Compatibility photos on Flickr

Some six months ago, I posted almost 100 images and a few thoughts I felt were missing from the many existing RX1 reviews. The outpouring of support and interest in that article was very gratifying. When I published, I had used the camera for six full months, enough time to come to a view of its strengths and weaknesses and to produce a small portfolio of good images, but not enough time to see the full picture (pun intended). In the following six months, I have used the camera at least as frequently as in the first six and have produced another small set of good images. It should be noted that my usage of the RX1 in the last six (and especially in the last 3) months has involved less travel and more time with the family and around the house; I will share relatively few of these images but will spend some time sharing my impressions of its functionality for family snapshots as I am sure there is some interest. And let it be said here: one of the primary motivations to purchase the camera was to take more photos with the family, and after one full year I can confidently say: money well spent.

The A7/r game-changer?

In the past six months, Sony have announced and released two full-frame, interchangeable lens cameras that clearly take design cues from the RX1: the A7 and the A7r. These cameras are innovative and highly capable and, as such, are in the midst of taking the photography world by storm. I think they are compelling enough cameras that I wonder whether Sony is wasting its energy continuing to develop further A-mount cameras. Sony deserve credit for a bold strategy—many companies would have been content to allow the success of the the RX1 (and RX1R) generate further sales before pushing further into the white space left unexplored by camera makers with less ambition.This is not the place to detail the relative advantages and disadvantages of the RX1 versus the A7/r except to make the following point. I currently use a Nikon D800 and an RX1: were I to sell both and purchase the A7r + 35mm f/2.8 I would in many ways lose nothing by way of imaging capability or lens compatibility but would pocket the surplus $1250-1750. Indeed this loyal Nikon owner thought long and hard about doing so, which speaks to the strategic importance of these cameras for a company trying to make inroads into a highly concentrated market.Ultimately, I opted to hang onto the two cameras I have (although this decision is one that I revisit time and time again) and continue to use them as I have for the past year. Let me give you a quick flavor of why.

The RX1 is smaller and more discrete

This is a small a point, but my gut reaction to the A7/r was: much smaller than the D800, not as small as the RX1. The EVF atop the A7/r and the larger profile of interchangeable mount lenses means that I would not be able to slip the A7/r into a pocket the way I can the RX1. Further, by virtue of using the EVF and its loud mechanical shutter, the A7/r just isn’t as stealthy as the RX1. Finally, f/2 beats the pants off of f/2.8 at the same or smaller size.At this point, some of you may be saying, “Future Sony releases will allow you to get a body without an EVF and get an f/2 lens that has a slimmer profile, etc, etc.” And that’s just the point: to oversimplify things, the reason I am keeping my RX1 is that Sony currently offers something close to an A7 body without a built-in EVF and with a slimmer profile 35mm f/2.

The D800 has important functional advantages

On the other side of the spectrum, the AF speed of the A7/r just isn’t going to match the D800, especially when the former is equipped with a Nikon lens and F-mount adapter. EVFs cannot yet match the experience of looking through the prism and the lens (I expect they will match soon, but aren’t there yet). What’s more, I have made such an investment in Nikon glass that I can’t yet justify purchasing an adapter for a Sony mount or selling them all for Sony’s offerings (many of which aren’t to market yet).Now, all of these are minor points and I think all of them disappear with an A8r, but they add up to something major: I have two cameras very well suited to two different types of shooting, and I ask myself if I gain or lose by getting something in between—something that wasn’t quite a pocket shooter and something that was quite a DSLR? You can imagine, however, that if I were coming to the market without a D800 and an RX1, that my decision would be far different: dollar for dollar, the A7/r would be a no-brainer.During the moments when I consider selling to grab an A7r, I keep coming back to a thought I had a month or so before the RX1 was announced. At that time I was considering something like the NEX cameras with a ZM 21mm f/2.8 and I said in my head, “I wish someone would make a carry-around camera with a full frame sensor and a fixed 35mm f/2.8 or f/2.” Now you understand how attractive the RX1 is to me and what a ridiculously high bar exists for another camera system to reach.

Okay, so what is different from the last review?

For one, I had an issue with the camera’s AF motor failing to engage and giving me an E61:00 error. I had to send it out to Sony for repairs (via extended warranty and service plan). I detailed my experience with Sony Service here [insert link] and I write to you as a very satisfied customer. That is to say, I have 3 years left on a 4 year + accidental damage warranty and I feel confident enough in that coverage to say that I will have this beauty in working order for at least another 3 years.For two, I’ve spent significantly less time thinking of this camera as a DSLR replacement and have instead started to develop a very different way of shooting with it. The activation barrier to taking a shot with my D800 is quite high. Beyond having to bring a large camera wherever you go and have it in hand, a proper camera takes two hands and full attention to produce an image. I shoot slowly and methodically and often from a tripod with the D800. In contrast, I can pull the RX1 out, pop off the lens cap, line up and take a shot with one hand (often with a toddler in the other). This fosters a totally different type of photography.

My “be-there” camera

The have-everywhere camera that gives DSLR type controls to one-handed shooting lets me pursue images that happen very quickly or images that might not normally meet the standards of “drag-the-DSLR-out-of-the-bag.” Many of those images you’ll see on this post. A full year of shooting and I can say this with great confidence: the RX1 is a terrific mash-up of point-and-shoot and DSLR not just in image quality and features, but primarily in the product it helps me create. To take this thinking a bit further: I find myself even processing images from the RX1 differently than I would from my DSLR. So much so that I have strongly considered starting a tumblr and posting JPEGs directly from the RX1 via my phone or an iPad rather than running the bulk of them through Lightroom, onto Flickr and then on the blog (really this is just a matter of time, stay tuned, and those readers who have experience with tumblr, cloud image storage and editing, etc, etc, please contact me, I want to pick your brain).Put simply, I capture more spontaneous and beautiful “moments” than I might have otherwise. Photography is very much an exercise in “f/8 and be there,” and the RX1 is my go-to “be there” camera.

The family camera

I mentioned earlier that I justified the purchase of the RX1 partly as a camera to be used to document the family moments into which a DSLR doesn’t neatly fit. Over the past year I’ve collected thousands and thousands of family images with the RX1. The cold hard truth is that many of those photos could be better if I’d taken a full DSLR kit with me to the park or the beach or the grocery store each time. The RX1 is a difficult camera to use on a toddler (or any moving subject for that matter); autofocus isn’t as fast as a professional DSLR, it’s difficult to perfectly compose via an LCD (especially in bright sunlight), but despite these shortcomings, it’s been an incredibly useful family camera. There are simply so many beautiful moments where I had the RX1 over my shoulder, ready to go that whatever difficulties exist relative to a DSLR, those pale in comparison to the power of it’s convenience. The best camera is the one in your hand.

Where to go from here.

So what is the value of these RX1 going forward, especially in a world of the A7/r and it’s yet-to-be-born siblings without an EVF and a pancake lens? Frankly, at its current price (which is quite fair when you consider the value of the the body and the lens) I see precious little room for an independent offering versus a mirrorless, interchangeable lens system with the same image quality in a package just as small. That doesn’t mean Sony won’t make an RX2 or an RX1 Mark II (have a look at it’s other product lines to see how many SKUs are maintained despite low demand). Instead, I see the RX1 as a bridge that needed to exist for engineers, managers, and the market to make it to the A7/r and it’s descendants.A Facebook friend recently paid me a great compliment; he said something like, “Justin, via your blog, you’ve sold a ton of RX1 cameras.” Indeed, despite my efforts not to be a salesman, I think he’s right: I have and would continue to recommend this camera.The true value of the RX1 going forward is for those of us who have the thing on our shoulders; and yes, if you have an investment in and a love for a DSLR system, there’s still tremendous value in getting one, slinging it over your shoulder, and heading out into the wide, bright world; A7/r or no, this is just an unbelievably capable camera.

Got a resolution. by Mitsushiro Nakagawa

53

Title.

Got a resolution.

(Nikon Coolpix 8700 shot)

Manhattan. New York. USA. 2007. … 2 / 7

Images.

Ellegarden – Sliding Door

youtu.be/rM1D8SikWsk?si=FGa2sAIckb49jvoi

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My New Novel

B♭ (B Flat)

I'm sharing parts of it—maybe this is Part 6?

If you have a moment, please take a look. 😄

(Of course, this is not the final draft.)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Scene: Domino Park, Sunday

Ana, Mika, Amir, and the children

The morning sun still cast its light at an angle across the riverside grass.

Ana and Mika were holding a workshop on a cloth spread out in a quiet corner of Domino Park. Together with the children, they gathered “fragments of memory”—sketchbooks and colored pencils, old magazines, dry leaves, acrylic paints. It was as if the lawn itself had gently laid out pieces of time gone by.

“Nadia, where did you find that photo?”

“In a box of my grandma’s things. Everything inside was all brown.”

“But it’s beautiful. Look—here…”

Ana crouched down and pointed to the edge of the sepia-toned photograph with Nadia. Reina paused what she was doing and drew closer.

Reina’s gentle eyes gazed intently at Nadia’s photograph.

“What kind of sound do you think this makes?”

Her murmur wasn’t tracing the surface of the paper, but rather searching deep into a world beyond it—a silent place only she could sense.

Nadia tilted her head slightly.

“...Sound?”

“Yeah. This brown part goes crackle-crackle. And this shadow... maybe the sound of wind stopping far away.”

Reina traced the darkest part of the photo with her finger and closed her eyes.

“When my dad disappeared, Mom said she heard the fridge stop humming. She said... sometimes the sound of something stopping is louder than when it’s there.”

She stood quietly and walked over to the paints. Mixing a little blue and a little black, she created a muted, dusty navy. She touched her brush lightly to the sketchbook, then softened the color with her fingertip.

“This is the sound after.”

What she drew looked like the trail of a shooting star. It was the lingering echo of a sound that had been silenced—something that had risen from deep within her and taken form.

Mika stepped in gently and asked, “What kind of sound is that?”

Reina didn’t smile, but her face softened.

“Maybe… the sound of Grandma trying not to cry.”

“Do you think your grandma was holding her tears back?”

Ana asked this as she smiled at Reina.

What Reina had gathered was the sound of a memory too fragile to become words.

Ana and Mika worked as Community Art Facilitators (CAF), engaging with children’s centers and senior homes. They helped orphans who had lost their parents and elderly people who had lost their youth to give shape to their memories—passing them on in a visible form.

Their goal was not to create “finished artworks,” but to make visible the passage of someone who once lived here.

—To rescue light that slipped through open palms,

to weave what remained in the net of memory,

to thread together words that were never spoken—

Arjun, Ana’s partner with whom she lived, never once opposed her work. In fact, he encouraged it. One time, Ana had asked him why he never said anything about her unstable career.

“Money? Anyone can earn that. But to create something… that’s impossible for most. Only you can do that.”

That was the moment Ana decided to share her life with him.

From beyond the dew-kissed grass at the far end of the park, a man slowly approached. His silhouette, lit from behind, looked hesitant—yet each step was sure.

It was Amir.

The children were scattered across the grass, each one quietly trying to bring “someone” from their inner world to the surface of the page. A still heat hung in the sketchbooks, along with time yet unspoken.

Amir picked up their glances one by one as he walked, finally stopping beside a young girl.

Nadia.

She kept moving her colored pencils, pretending not to notice him. She was silently pasting fragments of an old photograph onto black paper—shadows of a family whose faces were missing. Beside them, she’d painted a tiny red house.

Amir looked at it for a while, then crouched down.

“...Where is that house?”

His voice was soft. Nadia traced the red roof with her finger.

“It’s… where I used to live. But no one’s there now.”

Her voice was so quiet, it almost blended with the sound of the wind.

After a pause, Amir pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket.

“I drew one too—a house no one lives in anymore. Want to see it?”

He held out a brown-ink sketch. The door was slightly ajar, revealing nothing inside. Only the window had curtains.

Nadia took it and studied it silently. At last, she spoke.

“This window… looks like it’s open.”

Amir gave a surprised little smile.

“If that’s how it looks to you, then maybe that’s what it is.”

Ana was watching from a short distance away.

Amir’s back said nothing, but Nadia’s expression had softened, just a little.

“Good morning. Don’t you think this is a bit much for coincidence?”

Ana said with a smile, yesterday’s events tucked quietly behind her words. Amir replied with a rueful grin.

“Morning. Yeah, it’s not a coincidence. I’ve been watching you. My place is just around here.”

Ana laughed at his words and glanced over at Nadia.

“She rarely talks. Not even to Mika or me.”

With the East River at his back, Amir leaned against the railing. The breeze running along the river ruffled his hair.

“Sometimes you love something so much, you keep quiet.”

He tossed the words gently toward Ana, who leaned on the railing beside him.

“I’ll write that in my notebook,” she said.

Ana looked across the East River. Manhattan’s skyline, still half-asleep, floated faintly in the soft morning light. The buildings across the river stood silent, casting their shadows on the water as if last night’s chaos had been quietly swept away.

Some high-rises already shimmered with reflections. A thin wisp of steam rose from a chimney.

The steel arch of the Williamsburg Bridge lay between Brooklyn and Manhattan, catching the light with a dull glint.

The river breeze brushed their skin, carrying with it the faint metallic scent of salt and iron.

In the distance, a ship’s horn sounded. The morning sun flickered in patches across the water.

Behind the park rose the tower of One Domino Square—a symbol of redevelopment—slicing into the clouds.

On this Sunday morning, just awakened, the voices of children mixed quietly with the murmuring river.

This wasn’t just a backdrop. It was alive. A breathing piece of the map.

Then Ana noticed something swaying on the far side of the current.

At first, she thought it was just a plastic bag. But it floated, sank, and floated again, slowly drawing nearer.

It was cloth.

White, coarse, with a strangely sacred texture. Along the edge, faint embroidery—Arabic, perhaps. Beneath the cloth was the shape of a human body. The head sank gently, arms and legs folded as if in sleep.

The river breeze shifted.

Amid the salt, a trace of metal and blood drifted faintly through the air.

The body drifted slowly, then snagged on the reeds near the shore of Domino Park and stopped.

“...What is that?”

Ana asked, but Amir gave no reply. He just stared at the water.

The edge of the cloth lifted in the breeze, revealing the man’s cheek—pale, stiff, and yet, somehow, peaceful.

So still, it was as if he were still dreaming.

Professor Zakaria Haddad—

Ana would not learn his name until some time later.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My new novel:

B♭ (B-flat)

There’s still more to come. 😃

(This is not the final draft.)

Set in New York City.

5

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54686544606/in/dateposted...

4

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54653035442/in/dateposted...

3

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54639396885/in/dateposted...

2

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54628511025/in/dateposted...

1

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54599616429/in/dateposted...

Soundtrack.

music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b-my-novel-soundtrack/pl.u-47...

Note: I gave a brief explanation of this novel in the following video:

youtu.be/3w65lqUF-YI?si=yG7qy6TPeCL9xRJV

iTunes Playlist Link::

music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b/pl.u-47DJGhopxMD

Notes

1. "Bombay Blood Type (hh type)"

•Characteristics: A rare blood type that lacks the usual ABO antigens — cannot be classified as A, B, or O.

•Discovery: First identified in 1952 in Mumbai, India (formerly Bombay).

•Prevalence: Roughly 1 in 10,000 people in India; globally, about 1 in 2.5 million.

•Transfusion Compatibility: Only compatible with blood from other Bombay type donors.

2. 2024 Harvard University Valedictorian Speech – The Power of Not Knowing

youtu.be/SOUH8iVqSOI?si=Ju-Y728irtcWR71K

3. Shots Fired at Trump Rally

youtu.be/1ejfAkzjEhk?si=ASqJwEmkY-2rW_hT

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Title.

Got a resolution.

( Nikon coolpix8700 shot )

マンハッタン。ニューヨーク。アメリカ。2007. … 2 / 7

Images.

