The main environmental issues associated with the implementation of the 5G network come with the manufacturing of the many component parts of the 5G infrastructure. In addition, the proliferation of new devices that will use the 5G network that is tied to the acceleration of demand from consumers for new 5G-dependent devices will have serious environmental consequences. The 5G network will inevitably cause a large increase in energy usage among consumers, which is already one of the main contributors to climate change. Additionally, the manufacturing and maintenance of the new technologies associated with 5G creates waste and uses important resources that have detrimental consequences for the environment. 5G networks use technology that has harmful effects on birds, which in turn has cascading effects through entire ecosystems. And, while 5G developers are seeking to create a network that has fewer environmental impacts than past networks, there is still room for improvement and the consequences of 5G should be considered before it is widely rolled out. 5G stands for the fifth generation of wireless technology. It is the wave of wireless technology surpassing the 4G network that is used now. Previous generations brought the first cell phones (1G), text messaging (2G), online capabilities (3G), and faster speed (4G). The fifth generation aims to increase the speed of data movement, be more responsive, and allow for greater connectivity of devices simultaneously.[2] This means that 5G will allow for nearly instantaneous downloading of data that, with the current network, would take hours. For example, downloading a movie using 5G would take mere seconds. These new improvements will allow for self-driving cars, massive expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) device use, and acceleration of new technological advancements used in everyday activities by a much wider range of people. While 5G is not fully developed, it is expected to consist of at least five new technologies that allow it to perform much more complicated tasks at faster speeds. The new technologies 5G will use are hardware that works with much higher frequencies (millimeter wavelengths), small cells, massive MIMO (multiple input multiple output), beamforming, and full duplex.[3] Working together, these new technologies will expand the potential of many of the devices used today and devices being developed for the future. Millimeter waves are a higher frequency wavelength than the radio wavelength generally used in wireless transmission today.[4] The use of this portion of the spectrum corresponds to higher frequency and shorter wavelengths, in this case in the millimeter range (vs the lower radio frequencies where the wavelengths can be in the meters to hundreds of kilometers). Higher frequency waves allow for more devices to be connected to the same network at the same time, because there is more space available compared to the radio waves that are used today. The use of this portion of the spectrum has much longer wavelengths than of that anticipated for a portion of the 5G implementation. The waves in use now can measure up to tens of centimeters, while the new 5G waves would be no greater than ten millimeters.[5] The millimeter waves will create more transmission space for the ever-expanding number of people and devices crowding the current networks. The millimeter waves will create more space for devices to be used by consumers, which will increase energy usage, subsequently leading to increased global warming. Millimeter waves are very weak in their ability to connect two devices, which is why 5G needs something called “small cells” to give full, uninterrupted coverage. Small cells are essentially miniature cell towers that would be placed 250 meters apart throughout cities and other areas needing coverage.[6] The small cells are necessary as emissions [or signals] at this higher frequency/shorter wavelength have more difficulty passing through solid objects and are even easily intercepted by rain.[7] The small cells could be placed on anything from trees to street lights to the sides of businesses and homes to maximize connection and limit “dead zones” (areas where connections are lost). The next new piece of technology necessary for 5G is massive MIMO, which stands for multiple input multiple output. The MIMO describes the capacity of 5G’s base stations, because those base stations would be able to handle a much higher amount of data at any one moment of time. Currently, 4G base stations have around eight transmitters and four receivers which direct the flow of data between devices.[9] 5G will exceed this capacity with the use of massive MIMO that can handle 22 times more ports. Figure 1 shows how a massive MIMO tower would be able to direct a higher number of connections at once. However, massive MIMO causes signals to be crossed more easily. Crossed signals cause an interruption in the transmission of data from one device to the next due to a clashing of the wavelengths as they travel to their respective destinations. To overcome the cross signals problem, beamforming is needed. To maximize the efficiency of sending data another new technology called beamforming will be used in 5G. For data to be sent to the correct user, a way of directing the wavelengths without interference is necessary. This is done through a technique called beamforming. Beamforming directs where exactly data are being sent by using a variety of antennas to organize signals based on certain characteristics, such as the magnitude of the signal. By directly sending signals to where they need to go, beamforming decreases the chances that a signal is dropped due to the interference of a physical object.

