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A spot of Porto philosophy just behind the station.
www.redbubble.com/people/mbangert/works/16542446-good-que...
“Nessuna bellezza di primavera, nessuna bellezza estiva hanno la grazia che ho visto in un volto autunnale.”
D. Donne
I have some questions you might be able to help me with.... This may seem surprising to you, but as this was my first time shooting Bamburgh it came as quite a surprise that there are these ginormous floodlights that look as if they are strategically placed to face right into the likely locations that photographers will shoot from. Never in looking at others photos have I registered these lights, although having looked now, I see they are in some shots but not all shots. I've no doubt that as usual I've been oblivious to some major conversations about them so if you know of a link to somewhere that this is all covered then if you don't mind pointing me in the right direction. I was also oblivious to the LPOTY 2012 story until recently too...... I must get out more :o)
So questions...
Are those lights always on?
How long have they been there?
Do you like them?
Have they been placed strategically to interfere with photographers?
I mean, this must be one of the most photographed landscape locations in the UK, so those light's aren't accidental, and I thought a lot more people took cogniscance of light pollution nowadays.
Yes that is the clouds disappearing over the horizon, it took me all day to catch them again :o)
About Shaving Bush Tree:
Several years ago we had a question about this most unusual plant and we saw several of the blooming flowers. Its common name is shaving brush tree (Pseudobombax longiflorum). Other common names are Guiana water chestnut and wild cocoa, but I haven’t found any references using the name slipper plant. It is a native of Brazil and is cultivated as an ornamental tree in the tropics and in southern Florida. The family that grew the shaving brush tree in Lafayette grew it in a container and put it indoors during winter for protection.
The deciduous tree is about 12 feet tall and grows best in poor, sandy soil, in full sun and high temperatures. It requires regular water, but cannot tolerate over-watering. Bloom time is from late summer to early winter. The fragrant flowers open at night and stay open the next day, although quality fades during that day. The petals are pure white and curled backwards. The velvety green foliage drops off before bloom begins. The flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies and birds.
Most of my information on shaving brush tree comes from the Dave’s Garden website (www.davesgarden.com), so the plant may be available from that address.
See more about Shaving bush tree at davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/54863/
zipcodezoo.com/Plants/P/Pseudobombax_longiflorum.asp
www.acadianagardening.com/viewarticle.php?colid=806
www.webshots.com/search?query=pseudobombax
Nome: umburuçu, imbiriçu, Imbiruçu-do-cerrado.
Pseudobombax longiflorum
Nome: umburuçu, imbiriçu
Familia: Bombacaceae
Genero: Pseudobombax
Especie: longiflorum
Botanico: (Mart. & Zucc.) A.
Ocorrencia: cerradão, cerrado
Floracao: de junho a julho
Descricao: Espécie caducifolia
Porte: árvore
Folhas: compostas, alternas, palmadas
Flores: estames múltiplos, brancas
Frutos: até 40cm,deiscentes,oblongos,lineares,pilosos,castanho,sementes ovais, sementes envoltas em paina de cor bege
Uso: A paina do fruto é de cor bege, abundante, macia e utilizada para forrar almofadas, travesseiros e usada para fazer cordas por possuir fibras longas. O nome umburuçu vem de imbira=corda e açu=grande.
Árvore de porte médio, casca estriada a fendilhada na base do tronco em árvores velhas, ramos robustos, glabros.
Folhas alternas, compostas digitadas, longo-pecioladas, 7 a 9 folíolos oblongos ou elípticos, glabros, coriáceos, base truncada, aguda ou obtusa, ápice agudo ou retuso, cerca de 20 cm de comprimento e 10 cm de largura. Flores alvas, grandes, isoladas ou em grupos pequenos, com estames numerosos e longos. Fruto cápsula densamente revestida por pilosidade ferrugínea, cilíndrica (ou fusiforme), cerca de 30 cm de comprimento e 5 cm de diâmetro.
They usually know where the bathrooms are (that's the "loo" to me Brit buds, the "WC" to mein German buds, and a "tree" to me Aussie and Canadian buds.).
Relax, it's just a bit of humor. Police action in San Jose, California. Resolved peacefully.
From January 1, 2023: “What is standing in my way right now?” is a #question I’m being asked as I embark on a year long journey of #writing to uncover my authentic self, a #course guided by @RachelAstorAuthor for the @DailyOM. There are many things standing in my way right now, which all impact my ability to be more creative through #writing & visual #art.
#Anxiety & depression are the root of what stands in my way. I’ve known this for a long time. All of the other obstacles that stand in my way are offshoots of this thick, muddy root. And every obstacle serves as harsh reminders of all the #pain I’ve cause myself for not #healing my #depression. I’ve had a lifetime to heal my depression, but I’ve failed miserably at it.
