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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
ASK ADDA DADA a QUESTION !
Several people have asked ADDA questions over the years about his FOLSOM STREET FAIR photographs....
FIRE AWAY !
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* WHAT DOES 'ADDA DADA' MEAN ?
- ADDA is a rearrangement of the letters in DADA , which was an art movement in the 1920/30s ..it caused a huge upheaval in the preceived notions of art of the time...
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*DO YOU REPOST PHOTOS ?
~usually only for a BEST OF album. the photo aboves shows how i try to keep track of photos that have been posted previously.
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*SOME PHOTOS SEEM SIMILAR or A DUPLICATE ?
~photos are taken in succession, so, they can appear very similar, or they can be adjusted/cropped.
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~HOW MANY PHOTOS DO YOU TAKE ?
*usually 500 to 1,500 depending on the event (and my energy)
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~HOW MANY PHOTOS DO YOU TAKE of EACH PERSON?
*usually 3 per person, FACE, FACE & CHEST, CHEST--if a person is NUDE, then there are more photos naturally.
*if the person is clothed, it is usually only one unless their outfit is super interesting
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~ DO YOU ONLY PHOTOGRAPH LGBTQ+ EVENTS?
*yes, it is easier to ask people at an event that one is most likely to be photographed, than to take photographs of people on the street
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~WHY THE LONG INFO ON ALL PHOTOGRAPHS ?
*many countries do not allow 'creep shots' (photos of people without their permission) and it needs to be stated in the description, as well as, if the photograph is SAFE or RESTRICTED. many countries do not allow RESTRICTED photographs whatsoever
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~WHAT IS 'VIEW COUNT' ?
*'VIEW COUNT' is how many times ADDA DADA's FLICKR photographs have been seen . currently it is over 600 MILLION VIEWS, which means that an undetermined amount of people have viewed a variety of ADDA DADA's photographs over HALF A BILLION times. .
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~DO YOU GET PAID FOR YOUR VIEWS ?
*no. FLICKR does not pay per view, nor are their sponsors
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~THEN WHY IN THE F+ DO IT ?
*LOL...well, i like documenting the events & i feel it is important for the LGBTQ+ to have the events documented.
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~HOW DO YOU GET PEOPLE TO POSE ?
* i politely ask each and every person if i may take their photograph. i presume i have a non-threatening manner , so people are more apt to say 'yes'
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~DO YOU GET PEOPLE WHO SAY 'NO'?
*most certainly. i do not pry on why, though several state it is because of their job or possible recognition.
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~THE PHOTOGRAPHS SEEM TO BE THE SAME STYLE. WHY?
*yes. that is correct. i like that extreme 'vintage' direct look-into-the-camera photograph. it is very DADA- 'a bit non-posed'
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~DO YOU DO STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY?
*no. i do not like staged nor faux poses. i want the person-direct-, not some fake and contrived situation.
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~WHERE DID YOU LEARN 'YOUR STYLE'?
*basically, on my own. i have been taking photographs since 1976. unfortunately, all my 'printed' photos have been lost over the many moves over the years. once digital cameras & FLICKR/FOTOLOG came into being, it was easier to display, expose, and store photographs
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~SOME PHOTOGRAPHS ARE REALLY 'OUT THERE' !
*such is LGBTQ+ life . the HUNKY JESUS CONTEST by the SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE cause LOTS of friction for FLICKR (and myself) for there are folks who do not appreciate that subject matter. NUDE EVENTS also are tricky.
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~WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SUBJECTS TO PHOTOGRAPH?
*besides the ones i take ? lol i do love FOUND OBJECTS ( items on the street) which is VERY DADA !
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~WHO ARE YOUR FOLLOWERS ?
*i've had some exceedingly famous people tell me they like/follow my FLICKR. i do not want to 'out' them.
*i've also had some regular people send me messages that they appreciate my documentation of the 'freedom' for in their country they are not allowed do express themselves as such. there have been some heartbreaking 'confessions' of thanks
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~HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY ACKNOWLEMENT/NEWS ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU PHOTOGRAPHED?
*yes, some people are happy that i photographed them. some are thankful. sometimes i get notices that a person has passed away. that is really sad for i do remember most occassions when i photograph a person.
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~HOW LONG DO YOU SPEND PHOTOGRAPHING A PERSON?
*actually, it is exceedingly quick. not more than 5 minutes. it is approaching the person, asking permission, possibly explaining who i am & why i want to photograph the person, then i take the several photographs.., then thank them, .
