not capable of attacking the pathogen organisms.
Overcome snoring – because the respiratory tract and uvula will be flexible and elastic due to the existence of new cells.
As a Source of Food, Energy and Health
VIRGIN COCONUT OIL
Ø Does not burden the pancreas
Ø Medium Chain Fatty Acid (MCFA – easily digested)
Ø Digested by only the saliva enzyme and in stomach (very good for those who have digestive disorder, metabolic problem, premature infant that the body system is under growth.
Ø Transmitted to the liver producing maximum energy.
Ø Produce instant energy. It can pass through the membrane cell of mitochondria without the enzyme.
Ø Cells become efficient.
Ø Act to prevent the formation of free radical.
Ø The poisonous trans fatty acid that destroy the body system is not produced.
Ø No cholesterol.
Ø Contain about 45-55 % of lauric acid.
Ø Have antivirus, antibacterial, antifungal, anti protozoan properties.
Ø On skin, it acts as the additional shield against the dangerous ultra violet (UV) radiation (longer skin's youthfulness) and prevent from the bacterial infection (prevent skin disease infection) besides speeding up the formation of new cells (flexibility and softness of skin is more obvious.
Ø Acts as anti cancer and anti histamine (prevent allergy).
Ø Increase metabolism. (Cells have more energy, makethem more efficient).
Ø Improve endurance.
Ø Improve the digestive system. (will not easily get hungry, no need to eat much and the body weight is controlled naturally).
Ø Improve the digestion of vitamins and minerals (good for old folks).
VEGETABLE OIL
Ø Burdening to the pancreas.
Ø Long Chain Fatty Acid ( only certain LCFA can be digested)
Ø Need pancreatic enzyme and various enzymes to be broken down into small units.
Ø It needs specific enzyme to enable it to permeate mitochondria membrane cell - thus it generates energy slower than Virgin Coconut Oil.
Ø Cells not efficient.
Ø Free radical is easily formed.
Ø It is being processed through deodorization, bleaching, dehydrogenation, which in the process, produces trans fatty acid that is known to be harmful to the human body.
Ø Contain cholesterol.
Ø Almost no beneficial acid.
ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION PREVENTION
As explain earlier, coconut oil does not increase the blood cholesterol level or triglyceride level or excessive blood clot. It even stimulate the metabolism, thereby lowering the cholesterol level. Research result from 1970 to 1980 showed that coconut oil is good for the heart although at that time the unsaturated fat is blamed for increasing the risk of myocardial infarction. It is proven that taking coconut oil greatly influence towards the decline in the risk of myocardial infarction compared with other edible oil. Coconut oil can also reduce the accumulation of body fat, increasing lifespan, lessen blood clot formation, reduce free radicals in the cells, reduce the cholesterol level in the blood and heart, adding antioxidant in the cells and reduce the possibility of acute myocardial infarction of the society. By consuming coconut oil the risk of heart attack can be reduced.
Based on this evidence coconut oil therefore is good for the heart or at least harmless to the heart. However it is a fact that coconut oil is not only harmless but play an important role in fighting against acute myocardial infarction. Because of its extraordinary role, it is expected to become a new weapon in fighting against acute myocardial infarction.
ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION AND HYPERTENSION
To understand how coconut oil can help prevent acute myocardial infarction, we must possess the basic knowledge of how a heart disease develop. Acute myocardial infarction is caused by the hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) that happened as a result of plaque formation. Most people say atherosclerosis is caused by too much cholesterol in the blood. This idea call cholesterol hypothesis or lipid from acute myocardial infarction. Presently this idea still is widely spread in popular media by the Soya bean industries, in fact this theory is already obsolete, with the clinical observation and academic research it had been displaced by the response to injury hypothesis.
What causes the formation of plaque and atherosclerosis to develop? Generally it is always thought that hardening of the vein is usually associated with cholesterol. However cholesterol does not only stay freely in the blood vessels but can settle abruptly anywhere in the vessel. Cholesterol is used by the body to patch and repair wounds on the wall of blood vessels. In fact cholesterol is not really required for the formation of plaque in the atherosclerosis. Contrary to popular belief, the key component of blood vessel plaque is not cholesterol but protein especially the network of wounds. Several blood vessels that suffer atherosclerosis contain a small amount of cholesterol or none at all. According to response to injury hypothesis, part of the atherosclerosis develop as a result of wound on the inner wall of the blood vessel. Wound can happen due several reasons such as poisoning, free radicals, virus or bacteria. If the cause of the wound is not removed, it will cause further damage and as long as the complication and inflammation continue, the network will continue developing. Blood coagulant protein called platelets circulate freely in the blood. When it meets the wound it will become sticky and stick with one another in the damaged network to facilitate remedy. This is how blood clot is form. Wound from whatever source will trigger the platelet to coagulate and the cells in the blood vessel will release element to stimulate the growth of muscle cells in the wall. A complex combination of network wound, platelet, calcium, cholesterol and triglyceride work together to cure the wound. Therefore from the fiber network, it is clear that not only cholesterol that form the basic element in plaque. Calcium accumulation in plaque caused the hardening of blood vessel and this is the characteristic of atherosclerosis.
Contrary to popular belief, plaque does not only stick to the internal wall along the blood vessel just like mud does in the garden hose. But plaque grow inside the wall of a blood vessel, and it is part of the wall. The wall of a blood vessel is surrounded by a layer of strong muscle fiber coiling around it to prevent the plaque from spreading. Because plaques grow and developed, but it is unable to propagate outwards, it therefore presses inwards and close the vessel passage, narrowing down the bloodstream and restricting the blood flow.
Platelets gather around the wound to form blood clot. It seals the vent of the damage tube. But if the blood is inclined to clot, it will finally obstruct the blood flow. Finally the vessel narrowed down by the plaque will because clog by the blood clot and this in turn will stop the blood flow. If this happen to the coronary vessel it is known as heart attack. If it happened to carotid vessel going to the brain, the result is what is called stroke. Atherosclerosis cause acute myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular interference.
PROSTATE ENLARGEMENT
Generally adult male has risk in attack prostate disruption during his life. Most common prostate disruption is benign prostaic hyperplasia (BHP) or prostate enlargement. Almost 50% old man among 40-59 year and 90% people those aged between 70-80 year stricken phenomenon BHP. The disease distributed when someone ageing. Is known that lifestyle plays a vital role happened this BHP, and it make main problem in western country. Man who lives in developed country who are less advanced where local food production and consumption usually has been undisturbed by this disease. Yet disease actual cause BHP this not yet leak. Theory most popular concentrate to male hormone dihydrostestosterone (DHT) as his cause. Believed that when we ageing greater testerone are transformed into collected DHT in prostate. Affairs this resulted prostate grow, and it pressing urethra, (fund whereby urine flowing) and bladder until cause often urinate and interference urinate, especially at night, this situation often in knit with gland inflammation. Although it is not cancer ailment, but that potential as upholder happen this disease, (cancer).
Medical that reasonable to BHP is by prevent change testerone become DHT. Finasteride is a medicine function by this way and has proven effective. Herb medication popular and are believed get prevent poisonous influence DHT's formation that excess is saw palmetto. This subtropical climate can found in American region South-East. Indian's person indigenous Florida and his early people use berries and this crop as medicine people to cure disruption reproduction, or vessel disease urinate and influenza. To woman are used to mother's milk and defuse menstruation painful.
Present research that saw palmetto berries powerfully effective in lessen disruption BHP. Relatively proscar (BHP's drug that many formulation), saw palmetto more effective in defuse prostate phenomenon. Lot of scrutiny have pointed out that saw palmetto powerfully effective almost 90% to menstrual period among week 4 to week 6 . Instead proscar only effective in defuse his phenomenon less 37% after drug taking during per years. Convince that saw palmetto had no side effects. Instead proscar may cause impotency, desire decline (libido) sexual and disabled birth. Saw palmetto have solicited his reputation among the physicians alternative health and conventional as a effective medication to BPH. It make a herb has been admitted by conventional medication as secure and effective.
Medication influences saw palmetto can be found especially from fat tamarind in berry. Attract to be observed that saw palmetto make cluster palm and berries and it make among coconut species. Obtain many fat tamarind to saw palmetto berries make similar MCFA with MCFA in coconut. Dr Jon Kabara, biochemist fat (lipid), declared that fat tamarind saw palmetto barriers cope pursue formation DHT hormone. Then be also with fat tamarind to coconut oil. A conclusion is necessarily equal coconut oil effective it even more effective in preventing and cure BPH like extract saw palmetto.
DIABETES DISEASE. (DIABETES)
Among a number of modern society diseases is diabetes. This disease have increased less from a century ago to the need serious attention. Now diabetes become sixth-largest killer in America. Diabetes does not just cause death but can cause other disease such as kidney pain, acute myocardial infarction, high-blood-pressure, stroke, cataract, nerve damage, hearing loss and blindness. Calculated that 45% risky inhabitants this disease (diabetes).
By easier diabetes are disease that related with sugar inside the body in whose know as blood sugar or blood glucose. Every cell inside body should get glucose to spur metabolic. Cell use glucose to strengthen growth process and recovery. When eat food, digestive system change a lot of food become glucose then free in bloodstream. Hormone insulin, issued by gland pancreas, arrange glucose from the blood to be channeled into the cell until operational as fuel. If cell not get glucose total that sufficient cell will become 'hunger' and finally will die. To this moment, network and organs of the body will suffer damage. That is really happened to the diabetes patient.
There are two types diabetes, namely diabetes type I and diabetes type II. Diabetes type I sometimes considered as diabetes youth, namely diabetes which had been dependent insulin. Diabetes this type is ordinary originated during child and it is because by incapacity pancreas to issue total insulin needed by person. While diabetes type II also known as diabetes who do not rely to insulin. Diabetes this kind only occurred when person already adult and it happen because cell not able to absorb normal rate insulin issued by pancreas. In these circumstances insulin may regard as key to a key mango to singles door. Insulin with role as key, open mango key (enter into the cell) and then open the gate to facilitate glucose enter. If his mango's key make from material that are not quality and it damage, key is no longer function, door will not be able to open. This happens to sufferer diabetes tipe II. Insulin available cannot longer open the gate because his mango's key damaged. To both type diabetes this glucose level in the blood increase whereas his cell malfunction.
To diabetes tipe I pancreas not able to produce insulin rate that adequate to deliver glucose ply to all cells inside body. The treatment is with make insulin injection once or more a day with sugar low nutrition table that the tight. Was reported that around 90% sufferer diabetes have been from tipe II and 85% from it caused by obesity. This both tipe diabetes, diet very important whether to patient that stay to the moment disease start though in his handling. While type of food eaten also really influence patient either it enhance or protect
A interesting facts, persons that stay in the archipelago Pacific who practice traditional diet never reportedly catch diabetes ill. Yet when them leave his natural food and replace him with westernized food, all manner type of disease come, and in about is diabetes. For example what that happened in Nautu Island people in South-pacific. During their centuries just rely to food based upon on banana, tuber and coconut.
Yet after being found in their earth phosphate patching his revenue bring to prosperity and their changing lifestyles, majority of the population replace banana, tuber and coconut with food from fine powder, sugar and vegetable oil that while his process already experienced many modify. Consequently emerge disease have never seem before it like diabetes and others. Reportedly World Health Organization (WHO), almost half Nautu's Island urban population that age 30-64 years get diabetes disease.
Doctors have successfully helped patients to operate diabetes with organize patient practice low-fat diet, high carbohydrate. Through diet they get limit fat intake until 30% calorie. Complex carbohydrates as perfect grain and vegetables comprise from 50% to 60% calorie. Medium carbohydrate as fine powder and sugar should avoid. This is because carbohydrate pay tension that not duly to pancreas and this will increase in blood sugar to level that jeopardizes. Reason to fat reduction and also sweet food are gaining body weight reduction. This is because body weight problem is main cause diabetes. In addition other reason to low-fat diet is reduce the acute myocardial infarction risk that general effect from diabetes illness.
Lastly, researchers has shown that flute vegetable oil excessive recruitment cause disease diabetes. This matter was strengthen with a proof study to on animal where it have successfully raised diabetes with only feeding fat content poly unsaturated fat that substantial. Then with only limiting fat intake, that animals has undergone remedial from his disease (diabetes). In a conclusion powerfully effective low-fat diet in the handling diabetes.
Latest suggestion is lessen or limit all fats. Unsaturated mono fat as olive oil, subtly influence diabetes, then approved use at reasonable rates. Yet because all fats including high olive oil caloric content, then his recruitment not are encouraged. However seem unsaturated poly oil classified oil as problem occur. This scrutiny shows that when unsaturated poly fat from diet enclose in cellular arrangement, cell ability to get disturbed glucose. In other words 'mango key' to cell open the gate supply glucose to be entered aggravate his state when too much unsaturated poly oil in take in food. Then insulin not afford open the gate. Unsaturated poly fat oxidizable easily and destroyed by free radicals. With all type of fat, including unsaturated poly oil, used as obstacle hedge supply membrane cell. Unsaturated poly fat oxidizable in membrane cell can influence by detrimental his cellular function, including his ability in permit hormone, glucose and other substance to flow into and outwards his cell. Then thereof, diet high to vegetable unsaturated poly oil distillation increase diabetes. Diet low to oil will help dispel his symptom because all fat potential to increase body weight. Then would be excellent to avoiding him.
In this regard still there fat which can be eaten by diabetes sufferer without foreboding. The fat is coconut oil. Coconut oil not cause diabetes and it get help arrange blood sugar, felled at lessen influence diabetes. Nautu's people take many coconut oil during several generations and was never found diabetes, yet when they replace with eating from other oil his result is disaster.
Attractive one item of coconut oil not claim enzyme production insulin from pancreas. With reduction to process inside the body during lunch time, whereas insulin was still being taken out with many, then would facilitate organs of the body function more efficient. Coconut oil also help give energy to cell because it have been absorbed easily without need enzyme or insulin. Coconut oil has proven can improve secretion insulin and blood glucose. Coconut oil to improving food and improve action and insulin capacity send glucose repeat among cell, when compared with other oil.
In Journal of the Indian Medicine Association reports that diabetes type II in India have increased when person neglect oil traditional, because more selective vegetable unsaturated poly oil that has promoted “good for the heart”. The authors having commentary on the relationship between unsaturated poly oil with diabetes and organize enhance consumption coconut oil as method to prevent diabetes.
A diabetes consequence are diminished energy that related with incapacity cell to get glucose that is required. Without glucose to strengthen cellular activity, metabolic becomes slow and all body fell weak.
Athletic were organized as a method to help diabetes sufferer operate in blood sugar. The reason why beneficial athletic is that it enhance metabolic. Faster metabolic amount will stimulate insulin production increase that is required and enhance glucose absorption in cells. Therefore it can help diabetes sufferer type I though diabetes sufferer type II.
Coconut oil can also increase metabolic amount that cause body fire more calories that mean will add body weight reduction. Therefore decrease body weight can do with only increasing coconut oil into the food. MCFA to coconut oil mail directly to heart are transformed into energy instead of inside the body as fat network.
Diabetes sufferer as good it avoiding consumption all fats, except coconut oil, because it get help stabilize blood glucose rate and help lessen excess body weight. Not extreme if reputedly that coconut oil is as good oil it eaten diabetes sufferer.
Ulcer and Constipation
Some of the ulcers are usually caused by Herpes virus simplex type 2. It will attack when the person's immunity is low such as during fever, cold, diabetes, when menstruating, stress and others, while constipation is caused by lack water, fiber, drug/chemical reaction, incorrect toilet habit, cancer of the intestine, after operation or pregnancy.
Generally by taking Virgin Coconut Oil it will ease the pain, besides reducing inflammation and swelling of the ulcer sufferer. The high content of lauric and capric acid in virgin coconut oil (with antimicrobial characteristics) help to enhance the body's resistance besides acting as an antibiotic in the body. For those suffering from constipation, Virgin Coconut Oil can ease the bowel and help to treat internal wound such as pile.
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Quinine in tonic water. This shows the absorption to both the first and second singlet electronic states and the fluorescence from the lowest vibrational level of the first excited state.
Discovered by Sir John Herschel in 1845 (Herschel, J.F.W., Phil. Trans. R. Soc. London (1845) 133:143–145), quinine was the first fluorophore to be discovered.
Experienced joggers know that new running shoes wear out quickly. After just a few runs, their cushioning capacity starts to decline because the foam that is normally used in the midsole gradually gets compressed. BASF researchers have solved this problem with a new open-cell foam that provides the same running shoe characteristics and offers longer-lasting shock absorption. Thanks to small openings in the cell walls of the polyurethane foam (PU), shown in the picture, the midsole can be manufactured so that under pressure it remains stable over a much longer period of time. The low density posed a particular challenge for the researchers: the material must not only be stable and absorb shocks, it also has to be extremely light. Biomechanical tests carried out by Chemnitz University of Technology confirmed that PU with enhanced shock absorption improves the quality of the running experience compared with conventional running shoes. When joggers walk on air, it’s because at BASF, we create chemistry.
And this is our group of future deep diving instructors, Brendan, Jen, Stuart and our course director Carl, at our 6 meter safety stop (a very good idea on recreational deep dives). Why is Stuart's t-shirt red, even though we are underwater? I used a strobe for this shot, as I normally do, and the artificial light provided enough long-wavelength, red, light.
We did this dive to become PADI deep diving instructors, so if you like, I can now teach you to dive deep safely in the Deep Diver course with Abyss Scuba Diving in Sydney. Ask to be taught by me when you contact Abyss.
Light Asylum aka Shannon Funchess
live, Oetinger Villa, 12/2018
A7s
Rodenstock XR-Heligon 1.1/75
modified X-ray lens
This is a spectral irradiance measurement of the Sun and sky made on a very clear morning with little haze. The solar altitude was +27.3°.
The plot shows a broad spectrum view of the solar energy distribution. With other spectrometers, I can in principle, measure out to 2,500nm and also into the ultraviolet down to the atmospheric cut-off close to 300nm, but I still have some work to do on the radiometric calibration.
The pale grey line is the solar flux outside the atmosphere (from the Hubble calibration database). Although the legend says 'scaled', the scaling factor is unity.
The orange and red lines show the visible spectrum of the sun/sky measured in the plane perpendicular to the Sun with the Sekonic C-7000 colour meter. The orange is the spectral irradiance which is the power incident on the plane and coming from the whole of the hemisphere (2Pi sr): this adds some of the blue sky back into the measured solar power. If I restrict the solid angle with a tube attached to the device (a toilet roll), I measure the solar spectral irradiance after extinction by 2.17 airmass of atmosphere with only a very small contamination by sky - the red line.
In this case, the orange line does not represent the Sun + the entire blue sky visible to the cosine corrector on the radiometer since parts of the sky were obscured by neighbouring buildings.
The inset photo shows the Sekonic with the adapted toilet roll. This restricts the field of view to a radius of 5.4°, tapering to zero by 10.6° from the Sun.
The underlying spectrum in blue is the solar irradiance after passing through my extinction model for this airmass. The model includes Rayleigh and aerosol scattering and ozone absorption in the ultraviolet and the visible (Chappuis) bands. The only parameters I can vary are the concentration of aerosols (very low in this case) and the ozone column density which is slightly more complicated to choose due to the variation of ozone density with height (my simple model is for a uniform atmosphere).
In this case the Chappuis band only has a small effect around 600nm since the Sun was quite high. The goodness of fit gives confidence in the absolute calibration of the the Sekonic device!