One offshoot that’s weighing down on me today relates to my #learning journey. One of my @kwantlenu courses went live, one I dropped last year. It’s taught by a new professor but in a very different format from how the last professor taught, which has spiked my anxiety. Also, the @hibiscusmoon crystal program I first enrolled in back in 2020, & then again in summer of 2021, has ended. I’ve known for a year now that the program was being retired, but like so many other things in my life, I’ve not been able to finish it. In the back of my mind I thought “lifetime access,” but that’s only for the lifetime of the program, which ceased operations on December 31, 2022. So it’s this huge red beacon of a reminder that my monkey mind has latched onto, screaming “See! You can’t finish anything. You’re so wasteful. Thousands gone, another lost opportunity at mastering another craft. So many have finished it, but you couldn’t. You’re such a loser!”
This idea of wastefulness is tied to a 2nd obstacle about how horrible I am at managing #money. Overspend. Overspend. Overspend. I buy to fill a void that can never be filled by stuff. This feeds a 3rd issue, that I’m a hoarder with a mess I feel I’ll never crawl out from under. I’ve made some progress but now on January 1, I feel so behind.
So these are just 4 of my #anxieties I want to #scrub away this year. But I fear I’m not going to be able to do it.
1/365 of my subversive #selfie #project for 2023.
This photo was originally posted to Instagram.
Any questions regarding any of my photos,please send flickr mail:)
Taken on a hike on Iceland a couple months ago. A little "Lord of the Rings" flavour.
Best View large
If of interest Myprofile
Est-ce indécent? C'est ma question. En musardant sur le site formidablement artistique et littéraire La Petite Mélancolie, je suis tombé sur un dessin de Hans Bellmer qui montre Nora Mitrani, nue, de dos. Et cela devient aussitôt délicat. Bien qu'elle fut quelque temps la compagne, la muse, le modèle de Bellmer, et ce, jusqu'en 1953, j'ai le sentiment de trahir, de violer quelque chose, d'exposer un secret - qui n'en est images.jpgpourtant pas un. Le cul de Nora, les fesses de l'auteur de Rose au coeur violet, qui devint la compagne de Julien Gracq en 1953, après avoir quitté Bellmer. C'est elle. La compagne du grand écrivain... Nue. De dos... Lorsque je rendais visite à Julien Gracq, chez lui à Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, je me tenais en général, un peu en décalé, sous un portrait de lui signé Hans Bellmer, encadré et accroché là. L'extrême pudeur, la réserve monacale vis à vis de tout ce qui relève du privé, de l'auteur de Prose pour l'étrangère, m'ont toujours empêché d'évoquer sa vie amoureuse, même si cette relation était connue, mais à peine. Pensez! Je crois même que l'idée ne m'a même jamais caressé l'esprit. Et là, découvrir tout à trac le cul de Nora, m'interloque un peu. C'est comme si j'entrais dans l'intimité de mon auteur fétiche, et comme si un peu de sacré se trouvait soudain désagrégé. A la vérité, je ne saisis pas très bien ce que je ressens.
N.B. : Je réalise que nous connaissons tous ces dessins, qui illustrèrent notamment les oeuvres de Bataille, comme Histoire de l'oeil, et que Bellmer, les surréalistes, tout cela est devenu familier à qui s'intéresse, même de loin, à l'histoire littéraire, lorsqu'elle chemine avec, ou bien à côté, de ses alliés substantiels (selon la belle expression de René Char), que sont les peintres et les dessinateurs. Ma curiosité m'a fait défaut, puisque j'ignorais l'identité du modèle fameux de nombre de dessins érotiques de Bellmer.
Nora Mitrani, née en novembre 1921 de parents judéo-espagnols et italiens à Sofia (Bulgarie), écrivain, philosophe, attachée au mouvement surréaliste, meurt d'un cancer à l'âge de 39 ans. Un très beau texte, signé Stéphanie Caron : Nora Mitrani, surréaliste au si secret visage, lui a été consacré, que l'on peut lire sur Internet : Nora Mitrani par Stéphanie Caron
(Voir par ailleurs l'adaptation cinématographique du Balcon en forêt qu'en fit Michel Mitrani, le frère de Nora, en 1979, avec notamment Jacques Villeret dans la distribution. Un délice).
Do ya'll think people would be interested in purchasing minifigs like these off ebay as I am thinking whether or not to sell them?
I have lived in Tokyo for about a year and half now and I can confidently say now that I really enjoy living here. I have met a number of people living here from abroad and when asked the question on their thoughts of living here, it's either they love it or hate it. I come from the U.S., so living here(and maybe vice versa for Japanese) is very much like living on an alien planet. So many things are so different culturally and etiquette wise that it's the only way I think of to describe it. I am not saying it's good or bad, but it's just very different. I had visited here many times before moving here so I had a rough idea as to what I was getting into, but visiting and living here are two different things.
This is where it gets complicated. Regardless of who you are, or where you come from Japan will send you on a roller-coaster of emotion out it for most of the first year of you living there. When you first arrive here everything is fun and new. Going out everyday making friends, discovering off the beaten tourist path places, etc. Then eventually the uglier parts set in. (Now this can happen in any country I am sure, but this is the first place for me to live abroad so I am basing it on here.) Sooner or later the language will get to you here. Japanese is unrelated to any other language around the world. It has it's own set of rules, and somethings if you try to litterally translate to English will make no sense at all. After all that you have the written language. Made up of Chinese Kanji and combined with Hiragana and Katakana. It can get overwhelming really fast. Combine that with most Japanese people not being as quick as westerners to really open up and be friends can leave you feeling a bit isolated. Luckily for me I already knew people here, but if I didn't this would be a tough hurdle to get over. On top of that, there is a lot of racism here. This could be the toughest thing to look past of them all. It's always in your face, but there is little you can do about it. It's not like anybody ever attacks your or anything like that, but more of the kind of thing where you might not get a job for the simple fact that you are not Japanese.