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~HOW DO YOU KNOW TO TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH OF A PERSON?
*bizarrely, ADDA DADA has HUNK-DAR ( it's like 'gaydar', but it spots hunks..lol) ok, it is just a 6th sense of who is photogenic or will give a great photograph.
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~HOW MANY PHOTOGRAPHS DO YOU TAKE TO GET THAT ONE PERFECT ONE ?
*I only take the 1 to 3 photographs, or 1-6 depending on the state of 'undress'. what you see posted is what i take. i do not take hundreds of one person, then post only one. i'm a photographer , not a camera button pusher.
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~DO YOU PHOTOSHOP ANY OF YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS?
~no, i do not...i may crop. but i like my photographs raw.
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The Cosmic Question Mark (NGC 7822) is a nebula located in the constellation Cepheus, which is approximately 2,900 light years away. The nebula is home to one of the hottest stars known. The star is known as BD+66 1673. This star is one of the primary sources illuminating the nebula.
The nebula gets its name because it resembles a question mark in its entirety. I didn’t plan very well and didn’t shoot another couple mosaic panels to capture the entire nebula! The other two panels will be another project in the winter as this was a little bit of a pain to capture.
Image Detail:
- 22 hours of total integration time (300 seconds, gain 100, camera cooled to 14 degrees)
- 11 hours of HA/OIII narrowband data for each panel
Equipment:
- SVBONY SV503 80ED
- SVBONY SV220 HA/OIII dual narrowband filter
- SVBONY SV226 filter drawer
- Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi
- ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro
- ZWO ASIAIR Mini
- ZWO EAF
- ZWO 120MM guide camera
- ZWO guide scope
Software:
- PixInsight
- Adobe Photoshop
- RC Astro Blur Xterminator
- RC Astro Noise Xterminator
- RC Astro Star Xterminator
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.
Où il est également question de la célébrité.
La première fois que j'ai entendu parlé de François Sagat c'était lors de la nuit toute nue de Canal + le 18 juillet 2007 que mes parents regardaient pendant que j'étais au dehors. www.madmoizelle.com/actu/actu_canal-plus-se-met-au-nu_200...
Puis Britney sort son Gimme more et sur youtube je tombe sur la vidéo de François se brossant les dents. J'ai trouvé ça tellement drôle.... Que je me suis promis de faire une photo inspiré de ce mini-clip : www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_ljf1-N3UA
Et maintenant musique ! Si, si à écouter : Gimme more de Machinae Supremacy, album Overworld
Nous sommes nés la même année comme tant d'autres : www.ados.fr/naissance-1979.html
ça m'épate toujours de voir des personnes de mon âge qui soient célèbres. Qu'est-ce qui pousse chacun à faire la vie qu'il mène ? Qu'est-ce qui me pousse à faire ces photos ?
A question of balance. Moody Blues. Week 182 of the utterly fabulous re packaged group. Nope. Don't have this one.
My question is what are they doing? They were on a rotting log, many more than those pictured. I know the larvae live in rotting wood, so perhaps they just emerged. But many were flying around in some sort of frenzy. Perhaps it is a mating frenzy?
Lake Roland, Baltimore County, Cockeysville Quad, May 29.
(Photo of Town Dollhouse)
The Winner of Question 8 is....Fee! Yay.
Question 9: in the movie A Christmas Story the brothers are called Ralphie and _____?
So, as you can tell from the title, I have another question for you guys. This ones about my profile picture, I'm thinking it might be time to change it up a bit, seeing as I've had this one since I began here on Flickr. I may also change my banner as well, just so everything's been changed.
So... yeah, what do you guys think? Feel free to give suggestions and opinions. I know this is probably quite a minor thing, but still felt it might be something worth asking. XD
EDIT #1: I have found one I'm pretty happy with, thoughts?
EDIT #2: May try this one, seeing as this one is me. (or at least a version of me. XD)
That wasn't a question! [giggle!]
We had our December T-Girl Nation Dinner Party at a new location (because our old haunt- Hoang's has closed)! This time we got together at the lovely Thai Temple restaurant in Arlington, VA! The staff was very friendly & accepting and the food was delicious!
