Introduction to Echuca and its history. Population Echuca-Moama 20,500. When captains Cadell of Goolwa and Randell of Gumeracha had a South Australian government sponsored race to reach the Darling River and prove the River Murray was navigable in 1853 they probably did not foresee the huge development of the river boat trade. The River Murray was to be a transportation conduit to the outback and inland areas like the Mississippi River in America. Paddle steamer river boats with shallow drafts were first used in the 1820s along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. They were adapted from rear wheel vessels to side wheel vessels in Australia. A few centres grew into major river ports- Morgan, Milang, Wentworth and Echuca. But Echuca outstripped them all as it was developed shortly after the Victorian gold rushes and it was the closest point on the River Murray to booming Melbourne. Some say Echuca was built upon the entrepreneurship of one man Henry Hopwood who arrived in the area in 1849. He was an ex-convict with big ideas. He began a ferry service across the Murray and later built a pontoon bridge. A government surveyor laid out a town in 1854 which he named Echuca from a local Aboriginal word meaning “meeting of the waters” as Echuca is at the confluence of the Campaspe and Murray rivers and the mighty Goulburn River also enters the Murray just a short distance away. In 1824 the explorer Hamilton Hume named the Murray the Hume River after his father. But in 1830 Charles Sturt after leaving the Murrumbidgee thought he had discovered a new river and he named it the Murray River after his friend in the British Colonial Office, Sir George Murray, Secretary of the Colonies. The Goulburn River was named in 1835/36 by Major Thomas Mitchell on his explorations. He named it after the Frederick Goulburn who was then Colonial Secretary of NSW and he also named the Campaspe River which rises near Mt Macedon. He was obviously thinking of his classical education when he named the Campaspe. Alexander the Great (356 BC to 323BC) of Greece had a famous artist paint one of his concubines and when the artist fell in love with the beautiful Campaspe, Alexander the Great “gave” Campaspe to the artist. Campaspe in the nude or only partially clothed was a popular painting subject in the early 1800s in Britain. Mitchell named Mount Macedon after an ancient Greek King Phillip II of Macedon (359 BC to 336 BC). Because three major rivers meet in the locality of Echuca lakes large flood plains with billabongs abound. One water channel from this area flows north to the Murrumbidgee River and is known as the Edward River. These flood plains along the Murray are now mainly national parks and reserves called the Barmah Lakes and Forests with the first area being declared as such in 1908. Early pastoralists were attracted to this country and many of the River Red gums were felled by woodsmen for railway sleepers across Victoria and NSW. The cycle of flood and drought favoured the River Red gums. The major floods of the River Murray were in 1867, 1870 – the biggest highest flood of the white era – 1916, 1931, 1956 and 1975.

The town grew quickly and in 1858 Henry Hopwood built the Bridge Hotel which he claimed was the best outside of Melbourne. The locals referred to him as King Hopwood although he was transported to Van Diemans Land as a convict charged with theft in 1834. He reached this Victorian part of NSW in 1850. At that time he established the first River Murray ferry service followed by a pontoon bridge in 1857. The ferry fees he charged with his monopoly soon made him a rich man. Because of the commercially strategic location the railway reached Echuca from the gold mining centre of Bendigo in 1864 so that Victoria could capture the Riverina trade through Moama on the NSW side of the Murray. Everything favoured Echuca’s development. Until Federation in 1901 all the independent colonies levied port duties on goods coming into or out of their colonies and Echuca was an important customs town. By the 1870s when more than two hundred paddle steamers regularly traversed the rivers here Echuca expanded with a multi-tiered wooden wharf so that steamers could dock regardless of the river level. The first small wharf was built in 1865 with extensions in the 1870s and this wharf eventually reached over one kilometre long when extended in 1884! As business boomed the town grew with 60 licensed hotels by 1876. The river trade not only transported wool from the pastoralists and supplies but it required extensive supplies of wood for fuel for the steamers, labour, ropes and equipment etc. Echuca was the second port of Victoria after Port Melbourne for tonnage handled in the 1870s. It was the largest inland port in Australia and it vied with Morgan as the main port to handle wool bought down the Darling River by paddle steamer. There were also paddle steamer services from Echuca to Shepparton on the Goulburn River. But the town eventually declined as railways which began Echuca’s boom also ended the importance of the river boat trade in Victoria. The boom was over by 1890 but by then Echuca was an established town with substantial and impressive buildings. The river boat trade persisted into the 1930s but on a much reduced scale. The next boom for Echuca was after World War Two when surrounding land was irrigated for horticulture, viticulture and intensive agriculture.

Henry Hopwood’s Bridge Hotel still stands as does the original Town Hall built in 1868 and designed by architect W.C Vahland from Bendigo. Along the waterfront you can still see the Steam Packet Hotel, the Customs House, the Bond Store (where goods were stored by the government until the duties were paid) and a small part of the great wharf. The fine brick Customs House was built in 1884 with a thin strip of sandstone around the windows and across the brickwork. The Bond Store was also built in red brick with pilasters across the front and a pediment to hide the roof line. The “King of Echuca” Hopwood also built a fine house which he named Apsley House facing Connelly Street. Part of it still remains at the Catholic College. When he died in 1869 the “King of Echuca” was buried in the town cemetery and he was remembered by a memorial pew in the Anglican Church. He became a wealthy man because he negotiated a monopoly of the ferry service across the river with the Victorian government. His contract included his heirs also retaining the monopoly. They eventually sold out to the Victorian government but the days of ferry services ended anyway with the construction of the mighty iron bridge across the Murray. A bridge between two colonies required both to agree and the conflict that the bridge engendered was really a part of the Australian federation story. Both colonies agree in 1864 to pay part of the bridge cost but disagreement emerged over tariffs and import/export duties. The agreement was reactivated after the great Murray floods of 1867 and 1870. Work finally started on the iron bridge in 1875. Heavy iron posts from England were carted by rail from Port Melbourne as there were no NSW railways near the river at that time. In April 1877 a disaster occurred when a crane crashed and collapsed iron and stone pillars. Six men were killed. The bridge opened in December 1878 but it only caused mayhem. NSW had not inspected and signed off on the bridge and travellers were charged a fee for using the “free” bridge. Angry mobs assembled near the bridge and protested several times and the Victorian government considered prosecuting rioters. Finally the bridge opened in April 1879 with no official opening ceremony by either government! Once the bridge was open competition between Moama in NSW and Victorian Echuca intensified. The railway from Deniliquin reached Moama in 1876 adding to the inter-colonial trade rivalry. Echuca reached a population of 5,000 by 1878.