The dashed black line is the Planck function at the correlated colour temperature measured by the C-7000 for the red-line spectrum.
What can we learn from this kind of measurement? Apart from giving a general understanding the effects of atmospheric extinction on the incident sunlight, the model gives a good indication of the aerosol concentration in the atmosphere. This has a big effect on the twilight phenomenon. In this measurement, the best fit model indicates that the aerosols were only about 20% of what is considered a 'normal' atmosphere. Presumably they were washed away by the wettest winter on record!
Sonata Vario Acoustic Installed to the Walls at Bishop Wilton Village Hall.
www.soundreduction.co.uk/Products/Sound-Absorption-Soluti...
Sonata Aurio Acoustic Absorbers are designed to be directly bonded to walls and ceiling to reduce reverberation and improve speech intelligibility.
www.soundreduction.co.uk/Products/Sound-Absorption-Soluti...
1-12-13 Wyndham Street Races
TOP SPEED REVIEW:
Not long ago, the Japanese motorcycles were considered the uncontested leaders of sport motorcycles and nobody had the guts to challenge them. However, this situation has changed after BMW entered the battle. Its first super sport bike, the S 1000RR was not only a completely newcomer, but it was also so strong and technological advanced that it made any other bike look like defenseless scooter.
THE ABS
The Kawasaki Ninja® ZX™-10R ABS superbike combines anti-lock braking with the numerous technological benefits of the class leading ZX-10R. And it does it with rider-sensitive, race-bred attributes derived from competing and winning at the highest levels.
Kawasaki has developed a new electronic steering damper for the 2013 ZX-10R ABS sportbike, in joint cooperation with Öhlins. Controlled by a dedicated ECU located under the gas tank cover, this new damper reacts to the rate of acceleration or deceleration, as well as rear wheel speed, to help provide the ideal level of damping force across a wide range of riding scenarios. The variable damping provides optimum rider feedback by enabling the use of lower damping forces during normal operation, without sacrificing the firm damping needed for high-speed stability. The result is a light and nimble steering feel at low speed, as well as superior damping at higher speeds or during extreme acceleration/deceleration. The anodized damper unit incorporates Öhlins’ patented twin-tube design to help ensure stable damping performance and superior kickback absorption. It is mounted horizontally at the front of the fuel tank and requires very few additional components and ads almost no weight compared to last year’s steering damper.
At first, anti-lock braking might seem a touch out of place on a purebred sportbike. But this system was designed from the start to maximize performance. And when you consider the many benefits provided by the amazing electronic and hardware technology available today, it begins to make a lot of sense.
Think of it: You’re braking for a blind, decreasing-radius corner after a long day of sport riding. Shadows are long and you’re tired, so you don’t notice a patch of sand until it’s too late to correct. But instead of tucking as you continue braking through the sand, your front tire maintains most of its traction, as the anti-lock braking system intervenes until the surface improves – allowing you to arc gracefully into the corner, a little wiser and a lot more intact physically than you might have been riding a non-ABS motorcycle.
Kawasaki calls its anti-lock system KIBS – or Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System. The use of “intelligent” is apropos, too, considering just how smart the KIBS is. It all starts with the smallest and lightest ABS unit ever built for a motorcycle, one designed by Bosch specifically with sport bikes in mind. It’s nearly 50 percent smaller than current motorcycle ABS units, and 800 grams lighter, adding only about 7 pounds of weight compared to the non-ABS machine, a pound of which is accounted for by the larger battery.
KIBS is a multi-sensing system, one that collects and monitors a wide range of information taken from wheel sensors (the same ones collecting data on the standard ZX-10R for its S-KTRC traction control system) and the bike’s ECU, including wheel speed, caliper pressure, engine rpm, throttle position, clutch actuation and gear position. The KIBS’s ECU actually communicates with the bike’s engine ECU and crunches the numbers, and when it notes a potential lock-up situation, it tells the Bosch ABS unit to temporarily reduce line pressure, allowing the wheel to once again regain traction.
Aside from this system’s ultra-fast response time, it offers a number of additional sport-riding benefits, including rear-end lift suppression during hard braking, minimal kickback during ABS intervention, and increased rear brake control during downshifts. The high-precision pressure control enables the system to maintain high brake performance, proper lever feel and help ensure the ABS pulses are minimized.
Needless to say that the Japanese manufacturers were highly intrigued and the first samurai who challenged the Germans to a duel was Kawasaki.
Kawasaki’s anti S 1000RR weapon is the Ninja ZX - 10R. Packing a lot of advanced features and modern technologies, the bike is fast enough to compete with success against the German oppressor.
Despite the fact that nothing changed for the 2013 model year, except for some color schemes, the Ninja continues to be ahead of the pack when it comes to sporty performances.
Build on a nimble, lightweight chassis, The Kawasaki Ninja ZX - 10R ABS is “blessed” with a powerful 998cc inline four engine which cranks out 197 hp at 11500 rpm.
Among the most important features offered by the Ninja ZX - 10R, you’ll find the advanced Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC) and an intelligent ABS system which comes as an option ($1000).
ENGINE & PERFORMANCE:
The rest of the 2013 Ninja ZX-10R ABS is equally advanced. Complete with a powerful engine and lightweight chassis, it also boasts a highly advanced and customizable electronic system that allows riders to harness and experience the ZX-10R ABS’s amazing blend of power and razor-edge handling. The system is called Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control.
Motorcyclists have forever been challenged by traction-related issues, whether on dirt, street or track. And when talking about the absolute leading edge of open-class sport bike technology, where production street bikes are actually more capable than full-on race bikes from just a couple years ago, more consistent traction and enhanced confidence is a major plus.
The racing-derived S-KTRC system works by crunching numbers from a variety of parameters and sensors – wheel speed and slip, engine rpm, throttle position, acceleration, etc. There’s more data gathering and analysis going on here than on any other Kawasaki in history, and it’s all in the name of helping racers inch closer to the elusive “edge” of maximum traction than ever before. The S-KTRC system relies on complex software buried in the ZX-10R’s Electronic Control Unit (ECU); the only additional hardware is the lightweight speed sensors located on each wheel.
Unlike the KTRC system on Kawasaki’s Concours™ 14 ABS sport tourer, which primarily minimizes wheel slip on slick or broken surfaces as a safety feature, the S-KTRC system is designed to maximize performance by using complex analysis to predict when traction conditions are about to become unfavorable. By quickly but subtly reducing power just before the amount of slippage exceeds the optimal traction zone, the system – which processes every data point 200 times per second – maintains the optimum level of tire grip to maximize forward motion. The result is significantly better lap times and enhanced rider confidence – exactly what one needs when piloting a machine of this caliber.
The S-KTRC system offers three different modes of operation, which riders can select according to surface conditions, rider preference and skill level: Level 1 for max-grip track use, Level 2 for intermediate use, and Level 3 for slippery conditions. An LCD graph in the high-tech instrument cluster displays how much electronic intervention is occurring in real time and a thumb switch on the left handlebar pod allows simple, on-the-go mode changes.
The potent ZX-10R engine is a 16-valve, DOHC, liquid-cooled inline-four displacing 998cc via 76 x 55mm bore and stroke dimensions. This powerplant is tuned to optimize power delivery, center of gravity and actual engine placement within the chassis. Torque peaks at an rpm range that helps eliminate power peaks and valleys that make it difficult for racers and track-day riders to open the throttle with confidence.
A primary goal of Kawasaki engineers was linear power delivery and engine manageability throughout all elements of a corner: the entry, getting back to neutral throttle at mid-corner, and heady, controllable acceleration at the exit. Peak torque was moved to a higher rpm range, which eliminates the power peaks and valleys that make it difficult for racers and track-day riders to open the throttle with confidence.
Large intake valves complemented by wide, polished intake ports allow for controllable power delivery and engine braking, just the thing to smooth those racetrack corner entries and exits. Camshafts built from chromoly steel further contribute to optimized engine braking and more controllable power delivery. Lightweight pistons mount to light and strong connecting rods. Compression is a full 13.0:1.
A race-style cassette transmission allows simple trackside ratio changes. An adjustable back-torque limiting clutch assembly is fitted, which allows worry-free downshifts and corner-entry calmness.
Cramming all that fuel and air into this amazing engine is a ram air-assisted fuel injection system featuring large throttle bodies (47mm) and sub-throttle valves, a large capacity airbox (9 liters), secondary injectors that improve top-end power characteristics, and a large ram-air intake that’s positioned close to the front of the bike for efficient airbox filling and power.
The final piece of the ZX-10R’s power-production formula is a race-spec exhaust system featuring a titanium header assembly, hydroformed collectors, a large-volume pre-chamber containing two catalyzers and a highly compact silencer. Due to the header’s race-spec design, riders and racers looking for more closed-course performance need only replace the slip-on muffler assembly.
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION:
With the engine producing a massive quantity of usable and controllable power, engineers looked to the chassis to help refine handling and overall road/track competency. The aluminum twin-spar frame is an all-cast assemblage of just seven pieces that features optimized flex characteristics for ideal rider feedback, cornering performance and light weight. Like the frame, the alloy swingarm is an all-cast assembly, with rigidity matching that of the frame itself.
Chassis geometry offers excellent stability and handling quickness. The front end geometry – with rake at 25 degrees and trail at 107mm (4.21 in.) – allows light, quick handling and complements the engine’s controllable power and the frame and swingarm’s flex characteristics.
Highly advanced suspension at both ends helps as well. Up front is a 43mm open-class version of the Big Piston Fork (BPF). Featuring a piston design nearly twice the size of a conventional cartridge fork, the BPF offers smooth action, less stiction, light weight and enhanced damping performance on the compression and rebound circuits. This compliance results in more control and feedback for the rider – just what you need when carving through a rippled sweeper at your local track or negotiating a decreasing-radius corner on your favorite backroad.
Suspension duties on the ZX-10R are handled by a Horizontal Back-Link design that positions the shock and linkage above the swingarm. Benefits include mass centralization, good road holding, compliance and stability, smooth action in the mid-stroke and good overall feedback. The fully adjustable shock features a piggyback reservoir and dual-range (low- and high-speed) compression damping.
Lightweight gravity-cast three-spoke wheels complement the tire fitment. Up front, Tokico radial-mount calipers grasp 310mm petal discs and a 220mm disc is squeezed by a lightweight single-piston caliper in back. The result is powerful stops with plenty of rider feedback and the added confidence of the KIBS ABS system.
DESIGN & ERGONOMICS:
Finally, Kawasaki engineers wrapped all this technology in bodywork as advanced and stylish as anything on this side of a MotoGP grid. The curvy edges and contrasting colored and black parts create a sharp, aggressive image. Line-beam headlights grace the fairing while LED turn signals are integrated into the mirror assemblies. Convenient turn-signal couplers allow easy mirror removal for track-day use. The rear fender assembly holding the rear signal stalks and license plate frame is also easily removable for track days. High-visibility LED lamps are also used for the taillight and position marker.
The instrumentation is highlighted by an LED-backlit bar-graph tachometer set above a multi-featured LCD info screen with numerous sections and data panels. A wide range of information is presented, including vehicle speed, odometer, dual trip meters, fuel consumption, Power Mode and S-KTRC level, low fuel, water temperature and much more. For track use, the LCD display can be set to “race” mode which moves the gear display to the center of the screen.
The ZX-10R’s ergonomics are designed for optimum comfort and control. A 32-inch saddle, adjustable footpegs and clip-ons mean that this is a hard-core sport bike you can actually take on an extended sport ride – and still be reasonably comfortable doing so.
The old saying, “power is nothing without control” is certainly apt where open-class sport bikes are concerned. But when you factor in all the engine, chassis and ergonomic control designed into the 2013 Ninja ZX-10R, you begin to realize you’re looking at one very special motorcycle – one that can take you places you’ve never been before.
Genuine Kawasaki Accessories are available through authorized Kawasaki dealers.
SPECS:
Engine Four-Stroke, Liquid-Cooled, DOHC, Four Valves Per Cylinder, Inline-Four
Displacement 998cc
Bore X Stroke 76.0 X 55.0 mm
Compression Ratio13.0:1
Fuel System DFI® With Four 47mm Keihin Throttle Bodies With Oval Sub-Throttles, Two Injectors Per Cylinder
Ignition TCBI With Digital Advance And Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC)
Transmission Six-Speed
Final Drive Chain
Rake/Trail 25 Deg / 4.2 In.
Front Tire Size 120/70 ZR17
Rear Tire Size 190/55 ZR17
Wheelbase 56.1 In.
Front Suspension / Wheel Travel 43 mm Inverted Big Piston Fork (BPF), Adjustable Rebound And Compression Damping, Spring Preload Adjustability/ 4.7 in.
Rear Suspension / Wheel Travel
Horizontal Back-Link With Gas-Charged Shock, Stepless, Dual-Range (Low-/High-Speed) Compression Damping, Stepless Rebound Damping, Fully Adjustable Spring Preload / 5.5 In.
Front Brakes Kawasaki Intelligent Anti-Lock Braking (KIBS), Dual Semi-Floating 310 mm Petal Discs With Dual Four-Piston Radial-Mount Calipers
Rear Brakes KIBS-Controlled, Single 220 mm Petal Disc With Aluminum Single-Piston Caliper
Fuel Capacity 4.5 Gal.
Seat Height 32.0 In.
Curb Weight 443.2 Lbs.
Overall Length 81.7 In.
Overall Width 28.1 In.
Overall Height 43.9 In.
Color Choices - Lime Green/Metallic Spark Black, Pearl Flat White/Metallic Spark Black
Source: www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/kawasaki/...
Sonata Vario Acoustic Absorbers Installed to the walls and ceilings at Bury College to control reverberation within the Atrium.
www.soundreduction.co.uk/Products/Sound-Absorption-Soluti...
Sonata Aurio Acoustic Absorbers Installed at Harry Gosling School. Sonata Aurio is available in a variety of sizes and colours.
www.soundreduction.co.uk/Products/Sound-Absorption-Soluti...
Sonata Aurio Acoustic Absorbers Installed at Harry Gosling School. Sonata Aurio is available in a variety of sizes and colours.
www.soundreduction.co.uk/Products/Sound-Absorption-Soluti...
Calligraphy is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a broad tip instrument, brush, among other writing instruments. A contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as, "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious, and skillful manner".
Modern calligraphy ranges from functional inscriptions and designs to fine-art pieces where the letters may or may not be readable.[1][page needed] Classical calligraphy differs from typography and non-classical hand-lettering, though a calligrapher may practice both.
Calligraphy continues to flourish in the forms of wedding and event invitations, font design and typography, original hand-lettered logo design, religious art, announcements, graphic design and commissioned calligraphic art, cut stone inscriptions, and memorial documents. It is also used for props and moving images for film and television, testimonials, birth and death certificates, maps, and other written works.
TOOLS
The principal tools for a calligrapher are the pen and the brush. Calligraphy pens write with nibs that may be flat, round, or pointed. For some decorative purposes, multi-nibbed pens - steel brushes - can be used. However, works have also been created with felt-tip and ballpoint pens, although these works do not employ angled lines. There are some styles of calligraphy, like Gothic script, which require a stub nib pen.
Writing ink is usually water-based and is much less viscous than the oil-based inks used in printing. High quality paper, which has good consistency of absorption, enables cleaner lines, although parchment or vellum is often used, as a knife can be used to erase imperfections and a light-box is not needed to allow lines to pass through it. Normally, light boxes and templates are used to achieve straight lines without pencil markings detracting from the work. Ruled paper, either for a light box or direct use, is most often ruled every quarter or half inch, although inch spaces are occasionally used. This is the case with litterea unciales (hence the name), and college-ruled paper often acts as a guideline well.
Common calligraphy pens and brushes are:
Quill
Dip pen
Ink brush
Qalam
Fountain pen
WORLD TRADITIONS
EUROPE
HISTORY
Western calligraphy is recognizable by the use of the Latin script. The Latin alphabet appeared about 600 BC, in Rome, and by the first century[clarification needed] developed into Roman imperial capitals carved on stones, Rustic capitals painted on walls, and Roman cursive for daily use. In the second and third centuries the uncial lettering style developed. As writing withdrew to monasteries, uncial script was found more suitable for copying the Bible and other religious texts. It was the monasteries which preserved calligraphic traditions during the fourth and fifth centuries, when the Roman Empire fell and Europe entered the Dark Ages.
At the height of the Empire, its power reached as far as Great Britain; when the empire fell, its literary influence remained. The Semi-uncial generated the Irish Semi-uncial, the small Anglo-Saxon. Each region developed its own standards following the main monastery of the region (i.e. Merovingian script, Laon script, Luxeuil script, Visigothic script, Beneventan script), which are mostly cursive and hardly readable.
Christian churches promoted the development of writing through the prolific copying of the Bible, particularly the New Testament and other sacred texts. Two distinct styles of writing known as uncial and half-uncial (from the Latin "uncia," or "inch") developed from a variety of Roman bookhands. The 7th-9th centuries in northern Europe were the heyday of Celtic illuminated manuscripts, such as the Book of Durrow, Lindisfarne Gospels and the Book of Kells.
Charlemagne's devotion to improved scholarship resulted in the recruiting of "a crowd of scribes", according to Alcuin, the Abbot of York. Alcuin developed the style known as the Caroline or Carolingian minuscule. The first manuscript in this hand was the Godescalc Evangelistary (finished 783) — a Gospel book written by the scribe Godescalc. Carolingian remains the one progenitor hand from which modern booktype descends.
In the eleventh century, the Caroline evolved into the Gothic script, which was more compact and made it possible to fit more text on a page. The Gothic calligraphy styles became dominant throughout Europe; and in 1454, when Johannes Gutenberg developed the first printing press in Mainz, Germany, he adopted the Gothic style, making it the first typeface.
In the 15th century, the rediscovery of old Carolingian texts encouraged the creation of the humanist minuscule or littera antiqua. The 17th century saw the Batarde script from France, and the 18th century saw the English script spread across Europe and world through their books.
In the mid-1600s French officials, flooded with documents written in various hands and varied levels of skill, complained that many such documents were beyond their ability to decipher. The Office of the Financier thereupon restricted all legal documents to three hands, namely the Coulee, the Rhonde, (known as Round hand in English) and a Speed Hand sometimes simply called the Bastarda.
While there were many great French masters at the time, the most influential in proposing these hands was Louis Barbedor, who published Les Ecritures Financière Et Italienne Bastarde Dans Leur Naturel circa 1650.
With the destruction of the Camera Apostolica during the sack of Rome (1527), the capitol for writing masters moved to Southern France. By 1600, the Italic Cursiva began to be replaced by a technological refinement, the Italic Chancery Circumflessa, which in turn fathered the Rhonde and later English Roundhand.
In England, Ayres and Banson popularized the Round Hand while Snell is noted for his reaction to them, and warnings of restraint and proportionality. Still Edward Crocker began publishing his copybooks 40 years before the aforementioned.
STYLE
Sacred Western calligraphy has some special features, such as the illumination of the first letter of each book or chapter in medieval times. A decorative "carpet page" may precede the literature, filled with ornate, geometrical depictions of bold-hued animals. The Lindisfarne Gospels (715–720 AD) are an early example.
As with Chinese or Islamic calligraphy, Western calligraphic script employed the use of strict rules and shapes. Quality writing had a rhythm and regularity to the letters, with a "geometrical" order of the lines on the page. Each character had, and often still has, a precise stroke order.
