View allAll Photos Tagged Insignificant
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
The title is from the reported words of the marvellous Hypatia of Alexandria.
... and now that I've mentioned Hypatia, here is a copy of my review of the film Agora, which I have written for Clockwise Cat's e-zine:
The Sublime Insignificant: Review of Agora
It surprises me how many reviewers are giving this astonishing film only three stars, and I do hope this is not because the film chooses not to dwell on the viciousness of Hypatia's murder: a decision which would have made a cinematic 'spectacle' entirely inappropriate for this most subtle and beautiful of films. For the record, the real Hypatia - a pagan philosopher in fourth century Alexandria who deduced that the earth orbited the sun in an ellipse, and preserved her right to operate as a lecturer by repelling her suitors with a gift of a handkerchief stained with her own menstrual blood – was killed as a witch by fundamentalist Christians who scraped the living flesh from her bones with seashells. It is her life and thought, however, and not the manner of her death, which is the chief subject of this film, and that is as it should be.
The astonishingly realistic recreation of Alexandria is in itself a remarkable cinematic feat, the costumes look entirely authentic, the performances are flawless, and the cinematography - always beautiful - is often thoroughly awe inspiring. Ultimately, however, what makes this film so great is the way in which it puts human beings into perspective (swarming fundamentalists ransacking the agora are likened to ants, and in one of the most inspired shots in cinematic history, Alexandria is viewed from outer space, and is sublime and utterly insignificant all at once) whilst suggesting that human beings are nevertheless capable of reaching the heights of reason, and plumbing the depths of unreason. It is one of the ironies of history that the monstrous 'Saint' Cyril of Alexandria is recognised as a Doctor of the Church, whilst not a single word written by Hypatia has survived.
Much ink will be wasted in coming months in discussion of whether this film deliberately paints Christianity in a bad light. The truth is that no form of religious extremism looks good in this film, and for that reason alone, it ought to be statutory viewing for all people who are convinced that theirs is the only god. Rachel Weisz plays the lead role with such grace and conviction that her refusal of Christian baptism, accompanied by the words “I believe in philosophy” – clunky as they may look on the printed page – becomes one of the most powerful moments in modern cinema.
Forget the lukewarm reviews, and see this film for yourself. Thrown off the scent, perhaps, by publicity over-emphasising the romantic element in the film, reviewers have begun to argue that the plot begins to flag in the second half. This is to miss the point entirely: the film is not a romance; it is an exploration of one woman’s discoveries about our place in the universe, and it is at once humbling, tragic and victorious. I found myself on the edge of tears throughout most of it, entranced by the splendour, wisdom and realism of its vision. The ending was the hardest and the truest thing I have ever seen in a film.
But don't trust me. Make up your own mind. That is what Hypatia would have told you to do.
In 1897 Aviemore went from being an fairly insignificant line-side halt to a fully-fledged junction when the Direct Line to Inverness opened.
The former main-line via Grantown and Forres closed to passenger traffic in 1965 but the portion from Aviemore to Boat of Garten (and subsequently Broomhill) has been restored by the Strathspey Railway.
This has brought a new lease of life to the island platform at Aviemore which has been restored to its former glory.
Inspired by an insignificant scene that just stood out to me from "Where the Wild Things Are" :)
I've had this idea since i first saw the movie, while it was in theaters, but this inspired me to go take it :)
I got picasa :D so I can edit photos now!
but I'm not entirely too happy with this.
I DESPERATELY WANT TO MEET MY FLICKR FRIENDS. Like now. Please and thank you! :D
there are small, seemingly insignificant choices that we make …
everyday in fact
some don’t seem to matter much,
or at least we don’t pay much attention to them
others turn out to be life-changing …
if we had the chance to go back on one of these choices,
and erase it from our lives forever
… just one
what would be yours ?
"There is nothing insignificant in the world. It all depends on the point of view."
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
These are benign growths. Usually if there's one, there are others. They do not require surgery unless they're bothering the dog. They are very common.
The notoriously run out scabby slab classic, a small insignificant cam disguises the true nature of this climb, placed in a shallow flake the last piece would most likely rip, sending a spiraling and swinging climber crashing into the side wall.
Prints and Image Licensing now available on all images. Contact: thomas@teacozydesign.com
You can now follow Teacozy on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/teacozy.designphoto
News feed blog:
teacozynews.blogspot.com/2011/05/teacozy-world-blog.html.blogspot.com/2011/05/teacozy-world-blog.html
The insignificant looking rock in the foreground has a stone plinth which records the fact that midshipman Isaac Smith landed here in 1770, thus becoming the first of Captain Cooks crew to set foot on the Australian continent.
The ship in the background is the m/t Anatoly Kolodkin which is moored at Botany Bay refinery jetty.
If you don't look closely, you might just miss him.
So the Vegas pictures are not going to be put up nearly as quickly as previously thought. What can I say? Moving is horrible. Anyhow, I got a new laptop for college with Photoshop CS5 on it, so I'm super excited for when I get the time to go through and finish editing all of these.
Nothing is insignificant once it is truly noticed.
Project: Ordinary
Jan 2026 | Canon T3i +55-250mm EF-S
[1]
Ninety-seven architects submitted designs from all over Britain with the sum of 100 guineas as the prize. The prize was not insignificant; £100 guineas at 1902 prices would be worth around £6000 now. A Cardiff architect called Edwin Seward won through and Mayor Griffith Thomas, Chairman of the Harbour
(...)
