View allAll Photos Tagged angular
I cut this agate about a month ago and am just now getting around to polishing it. I found it at the Cox's Fishing Camp area, near the camp, just off the county road, about 15 miles south of Zapata, Texas and near Falcon Lake. It has an unusual number of spots or dendrites in the inside layers of fortification.
Oops. That's an oxymoron isn't it?
There are curves visible and angles as well, yes? How about "curvy angularity" then?
Ok. I give up! What would you call it?
This is another one of my May minidress shopping binge acquisitions- this one is from coquetryclubwear.com. Its a fantastically snug and shiny wet look lycra spandex off the shoulder minidress that I've matched up with a black leather & silver belt, my Osé Retina lurex fishnet hose and my super sexy silver thigh high platform stocking boots from electriqueboutique.com. I love the way this ensemble came together!
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 sexy boots click here: www.flickr.com/photos/kaceycdpix/sets/72157622816479823/
DSC_9717-27
I have always been a fan of architecture. I believe a challenging site often leads to creative solutions which often leads to superior design. Here, the sharp convergence of two streets resulted in a sharp edged building.
Postmodern architecture: No 1 Poultry, London
Architect James Stirling Michael Wilford and Partners - 1985-1997
No 1 Poultry is an office and retail building in London. It is located at the junction of Poultry and Queen Victoria Street, adjacent to Bank junction, in the City of London financial district. It was opened in 1997. Built on a wedge-shaped site in the heart of the City of London, No 1 Poultry contains shops at ground and basement levels, with five floors of offices, and a roof garden and restaurant above. The building's ship-like prow and clock tower with projecting balconies dominate the junction at Bank Underground Station. Its exterior is clad in stripes of pink and yellow limestone, and its two long facades are characterised by the layering of angular and curved forms. Designed by Stirling in 1985 but not completed until 1997 – five years after his death – No 1 Poultry was one of the British architect's last projects. He was knighted in recognition of his contribution to architecture just days before his death and in 1996, the RIBA even renamed their prestigious Building of the Year Award the Stirling Prize after him.
The building's height, symmetrical plan and divided facade matches the surrounding buildings. Stirling planned it around a longitudinal axis with two similar facades. These are divided horizontally in three and vertically into five, with the layers alternating between angled and curved forms. Both facades have a central wedge-shaped entrance that gives access to the central rotunda, with two arcades on either side. No 1 Poultry's clock tower, with its horn-like projecting balconies, also mimics nearby structures, as well as referencing Greek and Roman rostral columns, which were erected to celebrate naval victories. Despite Stirling's impressive reputation, the building was not widely appreciated when it was completed – it seemed the heyday of Postmodernism had passed. Over time though, the building has become part of the fabric of London, and is recognised as one of the most important examples of commercial Postmodern architecture. While No 1 Poultry's function was to provide five floors of office space, its public spaces provide a connection missing elsewhere in the City. They include open shopping colonnades on the Poultry and Queen Victoria Street facades, an open light-filled courtyard, a rooftop garden, and even access to the underground station below. If the building is listed, it will be one of the youngest ever to be formally protected in the UK. In the meantime, the fight over its future has come to represent the battle to preserve Postmodern architecture before it is too late. No 1 Poultry has become a monument in the fast-changing cityscape, and London's Postmodern flagship.
In this scene, the astringent angularity of the man-made is relieved only by wanton wisps of cloud in a cerulean sky.
Wandering around the streets if central Zaragoza, it's hard to take notice of much beyond the dominating religious structures of which the town has several. The two most striking are the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pilar and Cathedral of Salvador. This photo was taken as I strolled around the latter -- gelato in hand -- and happened to turn around for some reason or another.
What I saw called out the 'shoot in black and white' voice always present in the background when I have my camera out. In the end I've decided to keep the colour in the photo. While this may draw attention away from the shapes in the image, the contrast of the blue sky and rustic colours of the foreground was difficult to remove.
Plaza la Seo, Zaragoza, Spain, 2012
Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS
During the 1980's, the global money had changed once again, and now investments on the stock market were the way to get your millions rather than fighting through the ranks at Pinewood or Abbey Road Studios. For the executive market, you needed an executive looking car, and to keep in style with the 1980's, where angles were in and not a curve was in sight, Rolls Royce waded in with the Silver Spirit and Silver Spur, a pair of audacious luxury cars that while endearing for their time, with all the luxuries of previous models in evidence, have gone down as amongst the blandest Rolls Royces ever made. But does that mean that they need to be continually maligned?