Unlike a typeface, irregularity in the characters' size, style, and colors increases aesthetic value, though the content may be illegible. Many of the themes and variations of today's contemporary Western calligraphy are found in the pages of The Saint John's Bible. A particularly modern example is Timothy Botts' illustrated edition of the Bible, with 360 calligraphic images as well as a calligraphy typeface.
INFLUENCES
Several other Western styles use the same tools and practices, but differ by character set and stylistic preferences. For Slavonic lettering, the history of the Slavonic and consequently Russian writing systems differs fundamentally from the one of the Latin language. It evolved from the 10th century to today.
EAST ASIA
The Chinese name for calligraphy is shūfǎ (書法 in Traditional Chinese, literally "the method or law of writing"); the Japanese name shodō (書道, literally "the way or principle of writing"); the Korean is seoye (Korean: 서예/書藝, literally "the art of writing"); and the Vietnamese is Thư pháp (書法, literally "the way of letters or words"). The calligraphy of East Asian characters is an important and appreciated aspect of East Asian culture.
HISTORY
In ancient China, the oldest Chinese characters existing are Jiǎgǔwén(甲骨文) characters carved on ox scapulae and tortoise plastrons, because the dominators in Shang Dynasty carved pits on such animals' bones and then baked them to gain auspice of military affairs, agricultural harvest, or even procreating and weather. During the divination ceremony, after the cracks were made, the characters were written with a brush on the shell or bone to be later carved.(Keightley, 1978). With the development of Jīnwén (Bronzeware script) and Dàzhuàn (Large Seal Script) "cursive" signs continued. Moreover, each archaic kingdom of current China had its own set of characters.
In Imperial China, the graphs on old steles - some dating from 200 BC, and in Xiaozhuan style - are still accessible.
About 220 BC, the emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first to conquer the entire Chinese basin, imposed several reforms, among them Li Si's character unification, which created a set of 3300 standardized Xiǎozhuàn（小篆） characters. Despite the fact that the main writing implement of the time was already the brush, few papers survive from this period, and the main examples of this style are on steles.
The Lìshū（隶书） style (clerical script) which is more regularized, and in some ways similar to modern text, have been also authorised under Qin Shi Huangdi.
Kǎishū style (traditional regular script)—still in use today—and attributed to Wang Xizhi (王羲之, 303–361) and his followers, is even more regularized. Its spread was encouraged by Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang (926–933), who ordered the printing of the classics using new wooden blocks in Kaishu. Printing technologies here allowed a shape stabilization. The Kaishu shape of characters 1000 years ago was mostly similar to that at the end of Imperial China. But small changes have been made, for example in the shape of 广 which is not absolutely the same in the Kangxi Dictionary of 1716 as in modern books. The Kangxi and current shapes have tiny differences, while stroke order is still the same, according to old style.
Styles which did not survive include Bāfēnshū, a mix made of Xiaozhuan style at 80%, and Lishu at 20%. Some variant Chinese characters were unorthodox or locally used for centuries. They were generally understood but always rejected in official texts. Some of these unorthodox variants, in addition to some newly created characters, compose the Simplified Chinese character set.
TECHNIQUE
Traditional East Asian writing uses the Four Treasures of the Study (文房四寶/文房四宝): the ink brushes known as máobǐ (毛笔) to write Chinese characters, Chinese ink, paper, and inkstone, known as the Four Friends of the Study (Korean: 문방사우) in Korea. In addition to these four tools, desk pads and paperweights are also used.
The shape, size, stretch, and hair type of the ink brush, the color, color density and water density of the ink, as well as the paper's water absorption speed and surface texture are the main physical parameters influencing the final result. The calligrapher's technique also influences the result. The calligrapher's work is influenced by the quantity of ink and water he lets the brush take, then by the pressure, inclination, and direction he gives to the brush, producing thinner or bolder strokes, and smooth or toothed borders. Eventually, the speed, accelerations, decelerations of the writer's moves, turns, and crochets, and the stroke order give the "spirit" to the characters, by greatly influencing their final shapes.
STYLES
Cursive styles such as xíngshū (semi-cursive or running script) and cǎoshū (cursive or grass script) are less constrained and faster, where more movements made by the writing implement are visible. These styles' stroke orders vary more, sometimes creating radically different forms. They are descended from Clerical script, in the same time as Regular script (Han Dynasty), but xíngshū and cǎoshū were used for personal notes only, and never used as a standard. The cǎoshū style was highly appreciated in Emperor Wu of Han reign (140–187 AD).
Examples of modern printed styles are Song from the Song Dynasty's printing press, and sans-serif. These are not considered traditional styles, and are normally not written.
INFLUENCES
Japanese and Korean calligraphies were greatly influenced by Chinese calligraphy. The Japanese and Korean people have also developed specific sensibilities and styles of calligraphy. For example, Japanese calligraphy go out of the set of CJK strokes to also include local alphabets such as hiragana and katakana, with specific problematics such as new curves and moves, and specific materials (Japanese paper, washi 和紙, and Japanese ink). In the case of Korean calligraphy, the Hangeul and the existence of the circle required the creation of a new technique which usually confuses Chinese calligraphers.
Temporary calligraphy is a practice of water-only calligraphy on the floor, which dries out within minutes. This practice is especially appreciated by the new generation of retired Chinese in public parks of China. These will often open studio-shops in tourist towns offering traditional Chinese calligraphy to tourists. Other than writing the clients name, they also sell fine brushes as souvenirs and lime stone carved stamps.
Since late 1980s, a few Chinese artists have branched out traditional Chinese calligraphy to a new territory by mingling Chinese characters with English letters; notable new forms of calligraphy are Xu Bing's square calligraphy and DanNie's coolligraphy or cooligraphy.
Mongolian calligraphy is also influenced by Chinese calligraphy, from tools to style.
Calligraphy has influenced ink and wash painting, which is accomplished using similar tools and techniques. Calligraphy has influenced most major art styles in East Asia, including ink and wash painting, a style of Chinese, Korean, Japanese painting, and Vietnamese painting based entirely on calligraphy.
SOUTH ASIA
INDIA
On the subject of Indian calligraphy, writes:
Aśoka's edicts (c. 265–238 BC) were committed to stone. These inscriptions are stiff and angular in form. Following the Aśoka style of Indic writing, two new calligraphic types appear: Kharoṣṭī and Brāhmī. Kharoṣṭī was used in the northwestern regions of India from the 3rd century BC to the 4th century of the Christian Era, and it was used in Central Asia until the 8th century.
In many parts of ancient India, the inscriptions were carried out in smoke-treated palm leaves. This tradition dates back to over two thousand years. Even after the Indian languages were put on paper in the 13th century, palm leaves where considered a preferred medium of writing owing to its longevity (nearly 400 years) compared to paper. Both sides of the leaves were used for writing. Long rectangular strips were gathered on top of one another, holes were drilled through all the leaves, and the book was held together by string. Books of this manufacture were common to Southeast Asia. The palm leaf was an excellent surface for penwriting, making possible the delicate lettering used in many of the scripts of southern Asia.
Burnt clay and copper were a favoured material for Indic inscriptions. In the north of India, birch bark was used as a writing surface as early as the 2nd century AD.
NEPAL
Ranjana script is the primary form of Nepalese calligraphy. The script itself, along with its derivatives (like Lantsa, Phagpa, Kutila) are used in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Leh, Mongolia, coastal Japan, and Korea to write "Om mani padme hum" and other sacred Buddhist texts, mainly those derived from Sanskrit and Pali.
THAILAND
Sanskrit is the primary form of Thai calligraphy. Historically Thai calligraphy has been limited to sacred texts of the Pali Canon with few wider artistic applications where graphic calligraphy representing figures and objects is produced. Calligraphy appears on the personal flag of each member of the Thai royal family bearing its owner's initials in calligraphy. The most obvious place in the country where calligraphy is present is in graffiti. A few books have been published with calligraphic compositions.
TIBET
Calligraphy is central in Tibetan culture. The script is derived from Indic scripts. The nobles of Tibet, such as the High Lamas and inhabitants of the Potala Palace, were usually capable calligraphers. Tibet has been a center of Buddhism for several centuries, and that religion places a great deal of significance on written word. This does not provide for a large body of secular pieces, although they do exist (but are usually related in some way to Tibetan Buddhism). Almost all high religious writing involved calligraphy, including letters sent by the Dalai Lama and other religious and secular authority. Calligraphy is particularly evident on their prayer wheels, although this calligraphy was forged rather than scribed, much like Arab and Roman calligraphy is often found on buildings. Although originally done with a reed, Tibetan calligraphers now use chisel tipped pens and markers as well.
ISLAMIC WORLD
Islamic calligraphy (calligraphy in Arabic is khatt ul-yad خط اليد) has evolved alongside Islam and the Arabic language. As it is based on Arabic letters, some call it "Arabic calligraphy". However the term "Islamic calligraphy" is a more appropriate term as it comprises all works of calligraphy by the Muslim calligraphers from Andalusia in modern Spain to China.
Islamic calligraphy is associated with geometric Islamic art (arabesque) on the walls and ceilings of mosques as well as on the page. Contemporary artists in the Islamic world draw on the heritage of calligraphy to use calligraphic inscriptions or abstractions.
Instead of recalling something related to the spoken word, calligraphy for Muslims is a visible expression of the highest art of all, the art of the spiritual world. Calligraphy has arguably become the most venerated form of Islamic art because it provides a link between the languages of the Muslims with the religion of Islam. The Qur'an has played an important role in the development and evolution of the Arabic language, and by extension, calligraphy in the Arabic alphabet. Proverbs and passages from the Qur'an are still sources for Islamic calligraphy.
It is generally accepted that Islamic calligraphy excelled during the Ottoman era. Istanbul is an open exhibition hall for all kinds and varieties of calligraphy, from inscriptions in mosques to fountains, schools, houses, etc.
PERSIA
The history of calligraphy in Persia dates back to the pre-Islam era. In Zoroastrianism beautiful and clear writings were always praised.
It is believed that ancient Persian script was invented by about 600–500 BC to provide monument inscriptions for the Achaemenid kings. These scripts consisted of horizontal, vertical, and diagonal nail-shape letters, which is why it is called "script of nails/cuneiform script" (khat-e-mikhi) in Persian. Centuries later, other scripts such as "Pahlavi" and "Avestan" scripts were used in ancient Persia.
CONTEMPORARY SRIPTS
The Nasta'liq style is the most popular contemporary style among classical Persian calligraphy scripts; Persian calligraphers call it the "bride of calligraphy scripts". This calligraphy style has been based on such a strong structure that it has changed very little since. Mir Ali Tabrizi had found the optimum composition of the letters and graphical rules so it has just been fine-tuned during the past seven centuries. It has very strict rules for graphical shape of the letters and for combination of the letters, words, and composition of the whole calligraphy piece.
MAYAN CIVILIZATION
Mayan calligraphy was expressed via Mayan hieroglyphs; modern Mayan calligraphy is mainly used on seals and monuments in the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. Mayan hieroglyphs are rarely used in government offices; however in Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, Mayan calligraphy is written in Latin letters. Some commercial companies in southern Mexico use Mayan hieroglyphs as symbols of their business. Some community associations and modern Mayan brotherhoods use Mayan hieroglyphs as symbols of their groups.
Most of the archaeological sites in Mexico such as Chichen Itza, Labna, Uxmal, Edzna, Calakmul, etc. have glyphs in their structures. Carved stone monuments known as stele are common sources of ancient Mayan calligraphy.
MODERN CALLIGRAPHY
REVIVAL
After printing became ubiquitous from the 15th century, the production of illuminated manuscripts began to decline. However, the rise of printing did not mean the end of calligraphy.
The modern revival of calligraphy began at the end of the 19th century, influenced by the aesthetics and philosophy of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. Edward Johnston is regarded as being the father of modern calligraphy. After studying published copies of manuscripts by architect William Harrison Cowlishaw, he was introduced to William Lethaby in 1898, principal of the Central School of Arts and Crafts,who advised him to study manuscripts at the British Museum.
This triggered Johnston's interest in the art of calligraphy with the use of a broad edged pen. He began a teaching course in calligraphy at the Central School in Southampton Row, London from September 1899, where he influenced the typeface designer and sculptor Eric Gill. He was commissioned by Frank Pick to design a new typeface for London Underground, still used today (with minor modifications).
He has been credited for reviving the art of modern penmanship and lettering single-handedly through his books and teachings - his handbook on the subject, Writing & Illuminating, & Lettering (1906) was particularly influential on a generation of British typographers and calligraphers, including Graily Hewitt, Stanley Morison, Eric Gill and Anna Simons. Johnston also devised the simply crafted round calligraphic handwriting style, written with a broad pen, known today as the Foundational hand. Johnston initially taught his students an uncial hand using a flat pen angle, but later taught his hand using a slanted pen angle. He first referred to this hand as "Foundational Hand" in his 1909 publication, Manuscript & Inscription Letters for Schools and Classes and for the Use of Craftsmen.
SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENTS
Graily Hewitt taught at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and published together with Johnston throughout the early part of the century. Hewitt was central to the revival of gilding in calligraphy, and his prolific output on type design also appeared between 1915 and 1943. He is attributed with the revival of gilding with gesso and gold leaf on vellum. Hewitt helped to found the Society of Scribes & Illuminators (SSI) in 1921, probably the world's foremost calligraphy society.
Hewitt is not without both critics and supporters in his rendering of Cennino Cennini's medieval gesso recipes. Donald Jackson, a British calligrapher, has sourced his gesso recipes from earlier centuries a number of which are not presently in English translation. Graily Hewitt created the patent announcing the award to Prince Philip of the title of Duke of Edinburgh on November 19, 1947, the day before his marriage to Queen Elizabeth.
Johnston’s pupil, Anna Simons, was instrumental in sparking off interest in calligraphy in Germany with her German translation of Writing and Illuminating, and Lettering in 1910. Austrian Rudolf Larisch, a teacher of lettering at the Vienna School of Art, published six lettering books that greatly influenced German-speaking calligraphers. Because German-speaking countries had not abandoned the Gothic hand in printing, Gothic also had a powerful effect on their styles.
Rudolf Koch was a friend and younger contemporary of Larisch. Koch's books, type designs, and teaching made him one of the most influential calligraphers of the 20th century in northern Europe and later in the U.S. Larisch and Koch taught and inspired many European calligraphers, notably Karlgeorg Hoefer, and Hermann Zapf.
Contemporary typefaces used by computers, from word processors like Microsoft Word or Apple Pages to professional designers' software like Adobe InDesign, owe a considerable debt to the past and to a small number of professional typeface designers today.
Unicode provides "Script" and "Fraktur" Latin alphabets that can be used for calligraphy. See Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols.
WIKIPEDIA
Pyramids for increased optical absorption observed wih FEI Strata 400s.
Courtesy of Cyril GUEDJ
Image Details
Instrument used: Strata Family
Magnification: 12,000x
Voltage: 5 kV
Working Distance: 5
1-12-13 Wyndham Street Races
$140 on ebay for these types of petrol tank cover/bra
TOP SPEED REVIEW OF ZX-10R:
Not long ago, the Japanese motorcycles were considered the uncontested leaders of sport motorcycles and nobody had the guts to challenge them. However, this situation has changed after BMW entered the battle. Its first super sport bike, the S 1000RR was not only a completely newcomer, but it was also so strong and technological advanced that it made any other bike look like defenseless scooter.
THE ABS
The Kawasaki Ninja® ZX™-10R ABS superbike combines anti-lock braking with the numerous technological benefits of the class leading ZX-10R. And it does it with rider-sensitive, race-bred attributes derived from competing and winning at the highest levels.
Kawasaki has developed a new electronic steering damper for the 2013 ZX-10R ABS sportbike, in joint cooperation with Öhlins. Controlled by a dedicated ECU located under the gas tank cover, this new damper reacts to the rate of acceleration or deceleration, as well as rear wheel speed, to help provide the ideal level of damping force across a wide range of riding scenarios. The variable damping provides optimum rider feedback by enabling the use of lower damping forces during normal operation, without sacrificing the firm damping needed for high-speed stability. The result is a light and nimble steering feel at low speed, as well as superior damping at higher speeds or during extreme acceleration/deceleration. The anodized damper unit incorporates Öhlins’ patented twin-tube design to help ensure stable damping performance and superior kickback absorption. It is mounted horizontally at the front of the fuel tank and requires very few additional components and ads almost no weight compared to last year’s steering damper.
At first, anti-lock braking might seem a touch out of place on a purebred sportbike. But this system was designed from the start to maximize performance. And when you consider the many benefits provided by the amazing electronic and hardware technology available today, it begins to make a lot of sense.
Think of it: You’re braking for a blind, decreasing-radius corner after a long day of sport riding. Shadows are long and you’re tired, so you don’t notice a patch of sand until it’s too late to correct. But instead of tucking as you continue braking through the sand, your front tire maintains most of its traction, as the anti-lock braking system intervenes until the surface improves – allowing you to arc gracefully into the corner, a little wiser and a lot more intact physically than you might have been riding a non-ABS motorcycle.
Kawasaki calls its anti-lock system KIBS – or Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System. The use of “intelligent” is apropos, too, considering just how smart the KIBS is. It all starts with the smallest and lightest ABS unit ever built for a motorcycle, one designed by Bosch specifically with sport bikes in mind. It’s nearly 50 percent smaller than current motorcycle ABS units, and 800 grams lighter, adding only about 7 pounds of weight compared to the non-ABS machine, a pound of which is accounted for by the larger battery.
KIBS is a multi-sensing system, one that collects and monitors a wide range of information taken from wheel sensors (the same ones collecting data on the standard ZX-10R for its S-KTRC traction control system) and the bike’s ECU, including wheel speed, caliper pressure, engine rpm, throttle position, clutch actuation and gear position. The KIBS’s ECU actually communicates with the bike’s engine ECU and crunches the numbers, and when it notes a potential lock-up situation, it tells the Bosch ABS unit to temporarily reduce line pressure, allowing the wheel to once again regain traction.
Aside from this system’s ultra-fast response time, it offers a number of additional sport-riding benefits, including rear-end lift suppression during hard braking, minimal kickback during ABS intervention, and increased rear brake control during downshifts. The high-precision pressure control enables the system to maintain high brake performance, proper lever feel and help ensure the ABS pulses are minimized.
Needless to say that the Japanese manufacturers were highly intrigued and the first samurai who challenged the Germans to a duel was Kawasaki.
Kawasaki’s anti S 1000RR weapon is the Ninja ZX - 10R. Packing a lot of advanced features and modern technologies, the bike is fast enough to compete with success against the German oppressor.
Despite the fact that nothing changed for the 2013 model year, except for some color schemes, the Ninja continues to be ahead of the pack when it comes to sporty performances.
Build on a nimble, lightweight chassis, The Kawasaki Ninja ZX - 10R ABS is “blessed” with a powerful 998cc inline four engine which cranks out 197 hp at 11500 rpm.
Among the most important features offered by the Ninja ZX - 10R, you’ll find the advanced Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC) and an intelligent ABS system which comes as an option ($1000).
ENGINE & PERFORMANCE:
The rest of the 2013 Ninja ZX-10R ABS is equally advanced. Complete with a powerful engine and lightweight chassis, it also boasts a highly advanced and customizable electronic system that allows riders to harness and experience the ZX-10R ABS’s amazing blend of power and razor-edge handling. The system is called Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control.
Motorcyclists have forever been challenged by traction-related issues, whether on dirt, street or track. And when talking about the absolute leading edge of open-class sport bike technology, where production street bikes are actually more capable than full-on race bikes from just a couple years ago, more consistent traction and enhanced confidence is a major plus.