Seward, who by this time was one of the most distinguished architects in the region, had trained in Yeovil and came to Cardiff as an assistant to G.E. Robinson. By 1875 he was a member of the firm James, Seward and Thomas that went on to build some of Cardiff's most notable public buildings in the late 19th century. These included the Free Library in the Hayes (1880-82), the vast Coal and Shipping Exchange (1884-88) in Mount Stuart Square and a couple of the shopping arcades in the city centre.
By 1902 however Swansea's maritime-industrial heyday had slipped almost imperceptibly past its apogee, the copper industry was in decline with the remaining works refining copper rather than smelting it. Nevertheless the town's' population stood at a healthy 94,537 (it was 10,117 in 1802) and it shipped two million tons of coal a year.
The Mond Nickel Works was established at Clydach in 1902 and although by then outstripped by Cardiff and Newport in the coal exporting stakes, Swansea was still the key Welsh port for the export of anthracite, the tonnage of which could be measured in many thousands of tons. It is against this background that the Harbour Trust Offices were built; it was a time when the world came to Swansea. Amongst other things it came in the form of 1.996.567 tons of goods that entered Swansea Harbour from countries such as Mexico, Newfoundland, Norway and Spain.
www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southwest/sites/swansea/pages/morgans...
[2]
The Albertina
The architectural history of the Palais
(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Image: The oldest photographic view of the newly designed Palais Archduke Albrecht, 1869
"It is my will that the expansion of the inner city of Vienna with regard to a suitable connection of the same with the suburbs as soon as possible is tackled and at this on Regulirung (regulation) and beautifying of my Residence and Imperial Capital is taken into account. To this end I grant the withdrawal of the ramparts and fortifications of the inner city and the trenches around the same".
This decree of Emperor Franz Joseph I, published on 25 December 1857 in the Wiener Zeitung, formed the basis for the largest the surface concerning and architecturally most significant transformation of the Viennese cityscape. Involving several renowned domestic and foreign architects a "master plan" took form, which included the construction of a boulevard instead of the ramparts between the inner city and its radially upstream suburbs. In the 50-years during implementation phase, an impressive architectural ensemble developed, consisting of imperial and private representational buildings, public administration and cultural buildings, churches and barracks, marking the era under the term "ring-street style". Already in the first year tithe decided a senior member of the Austrian imperial family to decorate the facades of his palace according to the new design principles, and thus certified the aristocratic claim that this also "historicism" said style on the part of the imperial house was attributed.
Image: The Old Albertina after 1920
It was the palace of Archduke Albrecht (1817-1895), the Senior of the Habsburg Family Council, who as Field Marshal held the overall command over the Austro-Hungarian army. The building was incorporated into the imperial residence of the Hofburg complex, forming the south-west corner and extending eleven meters above street level on the so-called Augustinerbastei.
The close proximity of the palace to the imperial residence corresponded not only with Emperor Franz Joseph I and Archduke Albert with a close familial relationship between the owner of the palace and the monarch. Even the former inhabitants were always in close relationship to the imperial family, whether by birth or marriage. An exception here again proves the rule: Don Emanuel Teles da Silva Conde Tarouca (1696-1771), for which Maria Theresa in 1744 the palace had built, was just a close friend and advisor of the monarch. Silva Tarouca underpins the rule with a second exception, because he belonged to the administrative services as Generalhofbaudirektor (general court architect) and President of the Austrian-Dutch administration, while all other him subsequent owners were highest ranking military.
In the annals of Austrian history, especially those of military history, they either went into as commander of the Imperial Army, or the Austrian, later kk Army. In chronological order, this applies to Duke Carl Alexander of Lorraine, the brother-of-law of Maria Theresa, as Imperial Marshal, her son-in-law Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen, also field marshal, whos adopted son, Archduke Charles of Austria, the last imperial field marshal and only Generalissimo of Austria, his son Archduke Albrecht of Austria as Feldmarschalil and army Supreme commander, and most recently his nephew Archduke Friedrich of Austria, who held as field marshal from 1914 to 1916 the command of the Austro-Hungarian troops. Despite their military profession, all five generals conceived themselves as patrons of the arts and promoted large sums of money to build large collections, the construction of magnificent buildings and cultural life. Charles Alexander of Lorraine promoted as governor of the Austrian Netherlands from 1741 to 1780 the Academy of Fine Arts, the Théâtre de Ja Monnaie and the companies Bourgeois Concert and Concert Noble, he founded the Academie royale et imperial des Sciences et des Lettres, opened the Bibliotheque Royal for the population and supported artistic talents with high scholarships. World fame got his porcelain collection, which however had to be sold by Emperor Joseph II to pay off his debts. Duke Albert began in 1776 according to the concept of conte Durazzo to set up an encyclopedic collection of prints, which forms the core of the world-famous "Albertina" today.
Image : Duke Albert and Archduchess Marie Christine show in family cercle the from Italy brought along art, 1776. Frederick Henry Füger.