Ellegarden - Sliding Door

youtu.be/rM1D8SikWsk?si=FGa2sAIckb49jvoi

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

僕の新しい小説。

　B♭　（ビーフラット）

部分的に公開しています。第６弾？

お時間があればどうぞ😄

(もちろん最終稿ではありません。)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

場面　ドミノパーク　日曜日　アナ、カナ　アミール　子供たち

　朝の陽射しが、川べりの芝をまだ斜めに照らしていた。

　アナとミカは、ドミノパークの一角に敷いた布の上で、子どもたちと「記憶の紙片」を集めるワークショップを開いていた。スケッチブックと色鉛筆、古い雑誌、乾いた葉っぱ、アクリル絵の具。公園の芝生には、過ぎ去った時間がそっと並べられているようだった。

「ナディア、その写真、どこで見つけたの？」

「おばあちゃんの遺品の箱。ぜんぶ茶色になってた」

「でも、すごくきれい。ほら、ここ……」

　アナがしゃがみ込み、ナディアと一緒に焦茶の写真の端を指差すと、レイナが手を止めて近づいた。

　レイナの愛くるしい瞳が、ナディアの写真をじっと見つめた。

「これ、なんの音がすると思う？」

　そう呟いた彼女の眼差しは、紙の上を辿るのではなく、紙の向こうにある音のしない世界の奥を探っているようだった。

　問われたナディアは少しだけ首をかしげた。

「……音？」

「うん。茶色いとこが、パリパリって。あと、この影、ちょっと遠くで風が止まった音がする」

　レイナは指で影の濃い部分をなぞり、目を閉じた。

「お父さんがいなくなった時、冷蔵庫が止まった音がしたんだって、お母さんが言ってた。……　音って、止まる時の方が強くなるんだよ」

　言いながら、レイナはそっと立ち上がり、絵の具のところへ歩いていった。

　彼女は、青と黒を少しずつ混ぜ、くすんだ紺色を作った。スケッチブックに、ふわりとひと筆落とし、指先でその色を軽く引き延ばした。

「これ、音のあと」

　そう言って描いたのは、尾を引いた流れ星のような線だった。レイナの内から湧いたのは、確かに音を止められた余韻で、そこに描かれていた。

　ミカがそっと寄ってきて、「それ、なにの音？」と尋ねると、レイナは笑わず、でもうれしそうにいった。

「たぶん、おばあちゃんが泣かないようにしてた音」

「おばあちゃんは、泣くのを我慢していたのかな」

　アナはそう返しながら、レイナに微笑んだ。

　レイナが拾い上げたのは、“言葉にならなかった記憶の音”だった。

　アナとミカはコミュニティアート・ファシリテーター（CAF）として、児童館や高齢者施設に関与している。両親をなんらかの形で亡くした孤児や高齢者の幼少の頃の記憶を形で留め、次へ伝達してゆく。

　目的は、『完成された芸術作品』ではなく、『ここに生きた誰かの時間』を見えるようにすることだ。

　ーー　手のひらからこぼれ落ちた光を救い、記憶の網目に残ったものを紡ぎ、語られなかった言葉を編む　ーー

　アナの活動について、同棲しているアルジュンは、決して反対せず、むしろ、賛成してくれていた。アナは、不安定な職業に何も言わないことを不思議に思って彼に尋ねたことがある。

「お金は、僕にも誰でも稼げる。でも、作品を産むのは無理だ。君にしかできないよ」

　アナが彼との同棲生活を共にしようと決めた瞬間だった。

　パークの奥、まだ朝露を含んだ芝の向こうから、一人の男がゆっくりと歩いてきた。

　光を背にして姿を現したその輪郭は、どこかためらいがちで、それでも確かな歩幅を保っていた。

　アミールだった。

　芝生には、子どもたちが散り散りに座っていた。誰もが自分のなかの“誰か”を、紙の上にそっと浮かび上がらせようとしていた。静かな熱と、まだ語られていない時間が、スケッチブックの上にじっと息を潜めていた。

　アミールは、視線を一つずつ拾いながら歩みを進め、やがて、ひとりの少女のそばで立ち止まった。

　ナディアだった。

　ナディアは気づかないふりをしたまま、色鉛筆を動かし続けていた。

　彼女は言葉を使わずに、古い写真の断片を黒い紙に貼りつけていた。顔が消えた家族の影のようなもの。その横に、赤い絵の具で小さく家を描いていた。

　アミールはしばらくそれを見つめ、しゃがみこんだ。

「……それは、どこにある家？」

　静かに問いかけると、ナディアは指先で赤い屋根をなぞった。

「……前に住んでたところ。でも、今は、誰もいない」

　彼女はそう言ったが、声はごく小さく、風の音と区別がつかないほどだった。

　アミールは、しばし言葉を選ぶように黙ってから、ポケットから折りたたまれた紙を一枚取り出した。

「僕も、描いたことがある。誰もいなくなった家。見せようか？」

　彼が差し出したのは、茶色のペンで描かれた一枚のスケッチだった。ドアが半開きで、内部は見えない。ただ、窓にだけカーテンがかかっていた。

　ナディアはそれを受け取り、じっと見つめた。そして、ようやく口を開いた。

「この窓……開いてるように見える」

　アミールは、驚いたように微笑んだ。

「そう見えたなら、きっとそうなんだよ」

　そのとき、アナは少し離れた場所からその光景を見ていた。

　アミールの背中は何も語らなかったが、ナディアの表情が少しだけやわらいでいた。

「おはよう。偶然にしては重なりすぎない？」

　アナは昨日の出来事を潜ませ、笑顔でアミールへ話しかけた。アミールは口元を緩めて、苦笑いで返した。

「おはよう。そう、偶然じゃない。僕はずっと君を見ていた。僕の家はこの近所だけどね」

　アナは、彼の言葉に笑いながら、ナディアとのやりとりを確認した。

「ナディアは、滅多に口を開かないわ。ミカやわたしにも」

　アミールは、イーストリバーを背にして、手すりに腰を預けた。川面につたってやってきた風が彼の前髪を揺らした。

「大好きすぎて、口を閉ざすこともあるよ」

　手すりに肘をつき、川を眺めるアナに、彼はそっと言葉を投げた。アナは言葉を拾って、

「わたしのノートに書き留めておくわ」

　アナはイーストリバーの向こうに目を落とした。まだ眠気の残るマンハッタンの街並みが淡く浮かんでいる。柔らかい朝の光に照らされて、対岸の建物たちは無言のまま、川面に影を落としている。昨夜の騒ぎがまるで一掃されたかのような静けさだ。

　高層ビルの一部はすでに窓をきらめかせ、煙突からは細い湯気のような白煙が立ちのぼっていた。

　ウィリアムズバーグ・ブリッジの鋼のアーチが、陽を受けて鈍く光りながら、ブルックリンとマンハッタンのあいだに静かに横たわっている。川風はひんやりと肌を撫で、ほんの少し金属と潮の混じった匂いを運んできた。遠く船の汽笛が鳴り、川面には朝陽がまだらに揺れている。

　公園の背後では、再開発の象徴とも言える One Domino Square のタワーが、雲を切り裂くようにそびえていた。

　日曜日の朝、目を覚ましたばかりの街に、子どもたちの声と川のさざめきが静かに混じり合う。この風景は、ただの背景ではなかった。生きた地図の一部として、確かにここに息づいているのだ。

　アナは、川の流れの向こうに、何かがゆらゆらと揺れているのに気づいた。

　最初はただの白いビニール袋かと思った。だが、それは波とともに浮いたり沈んだりを繰り返し、やがて少しずつこちらへ近づいてきた。

　布だった。

　白く、どこか神聖な手触りを思わせる織りの粗い布だ。縁にうっすらと、アラビア文字のような模様が刺繍されている。布の下には、人のかたちがあった。頭部と思われる部分はゆるやかに沈み、手足は、まるで眠る者のように折りたたまれていた。

　川の風がふっと方向を変えた。

　潮の匂いにまじって、鉄と血の気配が微かに混ざった。

　ゆるやかに流れてきたその遺体は、ちょうどドミノパークの岸辺に近づいたところで、葦の茂みに軽く引っかかり、動きを止めた。

「……あれ、何？」

　アナの問いにアミールは返事をせず、ただ川面を凝視した。

　遺体の布の端がひるがえり、男の片頬がのぞいた。

　青白く、硬直し、しかしどこか穏やかな表情すら残している。あまりに静かで、まるでまだ夢のなかにいるようだった。

　教授、ザカリア・ハッダード──

　それが彼の名前だったのだと、アナが知るのは、まだ少し先のことだった。

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

僕の新しい小説。

　B♭　（ビーフラット）

舞台はニューヨークです。

5

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54686544606/in/dateposted...

4

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54653035442/in/dateposted...

3

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54639396885/in/dateposted...

2

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54628511025/in/dateposted...

1

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54599616429/in/dateposted...

Soundtrack.

music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b-my-novel-soundtrack/pl.u-47...

追記　この小説を多少説明しました。

youtu.be/3w65lqUF-YI?si=yG7qy6TPeCL9xRJV

メモ

1

「Bombay型（ボンベイ型、hh型）」

•特徴：通常のABO血液型を持たない（A、B、Oに分類されない）特殊な型。

•発見地：1952年、インド・ムンバイ（旧ボンベイ）で初めて確認。

•発生頻度：インドでは1万人に1人程度だが、世界的には約250万人に1人とも。

•輸血制限：同じBombay型しか輸血できない。

2

2024年ハーバード大学首席の卒業式スピーチ『知らないことの力』

youtu.be/SOUH8iVqSOI?si=Ju-Y728irtcWR71K

3

Shots fired at Trump rally

youtu.be/1ejfAkzjEhk?si=ASqJwEmkY-2rW_hT

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

K-doll's 60cm class compatible head [keikei]has released. by k-doll.com

21

Sales Period: December 05, 2013 ~ December 15, 2013

If the quantity is greater than expected, the sale can be an early exit.

Compatibility Information

Head size circumference : 8.5 inch

Eye size: 16~18mm

Skin type: normal skin & white skin

Compatible Available body: 60cm class BJD body

(Photo Model Body:volks SD13 boy)

*KeiKei is slightly open mouse.

homepage

k-doll.com/

Flickr

www.flickr.com/photos/k-doll

Facebook

www.facebook.com/kdollcom

Luna Luxury Designer Lights V2 by ULTIMA

9 1

Beautifully designed and lavishly detailed, ULTIMA Designs is proud to introduce the Luna Luxury Designer Lights V2

A striking addition to the Luna collection. This modern, minimalist lighting piece is crafted to elevate your space with effortless style, immersive atmosphere, and refined simplicity.

These lights feature dynamic projector lighting that casts a rich, ambient glow, bringing warmth and depth to any environment. With touch-activated controls, you can instantly:

• Switch on and off independantly

• Change light colors

• Resize the fixture

• Manage a user access list

The included HUD allows you to customize the base structure’s color, giving you full creative control. Each package includes both PBR and Standard (Non-PBR) versions for compatibility across all Second Life viewers.

Visit us in world

⛧⛧ Athena & Witch for 35L Sunday Sale!!! ⛧⛧ by Cult/ocult The Darker Alternative

15 1

Hi Culties & Spookies, time for even more sales for your Sunday Leisure!!

★ For 35L Sunday Sale ★ Athena ★ Witch ★

★ Athena Rigged For ★ Legacy F ★ Reborn ★ Kupra ★ Lara ★ Gen-X Curvy ★ MaitreyaX ★

★ Witch Rigged For ★ Legacy F ★ Reborn ★ Kupra ★ Lara ★ Gen-X ★

★ Remember to always try the DEMOS!★Check for Body Type & Body MOD Compatibility★

★ Comes with a Color Control HUD for changeable color options

★ Cult LM ★ maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cult%20Coven/129/75/33

★ Cult's Social Media Links ★

Crabtree Nature Preserve—Sony RX1 by Justin Kern

22

thegoldensieve.com

A good thing continues

Some six months ago, I posted almost 100 images and a few thoughts I felt were missing from the many existing RX1 reviews. The outpouring of support and interest in that article was very gratifying. When I published, I had used the camera for six full months, enough time to come to a view of its strengths and weaknesses and to produce a small portfolio of good images, but not enough time to see the full picture (pun intended). In the following six months, I have used the camera at least as frequently as in the first six and have produced another small set of good images. It should be noted that my usage of the RX1 in the last six (and especially in the last 3) months has involved less travel and more time with the family and around the house; I will share relatively few of these images but will spend some time sharing my impressions of its functionality for family snapshots as I am sure there is some interest. And let it be said here: one of the primary motivations to purchase the camera was to take more photos with the family, and after one full year I can confidently say: money well spent.

The A7/r game-changer?

In the past six months, Sony have announced and released two full-frame, interchangeable lens cameras that clearly take design cues from the RX1: the A7 and the A7r. These cameras are innovative and highly capable and, as such, are in the midst of taking the photography world by storm. I think they are compelling enough cameras that I wonder whether Sony is wasting its energy continuing to develop further A-mount cameras. Sony deserve credit for a bold strategy—many companies would have been content to allow the success of the the RX1 (and RX1R) generate further sales before pushing further into the white space left unexplored by camera makers with less ambition.This is not the place to detail the relative advantages and disadvantages of the RX1 versus the A7/r except to make the following point. I currently use a Nikon D800 and an RX1: were I to sell both and purchase the A7r + 35mm f/2.8 I would in many ways lose nothing by way of imaging capability or lens compatibility but would pocket the surplus $1250-1750. Indeed this loyal Nikon owner thought long and hard about doing so, which speaks to the strategic importance of these cameras for a company trying to make inroads into a highly concentrated market.Ultimately, I opted to hang onto the two cameras I have (although this decision is one that I revisit time and time again) and continue to use them as I have for the past year. Let me give you a quick flavor of why.

The RX1 is smaller and more discrete

This is a small a point, but my gut reaction to the A7/r was: much smaller than the D800, not as small as the RX1. The EVF atop the A7/r and the larger profile of interchangeable mount lenses means that I would not be able to slip the A7/r into a pocket the way I can the RX1. Further, by virtue of using the EVF and its loud mechanical shutter, the A7/r just isn’t as stealthy as the RX1. Finally, f/2 beats the pants off of f/2.8 at the same or smaller size.At this point, some of you may be saying, “Future Sony releases will allow you to get a body without an EVF and get an f/2 lens that has a slimmer profile, etc, etc.” And that’s just the point: to oversimplify things, the reason I am keeping my RX1 is that Sony currently offers something close to an A7 body without a built-in EVF and with a slimmer profile 35mm f/2.

The D800 has important functional advantages

On the other side of the spectrum, the AF speed of the A7/r just isn’t going to match the D800, especially when the former is equipped with a Nikon lens and F-mount adapter. EVFs cannot yet match the experience of looking through the prism and the lens (I expect they will match soon, but aren’t there yet). What’s more, I have made such an investment in Nikon glass that I can’t yet justify purchasing an adapter for a Sony mount or selling them all for Sony’s offerings (many of which aren’t to market yet).Now, all of these are minor points and I think all of them disappear with an A8r, but they add up to something major: I have two cameras very well suited to two different types of shooting, and I ask myself if I gain or lose by getting something in between—something that wasn’t quite a pocket shooter and something that was quite a DSLR? You can imagine, however, that if I were coming to the market without a D800 and an RX1, that my decision would be far different: dollar for dollar, the A7/r would be a no-brainer.During the moments when I consider selling to grab an A7r, I keep coming back to a thought I had a month or so before the RX1 was announced. At that time I was considering something like the NEX cameras with a ZM 21mm f/2.8 and I said in my head, “I wish someone would make a carry-around camera with a full frame sensor and a fixed 35mm f/2.8 or f/2.” Now you understand how attractive the RX1 is to me and what a ridiculously high bar exists for another camera system to reach.

Okay, so what is different from the last review?

For one, I had an issue with the camera’s AF motor failing to engage and giving me an E61:00 error. I had to send it out to Sony for repairs (via extended warranty and service plan). I detailed my experience with Sony Service here [insert link] and I write to you as a very satisfied customer. That is to say, I have 3 years left on a 4 year + accidental damage warranty and I feel confident enough in that coverage to say that I will have this beauty in working order for at least another 3 years.For two, I’ve spent significantly less time thinking of this camera as a DSLR replacement and have instead started to develop a very different way of shooting with it. The activation barrier to taking a shot with my D800 is quite high. Beyond having to bring a large camera wherever you go and have it in hand, a proper camera takes two hands and full attention to produce an image. I shoot slowly and methodically and often from a tripod with the D800. In contrast, I can pull the RX1 out, pop off the lens cap, line up and take a shot with one hand (often with a toddler in the other). This fosters a totally different type of photography.

My “be-there” camera

The have-everywhere camera that gives DSLR type controls to one-handed shooting lets me pursue images that happen very quickly or images that might not normally meet the standards of “drag-the-DSLR-out-of-the-bag.” Many of those images you’ll see on this post. A full year of shooting and I can say this with great confidence: the RX1 is a terrific mash-up of point-and-shoot and DSLR not just in image quality and features, but primarily in the product it helps me create. To take this thinking a bit further: I find myself even processing images from the RX1 differently than I would from my DSLR. So much so that I have strongly considered starting a tumblr and posting JPEGs directly from the RX1 via my phone or an iPad rather than running the bulk of them through Lightroom, onto Flickr and then on the blog (really this is just a matter of time, stay tuned, and those readers who have experience with tumblr, cloud image storage and editing, etc, etc, please contact me, I want to pick your brain).Put simply, I capture more spontaneous and beautiful “moments” than I might have otherwise. Photography is very much an exercise in “f/8 and be there,” and the RX1 is my go-to “be there” camera.

The family camera

I mentioned earlier that I justified the purchase of the RX1 partly as a camera to be used to document the family moments into which a DSLR doesn’t neatly fit. Over the past year I’ve collected thousands and thousands of family images with the RX1. The cold hard truth is that many of those photos could be better if I’d taken a full DSLR kit with me to the park or the beach or the grocery store each time. The RX1 is a difficult camera to use on a toddler (or any moving subject for that matter); autofocus isn’t as fast as a professional DSLR, it’s difficult to perfectly compose via an LCD (especially in bright sunlight), but despite these shortcomings, it’s been an incredibly useful family camera. There are simply so many beautiful moments where I had the RX1 over my shoulder, ready to go that whatever difficulties exist relative to a DSLR, those pale in comparison to the power of it’s convenience. The best camera is the one in your hand.

Where to go from here.