Support for Australian federation came especially from the Riverina/Murray districts like Echuca as they were the most effected by trade tariffs between Victoria and NSW. The Riverina was settled as the main NSW grain producing region in the late 19th century but it was much closer to Melbourne than Sydney. Grain was carted across the border at Echuca. NSW was a free trade colony but Victoria was a protectionist colony. Thus towns developed each side of the river at crossing points – Wodonga and Albury; Wahgunyah and Corowa; Echuca and Moama. The railways were pushed up much sooner from Melbourne than from Sydney and grain was transported by rail from Echuca by the mid-1870s. NSW railway lines only reached Riverina towns in the 1890s and even later. So the Echuca district was directly interested in the benefits of federation especially the abolition of tariffs and customs but the other great issue was the control of the Murray River and its waters. In NSW Sir Henry Parkes pushed for federation and the other colonies waited to see if NSW would push ahead with the idea as their approval was always going to be crucial. Parkes began the push for federation in speeches in 1881 and again more seriously in 1889. The first national constitution convention was held in 1891 in Sydney. In the next couple of years the localised Australian Natives Association formed many more branches and became a national movement. Along the River Murray the Border Federation League was formed in Corowa and soon spread to Echuca/Moama and other regional towns. It was at a meeting of the Border Federation League in 1893 that Dr John Quick of Bendigo moved a motion to provide a process to achieve federation. This was something the arguing statesmen and politicians could not achieve. He moved that colonial parliaments should pass enabling legislation to send delegates to a national convention to adopt a constitution. From this point on the federation movement gained great impetus especially with support from the Riverina and river towns like Echuca. The movement culminated in the inauguration of the Commonwealth on January 1st 1901.

Apart from the River Murray providing a smooth navigable surface for transportation the river flats near Echuca led to the development of the major industry of the town- timber milling. River red gum timer was railed from Echuca all over Victoria for its railways. River red gum railway sleepers were transported down the Murray from Echuca to Morgan to build the Kapunda to Morgan railway in 1878. By 1869 one of several the timber mills in Echuca covered six acres. Logs were taken from the Barham forests and the Goulburn River valley and transported downstream to Echuca. But the Murray provided more for the town. The supply of timber made Echuca one of the major paddle steamer building sites along the Murray. Red gums provided wood for the boats and wood for their boilers. A slipway was soon erected in Echuca and the first steamer rolled into the river in 1864 but one earlier boat, without the assistance of a slipway, was constructed in 1858. Echuca had constructed 48 paddle steamers and 54 barges by 1895. Eighteen of the 48 paddle steamers were built between 1874 and 1878. The boat building stopped in the 1920s. Several foundries in the town produced ship bells and other equipment. The river trade led to wool scouring or fellmongering, boiling down works and tanneries. All these hard manual workers required alcohol and Echuca had several major breweries in the 19th century. The growth of the town surrounded by farmers or selectors led to conflict between the big squatter ad sheep shearers and other labourers. This resulted in the famous burning of the paddle steamer PS Rodney in 1894. Australia suffered a major depression in 1890, banks collapsed as did the price for wool. When pastoralist’s tried to reduce shearer wages conflict and strikes emerged. Shearers unison were first formed in 1891. In Queensland this resulted in violent conflict between unionists and pastoralists and Banjo Paterson’s song Waltzing Mathilda covers this issue. The original lyrics were written in 1895 by Banjo Paterson and it was first published as sheet music in 1903. Paterson wrote the poem in 1894 while staying at the Dagworth Homestead (near Winton), where in September of that year some shearers went on strike before violence erupted.

Up came the jumbuck( sheep) to drink at the waterhole,Up came the squatter a-riding his thoroughbred;

Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him in glee; And he sang as he put him away in his tucker-bag,

'You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.' CHORUS'You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.' CHORUS

Up came policemen - one, two and three. Up sprang the swagman and jumped in the waterhole,

'Whose is the jumbuck you've got in the tucker bag? Drowning himself by the Coolibah tree;

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.' CHORUSAnd his voice can be heard as it sings in the billabongs,'Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?'

Near Echuca shearers went on strike in 1894 and camped along the river. One camp had 220 men in it by July 1894. They tried to block use of the bridge to Moama and the unloading of trains in Echuca with non-union shearers. In August 1894 trouble flared up. But it was near Pooncarie on the Darling River that a crew of boatmen from Echuca were moored on the banks of the Darling in the PS Rodney with non –union labour for an upstream station. The Rodney was built in Echuca in 1875. The non-unionists on board were thrown overboard and the crew allowed to leave and then the Rodney was set on fire. The news was not appreciated in the workers home town of Echuca. Only half a dozen of the arsonists were arrested, but then acquitted when tried by the Court in Broken Hill. Eventually one was convicted in a second trial in Sydney. By then the trouble had calmed down.

Some Echuca buildings to take note of starting at the entrance to the port of Echuca at Hopwood Place.

•The Bridge Hotel built by Henry Hopwood in 1858. Slate roof, round columns supporting the veranda and French doors which were so popular in the mid 1850s. Upper floor added circa 1875. Closed 1916 and became a residence then owned by the City of Echuca since 1970. Now a café.

•Across Hopwood Park is the Shire Hall/ Courthouse. Facade on Dickson St. Red brick and cement rendered quoins. Open ‘lacework” style balustrade along roof line. Triangular pediment above the door. It has simple Doric columns and porticos. Built in 1870. Architect W Vahland.