After discovering all of this (and you will) now is where you decide how you handle it. Everyone will go through times where they are having a good time, but then some days it will really drag you down. This will go on for about a 8 months to a year for most people. Then where you end up is up to you. Some people stew in the things of the uglier side of it and it ends up making them hate here as well as the people. This is very easy to do.
For me I try to focus on the things I do like about living here. Living in the largest city in the world and not having to worry about crime really is almost enough to over come everything else. I can't count the number of times I have forgot something at a cafe etc. and it still being there the next day or if I fall asleep on the train (which I often do) and my cameras are out, nobody is going to try and take it. When I tell people outside Japan about this, they find that hard to believe, but it's actually true. Why is this? I really have no idea, but it's very utopia like in that sense. One of the big things for me is the lack of the alpha male complex here. This is kind of hard to describe, but I don't ever feel like I am being judged in a "you ain't no manly man" kind of way. You can literally dress and be just about anything you want here and nobody will make you feel as if you shouldn't.
Another thing that really stands out for me is the fact that I don't have to drive hardly anywhere in this country. Take a train no matter how you cut it beats a car in every way. Sure the trains can be packed, and you often have to stand, but it allows you a form of down time that you don't get when driving. Being able to read a book, play a game, study, or just read the internet in the middle of the day while going about your busy life makes your day all the better. Being trapped in a car and having to watch out for idiot drivers or sitting in traffic is enough to ruin anyone's day.
I guess I could go on and on about things, but really to sum it up the most important thing (like anywhere else) is to surround yourself with people that you like and to push away the things that you don't. For Japan I feel that's far easier to do than in the U.S., like everywhere else it's not the perfect utopia, but for myself I have found reasons that it comes as close for me as I think I could ever really get.
For those that are interested, you can follow me on Instagram at: @the_real_jason_combs
President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks and answers questions from members of the press during a COVID-19 Coronavirus update, Tuesday, July 21, 2020, in the James S. Brady White House Press Briefing Room. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
Yerp, that big question.
Where DO you stand in this world?
Have any of you guys felt like you were just a person that would never be heard?
You can speak your mind all you want, but no one would listen?
Have you guys ever felt left out from something?
Because you are different, and you stand out?
We all feel that at points, it's totally okay. :)
Nothing is wrong being different.
Friendship has no:
-Color
-Age
-Gender.
-Imperfections.
I hate seeing people fearing to be friends with someone because they are different.
I hate it how like in the 60's or something, there were many racists, more racists than there are today.
I don't like it when people don't want to be someone's friend because of age.
Who cares how old there are, true friends can overlook that.
Come on, be honest, when you were younger, didn't you LOVE to tease the boys, and call them mean things?
Personally, I dislike single-sex schools, since we're all human, we belong in this world TOGETHER.
Imperfections.
True friends overlook imperfections.
Your hair, your eyes, your weight--- BASICALLY how you look, true friends overlook that.
So please remember this,
No matter how different a person could be, a true friend would accept them for who they are. Not what race they are, what age, or how they look.
So...yeah, this is the picture in question, the one that was used by a national geographic photographer to promote a for-profit photo workshop at Burning Man. Kinda funny that it's getting all the attention, because it's a fairly crappy HDR in my opinion. Anyway, thanks for the support...you can check out my other burning man photos here:
Burning Man 2012:
www.flickr.com/photos/michaelholden/sets/72157631392416880/
Burning Man 2011:
www.flickr.com/photos/michaelholden/sets/72157627529205924/
Burning Man 2010:
www.flickr.com/photos/michaelholden/sets/72157624681071111/
Burning Man 2009:
www.flickr.com/photos/michaelholden/sets/72157622425997753/
Burning Man 2008:
www.flickr.com/photos/michaelholden/sets/72157608718823709/
Here's the original story:
Chris and I got to Burning Man on Friday the 28th, before the event opened. Shortly after sunset I rode out to the Man. It had just rained and was fairly stormy. The only person out there was a single Ranger, on what has been called "stick duty". I took a number of exposures and ended up liking this one the best...something about that Ranger out there all alone. This is an HDR image made from three exposures (1/13, 1/25, 1/50) at f7.1 shot with my bitchin' Tokina 14-24mm wide angle lens. After I processed the source files in Photomatix I ran it through Noise Ninja to help deal with artifacts induced in the HDR manipulation process.
You can view and download high-rez versions of this photo on a nice background on my website at
www.michaelholden.com/pics/v/bman09/DSC_7998_9_7_tonemapp...
(lots of other pics from Burning Man, festivals, events, parties and chihuahuas are up there too!)
Three Questions
When this female grizzly made serious eye contact with me three questions popped into my mind.
Is it just curiosity?
Is she just warning me to get out of her space?
