Engraving (1541).

KAPPELMAYR, Barbara (Red.) (1995). Geïllustreerd handboek van de kunst. VG Bild-Kunst/De Hoeve, Alphen aan de Rijn. ISBN 90 6113 763 2

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P. 451 -460 in: FOUR - A Rediscovery of the 'Tetragonus mundus' - Marten KUILMAN. Falcon Press, Heemstede. 1996/2011. ISBN 978-90-814420-1-5

The symbolism of the wheel of fortune deals with the cyclic movements in human life. In its original form, it figures a wheel (circle), divided in four compartments. The goddess Fortuna Panthea and her wheel are, in a general and historical sense, connected with Fate (fatum) and Moira, and therefore with the relative notions of boundaries in life. The gods are subordinate, in Greek cultural history as recorded by Homer, by a higher power called Moira. The original meaning of the word is 'part' or 'assigned piece of land' (CORNFORD, 1912). The Moira is the act of the first division of place, and therefore of division-thinking in general.

OTTO (1954) pointed to a gradual broadening of the term: Homer envisaged Moira as an impersonal being (the inescapable fate) and used the expression in singular. Hesiod described already three Moirai (Parcae), daughters of the goddess of the night, envisaged as abstract figures (FIELD, 1977). They were called Clotho (the spinster), Lachesis (the partitioner), and Atropos (the unavoidable). The primary partition-aspect (of Moira) was less important in the later popular belief. The notion of a trinity prevailed, with names as the Dirae (Furiae), Erinyans and Eumenideans, as the guardians of Tartarus (GUERBER, 1907/1981). Fate (or 'Tyche') lived in the Greek cultural period through a full cycle of development, which reached its highest visibility in an oppositional environment.

The meaning of the word 'Fortuna' is derived from 'fors' (luck) and 'ferre' (to bring). Fortune - in its original implication - is related to the verb 'to bring': that which is brought. The goddess Fortuna is she who brings something, in a neutral sense and plural (PITKIN, 1984; FRAKES, 1988). The image of the goddess changed during the Roman Empire to a person, with a positive aura: she was the source of all good, the 'bona dea' (good goddess), to be identified with Isis.

Fortuna Panthea and Fortuna Populi Romani were favored personifications. Her three symbols - the cornucopia (abundance), the rudder of a ship (to steer the course of life in the right direction) and a ball or a wheel (the cyclic change and the turning of destiny) - pointed to an optimistic approach. The aspect of uncertainty and unpredictability was only added in the latter years of the Roman period when the culture itself was on the decline. Fortuna is one of the few Roman gods, which made the change - in the early fourth century AD - to Christianity (PATCH, 1927). Apparently, the personification of chance was strong enough to survive in the monotheistic Christian world.

The wheel (of Fortune) became a symbol in its own right. It was first mentioned, according to ROBINSON (1946), by Cicero ('In Pisonem'). No illustrations before the Roman period are known. The idea of a recurrent-dualistic valuation (good and bad) within a cyclic-tetradic context (radiae of a wheel) might have been fairly original at the time. However, there are - as earlier described by ROES (1933) - Greek connotations to the cult of the sun-wheel. Furthermore, the names of Ixion (punished by Zeus to an eternal turning wheel), Triptolemus (established the agriculture), Circe (a sorceress who helped Odysseus), Medea (the daughter of the king of Colchis, who helped Iason) and the iynx (a mythological bird from the Persian area) are all related to (dramatic) changes in circumstances.

Cicero was followed by a long trail of writers who used the 'rota fortunae' and the unpredictable character of Fortuna: Tibullus ('Elegy'), Propertius, Ovid in the 'Tristia' and the 'Epistulae ex Ponto' (Letters from the Black Sea), Horatius ('Carmina'; Songs, later called 'Odes'), Seneca ('Agamemnon'), Plinius and Tacitus in the 'Dialogus de oratoribus' (Dialogue about the orators).

Remarkable are four sculptured Tyches, used as ornaments on a chair (so-called 'sedia gestatoria'), dated from the middle of the fourth century (360 - 370 AD) and found in 1793 in a silver hoard on the Esquiline Hill in Rome. The female figures are representations of the four most important cities in the later Roman Empire: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria en Antioch (TOYNBEE, 1934, 1947; WEITZMANN, 1979). Three Tyches are fairly equal in shape, representing a seated figure on a throne in frontal view. Antioch, as the exception, is in an oblique position on a piece of rock, with a stylized young man, symbolizing the river Orintes. There is a similarity with the Tyche of Antioch, a lost work of the Greek sculptor Eutychides of Sicyon from c. 300 BC.

The work of Boethius (sixth century) provided a link to the symbolism of the wheel of fortune from the Middle Ages to modern times (FRAKES, 1988). The ideas of Proclus (the variability of fate) and Plotinus (God as a central point in a moving world) were joined together in the 'Consolation of Philosophy' to manipulate fate in a dynamic way (WATTS, 1969).

The wheel of fortune (rota Fortunae) is a symbolic tool of Fortuna. Often she is depicted in the act of turning the wheel. The movement of the wheel was associated (in a dual mind) with the interpretation of fate: 'what comes up must go down'. The 'Axi Rotor' provided an ascending movement (Ad Alta Vehor), leading to an apex (Glorior Elatus). The inevitable downward movement (Descendo Mortificat) ends in a nadir. The classical picture of the 'rota fortunae' was given in a commentary of Gregory ('Moralia in Job'), a Spanish manuscript from 914 AD (the drawing is of a later date).

The four stages in personal fortune (regno, regnavi, sum sine regno and regnabo) are written near the figures on the wheel, which is turned by the goddess Fortuna. The movement is counter clockwise. Drawing from a ninth century Spanish manuscript of Gregory's 'Moralia in Job'. The illustration is of a later date. John Rylands Library, Manchester. Ms 83, fol. 214v.

The theme of transitoriness was also incorporated in the 'Theatre Francois' of the Frères Parfaict (II, 113ff) in the form of a 'Mystère de Bien-Advisé et Mal-Advisé'. A well-known encyclopedic work titled the 'Margarita Phylosophica' (Strasbourg, 1504) described the cyclic movement in human life (in Lib. VIII) under the heading 'De Principiis Rerum Natura'.

The tetrapartite character of the 'rota fortunae' is of direct relevance for the present investigation. PATCH (1927; p. 60/165) called the division, personalized in four figures holding the wheel, the 'formula of four'. The four positions on the wheel have the following Latin names:

regno - regnabo - sum sine regno - regnavi

These phases deal with the extremes of up and down, but also with the intermediate stages. They are a blueprint of all communications: the fortune of love, of the sea (ventosa), of stride, of glory, of time (Occasio versus Fortuna), and of death (the dance of death). The moving wheel reminds the participants in a communication to the instability and relativity of human endeavor. Fortuna appoints kings and rulers but will plunge them eventually in misery as well (as Tangred found out in Sicily). The meaning of the four aspects of luck is, in a counter-clockwise direction:

Regno - I reign at the top of the wheel. Fortuna favours me and means good (the top);

Regnavi - I reigned for a short moment, but Fortuna has left me and taken the good from me (downward movement);

Sum sine regno - I have nothing left to rule. Fortuna has taken all my favours (the lowest point);

Regnabo - I will reign when Fortuna let me and the wheel moves to the top (upward movement).

This division was not always strictly applied. The number of figures around the wheel - giving some clue on the type of division - vary widely. In particular, when the driving spirit behind the rotating wheel was of an oppositional nature, any number of people or attributes could be used. Very often the picture of the wheel of fortune is a direct reference to the philosophical background of its maker.

A good example of this observation is a woodcut in John Lydgate's 'The Fall of Princes', published in London in 1554. Fortuna, with her hair as the rays from a sun god, has a Janus-face, symbol of a two-division, and three pairs of hands reaching for six (or seven) persons on a wheel. A king, a rich merchant, and a bishop are at the top. One of the lower men going up holds a banner with the inscription 'Fortuna'. An ordinary man falls down and will bump on his head at any moment. To the right is a scribe or administrator, who reaches for his head in an act of incomprehension.

The illustration of the 'Wheel of Fortune' in the 'Ship of Fools' (Das Narrenschiff) of Sebastian Brant had a great influence on the imagination of the readers of the early sixteenth century. The book was printed in Basel in 1494 and can be regarded as one of the first 'best-sellers' after the invention of the printing press (WEHMER et al., 1971). His poem lacks the stable environment of tetradic thinking. The fools refer directly to an unbalanced state and derangement. The woodcut, of which the authorship of Albrecht Dürer is questionable, shows a triple division with three hybrid fools/donkeys turning around a wheel. The hand of God (not Fortuna!) reaches from the top left through a nimbus, while an open grave marks the lower corner. The spirit is dualistic.

Fortuna and 'having luck' is closely related to the unpredictability of affairs. Niccolo Machiavelli (1469 - 1527) believed in the possibility to influence and reduce the power of Fortuna by practical knowledge and decisiveness. However, he also knew, that in the outcome, unexpected elements could play a role. His well-known book 'Il Principe' (The Prince) was a manual for the pursue of 'Realpolitik'. Power is the visible version of belief, and can only be active when the material world is close at hand.

Machiavelli openly posed the effectiveness of limited thinking. Dualistic concepts like power, success or honor were carried to their ultimate end. A nation is, in his view, based on good law and good armament. 'Most of the excitement and repulsion which 'The Prince' has generated comes from its frank acknowledgment that in practice successful governments are always ready to act ruthlessly to attain their ends' (BULL, 1961/1975, p. 24).

The goddess Fortuna does exist, but can be helped by a powerful action of man in his decision-making: that is the message. It is a repeat of the old knowledge of the Greek and the Romans, who saw in Tyche the goddess of Chance, who could, to a certain extent, be manipulated.

Machiavelli, who had a persistent preoccupation with manhood and had 'disdain for the household, the private, the personal and the sensual' (PITKIN, 1984), attributed Fortune with 'female' qualities, in particular, unreliability. The writer of 'The Prince' and the 'Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius' was an oppositional thinker 'pur-sang', who despised all kinds of utopian idealism. He placed 'virtu' - as a 'male' quality characterized by success, skill, strength, and power - against the 'female' quality of 'effeminato', including the earlier mentioned 'household' attributes. Machiavelli called her 'The Goddess is a lady and must be taken by storm' (PATCH, 1927) or on another occasion: an 'aged witch with two faces'.

The goddess Fortuna offered, in those (pivotal) times of great activity, in which worlds were discovered and new and strange horizons were opened, a viable option to understand the incomprehensible: life was a matter of chance, take it or leave it. Her companion Ventura, or the adventure, was gradually incorporated in her all-embracing providence. The Christian culture of Europe has always been uncomfortable with the trust in the goddess of luck because it was seen - in lower division thinking - as interference with heavenly providence, provided by God. The distribution of God's gifts in life was not a matter of luck, but could - to a certain extend - be earned.

Belief in ‘Fortuna’ is still strong in the present day. Her power is the same as ever, only her appearance has changed. She is dressed now in the clothes of statistics and probability calculation. The computer is her faithful servant to do the dirty work. Mortgage banks and pension funds are able to calculate the average lifespan of their contributors and know to outwit Lady Fortuna. Only in the individual cases do they have to admit defeat.

MacINTYRE (1981/1984) distinguished in his 'post-modern' approach to virtue four sources of systematic unpredictability in human life (pp. 93 - 100). The original sequence in MacIntyre's book (in the present numbering: 2 - 4 - 3 - 1) is changed, to show the place of uncertainties in a quadralectic visibility-spectrum:

1. 'Pure contingency' (p. 99) or: total unpredictable.

Mentioned last by MacIntyre, this is essentially the foremost reason that prediction can never be a 100%-affair. Small events can lead to great consequences, but it can never conjunctured afterwards, that such an event necessarily led to the fortune or misfortune, which was the result. Therefore it can also not be included in any sort of prediction. This is the birthplace of Fortune in its purest form.

2. 'The nature of radical conceptual innovation.

Any invention, any discovery, which consists essentially in the elaboration of a radical new concept cannot be predicted, for a necessary part of the prediction is the present elaboration of the very concept whose discovery or invention was to take place only in the future. The notion of the prediction of radical conceptual innovation is itself conceptually incoherent' (p. 93).

Nobody could - before the wheel was invented - predict when the wheel would be invented, because there was no reference to the 'wheel' as such. The addition 'radical new' (to the conceptual innovation) means a point in time with no history and points to linear time.