1816 declared to Fideikommiss and thus in future indivisible, inalienable and inseparable, the collection 1822 passed into the possession of Archduke Carl, who, like his descendants, it broadened. Under him, the collection was introduced together with the sumptuously equipped palace on the Augustinerbastei in the so-called "Carl Ludwig'schen fideicommissum in 1826, by which the building and the in it kept collection fused into an indissoluble unity. At this time had from the Palais Tarouca by structural expansion or acquisition a veritable Residenz palace evolved. Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen was first in 1800 the third floor of the adjacent Augustinian convent wing adapted to house his collection and he had after 1802 by his Belgian architect Louis de Montoyer at the suburban side built a magnificent extension, called the wing of staterooms, it was equipped in the style of Louis XVI. Only two decades later, Archduke Carl the entire palace newly set up. According to scetches of the architect Joseph Kornhäusel the 1822-1825 retreaded premises presented themselves in the Empire style. The interior of the palace testified from now in an impressive way the high rank and the prominent position of its owner. Under Archduke Albrecht the outer appearance also should meet the requirements. He had the facade of the palace in the style of historicism orchestrated and added to the Palais front against the suburbs an offshore covered access. Inside, he limited himself, apart from the redesign of the Rococo room in the manner of the second Blondel style, to the retention of the paternal stock. Archduke Friedrich's plans for an expansion of the palace were omitted, however, because of the outbreak of the First World War so that his contribution to the state rooms, especially, consists in the layout of the Spanish apartment, which he in 1895 for his sister, the Queen of Spain Maria Christina, had set up as a permanent residence.
Picture: The "audience room" after the restoration: Picture: The "balcony room" around 1990
The era of stately representation with handing down their cultural values found its most obvious visualization inside the palace through the design and features of the staterooms. On one hand, by the use of the finest materials and the purchase of masterfully manufactured pieces of equipment, such as on the other hand by the permanent reuse of older equipment parts. This period lasted until 1919, when Archduke Friedrich was expropriated by the newly founded Republic of Austria. With the republicanization of the collection and the building first of all finished the tradition that the owner's name was synonymous with the building name:
After Palais Tarouca or tarokkisches house it was called Lorraine House, afterwards Duke Albert Palais and Palais Archduke Carl. Due to the new construction of an adjacently located administration building it received in 1865 the prefix "Upper" and was referred to as Upper Palais Archduke Albrecht and Upper Palais Archduke Frederick. For the state a special reference to the Habsburg past was certainly politically no longer opportune, which is why was decided to name the building according to the in it kept collection "Albertina".
Picture: The "Wedgwood Cabinet" after the restoration: Picture: the "Wedgwood Cabinet" in the Palais Archduke Friedrich, 1905
This name derives from the term "La Collection Albertina" which had been used by the gallery Inspector Maurice von Thausing in 1870 in the Gazette des Beaux-Arts for the former graphics collection of Duke Albert. For this reason, it was the first time since the foundation of the palace that the name of the collection had become synonymous with the room shell. Room shell, hence, because the Republic of Austria Archduke Friedrich had allowed to take along all the movable goods from the palace in his Hungarian exile: crystal chandeliers, curtains and carpets as well as sculptures, vases and clocks. Particularly stressed should be the exquisite furniture, which stems of three facilities phases: the Louis XVI furnitures of Duke Albert, which had been manufactured on the basis of fraternal relations between his wife Archduchess Marie Christine and the French Queen Marie Antoinette after 1780 in the French Hofmanufakturen, also the on behalf of Archduke Charles 1822-1825 in the Vienna Porcelain Manufactory by Joseph Danhauser produced Empire furnitures and thirdly additions of the same style of Archduke Friedrich, which this about 1900 at Portois & Ffix as well as at Friedrich Otto Schmidt had commissioned.
The "swept clean" building got due to the strained financial situation after the First World War initially only a makeshift facility. However, since until 1999 no revision of the emergency equipment took place, but differently designed, primarily the utilitarianism committed office furnitures complementarily had been added, the equipment of the former state rooms presented itself at the end of the 20th century as an inhomogeneous administrative mingle-mangle of insignificant parts, where, however, dwelt a certain quaint charm. From the magnificent state rooms had evolved depots, storage rooms, a library, a study hall and several officed.
Image: The Albertina Graphic Arts Collection and the Philipphof after the American bombing of 12 März 1945.
Image: The palace after the demolition of the entrance facade, 1948-52
Worse it hit the outer appearance of the palace, because in times of continued anti-Habsburg sentiment after the Second World War and inspired by an intolerant destruction will, it came by pickaxe to a ministerial erasure of history. In contrast to the graphic collection possessed the richly decorated facades with the conspicuous insignia of the former owner an object-immanent reference to the Habsburg past and thus exhibited the monarchial traditions and values of the era of Francis Joseph significantly. As part of the remedial measures after a bomb damage, in 1948 the aristocratic, by Archduke Albert initiated, historicist facade structuring along with all decorations was cut off, many facade figures demolished and the Hapsburg crest emblems plunged to the ground. Since in addition the old ramp also had been cancelled and the main entrance of the bastion level had been moved down to the second basement storey at street level, ended the presence of the old Archduke's palace after more than 200 years. At the reopening of the "Albertina Graphic Collection" in 1952, the former Hapsburg Palais of splendour presented itself as one of his identity robbed, formally trivial, soulless room shell, whose successful republicanization an oversized and also unproportional eagle above the new main entrance to the Augustinian road symbolized. The emocratic throw of monuments had wiped out the Hapsburg palace from the urban appeareance, whereby in the perception only existed a nondescript, nameless and ahistorical building that henceforth served the lodging and presentation of world-famous graphic collection of the Albertina. The condition was not changed by the decision to the refurbishment because there were only planned collection specific extensions, but no restoration of the palace.