Is she considering me for dinner?
No matter. The answer to all three was the same. Get back into the car. I had been shooting over the hood of the car and as soon as I got back inside she lost interest and began to browse the nearby vegetation for goodies.
Good morning. Just a single posting of a Question Mark Butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis) I captured yesterday on top of a trimmed (or broken) branch limb at the pond across the street. I saw it by accident and it was the only shot I was able to get before it flew off.
Question Marks are part of an association of butterflies commonly known as "anglewings," which have sharply angled wings. When folded at rest, the undersides resemble dead leaves or pieces of bark. This group includes anglewings, tortoiseshells, commas, question marks, leafwings, snouts and daggerwings. Habitat includes deciduous woods, forest clearings & edges, and open woodlands.
Thanks for visiting...and I hope you have a great Sunday.
Lacey
ISO100, aperture f/5.6, exposure .008 seconds (1/125) focal length 200mm
Entropy, as expressed by the Second Law of Thermodynamics, is an all pervasive natural force, similar in importance to gravity or electro- magnetism. Its attributes involve the flow of what we call "time". It shows why time travel is impossible and why water only runs downhill. Entropy permeates all aspects of human existence. Entropy explains why it is easy to lose money and difficult to make money. Entropy is the force behind Murphy's Law: Anything that can go wrong, must go wrong. Is time-travel impossible? Why does water only run downhill? Why is it easy to lose money but difficult to acquire it? The answer to these and many other puzzling questions rests in the Second Law of Thermodynamics, in Entropy. The so-called Second Law relates closely to the term Entropy. An understanding of this fundamental law of nature and its ramification provides great insights in the way the world really works. Entropy, as expressed by the Second Law, is the ultimate Natural Law because it determines the flow of what we call "time". Thus, entropy deals with the very existence of the universe. The term entropy describes phenomena that have the most profound effect on all events in human existence, including our ability to achieve happiness by aligning ourselves with Objective Reality.
The Second Law holds a unique position in science because it has never evolved from a theory such as the Theory of Relativity or the Theory of Quantum Mechanics. The Second Law is empirical. There is no fully satisfactory theoretical proof for the Second Law, although there are some connections to Quantum Mechanics, Probability and Relativity. Once a Unified Field Theory, the Theory of Everything, is developed, it will and must account for Entropy. Many scientists, who claimed that this Law is paradoxical in nature, have tried to attack it. However, in all instances the alleged paradoxes were due to faulty reasoning. The Second Law has prevailed and has established itself as the most fundamental of all Natural Laws.
The profound nature of the Second Law manifests itself in every aspect of human existence. It covers questions pertaining to the obscure beginnings of the universe to the way we pour milk in our coffee. I remember my high school teacher posing the question: You have a cup of very hot coffee that you would like to drink as soon as possible, let us say, within 5 minutes. Should you first add the desired quantity of cold milk to the coffee and then let the coffee sit for 5 minutes? Alternatively, do you let the coffee sit for 5 minutes and then add the same quantity of milk?
The answer is not intuitive but it is simple, if we are familiar with the Second Law: The rate of heat exchange between the hot coffee and the ambient air depends on their temperature differential. The higher the temperature differential, the faster will be the rate of exchange. Within the 5-minute waiting period, heat transfers to the air at a higher rate if we do not add the cold milk initially to the coffee. If we add the milk at the beginning, instead of at the end of the 5 minutes, the energy transfer will slow down and the coffee will be markedly hotter at the end of 5 minutes.
This revelation does not appear to be a momentous event. It was only intended to indicate the pervasiveness of the Second Law, especially in view of the fact that most people are seemingly ignorant of it. The point is, the Second Law is not intuitive. We have to acquire the relevant knowledge by a rational thought process in order to take advantage of it. The cup of coffee is not important but the principle behind the cup permeates all of our existence: In order to optimize the effectiveness of our actions it is helpful to understand the implications of Entropy.
Entropy describes the degradation of energy to perform work. What is energy? On the high school level, we simply defined energy as the capacity to do work. However, the real question is, What factor, precisely, is doing this work? Why does energy have the capacity to perform work? The HOWs in life are easy, the WHYs are the tough ones.
Energy is the raw material of the universe. At the time of the Big Bang, about 13.7 billion years ago, there was nothing but raw energy. There was no mass with a physical attribute. It was only much later in the nascent universe that this primal energy transformed itself into physical mass, stars, nebula and black holes. Stars, and particularly supernovas, are the factories of the elements, such as iron, from which human beings are formed.
As we know from Einstein's famous formula E = m c^2, mass and energy are freely convertible into each other. The Hydrogen Bomb demonstrates this conversion in a spectacular fashion. Most of the energy it generates is due to the conversion of matter into energy. Such conversion of matter into energy, and vice-versa, is also a less spectacular event in everyday phenomena although it is usually so minuscule as to escape our attention: When we exercise vigorously, we convert chemical energy into radiated heat energy. All this radiated energy that leaves our body has mass, just as light has energy and weight, although it will not register on our bathroom scale.
In cognizance of these basic facts, we can stipulate that energy is the basic raw material that makes up the universe and all that is contained within it, including human beings. The essence of the universe is the unity of energy, time and space.