3. 'The game-theoretic character of social life' (p. 97).

It is possible to present the interhuman endeavor as a great game, which can be studied with the formal structures of game theory. The outcome of a predictive theory is governed by law-like generalisations. A limitation of the players and the rules is implicit, making this approach, in essence, a static exercise that can only successful within its own boundaries and rules.

4. 'The unpredictability of certain of his own future actions by each agent individually generates another element of unpredictability as such in the social world' (p. 95).

Because some decisions are contemplated but not yet taken - which in turn will influence the results of other decisions - there will always be an element of uncertainty in communication.

The theory of probability has reached in modern science a high degree of perfection, but every statement will still be subject to the division environment, which governs the communication. In the case of tetradic thinking the above-presented systematic uncertainties are incorporated in any predictability made in this environment. In lower forms of division thinking some of these uncertainties are not even noticed, and the absence is translated in misguided confidence.

The standard work of Antoine Augustine COURNOT (1843/1977) about the theory of probability can be summarized with the motto 'exceptio firmat regulam' (exception confirms the rule). This particular state flourishes in a system, which leaves enough space to cater for these exceptions. It also holds that the greatest conceptual space occurs in the highest form of division thinking.

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Bibliography

BULL, George (1961/75). Niccolo Machiavelli. The Prince. Penguin Books Ltd., Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England. ISBN 0 14 044 107 7

CORNFORD, Francis M. (1912). From Religion to Philosophy. A Study in the Origins of Western Speculation. Edward Arnold, London.

COURNOT, A.A. (1843/1977). Exposition de la theorie des chances et des probabilites. Oeuvres completes. BRU, Bernard (Ed.). Librairie J. Vrin, Paris.

FRAKES, Jerold C. (1988). The Fate of Fortune in the Early Middle Ages. The Boethian Tradition. Band XXIII in: Studien und Texte zur Geistes-geschichte des Mittelalters. ZIMMERMANN, Albert (Ed.). ISSN 0169-8125. E.J. Brill. Leiden. ISBN 90 04 08544 0

GUERBER, H.A. (1907/1981). The Myths of Greece & Rom. Harrap, London.

MacINTYRE, Alasdair (1981/1984). After Virtue. A Study in Moral Theory. University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Indiana.

ISBN 0-268-00610-5

OTTO, Walter F. (1954). The Homeric Gods. The Spiritual Significance of Greek Religion. Pantheon Books Inc., New York.

PATCH, Howard R. (1927). The Goddess Fortuna in Mediaeval Literature. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.

PITKIN, Hanna F. (1984). Fortune is a Woman. Gender & Politics in the Thought of Niccolo Machiavelli. University of California Press, Berkeley. ISBN 0-520-04932-2

ROES, Anna (1933). Greek Geometric Art. Its Symbolism and its Origin. H.D. Tjeenk Willink & Zoon N.V., Amsterdam/Oxford University Press, London.

TOYNBEE, Jocelyn M.C. (1934). The Hadrianic School. A Chapter in the History of Greek Art. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

- (1947). Roma and Constantinopolis in Late-Antique Art from 312 to 365. The Journal of Roman Studies. Vol. XXXVII, Part I & II.

WATTS, V.E. (1969). Boëthius. The Consolation of Philosophy. Penguin Books Ltd., London/Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England.

WEHMER, Carl; OHLY, Kurt & RATH, von, Erich (1971). Deutsche Buch-drucker des fünfzehnten Jahrhunderts. Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden. ISBN 3 447 01277 3

WEITZMANN, Kurt (1979). The Sacra Parallela. Studies in Manuscript Illumination. Number 8. The Miniatures of the Sacra Parallela. Parisinus Graecus 923. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. ISBN 0-691-03940-2

- (1979)(Ed.) Age of Spirituality. Late Antique and Early Christian Art, Third to Seventh Century. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. Catalog exposition, Nov. 19, 1977 - Febr. 12, 1978.

Another from the archives. When I saw this shot I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it, which always helps and saves time faffing around and experimenting. It also reminded me of Steve McQueen in that classic scene. :)

The tax calculation

Karen (siehe auch unten)

Karen (below the same girl in a different mood)

Oberhausen 1993

The Queen does her monthly state finances calculation...

- Hey Squire!

- Yes Madame!

- Could you get the carriers to get the chests containing all the books on the state grain and the book containing the Lords debt and profits...

...I don´t understand it, when Henry did this once a month he had so much fun, I can´t get to pleasure in counting golden coins, gems, silver...

- Yes, Madame, well, he used a whole lot of wine, when doing these choirs, actually we had to recount everything after him, since, the first notes where quite ok, I mean order in the numbers a rows, and the math was rather ok... but in the end of the book keeping books, there were just scribbles and ink blots who looked like those so called: "abstract" paintings the mage tried to sell for gold claiming it was art, but nonfigurative!

- Oh I don´t think I will drink, this is the peoples money I owe it to my people to be sober when I calculate the state finances!

A drunk Price Albert stumbles and fumbles in to the room...

- Mein Wunderschöne sccchmucke, meein (hiccups) sccchatze is counting the treasure! You are so beautiful, could I have some money ze Wein is running dry!

- Guard, Escort my husband out of this room, I told you not to let anyone in and especially not him... Escort him to the Kings Arms they have a happy hour now, let him drink on my tab, until I am done with this boring choir!

I just need to get him out of my way... how did he get here by the way?

- Yes Madame. I will take him there, well how he got here, he sneaked past us, he was climbing the foliage clinging tho the castle wall...

- Oh Mein Liebling, The Kings arms, Hiccups! my favorite besil, kneipe, I just wunder why are that pub called after Henries arms, Why not his beard! I löve you mein Liebling!

- Yes I love you to Bertie (whispering to her self: when he is sober) see you tomorrow, have a good time down the pub!

- Madam, shall we really give him free access to all that wine, he is going to talk to the diplomats tomorrow...!

- Eh, well get him to drink some water when he passes out, that usually help...

Now where was I? Yes I was counting the revenue from the lords, 1200 Pounds, plus, 375 doubles and 39 shillings!

By my calculations, we have now been friends for about 40 years.

High potential? Parents want to know

Psychological examinations are increasingly common to identify gifted children. It’s a trend that hides a complex reality, as gifted children can also be prone to failure.

Enéa gets good marks. But she disturbs the class, talks a lot and complains often. This situation surprises her mother, Stéphanie Laurent. At home, this seven-year old schoolgirl from Lausanne is quiet, responsible and not the type to bother others. What’s wrong? School. Enéa is bored. A teacher friend advised Stéphanie Laurent to enter her daughter for tests to determine whether she was “high potential”. And the result came back positive.

High potential (HP) children are referred to as gifted or precocious. They are sometimes compared with child prodigies, which is one reason for the increase in requests for psychological examinations. “Interest in these tests is growing,” states Pierre Fumeaux, a child psychiatrist at Lausanne University Hospital who is currently conducting a study on the subject. “A few years ago when parents or teachers had to deal with a difficult student, they would ask the doctor if the child was hyperactive. Now the term ‘high potential’ has taken centre stage in the media.” Contrary to popular belief, gifted is not always synonymous with success. High potential children can also be prone to failure.

A different brain

To be diagnosed as “HP”, an individual has to obtain a score of at least 130 on IQ tests. “But the score isn’t enough,” explains Claudia Jankech, a psychotherapist in Lausanne specialised in child and teenager psychology. “We also need to understand their family and social context and their personality.”

Surprisingly, a high number of HP children have trouble in school. “When it’s too easy for them, they get used to being on autopilot,” says the psychologist. “They’ve never learnt how to learn.” These difficulties are partly due to what specialists call arborescent thinking. “Normal people develop logical reasoning through linear, sequential thinking. However, the thought process in HP children is like fireworks exploding with ideas and impressive intuition. They can solve complex equations but will have difficulty explaining how they came up with the answer,” explains Pierre Fumeaux.

Surprisingly, a high number of HP children have trouble in school. “When it’s too easy for them, they get used to being on autopilot,” says the psychologist. “They’ve never learnt how to learn.”

Studies suggest that HP children’s brains function differently. Information moves better between the two cerebral hemispheres. “We assume that they use both their left and right brains easily and have excellent abilities in both logic and creativity,” says the child psychiatrist. “Other work has shown that HP children can more easily juggle with concepts and think in the abstract, such as performing mental calculations. “In a functional MRI, a dye is injected to highlight the areas of the brain with the highest blood flow.

Using a scanner, we can then see which areas are activated,” Pierre Fumeaux explains. “A stimulus or given task will activate certain areas of the brain in normal individuals. In HP children, sometimes several larger areas are activated at the same time,” he adds. These indicators help doctors understand how an HP mind works. “But our knowledge in neuroscience remains limited,” the researcher admits. “Being high potential is not an illness, but a special cognitive ability. And that’s not a priority for researchers.”

INTERVIEW: “The methods of diagnosis are debatable”

In a survey conducted on gifted children, the French sociologist Wilfried Lignier noted that specialists do not agree about the tests designed to diagnose giftedness.

In Vivo You observe that most gifted children don’t have difficulty in school or psychological problems. Why then do parents have them take tests?

Wilfried Lignier These parents are very concerned that their children will face difficulties, whereas they actually have every chance of success. They think that the school’s assessment is not enough. Psychology offers greater legitimacy for their concerns.

IV You approach giftedness as a “debated and debatable” issue. Why?

WL Many psychologists don’t recognise giftedness mainly because they doubt the credibility of IQ tests. These tests are meant to assess something other than academic skills, but in form they are quite similar to the exercises performed in school. Furthermore, children also have this impression. After the test is over, some say that they did well in the “maths” section, referring to the logical reasoning, or the “language” section, referring to the vocabulary. Being so similar to exercises done in school, these tests contradict the idea that intelligence isn’t the same as academic performance. Yet most of the social repercussions expected from test results are based on the idea that they tell a truth that school does not.

IV You show that the diagnosis swings in favour of one gender. How do you explain that high potential is more often diagnosed in boys?

WL Parents tend to express greater concern about their future, as it more readily carries their hopes of upward social mobility. The fact that boys have greater chances of having “symptoms”, such as openly expressing their boredom or not being able to stay still, also plays a role.

Hyper-sensitivity

HP children also typically have emotional characteristics featuring high sensitivity or a high level of empathy. Stéphanie Laurent’s two other children, boys, have also been diagnosed as high potential. “Nathael, age six, cries at Christmas because poor people are cold and have nothing to eat.” His hyper-sensitivity distresses him. “It can take on huge proportions. At one point, Mathys, age eight, felt unreasonable fear because he knew that there was a core on fire at the centre of the earth.” Myriam Bickle Graz, a developmental paediatrician at Lausanne University Hospital who wrote a thesis on the subject, says, “The children seen at consultations were often overwhelmed by their emotions. For some, it was incredibly difficult; they have no filter,” she explains. “The fear of death, for example, comes very early.” They develop symptoms such as anxiety, sleep disorders, strained relationships with other children and aggression.

THE HAPPIEST HP CHILDREN ARE THOSE WHO ARE NOT IDENTIFIED AS SUCH AND MANAGE TO ADAPT.

As in the Laurent family, there are often several gifted siblings. “Not all siblings are necessarily going to be HP, but there is a certain degree of genetic heritage. However, that hasn’t been proven scientifically,” explains Myriam Bickle Graz. “It remains a clinical observation.”

Although some high potential children suffer, the majority of them lead normal lives. As summed up by Pierre Fumeaux, “the happiest HP children are those who are not identified as such and manage to adapt.”

