View allAll Photos Tagged DISINTEGRATION
Shortly after last winter arrived, I decided it would be a good time to wear, and photograph my collection of boots. I decided to add all my high-top and medium high-top shoes and sneakers to that collection.
I'm going to post these photos in segments. This is the third batch, the most recent photos of the boot collection.
Since I'm way behind in putting photos up, I'm not going to comment too much on the individual pair, but if you have questions or comments, I'll try to answer them.
The soles on these old size 7 Chucks have started to harden and crack. I wore these fairly often after these photos were taken, and a crack developed right across the sole of the right sneaker. One day the sole just broke in half. Now the left sneaker is also cracking.
I'll be posting more photos at some point showing the existing state. They are still very wearable , kind of like my old Reebok Ex-O Fits.
Hyperion, Hypersonic Mach 15 Scramjet Missile - IO Aircraft - ARRW, HAWC, Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon
Length: 120" / Span 25"
Scramjet, Hypersonic, ARRW, HAWC, Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon, Scramjet Physics, Scramjet Engineering, Hypersonic Missile, hypersonic weapon, hypersonic fighter, hypersonic fighter plane, tgv, tactical glide vehicle, hypersonic commercial aircraft, hypersonic commercial plane, hypersonic aircraft, hypersonic plane, hypersonic airline, tbcc, glide breaker, fighter plane, hypersonic fighter, boeing phantom express, phantom works, boeing phantom works, lockheed skunk works, boost glide, tactical glide vehicle, space plane, scramjet, turbine based combined cycle, ramjet, dual mode ramjet, defense science, missile defense agency, aerospike, hydrogen aircraft, airlines, military, physics, airline, aerion supersonic, aerion, spike aerospace, boom supersonic, , darpa, onr, navair, afrl, air force research lab, office of naval research, defense advanced research project agency, afosr, socom, arl, army future command, mda, missile defense agenci, dia, defense intelligence agency, Air Force Office of Scientific Research,
Iteration V8, Hyperion Mach 15 #hypersonic #scramjet (50% faster then the X-43 #nasa), 300% faster than #Lockheed, #NorthropGrumman, #Raytheon, and Boeing. Much is sanitized as the technology advances are dramatic and not public.
DOD's funding of #AGM-183A / Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon, the poeple developing it barely comprehend student level capabilities and 50/50 it will disintegrate even at Mach 5. China and Russia, already much faster and higher tech making it obsolete already, India's recent test, apx 700 mph faster.
Summarized details are accurate
#hypersonic #hypersonics #scramjet #hypersonicplane #hypersonicaircraft #skunkworks #spaceplane #boeing #lockheed #raytheon #bae #bombardier #airbus #northopgrumman #generaldynamics #utc #ge #afrl #onr #afosr #ReactionEngines #spacex #virginorbit #usaf #darpa #mda #rollsroyce #nasa #tesla #safran #embraer #AirLaunchedRapidResponseWeapon #additivemanufacturing #military #physics #3dprinting #supersonic #ramjet #tbcc #collinsaerospace #rockwell #phantomworks #hypersonicmissile #alrrw #boeingphantomworks #generalatomics #cessna #dassault #arl #unitedlaunchalliance #spaceshipcompany #navair #diu #dia #usaf #unitedtechnologies #defenseadvancedresearchprojectagency #graphene #additivemanufacturing
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Unified Turbine Based Combined Cycle. Current technologies and what Lockheed is trying to force on the Dept of Defense, for that low speed Mach 5 plane DOD gave them $1 billion to build and would disintegrate above Mach 5, is TBCC. 2 separate propulsion systems in the same airframe, which requires TWICE the airframe space to use.
Unified Turbine Based Combined Cycle is 1 propulsion system cutting that airframe deficit in half, and also able to operate above Mach 10 up to Mach 15 in atmosphere, and a simple nozzle modification allows for outside atmosphere rocket mode, ie orbital capable.
Additionally, Reaction Engines maximum air breather mode is Mach 4.5, above that it will explode in flight from internal pressures are too high to operate. Thus, must switch to non air breather rocket mode to operate in atmosphere in hypersonic velocities. Which as a result, makes it not feasible for anything practical. It also takes an immense amount of fuel to function.
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Advanced Additive Manufacturing for Hypersonic Aircraft
Utilizing new methods of fabrication and construction, make it possible to use additive manufacturing, dramatically reducing the time and costs of producing hypersonic platforms from missiles, aircraft, and space capable craft. Instead of aircraft being produced in piece, then bolted together; small platforms can be produced as a single unit and large platforms can be produces in large section and mated without bolting. These techniques include using exotic materials and advanced assembly processes, with an end result of streamlining the production costs and time for hypersonic aircraft; reducing months of assembly to weeks. Overall, this process greatly reduced the cost for producing hypersonic platforms. Even to such an extent that a Hellfire missile costs apx $100,000 but by utilizing our technologies, replacing it with a Mach 8-10 hypersonic missile of our physics/engineering and that missile would cost roughly $75,000 each delivered.
Materials used for these manufacturing processes are not disclosed, but overall, provides a foundation for extremely high stresses and thermodynamics, ideal for hypersonic platforms. This specific methodology and materials applications is many decades ahead of all known programs. Even to the extend of normalized space flight and re-entry, without concern of thermodynamic failure.
*Note, most entities that are experimenting with additive manufacturing for hypersonic aircraft, this makes it mainstream and standardized processes, which also applies for mass production.
What would normally be measured in years and perhaps a decade to go from drawing board to test flights, is reduced to singular months and ready for production within a year maximum.