So what is the value of these RX1 going forward, especially in a world of the A7/r and it’s yet-to-be-born siblings without an EVF and a pancake lens? Frankly, at its current price (which is quite fair when you consider the value of the the body and the lens) I see precious little room for an independent offering versus a mirrorless, interchangeable lens system with the same image quality in a package just as small. That doesn’t mean Sony won’t make an RX2 or an RX1 Mark II (have a look at it’s other product lines to see how many SKUs are maintained despite low demand). Instead, I see the RX1 as a bridge that needed to exist for engineers, managers, and the market to make it to the A7/r and it’s descendants.A Facebook friend recently paid me a great compliment; he said something like, “Justin, via your blog, you’ve sold a ton of RX1 cameras.” Indeed, despite my efforts not to be a salesman, I think he’s right: I have and would continue to recommend this camera.The true value of the RX1 going forward is for those of us who have the thing on our shoulders; and yes, if you have an investment in and a love for a DSLR system, there’s still tremendous value in getting one, slinging it over your shoulder, and heading out into the wide, bright world; A7/r or no, this is just an unbelievably capable camera.

Boulevard des Lumières by Brickester

12

This is my very first 'Moc'. The idea was to create a building inspired in the Haussmann style present in most of central Paris, without any piece count limit that would keep the modular compatibility and the minifig scale. So this is not a direct replica of any particular one. The street name is also fictional, there is no 'Boulevard des Lumières' in Paris, but its spirit is highly Parisian.

⛧⛧ Jill For Happy Weekend Sale!!! ⛧⛧ by Cult/ocult The Darker Alternative

50 1

Hi Spookies & Culties, Here is your "must have these Cult Items" Weekend Shopping List!!

★ Item ★ The Jill boots are great for chilly night and to make a fashion statement!

★ Rigged For ★ Reborn ★ Maitreya-X ★ GEN-X Curvy ★ Legacy ★ Lara ★ Kupra ★

★ Featuring Color Hud w/ 10 light colors & 10 dark colors & 3 metal colors!

★ Remember to always try the DEMOS!★ Check for Body Type & Body MOD Compatibility ★

★ Cult LM ★ maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cult%20Coven/129/75/337

★ Cult's Social Media Links ★

⛧⛧ Morticia for Lazy Sunday!!! ⛧⛧ by Cult/ocult The Darker Alternative

52 3

★ Item ★ Morticia is a smexy witchy pair of heels with some amazing bat details!

★ marketplace.secondlife.com/p/CULT-Morticia-with-HUD/24200656

★ Rigged For ★ Reborn ★ Legacy F ★ Maitreya ★ Kupra ★

★ Remember to always try the DEMOS!★Check for Body Type & Body MOD Compatibility★

★ Comes with a Color Control HUD for changeable color options

★ Cult LM ★ maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Champ/189/200/17

★ Cult's Social Media Links ★

Boulevard des Lumières by Brickester

13

This is my very first 'Moc'. The idea was to create a building inspired in the Haussmann style present in most of central Paris, without any piece count limit that would keep the modular compatibility and the minifig scale. So this is not a direct replica of any particular one. The street name is also fictional, there is no 'Boulevard des Lumières' in Paris, but its spirit is highly Parisian.

⛧⛧ Cult Special Sale: Darkness ⛧⛧ by Cult/ocult The Darker Alternative

53 2

★ Hello Spookies & Culties! We have a awesome little item on sale for 75L for your buying pleasure! The Darkness stompers are sleek with a dangerous feel and come with some amazing details and they are also Unisex! This item is currently located where all the weekend sale items are!

★ Special Sale ★ Darkness Stompers

★ Rigged For ★ Reborn ★ Legacy F ★ Maitreya ★ Kupra ★ Gen-X ★ Lara ★ Jake ★ Legacy Male ★ Gianni ★ ★ Kario ★

★ Comes with a Color Control HUD for changeable color options ★

★ Remember to always try the DEMOS!★Check for Body Type & Body MOD Compatibility ★

★ Cult LM ★ maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cult%20Coven/129/75/33

★ Cult's Social Media Links ★

Italian Airforce Panavia Tornado IDS MM.7004 code 'I-90' seen taxiing out for a training flight at RAF Cottesmore by Chris (Heathrow Junkie)

9 1

The Military Collection - Fighters

From a collection of some 430 Military slides that I've had scanned from my archives. Hope they will provide some enjoyment and nostalgia from a bygone age.

In 1982, I made a visit to RAF Cottesmore to check out the (then new) Panavia Tornados that were based there for pilot training.

Here is one of the scarcer Italian aircraft, MM-7004 coded 'I-90' heading for takeoff on a pilot training flight. There was a much smaller allocation of Italian aircraft at the TTTE compared with the West German and British aircraft.

MM-7004 - in the early 1980s the Italian Airforce ordered 100 Panavia Tornados - 88 strike aircraft and 12 dual-control trainers. These followed development aircraft serialled MM-7001.

The Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment (TTTE) was a multinational air unit based at RAF Cottesmore in Rutland, England, from 1981 to 1999. It performed training on the Panavia Tornado for the Royal Air Force, Luftwaffe and Italian Air Force. Initially, pilots received four weeks of training on the ground, followed by nine weeks in the air. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-National_Tornado_Training_Estab...

Italian Air Force Panavia Tornado - The first Italian prototype made its maiden flight on 5 December 1975 from Turin. The Aeronautica Militare received 100 Tornado IDSs (known as the A-200 in Italian service). 16 A-200s were subsequently converted to the ECR configuration; the first Italian Tornado ECR (known as the EA-200) was delivered on 27 February 1998. As a stop-gap measure for 10 years the Aeronautica Militare additionally operated 24 Tornado ADVs in the air defence role, which were leased from the RAF to cover the service gap between the retirement of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and the introduction of the Eurofighter Typhoon. In 2000, with delays to the Eurofighter, the Aeronautica Militare began a search for another interim fighter. While the Tornado was considered, any long term extension to the lease would have involved upgrade to RAF CSP standard and thus was not considered cost effective. In February 2001, Italy announced its arrangement to lease 35 F-16s from the United States under the PEACE CAESAR programme. The Aeronautica Militare returned its Tornado ADVs to the RAF, with the final aircraft arriving at RAF St Athan on 7 December 2004. One aircraft was retained for static display purposes at the Italian Air Force Museum. in 2010 a major upgrade and life extension programme was initiated, to provide new digital displays, Link 16 communications capability, night-vision goggles compatibility, and several other upgrades. In the long term, it is planned to replace the Tornado IDS/ECR fleet in Italian service with the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. More on the Panavia Tornado here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panavia_Tornado

Taken with a Soviet made Zenith TTL camera and 300mm lens.

You can see a random selection of my aviation memories here: www.flickriver.com/photos/heathrowjunkie/random/

TANAKA - KNIT DRESS by TANAKA // CL0UD

73

█ ▌TANAKA - KNIT DRESS @GOTHCORE ▌█

──────── ✦ ────────

📍 Available at GOTHCORE Event 🔥

🚕 ✦ GOTHCORE Event

──────── ✦ ────────

• Compatibility

eBody

Legacy F

──────── ✦ ────────

• Available at INWORLD STORE AFTER EVENT

🚕 ✦ TANAKA - ZERO POINT

──────── ✦ ────────

• Please follow us for updates ✨

TANAKA - LINKTREE

linktr.ee/TANAKASL

──────── ✦ ────────

• Join Our Group for 5% OFF ALL STORE and Exclusive Gifts

secondlife:///app/group/8bb61282-ec5c-b56e-00d6-f5a108de3cc6/about

⛧⛧ Petal for Lazy Sunday!!! ⛧⛧ by Cult/ocult The Darker Alternative

46 1

★ Item ★ The Petal heels are a cute unique heel with with adorable details!

★ marketplace.secondlife.com/p/CULT-Petal-Heels-with-HUD/20...

★ Rigged For ★ Reborn ★ Legacy F ★ Maitreya ★ Kupra ★ GEN-X ★

★ Remember to always try the DEMOS!★Check for Body Type & Body MOD Compatibility★

★ Comes with a Color Control HUD for changeable color options

★ Cult LM ★ maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Champ/189/200/17

★ Cult's Social Media Links ★

⛧⛧ Azalea For Saturday Sale!!! ⛧⛧ by Cult/ocult The Darker Alternative

45 3

Hi Spookies & Culties, Here is your "must have these Cult Item's" Weekend Shopping List!!

★ Item ★ Azalea is an awesome pair of wedges that would go perfect with any outfit!

★ Rigged For ★ Reborn ★ Maitreya ★ Kupra ★ GEN-X ★ Legacy ★

★ Featuring Color Hud w/ 10 light colors & 10 dark colors & 3 metal colors!

★ Remember to always try the DEMOS!★ Check for Body Type & Body MOD Compatibility ★

★ Cult LM ★ maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Champ/189/200/17

★ Cult's Social Media Links ★

⛧⛧ Akino For 99L Sale & Nima For G.O.A.T66 Sale!!! ⛧⛧ by Cult/ocult The Darker Alternative

31 1

Hi Culties & Spookies, Time to kick off your weekend shopping just right!

★ Item ★ Akina Heels for 99L Sale! Nima Stompers for Goat66!

★ Rigged For ★ Reborn ★ Legacy Female ★ Maitreya-X ★ Lara ★ Kupra ★

★ Remember to always try the DEMOS!★Check for Body Type & Body MOD Compatibility★

★ Comes with a Color Control HUD for changeable color options

★ Cult LM ★ maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cult%20Coven/129/75/33

★ Cult's Social Media Links ★

[Important Announcement] by Mitsushiro Nakagawa

56 1

[Important Announcement]

The 2025 exhibition has been postponed.

Right now, I’m fully focused on writing.

I’ve been sharing fragments of the story here as I go.

It may seem like a small effort.

But sometimes, even a small spark can transform someone from within—

just like music once changed me.

That’s what I’ve always believed.

And this time, I truly believe in what I’m writing.

Hurting someone.

Loving someone.

Is there a wall that keeps us from loving freely?

Is money really the most important thing?

Is art meaningless?

I’ve poured everything into this novel.

That’s why I’ve decided to put the exhibition on hold for a year.

If all goes well, I may be able to release the novel sometime between January and February next year.

At the latest, it will be in late July 2026.

Right now, I’m completely absorbed in breaking through my own walls.

And I’m confident this story will entertain you—again and again.

So please look forward to it.

July 19, 2025

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Mitsushiro

Exhibition 2026

Theme

The Nightfly

This exhibition will reflect the world of my next novel,

B♭ (B Flat).

Images & Inspiration

Taylor Swift – This Love (with Japanese subtitles)

youtu.be/PfJzQuqWSSE?si=Y2g0HzhoVjnR46zS

Mitsushiro Nakagawa

Hosted by

Design Festa

designfesta.com

Venue

Tokyo Big Sight

www.bigsight.jp

Scheduled

Fall 2026

Contact

exhibition.mitsushiro.nakagawa@gmail.com

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

【重要なお知らせ】

２０２５年の展示は、延期します。

僕は現在、執筆に集中しています。

現在、その断片をここへアップロードしています。

その試みは、とても小さなことかもしれません。

しかし、その小さなきっかけがたったひとりの内面を塗り替えるかもしれません。

音楽が僕を変えたように。

僕はずっとそう信じてきました。

そして、僕は今回の小説に自信を持っています。

誰かを傷つけること。

誰かを愛すること。

誰かを愛することに壁があるのか。

お金がもっとも大切なのか。

アートは無意味なのか。

僕はこの小説にすべてを託しました。

ですので、僕は一年間、展示を見送る決断をしました。

小説の発表は、早くて来年の一月から２月ごろにできるかもしれません。

遅くて、来年の７月下旬です。

僕は今、自分の壁を越えることに夢中になっています。

僕の小説は、エンターテイメントとして、あなたを何度も楽しませるはずです。

楽しみに、待っていてください。

19.7,2025.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Mitsushiro.

２０２6年の展示

テーマ

The Nightfly

僕の次の小説。B♭（ビーフラット）

そのイメージになります。

Images.

Taylor Swift … This Love 【和訳】

youtu.be/PfJzQuqWSSE?si=Y2g0HzhoVjnR46zS

Mitsushiro - Nakagawa

主催

デザインフェスタ

designfesta.com

場所

東京ビッグサイト

www.bigsight.jp

日程

2026年秋。

exhibition.mitsushiro.nakagawa@gmail.com

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Aeon parking lot. Yachimata City. Chiba Prefecture. Japan. Shot on iPhone 13 Pro … 1 / 1

イオンの駐車場。八街市。千葉県。日本。iPhone 13 Pro shot … 1 / 1

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My new novel:

B♭ (B-flat)

There’s still more to come. 😃

(This is not the final draft.)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Scene: Garden 3‑4

Jack slumped deeply in the commander’s chair, his gaze sweeping across the pale glow of the monitor wall.

Camera feeds A17, A18, A19—all fixed on the arena’s center. Yet the security guard on the west side of the stands wasn’t watching there. His eyes were glued to the emergency exit at Section 212. Its sensor blinked once—a flash of red warning across the screen.

“A suspicious movement… the door sensor just lit up,” Jack's low voice vibrated through Ben’s earpiece.

Ben glanced upward at the monitors and whispered,

“Shall I go?”

“No,” Jack replied, his voice dropping. “Don’t leave your post. I’ll handle it.”

He paused, stern. “It’s probably nothing. But—stay alert. Keep your eyes peeled.”

Silence fell over each earpiece, the tension thickening. On the monitor, the door remained motionless—neither opening nor closing—frozen in stillness.

Jack burst from the briefing room, sprinted up from underground into the arena, his view sweeping the western stand. He looked up at the broad, flat ceiling of Madison Square Garden, sensed it swelling with the heat of the crowd. Cheers greeting the presidential candidate blended with jeers—clearly, anti‑Republicans had infiltrated.

Jack narrowed his gaze on the west stand, then lowered his eyes to his iPhone. Multiple social feeds scrolled with frenetic energy, and one post caught his attention: a murder threat, flashing in angry red text.

He dashed down the crowded corridor and reached the west stand, addressing a nearby guard:

“Evening. Everything clear on your end?”

The guard, clad in plain black suit with no tie—just a discreet earpiece—nodded, calm. He lifted his jacket slightly, revealing the outline of a Glock 19 at his waist. No hostility—just a tacit acknowledgment. Jack responded with a silent nod, their training speaking volumes.

“Door sensor tripped once. I’ll check visually.” Jack seized the cold metal handle and cast a glance down the corridor beyond. Darkness swallowed the path; silence reigned.

He spoke into his earpiece:

“All clear in the west stands. Security is solid.”

He patted the guard’s shoulder. “Stay alert.” The man returned a brief smile—and then lights died across the arena.

In the dark, red lasers lanced from ceiling to floor as a menacing bass drum rolled in from below. A crisp hi‑hat scythed in sixteenth‑notes; a heavy kick drum struck four‑on‑the‑floor. A low, rumbling bass synth layered in—and the very air of the arena began to pulse.

The crowd's heartbeat synchronized with the beat. Swirling smoke and laser cuts, the floor trembling. From deep within the sound, a processed male voice intoned again and again:

“Strength. Order. America.”

As smoke thickened the light, colossal center-hung screens flickered to life:

J U S T I N  B R A D F O R D

One spotlight pierced the gloom—red, then blue, finally white—tracing the American tricolor. Within its glow appeared a man: Justin. Clad in a dark‑navy tailored suit, a bold crimson tie signifying the Republican Party, a single white rose pinned to his lapel.

Moments later, another spotlight revealed Eleanor Blake, dressed in an elegant black gown, standing behind him. Hand in hand, they strode center stage, each step purposeful. The audience looked on, awestruck, shouting cheers:

—“Take back America!”—

Red, blue, and white lights danced across their feet. Eleanor paused; Justin stepped forward to the microphone as the music faded and lights dimmed again. Silence engulfed the arena.

He made no sound—only a slight, assured smile. That smile was a declaration of war. Saying everything without uttering a word. That posture—that was the bearing of a man who would become the most powerful leader in the world: President of the United States.

Justin scanned the crowd for a moment, then spoke in calm tones. His golden hair, blue eyes—mirroring Eleanor’s—lent gravity to his words:

“Good evening, New York. How’s your night going so far?”

He smiled at a woman in the front row. Following his father’s advice, he spoke as if addressing just one person, not an entire audience—

—“When I arrived in the parking lot tonight, I felt weighed down by the humidity. Eleanor whispered to me: ‘We chose the best course to protect you. Our team would risk their lives for you.’”

His voice rang clear. Thunderous applause erupted from tens of thousands. A wave of anticipation rolled toward the stage. The spotlight seemed to center itself in his eyes—and likewise in Eleanor’s.

“Tonight, we gather to put our will once again at the heart of this nation. To reclaim the ‘light’ America is forgetting. Over the past four years, our party restored the economy, brought back security, rebuilt national order. Now, it’s time to shine that light brighter—not as mere hope, but as our responsibility. If America shines again, the world will follow. We must seize that stronger, purer light. It will illuminate the world.”

Justin’s voice reverberated through the arena—until… a dry gunshot cracked the air from center stage.

Jack dove instinctively. His eyes darted upward to the giant screens: time froze. He saw Justin’s body convulse backwards, his jacket tail flipping off his left shoulder. The first bullet struck his left arm, the second to his left abdomen. Justin crumpled slowly, falling face‑first.

“Justin!” Eleanor’s scream cut across the stage. Her wide eyes fixed on him, trembling. A haze of tears blurred her vision. Secret Service agents shielded her, pulling her back.

“Hit the deck!” Guards and crowd shouted in chorus. Pandemonium erupted. Women's screams overlapped. The reverberation of gunfire lingered ominously in the cavernous space.

Unbeknownst to most, Jack’s ears had discerned two shots. He closed his eyes and re‑ran the sound—each fired from above—each from perilously close.