One way that 5G will follow through on its promise of faster data transmission is through sending and receiving data simultaneously. The method that allows for simultaneous input and output of data is called full duplexing. While full duplex capabilities allow for faster transmission of data, there is an issue of signal interference, because of echoes. Full duplexing will cut transmission times in half, because it allows for a response to occur as soon as an input is delivered, eliminating the turnaround time that is seen in transmission today. Because these technologies are new and untested, it is hard to say how they will impact our environment. This raises another issue: there are impacts that can be anticipated and predicted, but there are also unanticipated impacts because much of the new technologies are untested. Nevertheless, it is possible to anticipate some of detrimental environmental consequences of the new technologies and the 5G network, because we know these technologies will increase exposure to harmful radiation, increase mining of rare minerals, increase waste, and increase energy usage. The main 5G environmental concerns have to do with two of the five new components: the millimeter waves and the small cells. The whole aim of the new 5G network is to allow for more devices to be used by the consumer at faster rates than ever before, because of this goal there will certainly be an increase in energy usage globally. Energy usage is one of the main contributors to climate change today and an increase in energy usage would cause climate change to increase drastically as well. 5G will operate on a higher frequency portion of the spectrum to open new space for more devices. The smaller size of the millimeter waves compared to radio frequency waves allows for more data to be shared more quickly and creates a wide bandwidth that can support much larger tasks.[15] While the idea of more space for devices to be used is great for consumers, this will lead to a spike in energy usage for two reasons – the technology itself is energy demanding and will increase demand for more electronic devices. The ability for more devices to be used on the same network creates more incentive for consumers to buy electronics and use them more often. This will have a harmful impact on the environment through increased energy use. Climate change has several underlying contributors; however, energy usage is gaining attention in its severity with regards to perpetuating climate change. Before 5G has even been released, about 2% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to the ICT industry.[16] While 2% may not seem like a very large portion, it translates to around 860 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions.[17] Greenhouse gas emissions are the main contributors to natural disasters, such as flooding and drought, which are increasing severity and occurrence every year. Currently, roughly 85% of the energy used in the United States can be attributed to fossil fuel consumption.[18] The dwindling availability of fossil fuels and the environmental burden of releasing these fossil fuels into our atmosphere signal an immediate need to shift to other energy sources. Without a shift to other forms of energy production and the addition of technology allowed by the implementation of 5G, the strain on our environment will rise and the damage may never be repaired. With an increase in energy usage through technology and the implementation of 5G, it can be expected that the climate change issues faced today will only increase. The overall contribution of carbon dioxide emissions from the ICT industry has a huge impact on climate change and will continue to have even larger impacts without proper actions. In a European Union report, researchers estimated that in order to keep the increase in global temperature below 2° Celsius a decrease in carbon emissions of around 15-30% is necessary by 2020. Engineers claim that the small cells used to provide the 5G connection will be energy efficient and powered in a sustainable way; however the maintenance and production of these cells is more of an issue. Supporters of the 5G network advocate that the small cells will use solar or wind energy to stay sustainable and green.[20] These devices, labeled “fuel-cell energy servers” will work as clean energy-based generators for the small cells.[21] While implementing base stations that use sustainable energy to function would be a step in the right direction in environmental conservation, it is not the solution to the main issue caused by 5G, which is the impact that the massive amount of new devices in the hands of consumers will have on the amount of energy required to power these devices. The wasteful nature of manufacturing and maintenance of both individual devices and the devices used to deliver 5G connection could become a major contributor of climate change. The promise of 5G technology is to expand the number of devices functioning might be the most troubling aspect of the new technology. Cell phones, computers, and other everyday devices are manufactured in a way that puts stress on the environment. A report by the EPA estimated that in 2010, 25% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions comes from electricity and heat production making it the largest single source of emissions.[22] The main gas emitted by this sector is carbon dioxide, due to the burning of natural gas, such as coal, to fuel electricity sources.[23] Carbon dioxide is one of the most common greenhouse gases seen in our atmosphere, it traps heat in earth’s atmosphere trying to escape into space, which causes the atmosphere to warm generating climate change. Increased consumption of devices is taking a toll on the environment. As consumers gain access to more technologies the cycle of consumption only expands. As new devices are developed, the older devices are thrown out even if they are still functional. Often, big companies will purposefully change their products in ways that make certain partner devices (such as chargers or earphones) unusable–creating demand for new products. Economic incentives mean that companies will continue these practices in spite of the environmental impacts. One of the main issues with the 5G network and the resulting increase in consumption of technological devices is that the production required for these devices is not sustainable. In the case of making new devices, whether they be new smart-phones or the small cells needed for 5G, the use of nonrenewable metals is required. It is extremely difficult to use metals for manufacturing sustainably, because metals are not a renewable resource. Metals used in the manufacturing of the smart devices frequently used today often cannot be recycled in the same way many household items can be recycled. Because these technologies cannot be recycled, they create tons of waste when they are created and tons of waste when they are thrown away. There are around six billion mobile devices in use today, with this number expected to increase drastically as the global population increases and new devices enter the market. One estimate of the life-time carbon emissions of a single device–not including related accessories and network connection–is that a device produces a total of 45kg of carbon dioxide at a medium level of usage over three years. This amount of emission is comparable to that of driving the average European car for 300km. But, the most environmentally taxing stage of a mobile device life cycle is during the production stage, where around 68% of total carbon emissions is produced, equating to 30kg of carbon dioxide. To put this into perspective, an iPhone X weighs approximately 0.174kg, so in order to produce the actual device, 172 iPhone X’s worth of carbon dioxide is also created. These emissions vary from person to person and between different devices, but it’s possible to estimate the impact one device has on the environment. 5G grants the capacity for more devices to be used, significantly increase the existing carbon footprint of smart devices today. Energy usage for the ever-growing number of devices on the market and in homes is another environmental threat that would be greatly increased by the new capabilities brought by the 5G network. Often, energy forecasts overlook the amount of energy that will be consumed by new technologies, which leads to a skewed understanding of the actual amount of energy expected to be used.[30] One example of this is with IoT devices.[31] IoT is one of the main aspects of 5G people in the technology field are most excited about. 5G will allow for a larger expansion of IoT into the everyday household.[32] While some IoT devices promise lower energy usage abilities, the 50 billion new IoT devices expected to be produced and used by consumers will surpass the energy used by today’s electronics.

The small cells required for the 5G network to properly function causes another issue of waste with the new network. Because of the weak nature of the millimeter waves used in the 5G technology, small cells will need to be placed around 250 meters apart to insure continuous connection. The main issue with these small cells is that the manufacturing and maintenance of these cells will create a lot of waste. The manufacturing of technology takes a large toll on the environment, due to the consumption of non-renewable resources to produce devices, and technology ending up in landfills. Implementing these small cells into large cities where they must be placed at such a high density will have a drastic impact on technology waste. Technology is constantly changing and improving, which is one of the huge reasons it has such high economic value. But, when a technological advancement in small cells happens, the current small cells would have to be replaced. The short lifespan of devices created today makes waste predictable and inevitable. In New York City, where there would have to be at least 3,135,200 small cells, the waste created in just one city when a new advancement in small cells is implemented would have overwhelming consequences on the environment. 5G is just one of many examples of how important it is to look at the consequences of new advancements before their implementation. While it is exciting to see new technology that promises to improve everyday life, the consequences of additional waste and energy usage must be considered to preserve a sustainable environment in the future. There is some evidence that the new devices and technologies associated with 5G will be harmful to delicate ecosystems. The main component of the 5G network that will affect the earth’s ecosystems is the millimeter waves. The millimeter waves that are being used in developing the 5G network have never been used at such scale before. This makes it especially difficult to know how they will impact the environment and certain ecosystems. However, studies have found that there are some harms caused by these new technologies. The millimeter waves, specifically, have been linked to many disturbances in the ecosystems of birds. In a study by the Centre for Environment and Vocational Studies of Punjab University, researchers observed that after exposure to radiation from a cell tower for just 5-30 minutes, the eggs of sparrows were disfigured.[34] The disfiguration of birds exposed for such a short amount of time to these frequencies is significant considering that the new 5G network will have a much higher density of base stations (small cells) throughout areas needing connection. The potential dangers of having so many small cells all over areas where birds live could cause whole populations of birds to have mutations that threaten their population’s survival. Additionally, a study done in Spain showed breeding, nesting, and roosting was negatively affected by microwave radiation emitted by a cell tower. Again, the issue of the increase in the amount of connection conductors in the form of small cells to provide connection with the 5G network is seen to be harmful to species that live around humans. Additionally, Warnke found that cellular devices had a detrimental impact on bees.[36] In this study, beehives exposed for just ten minutes to 900MHz waves fell victim to colony collapse disorder.Colony collapse disorder is when many of the bees living in the hive abandon the hive leaving the queen, the eggs, and a few worker bees. The worker bees exposed to this radiation also had worsened navigational skills, causing them to stop returning to their original hive after about ten days. Bees are an incredibly important part of the earth’s ecosystem. Around one-third of the food produced today is dependent on bees for pollination, making bees are a vital part of the agricultural system. Bees not only provide pollination for the plant-based food we eat, but they are also important to maintaining the food livestock eats. Without bees, a vast majority of the food eaten today would be lost or at the very least highly limited. Climate change has already caused a large decline in the world’s bee population. The impact that the cell towers have on birds and bees is important to understand, because all ecosystems of the earth are interconnected. If one component of an ecosystem is disrupted the whole system will be affected. The disturbances of birds with the cell towers of today would only increase, because with 5G a larger number of small cell radio-tower-like devices would be necessary to ensure high quality connection for users. Having a larger number of high concentrations of these millimeter waves in the form of small cells would cause a wider exposure to bees and birds, and possibly other species that are equally important to our environment.As innovation continues, it is important that big mobile companies around the world consider the impact 5G will have on the environment before pushing to have it widely implemented. The companies pushing for the expansion of 5G may stand to make short term economic gains. While the new network will undoubtedly benefit consumers greatly, looking at 5G’s long-term environmental impacts is also very important so that the risks are clearly understood and articulated. The technology needed to power the new 5G network will inevitably change how mobile devices are used as well as their capabilities. This technological advancement will also change the way technology and the environment interact. The change from using radio waves to using millimeter waves and the new use of small cells in 5G will allow more devices to be used and manufactured, more energy to be used, and have detrimental consequences for important ecosystems. While it is unrealistic to call for 5G to not become the new network norm, companies, governments, and consumers should be proactive and understand the impact that this new technology will have on the environment. 5G developers should carry out Environmental Impact Assessments that fully estimate the impact that the new technology will have on the environment before rushing to widely implement it. Environmental Impact Assessments are intended to assess the impact new technologies have on the environment, while also maximizing potential benefits to the environment. This process mitigates, prevents, and identifies environmental harm, which is imperative to ensuring that the environment is sustainable and sound in the future. Additionally, the method of Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) of devices would also be extremely beneficial for understanding the impact that 5G will inevitably have on the environment. An LCA can be used to assess the impact that devices have on carbon emissions throughout their life span, from the manufacturing of the device to the energy required to power the device and ultimately the waste created when the device is discarded into a landfill or other disposal system. By having full awareness of the impact new technology will have on the environment ways to combat the negative impacts can be developed and implemented effectively.