•The Star Hotel. Four sets of French windows in the upper floor. Built 1866-70 as offices for Permewan Wright who were carting agents. Sub leased to shipping agents etc. Now a hotel.

•William McCulloch and Co. Classical symmetry and arched doorway and windows and magnificent fan light above door. McCullochs early saw millers and later boat builders. Built in 1859 as a bond store for alcohol and tobacco. Kept by agents until bond tax paid. Used by McCullochs from 1889.

•589 High St. The Shamrock Hotel. One of the 86 colonial hotels in Echuca! Licensed 1870, as single storey hotel. Upper floor added around 1895 with classical small pediment and spire behind it. Note shamrocks in the wooden Edwardian veranda posts.

•The Echuca Hotel. Opened in 1858. The current building erected 1873. Symmetry, pilasters, classical rounded windows. Not a typical Australian pub building.

•In side street on left Leslie St. Former Customs House. Built in 1884 but earlier customs houses. Good brick work and slate roof. Part for the wharf river front buildings.

•Opposite the Customs House is the Steampacket Hotel. Claimed they were dedicated to the eradication of thirst! Built in 1864 as a single storey hotel. Rebuilt in the 1870s. Closed in 1900 and became a boarding house. Architect William Vahland. Return to High Street.

•645 High St. Bank of New South Wales. Erected 1877. Architects Reed & Barnes. Two level loggia with projecting ends and arcaded on lower level. A Greek classical revival style of bank.

•Colonial Bank of Australasia. Built in the classical style in the 1870s. Greek keystones above widows and ground floor doors. Lower windows rounded, upper window rectangular.

•Millewa Chambers. Built as a bond store in 1878. Beautifully restored and painted. Highly decorative with three classical urns on the central roof pediment. Arched symmetry and pilasters beside doors.

•On left is the combined Echuca Town Hall and Petty Sessions Courthouse. Built in 1869. Architects William Vahland and Robert Getzschmann of Bendigo. High St façade dominated by triangular pediment. Central section flanked by side wings. Used as a Courthouse until 1924. In 1954 became the town library only. Turn left here into Heygarth St before returning to High Street. The first section contains the Palace Hotel and the American Hotel. The first building opposite the old Courthouse is the former London Chartered Bank. Perfect symmetry with triangular pediment above central entrance. Architect Vahland. Built in 1882. Later an English Scottish & Australian Bank. Beside it is Dr Crosson’s Private Hospital and residence. Architect was William Vahland. Built 1875 with a cast iron balcony. Return to High St.

•Next is the modern Christ Church Anglican Church entrance but behind it is the original church built in 1865. It has a stained glass memorial window to Henry Hopwood. Architect William Vahland.

•Next left is Anstruther St. Turn left here. On the next corners another hotel built in 1895.On the opposite corner is a classical 19th century bank now the ANZ.

•In front is the Post Office with a three storey clock tower built in 1877. Government architects led by William Wardell designed this Italianate style Post office. An asymmetrical façade with a colonnaded loggia. Similar to Post Offices in Maryborough, Castlemaine, Warrnambool, Hamilton etc. Painted rendered brick. Turn right into Hare St.

•To the right on next corner is the former Presbyterian Church. St Andrews was built in 1901. Architect a local man E Castles. An impressive church with some unusual features – rose window, spire and black and white tiled sections in the gable and turreted tower. Worth the walk. Beyond the church is the Echuca state school no 208. Gothic in style with large windows for lighting. Gables facing street and arched entrance and tower. Built 1874. Some section rebuilt 1890 after a fire. Now return to the Post Office and continue along Hare St.

•Next is St Mary’s Catholic Church. Built in 1875 in red brick with freestone dressings. The tower is unusual with a spire which is almost too narrow, a brick balcony and turrets. Added in 1890.

• The five storey red brick flourmill is located at 2 Nish Street. Built in 1881 for Lawrence Kickham.

•The magnificent railway station one of the best in Victoria is at 104 Sturt St but there is a pedestrian overpass to give access from just beyond the flourmill in Nish Street. The huge locomotive shed was built when the railway opened in 1864. The station was built in 1865 in red brick with granite window sills and cornerstones. Welsh slate imported for the roof slates. The locomotive shed was partly used by the private railway company the Moama and Deniliquin railway which covered the 80 kms to Deniliquin.

•Corner Dickson and Connelly streets. Apsley House built around 1860 as the residence of Henry Hopwood. He died there in 1869. Sold to nuns of St Brigid in 1886 for a convent school.

Adaption

70 years old adapted manual lens Enna-Werks München (for Argus C3) Tele-Sandmar 100mm f4.5

Aeres University of Applied Sciences (Food, Nature & Urban Green) Almere

At the start of the 21/22 academic year, the new building of the green education and knowledge institution Aeres Hogeschool Almere was taken into use on one of the main roads to Floriade Expo 2022. A healthy, inspiring working and learning environment in an energy-neutral, climate-adaptive and circular building. The design reflects both the sustainable identity of the education of the faculty in Almere and the central theme of the upcoming world horticultural exhibition: 'Growing Green Cities'. 'Green' is therefore an important building block for the new building with different types of green walls, plants and trees, moves through the building like a landscape, from entrance to roof. The greenery stimulates the senses and, as part of the living lab, also has an educational value; students in Almere conduct research into urban food supplies and healthy living in the green city and into the way in which greenery in the school contributes to learning performance.

Aeres is the first school in the Netherlands to go for the Platinum WELL certificate. The abundant living greenery itself has many positive effects on the indoor climate. In addition, other relevant factors such as daylight, ventilation, thermal comfort, acoustics, movement and the use of non-toxic materials have also been optimized. Users can control their own lighting, climate and sun protection for each room. Building performance is continuously monitored and controlled by an intelligent building management system. The inspiring interior is also a translation of the educational vision and sustainability ambitions. The functional and varied mix of learning, working and consultation spaces facilitates activity-oriented education, research and project-based and individual work.