Arborescent thinking deploying in several directions, simultaneously, extremely fast and without boundaries. While it is a important source of creativity, it also implies: Difficulties to identify relevant information; all these thoughts in all directions may be confusing when the child is faced with a question, a problem or a task at school, An absolute need to organise these thoughts within a sturdy frame so that the child feels affectively, emotionally and socially secure. A “global” information processing system, with analogic and intuitive thinking. While it enables a very rich and deep understanding, with photographic memory, it also implies: Serious difficulties to adapt to the traditional schooling systems which treat information in details and sequentially (one thing after the other), An inability to develop arguments or justify their reasoning. Gifted children usually can’t explain their results, they consider the answers obvious, they know intuitively. The necessity to use in parallel the traditional school learning methods and their own knowledge aquisition systems; they do not want to feel useless, rejected or stupid. A thinking mode that needs meaning to function and complexity to develop and bloom. While it is an endless source of information data stored in an exceptional memory, it also implies: Difficulties or even refusal to acquire skills or information which they consider useless, too simple or not exciting enough to justify their attention and efforts, Constant challenges of established rules and norms, to satisfy their needs for meaning, To “learn how to learn” while taming their impatience through inventive and stimulating methodologies, with deep enrichment on all subjects. A way of thinking constantly integrating affective aspects of its environment. While it is a rich incentive to learning, it also implies: Frustration, even rejection of some teachers whom they see as incompetent in their teaching methods or behaviours, Excessive, even pathological reactions if these children, who try to master their environment and their variations, cannot find reassurance. They are scared by what they do not understand and they know, from a very young age, many things that they cannot put in perspective due to their short life experience. A need for constant reassurance on their learning progress, with a learning methodology adapted to their needs and offering a long-term continuity and homogeneity, thus reducing affective disruptions as much as possible.

anhugar.wifeo.com/arborescent-way-of-thinking.php A difficulty encountered by many gifed children is the fact that they think in an arborescent way instead of a linear one. The usual teaching methods are linear - when forced to learn in that mode, gifted children need to make a lot of efforts to voluntarily slow-down their “processing” thinking pace.

Arborescent thinking is very adequate for gifted people; it allows them to use all their mental capacities and their knowledge simultaneously. However, it needs to be guided and framed otherwise their thinking takes them far away from the subject of that day.

Here is an example from Jeanne Siaud-Fachin: The teacher gives a spelling test. He dictates “the boat sails on the sea”. The gifted child will initially visualize an image of a boat on the sea before seeing the sentence made of 6 words. Following the image, her thoughts will go in all directions: well, it is not a good idea to sail today because there is a lot of wind are there any people on that boat? my friend Frank owns a boat, he’s lucky but his parents are divorced, that is not fun I hope my parents will never get divorced yet, Frank has twice as many presents for Christmas now that he has 2 homes which reminds me, I have not yet prepared a wish-list for Christmas etc. While the other children have finished writing the initial sentance, the gifted child does not remember it at all and if she’s pressed, she may write the last sentence that went through her head “ I have not yet prepared a wish-list for Christmas ”.

Also

www.talentdifferent.com/la-pensee-en-arborescence-901.htm...

www.asep-suisse.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_docman&am... (pdf) How to help such children overcome their ‘handicap’

From the main link in the title (translated from the French by Google Chrome, I think): Surprisingly, a high number of high potential children have trouble in school. “When it’s too easy for them, they get used to being on autopilot,” says the psychologist. “They’ve never learnt how to learn.” These difficulties are partly due to what specialists call arborescent thinking. “Normal people develop logical reasoning through linear, sequential thinking. However, the thought process in HP children is like fireworks exploding with ideas and impressive intuition. They can solve complex equations but will have difficulty explaining how they came up with the answer,” explains Pierre Fumeaux.

Surprisingly, a high number of HP children have trouble in school. “When it’s too easy for them, they get used to being on autopilot,” says the psychologist. “They’ve never learnt how to learn.”

Studies suggest that HP children’s brains function differently. Information moves better between the two cerebral hemispheres. “We assume that they use both their left and right brains easily and have excellent abilities in both logic and creativity,” says the child psychiatrist. “Other work has shown that HP children can more easily juggle with concepts and think in the abstract, such as performing mental calculations. “In a functional MRI, a dye is injected to highlight the areas of the brain with the highest blood flow.

A Haiku Note:

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The way of Wu Wei

are reflections on the Tao

try to understand

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmXkDbGdD4Q

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-:- ( 1 ) - ( 2 ) - ( 3 ) - ( 2X5 ) - ( 6 ) - ( 7 ) - ( 8 ) - ( 9 ) - (2X10) -:-

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I have made a lot of progress since my last post. I know, it doesn't look much different, but all of the internal functions are done, the control surfaces are set, the dimensions have been finalized, and landing gear is set.

I am in the midst of acquiring all the dark green I need to finish the model. Thank goodness for 10226 and 21016. I'm happy I stuck with it. It's going to be epic.

Finished Spitfire

This afternoon we had to stop because the land bridge had a large gap too wide to jump over. After some hasty calculations I decided my rope would be long enough to span it so I lashed it to a rocky outcrop while Djiimi lassoed the other side. However, my rope was too thin to safely support either of us so I suggested we zipline across, to minimize the amount of time spent on the rope.

"Green..." she gasped, "Your underwear's green!"

I'm coming, Quane.

With a green friend and some green underpants. :D

LEGO Indian Chief Classic 2017 motorbike, a Technic and System combination model.

About this creation:

As you may know I have a soft spot for vintage motorbikes, but I also like modern touring bikes. The Indian Chief Classic brings the vintage look into our time with a modern interpretation of how a cruiser is supposed to be. The special characteristics of the Indian Chief are the bulky wheel fenders that you either love or hate. At the same time these are also the most challenging part of the model.

Drawings for this model simply consist of a sideview picture, scaled so that each 5mm equals one stud. Calculations starts with the available wheels, which actually dictates the final size of the bike, but I haven`t calculated the exact scale of the bike, but it`s somewhere between 1:7 and 1:8. Both front and rear wheels are the same configuration as with my LEGO V-Rod; The wheels consist of a 61.6mm Rim (# 2903), with 81,6mm Tyre (# 2902), outside this is another Tyre 94,2mm (# 88516).

Next step was designing the engine and frame. The engine came out quite easy, at least in the LDD file, but reality is something different. On the cylinder heads some of the round plates are pressed firmly together, whereas I would have liked them to have a little gap to perfectly form the cooling fins, but it was only possible to maintain two gaps. From the engine there is a chain-drive to the rear wheel. The corrugated exhaust-pipes are kept in shape by use of inserted copper wire.

The frame consist of various Technic pieces to tie everything together, and behind the engine there is a single shock absorber mounted for the rear wheel suspension.

The front fork has no working suspension, but a “look alike” telescopic system.

Front and rear fenders are a further development of the fenders used on my previous bikes. Now with sides made of plates attached to the front suspension fork on the front, and on the rear attached to the side fairings and at the rear of the fender with a bracket-plate. Hope you like them, I do!

The bike has quite a lot of shiny bits and pieces. These are all chromed genuine LEGO pieces, very expensive, but in my opinion they are all worth every Euro!

Comments and criticism are more than welcome!

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Moehne lake (Germany) - Moehne dam

The Möhne Reservoir, or Moehne Reservoir, is an artificial lake in North Rhine-Westphalia, some 45 km east of Dortmund, Germany. The lake is formed by the damming of two rivers, Möhne and Heve, and with its four basins stores as much as 135 million cubic metres of water.

In 1904 calculations about the future demand for water for people and industry in the growing Ruhr-area determined that the existing storage volume of 32.4 million m³ in dams of the Ruhr river system needed tripling. Thus, on 28 November 1904, the general assembly of the Ruhrtalsperreverein decided to construct additional dams. During 1908 to 1913 they built the Möhnetalsperre at a cost of 23.5 million marks.

When opened, the dam was the largest dam in Europe. 140 homesteads with 700 people had to move. It was built to help control floods, regulate water levels on the Ruhr river downstream, and generate hydropower. Today, the lake is also a tourist attraction.

The dam (51.489307°N 8.058772°E) was breached by RAF Lancaster Bombers ("The Dambusters") during Operation Chastise on the night of 16–17 May 1943, together with the Edersee dam in northern Hesse. Bouncing bombs had been constructed which were able to skip over the protective nets that hung in the water. A huge hole of 77 m by 22 m was blown into the dam. The resulting huge floodwave killed at least 1,579 people, 1,026 of them foreign forced labourers held in camps downriver. The small city of Neheim-Hüsten was particularly hard-hit with over 800 victims, among them at least 526 victims in a camp for Russian women held for forced labour.

Though the Organisation Todt quickly repaired the dams through the labor of 7,000 men taken from the construction of the Atlantic Wall, the impact of the raid on German industry in the Ruhr valley and on the civil population was significant. According to Albert Speer, "the power plant at the foot of the shattered dam looked as if it had been erased, along with its heavy turbines." "Industry was brought to a standstill", due to the "electrical installations being soaked and muddied."

Three other reservoirs were still intact, though the largest, the Sorpe Dam, had a hole above the water line. Another destroyed dam, the Edersee Dam, "had nothing to do with the supply of water to the Ruhr." The Mohne Dam was repaired by 23 September 1943, in time to collect water for needs the following summer, when the British failed to follow up with additional raids to hamper reconstruction.

(Wikipedia)

Der Möhnesee ist ein Stausee an der Möhne. Er liegt im Gemeindegebiet von Möhnesee im nordrhein-westfälischen Kreis Soest. Bei Stauziel hat die Hauptsperre 10,37 Quadratkilometer Wasseroberfläche und einen Speicherraum von 126,05 Millionen Kubikmetern; mit den zwei größten Vorsperren und einem Ausgleichsbecken sind es 134,5 Millionen Kubikmeter. Das Wasser wird durch eine 40,3 Meter hohe und 650 Meter lange Staumauer aufgestaut.

Der Möhnesee liegt am Nordwestrand des Naturparks Arnsberger Wald. Südlich entlang dem zur Westfälischen Bucht überleitenden Haarstrang zieht er sich in Ost-West-Richtung durch die nach ihm benannte Gemeinde Möhnesee und staut, neben kleineren Bächen, die Möhne und die Heve.

Die Aufstandsfläche der Talsperre befindet sich im oberen Bereich der Auflockerungszone der oberkarbonischen Arnsberg-Schichten, einer Wechsellagerung von intensiv gefalteten Sandsteinen, Grauwacken und Tonsteinen. Durch eine intensive tektonische Beanspruchung während der variszischen Gebirgsbildung sind die Gesteine intensiv gefaltet worden. Der Bereich des Möhnetals ist zudem durch das Vorhandensein von großen Störungszonen gekennzeichnet. Nördlich der Talsperre werden die gefalteten paläozoischen Schichten diskordant von Ablagerungen der Münsterländer Kreide überlagert. Die oberkreidezeitliche Abfolge fällt flach in nördliche Richtungen ein und beginnt mit einem glaukonithaltigem Grünsand der Essen-Grünsand-Formation aus dem Cenomanium und wird von Plänerkalken der Erwitte-Formation des Coniaciums und Turoniums und den Mergeln der Büren-Formation sowie der Pläner der Oerlinghausen-Formation des Turoniums überlagert. Die geologische Grenze zwischen paläozoischen und kreidezeitlichen Schichten bildet auch die geographische und naturräumliche Grenze zwischen Arnsberger Wald (Sauerland) und Haarstrang.

Die Möhnetalsperre dient der Niedrigwasseraufhöhung, dem Hochwasserschutz und der Stromerzeugung aus Wasserkraft. Vorrangiges Ziel ist die Niedrigwasseraufhöhung der Ruhr, in die das Wasser der Talsperre über den Unterlauf der Möhne und den Zusammenfluss im Arnsberger Stadtteil Neheim gelangt. Die Regulation des Wasserstands der Ruhr garantiert eine gleichmäßige Versorgung des Ruhrgebiets mit Roh- und Brauchwasser. Eigentümer und Betreiber der Talsperre ist der Ruhrverband.

Der Möhnesee, der nebst der Rurtalsperre und dem Biggesee zu den größten Stauseen in Nordrhein-Westfalen zählt, wie auch der angrenzende Arnsberger Wald sind vor allem für Menschen aus dem Ruhrgebiet bedeutende Naherholungsgebiete. Daher gibt es ein umfangreiches wassersportliches Angebot sowie jährlich einen großen Triathlonwettbewerb am Möhnesee. Möglich sind hier Grillen auf dem See, Segeln, Motorbootfahren mit Elektromotor und Tauchen bis zu Tiefen von 25 Metern. Entlang des Sees führt auf beiden Seiten der Möhnetalradweg von Brilon nach Neheim.

Hauptsperre

Der Stau- oder Speicherraum der Hauptsperre kann 126,05 Millionen m³ Wasser aufnehmen. Der Möhnesee ist mit seinen vier Abschnitten über zehn Kilometer lang und rund 10,37 km² groß. Bei Vollstau liegt seine tiefste Stelle mit 36 Metern beim Linkturm, der nach dem Erbauer Ernst Link benannt wurde.

Das Absperrbauwerk der Talsperre, das als Gewichtsstaumauer erbaut wurde, besteht aus Bruchsteinmauerwerk, ist nach dem Intze-Prinzip gebaut und hat eine Kronenlänge von 650 m.