Image: The palace after the Second World War with simplified facades, the rudiment of the Danubiusbrunnens (well) and the new staircase up to the Augustinerbastei
This paradigm shift corresponded to a blatant reversal of the historical circumstances, as the travel guides and travel books for kk Residence and imperial capital of Vienna dedicated itself primarily with the magnificent, aristocratic palace on the Augustinerbastei with the sumptuously fitted out reception rooms and mentioned the collection kept there - if at all - only in passing. Only with the repositioning of the Albertina in 2000 under the direction of Klaus Albrecht Schröder, the palace was within the meaning and in fulfillment of the Fideikommiss of Archduke Charles in 1826 again met with the high regard, from which could result a further inseparable bond between the magnificent mansions and the world-famous collection. In view of the knowing about politically motivated errors and omissions of the past, the facades should get back their noble, historicist designing, the staterooms regain their glamorous, prestigious appearance and culturally unique equippment be repurchased. From this presumption, eventually grew the full commitment to revise the history of redemption and the return of the stately palace in the public consciousness.
Image: The restored suburb facade of the Palais Albertina suburb
The smoothed palace facades were returned to their original condition and present themselves today - with the exception of the not anymore reconstructed Attica figures - again with the historicist decoration and layout elements that Archduke Albrecht had given after the razing of the Augustinerbastei in 1865 in order. The neoclassical interiors, today called after the former inhabitants "Habsburg Staterooms", receiving a meticulous and detailed restoration taking place at the premises of originality and authenticity, got back their venerable and sumptuous appearance. From the world wide scattered historical pieces of equipment have been bought back 70 properties or could be returned through permanent loan to its original location, by which to the visitors is made experiencable again that atmosphere in 1919 the state rooms of the last Habsburg owner Archduke Frederick had owned. The for the first time in 80 years public accessible "Habsburg State Rooms" at the Palais Albertina enable now again as eloquent testimony to our Habsburg past and as a unique cultural heritage fundamental and essential insights into the Austrian cultural history. With the relocation of the main entrance to the level of the Augustinerbastei the recollection to this so valuable Austrian Cultural Heritage formally and functionally came to completion. The vision of the restoration and recovery of the grand palace was a pillar on which the new Albertina should arise again, the other embody the four large newly built exhibition halls, which allow for the first time in the history of the Albertina, to exhibit the collection throughout its encyclopedic breadh under optimal conservation conditions.
Image: The new entrance area of the Albertina
64 meter long shed roof. Hans Hollein.
The palace presents itself now in its appearance in the historicist style of the Ringstrassenära, almost as if nothing had happened in the meantime. But will the wheel of time should not, cannot and must not be turned back, so that the double standards of the "Albertina Palace" said museum - on the one hand Habsburg grandeur palaces and other modern museum for the arts of graphics - should be symbolized by a modern character: The in 2003 by Hans Hollein designed far into the Albertina square cantilevering, elegant floating flying roof. 64 meters long, it symbolizes in the form of a dynamic wedge the accelerated urban spatial connectivity and public access to the palace. It advertises the major changes in the interior as well as the huge underground extensions of the repositioned "Albertina".
Christian Benedictine
Art historian with research interests History of Architecture, building industry of the Hapsburgs, Hofburg and Zeremonialwissenschaft (ceremonial sciences). Since 1990 he works in the architecture collection of the Albertina. Since 2000 he supervises as director of the newly founded department "Staterooms" the restoration and furnishing of the state rooms and the restoration of the facades and explores the history of the palace and its inhabitants.
The sun struggles to shine through a thick haze of atmospheric smoke particles generated by raging bush fires hundreds of kilometers away. December 9, 2006. Victoria, Australia.
Dong Tu (10th grade-BHS, MA)
This was certainly going to be an odd trip. I had gotten used to our yearly excursions beginning and concluding with a long car ride. As my parents were planning to figure out where to go this particular year, my sister came up with the idea to go to Vietnam. At the time, I was a bit hesitant about the idea. I barely knew anything of this country. I didn’t know its capital, its currency, or even if the country had evolved to the point of having modern toilets (luckily it did). Little did I know that this trip would later have a profound impact upon me.
I was very impressed with the state of the country when I finally arrived there. Any preconceived notion that this country was “third world” was certainly false, seeing that nearly every one of my relatives had cell phones and TVs. The first few days in particular, I enjoyed the city-life and I later visited the beautiful, lush countryside. As fun as this trip was, I began to notice an unhappiness that my father had. I was surprised to see this sorrow assuming he was happy visiting his family that he left behind years ago. I did not figure out this sadness until later.
While the country of Vietnam is ever improving, the quality of life of the citizens is not improving as rapidly. Although, my relatives are able to sustain themselves, they are still living in poverty. I believe my father witnessing his siblings unfortunate living conditions is what made him sad. My cousins had no chance for a higher education. They had no chance for a good job, or any opportunity to climb the social ladder. One aunt in particular could barely afford to keep her house. It is always sad to see a family poverty-stricken on TV, but it is absolutely humbling to see your own relative living in poverty. Seeing the problems that my aunts and uncles have to face each day, I felt that a lot of the problems that I had were insignificant. How could I complain about not getting an Ipod or a new video gaming system while I had relatives who have the possibility of losing their home?