Energy is essentially a heat phenomenon. Heat and work are mechanisms by which systems exchange energy with one another. The mechanical equivalent of heat is called a Joule. 4.2 joules are the equivalent of one calorie, the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius.
In order for energy to perform work, a difference must exist between energy at a high potential and energy at a more randomized, diluted, potential. The term entropy is a measure of the degree to which energy has lost the capacity to perform useful work. Entropy signifies the dilution, the randomization of energy. We may look at water in two lakes, connected by a canal. Unless the lakes are at a different level, unless they are at a different energy potential, there is plenty of water, but all this water has no potential energy and cannot perform any useful work because it cannot change levels. This ability or inability to perform useful work is an analogy to and is at the heart of the term entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
Let us back up a little: This whole subject of Thermodynamics sounds like a very complicated affair. Indeed, it is both very simple and extremely complex. There are three Laws of Thermodynamics, but we need to concern ourselves only with the first two laws because they are closely interwoven and can actually be expressed in one sentence: The total energy content of the universe is constant and the total entropy, the non-usable energy, is constantly increasing. There you have it: The combination of the first and second law of thermodynamics.
Very interesting, but what does it mean? It means that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can be transformed into mass, chemical energy, heat energy, latent energy and work, but it cannot be created and it cannot disappear. Energy is also in a constant, inevitable and irreversible process of becoming increasingly randomized. Salt crystals may be dissolved in a beaker of water without losing its identity as salt. The salt became more randomized when it dissolved in the water. The Law of Entropy decrees that it cannot reconvert itself to the less randomized, crystalline version. The salt cannot reconstitute itself as crystals, unless we introduce external energy to evaporate the water.
The amount of energy in the universe was established at the time of the Big Bang. At that point, energy was extremely concentrated and ordered. Since then, the universe has expanded vastly and energy has become more diluted and randomized. It is inherent in the nature of the universe that this process must and will continue. If it were to stop, the universe would cease to exist.
This increasing randomization of energy, entropy, is part of the structure of the universe. The energy dilemma does not involve the amount of energy that is available; it involves the form in which the energy is available. The universe is involved in a constant process of converting one form of energy into another form and in doing so, it inevitably must convert part of the original energy into more randomized, less usable, heat energy. Potential energy is organized energy whereas heat represents randomized, disorganized energy. Heat energy is irretrievable energy. Although the energy contained in heat is not destroyed, it has become unavailable for producing work. All forms of energy are degraded incessantly and irreversibly to an inferior, lower-quality, more-randomized form of energy: Heat.
By the same principle, the solar energy that pours out of the furnace of the sun travels on and on until it eventually becomes scattered throughout the universe: It becomes so randomized that it becomes unusable for the performance of work. Therefore, we must stipulate that entropy, as a measure of the randomness of energy in the universe, is always increasing.
The question arises, what will happen when all the usable energy in the universe is converted into randomized heat energy and is no longer capable of performing such work as expanding the universe. We refer to this condition as the Heat Death of the Universe: Once all the energy in the universe is converted to and randomized as heat, then the universe will be in a state of energy equilibrium, everything will be of the same temperature and entropy will remain constant. This is where science gets more complicated and involves the microwave background radiation consisting of photons near, but not quite at, absolute Zero. Scientists have recently detected this microwave background radiation and have thus confirmed the connectivity between Thermodynamics and Quantum Mechanics.
Before we go on to some practical manifestations of entropy, we need to be aware of a very important characteristic of entropy: The Laws of Thermodynamics pertain only to a system that we refer to as a closed system: An entity that does not exchange energy, information or mass with anything outside the system. The universe in its totality is a closed system because no new energy is injected into it. Therefore, all laws of Thermodynamics apply to the universe. Earth is not a closed system because our sun constantly injects it with new energy. This infusion of energy into the non-closed system of the earth makes it possible to comply with the Second Law while achieving an increase in the complexity of life forms, as necessitated by the process of evolution.
The laws of thermodynamics are among the very few laws of nature that describe phenomena that are an integral part of the origin of the universe, of the Big Bang. The other laws in this category are gravity, relativity, nuclear binding forces and electromagnetism. Human beings need not concern themselves with the effects of relativity or quantum mechanics. However, the phenomena of thermodynamics constantly and profoundly affect all human beings.
If there are any laws that have truly universal applicability and that also affect ordinary human affairs, they are the Laws of Thermodynamics. The following statement contains the essence of Entropy: In any transformation of energy from one form to another, useful energy is lost irreversibly. The German physicist Clausius first used the term Entropy in 1865 to describe the nature of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Even great physicists of that period, like James Maxwell, had trouble with a concept involving only negatives and dealing with the idea of measuring a state of disorder. Today we can condense the statement of Entropy by stating: Entropy in a closed system can never decrease. There are no exceptions to this statement.
The Second Law decrees that water can only flow downhill. Objects do not run uphill by themselves. If we wish to have water run uphill, we must supply outside energy to pump it up the hill.
A clock gradually runs down because the latent energy in its spring is used to run the clock and part of this energy is converted to irretrievable heat. Because the heat cannot be reconstituted into usable energy, this energy is lost irretrievably and the clock cannot rewind itself.