“Ben—where are you?” Jack pushed through collapsing spectators, heading to the stage.

“By Justin’s side. Missed his heart—just grazed left arm and abdomen. Not arterial, but bleeding heavily.”

“Medical team’s on the motorcade. Justin has Bombay blood—two bags ready on the ambulance. Start transfusion.”

“If that’s not enough, what about Elijah?”

“Either way, he’s en route. Bellevue Hospital stores Bombay bags—confirmed three days ago.”

Bombay blood: a rare type first found in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1952—not A, B, or O—afflicting about 1 in 10,000 in India, 1 in 2.5 million worldwide. It can only be transfused to someone of the same type.

Ben replied calmly.

They rushed Justin to Bellevue Hospital—the closest to the Garden. Jack called Elijah. Before the first ring ended, Elijah answered, breathless:

“Jack... this is bad. We’ve no blood—no Bombay stock.”

Jack couldn’t believe it.

“I saw the bags in person three days ago!”

Silence, then Elijah replied:

“The blood keeper was killed in a car crash yesterday.”

As Jack absorbed the news, his voice boomed over the arena’s PA, shaking the trembling building. The crowd froze and then shattered. Thousands surged toward exits—only to find them locked.

“There’s explosives in this building. Please, stay calm and head for the exits. I repeat—I am….”

Panic rippled. Eight exits in total—most had been sealed for VIP and motorcade security. The crowd funnelled into the remaining three.

Low moans grew to shrieks. People trampled the fallen. A little girl's white blouse had turned grey, her teddy flattened. During flight, no one looked back. At one exit, dozens collapsed, graves to the trampling. The weight buckled railings, jammed the door.

“Doors won’t open!” “There’s children—!” Screams scattered. Security couldn’t reach the scene. Orders were drowned in noise. Control evaporated.

“The crowd is uncontrollable, Jack,” came Zakaria’s voice through the PA, along with a simultaneous link to staff smartphones.

“You got my email? Open the link. No virus, I promise.”

Hurriedly, Jack checked his phone. The site loaded:

“Good evening, New York—and Los Angeles. My name is Zakaria Haddad. My real name. Five years ago, I lived in Gaza. Now I sit in a room many of you recognize.”

On the screen, a brown-skinned man with a trimmed beard—Zakaria—seated in a chair eerily like the Oval Office. Three green-curtained windows behind him—the color favored by Prophet Muhammad. A portrait of Ibn Sina hung on the wall, his gaze deep, delicate—reaching from time’s past to the present.

Zakaria glanced at his watch, then back at camera—an unreadable dark joy flickering in his eyes.

“Breaking news—watch your phone alerts.” Instantly:

Former Democratic President Owen Reed shot at Los Angeles Convention Center

Zakaria hid a wry smile.

“A sad update, America. But don’t mourn. In Gaza, we suffered 55,000 times this. We lost over 55,000 dear souls—and we wept.”

He averted his gaze, clasped both hands, slammed his fist onto the desk. The air thickened. Yet in his eyes brimmed silent tears—quiet sorrow.

“We do not seek money or glory in death. We seek tears equal to the 55,000. Only tears can heal us.”

He rested his elbows, folded his hands, chin supported. A long pause. His eyes twitched with small sorrowful motions.

Zakaria rotated a framed photo toward the camera.

“My family. More precious than my life. Gone in an instant.”

There was no hatred in his voice—only respect and gentle grief. He began again.

“I was one among those 55,000. Even if I perish, their wills persist. I stand here to voice our will.”

He quietly reached into his right drawer, withdrew a Glock 17, chambered a round, and placed the barrel against his temple. His eyes were merciful—gentle, embracing his lost family.

As a Sunni, he stared straight at the camera:

“God bless America.”

Backlit by three blazing windows, he closed his eyes and pulled the trigger. The dry crack snapped through the room. The camera jerked—then the screen went black.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Previous notes

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www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54639396885/in/dateposted...

2

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54628511025/in/dateposted...

1

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54599616429/in/dateposted...

Note: I gave a brief explanation of this novel in the following video:

youtu.be/3w65lqUF-YI?si=yG7qy6TPeCL9xRJV

iTunes Playlist Link::

music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b/pl.u-47DJGhopxMD

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Notes

1. "Bombay Blood Type (hh type)"

•Characteristics: A rare blood type that lacks the usual ABO antigens — cannot be classified as A, B, or O.

•Discovery: First identified in 1952 in Mumbai, India (formerly Bombay).

•Prevalence: Roughly 1 in 10,000 people in India; globally, about 1 in 2.5 million.

•Transfusion Compatibility: Only compatible with blood from other Bombay type donors.

2. 2024 Harvard University Valedictorian Speech – The Power of Not Knowing

youtu.be/SOUH8iVqSOI?si=Ju-Y728irtcWR71K

3. Shots Fired at Trump Rally

youtu.be/1ejfAkzjEhk?si=ASqJwEmkY-2rW_hT

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Aeon parking lot. Yachimata City. Chiba Prefecture. Japan. Shot on iPhone 13 Pro … 1 / 1

イオンの駐車場。八街市。千葉県。日本。iPhone 13 Pro shot … 1 / 1

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

僕の新しい小説。

　B♭　（ビーフラット）

まだまだ投下します。😃

(最終稿ではありません。)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

場面　ガーデン３−４

　指揮官席に深く腰を落としていたジャックは、青白いモニター群をくまなく睨んでいた。

　カメラ番号A17、A18、A19──いずれもアリーナ中央を捉えている。だが、スタンド席西側の警備員の視線が集中していたのは、そこではなかった。彼が見つめていたのはセクション212の非常扉だった。その扉のセンサーが、わずか一度だけ、反応を示し、ディスプレイに赤い警告が走った。

「不審な動きだな。ドアのセンサーが一瞬、点いた」

　ジャックの低い声が、ベンのイヤピースを震わせた。

　ベンは即座に頭上のモニターを見上げ、囁くように言った。

「行くか？」

「…いや。持ち場は離れるな。俺が行く」

　ジャックの声がわずかに低くなった。

「たぶん、気のせいだ。ただし──全員、警戒は解くな。そのまま、周囲に意識を集中しておけ」

　それぞれのイヤピースに静寂が落ち、張り詰めた空気で満ちた。

　モニターに今映っている扉は、開くことも、閉じることもなく、ただ沈黙している。

　ジャックはブリーフィングルームを飛び出し、スタンド席、西側が見渡せるアリーナまで、地下から駆け上がった。

　マジソンスクエアガーデンの平坦な天井は、吐き出された人の熱気でいつもより膨らんでいるように、ジャックには見えた。大統領候補を歓迎する声とそれを罵倒する叫び声が錯綜し、鼓膜の奥を揺らした。どうやら反共和党も紛れ込んでいるようだ。

　ジャックは、スタンド席西側へしばらく目を凝らしてから、手元のアイフォンに目を落とした。画面には、いくつかのSNSが同時に広がっており、それぞれが激しい書き込みによって文字が流れてゆく。右下の、メタの書き込みに、ジャックは目を留めた。殺害予告のメッセージが走り、赤く灯っている。ジャックは喧騒に満ちた通路を駆け抜け、スタンド席西側へ着くと、警備員へ声を掛けた。

「おつかれ。異常はないか？」

　ジャックはさりげなく背筋を伸ばした。ジャケットの背中越しに、腰の中央──背骨の下に沿ってぴたりと固定されたグロック19の存在を確かめた。

「どうも。こちらは異常ありませんよ。何かありましたか？」

　黒のスーツで、胸元にネクタイはない、プレーン・クロースの私設セキュリティだ。視線は沈着で、イヤピースから伸びるコードが耳の下に覗いている。男は一瞬、ジャックを睨むように見たが、ジャケットの裾を軽く持ち上げ、ホルスターの形をわずかに見せた。男に敵意はなかった。それが合図だった。ジャックも同じように、背筋を伸ばしながら無言で頷いた。この沈黙こそが、互いの訓練と経験を示していた。

「ドアのセンサーが一度反応した。目視で確認する」

　ジャックは、冷たい金属の取っ手を掴み、扉の奥を一瞥した。辺りは暗闇に沈み、静まり返っていた。

　ジャックはその場からすぐにイヤピースで伝えた。

「スタンド席西側に異常はなかった。セキュリティーにも問題はない」

　ジャックは、男の肩を軽く叩いて、いった。

「引き続き、頼む」

　男が笑顔でジャックに挨拶すると、アリーナの照明が一気に落ちた。

　闇の中、赤いレーザーがガーデンの天井から床まで、縦横に切り裂き、重く低く唸るような打ち込みの硬質なバスドラがアリーナの底から噴き上がった。ハイハットが16分音符で刻まれ、深く沈むキックドラムが四拍を正確に打つ。そこに、低くうねるベース・シンセが重なり、会場全体の空気そのものが脈打つように震え始めた。

　観客の鼓動が、低く分厚い音にシンクロし始めた。スモークが舞い、赤いレーザーが切り裂く中、床の震えが増していった。低いベース音に重なった奥から、加工された男性の声が繰り返し聞こえてくる。

“Strength.（強さ） Order.（秩序） America.”

　場内のスモークが、光を濁らせるようにさらに舞うと、巨大なセンター・ハング・スクリーンに文字が浮かび上がった。

J U S T I N・B R A D F O R D

　その瞬間、中央のスポットライトが、ひとつだけ点いた。赤から青へ──そして白へと、アメリカの三色をなぞるように変化する演出だ。

　その光の中、男が姿を現した。

ジャスティンだ。ダークネイビーのテーラードスーツに、共和党を示す真紅のネクタイを巻いている。胸元には一輪の白いバラのピンバッジが添えられていた。

　数秒遅れて、彼の背後にもうひとつ光が射した。漆黒のドレスを纏ったエリノア・ブレイクがスポットライトを浴びている。

　ふたりは笑顔で手を取り合うと、ゆっくりステージ中央へ歩み始めた。彼らの歩みに迷いはなかった。強さと秩序の意志を現した姿に、観客の誰もがその姿を見上げ、歓声を上げている。

ー　アメリカを取り戻せ！　ー

　マイクスタンドへ近づくにつれ、アリーナの熱はさらに帯び、波のようにうねった。

　赤、青、白の光がジャスティンらの足元を錯綜した。

　エリノアを残し、ジャスティンは、一歩前に出て、マイクの前に立った。

　音楽が静かにフェードアウトし、照明が再び落ちていく。

──　その瞬間、全アリーナが沈黙に包まれた。

　彼は、何も言わず、ただ口元に微笑みを浮かべた。その微笑みが、宣戦布告に等しかった。

　語らずに、何かを語っている。

　それが、世界でもっとも権力を持つ、アメリカ大統領の姿勢なのだ。

　ジャスティンは、しばらく観衆を見渡してから、穏やかな口調でいった。エリノアと同じ金色に煌めく髪とブルーの瞳が、彼の言葉をさらに支えるようだ。

「こんばんは。ニューヨーク。今日は、いいことがあったかい？」

　ジャスティンは、微笑みながら、最前列の女性に問いかけた。彼は、父のルールを守っていた。多くの聴衆に語るのではなく、たったひとりの身近な人へ言葉を伝えるのだ　ーー

「僕は今日、駐車場に着いた時、気が滅入ったよ。ひどい湿気に陰鬱になった。でも、ここにいるエリノアが僕に言ったんだ。あなたを守るために、スタッフは最善の手段を選んだ、とね。そして、スタッフはみな、僕のために命を賭けてくれると」

　歯切れよく言い切ったジャスティンの言葉に、再び観衆は沸いた。数万人の熱波がステージへ押し寄せた。

　ジャスティンの目には、ステージにあった光を収束させたような輝きがあった。もちろん、エリノアの青い瞳にもだ。

「今夜、僕らがここに集まったのは、それぞれの意志を、再びこの国の中心に叩き込むためだ。アメリカが忘れかけている“光”を、もう一度我々の手に取り戻すためだ。この4年間、我が党は経済を立て直し、治安を取り戻し、国家の秩序を再構築した。今、私たちはその“光”をもっと強く照らす時に来ている。それは、ただの希望ではない。責任だ。アメリカが再び輝けば、世界はそれに倣う。そして、もっと強い、鮮明な光を私たちは手にしなければならない。アメリカが強い光を取り戻すことで、世界をくまなく照らすことができるのだ。私たちには、もっとそれができるはずだ」

　ジャスティンの声が、再び会場を震わせた瞬間、乾いた銃声が響いた。ステージ中央あたりからだ。ジャックは音と同時に身を屈め、アリーナの頭上に展開した巨大なセンター・ハング・スクリーンに目をやった。ジャックには映る全ての時間が止まっていた。ジャスティンの身体が弾けたように背後へ揺れた。ジャケットの裾がゆっくり翻り、左肩から崩れてゆく。たぶん、最初の弾は左肩に着弾した。その後、再びジャスティンは前屈みになった。二発目は左腹部だ。ジャスティンの身体は、床へスローモーションのように崩れ落ち、うつぶした。

　「ジャスティン！」

　エリノアの矯正がステージに響いた。大きく見開いた瞳が、一点を見つめまま、細かく揺れている。一瞬にして透明な薄い膜が幾重にも重なって滲み、零れた。

　ジャスティンへ近づこうとするエリノアの体を前面から覆うようにしてSPが抑え込み、引き離している。

「伏せろ！」というSPと観客からの声が同時に周囲を支配した途端、観客席は混乱に包まれた。

　女性らの悲鳴が錯綜し、誰か、とやはり別の女性の声がかぶさった。すでに消えている銃声の余韻が、巨大な会場に重く残って覆っている。

　ステージにいた者以外は、一聴しただけでは気づかなかったがジャックの耳は聴き分けていた。弾は間違いなく２発だった。騒然とした場内をよそに、ジャックは静かに目を閉じた。発射音から着弾までを想像した。一発目の弾は、ジャスティンのほぼ頭上からだった。そして、もう一発もだ。発射音から着弾までの様子からしておそらくかなりの近距離だ。

「ベン、どこだ」

　ジャックは、出口へ卒倒してゆく観客らを抗うようにしてステージへ近づいていく。ベンの冷静な声がすぐに聞こえてきた。

「ジャスティンのそばだ。心臓ははずれているが、左肩と左腹部をかすめているようだ。動脈には達していないが出血がひどい」

「車列にあった救護班がすぐにいく。ジャスティンはボンベイブラッドだ。救急車にブラッドバッグが二つ備えてある。とりあえず輸血するはずだ」

「足らなかった場合は、イライジャのところか？」

「いずれにしても搬入だ。ベルビュー病院にブラッドバッグが保管されている。予備の輸血だ。三日前に確認した」

　ボンベイブラッドとは、１９５２年にインドのムンバイ、旧ボンベイで初めて確認された、通常のA、B、Oには分類されない特殊な血液型だ。インドでは１万人にひとり程度だが、世界的には２５０万人に１人ともいわれているもので、同じボンベイ型からボンベイ型への輸血しかできない。

　ベンは、冷静にわかったといった。

　マジソンスクエアガーデンに最も近いベルビュー病院にジャスティンを運び込む。ジャックは、病院で控えているイライジャに直接電話した。ワンコールが切れる前にすぐイライジャは反応した。

「ジャック、大変だ。血液がない。ボンベイブラッドがないんだ」

　ジャックは、耳を疑った。

「三日前に、俺は直接担当の、名前は忘れたな。とにかく目の前でブラッドバッグを確認したぞ」

　イライジャは、数秒の沈黙の後、応えた。

「その血液の管理者は、きのう、交通事故で亡くなったんだ」

　ジャックがその言葉に沈黙していると、場内にジャックの声でアナウンスが流れた。すでに震えているガーデンをさらにその声が震わせた。ジャックは、再びスクリーンに目をやったが、音声だけがジャックの声だった。

「みなさん、落ち着いてください。私はシークレットサービスのジャック・バンスです。この建物には爆薬が仕掛けられていますが、みなさん、落ち着いて、出口へ向かってください。繰り返します。私は….」

　場内の空気が一瞬にして、硬直した。同時に、崩壊した。パニックはすぐに伝染した。数千の観客は、波紋のように大きく揺れ、一斉に出口へ傾れ込んだ。しかし、ジャスティンへの発砲と同時に出口は封鎖されていた。

　メインアリーナの出入口は合計8つ――だがその多くは、来賓警備や車列誘導のためにすでに封鎖されていた。群衆の大半が、残された3つの出入口に集中した。

　低い声から高い叫び声。倒れた人間を踏みつける足。転倒した白いブラウスの少女はすでに黒ずんでいる。小さな熊のぬいぐるみの顔が真っ平らになっている。

　人は、逃げるときに後ろを見ない。出入口の一つでは、すでに数人が折り重なるように倒れ、その上をさらに何十人もの足が越えていった。荷重により手すりが歪み、出口の一部が完全に塞がれる。

　「ドアが開かない！」

　「子どもが――！」

　叫び声が乱れ飛び、場内警備は現場への到達すら困難な状態だった。あらゆる指示が雑音にかき消され、もはや群衆は誰の言葉も聞いていなかった。

　制御不能の肉の波――それが、人間の集団というものだった。

「この程度の混乱ではなかったぞ、ジャック」

　ザカリアの声が切ったはずのPAから場内へ響いた。同時に、ジャックら警備スタッフへのスマートフォンへリンク先の案内がいっせいに届いた。

「メールが届いただろう？　リンク先を開け。安心しろ、ウィルスは除去済みだ」

　ザカリアが笑いを抑え、皮肉混じりにいった。

　ジャックは後ろポケットから慌てて、アイフォンを開いた。１件のメール着信を開くと、サイトが現れた。

「こんばんは、ニューヨーク。そしてロサンゼルス。私の名前はザカリア・ハッダード。本名だ。５年前、ガザに住んでいた。今は、みなさんがよく目にする部屋を真似た部屋に私はいる」