The racing-derived S-KTRC system works by crunching numbers from a variety of parameters and sensors – wheel speed and slip, engine rpm, throttle position, acceleration, etc. There’s more data gathering and analysis going on here than on any other Kawasaki in history, and it’s all in the name of helping racers inch closer to the elusive “edge” of maximum traction than ever before. The S-KTRC system relies on complex software buried in the ZX-10R’s Electronic Control Unit (ECU); the only additional hardware is the lightweight speed sensors located on each wheel.
Unlike the KTRC system on Kawasaki’s Concours™ 14 ABS sport tourer, which primarily minimizes wheel slip on slick or broken surfaces as a safety feature, the S-KTRC system is designed to maximize performance by using complex analysis to predict when traction conditions are about to become unfavorable. By quickly but subtly reducing power just before the amount of slippage exceeds the optimal traction zone, the system – which processes every data point 200 times per second – maintains the optimum level of tire grip to maximize forward motion. The result is significantly better lap times and enhanced rider confidence – exactly what one needs when piloting a machine of this caliber.
The S-KTRC system offers three different modes of operation, which riders can select according to surface conditions, rider preference and skill level: Level 1 for max-grip track use, Level 2 for intermediate use, and Level 3 for slippery conditions. An LCD graph in the high-tech instrument cluster displays how much electronic intervention is occurring in real time and a thumb switch on the left handlebar pod allows simple, on-the-go mode changes.
The potent ZX-10R engine is a 16-valve, DOHC, liquid-cooled inline-four displacing 998cc via 76 x 55mm bore and stroke dimensions. This powerplant is tuned to optimize power delivery, center of gravity and actual engine placement within the chassis. Torque peaks at an rpm range that helps eliminate power peaks and valleys that make it difficult for racers and track-day riders to open the throttle with confidence.
A primary goal of Kawasaki engineers was linear power delivery and engine manageability throughout all elements of a corner: the entry, getting back to neutral throttle at mid-corner, and heady, controllable acceleration at the exit. Peak torque was moved to a higher rpm range, which eliminates the power peaks and valleys that make it difficult for racers and track-day riders to open the throttle with confidence.
Large intake valves complemented by wide, polished intake ports allow for controllable power delivery and engine braking, just the thing to smooth those racetrack corner entries and exits. Camshafts built from chromoly steel further contribute to optimized engine braking and more controllable power delivery. Lightweight pistons mount to light and strong connecting rods. Compression is a full 13.0:1.
A race-style cassette transmission allows simple trackside ratio changes. An adjustable back-torque limiting clutch assembly is fitted, which allows worry-free downshifts and corner-entry calmness.
Cramming all that fuel and air into this amazing engine is a ram air-assisted fuel injection system featuring large throttle bodies (47mm) and sub-throttle valves, a large capacity airbox (9 liters), secondary injectors that improve top-end power characteristics, and a large ram-air intake that’s positioned close to the front of the bike for efficient airbox filling and power.
The final piece of the ZX-10R’s power-production formula is a race-spec exhaust system featuring a titanium header assembly, hydroformed collectors, a large-volume pre-chamber containing two catalyzers and a highly compact silencer. Due to the header’s race-spec design, riders and racers looking for more closed-course performance need only replace the slip-on muffler assembly.
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION:
With the engine producing a massive quantity of usable and controllable power, engineers looked to the chassis to help refine handling and overall road/track competency. The aluminum twin-spar frame is an all-cast assemblage of just seven pieces that features optimized flex characteristics for ideal rider feedback, cornering performance and light weight. Like the frame, the alloy swingarm is an all-cast assembly, with rigidity matching that of the frame itself.
Chassis geometry offers excellent stability and handling quickness. The front end geometry – with rake at 25 degrees and trail at 107mm (4.21 in.) – allows light, quick handling and complements the engine’s controllable power and the frame and swingarm’s flex characteristics.
Highly advanced suspension at both ends helps as well. Up front is a 43mm open-class version of the Big Piston Fork (BPF). Featuring a piston design nearly twice the size of a conventional cartridge fork, the BPF offers smooth action, less stiction, light weight and enhanced damping performance on the compression and rebound circuits. This compliance results in more control and feedback for the rider – just what you need when carving through a rippled sweeper at your local track or negotiating a decreasing-radius corner on your favorite backroad.
Suspension duties on the ZX-10R are handled by a Horizontal Back-Link design that positions the shock and linkage above the swingarm. Benefits include mass centralization, good road holding, compliance and stability, smooth action in the mid-stroke and good overall feedback. The fully adjustable shock features a piggyback reservoir and dual-range (low- and high-speed) compression damping.
Lightweight gravity-cast three-spoke wheels complement the tire fitment. Up front, Tokico radial-mount calipers grasp 310mm petal discs and a 220mm disc is squeezed by a lightweight single-piston caliper in back. The result is powerful stops with plenty of rider feedback and the added confidence of the KIBS ABS system.
DESIGN & ERGONOMICS:
Finally, Kawasaki engineers wrapped all this technology in bodywork as advanced and stylish as anything on this side of a MotoGP grid. The curvy edges and contrasting colored and black parts create a sharp, aggressive image. Line-beam headlights grace the fairing while LED turn signals are integrated into the mirror assemblies. Convenient turn-signal couplers allow easy mirror removal for track-day use. The rear fender assembly holding the rear signal stalks and license plate frame is also easily removable for track days. High-visibility LED lamps are also used for the taillight and position marker.
The instrumentation is highlighted by an LED-backlit bar-graph tachometer set above a multi-featured LCD info screen with numerous sections and data panels. A wide range of information is presented, including vehicle speed, odometer, dual trip meters, fuel consumption, Power Mode and S-KTRC level, low fuel, water temperature and much more. For track use, the LCD display can be set to “race” mode which moves the gear display to the center of the screen.
The ZX-10R’s ergonomics are designed for optimum comfort and control. A 32-inch saddle, adjustable footpegs and clip-ons mean that this is a hard-core sport bike you can actually take on an extended sport ride – and still be reasonably comfortable doing so.
The old saying, “power is nothing without control” is certainly apt where open-class sport bikes are concerned. But when you factor in all the engine, chassis and ergonomic control designed into the 2013 Ninja ZX-10R, you begin to realize you’re looking at one very special motorcycle – one that can take you places you’ve never been before.
Genuine Kawasaki Accessories are available through authorized Kawasaki dealers.
SPECS:
Engine Four-Stroke, Liquid-Cooled, DOHC, Four Valves Per Cylinder, Inline-Four
Displacement 998cc
Bore X Stroke 76.0 X 55.0 mm
Compression Ratio13.0:1
Fuel System DFI® With Four 47mm Keihin Throttle Bodies With Oval Sub-Throttles, Two Injectors Per Cylinder
Ignition TCBI With Digital Advance And Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC)
Transmission Six-Speed
Final Drive Chain
Rake/Trail 25 Deg / 4.2 In.
Front Tire Size 120/70 ZR17
Rear Tire Size 190/55 ZR17
Wheelbase 56.1 In.
Front Suspension / Wheel Travel 43 mm Inverted Big Piston Fork (BPF), Adjustable Rebound And Compression Damping, Spring Preload Adjustability/ 4.7 in.
Rear Suspension / Wheel Travel
Horizontal Back-Link With Gas-Charged Shock, Stepless, Dual-Range (Low-/High-Speed) Compression Damping, Stepless Rebound Damping, Fully Adjustable Spring Preload / 5.5 In.
Front Brakes Kawasaki Intelligent Anti-Lock Braking (KIBS), Dual Semi-Floating 310 mm Petal Discs With Dual Four-Piston Radial-Mount Calipers
Rear Brakes KIBS-Controlled, Single 220 mm Petal Disc With Aluminum Single-Piston Caliper
Fuel Capacity 4.5 Gal.
Seat Height 32.0 In.
Curb Weight 443.2 Lbs.
Overall Length 81.7 In.
Overall Width 28.1 In.
Overall Height 43.9 In.
Color Choices - Lime Green/Metallic Spark Black, Pearl Flat White/Metallic Spark Black
Source: www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/kawasaki/...
Calligraphy is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a broad tip instrument, brush, among other writing instruments. A contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as, "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious, and skillful manner".
Modern calligraphy ranges from functional inscriptions and designs to fine-art pieces where the letters may or may not be readable.[1][page needed] Classical calligraphy differs from typography and non-classical hand-lettering, though a calligrapher may practice both.
Calligraphy continues to flourish in the forms of wedding and event invitations, font design and typography, original hand-lettered logo design, religious art, announcements, graphic design and commissioned calligraphic art, cut stone inscriptions, and memorial documents. It is also used for props and moving images for film and television, testimonials, birth and death certificates, maps, and other written works.
TOOLS
The principal tools for a calligrapher are the pen and the brush. Calligraphy pens write with nibs that may be flat, round, or pointed. For some decorative purposes, multi-nibbed pens - steel brushes - can be used. However, works have also been created with felt-tip and ballpoint pens, although these works do not employ angled lines. There are some styles of calligraphy, like Gothic script, which require a stub nib pen.
Writing ink is usually water-based and is much less viscous than the oil-based inks used in printing. High quality paper, which has good consistency of absorption, enables cleaner lines, although parchment or vellum is often used, as a knife can be used to erase imperfections and a light-box is not needed to allow lines to pass through it. Normally, light boxes and templates are used to achieve straight lines without pencil markings detracting from the work. Ruled paper, either for a light box or direct use, is most often ruled every quarter or half inch, although inch spaces are occasionally used. This is the case with litterea unciales (hence the name), and college-ruled paper often acts as a guideline well.
Common calligraphy pens and brushes are:
Quill
Dip pen
Ink brush
Qalam
Fountain pen
WORLD TRADITIONS
EUROPE
HISTORY
Western calligraphy is recognizable by the use of the Latin script. The Latin alphabet appeared about 600 BC, in Rome, and by the first century[clarification needed] developed into Roman imperial capitals carved on stones, Rustic capitals painted on walls, and Roman cursive for daily use. In the second and third centuries the uncial lettering style developed. As writing withdrew to monasteries, uncial script was found more suitable for copying the Bible and other religious texts. It was the monasteries which preserved calligraphic traditions during the fourth and fifth centuries, when the Roman Empire fell and Europe entered the Dark Ages.
At the height of the Empire, its power reached as far as Great Britain; when the empire fell, its literary influence remained. The Semi-uncial generated the Irish Semi-uncial, the small Anglo-Saxon. Each region developed its own standards following the main monastery of the region (i.e. Merovingian script, Laon script, Luxeuil script, Visigothic script, Beneventan script), which are mostly cursive and hardly readable.
Christian churches promoted the development of writing through the prolific copying of the Bible, particularly the New Testament and other sacred texts. Two distinct styles of writing known as uncial and half-uncial (from the Latin "uncia," or "inch") developed from a variety of Roman bookhands. The 7th-9th centuries in northern Europe were the heyday of Celtic illuminated manuscripts, such as the Book of Durrow, Lindisfarne Gospels and the Book of Kells.
Charlemagne's devotion to improved scholarship resulted in the recruiting of "a crowd of scribes", according to Alcuin, the Abbot of York. Alcuin developed the style known as the Caroline or Carolingian minuscule. The first manuscript in this hand was the Godescalc Evangelistary (finished 783) — a Gospel book written by the scribe Godescalc. Carolingian remains the one progenitor hand from which modern booktype descends.
In the eleventh century, the Caroline evolved into the Gothic script, which was more compact and made it possible to fit more text on a page. The Gothic calligraphy styles became dominant throughout Europe; and in 1454, when Johannes Gutenberg developed the first printing press in Mainz, Germany, he adopted the Gothic style, making it the first typeface.
In the 15th century, the rediscovery of old Carolingian texts encouraged the creation of the humanist minuscule or littera antiqua. The 17th century saw the Batarde script from France, and the 18th century saw the English script spread across Europe and world through their books.
In the mid-1600s French officials, flooded with documents written in various hands and varied levels of skill, complained that many such documents were beyond their ability to decipher. The Office of the Financier thereupon restricted all legal documents to three hands, namely the Coulee, the Rhonde, (known as Round hand in English) and a Speed Hand sometimes simply called the Bastarda.
While there were many great French masters at the time, the most influential in proposing these hands was Louis Barbedor, who published Les Ecritures Financière Et Italienne Bastarde Dans Leur Naturel circa 1650.
With the destruction of the Camera Apostolica during the sack of Rome (1527), the capitol for writing masters moved to Southern France. By 1600, the Italic Cursiva began to be replaced by a technological refinement, the Italic Chancery Circumflessa, which in turn fathered the Rhonde and later English Roundhand.
In England, Ayres and Banson popularized the Round Hand while Snell is noted for his reaction to them, and warnings of restraint and proportionality. Still Edward Crocker began publishing his copybooks 40 years before the aforementioned.
STYLE
Sacred Western calligraphy has some special features, such as the illumination of the first letter of each book or chapter in medieval times. A decorative "carpet page" may precede the literature, filled with ornate, geometrical depictions of bold-hued animals. The Lindisfarne Gospels (715–720 AD) are an early example.
As with Chinese or Islamic calligraphy, Western calligraphic script employed the use of strict rules and shapes. Quality writing had a rhythm and regularity to the letters, with a "geometrical" order of the lines on the page. Each character had, and often still has, a precise stroke order.
Unlike a typeface, irregularity in the characters' size, style, and colors increases aesthetic value, though the content may be illegible. Many of the themes and variations of today's contemporary Western calligraphy are found in the pages of The Saint John's Bible. A particularly modern example is Timothy Botts' illustrated edition of the Bible, with 360 calligraphic images as well as a calligraphy typeface.
INFLUENCES
Several other Western styles use the same tools and practices, but differ by character set and stylistic preferences. For Slavonic lettering, the history of the Slavonic and consequently Russian writing systems differs fundamentally from the one of the Latin language. It evolved from the 10th century to today.
EAST ASIA
The Chinese name for calligraphy is shūfǎ (書法 in Traditional Chinese, literally "the method or law of writing"); the Japanese name shodō (書道, literally "the way or principle of writing"); the Korean is seoye (Korean: 서예/書藝, literally "the art of writing"); and the Vietnamese is Thư pháp (書法, literally "the way of letters or words"). The calligraphy of East Asian characters is an important and appreciated aspect of East Asian culture.
HISTORY
In ancient China, the oldest Chinese characters existing are Jiǎgǔwén(甲骨文) characters carved on ox scapulae and tortoise plastrons, because the dominators in Shang Dynasty carved pits on such animals' bones and then baked them to gain auspice of military affairs, agricultural harvest, or even procreating and weather. During the divination ceremony, after the cracks were made, the characters were written with a brush on the shell or bone to be later carved.(Keightley, 1978). With the development of Jīnwén (Bronzeware script) and Dàzhuàn (Large Seal Script) "cursive" signs continued. Moreover, each archaic kingdom of current China had its own set of characters.
In Imperial China, the graphs on old steles - some dating from 200 BC, and in Xiaozhuan style - are still accessible.
About 220 BC, the emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first to conquer the entire Chinese basin, imposed several reforms, among them Li Si's character unification, which created a set of 3300 standardized Xiǎozhuàn（小篆） characters. Despite the fact that the main writing implement of the time was already the brush, few papers survive from this period, and the main examples of this style are on steles.
The Lìshū（隶书） style (clerical script) which is more regularized, and in some ways similar to modern text, have been also authorised under Qin Shi Huangdi.
Kǎishū style (traditional regular script)—still in use today—and attributed to Wang Xizhi (王羲之, 303–361) and his followers, is even more regularized. Its spread was encouraged by Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang (926–933), who ordered the printing of the classics using new wooden blocks in Kaishu. Printing technologies here allowed a shape stabilization. The Kaishu shape of characters 1000 years ago was mostly similar to that at the end of Imperial China. But small changes have been made, for example in the shape of 广 which is not absolutely the same in the Kangxi Dictionary of 1716 as in modern books. The Kangxi and current shapes have tiny differences, while stroke order is still the same, according to old style.
Styles which did not survive include Bāfēnshū, a mix made of Xiaozhuan style at 80%, and Lishu at 20%. Some variant Chinese characters were unorthodox or locally used for centuries. They were generally understood but always rejected in official texts. Some of these unorthodox variants, in addition to some newly created characters, compose the Simplified Chinese character set.
TECHNIQUE
Traditional East Asian writing uses the Four Treasures of the Study (文房四寶/文房四宝): the ink brushes known as máobǐ (毛笔) to write Chinese characters, Chinese ink, paper, and inkstone, known as the Four Friends of the Study (Korean: 문방사우) in Korea. In addition to these four tools, desk pads and paperweights are also used.
The shape, size, stretch, and hair type of the ink brush, the color, color density and water density of the ink, as well as the paper's water absorption speed and surface texture are the main physical parameters influencing the final result. The calligrapher's technique also influences the result. The calligrapher's work is influenced by the quantity of ink and water he lets the brush take, then by the pressure, inclination, and direction he gives to the brush, producing thinner or bolder strokes, and smooth or toothed borders. Eventually, the speed, accelerations, decelerations of the writer's moves, turns, and crochets, and the stroke order give the "spirit" to the characters, by greatly influencing their final shapes.
STYLES
Cursive styles such as xíngshū (semi-cursive or running script) and cǎoshū (cursive or grass script) are less constrained and faster, where more movements made by the writing implement are visible. These styles' stroke orders vary more, sometimes creating radically different forms. They are descended from Clerical script, in the same time as Regular script (Han Dynasty), but xíngshū and cǎoshū were used for personal notes only, and never used as a standard. The cǎoshū style was highly appreciated in Emperor Wu of Han reign (140–187 AD).
Examples of modern printed styles are Song from the Song Dynasty's printing press, and sans-serif. These are not considered traditional styles, and are normally not written.
INFLUENCES
Japanese and Korean calligraphies were greatly influenced by Chinese calligraphy. The Japanese and Korean people have also developed specific sensibilities and styles of calligraphy. For example, Japanese calligraphy go out of the set of CJK strokes to also include local alphabets such as hiragana and katakana, with specific problematics such as new curves and moves, and specific materials (Japanese paper, washi 和紙, and Japanese ink). In the case of Korean calligraphy, the Hangeul and the existence of the circle required the creation of a new technique which usually confuses Chinese calligraphers.
Temporary calligraphy is a practice of water-only calligraphy on the floor, which dries out within minutes. This practice is especially appreciated by the new generation of retired Chinese in public parks of China. These will often open studio-shops in tourist towns offering traditional Chinese calligraphy to tourists. Other than writing the clients name, they also sell fine brushes as souvenirs and lime stone carved stamps.
Since late 1980s, a few Chinese artists have branched out traditional Chinese calligraphy to a new territory by mingling Chinese characters with English letters; notable new forms of calligraphy are Xu Bing's square calligraphy and DanNie's coolligraphy or cooligraphy.
Mongolian calligraphy is also influenced by Chinese calligraphy, from tools to style.
Calligraphy has influenced ink and wash painting, which is accomplished using similar tools and techniques. Calligraphy has influenced most major art styles in East Asia, including ink and wash painting, a style of Chinese, Korean, Japanese painting, and Vietnamese painting based entirely on calligraphy.
SOUTH ASIA
INDIA
On the subject of Indian calligraphy, writes:
Aśoka's edicts (c. 265–238 BC) were committed to stone. These inscriptions are stiff and angular in form. Following the Aśoka style of Indic writing, two new calligraphic types appear: Kharoṣṭī and Brāhmī. Kharoṣṭī was used in the northwestern regions of India from the 3rd century BC to the 4th century of the Christian Era, and it was used in Central Asia until the 8th century.