Even in the most complex energy transformations, there is a forward direction to the process because only an outside energy source can reverse a heat-process within a closed system. The burning of gasoline in a car creates mechanical energy and heat. However, no process in the universe will allow the exhaust gases to re-combine with the heat energy and reconstitute the original gasoline: The heat energy of the burning gasoline has achieved a higher and irreversible state of randomization: The entropy of the system, and the universe, is irreversibly increased, as required by the Second Law.
The close relationship of entropy to the statistical laws of probability becomes clear when we hold a stack of five coins in a hand and throw them on a flat surface. Instead of retaining their previous order and proximity, they scatter and increase their randomness. The fall of the coins generated and dissipated the tiniest little bit of heat and the lack of this heat prevented the coins from reforming in the same stack as before. Entropy always drives all transformation of energy in such a way as to increase irreversible randomness.
Ice must have a tendency to melt because H2O molecules in ice crystals are more orderly than in the form of water. Ice crystals tend to become randomized by changing from orderly ice crystals to a more disorderly state as a liquid.
Water must evaporate: A gaseous structure is more randomized than a liquid state.
Time can only flow in one direction: The arrow of time can only move from the dead past to the non-existing future. The Second Law is closely interwoven with the laws of probability. Therefore, the laws of entropy are statistical laws. If we apply statistical laws applicable to entropy to future events, they provide meaningful results; if we apply them to past events, they are meaningless. Therefore, time can flow only from the dead past toward the future, which does not yet exist. Time travel will always remain impossible: It is inherently impossible to move from one state of non-existence to other states of non-existence. The Second Law decrees that the universe would have to cease to exist in order to allow for time-travel.
The laws of thermodynamics are the descriptors of the universe and do not permit perpetual motion machines. We would only waste our time and money if we were to attempt building a machine that not only can run forever, but that could even produce excess energy while doing so.
Heat flows from a hot object to a cold object, never the other way around. When we drop a hot peace of metal in a container of cold water, the metal cools and the water heats up until their temperatures have equalized. During this process the entropy, the randomness of the system consisting of the water and the metal, increases and no further useful work can be performed because there is no longer a temperature differential between the water and the metal: The system has become randomized.
This manifestation of the Second Law can be stated quite simply: Heat energy will not flow from a cooler to a warmer body. It would be foolish to try to warm our hands on a block of ice although there is considerable heat in the ice. If we compare the heat of ice with the heat of liquid hydrogen, ice would appear to be very hot, indeed. It would be easy to build a machine that runs on the heat differential between the cold block of ice and the much colder liquid hydrogen. However, since the heat in the ice is at a much lower level than the heat in our body, heat cannot flow from the ice to our hands. We cannot warm our hands by immersing them in ice. We have always known this fact. Now we know why we cannot warm our hand by touching a block of ice.
Bridges and buildings will inevitably collapse, unless entropy is counteracted by the addition of new energy, such as money, energy, power or labor, to the system. If we do not paint the bridge, it will eventually, but inevitably, collapse.
Money is not energy but it represents energy. Therefore, money becomes randomized automatically, in compliance with the Second Law. As we only know too well, money has a distinct tendency to dissipate, to randomize. On the other hand, the creation of wealth requires an infusion of energy from a source outside the system, such as a competent strategy or the contribution of additional capital or labor.
We know empirically, that things do not organize themselves into artifacts that are more complex unless new energy is inserted from outside the system. This fact is obvious because a broken window will not repair itself. Without competent management, without the energy to organize and structure transactions, a business will fail, a victim of entropy.
Without new software, without the infusion of new energy from outside the computer system, a computer will never acquire new capabilities, but its hard-drive will fill up with defects and clutter due to the degeneration of the data it holds. A well known fact.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics is closely interwoven with the future of the universe and with all life on earth. Sometimes people say that the existence of life on earth violates or contradicts the Second Law. However, this is not the case; we know of nothing in the universe that violates the Second Law.
The definition of life revolves around three prerequisites: The organism must be able to replicate itself, the organism must be capable of energy conversion and the organism must be subject to evolution. The essence of evolution is an increase in complexity, as is obvious when we consider the evolution of living organisms over eons of time.
An increase in complexity entails an increase in the orderliness of the organizational character of the organism: Life represents a decrease of entropy, a decrease of randomness. Such a decrease in randomization can only come about as a result of an infusion of energy from the outside of the closed system, from the outside of the organism. Therefore, the ability to utilize energy by converting it to a usable form, is the essence of all things that we call alive or living. In the case of life on earth, the outside energy is derived from the sun. No sunlight, no life on earth.
This is the chain of life on earth: No energy, no evolution. -- No evolution, no life -- No energy, no life
The discussion of energy is significant, because nothing happens in the universe without energy. The whole universe is a cauldron of energy conversions. As far as human beings are concerned, we need to remember that the standard of living of a person or a nation is determined primarily by the availability of usable energy sources, such as oil or nuclear energy. Without sources of energy to turn our wheels and to compensate for entropy, humanity would revert to the primeval existence of hunters and gatherers.