The new Aeres University of Applied Sciences is a smart energetic building with smart skin; Depending on the position and orientation, the facades have different properties. For example, PV panels on the west side also provide solar shading in addition to generating energy. The east side, oriented towards the tree garden of the Floriade site, is completely green and changes color with the seasons. The lively nature-inclusive green roof is both a pleasant living space and an inspiring learning and experimental area. A shaded roof of semi-transparent PV panels protects the students from the sun and reduces the heat in the school. Collected rainwater also serves as a heat/cooling buffer and provides watering for the greenery on and around the building. This saves 50% tap water. In keeping with the sustainable ambitions for the new university of applied sciences, we have incorporated various circular materials into the building, such as biocomposite facade cladding, concrete granulate, recycled wood for the grandstand stairs, decking and outdoor furniture and recycled metal studs for the inner walls. In turn, the demountable design itself enables future reuse of materials registered with Madaster.

client: Aeres Group; design: BDG Architects; advisors: HEVO (project management); DGMR (building physics/acoustics and fire); JVZ Engineers (constructions); Innax (installations); The Royal Ginkel Group (green) realization: 2021

Minolta MD Zoom Rokkor 35-70mm 1:3.5 @ ~f/5.6

through Novoflex FUX/MIN-MC-MD Adapter

on Fujifilm X-E1

Check my album Adapted Manual Lenses for more...

TWITTER l TUMBLR l DOZZETA

A liquid environment version of the landmate, complete with little ducted propellor thrusters, air tanks, emergency ballast, decoy launcher, and a spear!

The red and orange jellyfish thing is not mine. However, I cannot recall where I saw it first. So, props if it is yours!

these parrots are not at a zoo or in an enclosure, not domesticated but free to fly as nature intended

adapted Zuiko OM 200mm f4

Nokton Classic 35mm F1.4 II @F2.8

Disregard EXIF data

Taken with adapted 35mm f3.5 lens from Canon AF35J camera. 3D printed cone which I used to attach the lens to a canon FD helicoid was little too deep, and vignettes on full frame, but works on a cropped sensor.

Example of using a well corrected and relatively inexpensive "old school" enlarger lens for closeup/macro. One minor drawback is that focusing is usually attained by the photographer moving back and forth. Fortunately, there are cameras/adapters which can allow focusing in a more conventional manner. 50mm, 2.8, EL Nikkor on Canon 6D via Fotodiox Pro extension tube

Olympus Pen P1 with adapted Zuiko 35mm FT-Macro Lens

Adaptive behavior- Blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus ) Location: Hedo beach, Okinawa

Crab with container size: 75mm

Plastic reads 60cc

* All Coenobita species in Okinawa are recognized as a Living Natural Monument.

TEDX OIST talk on subject by Shawn Miller www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6FWCyVQcNA

Read more about this project-

okinawanaturephotography.com/crabs-with-beach-trash-homes...

A friend found this crab on a beach in northern Okinawa.

Japan based contributor - Meet your Neighbours project.

meetyourneighbours.net/okinawa-neighbours/

My series has been featured on-

abcnews.go.com/US/national-geographic-launches-effort-red...

www.businessinsider.com/hermit-crabs-using-trash-as-homes...

www.nationalgeographic.nl/galerij/10x-krabben-in-huisjes-...

petapixel.com/2016/08/30/photos-hermit-crabs-beach-trash-...

www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-trash-homes-of-hermit-c...

www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/crabs-are-reso...

www.thedodo.com/hermit-crabs-trash-shells-2001062931.html

www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/oceans-so-polluted-crabs...

www.plethorist.com/crabs-adapt-and-uses-plastic-caps-as-h...

www.dailytelegraph.com.au/technology/science/crabs-living...

www.hypedojo.com/you-wont-believe-what-these-hermit-crabs...

Canon 70d 60mm macro x 3 Yn 560 strobes

Esta rana se ha adaptado a vivir la mayoría de su vida en los árboles. Incluso para la época de apareamiento no necesitan regresar al suelo, lo que hacen es buscar ramas que estén junto a una corriente, luego doblan las hojas y depositan sus huevos en el interior de la hoja, así cuando los renacuajos nacen puedan caer de inmediato al agua.

Waxy monkey tree frog

Rana mono encerada

(Phyllomedusa sauvagii)

Chicago, IL

adapted lens Meyer Optik Trioplan 50mm f2.9

Snowgum grove in Kosciusko Nat Park, Australia

___________________________________________________________________________________

The Nature of Dreams

For a number of years I have been teaching dream interpretation not only to graduate students of psychoanalysis but also to undergraduates at Bennington College. The results, at least to my satisfaction, compare with the results of teaching any other subject matter to the same group of students. Remarkable achievements have been rare in this as in any other field; the minimum achievements have not been lower. The aim is to help the student to understand an unknown language in which he expresses important aspects of his own personality, and also to understand a mode of expression in which mankind has expressed some of its most significant ideas.

source

___________________________________________________________________________________

The Nature of Dreams - Erich Fromm

Adapted Yashica Electro 35 CC 35mm F1.8 lens + macro extension tube.

This background reminds me of a space scene from the original Star Trek TV series.

Bond villain, former aristocrat and film camera obsessive, EM from Emulsive.org joins Karl, Johnny and Simon to tell us about adapting lenses we've never heard of to cameras we would never consider using for that purpose!

Classic Lenses Podcast on Podmio

podcastplayer.io/podcast/Simon%20Forster/4x

iTunes

itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/classic-lenses-podcast/id1333...

We can be found using Google's podcast app

Classic Lenses Podcast on Stitcher:

www.stitcher.com/podcast/simon-forster/the-classic-lenses...

Links arising from the discussions;

EM

www.emulsive.org

Twitter and Instagram @Emulsivefilm

(and everywhere else too).

The Film Camera GAS Factory

www.facebook.com/groups/filmcameragasfactory/

Hamish Gill pretending not to own a Lamborghini

www.35mmc.com/15/07/2018/three-50mm-lenses-fit-needs-video/

Hasselblad Focal Plane Shutter Models

www.oresteen.com/hasselbladfcameras.htm

Beautiful Grainy Mush on Facebook

www.facebook.com/groups/2056492161337662/

Devon and Goethe visit Chicago:

chicagohistorytoday.wordpress.com/2017/09/14/chicagos-mis...