...As was my ensemble which is centered on this marvelous gold cap sleeve mermaid scale wet look lycra spandex minidress from coquetryclothing.com, my gold fish scale stretch belt, a lovely retro style black stretch lace shrug from a new vendor I've found for retro styled clothing- pinupgirlclothing.com, my copper & black Premier French Heel fully fashioned stockings from secretsinlace.com and my black patent peep toe platform pumps with the 5½" heels from venus.com
To see more pix of me in other tight, sexy and revealing outfits click this link:
www.flickr.com/photos/kaceycdpix/sets/72157623668202157/
To see more pix of me in clothes from Coquetry Clothing click this link:
www.flickr.com/photos/kaceycdpix/sets/72157626739774869/
To see more pix of me out & about click this link: www.flickr.com/photos/kaceycdpix/sets/72157632318953102/
To see more pix of me showing off my legs click this link: www.flickr.com/photos/kaceycdpix/sets/72157623668202157/
DSC_5331-4
Maroc, Rabbat.
Un regard, une question de point de vue.
Miroir du monde, l'image révèle, le miroir inonde le cadre d'un autre reflet.
Morocco, Rabbat.
A look, a question of point of view.
Mirror of the world, the image reveals, the mirror floods the frame with another reflection.
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
I was going to buy a dolly
When I was shopping at the store.
But then I had to ask myself
A question, like: 'what for?'
I thought about the stuff I have
In boxes piled high.
I can't find things when I look for them
So now I rarely try.
Or I buy things and leave them sit
In bags or in a box.
I don't want 'em, I don't need 'em
But I got 'em, lots and lots.
These new dollies are quite tiny,
Bratz, I think they were.
Bratz Dolls, Classic Minis
And a bargain at two-fer.
But two for ten whole dollars
That's five bucks apiece!
And these dolls are really tiny
Like, two inches tall, at least.
Five bucks! You must be kidding!
For a doll that small? Obscene!
These little plastic figures
Should be in a gum machine!
Put in a nickel or a dime
And turn the crank or knob.
If the machine don't eat your coin
You'll get a little glob
Of molded plastic in a little
Brittle plastic ball.
You'll look forlornly at your palm
And ask yourself, 'That's all?'
Usually the plastic ball
Is better than the prize.
But it only cost a nickel
So you shrug and roll your eyes.
The new dolls are called Blind Box
Which means you don't know what you'll get.
Just like with the old gum machine
A let-down lies ahead.
But now Blind Box is all the rage
Like coin machines of yore.
And fools like me spend fives and tens
Hoping we will score.
Score what? A piece of plastic junk
In a little plastic cube?
As was the case in yesteryear
The buyer is a rube.
Five bucks! Not just a nickel!
Ten bucks! Not one thin dime!
And here I thought the gum machines
Were bordering on crime.
A hundred years have passed, it seems
'Tween now and way back when
And things, they cost a hundred times
As much as they cost then.
But me, I'm now much smarter,
So I thought about my stuff
Sitting in the storage shed
And I told myself, 'Enough!'
I walked right past those little dolls
On a shelf down near the floor.
I do not need a Blind Box doll
That costs ten bucks or more!
I wandered through the store aisles
Buying eggs and cheese and rice
Milk, and bread, and butter
Then I thought about the price.
Things now cost so much, it seems
That money has no meaning.
I thought about those little dolls...
You can guess where this is leading.
Yeah, I went back, and picked one out
And then I picked out two.
I mean, with money being worthless
What harm would it do?
I coulda bought some carrots
Quite a lot for ten.
Maybe then my eyesight
Would be what it was again.
I coulda bought some apples
A dozen, maybe more.
Then I might start feeling good
Like I did before.
Instead, I bought a tiny doll
In a tiny plastic box
I have not opened it up yet
So I don't know what I got.
Doesn't really matter.
It's just some plastic chunk
That I'll shove in to a storage bin
With my other plastic junk.
Maybe I could take it back
Do I have the receipt?
Or did I lose the slip somewhere
Beneath the car's back seat?
Shouldn't I feel happy?
I got a brand new toy!
Where is the excitement?
Where is all the joy?
Instead, I'm feeling foolish
Over money, things, and all
And wondering why I spent ten bucks
On a Blind Box Doll.
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.
*Christmas question!*
What is the kind of your favorite cake?
あなたの好きなケーキはなんですか？
Christmas series #4
※明日もう一個あるので、覚悟して下さい(o'(ェ)'o）
Dec 23, 2008 #461
Honestly, I can't decide.
Anyone have any suggestions, input, rants, or entreaties on the subject of the "improved" flickr? I'm all ears.
Does this answer your question????
Old Bar Beach Festival 2016.
Old Bar, New South Wales, Australia.
New blog celebrating my philosophy of photography with tips, insights, and tutorials!