 

jsis.washington.edu/news/what-will-5g-mean-for-the-enviro...

  

First test shooting with my little SIXSQUARE ... :-)

Well, this little device does a really good job. You can shoot through the hole in the middle, and then it is a ringlight, or you can place it like a beauty dish or brolly, and then it is a soft beauty light -- this is what I did in this shot.

-

 

STROBIST

No light formers used, just six bare flash guns.

 

TRIGGERING

One flash was RF triggered via YN-602, the others act as optical slaves.

 

BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS

How to build the SixSquare ... that can be found here:

fotopraxis.wordpress.com/2013/09/14/news-sixsquare-rauch-...

// it is in German, but you'll easily get the idea with the

// photos

 

-

Nicer viewing: "L" for Lightbox, "F11" for fullscreen...

  

Prior to World War II and the invention of radar, acoustic mirrors were built as early warning devices around the coasts of Great Britain, with the aim of detecting incoming enemy aircraft by the sound of their engines. The most famous of these devices still stand at Denge on the Dungeness peninsula and at Hythe in Kent. Other examples exist in other parts of Britain (including Sunderland, Redcar, Boulby, Kilnsea) and Selsey Bill, and Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq in Malta. The Maltese sound mirror is known locally as "the ear" (il-Widna) and appears to be the only sound mirror built outside Great Britain.

   

Acoustic mirrors at Denge

The Dungeness mirrors, known colloquially as the "listening ears", consist of three large concrete reflectors built in the 1920s–1930s. Their experimental nature can be discerned by the different shapes of each of the three reflectors: one is a long, curved wall about 5 m high by 70 m long, while the other two are dish-shaped constructions approximately 4–5 m in diameter. Microphones placed at the foci of the reflectors enabled a listener to detect the sound of aircraft far out over the English Channel. The reflectors are not parabolic, but are actually spherical mirrors.[1] Spherical mirrors may be used for direction finding by moving the sensor rather than the mirror; another unusual example is the Arecibo Observatory.

 

Acoustic mirrors had a limited effectiveness, and the increasing speed of aircraft in the 1930s meant that they would already be too close to deal with by the time they had been detected. The development of radar put an end to further experimentation with the technique. Nevertheless, there were long-lasting benefits. The acoustic mirror programme, led by Dr William Sansome Tucker, had given Britain the methodology to use interconnected stations to pin point the position of an enemy in the sky. The system they developed for linking the stations and plotting aircraft movements was given to the early radar team and contributed to their success in World War II; although the British radar was less sophisticated than the German system, the British system was used more successfully.

 

There are three acoustic mirrors in the complex, each consisting of a single concrete hemispherical reflector.

 

The 200 foot mirror is a near vertical, curved wall, 200 feet (60m) long. It is one of only two similar acoustic mirrors in the world, the other being in Magħtab, Malta.

 

The 20 foot mirror is similar to the 30 foot mirror, with a smaller, shallower dish 6 m (20 ft) across. The design is close to that of an acoustic mirror in Kilnsea, East Riding of Yorkshire.

 

Acoustic mirrors did work, and could effectively be used to detect slow moving enemy aircraft before they came into sight. They worked by concentrating sound waves towards a central point, where a microphone would have been located. However, their use was limited as aircraft became faster. Operators also found it difficult to distinguish between aircraft and seagoing vessels. In any case, they quickly became obsolete due to the invention of radar in 1932. The experiment was abandoned, and the mirrors left to decay. The gravel extraction works caused some undermining of at least one of the structures.

 

On our return trip on the Yellow Line BART, these two were traveling together. They were absorbed in their individual devices for the whole ride. February 16, 2024

"And for a moment, when our world had filled the skies, magic turned our eyes to feast on the treasure set for our strange device."

These wheels belong to a cryptoanalytic device called The Bombe used in Bletchley Park to crack the code of the Enigma cipher machine.

 

The Bombe has been developed by Alan Turing and Gordon Welchman based on a earlier Polish development called bomba kryptologiczna (this is where the name The Bombe comes from).