Although the Silver Spirit/Spur range made its début in 1980, these cars had been in planning and development for what seemed like an eternity. Original plans for a range to replace the Silver Shadow dated back to the mid-1970's, but due to the company going bankrupt in 1973 after the expensive RB211 Project, the company had not the money to continue development, and thus was forced to continue slow construction of these machines throughout the rest of the decade. The result, nothing too stellar in terms of design.
The bland angular design was a response to the fact that large, flamboyant cars were no longer admired by the public, but seen more as symbols of vanity and conceit. A major problem that helped kill off the Silver Shadow and earlier Silver Cloud was that the regal design was by no stretch of the imagination subtle, dripping with chrome and built to a size of such bizarre proportions that the car would need a house of its own just to live in. Another key feature of the Spirit's design was that it was built primarily to grapple back the American market, with its poly bumpers and angled design hoping to be reminiscent of the Lincoln Towncars and Cadillacs of the day. So technically, the car was very much a Silver Shadow with a different body, sharing nearly the same platform and being powered by the same 6.75L V8 engine. But what it lacked in looks it made up for in ride quality, with the hydraulic self-levelling suspension resulting in one of the smoothest in a motorcar, complimented by a newly developed automatic height control system. The car also had the distinction of being the first Rolls Royce to have a retractable Spirit of Ecstasy, which meant that if dislodged by a vindictive passer-by, the figure and its base would fall into the grille mounting rather than breaking off, allowing the owner to simply realign it later on.
Entering the market in 1980, the Silver Spirit and long-wheelbase Silver Spur, where the first new developments for the company since 1965's Silver Shadow and 1975's Camargue. Throughout its 19 year construction period the car went through a variety of designs and brands, probably the most in Rolls Royce history since the days of customer preference body-types. The first change came with the Silver Spirit II in 1989, which modified the Self-Levelling suspension using automatically adjustable dampers, had an updated dashboard and included Anti-Lock Brakes and fuel injection as standard.
This was updated again in 1993 with the Silver Spirit III, which increased the power output with modified cylinder heads, included airbags, adjustable rear seats, and yet more modifications to the suspension system to iron out earlier reliability problems. It was in this period that two other variants were built. In 1994 - 1995, a limited edition of 134 cars known as the Flying Spur was created, which for all intents and purposes was a Silver Spur powered by a Tubrocharged V8 engine from a Bentley Turbo R. Also built was the Silver Dawn, a revival of the famous brand of the 1950's used on top of the range models that included Electronic Traction Assistance and redesigned grille and Spirit.
Finally there was the IV, which although designed in 1992, didn't make its appearance on the market until 1995. Although the car was marketed as the New Silver Spirit/Silver Spur, the New part was omitted from the name on the back of the car. Changes to the vehicle included another modification to the dashboard, Bosch engine management was updated to a Zytec, bumpers were integrated into the body to make them look less distinct, and all cars came with a longer wheelbase, as well as a standard Garrett Turbocharger.
Eventually though, the angular design of the 1980's Spirit/Spur range was really starting to look its age and thus a replacement had to be made. In 1997 the Spirit was discontinued and in 1999 the Spur was too following the introduction of the more curved Silver Seraph, which had been in development for the best part of 10 years.
Spirits and Spurs are probably the easiest Rolls Royces to come by due to the fact that they sold massively, but not as many as the Silver Shadow despite its longer production run. In all, about 12,000 Spirits and Spurs rolled off the production line and became the car of choice for the 1980's stock broker and business executive, but did also show that even though the design had changed to something of a more subtle nature, internally, Rolls Royce were still on top.
In terms of hindsight reviews by both Rolls Royce and car enthusiasts in general, they're seen as mediocre. Although not ravaged in the same way as the Camargue, the Spirits and Spurs have just been known for their dullness, their underplayed and angular design being a main point of contention. I will agree that the Spirit and Spur are quite bland in their appearance, especially when you take earlier models into account, but as practical everyday cars they are very good.
The best thing I feel about the Silver Spirit and Silver Spur is that they are fantastic entry-level Rolls Royces for those wishing to get into the luxury car market. Today you can pick one up for as little as £3,000, with a mint condition model going for as little as £7,000. Indeed Shadows go for about the same money due to their high numbers, they are more troublesome for their age, and low cost ones are probably very crooked indeed. So if you're in the market for a luxury car but haven't the cash in pocket for a Cloud or Shadow, a Spirit or Spur is a very good place to start!
Burlington House in Manchester is a residential development that has an almost Rubik Cube style appearance with its upper levels.
This stairway, with its peeling old paintwork and gritty concrete surfaces, made for a brilliant sensation of depth in this photograph.
Naturally I love this angular square cut 1965 Ford Ranchero but hate the awful colour scheme! Hot Wheels are experts at maximising their castings with often eye catching or imaginative liveries but they are also good at spoiling models like this! I look forward to seeing this Ranchero in more sober civilian colours sometime soon. Mint and boxed.