Um bei Hochwasser einen Überlauf zu ermöglichen sind in der Mauerkrone, unterhalb der Fahrbahn, 105 Öffnungen eingelassen. Ein Teil der Energie des herabströmenden Wassers wird auf der Luftseite der Staumauer durch die hervorstehenden Bruchsteinquader bereits umgewandelt. Um die Mauer zu schonen und wegen der Energieerzeugung wird ein Überlaufen über die Öffnungen der Hochwasserentlastung möglichst vermieden. Zuletzt lief die Talsperre im August 2007 über, infolge extremer Niederschläge im Einzugsgebiet – zum Beispiel in Warstein am 9. August 2007 in drei Stunden 58,5 mm. Das vorletzte Überlauf-Ereignis war 1984.

Direkt unterhalb der Staumauer befindet sich ein Ausgleichsbecken (Ausgleichsweiher), das als Tosbecken dient. Der Stauraum ist 0,66 Millionen m³ groß und das Stauziel liegt auf 183,65 m ü. NHN.

Das Wasserkraftwerk hat eine Ausbauleistung von 7,04 MW; seine mittlere Gesamtjahresenergieerzeugung liegt bei 12,9 Millionen kWh.

Berechnungen des zukünftigen Bedarfs an Trink- und Brauchwasser für das wachsende Ruhrgebiet im Jahre 1904 hatten ergeben, dass zu den bereits vorhandenen Talsperren im Flusssystem der Ruhr mit einem Stauvolumen von 32,4 Millionen m³ die dreifache Menge erforderlich wäre, nämlich etwa 100 Millionen m³ Stauraum. Bis zum Jahr 1925 schätzte man sogar ein Anwachsen auf fast 200 Millionen m³. Daher wurde von der Generalversammlung des Ruhrtalsperrenvereins am 28. November 1904 eine Satzungsänderung zum Bau eigener Talsperren beschlossen. Am 22. Mai 1905 wurde zum ersten Mal über den Plan gesprochen, im Möhnetal eine große Talsperre zu bauen. Die Möhnetalsperre wurde daraufhin in den Jahren 1908 bis 1912 nach Plänen des Regierungsbaumeisters Ernst Link und nach einem Entwurf des Kölner Architekten Franz Brantzky für die Staumauer mit einem Kostenaufwand von 23,5 Millionen Mark erbaut und am 12. Juli 1913 vom Ruhrtalsperrenverein eingeweiht. Im Jahr der Einweihung war die Talsperre die größte Stauanlage in Europa. Der ehemalige Ort Kettlersteich versank vollkommen im Wasser. Das Dorf Delecke (Alt-Delecke) wurde ebenfalls zum größten Teil geflutet. Dem See mussten 140 Gehöfte mit 700 Menschen weichen.

Die Möhnetalsperre wurde im Zweiten Weltkrieg durch einen Operation Chastise (deutsch Züchtigung) genannten britischen Bombenangriff, geleitet durch Wing Commander Guy Gibson, in der Nacht vom 16. auf den 17. Mai 1943 stark beschädigt.

Um die Abwehranlagen am Stausee zu umgehen, wurden eigens zu diesem Zweck konstruierte über das Wasser hüpfende Rollbomben von nachtflugtauglichen Langstreckenbombern des Typs Avro Lancaster von der No. 617 Squadron abgeworfen. Diese Rollbomben hüpften bei flachem Auftrittswinkel aufgrund ihrer schnellen Eigendrehung über das Wasser und sprangen über die Torpedoabfangnetze hinweg. Anschließend prallten sie gegen die Staumauer, wobei ihr Drall dafür sorgte, dass sie rasch zum Mauersohlengrund sanken, wo sie dann in einer Tiefe von 10 bis 15 Metern explodierten. Eine von mehreren in kurzer Folge abgeworfenen Bomben erreichte ihr Ziel und führte zur Mauerbeschädigung. Der Stauraum war zum Zeitpunkt des Bombenangriffs Mai 1943 voll gefüllt. Es entstand so zunächst ein kleiner Riss, der sich durch den Druck der ausströmenden Wassermassen schnell erweiterte und zuletzt eine trapezförmige Lücke mit 77 m Breite und 22 m Tiefe ergab.

Aufgrund der hierdurch entstandenen Flutwelle, die sich über die Möhne bis weit ins Ruhrtal ergoss, kamen verschiedenen Angaben zufolge mindestens 1284 oder sogar über 1600 Menschen ums Leben. Der von der Abwurfstelle am weitesten entfernte Todesfall in Zusammenhang mit der Flutwelle ereignete sich in Essen-Steele, über 100 Kilometer jenseits der Staumauer. Ein Mahnmal am früheren Kloster Himmelpforten erinnert heute an die Toten der Katastrophe. Neheim, heute ein Stadtteil von Arnsberg, wurde besonders schwer getroffen; die Flutwelle war dort über 12 Meter hoch. Die meisten Menschen kamen im Neheimer Zwangsarbeiterlager Möhnewiesen ums Leben. In Neheim gibt es vor der St. Johannes-Kirche eine weitere Gedenkstätte.

Zweck dieses Angriffs, bei dem gleichzeitig auch die Edertalsperre und der Sorpesee angegriffen wurden, war mittelbar die Beeinträchtigung der Rüstungsindustrie im Ruhrgebiet; der Sorpedamm wurde aufgrund seiner speziellen Bauweise aus Beton mit Erd- und Steinüberschüttung kaum beschädigt.

Der Angriff auf die Staumauer wurde 1954 in dem britischen Spielfilm Mai '43 – Die Zerstörung der Talsperren (The Dam Busters) von Michael Anderson nachgezeichnet.

Der Wiederaufbau der Staumauer unter einem Aufgebot von mehreren tausend Arbeitskräften rund um die Uhr und unter Verwendung der ursprünglichen Baumaterialien wurde, trotz der damals sehr angespannten allgemeinen Material- und Kräftelage, unmittelbar nach der starken Beschädigung eingeleitet und konnte schon am 3. Oktober 1943 mit dem Auftragen der Fahrbahndecke auf der Dammkrone abgeschlossen werden. Der schnelle Fortgang der Arbeiten wurde schließlich auch durch die Nazi-Propaganda ausgenutzt, um der kriegsmüden Bevölkerung zumindest kleine Erfolge vorzuführen. Der Einfluss des Angriffes auf die Kriegswirtschaft des Ruhrgebietes war nicht so nachhaltig ausgefallen, wie von den Alliierten ursprünglich erhofft. Sie griffen die Großbaustelle bzw. die dann fertiggestellte Staumauer bis Kriegsende nicht mehr an.

Von 1972 bis 1979 fand eine umfassende Sanierung der Möhnetalsperre statt. Durch Sprengungen legte man entlang der Gründungssohle der Staumauer einen Kontrollgang an, von dem aus die Mauer verpresst und mit Drainagebohrungen versehen wurde.

Auch auf der freien Seite der Staumauer nagte am Mauerwerk der Zahn der Zeit. Durch die Risse drang Wasser ins Mauerwerk, einsetzender Frost beschädigte Steine. In den entstandenen Hohlräumen sammelten sich Samen an, keimten und bildeten Baum- und Strauchwerk aus, welches mit seinen Wurzeln die Mauer weiter schädigte. Von 1992 bis 2000 wurden umfassende Sanierungsarbeiten an der etwa 2,5 Hektar umfassenden Luftseite vorgenommen. Da Stein- und Fugensanierungen nur im Sommerhalbjahr durchgeführt werden konnten zog sich die Sanierung über acht Jahre.

Wie bei vielen anderen Stauseen finden sich unterhalb der Wasseroberfläche Relikte aus vergangenen Tagen. Im Spätsommer 2003 musste wegen Reparaturarbeiten an den Absperrschiebern des Hevevorbeckens der Wasserstand so weit abgesenkt werden, bis das Hevebecken vollständig entleert war. Zum Vorschein kam die alte Brücke mit der über ihr verlaufenden Straße.

Die Talsperrenmauer ist als Baudenkmal in die Denkmalliste der Gemeinde Möhnesee eingetragen.

Anlässlich des 100. Jahrestages der Vollendung der Talsperre im Jahre 1912 gab die Deutsche Post AG mit dem Erstausgabetag 4. April 2013 ein Sonderpostwertzeichen im Wert von 90 Eurocent mit Sonderstempeln und dem Text 100 Jahre Möhnetalsperre heraus. Der Entwurf stammt von den Grafikern Gerda M. und Horst F. Neumann aus Wuppertal.

2013 erscheint der Roman Nachtauge von Titus Müller, der die Geschichte des Ortes Neheim und die Flutkatastrophe aus der Perspektive historischer bzw. fiktiver Figuren realistisch, eindrucksvoll zum Leben erweckt und durch Lesungen vor Ort würdigt.

Unter dem Motto Jahrhundertleuchten wurden zum Jubiläum einen Monat lang rund um den Ausgleichsweiher eine Vielzahl von Lichtinstallationen ausgestellt. Zentrales Element war eine Videoinstallation, die auf 160 × 40 Meter der Bruchsteinoberfläche der Staumauer zwischen den Türmen mittels Dia- und Videoprojektoren 100 Jahre deutsche Geschichte mit dem Staudamm im Mittelpunkt zusammenfasste. Sie wurde von Britta und Wolfgang Flammersfeld erstellt.

(Wikipedia)

Being a bounty-hunter can be a be hard work, it is not just shooting and hunting, bombing and tracking, not only fast speed flight through astroid-field and so on...

there is a lot of calculation needed, what size of speeder can I afford and how much soup does it drink and also calculations like is it worth going all the way to Andromeda for 100.000 kredits? you will have to make budgets and calculations, some hire an accountant but this is also an expense that will have to be calculated (hopefully not by another accountant)

Most Bounty-hunters call all this part of their work for "Paper-time" still most of their time is actually out on the field, most are syndicated some are freelancers and some are parts of guilds and unions...

Most B-H´s are free on Sat & Sun or have an extra taxation-rate when working on their normally free days, the B-H Unions have seen to this...

So on Fridays most B-H are happy to have a free weekend and often celebrate together with other B-H´s at small exclusive B-H Clubs or guild bars, in the Aganon B-sector it is Often the minor planet known as the hard Space-rock Café here they can drink while droids service their ships and speeders while their owners brag and gossip about old glories or what happened last week...

we have place a small spy-drone-fly on an un-CTV protected spot... Let´s hear some genuine B-H´s talk...

- So Screw-Boink I promise you this is the truth, and nothing but the truth and if I am lying may the B-H patron saint strike me down with a evaporator-laser smack in my eye-head...

- Hey Iball stop making a five day poem about the truthfulness of you claims and get to the point tell us the story an let us be the judge if there is any truth to the story...

- Ok, so I was looking for this lost star-pilot, the Pink one, the contract was about 100k Kreds! so I was really eager to find this lost dot... so I looked on a space-map on where she was last spotted... and it was close to a planet I once visited where a group of male-human cavemen lived, well human males that want to go back to the primitive way of life they think their ancestors the dinosaurs lived...

- Ok, so did you find her there?

- Yeah tell us, please!!!

- Yes, I found her crashed ship on this very planet, and I looked about, saw some smoke from some huts further away so I went there...

- Ok, What happened then??

- Was the human Pilot there?

- Well I went up to the largest hut and peeked inside, my jawless-face dropped my jaw, the most horrible sight I have ever seen reached my eye, they were all naked and connected inside, I don´t like the sight of humans fully clothed but this was so revolting I still feel noxious and ill...

- So You got the reward? for finding her???

- No I didn´t, well not yet, because when I was standing there peeping like an uncle what do you call it? Tom!!!

Yes Tom... well when I stood there all the sudden the female was missing, so I was gonna turn to see where she was, but then I found a gun pressed to my eye, she had gotten dressed and like a Ninja-turtle moved in the darkness and caught me by surprise!

- So what happened then, obviously she didn´t kill you??? or did she?

- Yes what did she do? what did she do???

- Well she said: I Know why you are here, but I am sorry dear Bh-Friend I am not ready to return yet, I kind of like this planet, they worship me here... I am gonna make a deal with you, Her is a personal Id-contactor, I will call you when I feel bored with these males and then you can have the money for finding me... if you agree I will let you live and if you don´t, yeah well you get it...

- Ok, so what did you do???

- Well I agreed off cause and now you guys think that I am stupid enough to tell you where I found her!!! ha, ha, ha but I am more clever than that, I have boobytrapped the only path to this planet... so I can assure you that anyone trying to steal my bounty is gonna die for certain...

then you ask, how??? well, I am not telling you... ha, ha, ha...