In many parts of ancient India, the inscriptions were carried out in smoke-treated palm leaves. This tradition dates back to over two thousand years. Even after the Indian languages were put on paper in the 13th century, palm leaves where considered a preferred medium of writing owing to its longevity (nearly 400 years) compared to paper. Both sides of the leaves were used for writing. Long rectangular strips were gathered on top of one another, holes were drilled through all the leaves, and the book was held together by string. Books of this manufacture were common to Southeast Asia. The palm leaf was an excellent surface for penwriting, making possible the delicate lettering used in many of the scripts of southern Asia.
Burnt clay and copper were a favoured material for Indic inscriptions. In the north of India, birch bark was used as a writing surface as early as the 2nd century AD.
NEPAL
Ranjana script is the primary form of Nepalese calligraphy. The script itself, along with its derivatives (like Lantsa, Phagpa, Kutila) are used in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Leh, Mongolia, coastal Japan, and Korea to write "Om mani padme hum" and other sacred Buddhist texts, mainly those derived from Sanskrit and Pali.
THAILAND
Sanskrit is the primary form of Thai calligraphy. Historically Thai calligraphy has been limited to sacred texts of the Pali Canon with few wider artistic applications where graphic calligraphy representing figures and objects is produced. Calligraphy appears on the personal flag of each member of the Thai royal family bearing its owner's initials in calligraphy. The most obvious place in the country where calligraphy is present is in graffiti. A few books have been published with calligraphic compositions.
TIBET
Calligraphy is central in Tibetan culture. The script is derived from Indic scripts. The nobles of Tibet, such as the High Lamas and inhabitants of the Potala Palace, were usually capable calligraphers. Tibet has been a center of Buddhism for several centuries, and that religion places a great deal of significance on written word. This does not provide for a large body of secular pieces, although they do exist (but are usually related in some way to Tibetan Buddhism). Almost all high religious writing involved calligraphy, including letters sent by the Dalai Lama and other religious and secular authority. Calligraphy is particularly evident on their prayer wheels, although this calligraphy was forged rather than scribed, much like Arab and Roman calligraphy is often found on buildings. Although originally done with a reed, Tibetan calligraphers now use chisel tipped pens and markers as well.
ISLAMIC WORLD
Islamic calligraphy (calligraphy in Arabic is khatt ul-yad خط اليد) has evolved alongside Islam and the Arabic language. As it is based on Arabic letters, some call it "Arabic calligraphy". However the term "Islamic calligraphy" is a more appropriate term as it comprises all works of calligraphy by the Muslim calligraphers from Andalusia in modern Spain to China.
Islamic calligraphy is associated with geometric Islamic art (arabesque) on the walls and ceilings of mosques as well as on the page. Contemporary artists in the Islamic world draw on the heritage of calligraphy to use calligraphic inscriptions or abstractions.
Instead of recalling something related to the spoken word, calligraphy for Muslims is a visible expression of the highest art of all, the art of the spiritual world. Calligraphy has arguably become the most venerated form of Islamic art because it provides a link between the languages of the Muslims with the religion of Islam. The Qur'an has played an important role in the development and evolution of the Arabic language, and by extension, calligraphy in the Arabic alphabet. Proverbs and passages from the Qur'an are still sources for Islamic calligraphy.
It is generally accepted that Islamic calligraphy excelled during the Ottoman era. Istanbul is an open exhibition hall for all kinds and varieties of calligraphy, from inscriptions in mosques to fountains, schools, houses, etc.
PERSIA
The history of calligraphy in Persia dates back to the pre-Islam era. In Zoroastrianism beautiful and clear writings were always praised.
It is believed that ancient Persian script was invented by about 600–500 BC to provide monument inscriptions for the Achaemenid kings. These scripts consisted of horizontal, vertical, and diagonal nail-shape letters, which is why it is called "script of nails/cuneiform script" (khat-e-mikhi) in Persian. Centuries later, other scripts such as "Pahlavi" and "Avestan" scripts were used in ancient Persia.
CONTEMPORARY SRIPTS
The Nasta'liq style is the most popular contemporary style among classical Persian calligraphy scripts; Persian calligraphers call it the "bride of calligraphy scripts". This calligraphy style has been based on such a strong structure that it has changed very little since. Mir Ali Tabrizi had found the optimum composition of the letters and graphical rules so it has just been fine-tuned during the past seven centuries. It has very strict rules for graphical shape of the letters and for combination of the letters, words, and composition of the whole calligraphy piece.
MAYAN CIVILIZATION
Mayan calligraphy was expressed via Mayan hieroglyphs; modern Mayan calligraphy is mainly used on seals and monuments in the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. Mayan hieroglyphs are rarely used in government offices; however in Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, Mayan calligraphy is written in Latin letters. Some commercial companies in southern Mexico use Mayan hieroglyphs as symbols of their business. Some community associations and modern Mayan brotherhoods use Mayan hieroglyphs as symbols of their groups.
Most of the archaeological sites in Mexico such as Chichen Itza, Labna, Uxmal, Edzna, Calakmul, etc. have glyphs in their structures. Carved stone monuments known as stele are common sources of ancient Mayan calligraphy.
MODERN CALLIGRAPHY
REVIVAL
After printing became ubiquitous from the 15th century, the production of illuminated manuscripts began to decline. However, the rise of printing did not mean the end of calligraphy.
The modern revival of calligraphy began at the end of the 19th century, influenced by the aesthetics and philosophy of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. Edward Johnston is regarded as being the father of modern calligraphy. After studying published copies of manuscripts by architect William Harrison Cowlishaw, he was introduced to William Lethaby in 1898, principal of the Central School of Arts and Crafts,who advised him to study manuscripts at the British Museum.
This triggered Johnston's interest in the art of calligraphy with the use of a broad edged pen. He began a teaching course in calligraphy at the Central School in Southampton Row, London from September 1899, where he influenced the typeface designer and sculptor Eric Gill. He was commissioned by Frank Pick to design a new typeface for London Underground, still used today (with minor modifications).
He has been credited for reviving the art of modern penmanship and lettering single-handedly through his books and teachings - his handbook on the subject, Writing & Illuminating, & Lettering (1906) was particularly influential on a generation of British typographers and calligraphers, including Graily Hewitt, Stanley Morison, Eric Gill and Anna Simons. Johnston also devised the simply crafted round calligraphic handwriting style, written with a broad pen, known today as the Foundational hand. Johnston initially taught his students an uncial hand using a flat pen angle, but later taught his hand using a slanted pen angle. He first referred to this hand as "Foundational Hand" in his 1909 publication, Manuscript & Inscription Letters for Schools and Classes and for the Use of Craftsmen.
SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENTS
Graily Hewitt taught at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and published together with Johnston throughout the early part of the century. Hewitt was central to the revival of gilding in calligraphy, and his prolific output on type design also appeared between 1915 and 1943. He is attributed with the revival of gilding with gesso and gold leaf on vellum. Hewitt helped to found the Society of Scribes & Illuminators (SSI) in 1921, probably the world's foremost calligraphy society.
Hewitt is not without both critics and supporters in his rendering of Cennino Cennini's medieval gesso recipes. Donald Jackson, a British calligrapher, has sourced his gesso recipes from earlier centuries a number of which are not presently in English translation. Graily Hewitt created the patent announcing the award to Prince Philip of the title of Duke of Edinburgh on November 19, 1947, the day before his marriage to Queen Elizabeth.
Johnston’s pupil, Anna Simons, was instrumental in sparking off interest in calligraphy in Germany with her German translation of Writing and Illuminating, and Lettering in 1910. Austrian Rudolf Larisch, a teacher of lettering at the Vienna School of Art, published six lettering books that greatly influenced German-speaking calligraphers. Because German-speaking countries had not abandoned the Gothic hand in printing, Gothic also had a powerful effect on their styles.
Rudolf Koch was a friend and younger contemporary of Larisch. Koch's books, type designs, and teaching made him one of the most influential calligraphers of the 20th century in northern Europe and later in the U.S. Larisch and Koch taught and inspired many European calligraphers, notably Karlgeorg Hoefer, and Hermann Zapf.
Contemporary typefaces used by computers, from word processors like Microsoft Word or Apple Pages to professional designers' software like Adobe InDesign, owe a considerable debt to the past and to a small number of professional typeface designers today.
Unicode provides "Script" and "Fraktur" Latin alphabets that can be used for calligraphy. See Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols.
WIKIPEDIA
Calligraphy is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a broad tip instrument, brush, among other writing instruments. A contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as, "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious, and skillful manner".
Modern calligraphy ranges from functional inscriptions and designs to fine-art pieces where the letters may or may not be readable.[1][page needed] Classical calligraphy differs from typography and non-classical hand-lettering, though a calligrapher may practice both.
Calligraphy continues to flourish in the forms of wedding and event invitations, font design and typography, original hand-lettered logo design, religious art, announcements, graphic design and commissioned calligraphic art, cut stone inscriptions, and memorial documents. It is also used for props and moving images for film and television, testimonials, birth and death certificates, maps, and other written works.
TOOLS
The principal tools for a calligrapher are the pen and the brush. Calligraphy pens write with nibs that may be flat, round, or pointed. For some decorative purposes, multi-nibbed pens - steel brushes - can be used. However, works have also been created with felt-tip and ballpoint pens, although these works do not employ angled lines. There are some styles of calligraphy, like Gothic script, which require a stub nib pen.
Writing ink is usually water-based and is much less viscous than the oil-based inks used in printing. High quality paper, which has good consistency of absorption, enables cleaner lines, although parchment or vellum is often used, as a knife can be used to erase imperfections and a light-box is not needed to allow lines to pass through it. Normally, light boxes and templates are used to achieve straight lines without pencil markings detracting from the work. Ruled paper, either for a light box or direct use, is most often ruled every quarter or half inch, although inch spaces are occasionally used. This is the case with litterea unciales (hence the name), and college-ruled paper often acts as a guideline well.
Common calligraphy pens and brushes are:
Quill
Dip pen
Ink brush
Qalam
Fountain pen
WORLD TRADITIONS
EUROPE
HISTORY
Western calligraphy is recognizable by the use of the Latin script. The Latin alphabet appeared about 600 BC, in Rome, and by the first century[clarification needed] developed into Roman imperial capitals carved on stones, Rustic capitals painted on walls, and Roman cursive for daily use. In the second and third centuries the uncial lettering style developed. As writing withdrew to monasteries, uncial script was found more suitable for copying the Bible and other religious texts. It was the monasteries which preserved calligraphic traditions during the fourth and fifth centuries, when the Roman Empire fell and Europe entered the Dark Ages.
At the height of the Empire, its power reached as far as Great Britain; when the empire fell, its literary influence remained. The Semi-uncial generated the Irish Semi-uncial, the small Anglo-Saxon. Each region developed its own standards following the main monastery of the region (i.e. Merovingian script, Laon script, Luxeuil script, Visigothic script, Beneventan script), which are mostly cursive and hardly readable.
Christian churches promoted the development of writing through the prolific copying of the Bible, particularly the New Testament and other sacred texts. Two distinct styles of writing known as uncial and half-uncial (from the Latin "uncia," or "inch") developed from a variety of Roman bookhands. The 7th-9th centuries in northern Europe were the heyday of Celtic illuminated manuscripts, such as the Book of Durrow, Lindisfarne Gospels and the Book of Kells.
Charlemagne's devotion to improved scholarship resulted in the recruiting of "a crowd of scribes", according to Alcuin, the Abbot of York. Alcuin developed the style known as the Caroline or Carolingian minuscule. The first manuscript in this hand was the Godescalc Evangelistary (finished 783) — a Gospel book written by the scribe Godescalc. Carolingian remains the one progenitor hand from which modern booktype descends.
In the eleventh century, the Caroline evolved into the Gothic script, which was more compact and made it possible to fit more text on a page. The Gothic calligraphy styles became dominant throughout Europe; and in 1454, when Johannes Gutenberg developed the first printing press in Mainz, Germany, he adopted the Gothic style, making it the first typeface.
In the 15th century, the rediscovery of old Carolingian texts encouraged the creation of the humanist minuscule or littera antiqua. The 17th century saw the Batarde script from France, and the 18th century saw the English script spread across Europe and world through their books.
In the mid-1600s French officials, flooded with documents written in various hands and varied levels of skill, complained that many such documents were beyond their ability to decipher. The Office of the Financier thereupon restricted all legal documents to three hands, namely the Coulee, the Rhonde, (known as Round hand in English) and a Speed Hand sometimes simply called the Bastarda.
While there were many great French masters at the time, the most influential in proposing these hands was Louis Barbedor, who published Les Ecritures Financière Et Italienne Bastarde Dans Leur Naturel circa 1650.
With the destruction of the Camera Apostolica during the sack of Rome (1527), the capitol for writing masters moved to Southern France. By 1600, the Italic Cursiva began to be replaced by a technological refinement, the Italic Chancery Circumflessa, which in turn fathered the Rhonde and later English Roundhand.
In England, Ayres and Banson popularized the Round Hand while Snell is noted for his reaction to them, and warnings of restraint and proportionality. Still Edward Crocker began publishing his copybooks 40 years before the aforementioned.
STYLE
Sacred Western calligraphy has some special features, such as the illumination of the first letter of each book or chapter in medieval times. A decorative "carpet page" may precede the literature, filled with ornate, geometrical depictions of bold-hued animals. The Lindisfarne Gospels (715–720 AD) are an early example.
As with Chinese or Islamic calligraphy, Western calligraphic script employed the use of strict rules and shapes. Quality writing had a rhythm and regularity to the letters, with a "geometrical" order of the lines on the page. Each character had, and often still has, a precise stroke order.
Unlike a typeface, irregularity in the characters' size, style, and colors increases aesthetic value, though the content may be illegible. Many of the themes and variations of today's contemporary Western calligraphy are found in the pages of The Saint John's Bible. A particularly modern example is Timothy Botts' illustrated edition of the Bible, with 360 calligraphic images as well as a calligraphy typeface.
INFLUENCES
Several other Western styles use the same tools and practices, but differ by character set and stylistic preferences. For Slavonic lettering, the history of the Slavonic and consequently Russian writing systems differs fundamentally from the one of the Latin language. It evolved from the 10th century to today.
EAST ASIA
The Chinese name for calligraphy is shūfǎ (書法 in Traditional Chinese, literally "the method or law of writing"); the Japanese name shodō (書道, literally "the way or principle of writing"); the Korean is seoye (Korean: 서예/書藝, literally "the art of writing"); and the Vietnamese is Thư pháp (書法, literally "the way of letters or words"). The calligraphy of East Asian characters is an important and appreciated aspect of East Asian culture.
HISTORY
In ancient China, the oldest Chinese characters existing are Jiǎgǔwén(甲骨文) characters carved on ox scapulae and tortoise plastrons, because the dominators in Shang Dynasty carved pits on such animals' bones and then baked them to gain auspice of military affairs, agricultural harvest, or even procreating and weather. During the divination ceremony, after the cracks were made, the characters were written with a brush on the shell or bone to be later carved.(Keightley, 1978). With the development of Jīnwén (Bronzeware script) and Dàzhuàn (Large Seal Script) "cursive" signs continued. Moreover, each archaic kingdom of current China had its own set of characters.
In Imperial China, the graphs on old steles - some dating from 200 BC, and in Xiaozhuan style - are still accessible.
About 220 BC, the emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first to conquer the entire Chinese basin, imposed several reforms, among them Li Si's character unification, which created a set of 3300 standardized Xiǎozhuàn（小篆） characters. Despite the fact that the main writing implement of the time was already the brush, few papers survive from this period, and the main examples of this style are on steles.
The Lìshū（隶书） style (clerical script) which is more regularized, and in some ways similar to modern text, have been also authorised under Qin Shi Huangdi.
Kǎishū style (traditional regular script)—still in use today—and attributed to Wang Xizhi (王羲之, 303–361) and his followers, is even more regularized. Its spread was encouraged by Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang (926–933), who ordered the printing of the classics using new wooden blocks in Kaishu. Printing technologies here allowed a shape stabilization. The Kaishu shape of characters 1000 years ago was mostly similar to that at the end of Imperial China. But small changes have been made, for example in the shape of 广 which is not absolutely the same in the Kangxi Dictionary of 1716 as in modern books. The Kangxi and current shapes have tiny differences, while stroke order is still the same, according to old style.
Styles which did not survive include Bāfēnshū, a mix made of Xiaozhuan style at 80%, and Lishu at 20%. Some variant Chinese characters were unorthodox or locally used for centuries. They were generally understood but always rejected in official texts. Some of these unorthodox variants, in addition to some newly created characters, compose the Simplified Chinese character set.
TECHNIQUE
Traditional East Asian writing uses the Four Treasures of the Study (文房四寶/文房四宝): the ink brushes known as máobǐ (毛笔) to write Chinese characters, Chinese ink, paper, and inkstone, known as the Four Friends of the Study (Korean: 문방사우) in Korea. In addition to these four tools, desk pads and paperweights are also used.
The shape, size, stretch, and hair type of the ink brush, the color, color density and water density of the ink, as well as the paper's water absorption speed and surface texture are the main physical parameters influencing the final result. The calligrapher's technique also influences the result. The calligrapher's work is influenced by the quantity of ink and water he lets the brush take, then by the pressure, inclination, and direction he gives to the brush, producing thinner or bolder strokes, and smooth or toothed borders. Eventually, the speed, accelerations, decelerations of the writer's moves, turns, and crochets, and the stroke order give the "spirit" to the characters, by greatly influencing their final shapes.
STYLES
Cursive styles such as xíngshū (semi-cursive or running script) and cǎoshū (cursive or grass script) are less constrained and faster, where more movements made by the writing implement are visible. These styles' stroke orders vary more, sometimes creating radically different forms. They are descended from Clerical script, in the same time as Regular script (Han Dynasty), but xíngshū and cǎoshū were used for personal notes only, and never used as a standard. The cǎoshū style was highly appreciated in Emperor Wu of Han reign (140–187 AD).
Examples of modern printed styles are Song from the Song Dynasty's printing press, and sans-serif. These are not considered traditional styles, and are normally not written.
INFLUENCES
Japanese and Korean calligraphies were greatly influenced by Chinese calligraphy. The Japanese and Korean people have also developed specific sensibilities and styles of calligraphy. For example, Japanese calligraphy go out of the set of CJK strokes to also include local alphabets such as hiragana and katakana, with specific problematics such as new curves and moves, and specific materials (Japanese paper, washi 和紙, and Japanese ink). In the case of Korean calligraphy, the Hangeul and the existence of the circle required the creation of a new technique which usually confuses Chinese calligraphers.
Temporary calligraphy is a practice of water-only calligraphy on the floor, which dries out within minutes. This practice is especially appreciated by the new generation of retired Chinese in public parks of China. These will often open studio-shops in tourist towns offering traditional Chinese calligraphy to tourists. Other than writing the clients name, they also sell fine brushes as souvenirs and lime stone carved stamps.
Since late 1980s, a few Chinese artists have branched out traditional Chinese calligraphy to a new territory by mingling Chinese characters with English letters; notable new forms of calligraphy are Xu Bing's square calligraphy and DanNie's coolligraphy or cooligraphy.
Mongolian calligraphy is also influenced by Chinese calligraphy, from tools to style.