 

The Bombe utilizes the fact that the Enigma is an involutory device, i.e. the relations between letters in the plain text and the cipher text are reciprocal so that a letter A in the plaintext associated with B in the ciphertext is the same as B in the plaintext associated with A in the ciphertext. Using this fact together with the knowledge about the way the Enigma works, The Bombe is able to exclude wrong settings of the Enigma parameters by comparing the ciphertext with a piece of plaintext (called crib) which is assumed to be included in the message. Hence, after The Bombe has been set up with a menu derived from the ciphertext and the crib, the device performs an exhaustive search until the Enigma setup has been found which has been used for encrypting the cipher text.

 

The depicted device is a reconstruction of The Bombe, created in Bletchley Park within the Bombe Rebuild Project.

 

view on black

via Last.fm ift.tt/1oOZHXk

....as a child I would jump off a swing and pretend I was flying 😀

Location : London , England

Device : Nikon D300

Note : No Edit & Best viewed in the large format

About the Albert Memorial : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Memorial

© 2009 Saad Alenzi

  

It's finally time to lift the lid on another artwork commission.

I can honestly say that it's been an absolute privilege to have been involved with all things art&design for New Device right from the get-go & I was thrilled when the band approached me late last year to commission not only 1, but 4 pieces of album artwork! Yes indeed, the below is no.1 in a line of 4 releases the band will be doing this year and the artwork will tie all 4 records together... That's as much as I can say at this point... stay tuned for more!

(intentional misspelling)

Venice, CA

All rights reserved ©

Yangon - MYANMAR

Once upon a time, packing for a trip included getting a couple of paperback books and a few rolls of film. Now, it includes charging multiple devices (iPad, Kindle, FitBit, smartphone, portable charger) and camera batteries for two cameras. Once everything is charged, they need to be packed and the chargers need to be packed. I'm not taking a laptop, so will try using my iPad to post pictures of the day. We'll see how that goes.

Image from a vintage asbestos abatement industry publication showing workers posing inside an apparent asbestos abatement work area while demonstrating cleaning activities. Abatement workers are depicted with disposable coveralls, supplied-air full-face respirators, and a portable air monitoring device (worker in background).

 

This advertising photo attempts to portray some basic aspects of asbestos abatement, but might have missed a few details for realism in this obvious staged set-up, such as the apparent absence of negative air pressurization acting on the polyethylene-sheet wall and floor barriers. Along this line, the placement of the negative air machine (NAM) itself appears to show its intake opening directly against the enclosure wall, hindering its ability to draw airflow (doubtful if it was actually activated); NAM intake should be directed toward the main portion of the work area. Additionally, there doesn't even seem to be an electrical cord leading to the NAM.

 

Further, there seems to be a distinct absence of a wetting-agent and associated applicator (no water, hose, or reservoir container); everything appears to be "dry". One of the main factors in proper asbestos abatement dust control technique is assuring materials are "adequately wet", which can greatly reduce the potential for dust particles to become airborne, typically achieved by wetting materials and work area surfaces before, during and after ACM removal. Even the worker wiping the enclosure wall should be using a wet towel or damp rag, but where is the bucket of cleaning solution? Plus, such wiping activity is usually reserved for the "final cleaning" stage, well after bulk ACM debris has been removed and containerized.

 

In addition to this, the assumed "asbestos" debris on the floor should've been "promptly" containerized as it was removed, not allowed to accumulate where it could be further disturbed by trampling it, haphazardly dragging hoses and equipment over it, etc., likely causing asbestos fibers to become airborne and further contaminate surfaces. Loose bulk debris also compounds cleaning efforts by unnecessarily spending more time and resources to decontaminate exposed equipment and supplies from excessive debris build-up. Further, the workers themselves in this image appear to have managed keeping their coveralls and gloves perfectly spotless, an amazing feat inside an "active" asbestos abatement work area during bulk removal.

 

Not to mention, the fact that the personal air monitoring device is attached to the worker performing the least riskiest job function -in this example - relative to airborne asbestos fiber exposure - wiping walls; whereas the other workers are pictured vacuuming and shoveling apparent bulk friable insulation material. Air monitoring results would probably not be fully representative of job tasks with the potential highest exposure risk.

 

A couple of other points: larger areas of accumulated bulk debris such as this are often cleaned using shovels and not necessarily utilizing vacuums, since the excessive bulk material reduces the service-life of the vucuum's costly HEPA-filter much quicker, tends to clog more frequently, and would also fill the vacuum canister or bag quite often, requiring frequent emptying or bag replacement. HEPA-vacuuming is typically employed for residual materials on surfaces, following substantial removal and cleanup of bulk debris.

 

Although perhaps a smidgeon of credit is due, since there doesn't appear to be evidence of a broom or brush inside the work area (at least not on camera). Dry-sweeping asbestos material is strictly prohibited. But, some asbestos abatement workers might have another opinion about that.

 

Also, the kneeling worker holding open the black waste bag does not appear to have an adequate fit "inside" his full-face respirator. The internal seal around his nose and mouth looks breached, consequently not providing the full level of protection these types of respirators are designed for.

 

Ah, but who's looking anyway?

IR HDR. IR converted Canon Rebel XTi. AEB +/-2 total of 3 exposures processed with Photomatix. Levels adjusted in PSE.

 

High Dynamic Range (HDR)

 

High-dynamic-range imaging (HDRI) is a high dynamic range (HDR) technique used in imaging and photography to reproduce a greater dynamic range of luminosity than is possible with standard digital imaging or photographic techniques. The aim is to present a similar range of luminance to that experienced through the human visual system. The human eye, through adaptation of the iris and other methods, adjusts constantly to adapt to a broad range of luminance present in the environment. The brain continuously interprets this information so that a viewer can see in a wide range of light conditions.

 

HDR images can represent a greater range of luminance levels than can be achieved using more 'traditional' methods, such as many real-world scenes containing very bright, direct sunlight to extreme shade, or very faint nebulae. This is often achieved by capturing and then combining several different, narrower range, exposures of the same subject matter. Non-HDR cameras take photographs with a limited exposure range, referred to as LDR, resulting in the loss of detail in highlights or shadows.

 

The two primary types of HDR images are computer renderings and images resulting from merging multiple low-dynamic-range (LDR) or standard-dynamic-range (SDR) photographs. HDR images can also be acquired using special image sensors, such as an oversampled binary image sensor.

 

Due to the limitations of printing and display contrast, the extended luminosity range of an HDR image has to be compressed to be made visible. The method of rendering an HDR image to a standard monitor or printing device is called tone mapping. This method reduces the overall contrast of an HDR image to facilitate display on devices or printouts with lower dynamic range, and can be applied to produce images with preserved local contrast (or exaggerated for artistic effect).