- I don´t even believe in this story, why would a single woman want to spend all that time with human dinosaurs...

- Yeah, they will only force her to lay eggs and sit on them until they hatch that is why human women don´t like to reproduce... I have heard that from a victim I kidnapped and she was half-human!!!

Als er 1 schaap over de dam is volgen er meer...

day 6

"Schaapje, schaapje, heb je witte wol,

ja baas, ja baas, drie zakken vol..."

I took this picture during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower on the night of August 11 to 12.

If you're interested, you can find more of my work on Instagram : www.instagram.com/tinmar_g/

The location is a belvedere that offers a view of the Dordogne river in France. It was quite impressive to see such a wild place, with hills filled with trees and no human constructions. I almost had the sensation of standing in front of the Amazon. With the forest surrounding me, it created a mystical atmosphere, enhanced by the sounds of owls and other nocturnal birds of prey breaking the silence of the night with their frightening cries. When you are alone in the middle of this, it’s easy to get little scares, especially for a city dweller like me.

The picture is a large panorama made up of 30 tiles for the sky and 16 tiles for the foreground. For each tile of the sky, I took 4 photographs with 30 seconds exposures, which I stacked together to create a final image with a total exposure time of 2 minutes. So, if we do the calculations, the sky is a one hour exposure photography !

To capture the sky, I used an equatorial mount to track the night sky.

With the naked eye, you can't see as many details, and our vision is monochrome, but the sky at this location was very clear. We could see the Andromeda galaxy with our eyes, and the details of the Milky Way were quite awesome. The spot is in a Bortle class 3 area, as you can see on the light pollution map: Light Pollution Map.

For the meteors, I used images from two nights of astrophotography that I combined in the same location.

Equipment: Canon 6D (astromodded) - Sigma ART 50mm - Star Adventurer

Settings: ISO 2500 - F/2.2 - 30 sec

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Development studies at Grumman for jet-powered fighter aircraft began near the end of World War II as the first jet engines emerged. In a competition for a jet-powered night fighter for the United States Navy, on 3 April 1946 the Douglas F3D Skyknight was selected over Grumman's G-75, a two-seater powered by four Westinghouse J30s. The Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) also issued a contract to Grumman for two G-75 prototype aircraft on 11 April 1946, in case the Skyknight ran into problems.

However, Grumman soon realized that the G-75 was a dead end. But the company had been working on a completely different day fighter, the G-79, which offered a higher potential. In order to keep Grumman in the US Navy’s procurement loop, BuAer, in a bureaucratic maneuver, did not cancel the G-75 contract, but changed the wording to include prototypes of the entirely different G-79, too.

However, the JetCat remained unpopular among its flight and ground crews and, after its less-than-satisfactory performance against MiGs, quickly retired. After the end of the Korean War in July 1953, all machines were grounded and by 1954 all had been scrapped. However, the turboprop-powered fighter bomber lived on with the USMC, which ordered the Vought A3U SeaScorpion as successor.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 40 ft 5 in (12,31 m)

Wingspan: 43 ft 5 in (13,25 m)

Height: 15 ft 6 3/4 in (4,75 m)

Wing area: 250 ft² (23 m²)

Empty weight: 12,979 lb (5,887 kg)

Gross weight: 24,650 lb (11,181 kg)

Powerplant:

1× Allison T38E turboprop, rated at 2,500 shp (1,863 kW) plus 600 lbf (2.7 kN) residual thrust

1× Westinghouse J34-WE-13 turbojet booster with 3,000 lbf (13.35 kN)

Performance:

Maximum speed: 507 mph (441 kn; 816 km/h) at 30,000 ft (9,100 m)

497 mph (432 kn, 800 km/h) at sea level

Cruise speed: 275 mph (443 km/h; 239 kn) at 30,000 ft (9,100 m)

Stall speed: 74 mph (119 km/h; 64 kn) with flaps

Range: 2,500 mi (2,172 nmi; 4,023 km)

Service ceiling: 47,000 ft (14,000 m)

Rate of climb: 5,300 ft/min (27 m/s)

Wing loading: 71 lb/ft² (350 kg/m²)

Thrust/weight: 0.42

Armament:

4× 20 mm (0.79 in) AN/M3 cannon in the outer, foldable wings with 220 RPG

Underwing hardpoints and provisions to carry combinations of up to 6× 5 " (127 mm) HVAR

missiles and/or bombs on underwing hardpoints, for a total ordnance of 3,000 lb (1,362 kg)

The kit and its assembly:

This is another submission to the Cold War GB at whatifmodelers in early 2018, and rather a spontaneous idea. It was actually spawned after I finished my fictional Gudkov Gu-1 mixed propulsion fighter - while building (using the engine front from an F6F Hellcat) I had the impression that it could also have ended up as a post-war USN fighter design.

A couple of days later, while browsing literature for inspiration, I came across Grumman's G-79 series of designs that eventually led to the F9F Panther - and I was amazed that the 'A' design almost looked like my kitbashed Soviet fighter!

So I considered a repeated build of a P-47D/Supermarine Attacker kitbash, just in American colors. But with the F9F relationship, I planned the integration of Panther parts, so that the new creation would look different from the Gu-1, but also show some (more) similarity to the Panther.

The plan appeared feasible. Again, the aircraft's core is an Academy P-47D, with its outer wings cut off. Cockpit and landing gear were retained. However, instead of Supermarine Attacker wings from a Novo kit, I attached F9F-2 wings from a Hasegawa kit. Shape-wise this worked fine, but the Panther wings are much thinner than the Thunderbolt’s, so that I had to integrate spacers inside of the intersections which deepen the Hasegawa parts. Not perfect, but since the type would feature folding wings, the difference and improvisation is not too obvious.

On the fuselage, the Thunderbolt’s air outlets on its flanks were faired over and most of the tail section cut away. In the lower part of the tail, a jet pipe (from a Heller F-84G) was added and blended with PSR into the Thunderbolt fuselage, similar to the Gu-1. A completely new fin was scratched from an outer wing section from a Heinkel He 189, in an attempt to copy the G-79B's shape according to the drawing I used as benchmark for the build. I also used the F9F's stabilizers. With clipped tips they match well in size and shape, and add to the intended Grumman family look. The original tail wheel well was retained, but the tail wheel was placed as far back as possible and replaced by the twin wheel from a Hasegawa F5U. The Panther’s OOB tail hook was integrated under the jet pipe, too.

The front section is completely different and new, and my choice fell on the turboprop-powered G-79B because I did not want to copy the Gu-1 with its radial engine. However, the new turboprop nose was not less complicated to build. Its basis is a 1:100 engine and contraprop from a VEB Plasticart Tu-20/95 bomber, a frequent ingredient in my builds because it works so well in 1:72 scale. This slender core was attached to the Thunderbolt's fuselage, and around this basis a new cowling was built up with 2C putty, once more in an attempt to mimic the original G-79B design as good as possible.

In order to blend the new engine with the fuselage and come close to the G-79B’s vaguely triangular fuselage diameter, the P-47's deep belly was cut away, faired over with styrene sheet, and everything blended into each other with more PSR work. As a final step, two exhaust pipes were mounted to the lower fuselage in front of the wings’ leading edge.

The air intakes for the jet booster are actually segments from a Sopwith Triplane fuselage (Revell) – an unlikely source, but the shape of the parts was just perfect. More PSR was necessary to blend them into the aircraft’s flanks, though.

Painting and markings:

As per usual, I'd rather go with conservative markings on a fictional aircraft. Matching the Korean War era, the aircraft became all-over FS 35042 (Modelmaster). A black ink wash emphasized the partly re-engraved panel lines, and some post shading highlighted panels.

The wings’ leading edges and the turboprop’s intake were painted with aluminum, similar edges on fin and stabilizers were created with silver decal material. The interior of cockpit and landing gear was painted with green chromate primer.

The markings were puzzled together. “Stars and Bars” and VF-53 markings were taken from a Hobby Boss F4U-4 kit. The blue fin tip is the marking for the 3rd squadron, so that the “307” tactical code is plausible, too (the latter comes from a Hobby Boss F9F-2). In order to keep things subtle and more business-like (after all, the aircraft is supposed to be operated during the ongoing Korean War), I did not carry the bright squadron color to any other position like the spinner or the wing tips.

After some final detail work and gun and exhaust soot stains, the kit was sealed with semi-gloss acrylic varnish (Italeri). Matt acrylic varnish was used for weathering effects, so that the aircraft would not look too clean and shiny.

While it is not a prefect recreation of the Grumman G-79B, I am quite happy with the result. The differences between the model and the original design sketch can be explained through serial production adaptations, and overall the whole thing looks pretty conclusive. In fact, the model appears from certain angles like a naval P-51 on steroids, even though the G-79B was a much bigger aircraft than the Mustang.

Two Lockheed Martin F-35B "Lightning II" fighter jets have successfully landed on board HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first time, laying the foundations for the next 50 years of fixed wing aviation in support of the UK’s Carrier Strike Capability.

Royal Navy Commander, Nathan Gray, 41, made history by being the first to land on board HMS Queen Elizabeth, carefully maneuvering his stealth jet onto the thermal coated deck. He was followed by Royal Navy Squadron Leader Andy Edgell, RAF, both of whom are test pilots, operating with the Integrated Test Force (ITF) based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.

Shortly afterwards, once a deck inspection has been conducted and the all-clear given, Cmdr Gray became the first pilot to take off using the ship’s ski-ramp.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather, stealth, fifth-generation, multirole combat aircraft, designed for ground-attack and air-superiority missions. It is built by Lockheed Martin and many subcontractors, including Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, and BAE Systems.

The F-35 has three main models: the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A (CTOL), the short take-off and vertical-landing F-35B (STOVL), and the catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery, carrier-based F-35C (CATOBAR). The F-35 descends from the Lockheed Martin X-35, the design that was awarded the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program over the competing Boeing X-32. The official Lightning II name has proven deeply unpopular and USAF pilots have nicknamed it Panther, instead.

The United States principally funds F-35 development, with additional funding from other NATO members and close U.S. allies, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and formerly Turkey. These funders generally receive subcontracts to manufacture components for the aircraft; for example, Turkey was the sole supplier of several F-35 parts until its removal from the program in July 2019. Several other countries have ordered, or are considering ordering, the aircraft.

As the largest and most expensive military program ever, the F-35 became the subject of much scrutiny and criticism in the U.S. and in other countries. In 2013 and 2014, critics argued that the plane was "plagued with design flaws", with many blaming the procurement process in which Lockheed was allowed "to design, test, and produce the F-35 all at the same time," instead of identifying and fixing "defects before firing up its production line". By 2014, the program was "$163 billion over budget [and] seven years behind schedule". Critics also contend that the program's high sunk costs and political momentum make it "too big to kill".

The F-35 first flew on 15 December 2006. In July 2015, the United States Marines declared its first squadron of F-35B fighters ready for deployment. However, the DOD-based durability testing indicated the service life of early-production F-35B aircraft is well under the expected 8,000 flight hours, and may be as low as 2,100 flight hours. Lot 9 and later aircraft include design changes but service life testing has yet to occur. The U.S. Air Force declared its first squadron of F-35As ready for deployment in August 2016. The U.S. Navy declared its first F-35Cs ready in February 2019. In 2018, the F-35 made its combat debut with the Israeli Air Force.

The U.S. stated plan is to buy 2,663 F-35s, which will provide the bulk of the crewed tactical airpower of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps in coming decades. Deliveries of the F-35 for the U.S. military are scheduled until 2037 with a projected service life up to 2070.

Development

F-35 development started in 1992 with the origins of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program and was to culminate in full production by 2018. The X-35 first flew on 24 October 2000 and the F-35A on 15 December 2006.

The F-35 was developed to replace most US fighter jets with the variants of a single design that would be common to all branches of the military. It was developed in co-operation with a number of foreign partners, and, unlike the F-22 Raptor, intended to be available for export. Three variants were designed: the F-35A (CTOL), the F-35B (STOVL), and the F-35C (CATOBAR). Despite being intended to share most of their parts to reduce costs and improve maintenance logistics, by 2017, the effective commonality was only 20%. The program received considerable criticism for cost overruns during development and for the total projected cost of the program over the lifetime of the jets.