　褐色の、顎髭をたくわえたザカリアは、アメリカ大統領執務室とほとんど同じ部屋の椅子に座っていた。背後に見える三つの大きな窓には、グリーンのカーテンが掛けられている。預言者ムハンマドが好んだ色だ。

　壁面には、剣ではなく詩と理性で世界を導こうとした男、イブン・シーナーの肖像画が掛けられていた。その眼差しは、ワシントンよりも深く、リンカーンよりも繊細なもので、遥か遠く、消え去った時間の底からこちらを見据えているようだった。

　ザカリアは腕時計に目を落としてから、再び、カメラに視線を向けた。目には言葉にできない喜びのような暗い影が落ちている。

「そろそろブレイキングニュースだ。スマートフォンの速報に注目して欲しい」

　ザカリアがそういった途端、速報が流れた。

【民主党前大統領のオーウェン・リードがロサンゼルス・コンベンション・センターで銃撃された模様です】

　ザカリアは、一瞬俯いて笑いを堪えながらいった。

「悲しい速報じゃないか。アメリカのみなさん。でもどうか悲しまないで欲しい。私が経験したガザではこの55,000倍だ。55,000人以上の大切な人を失い、そして、涙を流した」

　ザカリアはカメラから目を逸らし、俯いた。そして両手を固く握りしめ、力強く机を叩きつけた。部屋の空気が硬直した。重く固まった空気が画像からも伝わってくる。しかし、顔を上げたザカリアの目にはうっすらと涙が溢れていた。静かな涙だった。

「私たちは、お金を求めない。また、死による名誉も求めない。私たちが欲しいのは、55,000人が流した涙と同じだけの涙だ。流された涙と同じだけの涙だけが、私たちを癒す」

　両肘を机につき、両手を組むと、ザカリアは静かに顎を乗せた。目を閉じて、しばらく沈黙が続いた。目尻が細かく震えているようだった。

　ザカリアはデスクにあったフォトフレームをカメラへ向け、反転させた。

「私の家族だ。私の命よりも大切な家族だ。すべて一瞬で奪われたよ」

　彼の言葉に憎しみはなかった。語尾には、亡くなったものへの敬意とたくさんの優しさを詰め込んだ静けさが含まれている。続けて、ザカリアはゆっくり口を開いた。

「55,000人のうちの私はひとりに過ぎない。私が消えても55,000人もの意思は決して消えず、引き継がれる。私は、私たちの意思をここに表明するためにいる」

　ザカリアは、向かって右手の机の引き出しにそっと手を伸ばした。引き出しから、グロック１７を取り出すと、スライドしてチャンバーに弾を流した。そして、銃口を自分のこめかみに当てた。ザカリアの目からは憎悪は消えていた。穏やかで、亡くなった家族を包み込むようなやさしい眼差しだった。

　スンニ派である彼は、まっすぐにカメラを見つめ、いった。

「神のご加護を。アメリカ」

　執務室の三つの窓から差し込んだ眩い逆光の中、ザカリアは、静かに目を閉じると、トリガーを真っ直ぐに引いた。乾いた銃声が部屋に響いた。一瞬、カメラが横へぶれたが、映像は瞬時に黒へ切り替わった。

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

これまでのメモ

3

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54639396885/in/dateposted...

2

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54628511025/in/dateposted...

1

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54599616429/in/dateposted...

追記　この小説を多少説明しました。

youtu.be/3w65lqUF-YI?si=yG7qy6TPeCL9xRJV

iTunes Playlist Link::

music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b/pl.u-47DJGhopxMD

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

メモ

1

「Bombay型（ボンベイ型、hh型）」

•特徴：通常のABO血液型を持たない（A、B、Oに分類されない）特殊な型。

•発見地：1952年、インド・ムンバイ（旧ボンベイ）で初めて確認。

•発生頻度：インドでは1万人に1人程度だが、世界的には約250万人に1人とも。

•輸血制限：同じBombay型しか輸血できない。

2

2024年ハーバード大学首席の卒業式スピーチ『知らないことの力』

youtu.be/SOUH8iVqSOI?si=Ju-Y728irtcWR71K

3

Shots fired at Trump rally

youtu.be/1ejfAkzjEhk?si=ASqJwEmkY-2rW_hT

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Star Mesh Body 3.81 by Star Mesh Body

6

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1:72 Bell AH-1G+ ’Cobra’; ‘(71-4)884’ of the Indonesian Army Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD) Skadron-31; Army Airbase Ahmad Yani, Semarang/Central Java, 1984 (What-if/Fujimi kit cross-bashing) by Dizzyfugu

7 2

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The formation of the Indonesian Air Force came eight months after the former Dutch East Indies unilaterally declared independence from the Netherlands. The Netherlands initially did not recognize this, and a War of Independence ensued, which lasted until 1949. The Indonesian Air Force (Indonesian: Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU), literally "Indonesian National Military-Air Force") used some machines left behind by the Japanese occupiers, but these were not of decisive importance for the war. Incidentally, the national insignia used until 1949 was only the red "sun" painted white in the lower half.

The 1950s were marked by domestic operations. Contrary to the Independence Treaty, which envisaged a federal state, Indonesia quickly became a unitary state. This included the deployment in the Christian-dominated Republic of the South Moluccas, which had unilaterally renounced itself, as well as against Islamic (Darul Islam) and democratic (Permesta) movements. The latter was secretly supported by the CIA, and, in the course of this skirmish, an Indonesian Mustang managed to shoot down a B-26 Invader piloted by a CIA pilot.
The need to prop up to what became Operation Trikora in Netherlands New Guinea, and the rise of the Communist Party of Indonesia, drew Indonesia closer to the Eastern Bloc. Several Soviet-built aircraft began to arrive in the early 1960s including the MiG-15UTI from Czechoslovakia, MiG-17F/PF, MiG-19S and MiG-21F-13, in addition to Ilyushin Il-28, Mil Mi-4, Mil Mi-6, Antonov An-12 and Avia 14 also from Czechoslovakia. Indonesia also received Lavochkin La-11, and some Tupolev Tu-2 from China arrived, too. It was during this period that the Indonesian Air Force became the first Air Force in Southeast Asia which acquired the capability of strategic bombing by acquiring the new Tupolev Tu-16 in 1961. Around 25 Tu-16KS were delivered, complete with AS-1 air-surface missiles.

The Sixties also marked the last confrontation with the Dutch in Papua, before the Dutch, again under pressure of the United Nations, left in 1963. Indonesia made territorial claims to the young nation and the Konfrontasi ensued between 1963 and 1966. During this era a coup attempt led by the 30 September Movement in 1965 changed everything and a new anti-communist regime from the Army, led by Major General Suharto, took power. The Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Marshall Omar Dani was removed from his position and court-martialed for his purported involvement in the coup. Ties with the Eastern bloc countries were cut, and thus support and spare parts for the planes became short.
By August 1968, the situation was critical and in early 1970, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Suwoto Sukandar, said that the spare parts situation meant that only 15–20 percent of aircraft were airworthy. The result was a total re-orientation for the air force material’s procurement, and the considerable Indonesian MiG force already made its farewell flight with a flypast of Jakarta in 1970. The relatively new MiG-19s were sold to Pakistan. By October 1970, only one Tu-16 was still flying, but after an in-flight engine failure, it too was grounded. But despite the problems, the Air Force still served with distinction in fighting militant remnants of the CPI in Java's provinces, particularly in Central and East Java.

With Suharto's assumption of the presidency and the office of Commander in Chief in 1967, the focus shifted to fighting the communist PGRS/Paraku insurgency. The Air Force launched Operation Lightning Strike (Indonesian: Operasi Samber Kilat) to support ground troops eradicate Sarawak communists that were present in West Kalimantan and along Indonesia-Malaysia border by dropping troops to the target area, dropping logistical assistance, VIP transportation, medical evacuation and recon flights.

The period between 1970 and 1980 saw a rebirth of the TNI-AU. The Air Force began to be re-equipped by receiving refurbished former Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) CAC Sabres – an Australian re-design of the F-86 Sabre with a Rolls-Royce Avon engine – to replace the MiG-21s. Pakistan Air Force took over the responsibility to train Indonesian pilots in the Sabre and in logistical aspects of the Air Force. In 1973, the United States started to supply military assistance including T-33s trainers and UH-34D helicopters in exchange for four old MiG-21F-13s, which were shipped to the US for evaluation. Over the next three years, the US also supplied 16 North American Rockwell OV-10 Broncos counter-insurgency aircraft and F-5E/F Tiger II fighters, in exchange for which the Indonesian Air Force handed over the majority of its remaining airworthy MiG-21F-13s, which were used to form a US Air Force Aggressor squadron. In the late 1970s, Indonesia also purchased BAE Hawk Mk 53s trainers from the United Kingdom.

In 1974, after the Portuguese Carnation Revolution, the last major European colonial empire was dissolved. As a result, the until-then Portuguese part of the island of Timor declared itself the independent Republic of Timor-Leste in November 1975. After the defeat in Vietnam and with a view to establishing socialist states in the two large African former Portuguese colonies, the USA and Australia did not want to let another socialist statelet develop in the region. Thus, just a few days after the declaration of independence, the young republic was invaded, with the TNI-AU and the Army Air Force (TNI-AD) dropping parachutists over East Timor, and, as a result, a year-long guerrilla war began.
To combat the rebels and the civilians supporting them, the US supplied more close air support aircraft to the TNI-AU, namely more OV-10 Broncos as well as twenty-five AH-1G attack helicopters, the latter refurbished US Army material left over from the Vietnam War. Beyond the 70 mm “hydra” unguided missiles, which were carried in pods with either seven or nineteen rounds, Indonesia also received several XM35 armament subsystems with a XM195 20 mm cannon – a fixed gatling gun that was carried on the inner left weapon station and was combined with a conformal external ammunition supply. Those roundabout ten machines capable of carrying this weapon were recognizable by additional external armor plates on the cockpit’s left flank, because XM195’s gun blast could damage the airframe.

In the early 1980s, the Indonesian Air Force, needing modern strike aircraft, organized “Operation Alpha” to clandestinely acquire ex-Israeli Air Force A-4 Skyhawks. Air Force personnel were sent in secret by different routes and eventually Indonesia received 32 aircraft. To further boost and modernize its air force, Indonesia purchased in 1982 sixteen more Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II from the United States to replace their CAC Sabres under the Peace Komodo I and II procurement program, and the AH-1Gs (21 were still operational) received a MLU program and were upgraded, too. They received new Kaman K-747 composite material main rotor blades and passive countermeasures, like a diffusor for the hot engine efflux (making them less vulnerable to man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), which had become a ubiquitous threat) and an improved armor protection for cockpit and the engine. Wire cutters were fitted, and a bigger, more effective oil cooler, too. Since it protruded from the lower fuselage, a unique armored fairing was devised and protected the cooler from arms of up to 23 mm caliber.
The Indonesian Cobras’ armament was improved, too: their original M28 chin turrets were replaced with the M97 system that comprises a three-barrel 20 mm gatling gun, which had more range and firepower against lightly armored targets than the AH-1G’s original 7.62 mm minigun and 40 mm grenade launchers. Since the Indonesian Cobras were still only operated in the daylight CAS role, they did not receive further sensors and avionics, e. g. the M65 TOW/Cobra anti-tank missile subsystem with a Telescopic Sight Unit (TSU) or a laser rangefinder, which had been introduced with the US Army’s AH-1Q in 1975. For the new M97, however a helmet-mounted sight was introduced, and the crews received night vision/low-light goggles, even though these were independent from the helm-mounted sight. After their modifications between 1982 and 1984, the TNI-AD Cobras were unofficially re-designated “AH-1G+”.

Even though the Cobras’ firepower and effectiveness were improved, the composite rotors soon turned out to be troublesome. The hot and humid climate in Indonesia weakened the bonding and eventually disrupted the material structure – a weakness that also appeared among retrofitted US Army AH-1s, but not as dramatically. As a result, wear and tear were considerably worse than on the former all-metal blades, even though the helicopters’ handling was better with the new rotors and overall weight was reduced. However, a spectacular and dramatic crash in 1985 showed the imminent risks of the composite blades: three of four AH-1G+s in a tight formation over Aceh in Western Indonesia crashed after a 24 kg rotor balance weight of one machine came loose in flight and hit a sister ship, fatally destroying its engine and the gearbox. Spinning out of control it collided with another Cobra in the same formation, and all three helicopters crashed, with all six crewmen killed. The TNI-AD’s AH-1G+s were immediately grounded, the ongoing rotor conversion was stopped and subsequently all already modified AH-1G+s had their original all-metal rotor blades re-installed – a measure that took almost a year to accomplish and lasted until early 1987.

After this troublesome phase, the TNI-AD’s Cobras were kept busy, with frequent deployments during the Aceh Insurgency and the East Timor conflict. They soldiered on into the new millennium, even though some machines were lost in accidents or through small arms ground fire, and less and less machines remained airworthy due to the airframes’ age. In 2003, only six AH-1G+ were still operational, and even these machines had reached the ultimate end of their useful service life after more than 30 years of frequent duty. They were in September of the same year replaced by Mil Mi-35P attack helicopters, directly procured from Russia, of which several batches were acquired throughout the following years.

General characteristics:

Crew: 2: one pilot, one co-pilot/gunner (CPG)

Length: 53 ft (16 m) including rotors

Fuselage length: 44 ft 5 in (13.5 m)

Main rotor diameter: 44 ft 0 in (13.4 m)

Main rotor area: 1,520 sq ft (141 m²)

Blade section: NACA 0009.3 mod

Width: 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) stub wings

Height: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)

Empty weight: 5,810 lb (2,635 kg)

Max takeoff weight: 9,500 lb (4,309 kg)

Powerplant:

1× Lycoming T53-L-13 turboshaft, 1,400 shp (1,000 kW)

Performance:

Maximum speed: 149 kn (171 mph, 276 km/h)

Never exceed speed: 190 kn (220 mph, 350 km/h)

Range: 310 nmi (360 mi, 570 km)

Service ceiling: 11,400 ft (3,500 m)

Rate of climb: 1,230 ft/min (6.2 m/s)

Armament:

1× 20 mm (0.707 in) three-barreled M197 20 mm cannon in a chin turret with 750 rounds

4× hardpoints under the stub wings, primarily used for 2.75 in (70 mm) rockets mounted in

M158 seven-round or M200 nineteen-round launchers; alternatively, M14 12.7 mm machine

gun or M18 7.62 mm Minigun pods could be carried or a single XM35 armament subsystem with

a XM195 20 mm gatling cannon

The kit and its assembly:

This fictional Bell AH-1 Cobra is the result of a cross-bashing of two Fujimi kits of this helicopter, namely the AH-1S and the AH-1J kit. I had both in The Stash™ and recently came across the Iranian HESA-2091 ‘Tiztak’, an indigenous refurbished AH-1J with flat armor glazing. Since both Fujimi kits could theoretically be combined to build this exotic Cobra derivative, I decided to try this stunt – and it left me with enough surplus parts to build something like an early/standard AH-1G.

However, combining the parts from both kits turned out to be more challenging than expected. The biggest problem was to adapt the AH-1J’s standard glazing to the respective opening on the AH-1S hull: the clear part is bigger/longer than the later flat, armored glazing, so that the fuselage area at the canopy’s rear end had to be cut away. Fitting the clear part into this widened opening furthermore called for delicate PSR work to fill gaps and bridge the transition between parts that were never meant to be stuck together – but it worked, somehow.

To set the fictional AH-1G+ apart a bit further I made some cosmetic changes: the main rotor was modified to resemble Kaman composite blades (recognizable through the tapered blade tips) that were introduced with the AH-1S (and actually turned out to be not very durable!), and a “Sugar Scoop” thermal diffusor was scratched from a piece of styrene tube. I furthermore added a ventral blade antenna and a fairing for an enlarged oil cooler – it’s actually a H0 scale Euro pallet! The blade cutters were scratched from styrene sheet. The rest was primarily taken from the AH-1J kit, e. g. the simple/early nose tip, the ordnance and the M97 chin turret. The pilot figures came from the Fujimi kit, too.

Painting and markings:

Indonesia as fictional operator for this helicopter model was inspired by TNI-AD markings (the standard TNI-AU pentagon with an additional black star in the middle) that were left over on a TL Modellbau sheet with generic national markings. The Seventies/Eighties offered a suitable time frame for the Cobras’ procurement, and from this starting point anything developed quite naturally.

However, I did not want to paint the AH-1 in a simple all-olive drab livery, and found in the Indonesian C-130 Hercules a nice painting option: at some point in time these transporters received a unique three-tone camouflage that consists of a reddish chocolate brown, a bluish dark green and a greyish grass green, combined with very light grey undersides.

For the AH-1, the pattern was directly adopted from the C-130s’ fuselage and the colors approximated, since I doubt that the paints conform to FS standards. I used Humbrol 133 (Satin Brown), ModelMaster 2060 (RAF WWII Dark Green) and a 2:1 mix of Humbrol 80 (Grass Green) and Revell 45 (Helloliv). The light grey underside was omitted, for a wraparound scheme.