Many people have trouble understanding the principle of entropy because it is a concept of negatives, because it is a measure of the disorder, of the randomness of a closed system. Every biochemical function requires a decrease in entropy, which can only be achieved by the infusion of energy into a life-sustaining system.
Many people erroneously believe that everything that we use up can be recycled and reused if we only develop the appropriate technology. However, the Second Law makes it inherently impossible to achieve complete reconstitution or recycling. In order to recycle a used product, we must insert additional energy in the collecting, transportation and reprocessing of used materials and this energy expenditure contributes to the overall entropy, the randomness, of the environment. Thus, discards can be recycled only by the expenditure of additional energy and at the expense of increasing the entropy of the universe as a whole. On a light note: Every time someone lights a cigarette, he increases the entropy of the universe and contributes to the energy death of the universe.
Why is this discussion of entropy and the Second Law so important to us, to ordinary human beings? After all, most of us are more concerned with living a happy life, than the heat death of the universe. The problem is that the Second Law has a tendency to interfere with our happiness because it has a pervasive, pernicious effect on our lives. It is imperative that we are aware of the impairments caused by entropy in order to counteract them effectively.
If we encounter a problem in life, it is most important to be fully cognizant of the precise nature and cause of the problem. In trying to resolve the problem, it would be counter-productive to invoke the help of imagined superior beings, instead of dealing with the problem in a realistic, purposeful manner. Unless we understand the nature of entropy, we cannot resolve the deleterious effects that make it difficult to achieve desired results. Therefore, a profound knowledge of the Second Law is extremely important to our quest for happiness.
"Murphy's Law" is well known. After allowing for many humorous embellishments and variations on the basic theme, Mr. Murphy’s proposition states: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." A corollary version claims: "Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse".
We laugh about this aspect of life because we have all experienced the effect of Mr. Murphy's Law on many occasions. Rather than recognize Murphy's Law as a humorous version of a basic law of nature, we usually look upon it as a quirk of nature. Nothing could be further from the truth: When we look at the Second Law of Thermodynamics, we realize that Mr. Murphy's law is an inescapable consequence of the principle of Entropy.
Unless we constantly insert new energy into a house by maintaining it, painting it, repairing it, the structure will eventually but inevitably be leveled to the ground. Its molecules will move from a lower level of randomization, from structure, to a higher level of randomization, towards unstructured debris.
Entropy is the reason why paint peels, why hot coffee turns cold. Furthermore, entropy is the reason why investments have a preordained inclination to go sour -- unless we enhance success by inserting into the investment system additional energy in the form of strategy, work, calculated risk or other forms of energy. Entropy ensures that sugar, which becomes more randomized when it is dissolved in water, will not reconstitute itself in the crystalline form -- unless we apply heat energy from outside the system and evaporate the water.
Wherever we look, whatever we do, we must be acutely aware of the immutable laws of thermodynamics, especially the easily overlooked Second Law: Entropy. This fundamental law of physics ranks with other fundamental manifestations of the universe such as gravity, time and electromagnetism.
Anything that can go wrong not only will go wrong, it must go wrong, as decreed by the Second Law of Thermodynamics
Three Sisters
These magnificent rock formations are found in New South Wales, Australia in Blue Mountains National Park. Aboriginal legend states these were 3 sisters turned to stone for their protection, but the means to restore them to human form was lost.
I was tagged by Babs and DeanReen , thanks Babs and Deany!!! :) Anyone who sees this - please feel free to join in!
1.) Well Mod Barbie Lover, How are you?
HOT! The bloody extreme Aussie weather is so getting to me! Everyone just sees our glorious sunshine and beaches, but it is RARELY like that over summer... more like oppressively hot, very humid and sticky, with massive thunderstorms every five minutes that wipe out whole suburbs! ( and no power/water etc!!!)
2.) What is the meaning behind your Flickr name?
Pretty self explanatory!
3.) Sexuality?
Yes PLEASE! LOL
4.) Decorating?
I aspire to clean-lined minimalism (Mickey Rourke's apartment in '9'1/2 weeks' was my dream apartment back in the 80's!) but the reality is more 'shabby chic'- approaching 'Grey Gardens' when I haven't cleaned in a while! (Though minus the wildlife... ewww!)
5.) Did doll collecting influence your life in any way?
ABSOLUTELY!!! Like most people who work in the fashion industry, Barbie was my first 'client' and my first connection to the fashion world, so she was a HUGE influence! Nowadays, my collecting is definitely a form of therapy, as it is with others, but I LOVE the research the most! (One of my first jobs was researcher and editorial assistant at a fashion magazine!)
6.) What does your family think about you as a doll collector?
They don't really know about it yet! Though my workmates do and they think it's really cool, actually!
7.) What might be your biggest fear?
Have TOO MANY to mention and can't rate them! LOL But probably dying alone tops my list.
8.) if you could meet anyone on earth, who would it be?