The trip allowed me to be glad of the chances that I have been given. This trip acted as a turning point for me. Before this trip, I was the type of student that was rather unwilling to work hard in school. As a result, I received grades that were lower then what I am capable of receiving. I entered the tenth grade in the fall and began to push myself academically and took it upon myself to improve my grades substantially. I went from a straight “B” student to a solid “A” student. I will forever be grateful of the lesson that this trip taught me which is that the world is not fair. Many people in the world who have the tools to excel are placed in unfortunate circumstances that limit what they are able to accomplish. I was lucky enough to be born in a society that does not have these “chains”, and I realize this. I have been given a chance that many of my family members do not have, a prospect that I should not squander. I know for a fact, that in the future I will continue to motivate myself to work hard. This, however, is not just exclusive to school, but in other venues in my life as well. I will forever be grateful of the things I have and not regret the thing that I do not have.
Today I saw a red and yellow sunset and thought, how insignificant I am! Of course, I thought that yesterday too, and it rained.
-Woody Allen
De temps en temps ce géant blanc apparait entre les nuages comme pour dire "vous humains êtes si insignifiants bien que vous vous croyez importants"... Le Volcan Nevado Del huila (5364 m anm) en fin de journée il y a environ 2 semaines. Colombie.
De vez en cuando este gigante blanco aparece entre las nubes como para decir "ustedes humanos locos son tan insignificantes así se crean importantes".... El Volcán Nevado Del Huila (5364 m snm) al final del día hace casi dos semanas. Colombia.
Manufacturer: Rogue Automotive/Rose Motors Ltd.
Nationality: USA
First assembled: Summer 2050
Birthplace: Lemont, IL
Engine: 6.3 L Twin-Turbo V10
HP: 1,200 BHP
0-60: 2.3 seconds
Top speed: 233.40 MPH
The Firepower GT, the hypercar that took Rogue Automotive from a simple worktruck manufacturer and launched them hard into a serious sportscar manufacturer and motorsports heavy-hitter, ceased production in 2049 with the top speed-oriented MAX trim level. Built as a road-legal ode to late-20th century GT1 racers and their insane homologation specials, the Firepower GT series was notorious for how brutal and outright insane it was. A very spartan interior with few luxuries and as few driver aids as legally allowed, the Firepower GT quickly garnered a reputation for being unsympathetic to the inexperienced. While this was seen as an endearing part of the experience to plenty of the people who helped move all 1,250 of the Firepower’s production run, it was certainly less endearing when a non-insignificant number of those Firepower’s crashed due to driver inexperience with such a blunt car. The mid-mounted supercharged V10 that produced over 1,000 HP would be a handful for even a seasoned racer, so imagine how your weekend trackday enthusiast would fare against such an absolute weapon of a car. But it was this brutishness and high skill ceiling that really helped put the Firepower on the map as a serious competitor to other established names in the hypercar business, both on the roads and the raceways. So when Rogue ceased production of the Firepower and announced a successor was on the way, everyone saw Rogue as at a crossroads. The successor could be something more refined, controlled, and more forgiving to potentially appeal to a broader customer base. Or Rogue could dig their heels in and lean into their reputation of building absolutely insane hypercars that would gladly kill you with a thought if they could. When Rogue posted a teaser image of a dark silhouette on their social media pages around early 2049, they gave us a glimpse of something low, with aggressive bodywork, and shockingly most of all, open-wheeled. The caption for the image read “We’ll miss ya, Firepower, but we all gotta move forward. See ya at Goodwood”. It looked like the Firepower’s legacy of insanity was going to live on in a new form, and the world would see it shortly in the summer at one of the most prestigious events in automotive culture: the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed in Sussex, England is easily the most well-known and high-profile automotive festival in the world, and without a doubt one of the most important events in automotive culture. To get invited to it is a level of prestige few can hope to achieve, but Rogue Automotive proudly marked off that achievement in 2049 when they made their first appearance at the world-famous Goodwood Estate. They arrived about as prepared as they could be to not waste such an opportunity, bringing the best they had in their catalogue. The very same Firepower FCR1 racecar that won Le Mans made a run up the famous Hillclimb, alongside the Firepower FCGT XP001 prototype from the Rogue CEO’s private collection in a rare public appearance. The Koshuké R race truck that won the Dakar rally even showed up as a bit of fun. Rogue didn’t just bring their old greatest hits, though. At their booth on the festival grounds, they brought not 1, but 2 new models to make their world debut. The first was the 800-4 Menzabe Super Turismo, an estate version of the Menzabe grand tourer meant to spearhead Rogue’s entry into more international markets. The other was the real star of the show, though. No longer obscured by shadowy photography and now out under the shining british sun for everyone to see, the Firepower’s successor finally showed itself. Called the XLR Blazefury, one brief look was all it took to tell that we weren’t even close to seeing the limits of Rogue’s insanity with the Firepower. In their press release, Rogue stated that while the Firepower series was meant to be an ode to the insane GT1 era of Le Mans racers from the 1990s, the Blazefury was also an ode to racing from that decade. But instead in this case it was a love letter to the highest form of motorsports in that era; Formula 1. With its single-seat layout, semi-open-wheel design, absolutely insane aerodynamics and the triumphant return of Rogue’s beloved V10 powertrain, the Blazefury was sure looking to be faithful to this era. And when the XLR Blazefury made one of the fastest runs ever recorded up the Goodwood hillclimb, it showed it absolutely had the performance. A performance Rogue themselves shockingly rejected and had removed from the leaderboard, not because they believed their was foul play involved, but because the Blazefury that made the run was a prototype and therefore not indicative on what its actual performance would be like. They then stated that everyone should be patient, and that they’ll get a real show soon. With its V10 wail hauntingly echoing throughout all of Sussex and being nothing but a crimson blur up the entire hillclimb, many wondered how this could possibly get any better. In truth the Blazefury most likely had some genuine bugs to iron out before its slated production run sometime in 2050. Likely because of just how off-the-walls the design was, but also due to the fact that Rogue was doing some genuinely innovative engineering with this car. And perhaps due to the fact that Rogue wasn’t acting alone when developing their lastest-and-greatest machine.