The cockpit interior became very dark grey (Revell 06, Anthracite), the rotor blades tar black (Revell 09), and a black anti-glare panel was placed in front of the windscreen. For some variety I painted the 19 round rocket launchers in olive drab while the 7 round launchers for the inner stations became very light grey, so that they’d be better visible.

The decals were improvised. The TNI-AD roundels and the small Indonesian fin flashes came from the aforementioned TL Modellbau sheet. The tactical codes on the nose and the taglines on the flank consist of single black letters. The serial number on the tail came from an Iranian F-4D Phantom II sheet from Model Scale, it matched the intended time frame well. The only original decals are the small red tail rotor warning arrows.

After a light black ink washing, some post-panel-shading and an overall treatment with graphite to emphasize the kit’s fine, raised panel lines, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and finally assembled.

Well, this “kitbashed” AH-1G with some mods is certainly not the best model of this helicopter type, but a good use of leftover parts from the “counter-bashed” project. Compatibility between the Fujimi AH-1S and AH-1J is limited, though, especially the canopy does not fit easily and calls for some delicate bodywork. However, with the garish paint scheme (which, as I found out after the kit had been finished, resembles a lot the livery of the illegal North Korean Hughes 500MD Defenders!) and the exotic TNI-AD markings, this Cobra really stands out und looks quite unusual.

I’m writing this at a Denny’s in Japan. :)Even after writing for 5 hours, it feels like just 60 minutes. ^^ iPhone 13 Pro shot :) by Mitsushiro Nakagawa

66 1

I’m writing this at a Denny’s in Japan. :)

Even after writing for 5 hours, it feels like just 60 minutes. ^^

iPhone 13 Pro shot :)

My new novel:

B♭ (Be Flat)

Dropping more content! 😃

(Still not finalized yet.)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Scene: Madison Square Garden 2

A low murmur swept down the avenue in front of the Garden as a black lead sedan and a fleet of white motorcycle escorts slowly rolled in. Four armored limousines followed, flanked by NYPD and state police SUVs. Behind them trailed a line of communication trucks, ambulances, and news vans—no more than fifty vehicles in all, but the weight of their presence was overwhelming.

The motorcade moved as if traffic signals held no meaning. The street had been completely shut down, and the convoy advanced in perfect synchrony. Police radio chatter leaked from the vehicles, while the blocked-off sidewalks were crowded with reporters clutching cameras and riot police standing firm. Near the center, three jet-black SUVs carried CAT operatives, their eyes scanning the street like silent sentinels from behind suppressor-equipped rifles.

On top of the limousines, state-of-the-art jamming devices disrupted all outside signals. Trailing them was a “Roadrunner” communications command vehicle bristling with antennas, maintaining real-time encrypted communication with the command center beneath the Garden.

At the tail end were fire department rapid response units, a hazmat vehicle, and two ambulances. The arrival of a presidential candidate was no longer a mere movement—it was a military operation. The city responded like a living neural network, absorbing and adjusting to the convoy’s every move.

Onlookers lined the barricades—civilians raising smartphones overhead, and journalists with grim faces behind their lenses. No one spoke. The crowd stood in solemn silence, bathed in the red and blue pulses of rotating lights, watching as the procession swept past like a scene from a film. But this wasn’t a movie. The silence was real. No one dared crack a joke.

Sniper teams were stationed on rooftops around the Garden. Occasionally, the word “clear” crackled over the comms. Inside the building, only those who had passed facial recognition were permitted to take position. In the chilled surveillance room where Jack sat, hundreds of camera feeds rotated every few seconds across the screens.

Inside the presumed presidential limousine, darkness cloaked everything—no figures visible behind the glass. Yet everyone on-site knew those clear windows hid layers of invisible defense. That silence, designed to preserve life, carried with it a deadly order that blanketed the entire convoy.

Overhead, two Black Hawk helicopters glided in low and began to hover above the Garden. They were escape vessels, should the worst occur—but more than that, they were a reminder that this place was, for tonight, a battlefield.

In the command room on the Garden’s B3 level, Jack sat under the blue glow of the monitors, listening intently to the radio in his ear.

“Eagle has arrived. Parking complete on B3. Zebra point passed. T-minus 45 seconds to approach.”

The voice in his earpiece made him bite his lip unconsciously. The coffee in his cup had long gone cold.

Onscreen, the divided camera feeds displayed the barricades on Seventh Avenue, snipers in standby, and now—the black limousine sliding into the underground garage.

The air tightened. Time became tangible. The tick of the second hand grew louder in everyone’s ears. Jack’s fingers trembled slightly as they reached for the radio button.

Scene: Madison Square Garden 1

Jack shifted the donut box in his hand and pressed the button for B3. The air in the elevator was cold, and he wiped the sweat from his brow as he watched the lights descend. The contrast with the heat above made his vision blur slightly.

Stepping out, he turned right. Immediately on the left was the briefing room door, where a security man in a rumpled suit greeted him.

“Everyone’s already waiting.”

Jack stood before the sensor and calmly turned his face toward it. A few seconds later, a mechanical chime signaled access approval, and the heavy fireproof doors slid open.

Once inside, Jack offered a small smile.

“I brought donuts. Make sure everyone gets some later.”

The security man grinned behind his sunglasses.

Beyond the thick soundproof door, 32 monitors glowed blue in the dim room. Staff members moved briskly and silently between the machines. The hum of servers filled the space, punctuated only by the occasional alert. In the center was the commander’s seat, surrounded in a ring by workstations. The wall-sized screen displayed rapid live cuts from over 400 arena cameras—spectator stands, lobby, corridors, VIP lounge, loading dock, backstage, utility room, underground passages…

If a single rat appeared in those tunnels, they’d be able to track it straight to the sewers.

Jack sat in the commander’s chair and flipped the switch on the gooseneck mic in front of him. Its flexible neck trembled as the red indicator light came on.

“I’ve got donuts. Sorry, no glazed. There’s Boston Cream, Chocolate Frosted, Strawberry Frosted, and Old-Fashioned. No coffee, so grab your own.”

“Old-Fashioned for me,” came Ben’s voice from the loading dock. He adjusted the transparent tube of his earpiece and muttered into his collar.

Jack gave a faint smile, then grew serious again as he leaned toward the mic.

“Eagle is about to arrive. Entering through Ben’s loading dock. Three minutes to VIP room. Fifteen-minute briefing. Then onstage. Let me remind you—tonight marks the official nomination of the presidential candidate at the National Convention. First Republican convention held here in over twenty years. Also, his fiancée, Eleanor Blake, is with him. Stunning and brilliant. Try not to fall for her. The only ones you’re allowed to admire are bulky bruisers in tactical gear. And don’t forget, VP candidate Cole Harrison is here too—he’s the leash on our foul-mouthed Justin. No matter what he says, don’t punch back. I’ll be the one getting punched later.”

Jack checked his watch.

“One minute out. When Justin’s team heads home, dig into the donuts. Over and out.”

From the monitor showing the VIP lounge, Daryl spoke up behind him.

“Jack, better check in with Elijah at the hospital. Make sure he’s on standby.”

Without turning, Jack raised his hand and called out.

“Elijah, you copy? Daryl thinks you’re chilling at Starbucks.”

Laughter came through the speaker, followed by the chaotic background noise of Bellevue Hospital.

“Daryl, how’d you know? I was just thinking of getting Jack fired.”

Swiveling in his chair, Daryl laughed back at the screen.

“Let’s hope Justin doesn’t end up in your ER.”

Jack cut in.

“All stations, go. Justin’s here. Stick to the plan. Let’s move.”

———————————

Scene: Madison Square Garden 3 — Justin, Eleanor, Cole

The door of the limousine opened from within, and Justin Bradford stepped out with a short sigh.

“Damn. It’s suffocating down here. Even a stray dog would turn up its nose at this parking garage.”

He brushed off the hem of his suit jacket with one hand, casting a grimace toward the concrete gloom.

Vice presidential candidate Cole Harrison followed quietly behind. Eight years older than Justin, Cole had once stood by Justin’s father, Lysus Bradford—through every rally and protest, until the day Lysus, still registered as a Democrat, was gunned down by a sniper. Cole had admired Lysus deeply for his commitment to voicing the will of the unheard.

Justin yawned, wide and unfiltered. Cole spoke gently beside him.

“This was the safest option. Too many unknowns outside. It’s dangerous.”

“Cole, you’re the biggest unknown we’ve got.”

“And that makes two of us, Justin,” Cole replied with a small, knowing smile.

The click of white heels echoed faintly as Eleanor Blake stepped onto the stained concrete. She wore a pale beige coat over her dress and moved with quiet elegance. Though her brow creased slightly at the stagnant air, she quickly replaced it with a smile and walked toward Justin.

“Justin,” she said, her voice gentle yet firm, “no more jokes at the staff’s expense. These people would lay down their lives for you.”

Justin gave a small, lopsided smile and brushed a kiss against her cheek.

“For their sake, I better live up to it.”

Flanked by security, the three of them began walking down the dim corridor. Faint LED lights flickered overhead. Dirty walls, cold silence, and a chill that crept under their skin accompanied them.

“These hallways always get to me,” Justin muttered.

“I understand,” Eleanor said softly. “But this is the safest route.”

“That’s exactly why we should be grateful,” Cole added. “It’s this kind of space that protects us.”

Eventually, they reached the elevator reserved for dignitaries. The face recognition system chirped quietly as it confirmed their identities.

“Just a few more steps to the VIP lounge,” said one of the agents.

Justin glanced back at Eleanor and shrugged.

“Let’s shake the Garden tonight.”

She touched his arm lightly and smiled.

“I’m counting on you, Justin.”

The three of them stepped into the elevator, the doors closing quietly behind them as it carried them upward.

Scene: Totto Ramen — Ana, Mika, Motorcade

— Red, Yellow, Blue —

It was just after 7 p.m. when a light rain began to fall on East 52nd Street.

Ana leaned against the wall of an old building next to Totto Ramen, absently watching the changing traffic light at the intersection to her right. The air was heavy with humid heat clinging to the concrete, making even the pedestrians seem to move slower than usual.

The signal turned green. As she dabbed her forehead with a handkerchief and squinted into the distance, she spotted Kana on the far side of the crosswalk, waving and running toward her with a smile.

Then, suddenly, the air shifted.

From the far side of the intersection, a fleet of black SUVs glided in, soundless and ghostlike. In the few dozen seconds between the lead vehicle’s arrival and the armored limousine at the rear disappearing, the entire intersection was sealed off—no one passed.

As the convoy disappeared down the avenue, the signal changed again. Foot traffic resumed. The city inhaled.

Kana reemerged from the crowd and waved once more.

After wrapping up their exhibit, Ana and Mika had packed their gear into Mika’s car and headed into Manhattan. Ana’s husband, Arjun, worked at LuminaTech Innovations—a hybrid company based in Williamsburg specializing in AI, cloud services, and cybersecurity. Though it was his day off, he’d had a meeting in Hudson Yards and was on a separate schedule from Ana.

Totto Ramen was nearby, and ever since Mika had first brought her there, it had become a favorite for Ana and Arjun alike.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. It’s been such a lovely day,” Mika said, slightly out of breath.

By “lovely,” she meant the two sharply dressed men from that morning, still lingering in their thoughts.

Ana answered with mild disinterest.

“Was it? That your type, Mika?”

Mika shrugged and smiled.

“Mm, I like someone close enough that I can run home to my parents if I need to.”

They laughed as they slid open the ramen shop’s wooden door and took seats at the counter. The place was bustling with Asian families enjoying their weekend. Familiar Japanese drifted from the far end of the counter.

Ana’s iPhone buzzed. It was a video call from Arjun.

She tapped the screen. His apologetic face appeared.

“The meeting’s running long. Go ahead and eat without me.”

Ana smiled gently.

“Be careful. A whole swarm of black cars just swept through here.”

Arjun responded immediately.

“They’re probably heading to the Garden. There’s supposed to be a Republican convention tonight. The candidate’s making his appearance.”

Mika, having caught the gist, nodded deeply.

“Yeah, it’s felt weird all day. The city’s tense—not your usual weekend.”

—————————————

Scene: Red Hook 1 — Amir and Rafi

Red Hook stood apart, even within Brooklyn.

Shielded by the shadows of skyscrapers, the red-brick warehouses, worn by wind and rain, groaned softly in the breeze. Each gust from the sea layered fresh salt onto the air, leaving streaks of rust blooming along the warehouse doors.

Beyond a broken fence, a long-unused warehouse door creaked open.

Amir stepped inside, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. The smell of oil soaked into the concrete filled his nostrils.

“Let’s start here,” he said.

Rafi nodded without a word.

They had first come to this place five winters ago.

Having lost everything in Gaza at the hands of Israel, the two had fled legally through Egypt and Turkey, eventually arriving in Tapachula in southern Mexico. There, they made contact with a smuggler known as a coyote.

Rafi paid $12,000 per person to the traffickers—using cryptocurrency hacked through North Korean channels. The coins had been stolen through a North Korea–linked hacking syndicate. Amir wrote the code himself and erased all trace of the transaction. They had crossed borders not with blood, but with digits.

Later, under cover of night, they slipped beneath a border fence and entered the United States by land.

The night sky over Texas was a shade of dark blue they had never seen before. Low and clear, the deep blue held a fleeting kind of hope. But that hope was far outweighed by the hatred that had taken root in their hearts.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Set in New York City.

1

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54599616429/in/dateposted...

2

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54628511025/in/dateposted...

Note: I gave a brief explanation of this novel in the following video:

youtu.be/3w65lqUF-YI?si=yG7qy6TPeCL9xRJV

iTunes Playlist Link::

music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b/pl.u-47DJGhopxMD

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Notes

1. "Bombay Blood Type (hh type)"

•Characteristics: A rare blood type that lacks the usual ABO antigens — cannot be classified as A, B, or O.

•Discovery: First identified in 1952 in Mumbai, India (formerly Bombay).

•Prevalence: Roughly 1 in 10,000 people in India; globally, about 1 in 2.5 million.

•Transfusion Compatibility: Only compatible with blood from other Bombay type donors.

2. 2024 Harvard University Valedictorian Speech – The Power of Not Knowing

youtu.be/SOUH8iVqSOI?si=Ju-Y728irtcWR71K

3. Shots Fired at Trump Rally

youtu.be/1ejfAkzjEhk?si=ASqJwEmkY-2rW_hT

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

日本のデニーズで書いています。:)

５時間書いていても、60分ぐらいに感じています。^^;

僕の新しい小説。

　B♭　（ビーフラット）

さらに投下します。😃

(まだ決定ではありません。)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

場面　マディソンスクエアガーデン２

　ガーデン正面の通りがわずかにざわめき、先導の黒いセダンと白バイク隊がゆっくりと進入してきた。次いで装甲に覆われたリムジンが４台つづき、市警と州警のSUVがその脇を固め、後方には通信車両、救急車、そして報道バンの列……　全部でざっと５０台にも満たないが、その重厚感は圧倒的だった――。

　車列は信号すら意味をなさず、完全に遮断された通りを、隊列の呼吸に従って前進していく。警察無線の交信が車外に漏れ、通行止めの歩道にはカメラを構えた記者と機動隊員が混じり合っていた。中腹には「CAT」と呼ばれる武装部隊が乗る漆黒のSUVが３台並び、サプレッサー付きライフルを持った隊員が、まるで車内から通りをスキャンするように視線を動かしている。

　リムジンの天井には、最新の妨害電波装置が搭載され、外部通信を一時的に遮断する。さらにその後方を、アンテナが林立した“ロードランナー”と呼ばれる通信司令車が追走し、ガーデン地下の指揮室とリアルタイムで暗号通信を続けている。

　車列の最後尾には消防局の緊急対応車、化学物質対応車、そして２台の救急車が控えていた。大統領候補がこの都市に足を踏み入れるというのは、もはや“移動”ではなく、“軍事行動”のようだった。街全体が、ひとつの生きた神経網のように、その動線を受け止めていた。

　歩道の柵沿いには、スマートフォンを高く掲げる市民と、顔を強張らせた報道カメラマンたちが入り混じっていた。群衆は押し黙り、ただエンジンのうなりと回転灯の光に照らされながら、目の前を通り過ぎる車列を見守っていた。まるで映画のワンシーンのようだが、空気は静まり返り、誰一人として軽口を叩く者はいない。

　ガーデン周辺の屋上には狙撃班が配備され、時折、無線越しに「クリア」の声が交錯した。建物内の全階層には顔認証を通過した要員だけが配置され、冷房の効いたジャックのいる監視室では、数百台のカメラ映像が数秒ごとに切り替わっている。

　大統領候補が乗ると目されるリムジンの車内は暗く、ガラス越しに人影すら映らない。だが、その曇りのない窓には、目に見えない幾重もの防御層が仕込まれていることを、現場の誰もが理解していた。命を守るために設計された沈黙と、殺気を孕んだ秩序が、車列全体を覆っている。

　背後から、２機のブラックホークが上空をなめるように飛来し、ガーデンの屋上でホバリングを始めた。万が一の脱出手段であり、また、この場が“戦場”であることを暗に示す存在だった。

　ジャックは、ガーデン地下三階の指令室で、モニターの青白い光に顔を照らされながら、無線に耳を傾けていた。

「イーグル、地下駐車場レベルB3にて停車完了。ポイント・ゼブラ通過。接近までTマイナス45秒」

　耳元のイヤーピースから流れるその声に、彼は無意識に唇を噛んだ。手元のカップに入ったコーヒーは、すでにぬるくなっていた。

　モニターには分割されたカメラ映像がずらりと並んでいる。第七通りのバリケード、スタンバイ中の狙撃手、そして今、地下駐車場の入口に黒いリムジンが滑り込む様子が映し出されていた。

　空気が一気に張り詰めた。誰もが秒針の音を意識し始め、静寂の中に微かな緊張が走った。ジャックの指が、わずかに震えながらも無線の送信ボタンに触れた。

場面　マディソンスクエアガーデン１

　エレベーターに乗ったジャックは、手にしたドーナツの箱を持ち替えると、地下三階へのボタンを押した。冷房の効いたエレベーター内で下っていくランプを見上げたまま、額の汗を拭った。熱した地上からの温度差で多少視界が滲んでいた。

　降りて、右手に行くと、すぐ左側にブリーフィングルームの扉があり、よれたスーツを着たセキュリティーの男性がジャックに挨拶した。

「みなさん、もうお待ちですよ」

　ジャックはセンサーの前に立ち、静かに顔を向けた。数秒後、「アクセス承認」の電子音とともに、重たい防火扉が左右に開いた。

　クリアするとジャックは、口元を緩めていった。

「ドーナツ買ってきたよ。あとでみんなで食べてくれ」

　セキュリティーの男性は、白い歯を見せ、サングラス越しに微笑んだ。

　厚い防音扉を越えると、薄暗い空間に32面のモニターが青白く光っていた。スタッフが機器の合間を縫って、言葉少なに忙しなく行き交っていく。室内には低く唸るサーバーの音と、時折アラート音だけが響いている。部屋の中央には指揮官席、その周囲に円を描くように並んだワークステーション。壁面いっぱいの巨大スクリーンには、アリーナ内400台以上のカメラがライブ映像を忙しなく切り替え、流し続けている。客席、ロビー、通路、VIPラウンジ、搬入口、ステージ裏、電気設備室、地下通路….