By 2017, the program was expected to cost $406.5 billion over its lifetime (i.e. until 2070) for acquisition of the jets, and an additional $1.1 trillion for operations and maintenance. A number of design deficiencies were alleged, such as: carrying a small internal payload; performance inferior to the aircraft being replaced, particularly the F-16; lack of safety in relying on a single engine; and flaws such as the vulnerability of the fuel tank to fire and the propensity for transonic roll-off (wing drop). The possible obsolescence of stealth technology was also criticized.

Design

Overview

Although several experimental designs have been developed since the 1960s, such as the unsuccessful Rockwell XFV-12, the F-35B is to be the first operational supersonic STOVL stealth fighter. The single-engine F-35 resembles the larger twin-engined Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, drawing design elements from it. The exhaust duct design was inspired by the General Dynamics Model 200, proposed for a 1972 supersonic VTOL fighter requirement for the Sea Control Ship.

Lockheed Martin has suggested that the F-35 could replace the USAF's F-15C/D fighters in the air-superiority role and the McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle in the ground-attack role. It has also stated the F-35 is intended to have close- and long-range air-to-air capability second only to that of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, and that the F-35 has an advantage over the F-22 in basing flexibility and possesses "advanced sensors and information fusion".

Testifying before the House Appropriations Committee on 25 March 2009, acquisition deputy to the assistant secretary of the Air Force, Lt. Gen. Mark D. "Shack" Shackelford, stated that the F-35 is designed to be America's "premier surface-to-air missile killer, and is uniquely equipped for this mission with cutting-edge processing power, synthetic aperture radar integration techniques, and advanced target recognition".

Improvements

Ostensible improvements over past-generation fighter aircraft include:

Durable, low-maintenance stealth technology, using structural fiber mat instead of the high-maintenance coatings of legacy stealth platforms

Integrated avionics and sensor fusion that combine information from off- and on-board sensors to increase the pilot's situational awareness and improve target identification and weapon delivery, and to relay information quickly to other command and control (C2) nodes

High-speed data networking including IEEE 1394b and Fibre Channel (Fibre Channel is also used on Boeing's Super Hornet.

The Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment, Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), and Computerized maintenance management system to help ensure the aircraft can remain operational with minimal maintenance manpower The Pentagon has moved to open up the competitive bidding by other companies. This was after Lockheed Martin stated that instead of costing 20% less than the F-16 per flight hour, the F-35 would actually cost 12% more. Though the ALGS is intended to reduce maintenance costs, the company disagrees with including the cost of this system in the aircraft ownership calculations. The USMC has implemented a workaround for a cyber vulnerability in the system. The ALIS system currently requires a shipping-container load of servers to run, but Lockheed is working on a more portable version to support the Marines' expeditionary operations.

Electro-hydrostatic actuators run by a power-by-wire flight-control system

A modern and updated flight simulator, which may be used for a greater fraction of pilot training to reduce the costly flight hours of the actual aircraft

Lightweight, powerful lithium-ion batteries to provide power to run the control surfaces in an emergency

Structural composites in the F-35 are 35% of the airframe weight (up from 25% in the F-22). The majority of these are bismaleimide and composite epoxy materials. The F-35 will be the first mass-produced aircraft to include structural nanocomposites, namely carbon nanotube-reinforced epoxy. Experience of the F-22's problems with corrosion led to the F-35 using a gap filler that causes less galvanic corrosion to the airframe's skin, designed with fewer gaps requiring filler and implementing better drainage. The relatively short 35-foot wingspan of the A and B variants is set by the F-35B's requirement to fit inside the Navy's current amphibious assault ship parking area and elevators; the F-35C's longer wing is considered to be more fuel efficient.

Costs

A U.S. Navy study found that the F-35 will cost 30 to 40% more to maintain than current jet fighters, not accounting for inflation over the F-35's operational lifetime. A Pentagon study concluded a $1 trillion maintenance cost for the entire fleet over its lifespan, not accounting for inflation. The F-35 program office found that as of January 2014, costs for the F-35 fleet over a 53-year lifecycle was $857 billion. Costs for the fighter have been dropping and accounted for the 22 percent life cycle drop since 2010. Lockheed stated that by 2019, pricing for the fifth-generation aircraft will be less than fourth-generation fighters. An F-35A in 2019 is expected to cost $85 million per unit complete with engines and full mission systems, inflation adjusted from $75 million in December 2013.

A crank writes: when I was working, I used sometimes to tot up the retail value of the products that came to me in the warehouse from the associated factory. We were a food manufacturer. The products were packed in trays and sealed up in cases, which were then assembled on pallets. It was a simple calculation. To take a representative example: a pallet might carry 180 cases, each containing six trays, which sold for two quid each in the shops. The value of each pallet would therefore be about £2,160. This thought used to trouble me if, as occasionally happened, I accidentally tipped one over and broadcast its contents over the warehouse floor. A production line made such a pallet about every fifteen minutes and worked a 12-hour shift. The employees, about ten to a production line, worked four days on, four days off, so let's say they worked fifteen days a month. Each employee (they were mostly Polish or Lithuanian women) therefore produced about £155,000-worth of wealth each month, of which some £1,200 ended up in her bank account. Obviously there were other expenses, but the wages bill would have been the largest. By our labour, in short, we all produce a huge mountain of money, yet keep only a tiny proportion ...and I don't necessarily imply that we are robbed of our deserts by our employers.

So why should this be? Why, in the midst of wealth that we ourselves create, should we have only just enough to get by? And we're not exactly living very extravagantly ...right? Why do we work all our lives but stay just ahead of broke and end up with very little to pass on to our descendants? Where did it all go? Why does ownership of one of life's essentials, a house, deprive us of the greater part of our earnings for the greater part of our working lives? Why do the world's governments pour countless billions into projects that even their least sophisticated citizens can see are a colossal waste of money? Why are we required to accept a state ideology that we can all see is founded on insane falsehoods and behave as though it made perfect sense? Have you ever, somewhere in the back of your mind, had an idea that all this is somehow intended and co-ordinated ...but have never quite been able to understand why, or how it all fits together?

Money, or rather the means by which it is created and circulated, are the most colossal scams ever devised. It is a swindle on the most gigantic scale, perpetrated against every one of us and designed to rob every individual of all his wealth. The scam is a work of genius. The first thing to do is cast off any idea you may have had that public policy, "debate", or government, let alone "the democratic process" has any bearing at all on the matter. The book I am pretending to read in this fraudulent re-enactment, is The Creature From Jekyll Island by the American author G Edward Griffin. Why has a book, now in its fifth edition and something like its eighty-fifth printing since 1994, never been taken up by a mainstream publisher? Why must it continue to circulate in this samizdat version, with a naff cover made up in Word on someone's computer? You'll know when you've read it. I don't guarantee that you'll be happier afterwards.

Father's old mechanical calculation machine (he use to work in bank)

Taken with iPhone5

Additional content from Tangie Baxter and Teddi Rutschman/FoxeySquirrel.

Here's a picture I took on a foggy morning just after sunrise a few months back in the Village of Villa Park. I posted a different picture of that morning on the day I took it, and I meant to come back and post more but never did. So here's this one.

I post this one tonight because those calculations I did for the last space station post got me to thinking about math and the passage of time. I mentioned when we moved to Villa Park a month before I took this photo of a sunrise that we'd moved west, so sunrise would find us just a bit later. The question I always meant to answer but never did, though, was, how much later?

That's a relatively easy question to answer if you answer two other questions first: 1.) How much farther west are we? 2.) How fast is my particular patch of planet rotating? Or, what's my speed as the planet spins me toward sunrise?

That second question is the harder one to answer, because I have to track down my latitude and then do a bunch of trigonometry to figure out how fast the planet at this latitude is spinning. But I did that math for the last space station post and therefore know the answer. I live at 41.9°N latitude, and am therefore being spun east at a speed of 783 miles per hour.

That leaves the first question, which is easy. I just have to go measure the distance from the old place to the new place, and then do a little dance because of an oddly coincidental little quirk of geography and random real estate transactions that simplifies this entire thought experiment tremendously. When we moved from Oak Park to Villa Park, we moved a distance of 10.52 miles almost exactly due west. And when I say almost exactly due west, I mean that a line running exactly west from our old place misses our new place by about 600 feet. Draw a line due east from our new place, and you hit the house on the corner of our Oak Park street 600 feet from our apartment that I always called the "scary house."

This is the kind of thing that gets me excited.

The reason this is significant for this thought exercise, though, is that our position almost exactly due west of the old place means the seasonal changes that move the Sun's position in the sky don't affect how long it takes sunrise to get from there to here. Our house in Villa Park is always going to be 10.52 miles behind our apartment in Oak Park at 783 miles an hour. That works out to 48.4 seconds. Sunrise hits our big back window 48.4 seconds later than it hits the big front windows on the old apartment.

Want to complicate this up, though? We used to live near the corner of Fullerton and Maplewood in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. That's farther east than the Oak Park place. How much earlier does Maplewood see sunrise?

Unfortunately, our departure from Maplewood didn't take us due west. There was a southward component to that vector. The straight line distance from Maplewood to Oak Park was 5.52 miles, but the heading was 32.78° south of due west. So we moved 4.66 miles west, but 2.98 miles south. So that means calculations for sunrise timing are only easy on the equinoxes. On the mornings of March 22 and September 22, Maplewood will see the sun 21.4 seconds before Oak Park, and 69.8 seconds before Villa Park. But only on those two days. Any other day, the tilting of the Earth on its axis throws Maplewood either a little closer to the sunrise than Oak and Villa Parks, or a little farther away, and calculating how much involves an enormous amount of math that changes for every day.

I'm not entirely sure how you'd do that math ... but for fun, I'll try it for the summer solstice. I think what I need to do is shift the sunrise line to match the maximum tilt of the Earth on its axis, which is 23.5°. Then I just plug in some trigonometry, calculate an adjustment, and if my thinking's right I find that on June 22, sunrise hits Maplewood 52.9 seconds before it hits Oak Park, and a minute and 41.3 seconds before it hits Villa Park. And what about the winter solstice? On December 22, sunrise hits Maplewood only 16.9 seconds before it hits Villa Park, and it actually beats its way into Oak Park 10.1 seconds ahead of Maplewood, even though Maplewood is further east.

So ... did you make it all the way through all that? I'm not sure I did. That's enough math for tonight, I think. I might have cured my insomnia.

After three days of researches and calculations, I finally had managed to find out a place along the coastline in Corsica where the sun set exactly behind a lighthouse, at Cape Revellata. When I actually saw the scene forming in front of my eyes as expected so much in advance, I have truly smiled of joy inside of me and almost moved :D

Single shot, hand-held, canon EOS 550D + EF-S55-250IS @ 250mm, no post-processing, just a slight crop

Un vero "faro"

Dopo tre giorni di calcoli e ricerche, avevo finalmente localizzato un luogo lungo la costa della Corsica dal quale il sole fosse esattamente allineato con un faro al tramonto, Punta Revellata. Quando ho visto che la scena si stava componendo davvero come avevo previsto, ho veramente sorriso di gioia e mi sono quasi commosso :D

Scatto singolo, mano libera, canon EOS 550D + EF-S55-250IS @ 250mm, nessuna elaborazione, solo un ritaglio leggero

The Visionar lenses are high-speed lenses for the projection of 35mm cinema film designed in the late 50s at Carl Zeiss Jena (patent application was filed on 29th October 1958).

Most likely the calculation of these lenses was done on the first east german computer "OPREMA" (stands for "Optik-Rechen-Maschine", i.e. Computer for Optics), a relay computer consisting of 16626 relays, 500 kilometres of cable and using up 55 square metres of space, which was developed at Carl Zeiss Jena and put into operation in 1955.

They are of a modified Double-Gauss design of 6 elements in 6 groups (i.e. no cemented doublets), which was also featured in their yearly scientific publication "Jenaer Jahrbuch" in 1960.

Available focal lengths were 50mm, 55mm, 60mm, 65mm, 71mm, 77mm, 84mm, 92mm, 100mm, 109mm (all f1.6), and 119mm, 130mm, 141mm, 154mm, 168mm, 183mm, 200mm (all f1.9), roughly in increments of the focal length multiplied with the 8th root of 2.

They were sold under the brands of "Carl Zeiss Jena" and "Rathenower Optische Werke".

Like basically all projection lenses I am aware of they are optimised for wide open use, they don't have a aperture mechanism neither a focussing helicoid. Even though they are calculated for 35mm cinema film (roughly equivalent to APS-C), they cover 35mm full frame quite well. Typically for projection lenses they show a quite even illumination across the frame combined with very good contrast wide open which makes them particularily useful for stitching bokeh panoramas.