 

In photography, dynamic range is measured in exposure value (EV) differences (known as stops). An increase of one EV, or 'one stop', represents a doubling of the amount of light. Conversely, a decrease of one EV represents a halving of the amount of light. Therefore, revealing detail in the darkest of shadows requires high exposures, while preserving detail in very bright situations requires very low exposures. Most cameras cannot provide this range of exposure values within a single exposure, due to their low dynamic range. High-dynamic-range photographs are generally achieved by capturing multiple standard-exposure images, often using exposure bracketing, and then later merging them into a single HDR image, usually within a photo manipulation program). Digital images are often encoded in a camera's raw image format, because 8-bit JPEG encoding does not offer a wide enough range of values to allow fine transitions (and regarding HDR, later introduces undesirable effects due to lossy compression).

 

Any camera that allows manual exposure control can make images for HDR work, although one equipped with auto exposure bracketing (AEB) is far better suited. Images from film cameras are less suitable as they often must first be digitized, so that they can later be processed using software HDR methods.

 

In most imaging devices, the degree of exposure to light applied to the active element (be it film or CCD) can be altered in one of two ways: by either increasing/decreasing the size of the aperture or by increasing/decreasing the time of each exposure. Exposure variation in an HDR set is only done by altering the exposure time and not the aperture size; this is because altering the aperture size also affects the depth of field and so the resultant multiple images would be quite different, preventing their final combination into a single HDR image.

 

An important limitation for HDR photography is that any movement between successive images will impede or prevent success in combining them afterwards. Also, as one must create several images (often three or five and sometimes more) to obtain the desired luminance range, such a full 'set' of images takes extra time. HDR photographers have developed calculation methods and techniques to partially overcome these problems, but the use of a sturdy tripod is, at least, advised.

 

Some cameras have an auto exposure bracketing (AEB) feature with a far greater dynamic range than others, from the 3 EV of the Canon EOS 40D, to the 18 EV of the Canon EOS-1D Mark II. As the popularity of this imaging method grows, several camera manufactures are now offering built-in HDR features. For example, the Pentax K-7 DSLR has an HDR mode that captures an HDR image and outputs (only) a tone mapped JPEG file. The Canon PowerShot G12, Canon PowerShot S95 and Canon PowerShot S100 offer similar features in a smaller format.. Nikon's approach is called 'Active D-Lighting' which applies exposure compensation and tone mapping to the image as it comes from the sensor, with the accent being on retaing a realistic effect . Some smartphones provide HDR modes, and most mobile platforms have apps that provide HDR picture taking.

 

Camera characteristics such as gamma curves, sensor resolution, noise, photometric calibration and color calibration affect resulting high-dynamic-range images.

 

Color film negatives and slides consist of multiple film layers that respond to light differently. As a consequence, transparent originals (especially positive slides) feature a very high dynamic range

 

Tone mapping

Tone mapping reduces the dynamic range, or contrast ratio, of an entire image while retaining localized contrast. Although it is a distinct operation, tone mapping is often applied to HDRI files by the same software package.

 

Several software applications are available on the PC, Mac and Linux platforms for producing HDR files and tone mapped images. Notable titles include

 

Adobe Photoshop

Aurora HDR

Dynamic Photo HDR

HDR Efex Pro

HDR PhotoStudio

Luminance HDR

MagicRaw

Oloneo PhotoEngine

Photomatix Pro

PTGui

 

Information stored in high-dynamic-range images typically corresponds to the physical values of luminance or radiance that can be observed in the real world. This is different from traditional digital images, which represent colors as they should appear on a monitor or a paper print. Therefore, HDR image formats are often called scene-referred, in contrast to traditional digital images, which are device-referred or output-referred. Furthermore, traditional images are usually encoded for the human visual system (maximizing the visual information stored in the fixed number of bits), which is usually called gamma encoding or gamma correction. The values stored for HDR images are often gamma compressed (power law) or logarithmically encoded, or floating-point linear values, since fixed-point linear encodings are increasingly inefficient over higher dynamic ranges.

 

HDR images often don't use fixed ranges per color channel—other than traditional images—to represent many more colors over a much wider dynamic range. For that purpose, they don't use integer values to represent the single color channels (e.g., 0-255 in an 8 bit per pixel interval for red, green and blue) but instead use a floating point representation. Common are 16-bit (half precision) or 32-bit floating point numbers to represent HDR pixels. However, when the appropriate transfer function is used, HDR pixels for some applications can be represented with a color depth that has as few as 10–12 bits for luminance and 8 bits for chrominance without introducing any visible quantization artifacts.

 

History of HDR photography

The idea of using several exposures to adequately reproduce a too-extreme range of luminance was pioneered as early as the 1850s by Gustave Le Gray to render seascapes showing both the sky and the sea. Such rendering was impossible at the time using standard methods, as the luminosity range was too extreme. Le Gray used one negative for the sky, and another one with a longer exposure for the sea, and combined the two into one picture in positive.

 

Mid 20th century

Manual tone mapping was accomplished by dodging and burning – selectively increasing or decreasing the exposure of regions of the photograph to yield better tonality reproduction. This was effective because the dynamic range of the negative is significantly higher than would be available on the finished positive paper print when that is exposed via the negative in a uniform manner. An excellent example is the photograph Schweitzer at the Lamp by W. Eugene Smith, from his 1954 photo essay A Man of Mercy on Dr. Albert Schweitzer and his humanitarian work in French Equatorial Africa. The image took 5 days to reproduce the tonal range of the scene, which ranges from a bright lamp (relative to the scene) to a dark shadow.

 

Ansel Adams elevated dodging and burning to an art form. Many of his famous prints were manipulated in the darkroom with these two methods. Adams wrote a comprehensive book on producing prints called The Print, which prominently features dodging and burning, in the context of his Zone System.

 

With the advent of color photography, tone mapping in the darkroom was no longer possible due to the specific timing needed during the developing process of color film. Photographers looked to film manufacturers to design new film stocks with improved response, or continued to shoot in black and white to use tone mapping methods.

 

Color film capable of directly recording high-dynamic-range images was developed by Charles Wyckoff and EG&G "in the course of a contract with the Department of the Air Force". This XR film had three emulsion layers, an upper layer having an ASA speed rating of 400, a middle layer with an intermediate rating, and a lower layer with an ASA rating of 0.004. The film was processed in a manner similar to color films, and each layer produced a different color. The dynamic range of this extended range film has been estimated as 1:108. It has been used to photograph nuclear explosions, for astronomical photography, for spectrographic research, and for medical imaging. Wyckoff's detailed pictures of nuclear explosions appeared on the cover of Life magazine in the mid-1950s.