Unified Turbine Based Combined Cycle (U-TBCC)
To date, the closest that NASA and industry have achieved for turbine based aircraft to fly at hypersonic velocities is by mounting a turbine into an aircraft and sharing the inlet with a scramjet or rocket based motor. Reaction Engines Sabre is not able to achieve hypersonic velocities and can only transition into a non air breathing rocket for beyond Mach 4.5
However, utilizing Unified Turbine Based Combine Cycle also known as U-TBCC, the two separate platforms are able to share a common inlet and the dual mode ramjet/scramjet is contained within the engine itself, which allows for a much smaller airframe footprint, thus engingeers are able to then design much higher performance aerial platforms for hypersonic flight, including the ability for constructing true single stage to orbit aircraft by utilizing a modification/version that allows for transition to outside atmosphere propulsion without any other propulsion platforms within the aircraft. By transitioning and developing aircraft to use Unified Turbine Based Combined Cycle, this propulsion system opens up new options to replace that airframe deficit for increased fuel capacity and/or payload.
Enhanced Dynamic Cavitation
Dramatically Increasing the efficiency of fuel air mixture for combustion processes at hypersonic velocities within scramjet propulsion platforms. The aspects of these processes are non disclosable.
Dynamic Scramjet Ignition Processes
For optimal scramjet ignition, a process known as Self Start is sought after, but in many cases if the platform becomes out of attitude, the scramjet will ignite. We have already solved this problem which as a result, a scramjet propulsion system can ignite at lower velocities, high velocities, at optimal attitude or not optimal attitude. It doesn't matter, it will ignite anyways at the proper point for maximum thrust capabilities at hypersonic velocities.
Hydrogen vs Kerosene Fuel Sources
Kerosene is an easy fuel to work with, and most western nations developing scramjet platforms use Kerosene for that fact. However, while kerosene has better thermal properties then Hydrogen, Hydrogen is a far superior fuel source in scramjet propulsion flight, do it having a much higher efficiency capability. Because of this aspect, in conjunction with our developments, it allows for a MUCH increased fuel to air mixture, combustion, thrust; and ability for higher speeds; instead of very low hypersonic velocities in the Mach 5-6 range. Instead, Mach 8-10 range, while we have begun developing hypersonic capabilities to exceed 15 in atmosphere within less then 5 years.
Conforming High Pressure Tank Technology for CNG and H2.
As most know in hypersonics, Hydrogen is a superior fuel source, but due to the storage abilities, can only be stored in cylinders thus much less fuel supply. Not anymore, we developed conforming high pressure storage technology for use in aerospace, automotive sectors, maritime, etc; which means any overall shape required for 8,000+ PSI CNG or Hydrogen. For hypersonic platforms, this means the ability to store a much larger volume of hydrogen vs cylinders.
As an example, X-43 flown by Nasa which flew at Mach 9.97. The fuel source was Hydrogen, which is extremely more volatile and combustible then kerosene (JP-7), via a cylinder in the main body. If it had used our technology, that entire section of the airframe would had been an 8,000 PSI H2 tank, which would had yielded 5-6 times the capacity. While the X-43 flew 11 seconds under power at Mach 9.97, at 6 times the fuel capacity would had yielded apx 66 seconds of fuel under power at Mach 9.97. If it had flew slower, around Mach 6, same principles applied would had yielded apx 500 seconds of fuel supply under power (slower speeds required less energy to maintain).
Enhanced Fuel Mixture During Shock Train Interaction
Normally, fuel injection is conducted at the correct insertion point within the shock train for maximum burn/combustion. Our methodologies differ, since almost half the fuel injection is conducted PRE shock train within the isolator, so at the point of isolator injection the fuel enhances the combustion process, which then requires less fuel injection to reach the same level of thrust capabilities.
Improved Bow Shock Interaction
Smoother interaction at hypersonic velocities and mitigating heat/stresses for beyond Mach 6 thermodynamics, which extraordinarily improves Type 3, 4, and 5 shock interaction.
6,000+ Fahrenheit Thermal Resistance
To date, the maximum thermal resistance was tested at AFRL in the spring of 2018, which resulted in a 3,200F thermal resistance for a short duration. This technology, allows for normalized hypersonic thermal resistance of 3,000-3,500F sustained, and up to 6,500F resistance for short endurance, ie 90 seconds or less. 10-20 minute resistance estimate approximately 4,500F +/- 200F.
*** This technology advancement also applies to Aerospike rocket engines, in which it is common for Aerospike's to exceed 4,500-5,000F temperatures, which results in the melting of the reversed bell housing. That melting no longer ocurrs, providing for stable combustion to ocurr for the entire flight envelope
Scramjet Propulsion Side Wall Cooling
With old technologies, side wall cooling is required for hypersonic flight and scramjet propulsion systems, otherwise the isolator and combustion regions of a scramjet would melt, even using advanced ablatives and ceramics, due to their inability to cope with very high temperatures. Using technology we have developed for very high thermodynamics and high stresses, side wall cooling is no longer required, thus removing that variable from the design process and focusing on improved ignition processes and increasing net thrust values.
Lower Threshold for Hypersonic Ignition
Active and adaptive flight dynamics, resulting in the ability for scramjet ignition at a much lower velocity, ie within ramjet envelope, between Mach 2-4, and seamless transition from supersonic to hypersonic flight, ie supersonic ramjet (scramjet). This active and dynamic aspect, has a wide variety of parameters for many flight dynamics, velocities, and altitudes; which means platforms no longer need to be engineered for specific altitude ranges or preset velocities, but those parameters can then be selected during launch configuration and are able to adapt actively in flight.
Dramatically Improved Maneuvering Capabilities at Hypersonic Velocities
Hypersonic vehicles, like their less technologically advanced brethren, use large actuator and the developers hope those controls surfaces do not disintegrate in flight. In reality, it is like rolling the dice, they may or may not survive, hence another reason why the attempt to keep velocities to Mach 6 or below. We have shrunken down control actuators while almost doubling torque and response capabilities specifically for hypersonic dynamics and extreme stresses involved, which makes it possible for maximum input authority for Mach 10 and beyond.