On the picture you can see my adaptations of the Visionar 109mm and 154mm lenses.

The adaptation of the 154mm is very simple, a reversal ring combined with several 55mm hoods (front left in the picture) that can be put into the long tube at the back of the 154mm lens (right in the picture).

The lens collar is a clamp from Schneider Kreuznach for their industrial telecentric lenses (someone sold this on ebay for less than EUR 10).

However, the 154mm is quite heavy (1.4 kilograms) and requires a lot of pictures for panoramic shots, so most of the time I end up using the 109mm (you will find more details of the 109mm adaption in my Flickr album).

Pi (commonly shortened as 3.14159, or π) is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. Its value can be expressed as a mathematical series that produces an infinitely long number.

As such, Pi is 'irrational', which means that the digits never end or repeat in any known way. This mysterious mathematical quirk has been recognised by humans for millennia, and the symbol has now become well represented in popular culture.

The famed astrophysicist Carl Sagan's science fiction work 'Contact' proposed that radio transmissions carrying prime or transcendental numbers would be the best patterns to broadcast across interstellar distances in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence.

Certain astronomical objects like Pulsar Neutron Stars are known to send out precise and rhythmic radio signals, which at one time caused much premature excitement before they became better understood as natural phenomena. There is, however, no star which would emit radio pulses in a sequence as complex as Pi. Amid vast stellar expanses filled with spikes of static and confused electromagnetic noise, this elegant pattern could only come from an 'artificial' source.

As Sagan's character Ellie Arroway puts it , upon the Very Large Array's discovery of such a signal emanating from the Vega star system; "Mathematics is the only truly universal language. It's no coincidence that they’re primes - it may be a beacon. Some kind of announcement to get our attention."

Science fiction aside, Pi remains a source of fascination due to its ubiquitous presence throughout the world of physics. Among many other applications, it is crucial to the calculation of circular or elliptical planetary orbits; satellite speeds, geometries, path vectors and decay rates - the Newtonian clockwork of the universe.

****************************************************

Pedantic or curious readers with mathematic questions about the transcendentality of Pi can click here to see NASA's explanation, which covers the topic far more thoroughly than I ever could. Or, to see more mathematically inspired artwork, take a look at The Golden Ratio. Thanks for reading, folks :-)

Father's old mechanical calculation machine (he use to work in bank)

Calculation Table - Shilling and pence as decimals of 1 £ Sterling. On the back is another Calculation Table for Cwts., Qrs. and lbs. into decimals of 1 ton.

I received mine in 1967...

Kangchenjunga (Nepali: कञ्चनजङ्घा; Hindi: कंचनजंघा; Sikkimese: ཁང་ཅེན་ཛོཾག་), also spelled Kanchenjunga, is the third highest mountain in the world, and lies partly in Nepal and partly in Sikkim, India.[3] It rises with an elevation of 8,586 m (28,169 ft) in a section of the Himalayas called Kangchenjunga Himal that is limited in the west by the Tamur River, in the north by the Lhonak Chu and Jongsang La, and in the east by the Teesta River.[1]

Mount Kangchenjunga lies about 125 km (78 mi) east-south-east of Mount Everest.[4] It is the second highest mountain of the Himalayas. Three of the five peaks – Main, Central and South – are on the border between North Sikkim and Nepal.[5] Two peaks are in Nepal's Taplejung District.[6]

Kangchenjunga Main is the highest mountain in India, and the easternmost of the mountains higher than 8,000 m (26,000 ft). It is called Five Treasures of Snow after its five high peaks, and has always been worshipped by the people of Darjeeling and Sikkim.[7]

Until 1852, Kangchenjunga was assumed to be the highest mountain in the world, but calculations based on various readings and measurements made by the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India in 1849 came to the conclusion that Mount Everest, known as Peak XV at the time, was the highest. Allowing for further verification of all calculations, it was officially announced in 1856 that Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world.[8]

Kangchenjunga was first climbed on 25 May 1955 by Joe Brown and George Band, who were part of a British expedition. They stopped short of the summit as per the promise given to the Chogyal that the top of the mountain would remain inviolate. Every climber or climbing group that has reached the summit has followed this tradition.[7] Other members of this expedition included John Angelo Jackson and Tom Mackinon.[9]

Manuscript title: Evronot ("Rules for Calculation of the Calendar")

Manuscript summary: This manuscript contains an Evronot ("Rules for Calculation of the Calendar"). Many so-called Sifre evoronot ("Books of calculation") emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries. They can be taken as a reaction to the Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582. Such manuscripts often depict the biblical Issachar, one of Jacob’s sons, on or near a ladder; as an attribute, he holds an hourglass in his hand. This manuscript has two such miniatures; above the first of which there is also an illustration of a waning and a waxing moon with a human face and stars. The title page depicts an ornamental architectural arch. At the end of the book, there is the familiar motif of Moses seated at a table holding the Tablets of the Law.

Origin: Germany

Period: 17th century

Image source: Zürich, Braginsky Collection, B247: Evronot ("Rules for Calculation of the Calendar") (www.e-codices.unifr.ch/en/list/one/bc/b-0247)

P7100329

Napier's bones is a manually-operated calculating device created by John Napier of Merchiston, Scotland for the calculation of products and quotients of numbers. The method was based on lattice multiplication, and also called 'rabdology', a word invented by Napier.

History / biography

> www.17centurymaths.com/contents/napier/jimsnewstuff/Napie...

> mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Napier/

> collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co60130/napi...

How it works:

> mathworld.wolfram.com/NapiersBones.html

> www.cut-the-knot.org/blue/Napier.shtml

(I made this shot with the Olympus Tough TG5 on the Underwater setting. Seriously. The underwater setting gave the best light in the make-shift studio set-up with daylight and with only a bit of sharpening in PS).

All recently inspired by:

www.flickr.com/photos/189866730@N08/52199576171/in/faves-...

Abrupt calculation found both of Woking's up platforms earlier today filled simultaneously after much delay at signals.

GBRf's 69004 and 66302 move forward 6Y48 Eastleigh-Hoo Jn departmental from recess through Woking Up Yard unusually incurring a 10min loss here.

Much fiddling it would seem on a day when attentions were also required for 1Z91 to Weymouth under steam 44871 occupying platform5 also simultaneously!

24th July 2024

Masha ~105 years old ( cat calculation lifespan )

she died today at 17:00 18.09.20015...8((((( she was 20 years old

Scanned print

Mamiya 645 ProTL, Mamiya Sekor 120 mm/f4 macro lens + yellow filter

Kodak Tmax 400 exp @ iso 800, developed in Caffenol C-L, semistand 60 min (10 agitations initially, thereafter 3 agitations at 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 min) @ 20°C

Ilford MG IV RC (18x24 cm) glossy in Paterson Acugrade FX-31

Caffenol C-L: 16g/l anhydrous Na2CO3 + 10 g/l vit C + 5g/l iodized NaCl + 40g/l instant coffee. 5 min presoak in water as recommended (but really don't understand why).

According to my calculations the amount of iodized table salt with KI 5 mg/100g corresponds to about 1g/l KBr which is suggested in the Caffenol Cookbook C-L recipe and should work as a restrainer/anti-fogging agent.

I think this first experiment with Caffenol C-L worked out well with good negative tonality and not disturbingly much grain, but the filmbase really got a coffee-brown tint (not clear at all) and demanded significantly extended exposure times when printing (about 3-4 times longer than the perfectly clear ADOX CMS 20-negatives I printed at the same occasion).

Does anyone else have experience with coffee-tinted filmbase and long Caffenol developing times? Better to not presoak?? More salt?? I don't know where to buy Potassium Bromide (KBr) in Sweden.

On August 17, 2025, on the 16th anniversary of the start of my study of astronomy by self-education, I made calculations of the sky coordinates and requested shooting on remote telescopes (with parameters according to my calculations, for example, shutter speeds and number of images) to search for new astronomical objects. When I received and viewed one of the series of images, I found a star in them, which, upon checking in various information sources, turned out to be an already known supernova, but even such a find is unusual for me, because in several years of searching in images, I did not come across even a single known supernova.

When checking 5 photographs (of the sky region in the constellation Pisces) with exposures of 300 seconds taken on this date with another remote telescope, the 0.51-m f/6.8 reflector T59 of iTelescope.Net, which is located at the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia, at the very edge of the images (only 12 arcseconds from the edges of the frames!) I saw a relatively faint star (only about +20 mag), which was absent from the archival photographs: only the galaxy SDSS J004819.14+075856.8 was visible in them nearby. I assumed it was a supernova in this galaxy, and when I checked, this star was unknown, so I measured its position and brightness, then sent the information to the Transient Name Server (as of January 1, 2016 the Transient Name Server (TNS) is the official IAU mechanism for reporting new astronomical transients such as supernova candidates) with the status as a possible supernova, and it was published there: www.wis-tns.org/object/2025umq with temporary designation AT 2025umq, and as PSN J00481888+0759006 on the CBAT TOCP www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/unconf/followups/J00481888+07590...

On August 19 I made remote observations of this star with a two-metre-aperture robotic Liverpool Telescope (LT — on the Canary island of La Palma) to confirm the reality of the object, and it worked out, I also made new measurements of its position and brightness (to refine them): about +20.3 mag. On August 23 and 24 I additionally made photometric observations with the LT to get more such information about this star. I am attaching a photo (color) for August 24 (stacked 3x60 sec. with g’, r’ and i’ filters, 9 frames in total).

On August 20, according to my calculations and request, the spectrum of this star was obtained at the Liverpool Telescope, as a result of its analysis, this star was classified as a fading Type Ia supernova at redshift of 0.159 in the galaxy SDSS J004819.14+075856.8, with assignment it the designation SN 2025umq. On August 27, the corresponding ATel #17361 www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=17361 was published on the website «The Astronomer's Telegram» about the discovery, photometry and classification of this supernova with my name as the first author.

I will add that later I saw in one of the scientific sources on the Internet that this supernova was previously detected by ZTF sky survey (the light curve shows a maximum brightness of about +20 mag around August 10, and the first detection was on July 25), but for some reason information about it was not sent to the TNS, so I am its official discoverer.

It is important that this is the first supernova discovered by me personally (in the images obtained - at my request - from a remote telescope), because earlier I discovered two supernovae SN 2022bsi and SN 2022jhn only in the images of the CRTS sky survey, participating in the supernova search project, so I am the first co-author of those discoveries. In addition, I consider it's luck that supernova SN 2025umq was not outside the boundaries of the images, because it was very close near the edges of the frames. Also note that those two supernovae were much closer (at redshifts of 0.0369 and 0.013) to our galaxy, while this supernova is distant enough: it has a redshift of 0.159, which means it is more than 2 billion light years away, so it was a big luck that I, an amateur astronomer, was able to discover so low brightness supernova! I should add that usually such faint supernovae are rarely classified using the Liverpool Telescope (because too long exposures are needed to obtain a good signal-to-noise ratio, so it is more practical to use larger telescopes, but I did not have the opportunity to use a larger telescope to study this supernova, so I tried to do it at the Liverpool Telescope), but in this case it was possible to do so with the LT - due to the sufficient distance of this supernova from the center of the host galaxy.

Now I am the discoverer (only on the basis of self-education) of 82 variable stars, 10 planetary nebula candidates (and co-author of discovery of 5), 3 supernovae (two co-authored and one personally), 4 probably physical binaries pairs of stars, 3 novae in M31; 3 transients (possible supernovae) and 8 asteroids; author of scientific papers in astronomy, which were published in scientific journals (including peer-reviewed) and co-author of the papers, for example, the most recent «GOTO065054+593624: An 8.5 mag amplitude dwarf nova identified in real time via Kilonova Seekers» was published doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202553823 in Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A). I have given online presentations during several international conferences in astronomy, for example, e-Poster during the XXXIst General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAUGA 2022), my paper "The contribution of the modern amateur astronomer to the science of astronomy" (based on this my e-Poster) was published arxiv.org/abs/2212.12543 in arXiv.

All Rights Reserved.

Emerging from the water, unfortunately with no fish.

Last week I got to try the brand new Nikon D500. Vic (Vbuhay) was very kind to trust me and let me use it for a couple of hours at Bolsa Chica. :D

I've been drooling over the D500 ever since it was announced (we're talking budget calculations, considering putting spare organs up for sale, etc.) and really wanted to see what kind of images I'd be able to get out of it compared to my D750 and 300mm f/4D IF-ED AF-S with Nikon 1.4TCII.