Nearly everything in Rogue’s lineup look fast just standing still, but the Blazefury looks like it’s breaking the sound barrier without even turning its engine on. This likely stems from its vertically-opening polycarbonite canopy, which is the only way into the doorless Blazefury, giving it major fighter jet vibes. This canopy even features detonation cord woven into it like fighter jets do, to shatter it and allow the driver to escape in the event of a rollover. Its clear the Blazefury has some pretty advanced tech into it, but arguably the most advanced part of it is what its made of. Most modern high-performance cars utilize carbon-based nanocomposites in their construction, due to the material’s excellent balance of strength and low weight. So it’d be fair to assume the Blazefury is more the same, right? Not so. The Blazefury instead advances the field of material sciences itself by utilizing the 5th element on the periodic table; Boron. With an atomic mass of 10.81 u, Boron is absolutely featherweight compared to the large and lumbering carbon with its mass of 12.01. Boron-based nanotubes reinforced with polymers have also exhibited greater strength than their carbon-based counterparts. Boron composites have existed in laboratory settings since the mid-1990s, but advancements in manufacturing and advanced material studies have finally allowed this amazing material to see true production over a half-century since its discovery. Rogue has it on display proudly on the Blazefury, with this material making up the entirety of the car’s exterior panels, some internal mechanical components, the wheels, and the monocoque tub. Other major materials used in the Blazefury’s construction are primarily aerospace-grade aluminum and titanium. So not only is the Blazefury quite strong to handle its own power, its extremely light. At a dry weight of just 1,350 Ibs, the Blazefury is so light it might just need to be tied down when parked outside to keep the wind from blowing it away. This is actually what the “XLR” in its name is for, standing for “eXtreme Lightweight Racer”. A bit on the nose, but it works and certainly sounds cool. But not as cool as how the engine in the Blazefury sounds, which doesn’t have to do a lot of work to make the Blazefury move. Despite this, it does plenty of work. Arguably even more than the 1990s powertrains it emulates. And to get this power, Rogue didn’t work alone. In fact, part of the reason the Blazefury was unveiled in the UK was because that’s where Rogue’s partner for the project hails from. You see, the Blazefury is a collaborative effort between Rogue Automotive, and the legendary Rose Motors.
Rose Motors isn’t just a quirky automaker from the sleepy fields of Whittlebury, they’re one of the most legendary names in motorsports and a famous engineering firm that multiple other automakers have come to for consultation. If your car has been touched in any regard by Rose Motors, rather it be the powertrain or the chassis or whatever, you’re guaranteed to have something great. Its this reason that’s partly why the Firepower series, the Blazefury’s predecessor, was so good. The V10 powertrain running it was a collaborative effort between Rogue and former engineers from Rose, and that engine ended up being arguably the most widely-praised aspect of the Firepower. Now we’re here with the Blazefury, where Rogue chose to be a bit more direct and approached Rose Motors itself to collaborate on developing the Blazefury. WIth Rose currently running their own Formula 1 team, they couldn’t be a more perfect choice to help develop the F1-inspired Blazefury, with their primary focus being on helping with the aerodynamics and powertrain. For aero, Rose is clearly flexing its F1 muscles throughout the Blazefury’s design. Starting up front are the large front winglets extending out from its pointed nose, roughly as wide as the exposed front tires. Not extactly surprising for something like the Blazefury, but the headlights certainly are. Tall and thin, the headlights on the Blazefury more resemble the stabilizers seen on some missiles. Which in a way is what they are, shaped to cut through the air and even direct it both to the front brakes for cooling and to the rear intakes for the engine. The midsection of the Blazefury is quite sleek, enhanced by that trademark canopy, which was chosen instead of a more F1-accurate open canopy for more smoother aerodynamic flow. What may be the most unique visual flair on the Blazefury are a pair of almost elegant-looking struts on the sides. Almost looking like they join the front to the rear, that’s more or less what they do as these struts are actually exposed framing, added to the Blazefury to help reinforce the frame against the sheer grunt of the engine. Rose was able to kill 2 birds with 1 stone with these struts though, turning them into pieces of aero by shaping them in a way to direct air to the back of the car and more into the engine intakes. When that air reaches the back, they meet an absolutely massive rear wing, noticeably bigger than the wings used both in modern F1 and the 1990s F1 era the Blazefury supposedly represents. Featuring 9 small fins through the entire length of the wing to help with high-speed stability, this wing alone can generate over 1,500 Ibs of downforce, which combined with the front winglets 700 Ibs means the Blazefury easily produces more downforce than it weighs, theoretically allowing it to drive upside-down. At the rear you’ll find the Blazefury’s high-mounted rear exhaust, a notably more conventional change from the Firepower’s side-dump exhaust. And below it are the exits for the Blazefury’s massive venturi tunnels, which extend nearly the whole length of the car and further improve the Blazefury’s colossal downforce, giving it a grand total of 4,000 Ibs. Earlier designs had the Blazefury producing more, but this proved too much for the tires which would pop under the weight, so the venturi tunnels actually feature “dumps” in the middle of them to partially stall the airflow and reduce the downforce. A good call by Rogue and Rose, as the tires already have enough work putting all the power to the ground. Power that there’s plenty of.