Paradigm Shift in Control Surface Methodologies, Increasing Control Authority (Internal Mechanical Applications)
To date, most control surfaces for hypersonic missile platforms still use fins, similar to lower speed conventional missiles, and some using ducted fins. This is mostly due to lack of comprehension of hypersonic velocities in their own favor. Instead, the body itself incorporates those control surfaces, greatly enhancing the airframe strength, opening up more space for hardware and fuel capacity; while simultaneously enhancing the platforms maneuvering capabilities.
A scramjet missile can then fly like conventional missile platforms, and not straight and level at high altitudes, losing velocity on it's decent trajectory to target. Another added benefit to this aspect, is the ability to extend range greatly, so if anyone elses hypersonic missile platform were developed for 400 mile range, falling out of the sky due to lack of glide capabilities; our platforms can easily reach 600+ miles, with minimal glide deceleration.
You may remember me posting pictures of these size 7 Puma Mostros about a year ago. They are about 7 years old. I wear them a lot and they have continued to slowly disintegrate.
Recently I spent a couple of weeks hiking in national parks in Arizona and Utah. I wore these more than any other shoes, about half the time there. I hiked quite a few miles and spent several hours hiking in a river bottom in about a foot or more of water wearing these shoes. All the hiking has worn most of the rest of the crumbling rubber off the soles, exposing the plastic, which has gotten very thin, and worn through on the heels.
The soles have started separating from the uppers; wading in the river played some part in that. Then when I hiked in sand, the sand wedged itself between the sole and the upper. further speeding the disintegration. The sole on the right heel is held on by just a sliver of plastic. The left sole is very loose at the toes. Furthermore, the leather uppers have torn through at flex points and seams near my toes.
After the river walk, I pulled out the soggy, sand encrusted innersoles. I may put them back in now.
But these are still some of my favorite shoes. Now that I am home, the disintegration has apparently stabilized, and I continue to wear them regularly. I may have to eventually do emergency repairs, but for now I wear them as is.
Our utility room door. Not opened since the 1990s -- had to be pried back shut. Used to have a wooden storm door, until one year it just collapsed and disintegrated from the elements (which is why there is a piece of wood attached to hinges on the right). The cinder block wall to our patio (left) is in crap condition too -- but maybe the paint will help keep out the moisture and make it last a bit longer.
You can see where the cats ripped open the blinds so they could look open the window. This is an orange cat thing; our other cats didn't do this.
You can see our DSL line hanging down. Originally it was worse, with cracked/missing wire insulation exposing inside wires all over the place. Combination of what I can only assume was cheap wire, combined with snow, ice, rain, and kudzu twisting the wires taut all the time. I used many many feet of electrical tape to patch up the outside of the water, and to preemptively cover up cracks that were going to end up getting worse later ("a stitch in time saves nine"). I wedged it behind various trim pieces whenever possible, with the extra slack hanging around our electric meter. DSL saved! The internet and phone companies will NOT fix this line for less than $180 per visit if it breaks. Last time it took them two visits because I wasn't there to point at where the wire was broken. COVAD are dicks. This shit is important. It shouldn't be considered inside wiring, but it is. Once it's past your junction box, it's all "inside" wiring, even if it's outside! Typical corporate doublespeak; outside becomes inside in the world of profiting off your consumers. I am the 99%, goddamnit.
Damn kudzu is already climbing up the door again, despite us weed-wacking the hell out of it just weeks before.
DSL line, cinder blocks, concrete wall, electrical tape, house maintenance, utility room door.
before painting.
side yard, Clint and Carolyn's house, Alexandria, Virginia.
June 14, 2011.
... Read my blog at ClintJCL.wordpress.com
... Read Carolyn's blog at CarolynCASL.wordpress.com
BACKSTORY: While dealing with Farmers insurance & Progressive/Homesite insurance's dropping our policy for us having peeling window sill paint (among other things), we had to do a bunch of house repairs. While painting our window sills, we also painted other surfaces that needed painting, such as doors, railings, soffits, stairs, gutters, pipes, and cinder block walls.
In what started out as a tattered and disintegrating vintage real photo postcard (rppc), this is a poignant and very rare painting brought back to life, depicting an affluent African American family spending time at a beach in San Diego c1920 (city written on back of postcard). Although the identities of the people are unknown, it is a special work commemorating black family unity.
Melvin Hale (ArtistLA), an award-winning digital artist, uses vintage black and white photos and real photo postcards (RPPCs) to create realistic color compositions that bring the past alive. It’s called Digital Realism.
See the transformation of this artwork from black & white and more at
Vintage like you've never seen it.
So much fun to wear my old Mostros until they fall off my feet, temporarily repair with rubber bands or tape, then add just enough adhesive to make them wearable again, until they fall apart again. You might ask why I don't use more glue so they wouldn't come apart so quick? Well, I enjoy wearing them with my toes and heels exposed. I wear these out shopping, taking long walks, whatever. And despite the condition, I've never gotten a comment or even a stare when I've worn them. Most people don't pay any attention.
Wilma Deering wearing Bubble Helmet - Buck Rogers partner future astronaut flying with jet pack while brandishing a disintegrator ray gun - Newspaper Science Fiction Sci-Fi comic strip hero action figure spaceman flight clouds sky space metalloglass helmets rocket belt 10/11/2011 jetpack rocketpack Go Hero Showcase figure toys toy 1930s 30s retro - spacewoman woman women - astronaut girlfriend female woman girl friend sci-fi Future Futuristic
In the late 1990's a major sneaker distributor went bottom up and liquidated their gigantic stock. Towards the end. I bought over a dozen pair, at about $8 to 10 a pair. The stock was all mixed up, just boxes of sneakers, all different sizes, men's, women's, children's all in the same box. When I saw a style I liked, I tried it on, and if I could wear it, I bought it. I didn't care if it was a men's or women's style or if it was tight or loose, as long as I felt I could wear it.