Yves Saint Laurent when he was young and happy... Christian Dior (just reading his autobiography - yes, he actually wrote one, which is amazing since he died so suddenly and at an age before designers usually write their memoirs!) and he seemed to be a sweet, humble, sensitive and very funny man! Coco Chanel because she would be SOOO entertaining... and I always REALLY get on with b****es! LOL... Nelson Mandela, though I would probably be way too intimidated to say anything!!! Oh and yes, Jon Hamm! OBVIOUSLY!!! hehehehehe
9.) Grab a book nearest to you, turn to page 23, read me line 17 (if it’s the start of a sentence, finish the sentence)
"Eventually I fled from the growing materials on the landing, and even found myself working on the steps of the staircase."
– Dior By Dior (talking about the preparation of his first collection that launched his famous 'New Look'.)
10.) What do you think about the most?
My next deadline, and what on EARTH am I gonna do for it... And of course my Barbie/Francie/Skipper/Christie/Stacey/ Ken etc. etc. addiction, my next purchase, and the next Barbie photo I will take!
11.) What does your latest text message from someone else say?
"Hey how R U today? Hot as HADES, Yah?" (A friend from work)
12.) Do you sleep with or without clothes on?
I wear Chanel No.5! (Not really, but I LOVE when Marilyn Monroe said that when asked what she wore to bed.)
13.) What is your strangest talent?
I can touch my nose with my tongue!!!
14.) Girls.... (finish the sentence); Boys.... (finish the sentence)
Girls... are for dressing
Boys... are for UNdressing! HA!
15.) Ever had a poem or song written about you?
Nope... but my high school buds used to mangle Michael Jackson's 'Smooth Criminal' and sing 'Eddi are you WALKING?' ... so does that count?
16.) When was the last time you played the air guitar?
I play no musical instruments, imaginary or otherwise . (Though I DID play the Tuba in a high school band when I was forced into it by the music teacher. I had chapped lips for months!)
17.) Do you have any strange phobias?
Driving. I learnt and everything, but I always think I will smash into a wall or pole or something... ( and had lots of accidents anyway!)
18.) Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?
I think some straws at a party while at school... when I was drunk!
19.) Backpacks or satchels?
Backpacks in the 80's ( I had a GORGEOUS faux leather Prada rip-off one from the Gap that I wore to death) But now... DEFINITELY satchels!
Tagged by MyMonsterHighWorld - Thank you ,
You see I play the game ;)
I don't know why I choose this pic , maybe because i don't know what wright about it ^^
Excuse my bad English I'm French !!! :P
How old are you?
- 23
Do you have any pets?
- Yes I have a dog who I Adore
Which Disney Movie is your favourite one?
- Hard question , I have a Disney Movie for each of my moods , But my fav is Alice in Wonderland ( it's my fav story ever! )
Favorite Cartoon?
- Hard ! "The Wild Thornberrys" ( "La Famille Delajungle" en français ) and "Monster High" of course !
How many MH Dolls do you have?
- Awaiting reply, I must account ^^
... 28 MH !
How many EAH Dolls do you have?
- 2 for now , but I'm wainting for Alistair and perhaps Maddie with her tea playset ... one day ...
How many Winx Club Mattel Dolls do you have?
-ZEROOOO :( , sorry girls you don't seduce me.
Which doll is your favourite?
-I do not favoritism with my children XD XD XD
Which is your favourite anime?
- Sakura Card Captor !!!!! and all Clamp anime ... the best of the best for me !
Who is your favourite Winx and why?
- Ok I don't like Winx Club, and I don't know their character, so physically Aisha is one that I like most, her colors are pretty and it suits her well
Which was your most expensive doll?
- I don't know, seriously I prefer forgotten XD ...
YouTube or Flickr?
- youtube AND flickr , I love embed youtube link's to my photos
Which was your first doll?
- My first doll was a basic Ariel ... she fell from the sky ! yes literally ! the neighboring little girls in the upstairs apartment did fall she into my garden, they never came to recover ... I was 5 and it was a present from the sky ! :)
Which is your most wanted doll at the moment?
- Porter Paintergeist :(((((( he was never delivered to the stores here ...
Who is your favourite MH Character?
- VENUS , Cleo , Toralei , Invisibilly
Which power would you choose:Earth or Water?
- Earth
My Scene or Bratz?
- Bratz , because My Scene is a copy
Barbie or MyScene?
- Barbie ... but My Scene dolls are pretty !
If you could choose a fictional character to be your boyfriend, who would you choose?
- What is that question ???? °_°
When did you start collecting dolls?
-When I was 5 , after my ariel I have ma first barbie (Barbie Style 1997 , thank you MyMonsterHighWorld for the name ;) ) and many else after ... and it's not over ;) ...
How do you Flickr Peeps feel about your images being included in Tumblr accounts?
I have an image that (for some reason) has thousands of views and notes on Tumblr which is lovely, however, they have the main image hosted there without a link back to the main file on Flickr.
25.media.tumblr.com/aa690c7206e7822a92385dc5c44f9261/tumb...
it's kinda bugging me as I recently went through lots of grief trying to get a company to remove one of my images from their website.
For some reason I thought the Tumblr community would always retain information relating to the original author / photographer.
Any Thoughts?
have you ever drawn a sticker you feel in love with, but you know you should set it free?
some lucky fool is going to get it in a commissioned sticker pack (at joshandjosh.bigcartel.com/ )