 

Late 20th century

Georges Cornuéjols and licensees of his patents (Brdi, Hymatom) introduced the principle of HDR video image, in 1986, by interposing a matricial LCD screen in front of the camera's image sensor, increasing the sensors dynamic by five stops. The concept of neighborhood tone mapping was applied to video cameras by a group from the Technion in Israel led by Dr. Oliver Hilsenrath and Prof. Y.Y.Zeevi who filed for a patent on this concept in 1988.

 

In February and April 1990, Georges Cornuéjols introduced the first real-time HDR camera that combined two images captured by a sensor3435 or simultaneously3637 by two sensors of the camera. This process is known as bracketing used for a video stream.

 

In 1991, the first commercial video camera was introduced that performed real-time capturing of multiple images with different exposures, and producing an HDR video image, by Hymatom, licensee of Georges Cornuéjols.

 

Also in 1991, Georges Cornuéjols introduced the HDR+ image principle by non-linear accumulation of images to increase the sensitivity of the camera: for low-light environments, several successive images are accumulated, thus increasing the signal to noise ratio.

 

In 1993, another commercial medical camera producing an HDR video image, by the Technion.

 

Modern HDR imaging uses a completely different approach, based on making a high-dynamic-range luminance or light map using only global image operations (across the entire image), and then tone mapping the result. Global HDR was first introduced in 19931 resulting in a mathematical theory of differently exposed pictures of the same subject matter that was published in 1995 by Steve Mann and Rosalind Picard.

 

On October 28, 1998, Ben Sarao created one of the first nighttime HDR+G (High Dynamic Range + Graphic image)of STS-95 on the launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. It consisted of four film images of the shuttle at night that were digitally composited with additional digital graphic elements. The image was first exhibited at NASA Headquarters Great Hall, Washington DC in 1999 and then published in Hasselblad Forum, Issue 3 1993, Volume 35 ISSN 0282-5449.

 

The advent of consumer digital cameras produced a new demand for HDR imaging to improve the light response of digital camera sensors, which had a much smaller dynamic range than film. Steve Mann developed and patented the global-HDR method for producing digital images having extended dynamic range at the MIT Media Laboratory. Mann's method involved a two-step procedure: (1) generate one floating point image array by global-only image operations (operations that affect all pixels identically, without regard to their local neighborhoods); and then (2) convert this image array, using local neighborhood processing (tone-remapping, etc.), into an HDR image. The image array generated by the first step of Mann's process is called a lightspace image, lightspace picture, or radiance map. Another benefit of global-HDR imaging is that it provides access to the intermediate light or radiance map, which has been used for computer vision, and other image processing operations.

 

21st century

In 2005, Adobe Systems introduced several new features in Photoshop CS2 including Merge to HDR, 32 bit floating point image support, and HDR tone mapping.

 

On June 30, 2016, Microsoft added support for the digital compositing of HDR images to Windows 10 using the Universal Windows Platform.

 

HDR sensors

Modern CMOS image sensors can often capture a high dynamic range from a single exposure. The wide dynamic range of the captured image is non-linearly compressed into a smaller dynamic range electronic representation. However, with proper processing, the information from a single exposure can be used to create an HDR image.

 

Such HDR imaging is used in extreme dynamic range applications like welding or automotive work. Some other cameras designed for use in security applications can automatically provide two or more images for each frame, with changing exposure. For example, a sensor for 30fps video will give out 60fps with the odd frames at a short exposure time and the even frames at a longer exposure time. Some of the sensor may even combine the two images on-chip so that a wider dynamic range without in-pixel compression is directly available to the user for display or processing.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-dynamic-range_imaging

 

Infrared Photography

 

In infrared photography, the film or image sensor used is sensitive to infrared light. The part of the spectrum used is referred to as near-infrared to distinguish it from far-infrared, which is the domain of thermal imaging. Wavelengths used for photography range from about 700 nm to about 900 nm. Film is usually sensitive to visible light too, so an infrared-passing filter is used; this lets infrared (IR) light pass through to the camera, but blocks all or most of the visible light spectrum (the filter thus looks black or deep red). ("Infrared filter" may refer either to this type of filter or to one that blocks infrared but passes other wavelengths.)

 

When these filters are used together with infrared-sensitive film or sensors, "in-camera effects" can be obtained; false-color or black-and-white images with a dreamlike or sometimes lurid appearance known as the "Wood Effect," an effect mainly caused by foliage (such as tree leaves and grass) strongly reflecting in the same way visible light is reflected from snow. There is a small contribution from chlorophyll fluorescence, but this is marginal and is not the real cause of the brightness seen in infrared photographs. The effect is named after the infrared photography pioneer Robert W. Wood, and not after the material wood, which does not strongly reflect infrared.

 

The other attributes of infrared photographs include very dark skies and penetration of atmospheric haze, caused by reduced Rayleigh scattering and Mie scattering, respectively, compared to visible light. The dark skies, in turn, result in less infrared light in shadows and dark reflections of those skies from water, and clouds will stand out strongly. These wavelengths also penetrate a few millimeters into skin and give a milky look to portraits, although eyes often look black.

 

Until the early 20th century, infrared photography was not possible because silver halide emulsions are not sensitive to longer wavelengths than that of blue light (and to a lesser extent, green light) without the addition of a dye to act as a color sensitizer. The first infrared photographs (as distinct from spectrographs) to be published appeared in the February 1910 edition of The Century Magazine and in the October 1910 edition of the Royal Photographic Society Journal to illustrate papers by Robert W. Wood, who discovered the unusual effects that now bear his name. The RPS co-ordinated events to celebrate the centenary of this event in 2010. Wood's photographs were taken on experimental film that required very long exposures; thus, most of his work focused on landscapes. A further set of infrared landscapes taken by Wood in Italy in 1911 used plates provided for him by CEK Mees at Wratten & Wainwright. Mees also took a few infrared photographs in Portugal in 1910, which are now in the Kodak archives.

 

Infrared-sensitive photographic plates were developed in the United States during World War I for spectroscopic analysis, and infrared sensitizing dyes were investigated for improved haze penetration in aerial photography. After 1930, new emulsions from Kodak and other manufacturers became useful to infrared astronomy.

 

Infrared photography became popular with photography enthusiasts in the 1930s when suitable film was introduced commercially. The Times regularly published landscape and aerial photographs taken by their staff photographers using Ilford infrared film. By 1937 33 kinds of infrared film were available from five manufacturers including Agfa, Kodak and Ilford. Infrared movie film was also available and was used to create day-for-night effects in motion pictures, a notable example being the pseudo-night aerial sequences in the James Cagney/Bette Davis movie The Bride Came COD.