This is one of those pairs of sneakers. They had Nike air pods, and were very comfortable. I started wearing them a lot as soon as I got them.
Just a few months after I got them, one air pod went flat. A month or so later the other one did. Now, I'll tell you I actually liked them even more with the flat pods, I thought the "squishy" feeling was nice. I still wore them all the time for some years. Over time the sides of the pods crumbled, no big deal, just a little softer walk.
A few years ago, the outersoles became rock hard. The sole on the left shoe began to crumble away, and both heels snapped off, what was left of the pods wore away quickly. The issue now was that there was a hard plastic section of sole at the arch position that I was walking on. It was very slippery and really weird feeling, as my heels never really hit the ground when walking, they were close to an inch shorter than the middle of the shoe.
Now, I rarely hasten the disintegration of a shoe, I usually let wear take its toll, but I finally pried the hard plastic part off. That made walking more comfortable again.
They still feel unusual as what's left of the heel is well below the front of the sole, and the remains of the front outersole are slowly crumbling/peeling away. Nonetheless, they are watertight, fit comfortably, and are very wearable. Better than some brand new sneakers I have on rainy days.
Wilma Deering wearing Bubble Helmet - Buck Rogers partner future astronaut flying with jet pack while brandishing a disintegrator ray gun - Newspaper Science Fiction Sci-Fi comic strip hero action figure spaceman flight clouds sky space metalloglass helmets rocket belt 10/11/2011 jetpack rocketpack Go Hero Showcase figure toys toy 1930s 30s retro - spacewoman woman women - astronaut girlfriend female woman girl friend sci-fi Future Futuristic
The Wilkins Ice Shelf, on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, experienced multiple disintegration events in 2008. A rapid retreat started in February, near the end of the Antarctic summer. Another breakup began in May, during the Antarctic winter. And fresh cracks appeared on the shelf in late November 2008. By the beginning of 2009, a narrow ice bridge was all that remained to connect the ice shelf to ice fragments fringing nearby Charcot Island. That bridge gave way in early April 2009.
Days after the ice bridge rupture, on April 12, 2009, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of the southern base of the ice bridge, where it connected with the remnant ice shelf. This image shows ice fragments of varying sizes mixed with ice mélange. A crack in the east reveals dark ocean water below. Although the ice bridge between the shelf and Charcot Island had played a role in stabilizing the ice fragments in the region, its rupture didn’t guarantee an immediate ice exodus. The Wilkins Ice Shelf experienced a breakup event in 1998, yet the ice blocks from that breakup froze in place for a decade.
In this image, the low angle of the Sun accentuates shadows, and highlights an interesting feature. The large slab of ice in the lower left corner of this image displays a slight linear bulge along its northeastern edge. This area of raised ice is consistent with ice shelf modeling in numerous studies.
Photo Courtesy Earth Observatory:NASA
Generator,Rotor Power Plant,Wind Turbine Station,Atomic
Disintegrator,Coal-Oil Distilling Plant,Mechanical Excavator,Armoured
Suits For Engineers,Office of the Future,Stream-Lined
Train,Railplane,Tunnel Travel,, Road Liner,Streamlined Speed Ship,Fog
Eliminator,One-Man Submarine,Super Aeroplane,Mid-Ocean Airport,Composite
Aircraft,High Level Airport,Television,New York in the Future,London of
the Future,Cross-Shaped Skyscrapers,Church of the Future,Revolving
House, ,House Built of Glass,House Builder,Gyrotiler,Frost
Eliminator,North Sea Reclamation,Reclamation of the Sea-Floor,Gibraltar
Dam,Gyro_Motor Race,Birdman,Robot or Mechanical Man,Thought-Detecting
Machine,Invasion from the Air,Anti-Gas Armour,Anti-Gas Ray,, Rocket
Post,Cathode Rocket Spaceship,Launching a Space-Ship,Space Gun,Inside a
Space-Ship,Space Suits,New Style Observatory,Giant Telescope,Weather
Control, Science Memorabilia,Engineering, Science Collectable,1930's futuristic, thirties, Art Deco Period, Pre Second World War
Wilma Deering wearing Helmet - Buck Rogers partner future astronaut flying with jet pack while brandishing a disintegrator ray gun - Newspaper Science Fiction Sci-Fi comic strip hero action figure spaceman flight clouds sky space metalloglass helmets rocket belt 10/11/2011 jetpack rocketpack Go Hero Showcase figure toys toy 1930s 30s retro - spacewoman woman women - astronaut girlfriend female woman girl friend sci-fi Future Futuristic
From the museum web site...
This painting features one of Dali’s most popular images, the melting watch. In 1931, Dali painted his first melting watch. He said he was inspired one hot day while working in his studio when he noticed some runny Camembert cheese.
To Dali, the oozing cheese resembled a melting watch, so immediately he painted three melting watches on his canvas, capturing the public’s imagination for succeeding generations.
It is not clear why these melting watches are so startling and memorable, but they do suggest several powerful associations. They illustrate how time can be fluid, as in a dream. But a more essential and threatening association concerns our dependence upon clocks. The world runs by the clock – scheduling events is essential for life to function normally. If clocks melt, time becomes meaningless, and there is no way to control activities, leading to chaos.
Looking across the painting, what do you see? There are several images suggesting chaos, including the ocean fragmenting into atomic bits, its skin-like edge lifted to reveal a fish fluorescing. Yet there are other images that suggest continuity as well, particularly in the details of Dali’s beloved Port Lligat landscape. Other questions arise – is the image disintegrating, or is it an expression of continuity? Is time interrupted, or is it fluid and elastic? Looking beneath the ocean’s surface, do you discover disintegration or order? Dali leaves the answers to the viewer.