Jay Leno talks about Mr. Beef in Chicago

youtu.be/qeET2xzsTmI

Mr. Beef and Central Camera Company

goo.gl/maps/vPrpUhPczsE2

Central Camera Company, The Gods of Negatives!

www.facebook.com/centralcameracompany/notifications/?sect...

Photography with Classic Lenses Facebook Group:

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Classic Lenses Podcast discussion on MFLenses.com:

forum.mflenses.com/the-classic-lenses-podcast-t78576.html

Photography with Classic Lenses Instagram:

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Tag your photos with #classiclenses to be featured

Include camera and lens used in caption

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Octoblues Royalty Free Music by Kevin Macleod

incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/

Karl Havens

www.flickr.com/photos/142719425@N05

www.instagram.com/karl_havens/

Johnny Sisson

www.instagram.com/sissonphotography/

Central Camera Company in Chicago:

centralcamera.com/

Simon Forster

www.simonforsterphotographic.co.uk

stores.ebay.co.uk/itsfozzyphotography

www.flickr.com/photos/125323761@N07/

www.facebook.com/SimonForsterPhotographic/

www.instagram.com/simonforsterphotographic/

Logo by Johnny Sisson

… and free association. Here are my notes and ruminations from Scott Page’s talk at the SFI Overview on Complex Adaptive Systems.

“Perspective is a way to encode the world. There is a perspective from which any problem is easy.”

“Bee hives must stay at 96 degrees for bees to reach maturity. Bees can cool with their wings or huddle together for warmth. Genetically homogenous bees all move together, and the temperature fluctuates widely. Genetically diverse bees keep the hive at a constant temperature.”

Page’s conclusion that diversity is as important as ability seems pretty profound.

His argument for diversity in complex adaptive systems seems to be to be the underpinning of that popular book by Surowiecki, The Wisdom of Crowds.

I’d posit that diverse group performance comes not from convergence to the mean on a single parameter scale, but the factoring of diverse and orthogonal perspectives. Diversity brings more variables into the multivariate regression of teams.

According to Scott Page, “People in diverse groups are less happy. Their views are challenged, and they feel like the outcomes were manipulated. Based on their experiences, they will self-report that it was not better than when they were on a homogenous team.”

As you increase diversity, complexity goes up, but then it drops and you get the central limit theorem. There is a sweet spot with just the right interplay between agents. Also, there is not one dimension that perspectives lie along. Diversity captures orthogonal perspectives and more adjacencies. The better the perspective, the less rugged the landscape (in terms of finding the global optimum and not getting trapped in local optima). Consultants can hop across local peaks without being any smarter or more experienced in their client’s business. The goal is not regression to the mean.

Thinking about the wisdom of crowds as an emergence, this is the question I have been wrestling with:

Does the minimal threshold complexity for interesting emergent phenomena necessitate inscrutability of results by members of the system?

For example, if a group of diverse people routinely beats the experts, where does the learning occur? It seems to be at the system level, and not the individual level. The decision may make no sense to the individual members, but the decision making process does. The “wisdom” of the process could be taught to others, but not the outcomes.

This generalization about emergence seems to hold for evolution, brains & neural networks, hives, and cultural memetic drift (more on this). In interesting systems, the emergent phenomena are at a different layer of abstraction, and may only be recognized by “in-process” or nodal members by pattern or proxy.

Easy lens to adapt to digital.

Tinker Horses and Foals

RMC Tokina 135mm 1:2.8 (Minolta MD mount) @ f/5.6

through Quenox Focal Reducer Minolta SR - Fuji X-Mount

on Fujifilm X-E1

Check my album Adapted Manual Lenses for more...

adapted Canon 50mm 1.4 LTM @ f2.0

This has been adaptively-reused into a the Sam Nunn Federal building.

Rich's dates back to 1867 with the M. Rich Dry Goods general store. It was bought by Federated in 1975. The downtown flagship store was closed in 1991. In 2003, all of the Macy's (former Davison's Department Store) and Rich's were converted to the Rich's-Macy's nameplate. In 2005, the Rich's-Macy's nameplate was changed to just Macy's.

Impossible sx-70 film

Adapted on Nikon Zf. Natural sunlight from windows.

Ducks who interrupt the natural migration cycle are fascinating to me. What could they possibly find appealing about lying in a pool of icy water for a nap? And, how is it that they don't stick to the ice? lol

ReShade Adaptive Fog

Godzilla Model by GhostofSatan - www.reddit.com/r/FS2020Creation/comments/iielrz/i_needed_...

F/A-18 - www.msfsaddons.org/aircraft/aircraft-fa-18-for-microsoft-...

The 'Popular' was the most basic escort one could buy 1975 to 1980.

Plastic wheel caps on steel wheels.

No chrome - anywhere.

2 Door.

Drum brakes all round.

1.1 Litre engine.

4 speed gearbox.

12" wheels and cross ply tyres were were the spec in 1975 although I dont know if these had been upgraded by 1979.

The car did come with a heater though!

1:76 Scale, OO gauge

Adapted from the Oxford Diecast model.

Some background:

The idea for a heavy infantry support vehicle capable of demolishing heavily defended buildings or fortified areas with a single shot came out of the experiences of the heavy urban fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942. At the time, the Wehrmacht had only the Sturm-Infanteriegeschütz 33B available for destroying buildings, a Sturmgeschütz III variant armed with a 15 cm sIG 33 heavy infantry gun. Twelve of them were lost in the fighting at Stalingrad. Its successor, the Sturmpanzer IV, also known by Allies as Brummbär, was in production from early 1943. This was essentially an improved version of the earlier design, mounting the same gun on the Panzer IV chassis with greatly improved armour protection.