Before I get to my opinions, I want to clarify that I don't think I spent enough time with it to be able to judge its full potential, because the excitement of holding it in my hands and suddenly having 1.5 times more reach (630mm vs my usual 420mm) can result in imperfect results. It takes me longer than that to get to know a new lens, not to mention a new body. With that said, here it goes;

- The AF - I mostly used AF-C D25, which in D750 terms equals to AF-C 9 point. It looks like the same 9 point layout, but there are invisible points between the usual 9 points which are also working their magic. That comes to 25 points total instead of just 9. My initial impression is that at least in AF-C D25 mode, the D500 tracks the subject about the same way that the D750 does. I did shoot a pigeon coming at me and at least one of the shots came out perfectly sharp on the head, but I can't say that the D750 would not have been able to do the same. I don't know. It 'could' be better, maybe it is better, but then maybe the D750 is also very good. The verdict is still out on that one, though Nikon marketing certainly does a good job convincing me that more points = better AF. Maybe it does!

I came home with a couple hundred shots. I expected to have a lot of keepers, because in the field when looking at the play-back screen, it seemed like I was getting nearly every shot in perfect focus. When I downloaded the images however, I was a bit disappointed. Some images were in good focus, but the noise even at ISO 400 was more than I am used to with the D750. Also the detail I expected to see in the feathers (thanks to the lack of an AA filter) wasn't quite as strong as with the D750. Could be my fault somehow since I was hand-holding the lens, so take that with a grain of salt.

For days I thought to myself "Well, I guess I don't really need a D500". Image quality is something I really value..... but... then I thought to myself "wait a minute,.... if I had taken the 1.4TCII off the lens, I'd be shooting at f/4 and 450mm, which would lead me to still have a little more reach with the D500 than the D750, and probaby better IQ. But, (setting 10FPS and 153 focus points aside for a moment) is it smart to pay $2,000.00 for 30mm more? Might as well spend $1,500 and get the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 for 80mm more instead!

- 10 Frames Per Second - Wow.... this thing is a machine gun! One press of the shutter button and you've got 10 to 20 shots in one go. That's a lot of photos! I suddenly realized I don't need or even want 10 FPS most of the time. It's too much for me. Of course you can set it to shoot less FPS, whatever you want, so it's nice to have in situations when you need it. Personally I think I can live without it because I prefer to time my shots, but I understand why someone might want it. It's nice.

- Image Quality - I'm 100% sure that one could create amazing images with this camera, but a high ISO beast it is not. It's the best crop sensor for high ISO, but it still lags behind full frame noticeably. The only time this is not clear is when in-camera noise reduction is applied, which hapens to smear too many details for my taste.

- Feel - For the most part it feels a lot like the D750. It is surprisingly light and the grip is about the same. The button layout is obviously a little different. That weird toggle toward the top to change the postion of the AF point,.... it's weird. It's small and weird. I'd probably get used to it, but that's a new feature for Nikon.

To conclude, I think the D500 really is an awesome, feature-packed camera that more than makes up for the long wait that many D300 folks had to go through. It's a great way to get extra reach without spending $12,000 on a super-telephoto lens, but if you're used to D610/D750 IQ, you might be a little bit disappointed. I'm tempted to pick one up in the future when prices fall, but I think I realized that what I really want is a D500 with a D750 sensor in it. :D

ksphoto.me

Rijeka, Croatia, on a day of beautiful clouds.

Mamiya RZ67 Pro II - M 65mm f/4L-A (CPL + #8 Yellow Filter)

Adox CMS 20 II @ ISO 6

Adotech III (1+16) @ 20°C 14 min

Scanner: CanoScan 9000F

Digitally processed some sharpening, contrast, dodge and burn.

I had 30ml (1+16) of Adotech III but needed 50ml for (1+9) so I did heavy calculation to get time for (1+16) minus 20% of time since I shot it at ISO 6 not 12 or 20.

Close up of an astronomical instrument at Jantar Mantar observatory, Delhi, India

So where do I start with: Last June. I was planning on a third science fiction project which turned out to be the first. Intended to be a spiritual successor yet actually in the shared universe of my previous work, Paradox Force (it’s probably goshdarn cancelled at this point smh). I did my calculations, intending it to have the same shared themes along with the cyberpunk spy action superhero thing. Eventually, some plans got retconned and changed along the way as evidenced by what you’re seeing.

But I almost never got down to making more than one. Until something came up in my mind that, focusing on a long term plan that could make a series go on like a television show and have it run through the course of a couple seasons. So I did it, getting the first three volumes complete (unsurprising yay here). Fact is, it’s been 2 years that I’ve went through a lot on the internet, had my ups and downs, lots of stuff. Everyone knows that part already with your own tales to tell as well.

Tackling volume/season 3 was a different strategy for me to make, it saved me and conserved a lot of time as well. What I did was shooting 8 pictures on the same night (also on that friggin table, I know, I’m broke and always low budget). And the week before I decided to release everything on a daily basis, coincidentally matching the same date it was uploaded, I managed to churn up at least 70% of the scripts before going through minor rewrites. Then easy edits, like my memes! (heh.)

What the future holds: Mid way through 2019, I’ve come to a realization that being able to write for more than one volume is an accomplishment. And that only happened on Flickr (as of now.) I’ve also got comments lately about how I’m such a good writer—along with some of you who have commentated on me being an author (also thank you for that). But yes, it isn’t easy. Practice makes perfect from bad to good writing, it’s an everyday thing.

It’s also this year that I’ve learnt that focusing on writing might be my thing, coming along with figbarfs and art, but it’s always been first place. It’s also such a great hobby that, despite English isn’t my first language and my fluency (even having people mistaking me for being a local in their own country), I still have a high amount of passion and love to keep it going. I’ve acknowledged I have more stories to keep doing, which is still going on since day 1.

And there I made it, a trilogy that’s about some cool superhuman agents going around the world busting some evil people, very much fun right? I’m sure it is. Speaking of the recent one I’ve made, I’ve always intended to have one of the hidden main characters being related to another protagonist. I’ve been thinking of that since I released the first batch of characters in September, and I hoped the plot twists pulled of well. Essentially, also revisiting the elements of the first season and connecting with the aftermath of the second, despite each season being somehow standalone.

“But wait, did you say trilogy?”

Fact is, I did. I never said when would I actually end it. It’s about to approach its not-so-one-year anniversary (more of a September thing in 2018). For now, I’ve given some of these certain characters a definitive arc, but evidently, not everyone gets fleshed out with development with so much dialogue and stuff, which leaves room potentially in the future to grow. And to also give more themes as well.

Which leads to the fact that the Paladin franchise needs is a hiatus, though not entirely. I’m quite dubious on whether a continuation would be nice, likely because of the media/entertainment we consume and watch, season qualities are likely to drop and get worse, (take GoT for example) and etc. So by delaying it might actually prove a solid chance to make writing better.

Fact is, I don’t know about season 4’s release date yet, likely cuz I’m not trying to cram another entry for this big project. Being said, it gives me more time to focus on other franchises—-mainly DC Comics based, which serves as the catalyst for our group and a couple of Elseworlds style projects.

“How can it go on?”

A way to make it continue is to start with smaller projects. The Dusksmoke Chronicles was a great example/experiment that going for a different flavour of story works. Essentially it’s the cookie ice cream, and if Paladin is vanilla, then I can always go forth with more spin offs. Raspberry, orange etc. Exploring amounts of different times would be nice, expanding the worldbuilding/mythology/lore.

And also, I recently had my best friend to make a music commission (just a simple birthday gift he owed me). Trying to branch out and making some themes was also exciting, so we’re working slowly on that development. I have the first demo version of theme, so if anybody wants to listen, just send me a message.

Last but not least, time to actually announce....a competition. I’ve been holding way too back and long to say this, it has to happen. The second one that i’ve mentioned and teased all along ties into the universe.

I’m looking for figs along with builds (extra points) that fits into the category of my universe. You are allowed to make up to 5 figs at the very least—-either team or solo fig should fall into a certain faction; Paladin (good), Spectres (evil), Gardner Co. (neutral, sorta chaotic good), Guild (netural), or simply independent (can be M16, Interpol, regular assassin etc).

I recommend that read some of the materials before starting so you get a knowledge in depth of what can happen. Then if you’re done, try to give a story for your characters as well, keep on brainstorming.

I’ll keep further details out as I’m going to put more descriptions in the group. The set due date for this contest will last until the end of July.

So, comment below as well if you wanna sign up!

Manuscript title: Evronot ("Rules for Calculation of the Calendar")

Manuscript summary: This manuscript contains an Evronot ("Rules for Calculation of the Calendar"). Many so-called Sifre evoronot ("Books of calculation") emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries. They can be taken as a reaction to the Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582. Such manuscripts often depict the biblical Issachar, one of Jacob’s sons, on or near a ladder; as an attribute, he holds an hourglass in his hand. This manuscript has two such miniatures; above the first of which there is also an illustration of a waning and a waxing moon with a human face and stars. The title page depicts an ornamental architectural arch. At the end of the book, there is the familiar motif of Moses seated at a table holding the Tablets of the Law.

Origin: Germany

Period: 17th century

Image source: Zürich, Braginsky Collection, B247: Evronot ("Rules for Calculation of the Calendar") (www.e-codices.unifr.ch/en/list/one/bc/b-0247)

how two my friends mathematicians use their calculation board

Wall 2, Unintended Calculations, Moda Hotel, Vancouver BC. Curated by me.

indigosadventures.wordpress.com/2011/03/28/unintended-cal...

unintendedcalculations.com/

By my calculations it has taken me about 15 hours or more. The wooden board measures 6.5 x 4.5 cm.

Made of wood, paper, polymer clay.

Black and White conversion via channels calculation and split toning in Lightroom with cyan and sepia.

The abacus is an ancient calculation tool, which is used as an aid to perform mathematical operations is the first tool used for the calculations since 2000 BC in China and used later also among the Greeks and Romans

Manuscript title: Evronot ("Rules for Calculation of the Calendar")

Manuscript summary: This manuscript contains an Evronot ("Rules for Calculation of the Calendar"). Many so-called Sifre evoronot ("Books of calculation") emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries. They can be taken as a reaction to the Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582. Such manuscripts often depict the biblical Issachar, one of Jacob’s sons, on or near a ladder; as an attribute, he holds an hourglass in his hand. This manuscript has two such miniatures; above the first of which there is also an illustration of a waning and a waxing moon with a human face and stars. The title page depicts an ornamental architectural arch. At the end of the book, there is the familiar motif of Moses seated at a table holding the Tablets of the Law.

Origin: Germany

Period: 17th century

Image source: Zürich, Braginsky Collection, B247: Evronot ("Rules for Calculation of the Calendar") (www.e-codices.unifr.ch/en/list/one/bc/b-0247)

Explore

Thank you first to my boyfriend Roland who called me up and said "GO OUTSIDE"!!!!

Thank you next to AirSign for creating magic in the sky tonight!

It is so awful what happened in the middle of the night. A tragic man and victims of his problems.

SXSW was so perfect this year, it has grown beautifully, Lady Gaga singing tonight, Jimmy Fallon live all week from Austin, Rachel Ray is here with "Rachael's Rockin' Austin Feedback Party", JZ and Kanye played the other night, I mean this is magnificent and then to have violence happen? Impossible!

Blessings out to all the victims and their families.

Please remember that last nights crime had nothing to do with sxsw.

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Updated: 3:09 p.m. Thursday, March 13, 2014 | Posted: 1:11 p.m. Thursday, March 13, 2014

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN

Austin skies to be stuffed with pi this evening

By Ben Wear

American-Statesman Staff

Austinites and South by Southwest attendees, still absorbing Thursday morning’s tragedy, this evening will get what for many is likely to be a confusing sign in the sky.

Five sky-writing aircraft from AirSign, a Florida aerial advertising company, will write out π, the Greek letter pi, the mathematical ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. The calculation produces an unending series of digits, beginning with 3.141592. The company in a press release said its pilots will produce “several hundred characters” of the numerical sequence.

The pilots will create what amounts to a dot-matrix version of the numbers, emitting discreet puffs of smoke.

Aside from the bid to publicize its services at a well attended event, why pi?

Tomorrow, the company explained, is March 14, or 3.14.

Building on that, the company says the planes will begin their 90-minute writing process at 6:28 p.m. because “6:28 is pi times two, a number some believe is the truer reflection of the power of the circle.”

It is also just early enough for the pilots to get the job done before dark.