I give you the car that took Rolls Royce out of the hands of the aristocracy and placed it into the hands of the people, a tradition that has continued ever since. Once rock-stars, pop-stars, TV presenters and alike were seen driving around in a car that was once the exclusive pride and joy of the established gentry, it was then and there that the Class System had truly disintegrated. The Victorian-era divisions of society were well and truly dead.
In 1965 it was apparent that the nearly 10 year old Silver Cloud was starting to look its age, and as time continued to crawl on the aristocratic look of the Rolls Royce was no longer its biggest selling point. Prior to the 1960's society was clearly defined, with what was known as the 'Glass Ceiling' through which none of the lower classes could rise up through the ranks. It was very easy for the Upper Class and Aristocracy to lose their titles and come down, but even if you were a Lower Class person who'd made it rich, you'd still be socially unacceptable due to your background. However, after World War I the emergence of the new Middle Class was starting to bend the rules, and as time went on the ways in which money could be obtained started to become easier thanks to stage and screen. After World War II the influence of the new generation distorted the lines of society even more with the appearance of the Beatles and Elvis Presley, people from low backgrounds who had managed to get a free ticket to the top due to their fame in the music industry. Of course when someone gets money, the first thing they want to do is spend it on luxury items, and nothing back then was more luxury than owning a Rolls Royce.
However, when the Cloud was designed society was still very much in the same Victorian ideal as before, and so its aristocratic look was about as hip and with-it as a China Cabinet in a Discotheque. In order to survive, Rolls Royce was going to have to adapt, so in 1965 they launched the Silver Shadow, a car that was designed for the new money, and the first Roller to be brought to the masses. What made it so appealing was a case of many things.
For starters, it was the first Rolls Royce to be a 'Driver's' car. Previous models had always been built with chauffeur driven passengers in mind, but the Shadow with upgraded suspension, an updated Rolls Royce V8 engine and the same general driving feel of a regular car (if not better with innovative power steering), made it ideal for the 'posers' of the upmarket realm. Secondly, the car was the first to be built with a monocoque, where the body and chassis are part of the same structure. Previously, Rolls Royce would provide the owner with a chassis, and then it was up to the owner what body would be put on it, with a variety of coachbuilders available to do the job including H.J Muliner Park Ward, Hoopers of London and James Young. The advent of the monocoque meant that potential buyers didn't have to go through the rigmarole of buying a chassis and then having a body constructed for it at extra cost.
As mentioned though, reception was something of a mixed bag, whilst motoring press and many people gave it critical acclaim for its revolutionary design, the usual Rolls Royce customer base saw it as something of a mongrel, appealing to the lowest common denominator rather than holding up the traditional standard that the Double R was famed for. But just because it was built for the masses didn't make it any less a car, each individual Shadow cost £7,000 new, weighed 2.2 tonnes and took 3 months to build. The interior was compiled of 12 square feet of wood, and three cows had to sacrifice themselves to create the leather hides that line the seats. Soft and springy Wilton Carpets made up the floor and power from Rolls Royce's astounding V8 engine could whisk the car to about 100mph, but why would you want a sporty Rolls Royce anyway? *Cough* Rolls Royce Wraith *Cough*
After launch the Silver Shadow was whipped up by pretty much anyone and everyone who wanted to show off their wealth, with a total of 25,000 examples being built during its 15 year production life, making it the most numerous Rolls Royce ever built. The Silver Shadow also formed the basis of several other designs, including the convertible Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 2-Door Saloon which later became the Corniche in 1971, the Bentley T-Series which was exactly the same only with Bentley badge and grille, and the controversial Rolls Royce Camargue of 1975 which was designed by Pininfarina.
For a time the Shadow was on top of the world, but things started to crumble fast in the 1970's. New American legislation meant that the car had to conform at the cost of its class, with the chrome bumpers being replaced by composite or rubber, and the ditch lights being slumped underneath on a rather unsightly chin-spoiler. In 1977 this revised car was launched as the Silver Shadow II, which I consider to be but a shadow of its former self due to the fact that this was when Rolls Royce started to become downplayed and underwhelming. Indeed the best intentions were in mind with safety, but without the chrome to adorn its lovely body, the Shadow was merely a husk.
This was added to by the fuel crisis of the mid-1970's, which made motoring a very expensive practice, especially if you ran a Shadow. Shadow's are incredible gas guzzlers at less than 20MPG, and refilling one will set you back in today's money about £80. At the same time it was considered socially unacceptable to be seen driving around in one of these after such a blow, almost as if you were driving a giant middle-finger down the street to everyone else who couldn't afford to drive. Because of this, owners turned to more subtle cars such as Mercedes so as not to fall victim to vindictive passers by. With sales starting to drop, Rolls Royce had to see off the Silver Shadow as soon as possible. After nearly 10 years of development, 1980 saw the launch of the much more angular and somewhat mundane Silver Spirit/Spur range, and with that now on the go the shadows grew long for the Silver Shadow, which was killed off the same year. Spiritually however, the design of the 60's lived on in the Corniche, which was to be built for another 15 years before that too was ended in 1995.
In some ways the Shadow became a failure of its own success, with Rolls Royce building far too many cars for the market that intended to buy them, with the result that the 2nd hand market became saturated with nearly new cars that fell into some disreputable company. Throughout the 1980's the Shadow was noted for being the ride of sleazy salesmen, gang lords and Members of Parliament (pure evil!). Additionally, many Shadows were bought cheap simply for the way they made the owner look.