Total production numbers of the SdKfz. 184/1 are uncertain but, being an emergency product and based on a limited chassis supply, the number of vehicles that left the Nibelungenwerke in Austria was no more than ten – also because the tank hunter conversion had top priority and the exotic RW 61 launcher was in very limited supply. As a consequence, only a total of 18 Sturmtiger had been finished by December 1945 and put into service, too. However, the 380 mm Raketen-Werfer 61 remained in production and was in early 1946 adapted to the new Einheitspanzer E-50/75 chassis.

Specifications:

Crew: Six (driver, radio operator/machine gunner in the front cabin,

commander, gunner, 2× loader in the casemate section)

Weight: 75 tons

Length: 7,05 m (23 ft 1½ in)

Width: 3,38 m (11 ft 1 in)

Height w/o crane: 3,02 m (9 ft 10¾ in)

Ground clearance: 1ft 6¾ in (48 cm)

Climbing: 2 ft 6½ in (78 cm)

Fording depth: 3 ft 3¼ (1m)

Trench crossing: 8 ft 7 ¾ in (2,64 m)

Suspension: Longitudinal torsion-bar

Fuel capacity: 1.050 liters

Armour:

62 to 200 mm (2.44 to 7.87 in)

Performance:

30 km/h (19 mph) on road

15 km/h (10 miles per hour () off road

Operational range: 150 km (93 mi) on road

90 km (56 mi) cross-country

Power/weight: 8 hp/ton

Engine:

2× Maybach HL120 TRM petrol engines with 300 PS (246 hp, 221 kW) each, powering…

2× Siemens-Schuckert D1495a 500 Volt electric engines with 320 PS (316 hp, 230 kW) each

Transmission:

Electric

Armament:

1x 380 mm RW 61 rocket launcher L/5.4 with 14 rounds

1x 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 34 machine gun with 600 rounds

1x 100 mm grenade launcher (firing anti-personnel mines, smoke grenades or signal flares)

The kit and its assembly:.

This fictional tank model is not my own idea, it is rather based on a picture of a similar kitbashing of an Elefant with a Sturmtiger casemate and its massive missile launcher – even though it was a rather crude model, with a casemate created from cardboard. However, I found the idea charming, even more so because the Ferdinand/Elefant was rather a rolling bunker than an agile tank hunter, despite its powerful weapon. Why not use the same chassis as a carrier for the Sturmtiger’s huge mortar as an assault SPG?

The resulting Sturmelefant was created as a kitbashing: the chassis is an early boxing of the Trumpeter Elefant, which comes not only with IP track segments but also alternative vinyl tracks (later boxing do not feature them), and casemate parts come from a Trumpeter Sturmtiger.

While one would think that switching the casemate would be straightforward affair, the conversion turned out to be more complex than expected. Both Elefant and Sturmtiger come with separate casemate pieces, but they are not compatible. The Sturmtiger casemate is 2mm wider than the Elefant’s hull, and its glacis plate is deeper than the Elefant’s, leaving 4mm wide gaps at the sides and the rear. One option could have been to trim down the glacis plate, but I found the roofline to become much too low – and the casemate’s length would have been reduced.

So, I used the Sturmtiger casemate “as is” and filled the gaps with styrene sheet strips. This worked, but the casemate’s width created now inward-bent sections that looked unplausible. Nobody, even grazed German engineers, would not have neglected the laws of structural integrity. What to do? Tailoring the casemate’s sides down would have been one route, but this would have had created a strange shape. The alternative I chose was to widen the flanks of the Elefant’s hull underneath the casemate, which was achieved with tailored 0.5 mm styrene sheet panels and some PSR – possible through the Elefant’s simple shape and the mudguards that run along the vehicle’s flanks.

Some more PSR was necessary to blend the rear into a coherent shape and to fill a small gap at the glacis plate’s base. Putty was also used to fill/hide almost all openings on the glacis plate, since no driver sight or ball mount for a machine gun was necessary anymore. New bolts between hull and casemate were created with small drops of white glue. The rest of the surface details were taken from the respective donor kits.

Painting and markings:

This was not an easy choice. A classic Hinterhalt scheme would have been a natural choice, but since the Sturmelefant would have been converted from existing hulls with new parts, I decided to emphasize this heritage through a simple, uniform livery: all Ferdinand elements would be painted/left in a uniform Dunkelgelb (RAL, 7028, Humbrol 83), while the new casemate as well as the bolted-on front armor were left in a red primer livery, in two different shades (Humbrol 70 and 113). This looked a little too simple for my taste, so that I eventually added snaky lines in Dunkelgelb onto the primer-painted sections, blurring the contrast between the two tones.

Markings remained minimal, just three German crosses on the flanks and at the rear and a tactical code on the casemate – the latter in black and in a hand-written style, as if the vehicle had been rushed into frontline service.

After the decals had been secured under sone varnish the model received an overall washing with dark brown, highly thinned acrylic paint, some dry-brushing with light grey and some rust traces, before it was sealed overall with matt acrylic varnish and received some dirt stains with mixed watercolors and finally, after the tracks had been mounted, some artist pigments as physical dust on the lower areas.

Again a project that appeared simple but turned out to be more demanding because the parts would not fit as well as expected. The resulting bunker breaker looks plausible, less massive than the real Sturmtiger but still a menacing sight.

The American Industrial Center commands the street corner with an authoritative presence that speaks to both its historical roots and contemporary purpose. Shot during the blue hour when natural light fades and artificial illumination takes over, this massive structure showcases one of San Francisco's most successful examples of industrial adaptive reuse at the Pier 70 complex.

This building's design language is distinctly different from its historic brick neighbors across the street. The warm terracotta and cream-colored facade, punctuated by hundreds of steel-framed windows arranged in a precise grid, represents a more modern approach to preserving industrial character. The exposed concrete structure with its bold horizontal banding creates a rhythm across the facade that's both industrial and elegant. It's a careful balance between honoring the site's manufacturing heritage and creating functional contemporary space.

The ground floor colonnade is particularly striking—a series of white columns creating a covered arcade that provides both practical weather protection and architectural drama. The generous ceiling height and open design of this ground-level space recall the loading docks and open bays that would have characterized the original industrial waterfront. Modern lighting fixtures illuminate the walkway, casting bright pools of light that contrast beautifully with the deep blue twilight sky above.