 

False-color infrared photography became widely practiced with the introduction of Kodak Ektachrome Infrared Aero Film and Ektachrome Infrared EIR. The first version of this, known as Kodacolor Aero-Reversal-Film, was developed by Clark and others at the Kodak for camouflage detection in the 1940s. The film became more widely available in 35mm form in the 1960s but KODAK AEROCHROME III Infrared Film 1443 has been discontinued.

 

Infrared photography became popular with a number of 1960s recording artists, because of the unusual results; Jimi Hendrix, Donovan, Frank and a slow shutter speed without focus compensation, however wider apertures like f/2.0 can produce sharp photos only if the lens is meticulously refocused to the infrared index mark, and only if this index mark is the correct one for the filter and film in use. However, it should be noted that diffraction effects inside a camera are greater at infrared wavelengths so that stopping down the lens too far may actually reduce sharpness.

 

Most apochromatic ('APO') lenses do not have an Infrared index mark and do not need to be refocused for the infrared spectrum because they are already optically corrected into the near-infrared spectrum. Catadioptric lenses do not often require this adjustment because their mirror containing elements do not suffer from chromatic aberration and so the overall aberration is comparably less. Catadioptric lenses do, of course, still contain lenses, and these lenses do still have a dispersive property.

 

Infrared black-and-white films require special development times but development is usually achieved with standard black-and-white film developers and chemicals (like D-76). Kodak HIE film has a polyester film base that is very stable but extremely easy to scratch, therefore special care must be used in the handling of Kodak HIE throughout the development and printing/scanning process to avoid damage to the film. The Kodak HIE film was sensitive to 900 nm.

 

As of November 2, 2007, "KODAK is preannouncing the discontinuance" of HIE Infrared 35 mm film stating the reasons that, "Demand for these products has been declining significantly in recent years, and it is no longer practical to continue to manufacture given the low volume, the age of the product formulations and the complexity of the processes involved." At the time of this notice, HIE Infrared 135-36 was available at a street price of around $12.00 a roll at US mail order outlets.

 

Arguably the greatest obstacle to infrared film photography has been the increasing difficulty of obtaining infrared-sensitive film. However, despite the discontinuance of HIE, other newer infrared sensitive emulsions from EFKE, ROLLEI, and ILFORD are still available, but these formulations have differing sensitivity and specifications from the venerable KODAK HIE that has been around for at least two decades. Some of these infrared films are available in 120 and larger formats as well as 35 mm, which adds flexibility to their application. With the discontinuance of Kodak HIE, Efke's IR820 film has become the only IR film on the marketneeds update with good sensitivity beyond 750 nm, the Rollei film does extend beyond 750 nm but IR sensitivity falls off very rapidly.

  

Color infrared transparency films have three sensitized layers that, because of the way the dyes are coupled to these layers, reproduce infrared as red, red as green, and green as blue. All three layers are sensitive to blue so the film must be used with a yellow filter, since this will block blue light but allow the remaining colors to reach the film. The health of foliage can be determined from the relative strengths of green and infrared light reflected; this shows in color infrared as a shift from red (healthy) towards magenta (unhealthy). Early color infrared films were developed in the older E-4 process, but Kodak later manufactured a color transparency film that could be developed in standard E-6 chemistry, although more accurate results were obtained by developing using the AR-5 process. In general, color infrared does not need to be refocused to the infrared index mark on the lens.

 

In 2007 Kodak announced that production of the 35 mm version of their color infrared film (Ektachrome Professional Infrared/EIR) would cease as there was insufficient demand. Since 2011, all formats of color infrared film have been discontinued. Specifically, Aerochrome 1443 and SO-734.

 

There is no currently available digital camera that will produce the same results as Kodak color infrared film although the equivalent images can be produced by taking two exposures, one infrared and the other full-color, and combining in post-production. The color images produced by digital still cameras using infrared-pass filters are not equivalent to those produced on color infrared film. The colors result from varying amounts of infrared passing through the color filters on the photo sites, further amended by the Bayer filtering. While this makes such images unsuitable for the kind of applications for which the film was used, such as remote sensing of plant health, the resulting color tonality has proved popular artistically.

 

Color digital infrared, as part of full spectrum photography is gaining popularity. The ease of creating a softly colored photo with infrared characteristics has found interest among hobbyists and professionals.

 

In 2008, Los Angeles photographer, Dean Bennici started cutting and hand rolling Aerochrome color Infrared film. All Aerochrome medium and large format which exists today came directly from his lab. The trend in infrared photography continues to gain momentum with the success of photographer Richard Mosse and multiple users all around the world.

 

Digital camera sensors are inherently sensitive to infrared light, which would interfere with the normal photography by confusing the autofocus calculations or softening the image (because infrared light is focused differently from visible light), or oversaturating the red channel. Also, some clothing is transparent in the infrared, leading to unintended (at least to the manufacturer) uses of video cameras. Thus, to improve image quality and protect privacy, many digital cameras employ infrared blockers. Depending on the subject matter, infrared photography may not be practical with these cameras because the exposure times become overly long, often in the range of 30 seconds, creating noise and motion blur in the final image. However, for some subject matter the long exposure does not matter or the motion blur effects actually add to the image. Some lenses will also show a 'hot spot' in the centre of the image as their coatings are optimised for visible light and not for IR.

 

An alternative method of DSLR infrared photography is to remove the infrared blocker in front of the sensor and replace it with a filter that removes visible light. This filter is behind the mirror, so the camera can be used normally - handheld, normal shutter speeds, normal composition through the viewfinder, and focus, all work like a normal camera. Metering works but is not always accurate because of the difference between visible and infrared refraction. When the IR blocker is removed, many lenses which did display a hotspot cease to do so, and become perfectly usable for infrared photography. Additionally, because the red, green and blue micro-filters remain and have transmissions not only in their respective color but also in the infrared, enhanced infrared color may be recorded.

 

Since the Bayer filters in most digital cameras absorb a significant fraction of the infrared light, these cameras are sometimes not very sensitive as infrared cameras and can sometimes produce false colors in the images. An alternative approach is to use a Foveon X3 sensor, which does not have absorptive filters on it; the Sigma SD10 DSLR has a removable IR blocking filter and dust protector, which can be simply omitted or replaced by a deep red or complete visible light blocking filter. The Sigma SD14 has an IR/UV blocking filter that can be removed/installed without tools. The result is a very sensitive digital IR camera.