If you were intending to use your cheapy Shadow to plunder yourself some girls and didn't have the attraction of money to back you up, you'd be out of luck and soon out of cash, because the bills required to run a hand-built luxury car would very quickly be walking through the door, both in terms of fuel and maintenance. Critical failures are rare and these cars are very reliable (although Jeremy Clarkson would have you think otherwise), but when they do happen, it would probably be cheaper to buy yourself another car. The worst problem you could face is a failure of the hydraulics that controlled the rear suspension, the steering and the brakes, which would render the car inoperable if something were to go awry.
Frequent maintenance of a Shadow however (every 4 to 6 months) will probably even out at about £100, which when you consider the £10,000 or more you'd be paying to replace the hydraulic system, is a small sacrifice. Rust is another problem, especially for early Shadows. The Chrome sills and guttering on the roof are especially prone, although the most critical problem is rust on the chassis, which if left can compromise the whole car and essentially write it off. A bit of a buying tip, if the car's body looks good, be sure to check underneath because you may see some costly rust gremlins down there that could ruin your investment.
Another place the Shadow has found itself is in the world of movies. Of course any film that has an upper-crust theme or feel to it would have to include a Rolls, but since 2nd hand Shadows could be picked up for a song you could easily put them in your movie. Sadly, most movies that feature Shadows are ones which feature them being destroyed.
So why do I love Shadows so much? Basically because it's a mixture of all things you'd want in a car. It has a spacious, luxury interior, it has a world beating design dripping with chrome and adorned with the finest hood ornament, and because it's dimensions aren't that far off a normal car, it can easily be used as an everyday machine unlike the Silver Cloud which is simply too big for everyday use. The Shadow is also a very personable sort of machine, if I was to own one I would treat it like a pet, and probably name it Sally (old girlfriend of mine).
Today, Shadows are by no means rare and the ones you'll find on the road are probably the best. Most of the poorer 2nd Hand ones rusted away and died back in the 1980's and 90's (or were blown up in movies, or put in swimming pools), which means that the survivors are largely under the ownership of avid enthusiasts who cherish their cars. You can find Shadows for next to nothing, with some examples going for as little as £4,000, but you'd have to be very desperate to get one of those as they'd probably be in very bad condition. Minters however can go for about £15,000 to £20,000, which when compared to some of the other cars of comparative size and quality such as the BMW's and Mercs of this world, is not a bad deal.
Wilma Deering wearing Bubble Helmet - Buck Rogers partner future astronaut flying with jet pack while brandishing a disintegrator ray gun - Newspaper Science Fiction Sci-Fi comic strip hero action figure spaceman flight clouds sky space metalloglass helmets rocket belt 10/14/2011 jetpack rocketpack Go Hero Showcase figure toys toy 1930s 30s retro - spacewoman woman women - astronaut girlfriend female woman girl friend sci-fi Future Futuristic
William Basinski
Book :
Gerhard Richter
Septembre
La Différence
2011
Gerhard Richter's painting 'September' is a response to the bombing of the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, made some four years after the event. The American critic and curator Robert Storr, who has had a long working relationship with Richter, explores both the painting and the event itself, through a very personal account of his experience of being in New York on the day of the bombing.
CD :
11 Septembre 2001
Alexandre Adler
De Vive Voix
2007
Requiescat In Pace
Hommage
GMA
When I started my walk, the Shox on one side were a little loose, but then they completely tore loose, and by the time I dragged them home, the other side was coming loose.
I am trying to decide what to do? Glue them back together (I do kind of like these)? Do a quick repair, perhaps with some wire to keep them from flopping so far, trying to keep wearing them as they are (not easy, the Shox keep flopping all the way under my toes as I walk), or tearing the Shox off completely and wearing them with no heels (as I've done with a couple of other pair of disintegrating Nikes.)
You can vote in the comments!
An update, I "repaired" the flopping heel with a piece of wire under it tied through the unused lace holes. That limited the amount of "flop" to make them wearable again. A most interesting feeling as the Shox units slip sideways out one side or the other. But now I see the sole on one side holding the Shox heel to the front of the shoe has cracked through, only the other side is holding it on.
I'll keep wearing them around the house like this, but think I'll have to do a more solid repair before wearing them outside, unless I must decide to let the Shox heel part fall off completely. We'll see.
The pyramids are so old that they have nearly completely disintegrated, but when you climb up there, there are about eight more on the far coastal horizon, patterned to defend against marauding intruders from the sierra. Distances are *far* in Peru, so you have to view the large size to see the three or four other pyramids in this shot.
If you've seen the movie 'apocalypto', you can imagine what they were once like.
Taken from the summit of the biggest Chavin culture pyramid at Túcume, Lambayeque, Perú.
www.flickr.com/photos/digitalia/1290116885/in/set-7215759...
Water damage on new pennies.
These were found laying in water in the bottom of an old clothes dryer in a wooded area that we were cleaning up. See how they are disintegrating away into nothing. I took them out and dried them off and was amazed at their condition. We guessed they were there for at least 20-25 years. New type pennies are made of a zinc core that is electroplated with copper, resulting in a composition of approximately 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper. In the early 70s, the cost of the copper in a penny was nearly equal to the face value of the coin. Starting in 1982 the U.S. Mint switched to the copper-plated zinc composition to reduce the cost of producing pennies. That year had both the new and the old style planchets, so both can be found in circulation. The copper pennies weigh 3.11 grams, and the zinc ones weigh 2.5 grams.
ESEM image showing microscopic sediment elements (<53 micrometers) found in West African offshore samples circ. 1400m water depth. Acknowledgements: Alan Heaver and Anne Bahnveg.
I was wearing these on a long walk when more of the glue let go. The sole twisted mostly out from under my foot, but hey, another "barefoot shoe" for the rest of my walk. The temporary repair when I got home was a rubber band, not for the first time.
Since the adhesives I had tried kept failing after a short time, I've adopted a possibly more permanent repair: a staple holding that side of the upper to what is left of the sole (the other side is held by the Mostro Velcro strap).