　もしも地下通路にねずみが一匹現れたら、下水溝まで追跡できるはずだ。

　ジャックは指揮官席に腰を下ろし、前方に据え付けられたグースネックマイクのスイッチを押した。しなる首元がわずかに揺れ、赤いインジケーターが点灯した。

「みんな、ドーナツを買ってきた。残念ながらグレーズドは売り切れだった。ボストンクリーム、チョコフロステッド、ストロベリーフロステッド、オールドファッション、以上だ。コーヒーもないからな。勝手に飲むように」

「ジャック、俺はオールドファッションな」

　搬入口にいるベンが、耳に伸びたセキュリティイヤピースの透明なチューブを整えながら、襟元に指を添え、モニター越しに呟いた。

　ジャックは軽く微笑み返してから、声を整え、目の前のマイクに向かって、真剣に伝えた。

「まもなく、イーグルがやってくる。ベンのいる搬入口から入り、３分でVIPルームへ。１５分の打ち合わせ後、アリーナへ登壇する。もう一度確認するが、今夜は大統領候補の指名が正式に確定する全国党大会だ。共和党は、２０年以上振りにここで開催するらしい。それから、フィアンセのエリノア・ブレイクもいっしょだ。容姿端麗な才女だ。見惚れるなよ。お前らが見惚れていいのは筋肉隆々の荒くれものだけだ。さらに副大統領候補のコール・ハリソンもいっしょだ。口の悪いジャスティンのお目付役だ。何を言われても決して殴り返すな。俺があとで殴られるからな」

　ジャックは腕時計を見た。

「あと１分で到着だ。ジャスティン一行が帰宅したら、ドーナツをたらふく食べてくれ。以上だ」

　画面左側に映ったVIPラウンジに見入っていたダリルが、ジャックの背中にいった。

「ジャック、病院のイライジャにも確認したほうがいい。ちゃんと待機しているようにってね」

　ジャックは背を向けたまま、腕を上げて返答するとイライジャに問いかけた。

「聞こえるか、イライジャ。お前がスタバでくつろいでると疑われてるぞ、ダリルに」

　イライジャは、笑いながら即答した。背後に、ベルビュー病院内の忙しないアナウンスが走っている。のんびりしたイライジャの声とは正反対だ。

「ダリル、なんでばれた？　そろそろジャックの首を飛ばそうと思ってさ」

　椅子を回転させたダリルは、右手のモニターに目を落としながら、イライジャに笑いながらいった。

「お前のところに、ジャスティンが運ばれないことを祈るよ」

　ジャックは、二人の会話を遮った。

「全員、スタートだ。ジャスティンが到着した。打ち合わせどおりに。頼んだぞ」

場面　マディソンスクエアガーデン３　ジャスティン、エリノア、コール

　リムジンのドアが内側から開き、ジャスティン・ブラッドフォードは短くため息をついて足を踏み出した。

「まったく、息が詰まるな。地下駐車場なんて、野良犬でも嫌がる」

　スーツの裾を片手で乱暴に払いつつ、顔をしかめて辺りを見回した。その後ろから、副大統領候補のコール・ハリソンが静かに車を降りた。彼はジャスティンより8歳年上だったが、かつてはその父、ライサス・ブラッドフォードのもとで行動を共にし、彼が民主党に籍を置き、狙撃により命を落とすその時まで、傍らで支え続けていた。ライサスが声なき国民の想いを代弁しようとする姿に、コールは深い感銘を受けていた。

　大きなあくびをこぼしたジャスティンに、コールは穏やかに言った。

「セキュリティ上の最善策だ。外は、あまりにも不確定要素が多い。危険だ」

「コールの言動の方がよほど先が読めないけどね」

「ジャスティン、そのままお前に返すよ」

　ジャスティンの皮肉に、コールは軽く微笑みながら冷静に返した。

　エリノア・ブレイクの白いハイヒールが、駐車場の暗いコンクリートに静かに降りた。淡いベージュのコートを羽織った彼女は、ヒールの音も控えめに、優雅に車外へ降り立った。地下の濁った空気に微かに眉を寄せながらも、すぐに笑みを浮かべ直し、ジャスティンに歩み寄った。

「ジャスティン、スタッフにつまらない冗談はやめてね。みんな、あなたのために命を投げ出す人たちよ」

　彼女の声は柔らかいが、芯のあるものだった。

　ジャスティンは少し顔をほころばせ、エリノアの頬に軽いキスをした。

「命か…なら、俺もその期待に応えないとな」

　セキュリティーに囲われた三人は地下駐車場の薄暗い通路へと歩みを進めた。所々薄汚れた壁と天井のLEDライトが冷たく落ちている。冷たさと静寂が辺りを覆っている。

「この手の通路は、いつ見ても気が滅入るな」

　ジャスティンが呟いた。

「気持ちはわかるけど、ここが最も安全なルートよ」エリノアが柔らかく返す。コールが間を埋めるように言った。

「こうした環境だからこそ、私たちが守られている。感謝するべきだ」

　しばらく歩くと、要人専用エレベーターの前に到着した。壁の顔認証システムが稼働し、認証音が静かに鳴った。

「VIPルームまであと少しです」

　セキュリティーのひとりがジャスティンらに告げた。

　ジャスティンは背後のエリノアをちらりと見て、肩をすくめていった。

「今夜、ガーデンを震わそう」

　エリノアが彼の腕に軽く触れ、優しく笑いかけた。

「期待してるわ、ジャスティン」

　三人は静かにエレベーターに乗り込み、VIPルームへと向かった。

場面　トットラーメン　アナ、ミカ、車列

—— 赤、黄色、青 ——

　イースト52丁目に小雨が舞い始めたのは、午後七時を少し過ぎた頃だった。

　アナは、トットラーメンの隣にある古いビルの壁面にもたれ、右手に見える十字路の信号をぼんやりと眺めていた。蒸し返すような湿気がコンクリートにまとわりつき、行き交う人々の足取りもどこか重たかった。

　信号が青に変わった。額の汗をハンカチで拭いながら、アナが目を細めると、十字路の向こうにミカの姿が見えた。彼女は手を振りながら、笑顔でこちらに駆け出してくる。

　そのとき、空気がふいに変わった。十字路の向こうから、黒いSUVの車列が音もなく滑り込んできた。先頭車両の到着から、最後尾の装甲リムジンが去るまでの数十秒間、交差点は完全に封鎖され、誰も通ることができなかった。

　車列が去ると、信号が切り替わり、ふたたび人の流れが戻り、動き出した。

　ミカがその人波の中からふたたび現れ、手を振った。

　展示を終えたアナたちは、ミカの車に荷物を積み終えたあと、マンハッタンへ移動していた。

　アナの夫アルジュンは、ウィリアムズバーグにあるAI・クラウド・サイバーセキュリティを手がける複合企業「ルミナテック・イノベーションズ」に勤めている。今日は休日だったが、彼だけハドソンヤードで会議があり、アナらとは別行動だった。

　トットラーメンはその近くにあり、以前ミカに連れてきてもらってから、アナたち夫婦のお気に入りになっていた。

　「おまたせ。今日は朝から素敵だったね」

　息を切らせながら駆け寄ったミカが、そう言った。

　“素敵”というのは、今朝の高級スーツをまとった二人の男のことだ。

　アナは興味なさそうに答えた。

　「そうね。ミカはああいう男性が好み？」

　ミカは首をすくめ、笑って言った。

　「うーん、かなり遠い存在かな。私は、すぐ実家に帰れるくらいの距離感が好き」

　二人は笑い合いながら、ラーメン店の引き戸を開け、カウンターに並んで腰掛けた。店内は週末のため、アジア系の家族で賑わっていた。ミカの聞き慣れた日本語が遠くのカウンターから聞こえてくる。

　アナのiPhoneが震えた。アルジュンからのビデオ通話だった。

　画面をタッチすると、アルジュンが申し訳なさそうな表情で映った。

　「会議が延びてる。少し遅れるから、先に食べててくれ」

　アナは、静かに答えた。

「気をつけて来てね。さっきすごい車の軍団が流れていったわよ」

　アルジュンは、即答した。

「今日はガーデンで、共和党の大会があるらしい。次期大統領候補が立つらしいよ」

　傍で聞いていたミカが深々と頷きながら、同意した。

「なんか朝から物々しいのよね。いつもの週末と違うわ」

ーーーーーーーーー

場面　レッドフック１　アミール、ラフィ

　レッドフックは、ブルックリンの中でも異質だった。

　高層ビルの影に守られ、風雨に洗われた赤レンガの倉庫と錆びた港湾クレーンが、風に軋んでいる街だ。やってくる潮の匂いが重なるたびに上塗りされ、倉庫の鉄の扉に赤錆を浮かせていく。

　鍵の壊れたフェンスの向こう、何年も使われていなかった倉庫の扉が静かに開いた。

　アミールは一歩踏み入れ、光のない空間に目を慣らした。コンクリートに染み込んだ油の臭いが鼻をついた。

「ここから始めよう」

　その声に、ラフィが黙って頷いた。

　ふたりが初めてここにやってきたのは５年前の冬だ。イスラエルによってガザ地区ですべてを失った二人は、合法的にエジプトからトルコを経由し、メキシコの南部タパチュラへ行き、コヨーテと呼ばれる密入国請負人と接触した。ラフィは密入国業者へ一人あたり１２，０００ドルを支払った。すべて、北朝鮮経由でハッキングした仮想通貨での支払いだ。金の出どころは、北朝鮮系ハッカー集団を通じて奪ったコインだった。アミールの手でコードが組まれ、記録は消された。彼らは、血を流さずに数字を流して国境を超えたのだ。その後、国境のフェンスを夜に潜り、陸路でアメリカに入った。

　テキサスの夜空は、彼らが見たことのないほど青黒かった。低く、澄んだ深い青の美しさは、彼らの胸にいくらかの希望を与えていたが、それ以上に憎しみの強さが上回っていた。

ーーーー

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これまでのメモ

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www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54599616429/in/dateposted...

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www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54628511025/in/dateposted...

舞台はニューヨークです。

www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54599616429/in/dateposted...

追記　この小説を多少説明しました。

youtu.be/3w65lqUF-YI?si=yG7qy6TPeCL9xRJV

iTunes Playlist Link::

music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b/pl.u-47DJGhopxMD

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メモ

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「Bombay型（ボンベイ型、hh型）」

•特徴：通常のABO血液型を持たない（A、B、Oに分類されない）特殊な型。

•発見地：1952年、インド・ムンバイ（旧ボンベイ）で初めて確認。

•発生頻度：インドでは1万人に1人程度だが、世界的には約250万人に1人とも。

•輸血制限：同じBombay型しか輸血できない。

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2024年ハーバード大学首席の卒業式スピーチ『知らないことの力』

youtu.be/SOUH8iVqSOI?si=Ju-Y728irtcWR71K

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Shots fired at Trump rally

youtu.be/1ejfAkzjEhk?si=ASqJwEmkY-2rW_hT

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ScreenShot4546_converted by Dekobi-hime

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From a photoshoot i made with several character to show off the bodyslide compatibility of my Skyrim body mod. With something called converted outfits, you are able to build the outfits to shape after a body preset, and this is how it looks on our body!

www.loverslab.com/files/file/2146-animeshoujo-body-cbbeuunp/

Compatibility by John Kortland

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Trafalgar Square

Cheops inside LEAF chamber by European Space Agency

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ESA’s exoplanet-surveying Cheops satellite, with its distinctive main telescope instrument, seen being prepared for testing within ESA’s Large European Acoustic Facility (LEAF) at the Agency’s ESTEC Test Centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands this month.

LEAF can subject satellites to the same volume of noise a launcher produces as it takes off and flies through the atmosphere. One wall of the chamber – which stands 11 m wide by 9 m deep and 16.4 m high – incorporates a set of enormous sound horns. Nitrogen shot through the horns can produce a range of noise up to more than 154 decibels, like standing close to multiple jets taking off.

ESA’s Cheops satellite will measure the sizes of known exoplanets by detecting tiny fluctuations in the light of their parent stars. Cheops, or ‘CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite’, combines a state-of-the-art scientific performance with a compact design – 1.5 m by 1.4 m by 1.5 m in size, it weighs in at about 300 kg fully fuelled – allowing it to be flown as a secondary passenger on a Soyuz launcher inside its ASAP-S adapter.

A test version of Cheops – its ‘structural qualification model’ plus ‘instrument structural and thermal model’ – underwent previous LEAF testing back in November 2015. Once its acoustic testing was complete this final Cheops ‘flight model’ went on to electromagnetic compatibility testing in ESA’s Maxwell facility.

Once its test campaign is complete, the satellite is scheduled for launch readiness at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana early next year.

Credits: ESA - G. Porter

1:72 Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing TAM-1 „გველგესლას (Gvelgeslas/Viper)“, aircraft „Blue 07“ of the Georgian Aviation and Air Defence Command of the Defence Forces; Alekseevka air base (Tbilisi), 2021 (What-if/modified Hobbycraft kit) by Dizzyfugu

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+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The Georgian Air Force and Air Defense Division (თავდაცვის ძალების ავიაციისა და საჰაერო თავდაცვის სარდლობა; tavdatsvis dzalebis aviatsiisa da sahaero tavdatsvis sardloba) was established on January 1, 1992, and in September the Georgian Air Force conducted its first combat flight during the separatist war in Abkhazia. On August 18, 1998, the two divisions were unified in a joint command structure and renamed the Georgian Air Force.

In 2010, the Georgian Air Force was abolished as a separate branch and incorporated into the Georgian Land Forces as Air and Air Defense sections. By that time, the equipment – primarily consisting of Eastern Bloc aircraft inherited from the Soviet Union after the country’s dissolution – was totally outdated, the most potent aircraft were a dozen Suchoj Su-25 attack aircraft and a handful of MiG-21U trainers.

In order to rejuvenate the air arm, Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing (TAM), also known as JSC Tbilaviamsheni and formerly known as 31st aviation factory, started a modernization program for the Su-25, for the domestic forces but also for export customers. TAM had a long tradition of aircraft production within the Soviet Union. In the 1950s the factory started the production of Mikoyan's MiG-15 and later, the MiG-17 fighter aircraft. In 1957 Tbilisi Aircraft State Association built the MiG-21 two-seater fighter-trainer aircraft and its various derivative aircraft, continuing the MiG-21 production for about 25 years. At the same time the company was manufacturing the K-10 air-to-surface guided missile. Furthermore, the first Sukhoi Su-25 (known in the West as the "Frogfoot") close support aircraft took its maiden voyage from the runway of 31st aviation factory. Since then, more than 800 SU-25s had been delivered to customers worldwide. From the first SU-25 to the 1990s, JSC Tbilaviamsheni was the only manufacturer of this aircraft, and even after the fall of the Soviet Union the production lines were still intact and spares for more than fifty complete aircraft available. Along with the SU-25 aircraft 31st aviation factory also launched large-scale production of air-to-air R-60 and R-73 IR guided missiles, a production effort that built over 6,000 missiles a year and that lasted until the early 1990s. From 1996 to 1998 the factory also produced Su-25U two-seaters.