Calligraphy has influenced ink and wash painting, which is accomplished using similar tools and techniques. Calligraphy has influenced most major art styles in East Asia, including ink and wash painting, a style of Chinese, Korean, Japanese painting, and Vietnamese painting based entirely on calligraphy.
SOUTH ASIA
INDIA
On the subject of Indian calligraphy, writes:
Aśoka's edicts (c. 265–238 BC) were committed to stone. These inscriptions are stiff and angular in form. Following the Aśoka style of Indic writing, two new calligraphic types appear: Kharoṣṭī and Brāhmī. Kharoṣṭī was used in the northwestern regions of India from the 3rd century BC to the 4th century of the Christian Era, and it was used in Central Asia until the 8th century.
In many parts of ancient India, the inscriptions were carried out in smoke-treated palm leaves. This tradition dates back to over two thousand years. Even after the Indian languages were put on paper in the 13th century, palm leaves where considered a preferred medium of writing owing to its longevity (nearly 400 years) compared to paper. Both sides of the leaves were used for writing. Long rectangular strips were gathered on top of one another, holes were drilled through all the leaves, and the book was held together by string. Books of this manufacture were common to Southeast Asia. The palm leaf was an excellent surface for penwriting, making possible the delicate lettering used in many of the scripts of southern Asia.
Burnt clay and copper were a favoured material for Indic inscriptions. In the north of India, birch bark was used as a writing surface as early as the 2nd century AD.
NEPAL
Ranjana script is the primary form of Nepalese calligraphy. The script itself, along with its derivatives (like Lantsa, Phagpa, Kutila) are used in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Leh, Mongolia, coastal Japan, and Korea to write "Om mani padme hum" and other sacred Buddhist texts, mainly those derived from Sanskrit and Pali.
THAILAND
Sanskrit is the primary form of Thai calligraphy. Historically Thai calligraphy has been limited to sacred texts of the Pali Canon with few wider artistic applications where graphic calligraphy representing figures and objects is produced. Calligraphy appears on the personal flag of each member of the Thai royal family bearing its owner's initials in calligraphy. The most obvious place in the country where calligraphy is present is in graffiti. A few books have been published with calligraphic compositions.
TIBET
Calligraphy is central in Tibetan culture. The script is derived from Indic scripts. The nobles of Tibet, such as the High Lamas and inhabitants of the Potala Palace, were usually capable calligraphers. Tibet has been a center of Buddhism for several centuries, and that religion places a great deal of significance on written word. This does not provide for a large body of secular pieces, although they do exist (but are usually related in some way to Tibetan Buddhism). Almost all high religious writing involved calligraphy, including letters sent by the Dalai Lama and other religious and secular authority. Calligraphy is particularly evident on their prayer wheels, although this calligraphy was forged rather than scribed, much like Arab and Roman calligraphy is often found on buildings. Although originally done with a reed, Tibetan calligraphers now use chisel tipped pens and markers as well.
ISLAMIC WORLD
Islamic calligraphy (calligraphy in Arabic is khatt ul-yad خط اليد) has evolved alongside Islam and the Arabic language. As it is based on Arabic letters, some call it "Arabic calligraphy". However the term "Islamic calligraphy" is a more appropriate term as it comprises all works of calligraphy by the Muslim calligraphers from Andalusia in modern Spain to China.
Islamic calligraphy is associated with geometric Islamic art (arabesque) on the walls and ceilings of mosques as well as on the page. Contemporary artists in the Islamic world draw on the heritage of calligraphy to use calligraphic inscriptions or abstractions.
Instead of recalling something related to the spoken word, calligraphy for Muslims is a visible expression of the highest art of all, the art of the spiritual world. Calligraphy has arguably become the most venerated form of Islamic art because it provides a link between the languages of the Muslims with the religion of Islam. The Qur'an has played an important role in the development and evolution of the Arabic language, and by extension, calligraphy in the Arabic alphabet. Proverbs and passages from the Qur'an are still sources for Islamic calligraphy.
It is generally accepted that Islamic calligraphy excelled during the Ottoman era. Istanbul is an open exhibition hall for all kinds and varieties of calligraphy, from inscriptions in mosques to fountains, schools, houses, etc.
PERSIA
The history of calligraphy in Persia dates back to the pre-Islam era. In Zoroastrianism beautiful and clear writings were always praised.
It is believed that ancient Persian script was invented by about 600–500 BC to provide monument inscriptions for the Achaemenid kings. These scripts consisted of horizontal, vertical, and diagonal nail-shape letters, which is why it is called "script of nails/cuneiform script" (khat-e-mikhi) in Persian. Centuries later, other scripts such as "Pahlavi" and "Avestan" scripts were used in ancient Persia.
CONTEMPORARY SRIPTS
The Nasta'liq style is the most popular contemporary style among classical Persian calligraphy scripts; Persian calligraphers call it the "bride of calligraphy scripts". This calligraphy style has been based on such a strong structure that it has changed very little since. Mir Ali Tabrizi had found the optimum composition of the letters and graphical rules so it has just been fine-tuned during the past seven centuries. It has very strict rules for graphical shape of the letters and for combination of the letters, words, and composition of the whole calligraphy piece.
MAYAN CIVILIZATION
Mayan calligraphy was expressed via Mayan hieroglyphs; modern Mayan calligraphy is mainly used on seals and monuments in the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. Mayan hieroglyphs are rarely used in government offices; however in Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, Mayan calligraphy is written in Latin letters. Some commercial companies in southern Mexico use Mayan hieroglyphs as symbols of their business. Some community associations and modern Mayan brotherhoods use Mayan hieroglyphs as symbols of their groups.
Most of the archaeological sites in Mexico such as Chichen Itza, Labna, Uxmal, Edzna, Calakmul, etc. have glyphs in their structures. Carved stone monuments known as stele are common sources of ancient Mayan calligraphy.
MODERN CALLIGRAPHY
REVIVAL
After printing became ubiquitous from the 15th century, the production of illuminated manuscripts began to decline. However, the rise of printing did not mean the end of calligraphy.
The modern revival of calligraphy began at the end of the 19th century, influenced by the aesthetics and philosophy of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. Edward Johnston is regarded as being the father of modern calligraphy. After studying published copies of manuscripts by architect William Harrison Cowlishaw, he was introduced to William Lethaby in 1898, principal of the Central School of Arts and Crafts,who advised him to study manuscripts at the British Museum.
This triggered Johnston's interest in the art of calligraphy with the use of a broad edged pen. He began a teaching course in calligraphy at the Central School in Southampton Row, London from September 1899, where he influenced the typeface designer and sculptor Eric Gill. He was commissioned by Frank Pick to design a new typeface for London Underground, still used today (with minor modifications).
He has been credited for reviving the art of modern penmanship and lettering single-handedly through his books and teachings - his handbook on the subject, Writing & Illuminating, & Lettering (1906) was particularly influential on a generation of British typographers and calligraphers, including Graily Hewitt, Stanley Morison, Eric Gill and Anna Simons. Johnston also devised the simply crafted round calligraphic handwriting style, written with a broad pen, known today as the Foundational hand. Johnston initially taught his students an uncial hand using a flat pen angle, but later taught his hand using a slanted pen angle. He first referred to this hand as "Foundational Hand" in his 1909 publication, Manuscript & Inscription Letters for Schools and Classes and for the Use of Craftsmen.
SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENTS
Graily Hewitt taught at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and published together with Johnston throughout the early part of the century. Hewitt was central to the revival of gilding in calligraphy, and his prolific output on type design also appeared between 1915 and 1943. He is attributed with the revival of gilding with gesso and gold leaf on vellum. Hewitt helped to found the Society of Scribes & Illuminators (SSI) in 1921, probably the world's foremost calligraphy society.
Hewitt is not without both critics and supporters in his rendering of Cennino Cennini's medieval gesso recipes. Donald Jackson, a British calligrapher, has sourced his gesso recipes from earlier centuries a number of which are not presently in English translation. Graily Hewitt created the patent announcing the award to Prince Philip of the title of Duke of Edinburgh on November 19, 1947, the day before his marriage to Queen Elizabeth.
Johnston’s pupil, Anna Simons, was instrumental in sparking off interest in calligraphy in Germany with her German translation of Writing and Illuminating, and Lettering in 1910. Austrian Rudolf Larisch, a teacher of lettering at the Vienna School of Art, published six lettering books that greatly influenced German-speaking calligraphers. Because German-speaking countries had not abandoned the Gothic hand in printing, Gothic also had a powerful effect on their styles.
Rudolf Koch was a friend and younger contemporary of Larisch. Koch's books, type designs, and teaching made him one of the most influential calligraphers of the 20th century in northern Europe and later in the U.S. Larisch and Koch taught and inspired many European calligraphers, notably Karlgeorg Hoefer, and Hermann Zapf.
Contemporary typefaces used by computers, from word processors like Microsoft Word or Apple Pages to professional designers' software like Adobe InDesign, owe a considerable debt to the past and to a small number of professional typeface designers today.
Unicode provides "Script" and "Fraktur" Latin alphabets that can be used for calligraphy. See Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols.
WIKIPEDIA
I had an idea about project for some time and finally I had a chance to bring it to life. In this project the ideas of holiness and darkness merged together.
This is the first picture in the sequence, which calls Holiness, more photos to come. Stay in touch.
More pictures from the project
A green or — more rarely — a blue flash can be seen associated with a setting or a rising sun under some atmospheric conditions when a clear view of a low horizon is available. Such conditions are more often achieved from a vantage point overlooking an ocean horizon. It is a long-established tradition for observational astronomers, if time permits, to watch the setting sun with one eye closed to maintain some dark adaptation in the hope of witnessing a naked-eye green flash.
To see what they can look like, see the photographs displayed on Les Cowley’s atmospheric optics website: www.atoptics.co.uk/atoptics/gf1.htm
The phenomenon is the result a fortuitous interplay between several processes operating in the Earth’s atmosphere when an object, in this case the Sun, is seen through a long, almost tangential atmospheric path.
The first is refraction of the sunlight within the atmosphere as the light travels through a gas whose density increases downwards. This causes the shorter wavelength (blue/green) light to appear at the eye from a direction slightly above the longer wavelength (orange/red) light, resulting in an image of the setting sun with a thin red rim at the bottom and a green/blue rim at the top. However, a stable atmosphere with a simple density gradient will not produce a green flash that can be seen with the naked eye (don’t look at the setting sun with binoculars or telescopes!).
To produce a magnified separation of the green and red images it is necessary to have a more complex atmospheric density structure that results in a mirage phenomenon (see Cowley’s explanation of this: www.atoptics.co.uk/atoptics/sunmir.htm ).
The third ingredient in the recipe is the mixture of processes that absorb and scatter certain colours of light as it travels through this long path of air. It is different combinations of these processes that result in the amazing range of colours to be seen in the daytime and twilight sky. The setting sun is orange/red and the clear daytime sky is blue largely as a result of these scattering processes that change the direction of some of the incoming radiation with a probability that is higher for blue than for red light. This scattering steals some of the blue light from the sun gives it to the sky.
The most intense blue results from the scattering by air molecules — this is called Rayleigh scattering after the 3rd Baron Rayleigh who worked out the theory — while the softer blue/white haze comes from droplets and particles floating in the air that, while still very small, are much larger than molecules: they are generally called aerosols. The stunningly beautiful palette of clear twilight colours is painted as bands of pink, orange, yellow, pale apple-green and blue across the sky by the interplay of these scattering processes.
The gaseous constituents of the air can also absorb light of certain wavelengths/colours. This absorption actually removes rather than redirects sunlight and converts it into heat. Much of this absorption happens beyond the range of our vision in the infrared and ultraviolet parts of the spectrum but there are some important absorptions that happen within our visual range. These include water vapour and oxygen but by far the most important of the gases for the twilight phenomena is ozone, most of which is present high above us at altitudes between about 15 and 40 km. It is produced from oxygen by ultraviolet photons from the sun and catalytic interactions with other atmospheric gases. Ozone is quite unstable and is continually created and destroyed in the atmosphere by the actions of sunlight. If you make it in the lab and can liquify it without blowing yourself up, it has a wonderful deep ultramarine blue colour ( www.bipm.org/en/bipm/chemistry/gas-metrology/ozone/ )
Ozone is responsible for the deep blue colour of the post-sunset twilight sky ( www.flickr.com/photos/bob_81667/39996325804/ ) but it is also an essential enabler for the green flash since it provides the spectral separation between the blue/green and the red refracted components of the setting sun without which the green flash would not be clearly apparent.
The spectra above illustrate how this works. They are computed form the known energy spectrum of the sun by using a simple atmospheric extinction model that includes Rayleigh and aerosol scattering and ozone absorption acting on light coming from the sun at different altitudes in the sky. I can vary the strength of aerosol scattering to represent either a very clear sky through to different amounts of aerosol haze. I can also vary the ozone content within the path taken by the sunlight as the sun sets. Although we know the amount of ozone in the ozone layer and can compute the amount expected in the sunset path, it is not easy to know the fraction of the refracted path that lies within the ozone layer in the presence of mirage-forming refraction. In these plots, I have chosen an amount that assumes that more of the light travels within this layer than travels at lower altitudes.
The upper plot shows the spectrum of the setting sun (blue line) in a very clear atmosphere with an aerosol content only 10% of a normal mid-latitude sky. The red dashed line is the setting sun as seen with no ozone in the atmosphere at all. This plot is on a logarithmic intensity scale to show the huge range in intensity across the spectrum of a factor of 100,000. The lower plot shows the same spectra on a linear scale to show the way in which the ozone absorption very clearly separates the blue/green from the red images of parts of the sun. The pale green line shows the same model with the aerosol content increased by a factor of four, showing that aerosols have a significant effect on the intensity of the green image (flash) but a minor effect on its colour.
The strongest conclusion from this is the enormous effect that the ozone has on the visibility of the green flash phenomenon. If there were no ozone, it would probably never be seen at all.
Leiden
June 2012
The Netherlands
Urban life in the Netherlands
Ricoh GRD IV
Please do not reproduce or use this picture without my explicit permission.
If you ask nicely I will probably say yes, just ask me first!
If you happen to be in one of my frames and have any objections to this.
Please contact me!
Please no glossy awards, scripted comments and big thumbnails back to your own work.
I will remove them...
Early in the morning I cooked this broccoli by steaming and adding a very small amount of salt.
Health benefits of this:
Broccoli provides a high amount of vitamin C, which aids iron absorption in the body, prevents the development of cataracts, and also eases the symptoms of the common cold.
The folic acid in broccoli helps women sustain normal tissue growth and is often used as a supplement when taking birth control pills and during pregnancies.
The potassium in broccoli aids those battling high blood pressure, while a large amount of calcium helps combat osteoporosis.
The vegetable is also fiber-rich, which enhances the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, as well as aims to reduce blood cholesterol levels.
In recent years, broccoli has made the headlines regarding three components found in the vegetable. For instance, indole-3-carbinol has captured the attention of those looking to prevent hormone-related cancers, such as breast- and prostate cancer.
I3C promotes "good" hormones, while working against destructive ones. The sulforaphane in broccoli also helps to increase the level of enzymes that block cancer, while the beta-carotene in broccoli transforms into vitamin A within the body, providing an effective antioxidant that destroys free radicals (responsible for weakening the defense of cells).
Additionally, the health benefits of broccoli have been linked to preventing and controlling the following medical concerns: Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, calcium deficiencies, stomach and colon cancer, malignant tumors, lung cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and even the aging process.
1-12-13 Wyndham Street Races
TOP SPEED REVIEW:
Not long ago, the Japanese motorcycles were considered the uncontested leaders of sport motorcycles and nobody had the guts to challenge them. However, this situation has changed after BMW entered the battle. Its first super sport bike, the S 1000RR was not only a completely newcomer, but it was also so strong and technological advanced that it made any other bike look like defenseless scooter.
THE ABS
The Kawasaki Ninja® ZX™-10R ABS superbike combines anti-lock braking with the numerous technological benefits of the class leading ZX-10R. And it does it with rider-sensitive, race-bred attributes derived from competing and winning at the highest levels.
Kawasaki has developed a new electronic steering damper for the 2013 ZX-10R ABS sportbike, in joint cooperation with Öhlins. Controlled by a dedicated ECU located under the gas tank cover, this new damper reacts to the rate of acceleration or deceleration, as well as rear wheel speed, to help provide the ideal level of damping force across a wide range of riding scenarios. The variable damping provides optimum rider feedback by enabling the use of lower damping forces during normal operation, without sacrificing the firm damping needed for high-speed stability. The result is a light and nimble steering feel at low speed, as well as superior damping at higher speeds or during extreme acceleration/deceleration. The anodized damper unit incorporates Öhlins’ patented twin-tube design to help ensure stable damping performance and superior kickback absorption. It is mounted horizontally at the front of the fuel tank and requires very few additional components and ads almost no weight compared to last year’s steering damper.
At first, anti-lock braking might seem a touch out of place on a purebred sportbike. But this system was designed from the start to maximize performance. And when you consider the many benefits provided by the amazing electronic and hardware technology available today, it begins to make a lot of sense.
Think of it: You’re braking for a blind, decreasing-radius corner after a long day of sport riding. Shadows are long and you’re tired, so you don’t notice a patch of sand until it’s too late to correct. But instead of tucking as you continue braking through the sand, your front tire maintains most of its traction, as the anti-lock braking system intervenes until the surface improves – allowing you to arc gracefully into the corner, a little wiser and a lot more intact physically than you might have been riding a non-ABS motorcycle.
Kawasaki calls its anti-lock system KIBS – or Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System. The use of “intelligent” is apropos, too, considering just how smart the KIBS is. It all starts with the smallest and lightest ABS unit ever built for a motorcycle, one designed by Bosch specifically with sport bikes in mind. It’s nearly 50 percent smaller than current motorcycle ABS units, and 800 grams lighter, adding only about 7 pounds of weight compared to the non-ABS machine, a pound of which is accounted for by the larger battery.
KIBS is a multi-sensing system, one that collects and monitors a wide range of information taken from wheel sensors (the same ones collecting data on the standard ZX-10R for its S-KTRC traction control system) and the bike’s ECU, including wheel speed, caliper pressure, engine rpm, throttle position, clutch actuation and gear position. The KIBS’s ECU actually communicates with the bike’s engine ECU and crunches the numbers, and when it notes a potential lock-up situation, it tells the Bosch ABS unit to temporarily reduce line pressure, allowing the wheel to once again regain traction.
Aside from this system’s ultra-fast response time, it offers a number of additional sport-riding benefits, including rear-end lift suppression during hard braking, minimal kickback during ABS intervention, and increased rear brake control during downshifts. The high-precision pressure control enables the system to maintain high brake performance, proper lever feel and help ensure the ABS pulses are minimized.
Needless to say that the Japanese manufacturers were highly intrigued and the first samurai who challenged the Germans to a duel was Kawasaki.
Kawasaki’s anti S 1000RR weapon is the Ninja ZX - 10R. Packing a lot of advanced features and modern technologies, the bike is fast enough to compete with success against the German oppressor.
Despite the fact that nothing changed for the 2013 model year, except for some color schemes, the Ninja continues to be ahead of the pack when it comes to sporty performances.
Build on a nimble, lightweight chassis, The Kawasaki Ninja ZX - 10R ABS is “blessed” with a powerful 998cc inline four engine which cranks out 197 hp at 11500 rpm.
Among the most important features offered by the Ninja ZX - 10R, you’ll find the advanced Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC) and an intelligent ABS system which comes as an option ($1000).