So far, the repair seems to work, the shoes are back in service. Good for years to come, with occasional minor repairs.
this large clock with it's numbers scattered around its face is in one of the side entrances to the L'Illa building in Barcelona. It was designed by Javier Mariscal in 1994 for the Swiss company Winterthur.
I particularly like the way the number 6 blocks the entrance stairway!
(requires Google Earth)
The following image was generated by Filter forge - Disintegration Filter.
New version. Photoshop Plug in.
The program can be downloaded for evaluation during 30 days.
..had more time than usual at my disposal yesterday, as I finally handed in my master's thesis, YAY!
Wilma Deering wearing Helmet - Threepio and the Rocketeer - Buck Rogers partner future astronaut flying with jet pack while brandishing a disintegrator ray gun - Newspaper Science Fiction Sci-Fi comic strip hero action figure spaceman flight clouds sky space metalloglass helmets rocket belt 10/11/2011 jetpack rocketpack Go Hero Showcase figure toys toy 1930s 30s retro - spacewoman woman women - astronaut girlfriend female woman girl friend sci-fi Future Futuristic C-3PO
Wilma Deering wearing Helmet - Threepio and the Rocketeer - Buck Rogers partner future astronaut flying with jet pack while brandishing a disintegrator ray gun - Newspaper Science Fiction Sci-Fi comic strip hero action figure spaceman flight clouds sky space metalloglass helmets rocket belt 10/11/2011 jetpack rocketpack Go Hero Showcase figure toys toy 1930s 30s retro - spacewoman woman women - astronaut girlfriend female woman girl friend sci-fi Future Futuristic C-3PO
Shortly after last winter arrived, I decided it would be a good time to wear, and photograph my collection of boots. I decided to add all my high-top and medium high-top shoes and sneakers to that collection.
I'm going to post these photos in segments. This is the third batch, the most recent photos of the boot collection.
Since I'm way behind in putting photos up, I'm not going to comment too much on the individual pair, but if you have questions or comments, I'll try to answer them.
The soles on these old size 7 Chucks have started to harden and crack. I wore these fairly often after these photos were taken, and a crack developed right across the sole of the right sneaker. One day the sole just broke in half. Now the left sneaker is also cracking.
I'll be posting more photos at some point showing the existing state. They are still very wearable , kind of like my old Reebok Ex-O Fits.
I give you the car that took Rolls Royce out of the hands of the aristocracy and placed it into the hands of the people, a tradition that has continued ever since. Once rock-stars, pop-stars, TV presenters and alike were seen driving around in a car that was once the exclusive pride and joy of the established gentry, it was then and there that the Class System had truly disintegrated. The Victorian-era divisions of society were well and truly dead.
In 1965 it was apparent that the nearly 10 year old Silver Cloud was starting to look its age, and as time continued to crawl on the aristocratic look of the Rolls Royce was no longer its biggest selling point. Prior to the 1960's society was clearly defined, with what was known as the 'Glass Ceiling' through which none of the lower classes could rise up through the ranks. It was very easy for the Upper Class and Aristocracy to lose their titles and come down, but even if you were a Lower Class person who'd made it rich, you'd still be socially unacceptable due to your background. However, after World War I the emergence of the new Middle Class was starting to bend the rules, and as time went on the ways in which money could be obtained started to become easier thanks to stage and screen. After World War II the influence of the new generation distorted the lines of society even more with the appearance of the Beatles and Elvis Presley, people from low backgrounds who had managed to get a free ticket to the top due to their fame in the music industry. Of course when someone gets money, the first thing they want to do is spend it on luxury items, and nothing back then was more luxury than owning a Rolls Royce.
However, when the Cloud was designed society was still very much in the same Victorian ideal as before, and so its aristocratic look was about as hip and with-it as a China Cabinet in a Discotheque. In order to survive, Rolls Royce was going to have to adapt, so in 1965 they launched the Silver Shadow, a car that was designed for the new money, and the first Roller to be brought to the masses. What made it so appealing was a case of many things.
For starters, it was the first Rolls Royce to be a 'Driver's' car. Previous models had always been built with chauffeur driven passengers in mind, but the Shadow with upgraded suspension, an updated Rolls Royce V8 engine and the same general driving feel of a regular car (if not better with innovative power steering), made it ideal for the 'posers' of the upmarket realm. Secondly, the car was the first to be built with a monocoque, where the body and chassis are part of the same structure. Previously, Rolls Royce would provide the owner with a chassis, and then it was up to the owner what body would be put on it, with a variety of coachbuilders available to do the job including H.J Muliner Park Ward, Hoopers of London and James Young. The advent of the monocoque meant that potential buyers didn't have to go through the rigmarole of buying a chassis and then having a body constructed for it at extra cost.
As mentioned though, reception was something of a mixed bag, whilst motoring press and many people gave it critical acclaim for its revolutionary design, the usual Rolls Royce customer base saw it as something of a mongrel, appealing to the lowest common denominator rather than holding up the traditional standard that the Double R was famed for. But just because it was built for the masses didn't make it any less a car, each individual Shadow cost £7,000 new, weighed 2.2 tonnes and took 3 months to build. The interior was compiled of 12 square feet of wood, and three cows had to sacrifice themselves to create the leather hides that line the seats. Soft and springy Wilton Carpets made up the floor and power from Rolls Royce's astounding V8 engine could whisk the car to about 100mph, but why would you want a sporty Rolls Royce anyway? *Cough* Rolls Royce Wraith *Cough*
After launch the Silver Shadow was whipped up by pretty much anyone and everyone who wanted to show off their wealth, with a total of 25,000 examples being built during its 15 year production life, making it the most numerous Rolls Royce ever built. The Silver Shadow also formed the basis of several other designs, including the convertible Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 2-Door Saloon which later became the Corniche in 1971, the Bentley T-Series which was exactly the same only with Bentley badge and grille, and the controversial Rolls Royce Camargue of 1975 which was designed by Pininfarina.