As said before, the supercharged V10 in the Firepower was one of the most widely-loved parts of that car. So its makes sense that the same basic design returns in the Blazefury. Yes, the V10 in the Blazefury is more or less the same as what was seen in the car that precedes it, but with some notable changes. Like instead of being developed with the help of former Rose engineers, it is now worked on by Rose Motors itself. And they made some notable changes to their former employees’ work. Some general tweaking to the architecture was done to improve efficiency and shave what weight they could. The greatest change was how forced induction was handled. For the Blazefury, Rogue and Rose agreed to dump the supercharger in favor of a twin-turbo setup. The reasons give for the change were pretty straightforward; turbos are more efficient, easier to maintain, lighter and more compact, and have higher power potential. The only real advantage they saw with retaining the supercharger was the instantaneous power delivery and throttle response, which was accounted for with the use of electric turbos on the Blazefury to eliminate lag and offer virtually identical throttle response to its supercharged predecessor. At the end of Rogue and Rose’s work, they ended up with a refreshed design producing exactly 1,200 HP, more than any modern F1 car and the 1990s F1 cars that inspired the Blazefury. With the Blazefury’s 1,350 dry weight, this means power-to-weight is nearly 1-to-1. Which obviously makes for a blisteringly fast experience. 0-60 is done in the low 2 second range, and top speed powers through aerodynamic drag to just break past the 230 MPH barrier. A slower top speed than the Firepower GT, but top speed isn’t the most important factor on where the Blazefury was meant to go; the racetrack. In fact when Rogue did a hotlap on their testrack with the Blazefury, it beat the Firepower GT’s record by 7 seconds, an absolute eternity by hypercar standards. So, the Blazefury is faster than the car it succeeds and arguably more insane, but is it any easier to live with? Well, F1 is the highest discipline in motorsports for a reason, as the cars are some of the most difficult to drive in the world. And that difficulty certainly seeped into the Blazefury. If just looking at it wasn’t enough of a hint, the Blazefury dances at the absolute edge of what’s allowed for road legality. The sheer way it accelerates is like nothing else out there, the G-forces from cornering puts legitimate strain on your body, and the car just generally moves faster than most people can properly think. Driver comfort isn’t much a factor either, with the pushrod-style suspension being more or less lifted directly off an indycar and only lightly tweaked for road use. The massive carbon-cermaic brakes are incredible at stopping the car from high speed, but the brake peddle feels more like an on/off switch than what you’d find in even other hypercars, meaning they come with their own learning curve on how to more subtly handle them. Even just sitting in the Blazefury can be seen as difficult, having to get over high sidewalls to enter just to squeeze yourself into a highly-reclined position not-too dissimilar to the racecars the Blazefury takes after. The driver’s knees even rest almost higher than their shoulders in this position. Like the Firepower before it, the Blazefury’s single seat isn’t really a seat so much as padding stuck onto the monocoque tub, and therefore can’t be adjusted. Unlike the Firepower, the pedals in the Blazefury can’t be adjusted, instead the entire cabin has to be set to the buyer’s body shape during assembly. Said cabin is even more spartan than the firepower, with nearly all controls being bunched onto the steering wheel. Despite all this impracticality, the Blazefury somehow manages to include storage. There’s no traditional trunk of course, but in the interior there are two small cubbies in the side walls, and the panel that the main seat padding is on is actually a panel that opens to a small compartment big enough to store a racing helmet. Despite these small “sensibilities” the Blazefury is still a brash, brutal machine that more than carries on the legacy set by the Firepower. But what did the motoring public think when the Blazefury finally hit the roads? And above all, what does the Blazefury’s existence mean for Rogue and Rose’s future endeavors? Well, despite the car’s apparent shortcomings, the outlook is rather bright.