Looking at the fenestration pattern, you can see how the building is organized. Those massive window groupings speak to the flexible loft-style spaces within—high ceilings, open floor plans, and abundant natural light. This is exactly what creative companies, tech startups, and design firms look for when choosing office space. The industrial bones provide character that no suburban office park could replicate, while the modern systems and finishes provide the functionality contemporary businesses require.

The street scene itself tells a story about how Pier 70 functions today. A few cars are parked along the curbs, traffic signals glow red and blue, and the crosswalk striping is crisp and fresh. The overhead power lines cutting across the frame are a reminder that this is a working neighborhood, not some sanitized development that erases all traces of urban grit. That utility pole on the right and the various street fixtures ground the scene in everyday urban reality.

What's particularly notable about this perspective is how it captures the building's corner condition. Corner buildings have always been architecturally significant—they're visible from multiple directions, they anchor intersections, and they help define the character of a neighborhood. The American Industrial Center embraces this responsibility, presenting strong facades on both street frontages and creating a landmark that helps orient visitors to the district.

The lighting design deserves attention. Those glowing windows on the upper floors suggest activity within—people working late, businesses that operate beyond traditional hours. The variety in the window illumination, with some blue-toned lights visible among the warmer glows, hints at the diverse mix of tenants and uses within. Meanwhile, the ground-floor lighting creates a welcoming pedestrian environment, crucial for a neighborhood that's trying to balance its industrial past with a more mixed-use future.

Dogpatch and the broader Pier 70 area have become a laboratory for urban planners and developers interested in adaptive reuse. Rather than demolishing these massive industrial structures, San Francisco has chosen to preserve and repurpose them. The American Industrial Center represents a slightly different approach than the historic brick buildings nearby—here, the strategy was to create new construction that respects the industrial aesthetic without directly mimicking historical architecture. It's contextual design that speaks to its surroundings while maintaining its own distinct identity.

The empty streets at this hour create a contemplative atmosphere. You can appreciate the architecture without distraction, study the interplay of light and shadow, and imagine the building's multiple lives—past industrial uses, periods of vacancy or underutilization, and now this current chapter as a hub for the modern economy.

50mm, 2.8, EL Nikkor enlarger lens on Nikon D300S with Fotodiox Pro extension tubes and Nikon SB-400 Speedlight. Flash tube set at 45 degrees, with light reflected by white business card taped to flash.

taken with adapted "no-name" Chinese C-mount APS-C 35mm f1.6 lens (wide open)

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Shot with Nikon 50mm f1.4 adapted to Sony A6000

Adaptado a una vegetación exuberante de la Sierra de Sintra y rodeado de jardines en un ambiente de excesivo romanticismo, tiene un recorrido exotérico iniciático y un simbolismo templario, alquimista, cristiano y mitológico grecorromano.,

Carvalho Monteiro fue un rico hombre de negocios masón y aficionado al esoterismo que escogió una antigua quinta del siglo XVII para edificar, a principios del siglo XX un conjunto fascinante de construcciones con una sorprendente mezcla inspirado en el Buçaco y lo proyectó el mismo arquitecto, Luigi Manini.. Alojado en la vegetación exuberante de Sintra y rodeado de jardines en un ambiente extremadamente romántico, la quinta muestra un recorrido exotérico iniciático y un simbolismo complejo relacionado con los templarios, la alquimia, el cristianismo, la mitología grecorromana, etc.

Sony A9, Canon FD 135mm f2.8 Fotodiox adapter.

Weird bokeh!

simplebits.com/notebook/2011/08/19/adapted/

The Special Operations executive Barn

Also Known As: GIBRALTAR FARM BARN Barn, later adapted to store flight equipment for Special Operations Executive agents,and now a memorial. Early-C19 with mid-C20 modifications.. Concrete plinth, weather-boarded and brick-lined walls under a pitched old tile roof. 5- bay barn with central threshing entrance, that to west blocked and with Crittall windows that are also in the gable ends. INTERIOR: Concrete racks with brick partitions around perimeter formerly stored the flight equipment. To west wall, a memorial: 'Tempsford Airfield Gibraltar Farm I Erected to commemorate the brave deeds of the men and women of every nationality who flew from this wartime airfield to the forces of the resistance in France, Norway, Holland, and other countries during the years 1942 to 1945 The equipment for their dangerous missions was issued to them from this barn'. Roof structure comprises 4 trusses of tie beams with slightly curved braces to walls and raking struts clasped to single rows of purlins with collars. Rafters joined by ridge piece. SOURCES: Roger A. Freeman, 'Bases of Bomber Command Then and Now' (After the Battle, 2001). Michael J. Bowyer, 'The Airfields' (Patrick Stephens Ltd. Cambridge, 1983).

Why not tell a story to your children this weekend...

The Orphan Boy and His Dog

Story adapted from a T'boli tale by Laura Simms

This tale was gathered originally by three T'Boli Scholars: Faw-Wanan, Waning Negwan, and Gadu Udal. The tales were collected and written down in 1973 and later translated into English. (The T'boli live on the southern part of the island of Mindanoa in the Philippines. They are Malay in complexion and gather in seven villages around Lake Sebu. The datu is the head man in charge of village affairs. Until recently, they have had little contact with the modern world, but are known for their sophisticated weaving and their epic literature. Laura Simms visited the T'Boli in autumn 1996. The manuscript from which this story is adapted was given to Laura by anthropologist Helen Alegado in Davoa City, Mindanoa.)

There was an orphan boy who was unhappy. His only companion was a little dog. He lived with his aunt and uncle who mistreated him. They beat the child, gave him only leftovers to eat, and rags instead of clothes. The poor child worked all day and slept in the ashes by the fire at night.

The orphan boy did whatever he was told. He worked hard and never complained. If he disobeyed he was burned or beaten, and the little dog was beaten as well. Everyone in the village made fun of the child, "He is lazy and stupid." The other children avoided him calling out, "He is an ugly child who has no clothes."