ENGINE & PERFORMANCE:
The rest of the 2013 Ninja ZX-10R ABS is equally advanced. Complete with a powerful engine and lightweight chassis, it also boasts a highly advanced and customizable electronic system that allows riders to harness and experience the ZX-10R ABS’s amazing blend of power and razor-edge handling. The system is called Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control.
Motorcyclists have forever been challenged by traction-related issues, whether on dirt, street or track. And when talking about the absolute leading edge of open-class sport bike technology, where production street bikes are actually more capable than full-on race bikes from just a couple years ago, more consistent traction and enhanced confidence is a major plus.
The racing-derived S-KTRC system works by crunching numbers from a variety of parameters and sensors – wheel speed and slip, engine rpm, throttle position, acceleration, etc. There’s more data gathering and analysis going on here than on any other Kawasaki in history, and it’s all in the name of helping racers inch closer to the elusive “edge” of maximum traction than ever before. The S-KTRC system relies on complex software buried in the ZX-10R’s Electronic Control Unit (ECU); the only additional hardware is the lightweight speed sensors located on each wheel.
Unlike the KTRC system on Kawasaki’s Concours™ 14 ABS sport tourer, which primarily minimizes wheel slip on slick or broken surfaces as a safety feature, the S-KTRC system is designed to maximize performance by using complex analysis to predict when traction conditions are about to become unfavorable. By quickly but subtly reducing power just before the amount of slippage exceeds the optimal traction zone, the system – which processes every data point 200 times per second – maintains the optimum level of tire grip to maximize forward motion. The result is significantly better lap times and enhanced rider confidence – exactly what one needs when piloting a machine of this caliber.
The S-KTRC system offers three different modes of operation, which riders can select according to surface conditions, rider preference and skill level: Level 1 for max-grip track use, Level 2 for intermediate use, and Level 3 for slippery conditions. An LCD graph in the high-tech instrument cluster displays how much electronic intervention is occurring in real time and a thumb switch on the left handlebar pod allows simple, on-the-go mode changes.
The potent ZX-10R engine is a 16-valve, DOHC, liquid-cooled inline-four displacing 998cc via 76 x 55mm bore and stroke dimensions. This powerplant is tuned to optimize power delivery, center of gravity and actual engine placement within the chassis. Torque peaks at an rpm range that helps eliminate power peaks and valleys that make it difficult for racers and track-day riders to open the throttle with confidence.
A primary goal of Kawasaki engineers was linear power delivery and engine manageability throughout all elements of a corner: the entry, getting back to neutral throttle at mid-corner, and heady, controllable acceleration at the exit. Peak torque was moved to a higher rpm range, which eliminates the power peaks and valleys that make it difficult for racers and track-day riders to open the throttle with confidence.
Large intake valves complemented by wide, polished intake ports allow for controllable power delivery and engine braking, just the thing to smooth those racetrack corner entries and exits. Camshafts built from chromoly steel further contribute to optimized engine braking and more controllable power delivery. Lightweight pistons mount to light and strong connecting rods. Compression is a full 13.0:1.
A race-style cassette transmission allows simple trackside ratio changes. An adjustable back-torque limiting clutch assembly is fitted, which allows worry-free downshifts and corner-entry calmness.
Cramming all that fuel and air into this amazing engine is a ram air-assisted fuel injection system featuring large throttle bodies (47mm) and sub-throttle valves, a large capacity airbox (9 liters), secondary injectors that improve top-end power characteristics, and a large ram-air intake that’s positioned close to the front of the bike for efficient airbox filling and power.
The final piece of the ZX-10R’s power-production formula is a race-spec exhaust system featuring a titanium header assembly, hydroformed collectors, a large-volume pre-chamber containing two catalyzers and a highly compact silencer. Due to the header’s race-spec design, riders and racers looking for more closed-course performance need only replace the slip-on muffler assembly.
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION:
With the engine producing a massive quantity of usable and controllable power, engineers looked to the chassis to help refine handling and overall road/track competency. The aluminum twin-spar frame is an all-cast assemblage of just seven pieces that features optimized flex characteristics for ideal rider feedback, cornering performance and light weight. Like the frame, the alloy swingarm is an all-cast assembly, with rigidity matching that of the frame itself.
Chassis geometry offers excellent stability and handling quickness. The front end geometry – with rake at 25 degrees and trail at 107mm (4.21 in.) – allows light, quick handling and complements the engine’s controllable power and the frame and swingarm’s flex characteristics.
Highly advanced suspension at both ends helps as well. Up front is a 43mm open-class version of the Big Piston Fork (BPF). Featuring a piston design nearly twice the size of a conventional cartridge fork, the BPF offers smooth action, less stiction, light weight and enhanced damping performance on the compression and rebound circuits. This compliance results in more control and feedback for the rider – just what you need when carving through a rippled sweeper at your local track or negotiating a decreasing-radius corner on your favorite backroad.
Suspension duties on the ZX-10R are handled by a Horizontal Back-Link design that positions the shock and linkage above the swingarm. Benefits include mass centralization, good road holding, compliance and stability, smooth action in the mid-stroke and good overall feedback. The fully adjustable shock features a piggyback reservoir and dual-range (low- and high-speed) compression damping.
Lightweight gravity-cast three-spoke wheels complement the tire fitment. Up front, Tokico radial-mount calipers grasp 310mm petal discs and a 220mm disc is squeezed by a lightweight single-piston caliper in back. The result is powerful stops with plenty of rider feedback and the added confidence of the KIBS ABS system.
DESIGN & ERGONOMICS:
Finally, Kawasaki engineers wrapped all this technology in bodywork as advanced and stylish as anything on this side of a MotoGP grid. The curvy edges and contrasting colored and black parts create a sharp, aggressive image. Line-beam headlights grace the fairing while LED turn signals are integrated into the mirror assemblies. Convenient turn-signal couplers allow easy mirror removal for track-day use. The rear fender assembly holding the rear signal stalks and license plate frame is also easily removable for track days. High-visibility LED lamps are also used for the taillight and position marker.
The instrumentation is highlighted by an LED-backlit bar-graph tachometer set above a multi-featured LCD info screen with numerous sections and data panels. A wide range of information is presented, including vehicle speed, odometer, dual trip meters, fuel consumption, Power Mode and S-KTRC level, low fuel, water temperature and much more. For track use, the LCD display can be set to “race” mode which moves the gear display to the center of the screen.
The ZX-10R’s ergonomics are designed for optimum comfort and control. A 32-inch saddle, adjustable footpegs and clip-ons mean that this is a hard-core sport bike you can actually take on an extended sport ride – and still be reasonably comfortable doing so.
The old saying, “power is nothing without control” is certainly apt where open-class sport bikes are concerned. But when you factor in all the engine, chassis and ergonomic control designed into the 2013 Ninja ZX-10R, you begin to realize you’re looking at one very special motorcycle – one that can take you places you’ve never been before.
Genuine Kawasaki Accessories are available through authorized Kawasaki dealers.
SPECS:
Engine Four-Stroke, Liquid-Cooled, DOHC, Four Valves Per Cylinder, Inline-Four
Displacement 998cc
Bore X Stroke 76.0 X 55.0 mm
Compression Ratio13.0:1
Fuel System DFI® With Four 47mm Keihin Throttle Bodies With Oval Sub-Throttles, Two Injectors Per Cylinder
Ignition TCBI With Digital Advance And Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC)
Transmission Six-Speed
Final Drive Chain
Rake/Trail 25 Deg / 4.2 In.
Front Tire Size 120/70 ZR17
Rear Tire Size 190/55 ZR17
Wheelbase 56.1 In.
Front Suspension / Wheel Travel 43 mm Inverted Big Piston Fork (BPF), Adjustable Rebound And Compression Damping, Spring Preload Adjustability/ 4.7 in.
Rear Suspension / Wheel Travel
Horizontal Back-Link With Gas-Charged Shock, Stepless, Dual-Range (Low-/High-Speed) Compression Damping, Stepless Rebound Damping, Fully Adjustable Spring Preload / 5.5 In.
Front Brakes Kawasaki Intelligent Anti-Lock Braking (KIBS), Dual Semi-Floating 310 mm Petal Discs With Dual Four-Piston Radial-Mount Calipers
Rear Brakes KIBS-Controlled, Single 220 mm Petal Disc With Aluminum Single-Piston Caliper
Fuel Capacity 4.5 Gal.
Seat Height 32.0 In.
Curb Weight 443.2 Lbs.
Overall Length 81.7 In.
Overall Width 28.1 In.
Overall Height 43.9 In.
Color Choices - Lime Green/Metallic Spark Black, Pearl Flat White/Metallic Spark Black
Source: www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/kawasaki/...
Video, sound and exercise
Elisabet Apelmo and Marit Lindberg
3/2-18/3 2007
Landskrona Kunsthalle
Slottsgatan
SE-261 31 LANDSKRONA
SWEDEN
Elisabet Apelmo and Marit Lindberg
Elisabet Apelmo uses photography, video, sound and drawing in her works to explore power, identity, the body and sexuality. Apelmo also holds a master’s degree in sociology. Marit Lindberg’s works in video are based on stories, collective memories and language gaps. The point of intersection in the two artists’ work is the absorption with narrative and the shift between the documentary and the fictional. They also share an interest in women’s soccer, Apelmo from a sociological perspective and Lindberg as the parent of a girl who is a serious player of the game.
Marked, unmarked
Landskrona Konsthall was designed in 1963 by architects Sten Samuelsson and Fritz Jaenecke. The austere architecture in concrete and glass is considered one of the best examples of Swedish modernism. The park is present everywhere in the museum: around the building, inside in the atrium and in between, captured in the reflections in the glass. The park is part of the public urban space, but for whom is it public and at what hours of the day? The resonant base of the work is men’s violence against women, in both private and public settings. Cultural geographer Birgitta Andersson describes the violence as a continuum from verbal insult to rape, where the less serious offenses serve to remind the woman of the threat of rape. In response to the threat of victimization, women calculate their risks to avoid violence, which in turn leads to spatial limitations. The risk assessment is often such an obvious part of womanhood that it is not verbalized. But the artists are not intereste d in reproducing the stereotypical picture of the frightened and defenseless woman. Where power is exercised, there is always potential for resistance and the focus of the exhibition is this power/counter power.
Sociologist Pierre Bourdieu believes that the female existence is constituted through male superordination as a perceived object, an object for others to look at. The negative collective expectations of women’s physical ability tends to become part of the body, expressed as permanent states of affairs. Bourdieu discusses sports as a means of changing these states. Intensive practice of sports “leads to a profound transformation of the subjective and objective experience of the body. [...] It [the body] is no longer merely a thing that is made to be looked at or which one has to look at in order to prepare it to be looked at. Instead of being a body for others it becomes a body for oneself; the passive body becomes an active and acting body” writes Bourdieu. Through the practice of sports, the passive and objectified woman becomes an active, and de facto stronger, subject. Sports may also function as one form of resistance against traditional femininity, wherein the risk of be ing the victim of male violence seems to be an accepted ingredient.
Karate is a concrete form of resistance, a martial art of self-defense. Can soccer be used as a more complex picture of resistance? Even though it is the most popular sport among women in Sweden, women soccer players are paradoxically enough considered unfeminine, mannish, or lesbian. The strength, speed, fearlessness and aggression it takes to be a good soccer player do not coincide with either traditional femininity or the image of woman as victim.
A group of women karateka, two women’s soccer teams, a male choir and two young musicians from Landskrona are involved in the exhibition. Shadow pictures of the women athletes in training are projected on the museum’s glass façade. The singers in the male choir are dressed in sports jerseys. They represent the male coaches, fathers, or boyfriends standing alongside the field.
1-12-13 Wyndham Street Races
TOP SPEED REVIEW:
Not long ago, the Japanese motorcycles were considered the uncontested leaders of sport motorcycles and nobody had the guts to challenge them. However, this situation has changed after BMW entered the battle. Its first super sport bike, the S 1000RR was not only a completely newcomer, but it was also so strong and technological advanced that it made any other bike look like defenseless scooter.
THE ABS
The Kawasaki Ninja® ZX™-10R ABS superbike combines anti-lock braking with the numerous technological benefits of the class leading ZX-10R. And it does it with rider-sensitive, race-bred attributes derived from competing and winning at the highest levels.
Kawasaki has developed a new electronic steering damper for the 2013 ZX-10R ABS sportbike, in joint cooperation with Öhlins. Controlled by a dedicated ECU located under the gas tank cover, this new damper reacts to the rate of acceleration or deceleration, as well as rear wheel speed, to help provide the ideal level of damping force across a wide range of riding scenarios. The variable damping provides optimum rider feedback by enabling the use of lower damping forces during normal operation, without sacrificing the firm damping needed for high-speed stability. The result is a light and nimble steering feel at low speed, as well as superior damping at higher speeds or during extreme acceleration/deceleration. The anodized damper unit incorporates Öhlins’ patented twin-tube design to help ensure stable damping performance and superior kickback absorption. It is mounted horizontally at the front of the fuel tank and requires very few additional components and ads almost no weight compared to last year’s steering damper.
At first, anti-lock braking might seem a touch out of place on a purebred sportbike. But this system was designed from the start to maximize performance. And when you consider the many benefits provided by the amazing electronic and hardware technology available today, it begins to make a lot of sense.
Think of it: You’re braking for a blind, decreasing-radius corner after a long day of sport riding. Shadows are long and you’re tired, so you don’t notice a patch of sand until it’s too late to correct. But instead of tucking as you continue braking through the sand, your front tire maintains most of its traction, as the anti-lock braking system intervenes until the surface improves – allowing you to arc gracefully into the corner, a little wiser and a lot more intact physically than you might have been riding a non-ABS motorcycle.
Kawasaki calls its anti-lock system KIBS – or Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System. The use of “intelligent” is apropos, too, considering just how smart the KIBS is. It all starts with the smallest and lightest ABS unit ever built for a motorcycle, one designed by Bosch specifically with sport bikes in mind. It’s nearly 50 percent smaller than current motorcycle ABS units, and 800 grams lighter, adding only about 7 pounds of weight compared to the non-ABS machine, a pound of which is accounted for by the larger battery.
KIBS is a multi-sensing system, one that collects and monitors a wide range of information taken from wheel sensors (the same ones collecting data on the standard ZX-10R for its S-KTRC traction control system) and the bike’s ECU, including wheel speed, caliper pressure, engine rpm, throttle position, clutch actuation and gear position. The KIBS’s ECU actually communicates with the bike’s engine ECU and crunches the numbers, and when it notes a potential lock-up situation, it tells the Bosch ABS unit to temporarily reduce line pressure, allowing the wheel to once again regain traction.
Aside from this system’s ultra-fast response time, it offers a number of additional sport-riding benefits, including rear-end lift suppression during hard braking, minimal kickback during ABS intervention, and increased rear brake control during downshifts. The high-precision pressure control enables the system to maintain high brake performance, proper lever feel and help ensure the ABS pulses are minimized.
Needless to say that the Japanese manufacturers were highly intrigued and the first samurai who challenged the Germans to a duel was Kawasaki.
Kawasaki’s anti S 1000RR weapon is the Ninja ZX - 10R. Packing a lot of advanced features and modern technologies, the bike is fast enough to compete with success against the German oppressor.
Despite the fact that nothing changed for the 2013 model year, except for some color schemes, the Ninja continues to be ahead of the pack when it comes to sporty performances.
Build on a nimble, lightweight chassis, The Kawasaki Ninja ZX - 10R ABS is “blessed” with a powerful 998cc inline four engine which cranks out 197 hp at 11500 rpm.
Among the most important features offered by the Ninja ZX - 10R, you’ll find the advanced Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC) and an intelligent ABS system which comes as an option ($1000).
ENGINE & PERFORMANCE:
The rest of the 2013 Ninja ZX-10R ABS is equally advanced. Complete with a powerful engine and lightweight chassis, it also boasts a highly advanced and customizable electronic system that allows riders to harness and experience the ZX-10R ABS’s amazing blend of power and razor-edge handling. The system is called Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control.
Motorcyclists have forever been challenged by traction-related issues, whether on dirt, street or track. And when talking about the absolute leading edge of open-class sport bike technology, where production street bikes are actually more capable than full-on race bikes from just a couple years ago, more consistent traction and enhanced confidence is a major plus.
The racing-derived S-KTRC system works by crunching numbers from a variety of parameters and sensors – wheel speed and slip, engine rpm, throttle position, acceleration, etc. There’s more data gathering and analysis going on here than on any other Kawasaki in history, and it’s all in the name of helping racers inch closer to the elusive “edge” of maximum traction than ever before. The S-KTRC system relies on complex software buried in the ZX-10R’s Electronic Control Unit (ECU); the only additional hardware is the lightweight speed sensors located on each wheel.
Unlike the KTRC system on Kawasaki’s Concours™ 14 ABS sport tourer, which primarily minimizes wheel slip on slick or broken surfaces as a safety feature, the S-KTRC system is designed to maximize performance by using complex analysis to predict when traction conditions are about to become unfavorable. By quickly but subtly reducing power just before the amount of slippage exceeds the optimal traction zone, the system – which processes every data point 200 times per second – maintains the optimum level of tire grip to maximize forward motion. The result is significantly better lap times and enhanced rider confidence – exactly what one needs when piloting a machine of this caliber.
The S-KTRC system offers three different modes of operation, which riders can select according to surface conditions, rider preference and skill level: Level 1 for max-grip track use, Level 2 for intermediate use, and Level 3 for slippery conditions. An LCD graph in the high-tech instrument cluster displays how much electronic intervention is occurring in real time and a thumb switch on the left handlebar pod allows simple, on-the-go mode changes.
The potent ZX-10R engine is a 16-valve, DOHC, liquid-cooled inline-four displacing 998cc via 76 x 55mm bore and stroke dimensions. This powerplant is tuned to optimize power delivery, center of gravity and actual engine placement within the chassis. Torque peaks at an rpm range that helps eliminate power peaks and valleys that make it difficult for racers and track-day riders to open the throttle with confidence.
A primary goal of Kawasaki engineers was linear power delivery and engine manageability throughout all elements of a corner: the entry, getting back to neutral throttle at mid-corner, and heady, controllable acceleration at the exit. Peak torque was moved to a higher rpm range, which eliminates the power peaks and valleys that make it difficult for racers and track-day riders to open the throttle with confidence.
Large intake valves complemented by wide, polished intake ports allow for controllable power delivery and engine braking, just the thing to smooth those racetrack corner entries and exits. Camshafts built from chromoly steel further contribute to optimized engine braking and more controllable power delivery. Lightweight pistons mount to light and strong connecting rods. Compression is a full 13.0:1.
A race-style cassette transmission allows simple trackside ratio changes. An adjustable back-torque limiting clutch assembly is fitted, which allows worry-free downshifts and corner-entry calmness.
Cramming all that fuel and air into this amazing engine is a ram air-assisted fuel injection system featuring large throttle bodies (47mm) and sub-throttle valves, a large capacity airbox (9 liters), secondary injectors that improve top-end power characteristics, and a large ram-air intake that’s positioned close to the front of the bike for efficient airbox filling and power.
The final piece of the ZX-10R’s power-production formula is a race-spec exhaust system featuring a titanium header assembly, hydroformed collectors, a large-volume pre-chamber containing two catalyzers and a highly compact silencer. Due to the header’s race-spec design, riders and racers looking for more closed-course performance need only replace the slip-on muffler assembly.