In 2001 the factory started, in partnership with Elbit Systems of Israel, upgrading basic Su-25 airframes to the Su-25KM “Scorpion” variant. This was just a technical update, however, intended for former Su-25 export customers who would upgrade their less potent Su-25K export aircraft with modern avionics. The prototype aircraft made its maiden flight on 18 April 2001 at Tbilisi in full Georgian Air Force markings. The aircraft used a standard Su-25 airframe, enhanced with advanced avionics including a glass cockpit, digital map generator, helmet-mounted display, computerized weapons system, complete mission pre-plan capability, and fully redundant backup modes. Performance enhancements included a highly accurate navigation system, pinpoint weapon delivery systems, all-weather and day/night performance, NATO compatibility, state-of-the art safety and survivability features, and advanced onboard debriefing capabilities complying with international requirements. The Su-25KM had the ability to use NATO-standard Mark 82 and Mark 83 laser-guided bombs and new air-to-air missiles, the short-range Vympel R-73. This upgrade extended service life of the Su-25 airframes for another decade.
There were, however, not many customers. Manufacturing was eventually stopped at the end of 2010, after Georgian air forces have been permanently dismissed and abolished. By that time, approximately 12 Scorpions had been produced, but the Georgian Air Force still used the basic models of Su-25 because of high cost of Su-25KM and because it was destined mainly for export. According to unofficial sources several Scorpions had been transferred to Turkmenistan as part of a trade deal.

In the meantime, another, more ambitious project took shape at Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing, too: With the help of Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) the company started the development of a completely new attack aircraft, the TAM-1 “Gvelgeslas” (გველგესლას, Viper). It heavily relied on the year-long experience gathered with Su-25 production at Tblisi and on the tools at hand, but it was eventually a completely new aircraft – looking like a crossbreed between the Su-25 and the American A-10 with a T-tail.

This new layout had become necessary because the aircraft was to be powered by more modern, less noisy and more fuel-efficient Rolls Royce AE 3012 turbofan engines - which were originally intended to power the stillborn Yakovlev Yak-77 twin-engine business jet for up to 32 passengers, a slightly derated variant of the GMA 3012 with a 44 in diameter (112 cm) fan and procured via IAI from the United States through the company’s connection with Gulfstream Aerospace. Their larger diameter (the Su-25’s original Soyuz/Tumansky R-195 turbojets had a diameter of 109,5 cm/43.1 in) precluded the use of the former integral engine nacelles along the fuselage. To keep good ground clearance against FOD and to protect them from small arms fire, the engine layout was completely re-arranged. The fuselage was streamlined, and its internal structure was totally changed. The wings moved into a low position. The wings’ planform was almost identical to the Su-25’s, together with the characteristic tip-mounted “crocodile” air brakes. Just the leading edge inside of the “dogteeth” and the wing roots were re-designed, the latter because of the missing former engine nacelles. This resulted in a slightly increased net area, the original wingspan was retained. The bigger turbofans were then mounted in separate pods on short pylons along the rear fuselage, partly protected from below by the wings. Due to the jet efflux and the engines’ proximity to the stabilizers, these were re-located to the top of a deeper, reinforced fin for a T-tail arrangement.

Since the Su-25’s engine bays were now gone, the main landing gear had to be completely re-designed. Retracting them into the fuselage or into the relatively thin wings was not possible, TAM engineers settled upon a design that was very similar to the A-10: the aircraft received streamlined fairings, attached to the wings’ main spar, and positioned under the wings’ leading edges. The main legs were only semi-retractable; in flight, the wheels partly protruded from the fairings, but that hardly mattered from an aerodynamic point of view at the TAM-1’s subsonic operational speed. As a bonus they could still be used while retracted during emergency landings, improving the aircraft’s crash survivability.

Most flight and weapon avionics were procured from or via Elbit, including the Su-25KT’s modernized “glass cockpit”, and the TAM-1’s NATO compatibility was enhanced to appeal to a wider international export market. Beyond a total of eleven hardpoints under the wings and the fuselage for an external ordnance of up to 4.500 kg (9.900 lb), the TAM-1 was furthermore armed with an internal gun. Due to procurement issues, however, the Su-25’s original twin-barrel GSh-30-2 was replaced with an Oerlikon KDA 35mm cannon – a modern variant of the same cannon used in the German Gepard anti-aircraft tank, adapted to the use in an aircraft with a light-weight gun carriage. The KDA gun fired with a muzzle velocity of 1,440 m/s (4,700 ft/s) and a range of 5.500m, its rate of fire was typically 550 RPM. For the TAM-1, a unique feature from the SPAAG installation was adopted: the gun had two magazines, one with space for 200 rounds and another, smaller one for 50. The magazines could be filled with different types of ammunition, and the pilot was able select between them with a simple switch, adapting to the combat situation. Typical ammunition types were armor-piercing FAPDS rounds against hardened ground targets like tanks, and high explosive shells against soft ground targets and aircraft or helicopters, in a 3:1 ratio. Other ammunition types were available, too, and only 200 rounds were typically carried for balance reasons.

The TAM-1’s avionics included a SAGEM ULISS 81 INS, a Thomson-CSF VE-110 HUD, a TMV630 laser rangefinder in a modified nose and a TRT AHV 9 radio altimeter, with all avionics linked through a digital MIL-STD-1553B data bus and a modern “glass cockpit”. A HUD was standard, but an Elbit Systems DASH III HMD could be used by the pilot, too. The DASH GEN III was a wholly embedded design, closely integrated with the aircraft's weapon system, where the complete optical and position sensing coil package was built within the helmet (either the USAF standard HGU-55/P or the Israeli standard HGU-22/P), using a spherical visor to provide a collimated image to the pilot. A quick-disconnect wire powered the display and carried video drive signals to the helmet's Cathode Ray Tube (CRT).

The TAM-1’s development was long and protracted, though, primarily due to lack of resources and the fact that the Georgian air force was in an almost comatose state for several years, so that the potential prime customer for the TAM-1 was not officially available. However, the first TAM-1 prototype eventually made its maiden flight in September 2017. This was just in time, because the Georgian Air Force had formally been re-established in 2016, with plans for a major modernization and procurement program. Under the leadership of Georgian Minister of Defense Irakli Garibashvili the Air Force was re-prioritized and aircraft owned by the Georgian Air Force were being modernized and re-serviced after they were left abandoned for 4 years. This program lasted until 2020. In order to become more independent from foreign sources and support its domestic aircraft industry, the Georgian Air Force eventually ordered eight TAM-1s as Su-25K replacements, which would operate alongside a handful of modernized Su-25KMs from national stock. In the meantime, the new type also attained interest from abroad, e. g. from Bulgaria, the Congo and Cyprus. The IDF thoroughly tested two early production TAM-1s of the Georgian Air Force in 2018, too.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 15.53 m (50 ft 11 in), including pitot

Wingspan: 14.36 m (47 ft 1 in)

Height: 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in)

Wing area: 35.2 m² (378 sq ft)

Empty weight: 9,800 kg (21,605 lb)

Gross weight: 14,440 kg (31,835 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 19,300 kg (42,549 lb)

Powerplant:

2× Rolls-Royce AE 3012 turbofans with 44.1 kN (9,920 lbf) thrust each

Performance:

Maximum speed: 975 km/h (606 mph, 526 kn, Mach 0.79)

Range: 1.000 km (620 mi, 540 nmi) with internal fuel, clean

Combat range: 750 km (470 mi, 400 nmi) at sea level with 4.500 kg (9,911 lb) of ordnance,

incl. two external fuel tanks

Service ceiling: 7.800 m (25,550 ft)

g limits: +6.5

Rate of climb: 58 m/s (11,400 ft/min)

Armament:

1× 35 mm (1.38 in) Oerlikon KDA cannon with 200 rds in two magazines

under the lower forward fuselage, offset to port side.

11× hardpoints with a capacity of up to 4.500 kg (9,911 lb) of external stores

The kit and its assembly:

This rather rigorous conversion had been on my project list for many years, and with the “Gunships” group build at whatifmodellers.com in late 2021 I eventually gathered my mojo to tackle it. The ingredients had already been procured long ago, but there are ideas that make you think twice before you take action…

This build was somewhat inspired by a CG rendition of a modified Su-25 that I came across while doing online search for potential ideas, running under the moniker “Su-125”, apparently created by someone called “Bispro” and published at DeviantArt in 2010; check this: (www.deviantart.com/bispro/art/Sukhoi-Su-125-Foghorn-15043...). The rendition shows a Su-25 with its engines re-located to the rear fuselage in separate nacelles, much like an A-10, plus a T-tail. However, as many photoshopped aircraft, the shown concept had IMHO some flaws. Where would a landing gear go, as the Su-125 still had shoulder wings? The engines’ position and size also looked fishy to me, quite small/narrow and very far high and back – I had doubts concerning the center of gravity. Nevertheless, I liked the idea, and the idea of an “A-10-esque remix” of the classic Frogfoot was born.

This idea was fueled even further when I found out that the Hobbycraft kit lends itself to such a conversion. The kit itself is not a brilliant Su-25 rendition, there are certainly better models of the aircraft in 1:72. However, what spoke for the kit as whiffing fodder was/is the fact that it is quite cheap (righteously so!) and AFAIK the only offering that comes with separate engine nacelles. These are attached to a completely independent central fuselage, and this avoids massive bodywork that would be necessary (if possible at all) with more conventional kits of this aircraft.

Another beneficial design feature is that the wing roots are an integral part of the original engine nacelles, forming their top side up to the fuselage spine. Through this, the original wingspan could be retained even without the nacelles, no wing extension would be necessary to retain the original proportions.

Work started with the central fuselage and the cockpit tub, which received a different (better) armored ejection seat and a pilot figure; the canopy remained unmodified and closed, because representing the model with an open cockpit would have required additional major body work on the spinal area behind the canopy. Inside, a new dashboard (from an Italeri BAe Hawk) was added, too – the original instrument panel is just a flat front bulkhead, there’s no space for the pilot to place the legs underneath the dashboard!

In parallel, the fin underwent major surgery. I initially considered an A-10-ish twin tail, but the Su-25’s high “tail stinger” prevented its implementation: the jet efflux would come very close to the tail surfaces. So, I went for something similar to the “Su-125” layout.

Mounting the OOB stabilizers to the fin was challenging, though. The fin lost its di-electric tip fairing, and it was cut into two sections, so that the tip would become long enough to match the stabilizers. A lucky find in the scrap box was a leftover tail tip from a Matchbox Blackburn Buccaneer, already shortened from a former, stillborn project: it had now the perfect length to take the Su-25 stabilizers! To make it fit on the fin, an 8mm deep section was inserted, in the form of a simple 1.5mm styrene sheet strip. Once dry, the surface was re-built with several PSR layers. Since it would sit further back on the new aircraft’s tail, the stinger with a RHAWS sensor was shortened.

On the fuselage, the attachment points for the wings and the engine nacelles were PSRed away and the front section filled with lots of lead beads, hoping that it would be enough to keep the model’s nose down.

Even though the wings had a proper span for a re-location into a low position, they still needed some attention: at the roots, there’s a ~1cm wide section without sweep (the area which would normally cover the original engine nacelles’ tops). This was mended through triangular 1.5 mm styrene wedges that extended the leading-edge sweep, roughly cut into shape once attached and later PSRed into the wings’ surfaces

The next construction site were the new landing gear attachment points. This had caused some serious headaches – where do you place and stow it? With new, low wings settled, the wings were the only logical place. But the wings were too thin to suitably take the retracted wheels, and, following the idea of a retrofitted existing design, I decided to adopt the A-10’s solution of nacelles into which the landing gear retracts forward, with the wheels still partly showing. This layout option appears quite plausible, since it would be a “graft-on” solution, and it also has the benefit of leaving lots of space for underwing stores, since the hardpoints’ position had to be modified now, too.

I was lucky to have a pair of A-10 landing gear nacelles at hand, left over from a wrecked Matchbox model from childhood time (the parts are probably 35 years old!). They were simply cut out, glued to the Su-25 wings and PSRed into shape. The result looked really good!

At this point I had to decide the model’s overall layout – where to place the wings, the tail and the new engine nacelles. The latter were not 1:72 A-10 transplants. I had some spare engine pods from the aforementioned Matchbox wreck, but these looked too rough and toylike for my taste. They were furthermore too bulky for the Su-25, which is markedly smaller than an A-10, so I had to look elsewhere. As a neat alternative for this project, I had already procured many moons ago a set of 1:144 resin PS-90A engines from a Russian company called “A.M.U.R. Reaver”, originally intended for a Tu-204 airliner or an Il-76 transport aircraft. These turbofan nacelles not only look very much like A-10 nacelles, just a bit smaller and more elegant, they are among the best resin aftermarket parts I have ever encountered: almost no flash, crisp molding, no bubbles, and perfect fit of the parts – WOW!

With these three elements at hand I was able to define the wings’ position, based on the tail, and from that the nacelles’ location, relative to the wings and the fin.

The next challenge: how to attach the new engines to the fuselage? The PS-90A engines came without pylons, so I had to improvise. I eventually found suitable pylons in the form of parts from F-14A underwing missile pylons, left over from an Italeri kit. Some major tailoring was necessary to find a proper position on the nacelles and on the fuselage, and PSRing these parts turned out to be quite difficult because of the tight and labyrinthine space.

When the engines were in place, work shifted towards the model’s underside. The landing gear was fully replaced. I initially wanted to retain the front wheel leg and the main wheels but found that the low wings would not allow a good ground clearance for underwing stores and re-arming the aircraft, a slightly taller solution was necessary. I eventually found a complete landing gear set in the scrap box, even though I am not certain to which aircraft it once belonged? I guess that the front wheel came from a Hasegawa RA-5C Vigilante, while the main gear and the wheels once belonged to an Italeri F-14A, alle struts were slightly shortened. The resulting stance is still a bit stalky, but an A-10 is also quite tall – this is just not so obvious because of the aircraft’s sheer size.

Due to the low wings and the landing gear pods, the Su-25’s hardpoints had to be re-arranged, and this eventually led to a layout very similar to the A-10. I gave the aircraft a pair of pylons inside of the pods, plus three hardpoints under the fuselage, even though all of these would only be used when slim ordnance was carried. I just fitted the outer pair. Outside of the landing gear fairings there would have been enough space for the Frogfoot’s original four outer for pylons, but I found this to be a little too much. So I gave it “just” three, with more space between them.

The respective ordnance is a mix for a CAS mission with dedicated and occasional targets. It consists of:

- Drop tanks under the inner wings (left over from a Bilek Su-17/22 kit)

- A pair of B-8M1 FFAR pods under the fuselage (from a vintage Mastercraft USSR weapon set)

- Two MERs with four 200 kg bombs each, mounted on the pylons outside of the landing gear (the odd MERs came from a Special Hobby IDF SMB-2 Super Mystère kit, the bombs are actually 1:100 USAF 750 lb bombs from a Tamiya F-105 Thunderchief in that scale)

- Four CBU-100 Rockeye Mk. II cluster bombs on the outer stations (from two Italeri USA/NATO weapon sets, each only offers a pair of these)

Yes, it’s a mix of Russian and NATO ordnance – but, like the real Georgian Su-25KM “Scorpion” upgrade, the TAM-1 would certainly be able to carry the same or even a wider mix, thanks to modified bomb racks and wirings. Esp. “dumb” weapons, which do not call for special targeting and guidance avionics, are qualified.

The gun under the nose was replaced with a piece from a hollow steel needle.

Painting and markings:

Nothing unusual here. I considered some more “exotic” options, but eventually settled for a “conservative” Soviet/Russian-style four-tone tactical camouflage, something that “normal” Su-25s would carry, too.

The disruptive pattern was adapted from a Macedonian Frogfoot but underwent some changes due to the T-tail and the engine nacelles. The basic tones were Humbrol 119 (RAF Light Earth), 150 (Forest Green), 195 (Chrome Oxide Green, RAL 6020) and 98 (Chocolate) on the upper surfaces and RLM78 from (Modelmaster #2087) from below, with a relatively low waterline, due to the low-set wings.

As usual, the model received a light black ink washing and some post-shading – especially on the hull and on the fin, where many details had either disappeared under PSR or were simply not there at all.

The landing gear and the lower areas of the cockpit were painted in light grey (Humbrol 64), while the upper cockpit sections were painted with bright turquoise (Modelmaster #2135). The wheel hubs were painted in bright green (Humbrol 101), while some di-electric fairings received a slightly less intense tone (Humbrol 2). A few of these flat fairings on the hull were furthermore created with green decal sheet material (from TL Modellbau) to avoid masking and corrections with paint.

The tactical markings became minimal, matching the look of late Georgian Su-25s. The roundels came from a Balkan Models Frogfoot sheet. The “07” was taken from a Blue Rider decal sheet, it actually belongs to a Lithuanian An-2. Some white stencils from generic MiG-21 and Mi-8 Begemot sheets were added, too, and some small markings were just painted onto the hull with yellow.

Some soot stains around the jet nozzles and the gun were added with graphite, and finally the kit was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish.

A major bodywork project – and it’s weird that this is basically just a conversion of a stock kit and no kitbashing. A true Frogfoot remix! The new engines were the biggest “outsourced” addition, the A-10 landing gear fairings were a lucky find in the scrap box, and the rest is quite generic and could have looked differently. The result is impressive and balanced, though, the fictional TAM-1 looks quite plausible. The landing gear turned out to be a bit tall and stalky, though, making the aircraft look smaller on the ground than it actually is – but I left it that way.

My new novel:B♭ (B-flat) There’s still more to come. 😃(This is not the final draft.) by Mitsushiro Nakagawa

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