Ask me any questions! :)
Sony A7R RAW Photos of Pretty Brunette Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess! Carl Zeiss Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* Lens! Lightroom 5.3 ! Pretty Hazel Eyes & Silky Brown / Black Hair!
And here're a couple of HD video movies I shot of the goddess with the 4K Sony:
Enjoy! Be sure to watch in the full 1080P HD!
The epic goddess was tall, thin, fit, tan, and in wonderful shape (as you can see).
Check out my greatest hits compilation, and let me know what you think:
www.elliotmcguckenphotography.com/45surf/45SURF-Heros-Ody...
Epic Goddess Straight Out of Hero's Odyssey Mythology! Pretty Model! :) Tall, thin, fit and beautiful!
Welcome to your epic hero's odyssey! The beautiful 45surf goddess sisters hath called ye to adventure, beckoning ye to read deeply Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, whence ye shall learn of yer own exalted artistic path guided by Hero's Odyssey Mythology. I wouldn't be saying it if it hadn't happened to me.
New 500px!
500px.com/herosodysseymythology
New instagram! instagram.com/45surf
Pretty Swimsuit Bikini Model Goddess! :)
Follow me on facebook! facebook.com/elliot.mcgucken
Nikon D300 Photos of Beautfiul Sexy Hot Brunette!
She was a beauty--a gold 45 goddess for sure! A Gold 45 Goddess exalts the archetypal form of Athena--the Greek Goddess of wisdom, warfare, strategy, heroic endeavour, handicrafts and reason. A Gold 45 Goddess guards the beauty of dx4/dt=ic and embodies 45SURF's motto "Virtus, Honoris, et Actio Pro Veritas, Amor, et Bellus, (Strength, Honor, and Action for Truth, Love, and Beauty," and she stands ready to inspire and guide you along your epic, heroic journey into art and mythology. It is Athena who descends to call Telemachus to Adventure in the first book of Homer's Odyssey--to man up, find news of his true father Odysseus, and rid his home of the false suitors, and too, it is Athena who descends in the first book of Homer's Iliad, to calm the Rage of Achilles who is about to draw his sword so as to slay his commander who just seized Achilles' prize, thusly robbing Achilles of his Honor--the higher prize Achilles fought for. And now Athena descends once again, assuming the form of a Gold 45 Goddess, to inspire you along your epic journey of heroic endeavour.
ALL THE BEST on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
Modeling the Gold 45 Revolver Gold'N'Virtue swimsuit. :)
A laid-back,classic, socal lifestyle shoot!
May the 45surf goddesses inspire you along am artistic journey of your own making!
All 45surf Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography is shot in the honor of Truth, Beauty, and the Light of Physicist Dr. E's Moving Dimensions Theory's dx4/dt=ic . The fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions at the rate of c. Ergo relativity, time, entropy, and entanglement.
All the best on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
New blog celebrating my philosophy of photography with tips, insights, and tutorials!
Ask me any questions! :)
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
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?
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.
A pleasant end-of-summer surprise was finding this Question Mark nectaring on the Heptacodium….along with a couple of Monarchs and Hummingbirds.
This is without question the most daring photograph I have ever uploaded to my Flickr stream, and I don't think I am ever going to try to outdo it for audacity. I was actually quite hesitant to upload it at all, in large part because of the well-known fact that I do not like tattoos or other forms of body art, and do not wish to appear to be endorsing or encouraging them in any way. But while I don't know if I will leave it here, I finally decided to add it to my stream, for several reasons. First, this very personable woman was obviously enjoying herself at Comicon and was a good sport about posing for me. I gave my Flickr URL to her and her husband, and I think she deserves to have her picture here at least long enough for her to check it out and see if she likes it. Second, laying aside for the moment her tattoos, this is probably only marginally more revealing than the bellydance photos I uploaded about three years ago, and which are going to stay on my Flickr page, partly because my wife happens to like them. (She was with me when I took those, in fact.) Third, I know that at least a few of my regular viewers will applaud me for stepping outside the box and doing something truly out of the ordinary, at least for me. And finally, with regard to the tattoos themselves, my feelings about them do not require me to ignore the fact of their increasing popularity, or to fail to acknowledge the artistic talent that goes into creating them. For what it's worth, even my friend Marietta, who is one of my favorite models, has one, and the tattoo appears in some of my pictures of her.
So with all of that in mind, I add this to my stream, at least on a provisional basis. If it gets a lot of good feedback, I will most likely leave it here; if not, it will probably come down in a few days at most. But either way, don't expect to see many images like this one posted by me in the future.