For a time the Shadow was on top of the world, but things started to crumble fast in the 1970's. New American legislation meant that the car had to conform at the cost of its class, with the chrome bumpers being replaced by composite or rubber, and the ditch lights being slumped underneath on a rather unsightly chin-spoiler. In 1977 this revised car was launched as the Silver Shadow II, which I consider to be but a shadow of its former self due to the fact that this was when Rolls Royce started to become downplayed and underwhelming. Indeed the best intentions were in mind with safety, but without the chrome to adorn its lovely body, the Shadow was merely a husk.
This was added to by the fuel crisis of the mid-1970's, which made motoring a very expensive practice, especially if you ran a Shadow. Shadow's are incredible gas guzzlers at less than 20MPG, and refilling one will set you back in today's money about £80. At the same time it was considered socially unacceptable to be seen driving around in one of these after such a blow, almost as if you were driving a giant middle-finger down the street to everyone else who couldn't afford to drive. Because of this, owners turned to more subtle cars such as Mercedes so as not to fall victim to vindictive passers by. With sales starting to drop, Rolls Royce had to see off the Silver Shadow as soon as possible. After nearly 10 years of development, 1980 saw the launch of the much more angular and somewhat mundane Silver Spirit/Spur range, and with that now on the go the shadows grew long for the Silver Shadow, which was killed off the same year. Spiritually however, the design of the 60's lived on in the Corniche, which was to be built for another 15 years before that too was ended in 1995.
In some ways the Shadow became a failure of its own success, with Rolls Royce building far too many cars for the market that intended to buy them, with the result that the 2nd hand market became saturated with nearly new cars that fell into some disreputable company. Throughout the 1980's the Shadow was noted for being the ride of sleazy salesmen, gang lords and Members of Parliament (pure evil!). Additionally, many Shadows were bought cheap simply for the way they made the owner look.
If you were intending to use your cheapy Shadow to plunder yourself some girls and didn't have the attraction of money to back you up, you'd be out of luck and soon out of cash, because the bills required to run a hand-built luxury car would very quickly be walking through the door, both in terms of fuel and maintenance. Critical failures are rare and these cars are very reliable (although Jeremy Clarkson would have you think otherwise), but when they do happen, it would probably be cheaper to buy yourself another car. The worst problem you could face is a failure of the hydraulics that controlled the rear suspension, the steering and the brakes, which would render the car inoperable if something were to go awry.
Frequent maintenance of a Shadow however (every 4 to 6 months) will probably even out at about £100, which when you consider the £10,000 or more you'd be paying to replace the hydraulic system, is a small sacrifice. Rust is another problem, especially for early Shadows. The Chrome sills and guttering on the roof are especially prone, although the most critical problem is rust on the chassis, which if left can compromise the whole car and essentially write it off. A bit of a buying tip, if the car's body looks good, be sure to check underneath because you may see some costly rust gremlins down there that could ruin your investment.
Another place the Shadow has found itself is in the world of movies. Of course any film that has an upper-crust theme or feel to it would have to include a Rolls, but since 2nd hand Shadows could be picked up for a song you could easily put them in your movie. Sadly, most movies that feature Shadows are ones which feature them being destroyed.
So why do I love Shadows so much? Basically because it's a mixture of all things you'd want in a car. It has a spacious, luxury interior, it has a world beating design dripping with chrome and adorned with the finest hood ornament, and because it's dimensions aren't that far off a normal car, it can easily be used as an everyday machine unlike the Silver Cloud which is simply too big for everyday use. The Shadow is also a very personable sort of machine, if I was to own one I would treat it like a pet, and probably name it Sally (old girlfriend of mine).
Today, Shadows are by no means rare and the ones you'll find on the road are probably the best. Most of the poorer 2nd Hand ones rusted away and died back in the 1980's and 90's (or were blown up in movies, or put in swimming pools), which means that the survivors are largely under the ownership of avid enthusiasts who cherish their cars. You can find Shadows for next to nothing, with some examples going for as little as £4,000, but you'd have to be very desperate to get one of those as they'd probably be in very bad condition. Minters however can go for about £15,000 to £20,000, which when compared to some of the other cars of comparative size and quality such as the BMW's and Mercs of this world, is not a bad deal.
Rubber Winter Boots
When going through my coat closet this winter I found two old pairs of boots I had forgotten about. This is the first pair.
These aren't that old, I bought them and wore them when the soles of the grey boots, which are years older, first wore through.
Within a couple of years, the rubber uppers began to harden, crack and flake away. At first it happened at the tops, which made no difference wearing them. Much of the rubber from the top fell off, leaving the cloth and fleece lining.
Then they started to crack down below, and I retired them to the closet and went back to using the holey grey boots, which I had still been using as gardening shoes.
Since I unearthed them, I've worn them for snow shoveling, as more and more of the hardened rubber peels and falls off. As it turns out, the cloth is water and snow proof without the rubber, unlike the imitation Uggs. They look strange, but are functional in this condition.
There is one issue: When ever I put them on or take them off, I have to sweep up the pile of hardened rubber pieces which flake off them.
Wilma Deering wearing Helmet - Buck Rogers partner future astronaut flying with jet pack while brandishing a disintegrator ray gun - Newspaper Science Fiction Sci-Fi comic strip hero action figure spaceman flight clouds sky space metalloglass helmets rocket belt 10/11/2011 jetpack rocketpack Go Hero Showcase figure toys toy 1930s 30s retro - spacewoman woman women - astronaut girlfriend female woman girl friend sci-fi Future Futuristic