I've been visiting my daughter and 5 grandchildren in Perth, Western Australia for the last week. Needless to say, with that many people in the house, I choose to not take a grandchilds bed and I always book accommodation somewhere! This time I'm staying in an apartment opposite the beach at Rockingham. It's very modern and angular and sitting on the balcony having breakfast early the other morning I found myself looking at the reflection and not the view!
For 52 in 2018 #41 A Reflection
Yes, believe it or not, the origin of the mighty Range Rover goes back to the communistic clumsiness of British Leyland, where, in one of their rare moments of genius, they realised the dream that a contemporary 4x4 could be married with the luxuries and styling of a regular saloon car!
The original concept of the Range Rover can be traced back to the groundbreaking original Land Rover of the 1940's, where upon its introduction in 1948 as an extended development of the American Willy's Jeep, the Land Rover had taken the world by storm and become the most desired 4x4 in the world. Light, practical, endlessly tunable and easy to maintain, the Land Rover was a hit across the globe, primarily in the colonies of the British Empire, taking people to remote regions that had once been only within the reach of a Horse or a Camel. Initially, a plan was made to create a saloon style version of the Land Rover in 1949 with the help of coachbuilder Tickford, dubbed the 'Land Rover Station-Wagon', but this was not exactly a success and sold only 700 examples before the car was withdrawn from production in 1951. The main features of the Station-Wagon were a wooden-framed body, seven seats, floor carpets, a heater, a one-piece windscreen and other car-like features, its hand-built nature kept prices high.
In 1954 Land Rover took another stab at the Station Wagon concept, only this time it was built in-house rather than outsourced to a different company. This version's primary market was for those who required an off-road vehicle with greater capacity, such as ambulances or even small buses in remote regions such as the Scottish Highlands. But even though this second incarnation of the Station Wagon was available with features such as an interior light, heater, door and floor trims and upgraded seats, the basic Land Rover roots of this car meant it was still tough and capable, but the firm suspension made its road performance somewhat mediocre.
In 1958, Land Rover took yet another stab with the Road Rover, a development of combining the Land Rover chassis and running gear with the internal furnishings and body of a regular saloon car. The intended audience of the Road Rover was again in the remote British Colonies of Africa and the Australian Outback, where the firm suspension would be useful on the long, uneven roads. By the 1960's however, developments across the pond in the United States were starting to rock Rover's boat, as the newly coined Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) began to make progress. International Harvester released the Scout, and Ford the Bronco, offering a different blend of off and on-road ability from existing utility 4x4s such as the Land Rover and the Jeep, proving capable of good on-road comfort and speed while retaining more than adequate off-road ability for most private users. The Jeep Wagoneer proved the concept further, being both spacious and practical, but still with the raunchy off-road abilities to conquer the harsh American terrain.
Being frontline observers to this, Rover dealers in the United States looked on in horror as the American motor industry cornered the market for the SUV, and through frustration the president of Rover's USA division sent head office a Land Rover Series II 88 fitted with a Buick V8, designed for contemporary American pickup trucks, which offered far greater on-road performance and refinement than any Land Rover then in production.
Things came full circle though thanks to a man named Charles Spencer King, a former apprentice at Rolls Royce and one of the most prominent figures in the ownership of Rover and its transition to British Leyland. Taking over the development, he began the development program with the 100-inch Station Wagon project, taking the original concepts of the previous Road Rover and fitting it with coil springs after coming to the conclusion that only long-travel coil springs could provide the required blend of luxury car comfort and Land Rover's established off-road ability. His realisation of this apparently came when he drove a Rover P6 across rough scrubland adjacent to Land Rover's Solihull Factory, but was also helped by the fact that Land Rover purchased the coil springs from a Ford Bronco and began developing from those. Permanent 4WD was also necessary so as to provide both adequate handling and to reliably absorb the power that would be required by the vehicle if it was to be competitive, which came through in the form of a new transmission known as the Land Rover 101 Forward Control. The final piece to the puzzle though was the use of the Buick derived Rover V8, a strong, reliable, lightweight and endlessly tunable engine. In addition to the regular V8, the car was fitted with both a starting handle for emergencies, and carburettors to help continue to supply fuel at extreme angles.