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION:
With the engine producing a massive quantity of usable and controllable power, engineers looked to the chassis to help refine handling and overall road/track competency. The aluminum twin-spar frame is an all-cast assemblage of just seven pieces that features optimized flex characteristics for ideal rider feedback, cornering performance and light weight. Like the frame, the alloy swingarm is an all-cast assembly, with rigidity matching that of the frame itself.
Chassis geometry offers excellent stability and handling quickness. The front end geometry – with rake at 25 degrees and trail at 107mm (4.21 in.) – allows light, quick handling and complements the engine’s controllable power and the frame and swingarm’s flex characteristics.
Highly advanced suspension at both ends helps as well. Up front is a 43mm open-class version of the Big Piston Fork (BPF). Featuring a piston design nearly twice the size of a conventional cartridge fork, the BPF offers smooth action, less stiction, light weight and enhanced damping performance on the compression and rebound circuits. This compliance results in more control and feedback for the rider – just what you need when carving through a rippled sweeper at your local track or negotiating a decreasing-radius corner on your favorite backroad.
Suspension duties on the ZX-10R are handled by a Horizontal Back-Link design that positions the shock and linkage above the swingarm. Benefits include mass centralization, good road holding, compliance and stability, smooth action in the mid-stroke and good overall feedback. The fully adjustable shock features a piggyback reservoir and dual-range (low- and high-speed) compression damping.
Lightweight gravity-cast three-spoke wheels complement the tire fitment. Up front, Tokico radial-mount calipers grasp 310mm petal discs and a 220mm disc is squeezed by a lightweight single-piston caliper in back. The result is powerful stops with plenty of rider feedback and the added confidence of the KIBS ABS system.
DESIGN & ERGONOMICS:
Finally, Kawasaki engineers wrapped all this technology in bodywork as advanced and stylish as anything on this side of a MotoGP grid. The curvy edges and contrasting colored and black parts create a sharp, aggressive image. Line-beam headlights grace the fairing while LED turn signals are integrated into the mirror assemblies. Convenient turn-signal couplers allow easy mirror removal for track-day use. The rear fender assembly holding the rear signal stalks and license plate frame is also easily removable for track days. High-visibility LED lamps are also used for the taillight and position marker.
The instrumentation is highlighted by an LED-backlit bar-graph tachometer set above a multi-featured LCD info screen with numerous sections and data panels. A wide range of information is presented, including vehicle speed, odometer, dual trip meters, fuel consumption, Power Mode and S-KTRC level, low fuel, water temperature and much more. For track use, the LCD display can be set to “race” mode which moves the gear display to the center of the screen.
The ZX-10R’s ergonomics are designed for optimum comfort and control. A 32-inch saddle, adjustable footpegs and clip-ons mean that this is a hard-core sport bike you can actually take on an extended sport ride – and still be reasonably comfortable doing so.
The old saying, “power is nothing without control” is certainly apt where open-class sport bikes are concerned. But when you factor in all the engine, chassis and ergonomic control designed into the 2013 Ninja ZX-10R, you begin to realize you’re looking at one very special motorcycle – one that can take you places you’ve never been before.
Genuine Kawasaki Accessories are available through authorized Kawasaki dealers.
SPECS:
Engine Four-Stroke, Liquid-Cooled, DOHC, Four Valves Per Cylinder, Inline-Four
Displacement 998cc
Bore X Stroke 76.0 X 55.0 mm
Compression Ratio13.0:1
Fuel System DFI® With Four 47mm Keihin Throttle Bodies With Oval Sub-Throttles, Two Injectors Per Cylinder
Ignition TCBI With Digital Advance And Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC)
Transmission Six-Speed
Final Drive Chain
Rake/Trail 25 Deg / 4.2 In.
Front Tire Size 120/70 ZR17
Rear Tire Size 190/55 ZR17
Wheelbase 56.1 In.
Front Suspension / Wheel Travel 43 mm Inverted Big Piston Fork (BPF), Adjustable Rebound And Compression Damping, Spring Preload Adjustability/ 4.7 in.
Rear Suspension / Wheel Travel
Horizontal Back-Link With Gas-Charged Shock, Stepless, Dual-Range (Low-/High-Speed) Compression Damping, Stepless Rebound Damping, Fully Adjustable Spring Preload / 5.5 In.
Front Brakes Kawasaki Intelligent Anti-Lock Braking (KIBS), Dual Semi-Floating 310 mm Petal Discs With Dual Four-Piston Radial-Mount Calipers
Rear Brakes KIBS-Controlled, Single 220 mm Petal Disc With Aluminum Single-Piston Caliper
Fuel Capacity 4.5 Gal.
Seat Height 32.0 In.
Curb Weight 443.2 Lbs.
Overall Length 81.7 In.
Overall Width 28.1 In.
Overall Height 43.9 In.
Color Choices - Lime Green/Metallic Spark Black, Pearl Flat White/Metallic Spark Black
Source: www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/kawasaki/...
1-12-13 Wyndham Street Races
TOP SPEED REVIEW:
Not long ago, the Japanese motorcycles were considered the uncontested leaders of sport motorcycles and nobody had the guts to challenge them. However, this situation has changed after BMW entered the battle. Its first super sport bike, the S 1000RR was not only a completely newcomer, but it was also so strong and technological advanced that it made any other bike look like defenseless scooter.
THE ABS
The Kawasaki Ninja® ZX™-10R ABS superbike combines anti-lock braking with the numerous technological benefits of the class leading ZX-10R. And it does it with rider-sensitive, race-bred attributes derived from competing and winning at the highest levels.
Kawasaki has developed a new electronic steering damper for the 2013 ZX-10R ABS sportbike, in joint cooperation with Öhlins. Controlled by a dedicated ECU located under the gas tank cover, this new damper reacts to the rate of acceleration or deceleration, as well as rear wheel speed, to help provide the ideal level of damping force across a wide range of riding scenarios. The variable damping provides optimum rider feedback by enabling the use of lower damping forces during normal operation, without sacrificing the firm damping needed for high-speed stability. The result is a light and nimble steering feel at low speed, as well as superior damping at higher speeds or during extreme acceleration/deceleration. The anodized damper unit incorporates Öhlins’ patented twin-tube design to help ensure stable damping performance and superior kickback absorption. It is mounted horizontally at the front of the fuel tank and requires very few additional components and ads almost no weight compared to last year’s steering damper.
At first, anti-lock braking might seem a touch out of place on a purebred sportbike. But this system was designed from the start to maximize performance. And when you consider the many benefits provided by the amazing electronic and hardware technology available today, it begins to make a lot of sense.
Think of it: You’re braking for a blind, decreasing-radius corner after a long day of sport riding. Shadows are long and you’re tired, so you don’t notice a patch of sand until it’s too late to correct. But instead of tucking as you continue braking through the sand, your front tire maintains most of its traction, as the anti-lock braking system intervenes until the surface improves – allowing you to arc gracefully into the corner, a little wiser and a lot more intact physically than you might have been riding a non-ABS motorcycle.
Kawasaki calls its anti-lock system KIBS – or Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System. The use of “intelligent” is apropos, too, considering just how smart the KIBS is. It all starts with the smallest and lightest ABS unit ever built for a motorcycle, one designed by Bosch specifically with sport bikes in mind. It’s nearly 50 percent smaller than current motorcycle ABS units, and 800 grams lighter, adding only about 7 pounds of weight compared to the non-ABS machine, a pound of which is accounted for by the larger battery.
KIBS is a multi-sensing system, one that collects and monitors a wide range of information taken from wheel sensors (the same ones collecting data on the standard ZX-10R for its S-KTRC traction control system) and the bike’s ECU, including wheel speed, caliper pressure, engine rpm, throttle position, clutch actuation and gear position. The KIBS’s ECU actually communicates with the bike’s engine ECU and crunches the numbers, and when it notes a potential lock-up situation, it tells the Bosch ABS unit to temporarily reduce line pressure, allowing the wheel to once again regain traction.
Aside from this system’s ultra-fast response time, it offers a number of additional sport-riding benefits, including rear-end lift suppression during hard braking, minimal kickback during ABS intervention, and increased rear brake control during downshifts. The high-precision pressure control enables the system to maintain high brake performance, proper lever feel and help ensure the ABS pulses are minimized.
Needless to say that the Japanese manufacturers were highly intrigued and the first samurai who challenged the Germans to a duel was Kawasaki.
Kawasaki’s anti S 1000RR weapon is the Ninja ZX - 10R. Packing a lot of advanced features and modern technologies, the bike is fast enough to compete with success against the German oppressor.
Despite the fact that nothing changed for the 2013 model year, except for some color schemes, the Ninja continues to be ahead of the pack when it comes to sporty performances.
Build on a nimble, lightweight chassis, The Kawasaki Ninja ZX - 10R ABS is “blessed” with a powerful 998cc inline four engine which cranks out 197 hp at 11500 rpm.
Among the most important features offered by the Ninja ZX - 10R, you’ll find the advanced Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC) and an intelligent ABS system which comes as an option ($1000).
ENGINE & PERFORMANCE:
The rest of the 2013 Ninja ZX-10R ABS is equally advanced. Complete with a powerful engine and lightweight chassis, it also boasts a highly advanced and customizable electronic system that allows riders to harness and experience the ZX-10R ABS’s amazing blend of power and razor-edge handling. The system is called Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control.
Motorcyclists have forever been challenged by traction-related issues, whether on dirt, street or track. And when talking about the absolute leading edge of open-class sport bike technology, where production street bikes are actually more capable than full-on race bikes from just a couple years ago, more consistent traction and enhanced confidence is a major plus.
The racing-derived S-KTRC system works by crunching numbers from a variety of parameters and sensors – wheel speed and slip, engine rpm, throttle position, acceleration, etc. There’s more data gathering and analysis going on here than on any other Kawasaki in history, and it’s all in the name of helping racers inch closer to the elusive “edge” of maximum traction than ever before. The S-KTRC system relies on complex software buried in the ZX-10R’s Electronic Control Unit (ECU); the only additional hardware is the lightweight speed sensors located on each wheel.
Unlike the KTRC system on Kawasaki’s Concours™ 14 ABS sport tourer, which primarily minimizes wheel slip on slick or broken surfaces as a safety feature, the S-KTRC system is designed to maximize performance by using complex analysis to predict when traction conditions are about to become unfavorable. By quickly but subtly reducing power just before the amount of slippage exceeds the optimal traction zone, the system – which processes every data point 200 times per second – maintains the optimum level of tire grip to maximize forward motion. The result is significantly better lap times and enhanced rider confidence – exactly what one needs when piloting a machine of this caliber.
The S-KTRC system offers three different modes of operation, which riders can select according to surface conditions, rider preference and skill level: Level 1 for max-grip track use, Level 2 for intermediate use, and Level 3 for slippery conditions. An LCD graph in the high-tech instrument cluster displays how much electronic intervention is occurring in real time and a thumb switch on the left handlebar pod allows simple, on-the-go mode changes.
The potent ZX-10R engine is a 16-valve, DOHC, liquid-cooled inline-four displacing 998cc via 76 x 55mm bore and stroke dimensions. This powerplant is tuned to optimize power delivery, center of gravity and actual engine placement within the chassis. Torque peaks at an rpm range that helps eliminate power peaks and valleys that make it difficult for racers and track-day riders to open the throttle with confidence.
A primary goal of Kawasaki engineers was linear power delivery and engine manageability throughout all elements of a corner: the entry, getting back to neutral throttle at mid-corner, and heady, controllable acceleration at the exit. Peak torque was moved to a higher rpm range, which eliminates the power peaks and valleys that make it difficult for racers and track-day riders to open the throttle with confidence.
Large intake valves complemented by wide, polished intake ports allow for controllable power delivery and engine braking, just the thing to smooth those racetrack corner entries and exits. Camshafts built from chromoly steel further contribute to optimized engine braking and more controllable power delivery. Lightweight pistons mount to light and strong connecting rods. Compression is a full 13.0:1.
A race-style cassette transmission allows simple trackside ratio changes. An adjustable back-torque limiting clutch assembly is fitted, which allows worry-free downshifts and corner-entry calmness.
Cramming all that fuel and air into this amazing engine is a ram air-assisted fuel injection system featuring large throttle bodies (47mm) and sub-throttle valves, a large capacity airbox (9 liters), secondary injectors that improve top-end power characteristics, and a large ram-air intake that’s positioned close to the front of the bike for efficient airbox filling and power.
The final piece of the ZX-10R’s power-production formula is a race-spec exhaust system featuring a titanium header assembly, hydroformed collectors, a large-volume pre-chamber containing two catalyzers and a highly compact silencer. Due to the header’s race-spec design, riders and racers looking for more closed-course performance need only replace the slip-on muffler assembly.
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION:
With the engine producing a massive quantity of usable and controllable power, engineers looked to the chassis to help refine handling and overall road/track competency. The aluminum twin-spar frame is an all-cast assemblage of just seven pieces that features optimized flex characteristics for ideal rider feedback, cornering performance and light weight. Like the frame, the alloy swingarm is an all-cast assembly, with rigidity matching that of the frame itself.
Chassis geometry offers excellent stability and handling quickness. The front end geometry – with rake at 25 degrees and trail at 107mm (4.21 in.) – allows light, quick handling and complements the engine’s controllable power and the frame and swingarm’s flex characteristics.
Highly advanced suspension at both ends helps as well. Up front is a 43mm open-class version of the Big Piston Fork (BPF). Featuring a piston design nearly twice the size of a conventional cartridge fork, the BPF offers smooth action, less stiction, light weight and enhanced damping performance on the compression and rebound circuits. This compliance results in more control and feedback for the rider – just what you need when carving through a rippled sweeper at your local track or negotiating a decreasing-radius corner on your favorite backroad.
Suspension duties on the ZX-10R are handled by a Horizontal Back-Link design that positions the shock and linkage above the swingarm. Benefits include mass centralization, good road holding, compliance and stability, smooth action in the mid-stroke and good overall feedback. The fully adjustable shock features a piggyback reservoir and dual-range (low- and high-speed) compression damping.
Lightweight gravity-cast three-spoke wheels complement the tire fitment. Up front, Tokico radial-mount calipers grasp 310mm petal discs and a 220mm disc is squeezed by a lightweight single-piston caliper in back. The result is powerful stops with plenty of rider feedback and the added confidence of the KIBS ABS system.
DESIGN & ERGONOMICS:
Finally, Kawasaki engineers wrapped all this technology in bodywork as advanced and stylish as anything on this side of a MotoGP grid. The curvy edges and contrasting colored and black parts create a sharp, aggressive image. Line-beam headlights grace the fairing while LED turn signals are integrated into the mirror assemblies. Convenient turn-signal couplers allow easy mirror removal for track-day use. The rear fender assembly holding the rear signal stalks and license plate frame is also easily removable for track days. High-visibility LED lamps are also used for the taillight and position marker.
The instrumentation is highlighted by an LED-backlit bar-graph tachometer set above a multi-featured LCD info screen with numerous sections and data panels. A wide range of information is presented, including vehicle speed, odometer, dual trip meters, fuel consumption, Power Mode and S-KTRC level, low fuel, water temperature and much more. For track use, the LCD display can be set to “race” mode which moves the gear display to the center of the screen.
The ZX-10R’s ergonomics are designed for optimum comfort and control. A 32-inch saddle, adjustable footpegs and clip-ons mean that this is a hard-core sport bike you can actually take on an extended sport ride – and still be reasonably comfortable doing so.
The old saying, “power is nothing without control” is certainly apt where open-class sport bikes are concerned. But when you factor in all the engine, chassis and ergonomic control designed into the 2013 Ninja ZX-10R, you begin to realize you’re looking at one very special motorcycle – one that can take you places you’ve never been before.
Genuine Kawasaki Accessories are available through authorized Kawasaki dealers.
SPECS:
Engine Four-Stroke, Liquid-Cooled, DOHC, Four Valves Per Cylinder, Inline-Four
Displacement 998cc
Bore X Stroke 76.0 X 55.0 mm
Compression Ratio13.0:1
Fuel System DFI® With Four 47mm Keihin Throttle Bodies With Oval Sub-Throttles, Two Injectors Per Cylinder
Ignition TCBI With Digital Advance And Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC)
Transmission Six-Speed
Final Drive Chain
Rake/Trail 25 Deg / 4.2 In.
Front Tire Size 120/70 ZR17
Rear Tire Size 190/55 ZR17
Wheelbase 56.1 In.
Front Suspension / Wheel Travel 43 mm Inverted Big Piston Fork (BPF), Adjustable Rebound And Compression Damping, Spring Preload Adjustability/ 4.7 in.
Rear Suspension / Wheel Travel
Horizontal Back-Link With Gas-Charged Shock, Stepless, Dual-Range (Low-/High-Speed) Compression Damping, Stepless Rebound Damping, Fully Adjustable Spring Preload / 5.5 In.
Front Brakes Kawasaki Intelligent Anti-Lock Braking (KIBS), Dual Semi-Floating 310 mm Petal Discs With Dual Four-Piston Radial-Mount Calipers
Rear Brakes KIBS-Controlled, Single 220 mm Petal Disc With Aluminum Single-Piston Caliper
Fuel Capacity 4.5 Gal.
Seat Height 32.0 In.
Curb Weight 443.2 Lbs.
Overall Length 81.7 In.
Overall Width 28.1 In.
Overall Height 43.9 In.
Color Choices - Lime Green/Metallic Spark Black, Pearl Flat White/Metallic Spark Black
Source: www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/kawasaki/...
As its name indicates, the transition metal chromium contributes colour to our world. The purple/red of ruby and the vivid green of emerald both arise from traces of chromium within their crystal structure. Chromium oxide is a green pigment familiar to artists and chrome yellow was originally used for painting US school buses and German postal vans.
A property that is important for gemstone colouration is that the Cr^3+ ion and the Al^3+ ion have similar physical sizes and this means that chromium can occasionallly replace the aluminium in a crystal structure such as corundum (Al_2 O_3) at around the one percent level, resulting in ruby. The three outer electons remaining in the Cr^3+ ion are free to interact with visible light in a number of ways that each contribute to the colour of the crystal (the electrons are 'unpaired').
The role that these electrons play in the absorption and emission of light depends on the strength and symmetry of the electric field around the ion produced by the neighbouring atoms in the crystal: oxygen in the case of ruby. In crystals with different compositions such as the examples in this figure, the electric field - or 'ligand field' as it is known - is different. This moves the absorption bands to different wavelengths and produces different colours such as the rich green of emerald and the pink-red of spinel.
Some of the light energy that is absorbed by these crystals is converted directly to heat, but some fraction remains to be re-emitted as light in the far-red part of the spectrum. This luminescence - the conversion of shorter wavelength (bluer) light to red light - can produce rather pure colours (called narrow lines by spectroscopists), notably those in ruby that were utilised by T H Maiman in 1960 to produce the first laser. The symmetry and strength of the ligand field in the different gemstones affects the number and positions of these luminescence lines to produce the variations shown in the figure. Some of the stones shown here are synthetic but they display the same types of luminescence as the natural crystals. The luminescence patterns can be used with high confidence to identify the gemstone.
These observations were made by exciting the crystals with a 20mW 404nm blue diode laser, covering the spectrometer input with a yellow filter to exclude the scattered blue exciting light.
The narrow emission line in emerald at 683nm in these two examples is rather weak. I have another natural emerald - a small cut stone - where the line is relatively stronger by a factor of about 10.
Note from 11 May 2017: I realise now that the small triangular yellow stone referred to here as a topaz is actually a chrysoberyl ( Be Al2 O4). This has been confirmed with a measurement of the refractive indices as 1.73, 1.74.