When the Blazefury made its debut at Goodwood in 2049, it wasn’t just the grand reveal of a new model. It was an open display of newfound camaraderie from two groups of like-minded people, separated only by a literal ocean. At the Goodwood fairgrounds, Rogue and Rose’s tents were right next to eachother, more or less under one roof with the Blazefury on display right next to the latest iteration of Rose’s iconic Three-2 series kitcar. Among the many announcements both brands made at the show, one was a deal made for Rogue to use Rose’s dealer networks across Europe to help make their entry into the global market, with Rogue returning the favor by letting Rose use their markets to enter the North American sector. When Rogue was still producing the Firepower, they made no efforts to hide the involvement of former Rose engineers. With Rose themselves being such an integral part of the Blazefury’s development, Rogue was even more keen to give the boys from Whittlebury their due, with the famous Rose badge appearing in multiple places on the Blazefury alongside the snarling wolf emblem of Rogue. In fact, opening the rear clamshell of the Blazefury to reveal the engine you’ll find Rogue’s name on the cylinder head covers, but proudly slapped right in the middle on top of the intake manifold was the Rose logo, with a small plaque right under it stating “Built in Lemont, Born in Whittlebury" followed by the signature of the engineer who did final engine assembly and then the cylinder firing order. Its even rumored that in some projected markets, the Blazefury will even be sold as a Rose model instead of a Rogue due to how involved they were in its development. A development both Rogue and Rose walked away from clearly satisfied, since they stated they were already in talks to work together again on future projects. Will the world want more of Rogue and Rose working together? If the reviews for XLR Blazefury press cars are anything to go by, absolutely. Reviewers were frank with the fact that the Blazefury was a car for a certain type of driver, and its high skill ceiling wouldn’t be for everyone. And with its spartan interior and single seat, it wasn’t the most livable car out there either. And actually driving it like it was meant to be was certainly a lively experience, but one that was noticeably different than the Firepower before it. Maybe its the novelty of an enclosed single-seater, maybe its Rose’s wealth of experience making the Blazefury more refined that its predecessor, but the thing reviewers couldn’t ignore was this sense of “encouragement”. The Firepower was a car ready to rip your head right off your shoulders if you even dared to blink first. Driving it at the limit was a fight for survival. In the Blazefury, one reviewer likened it to a sparring match with a rollercoaster. Yes, there’s still a very clear atmosphere of danger where one wrong move will end in disaster, but the thing with rollercoasters is at the end of the day, they’re built to offer a fun, thrilling experience. The Blazefury is a car constantly taking high-speed swings at you, urging you with every one to swing back, to give it everything you have and keep up. And if you can, it rewards you with one of the greatest high-speed experience you can have on both the track and the street. Heavy, heavy emphasis on high-speed. The Blazefury presscars didn’t just end up in the hands of reviewers, but experienced test drivers for certain locations for the sole purpose of setting records, and set records it did. Before the XLR Blazefury ever reached deal floors, it posted record lap times on multiple racetracks across the US and UK, including Road America, Silverstone, The San Lorenzo Circuit, Concorde Raceway, and the Avion Speedport. What does one have to pay to get this record-breaking experience for themselves? Rogue stated that the Blazefury would be “more exclusive” than the Firepower before it, with less than a hundred rolling off the Lemont assembly plant annually. And to be one of those under-100 customers, you’ll have to pay a base price of $600,000 before options. That’s a very high price for such a niche vehicle. And yet, when preorders were opened before the mid-2050 production deadline, the XLR Blazefury sold out within hours. This was likely due to previous Firepower customers looking to upgrade, but Rogue’s access to more global networks thanks to Rose Motors can’t be ignored, with 1/3 of the Blazefury’s preorders coming from international buyers.
Ginkgo biloba (prehistoric tree) 2020 photo - Common Name: Maidenhair tree, Size at 10 years: 60x50ft., Green Foliage, Insignificant flower, USDA Hardiness Zone 3, In Garden Bed L1 for 8.0 YEARS (MSU). Planted in 2012.
North Carolina State University: Large deciduous tree 50' to 80' in height and 30' to 40' in width; leaves alternate, simple, fan-shaped; seeds (only on female trees) plum-like, yellow-orange, the outer, fleshy pulp foul-smelling when ripe, the inner wall hard, smooth, and cream colored. Grey-brown bark in ridges.
Messy fruit; plant male trees, yellow leaves fall rapidly in fall; drought, heat, air pollution, and moderately salt tolerant; easy to transplant; long-lived. Resistant to damage by deer. Excellent city tree. Popular for bonsai.
Site: Sun; range of soil types except wet soil
Excellent urban tolerant tree for its sculptural shape the quality of light it creates on the street. The streets of New York exemplify the use of the GinkGo as a street tree. Zone 8 and 9 in the Southeast.
Ginkgo biloba is a prehistoric tree, it disappeared from the North American fossil record about 7 million years ago and has since been introduced from a country or countries.
###Graft stock from MSU class on Jan 28, 2012. Graft failed. Tolerates Deer, Clay Soil, Air Pollution. Does not seem Black Walnut sensitive. It is planted next to a mature Blacl Walnut. Biloba derived from the Latin meaning two lobed.
pruh-nuhn-see-ey-shuh n: GINK-oh by-LOE-buh
#Ginkgo #Maidenhairtree
Additional photos of this plant:
Life is what happens, when you are busy making other plans.
Sometimes those wonderfully insignificant moments are all that you need :)
With insignificant flowers, consisting of spathe and spadix, typical of plants belonging to the aroid family.
Some plant information on Chinese Evergreen as it is commonly named.
This chart shows how insignificantly small the 10km asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs was in comparison to the size of the Earth! Amazing that this tiny spec could cause such global devestation.
This used to be just a very insignificant spot, but after the recent rains, it has turned into a true waterfall. I loved getting the mist in the top left. The water continues down to the left where a large reflective pool of water expands into marshy woods, with huge trees, and moss dripping from the branches...
De temps en temps ce géant blanc apparait entre les nuages comme pour dire "vous humains êtes si insignifiants bien que vous vous croyez importants"... Le Volcan Nevado Del huila (5364 m anm) en fin de journée il y a environ 2 semaines. Colombie.
De vez en cuando este gigante blanco aparece entre las nubes como para decir "ustedes humanos locos son tan insignificantes así se crean importantes".... El Volcán Nevado Del Huila (5364 m snm) al final del día hace casi dos semanas. Colombia.