The final design, launched in 1970 with bodywork styled largely by the engineering team rather than David Bache's styling division, was marketed as 'A Car For All Reasons'. In its original guise, the Range Rover was more capable off-road than the Land Rover but was much more comfortable, offering a top speed in excess of 100mph, a towing capacity of 3.5 tons, spacious accommodation for five people and groundbreaking features such as a four-speed, dual-range, permanent four-wheel-drive gearbox and hydraulic disc brakes on all wheels. The body was constructed, in keeping with other Rover products, of lightweight aluminium, and in its first incarnation was only available as a two-door utilitarian runabout, rather than the five-door luxury car we know today. This was rectified in 1981 when a 4-door version was made available, but this doesn't mean that the Range Rover wasn't a success before this change.
Upon its launch in June 1970, the Range Rover was lauded with critical acclaim, and Rover was praised for succeeding in marrying the practicalities of a modern 4x4 with the luxury capabilities of a standard road car. With a top speed of 95mph and a 0-60 acceleration of less than 15 seconds, performance was stated as being better than many family saloon cars of its era, and off-road performance was good, owing to its long suspension travel and high ground clearance. The bulky but practical design was also praised, with many considering it a piece of artwork, with one example being put on display in the Louvre in Paris! Early celebrity ownership also helped the sales quota, but not in the same way you'd expect today. Instead of Musicians and Movie Stars buying up stashes of Range Rovers like they do nowadays, people of established wealth such as Princess Diana and Government bodies became proud custodians of these mighty machines.
Problems however were quick to occur, as let's not forget, this was a British Leyland product. Reliability was a major issue, with strike cars being especially poor as many would leave the factory with vital components missing or not installed properly. To save costs, many pieces of the cars were carried over from other Leyland products, with switches and dials being donated from Austin Allegros, and the door handles coming direct from Morris Marinas. Name any of the faults endemic to British Leyland products of the time, and the Range Rover suffered from the same curse, be they mechanical, electric, cosmetic, or, worst of all, the demon rust!
But the Range Rover survived to see the 1980's despite its faults, and after the introduction of an extra set of doors it started to gain a true identity as the luxury motor of choice for the new money. With the additional 5-door layout, new variants such as the long wheelbase Vogue and the SE (Special Equipment) versions took many of the luxury items of the Jaguar XJ series such as leather seats and hazelnut wooden trim and placed them into the Range Rover. In the 1980s as well, special utility versions began to be developed, including a 6x6 Fire Tender for airfields and small airports, Ambulances for military bases and remote regions, and one special variant for his holiness the Pope, affectionately dubbed the Popemobile!
However, towards the late 1980's the Range Rover in its original incarnation was starting to look very much its age. The angular design was looking tired, and internally its utilitarian roots were in evidence. The dashboard was not much like that of a regular saloon car, but more a bus or a truck, with a huge steering wheel like that from a tractor, and was not particularly well equipped. Land Rover however intended to narrow the Range Rover's portfolio to the truly luxury market rather than having the low end versions which didn't sell as well due to their expense. In 1989 Land Rover launched the Discovery, which was similar in size to the Range Rover but cheaper and given a more family layout with seats and furnishings being carried over from the Austin Montego. To bring the Range Rover back into the front line of luxury motors for the 1990's, Rover Group (the descendant of British Leyland) put together a plan to design a new car under the chassis codenumber P38A (or just P38 for short). Four years of development and £300 million later, the car was launched to a whirlwind of critical acclaim. With a beautifully equipped interior, a more car-like design of dashboard and with a wider variety of luxury trim levels, including the personalised Autobiography editions, the P38 was the first of the mighty Range Rovers to appeal to the bling-bling generation.
This, however, left the original Range Rover out in the cold, and even though it was still a much loved part of the British motoring scene, the time had come for the original, dubbed the Range Rover Classic after launch of the P38. The last of the original Range Rovers slunk silently of the production line at Solihull in 1996, with production now fully based on the new P38, as well as to future developments such as the Freelander of 1997 and ongoing Discovery and Defender. Today original Range Rovers are somewhat easy to come by depending on where you look. In London you'll find a fair few (after all, these were the original Chelsea Tractors), but even in the country you'll bump into these things, especially around my home of Devon where the Range Rover/Land Rover products were perfect for the rugged Moorland terrain. Early British Leyland ones you'd be hard pressed to find, most rusting away in the 1980's, but the Rover Group ones of the 80's and 90's are by no means rare.
But even so, 45 years after the first Range Rover left the factory in Solihull, Range Rovers continue to be produced today, now in it's 4th Generation and available in more variations than ever before! Although British Leyland has long since died together with their many woeful products such as the Morris Marina and the Austin Allegro, the Range Rover is very much their legacy, the last of their original products to survive the strikes and bankruptcy, fighting off the fuel crisis and privatisation by the Thatcher Government, and then being split in 2000 by BMW and juggled between owners Ford and TATA Steel, and still being the luxury motorised toy of the modern day rich! :)