One morning, the boy was sent to fetch water. The puppy followed behind him. When they got to the well, the dog began to bark. A tiny old man stood near the cliff. His white beard hung to the earth. The child was frightened, but the puppy began to yelp and ran toward the little man.

The little man said, "Do not be afraid of me. I have something to tell you." The boy walked toward the man as if he was under a spell.

"I have seen how much you suffer," said the little man, "You and your puppy must follow me." They followed the man to the foot of a tree.

"I do not see anything," remarked the boy.

The man said, "Your eyes are blurred." He gave the boy and the dog medicine with which they washed their eyes.

Then the little man said, "Keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them." The boy was afraid. He heard the man unsheathe his bolo (sword). The child trembled, afraid to move. But he could not stand his fear and opened his eyes. He saw a huge snake moving toward him. He screamed, "I am going to die."

He heard a strange voice, like the buzz of a mosquito, "If you obey me you will have good fortune. But if you keep your eyes open, you will have bad fortune. Do not be afraid of the snake." The boy closed his eyes.

All of a sudden, he heard his puppy wail. Then someone tapped him on the forehead saying, "open your eyes." When he opened his eyes he saw a large dog standing before him. When he looked at himself he was dressed in sparkling clothes. His scars and dirt were gone. He was standing next to a house with glass walls.

The man spoke, "You are away from your village and you are away from danger. In my house there are many treasures. But, you can not eat any food in my world because you will not be able to return home. My family is away for four days. You must return home and then come back here to meet them. Your people have been very cruel to you, but one day they will honor you."

The old man gave the boy and the dog some special medicine so they could return to the glass house when they needed to return, then he turned them into their former selves, and turned himself back into a little old man.

The orphan was standing beside the well. He heard his aunt calling angrily for him, "What takes you so long to draw water?"

The orphan boy ran with the water. The little dog ran behind him. At home, his aunt beat him and the dog with a bamboo stick and pushed them into the garbage.

At that time, in the house where the boy was living, there was to be a great wedding feast. The three sons of the datu were to marry three princesses.

The orphan boy was given three times as many chores to do in preparation for the wedding. The three sons were not present because they were looking for the many gifts that the girls asked for their dowries: tedyung (black cloth to make skirts), kamagi (gold for jewelry), fanid ndol (the woven cloth called tinaluk), kfilan (special swords), ulew ndol (red turbans) and brass musical instruments.

The three daughters arrived and waited.

The orphan and the puppy left the kitchen to watch the celebrations. But the people called out, "Drive that ugly filthy child and his hideous dog away. They will bring bad luck. They are a source of embarrassment." The aunt mercilessly beat the boy and the puppy and then forced them to work again. No one took pity on the child.

The child and the dog ran as fast as they could to the well. They covered themselves with the medicine the old man had given them and passed through to the other world. The man welcomed them. He introduced the boy to his wife and two children. The man's wife was a beautiful. Her hair was coiled on the top of her head as elegantly as a finely woven basket. If she was to let down her hair it would reach her feet. She said, "Stay with us until the feast is over. You have suffered enough."

The orphan boy was given food to eat. The big dog was also given food. The man gave the boy two charms: one for good luck and one for bad luck. He said, "Use the good charm tonight at midnight. The youngest princess will see who you are. But, be careful not to confuse the two charms."

Then the boy and the puppy returned as they were before. When they reached the house they were beaten again, because they had been gone so long.

All evening and all night the boy tended the fire and stirred the rice. Eventually, everyone went to sleep. Only the youngest princess could not sleep because she did not want to marry one of the three datus. As the orphan was stirring the rice he thought, "The three datus think that they are the most powerful leaders. But they do not realize that I, whom they despise, will be the most powerful datu."

At midnight, he carefully chose the good luck charm and rubbed it on himself. The fireplace instantly turned into a well-woven mat. The bamboo frame of the stove became two pillows. The fire turned into a lamp and the stones on which he slept became valuable gongs. Everything in the kitchen became a priceless treasure of this world, and theorphan boy became a handsome young man and the dog became ferocious.

The youngest princess went into the kitchen. To her amazement she saw the young man and his place of treasures. She saw his beauty and the power of the dog. She knew it was not a dream. She awoke her mother, but when the old woman went to look, she saw only the filthy orphan boy and his ragged dog.

The youngest princess returned to her bed. She fell asleep and dreamed. The little old man came to her dream and said, "When you must choose a young man tomorrow, choose the orphan boy. You will live in a house of glass and mirrors and be surrounded by treasures. He will be kind and loving. The orphan boy will be the strongest datu." She awoke to the sound of bells and gongs. The wedding ceremonies were beginning.

Each of the young men was seated under nets. Behind the men were rows of horses, cows, water buffalo, sheep and goats. This was the dowry to be given to the fathers of the brides.

As the sun rose, each of the girls was to sit beside their chosen husband under the mosquito net. But the youngest princess had made a form from a pillow the size of a girl and she placed that beneath the net beside the youngest datu. When it was discovered, her father yelled at her. "You must go and choose your husband."

The youngest princess started running. She ran near to the datu, but instead of sitting down beside him, she ran all the way to the orphan boy and sat beside him near the fire. Her father tried to pull her away. She cried out, "If you pull me away or harm the orphan, I will die with him."

The youngest datu was enraged. He lifted up his sword and went to kill the orphan and the princess. But, the orphan took out his good luck charm. He rubbed it on himself and on the dog. He shed his ugly skin and stood up a powerful and handsome young man. The dog grew ten times its size and pounced on the datu's son. Everything in the kitchen turned to treasures.

The people who saw what had happened fell to their knees. The aunt, who had been so cruel, ran to the boy, and put her head by his feet. But, the dog intercepted and bit her hands.

The orphan boy married the princess, and from that day onwards he became the most powerful datu. They lived in that village for a long time.

Then, one morning, all the people saw a flash of lightening. Suddenly, the little old man appeared. His white beard hung down to the earth. When the sky cleared, the boy, the princess, the old man and the dog were gone. They all lived happily in the other world in the house of treasures.