 

While it is common to use a filter that blocks almost all visible light, the wavelength sensitivity of a digital camera without internal infrared blocking is such that a variety of artistic results can be obtained with more conventional filtration. For example, a very dark neutral density filter can be used (such as the Hoya ND400) which passes a very small amount of visible light compared to the near-infrared it allows through. Wider filtration permits an SLR viewfinder to be used and also passes more varied color information to the sensor without necessarily reducing the Wood effect. Wider filtration is however likely to reduce other infrared artefacts such as haze penetration and darkened skies. This technique mirrors the methods used by infrared film photographers where black-and-white infrared film was often used with a deep red filter rather than a visually opaque one.

 

Another common technique with near-infrared filters is to swap blue and red channels in software (e.g. photoshop) which retains much of the characteristic 'white foliage' while rendering skies a glorious blue.

 

Several Sony cameras had the so-called Night Shot facility, which physically moves the blocking filter away from the light path, which makes the cameras very sensitive to infrared light. Soon after its development, this facility was 'restricted' by Sony to make it difficult for people to take photos that saw through clothing. To do this the iris is opened fully and exposure duration is limited to long times of more than 1/30 second or so. It is possible to shoot infrared but neutral density filters must be used to reduce the camera's sensitivity and the long exposure times mean that care must be taken to avoid camera-shake artifacts.

 

Fuji have produced digital cameras for use in forensic criminology and medicine which have no infrared blocking filter. The first camera, designated the S3 PRO UVIR, also had extended ultraviolet sensitivity (digital sensors are usually less sensitive to UV than to IR). Optimum UV sensitivity requires special lenses, but ordinary lenses usually work well for IR. In 2007, FujiFilm introduced a new version of this camera, based on the Nikon D200/ FujiFilm S5 called the IS Pro, also able to take Nikon lenses. Fuji had earlier introduced a non-SLR infrared camera, the IS-1, a modified version of the FujiFilm FinePix S9100. Unlike the S3 PRO UVIR, the IS-1 does not offer UV sensitivity. FujiFilm restricts the sale of these cameras to professional users with their EULA specifically prohibiting "unethical photographic conduct".

 

Phase One digital camera backs can be ordered in an infrared modified form.

 

Remote sensing and thermographic cameras are sensitive to longer wavelengths of infrared (see Infrared spectrum#Commonly used sub-division scheme). They may be multispectral and use a variety of technologies which may not resemble common camera or filter designs. Cameras sensitive to longer infrared wavelengths including those used in infrared astronomy often require cooling to reduce thermally induced dark currents in the sensor (see Dark current (physics)). Lower cost uncooled thermographic digital cameras operate in the Long Wave infrared band (see Thermographic camera#Uncooled infrared detectors). These cameras are generally used for building inspection or preventative maintenance but can be used for artistic pursuits as well.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrared_photography

 

cof

Mount/Tripod Hardwares:

1 iOptron CEM60EC Mount with iPolar built-in

1 iOptron Tri-Pier

3 21lb Counterweights

2 ADM MAX Guider ALT/AZ Aiming Device

1 ADM CGX-SBS- Celestron CGX Side-By-Side Adapter

1 DSBS-18CB- D Series 18″ Connecting Bar

Cameras:

3 ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro Mono Camera (DSO Camera)

1 ZWO ASI174MM (solar/planetary camera)

1 Loadestar X2 Guide Camera

Telescopes:

1 Stellarvue Raptor 102mm Triplet Refractor Telescope

2 Stellarvue Access 102mm Doublet Refractor Telescope

1 Lunt 60mm DoubleStacked H-Alpha Solar Telescope

Accessories/Focusers/Filters etc..

1 ZWO OAG

3 Optec Lynx Focuser

3 Low profile filter slider from Teleskop-Express

Total Payload: 60lbs

With this device you can grill steaks at 500°C (932°F). The temperature of the heating elements is up to 700°C (1292°F).

I just discovered the joys of flavoured condoms - I love a strawberry flavoured dildo! With the chastity device fitted, it is the only erection I get to play with!

Our 24/7 Network Monitoring is one of the best ways to protect your IT assets and prevent a multitude of problems. For More Information Visit: www.smileit.com.au

Best if viewed large.

Alessandro Volta, in full Conte Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta, (born February 18, 1745, Como, Lombardy [Italy]—died March 5, 1827, Como), Italian physicist whose invention of the electric battery provided the first source of continuous current.

Volta became professor of physics at the Royal School of Como in 1774. In 1775 his interest in electricity led him to improve the electrophorus, a device used to generate static electricity. He discovered and isolated methane gas in 1776. Three years later he was appointed to the chair of physics at the University of Pavia.

In 1791 Volta’s friend Luigi Galvani announced that the contact of two different metals with the muscle of a frog resulted in the generation of an electric current. Galvani interpreted that as a new form of electricity found in living tissue, which he called “animal electricity.” Volta felt that the frog merely conducted a current that flowed between the two metals, which he called “metallic electricity.” He began experimenting in 1792 with metals alone. (He would detect the weak flow of electricity between disks of different metals by placing them on his tongue.) Volta found that animal tissue was not needed to produce a current. That provoked much controversy between the animal-electricity adherents and the metallic-electricity advocates, but, with his announcement of the first electric battery in 1800, victory was assured for Volta.

Known as the voltaic pile or the voltaic column, Volta’s battery consisted of alternating disks of zinc and silver (or copper and pewter) separated by paper or cloth soaked either in salt water or sodium hydroxide. A simple and reliable source of electric current that did not need to be recharged like the Leyden jar, his invention quickly led to a new wave of electrical experiments. Within six weeks of Volta’s announcement, English scientists William Nicholson and Anthony Carlisle used a voltaic pile to decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen, thus discovering electrolysis (how an electric current leads to a chemical reaction) and creating the field of electrochemistry.

  

Como, Latin Comum, city, Lombardia regione (region), northern Italy, rimmed by mountains at the extreme southwest end of Lake Como, north of Milan. As the ancient Comum, perhaps of Gallic origin, it was conquered by the Romans in 196 bc and became a Roman colony under Julius Caesar. It was made a bishopric in ad 379. In the 11th century, after struggles with the Lombards and the Franks, it became a free commune. Shortly thereafter (1127), however, it was destroyed by the Milanese for having sided with the emperor Frederick I Barbarossa in his conflict with the Lombard League (an alliance of northern Italian towns). Como made peace with Milan in 1183 and after 1335 fell under the rule of the Visconti family and the Sforzas of Milan. During that period its silk industry and wool trade played an important role in the Milanese economy. Later, the city, following the fortunes of Lombardy, came successively under Spanish, French, and Austrian rule, until it was liberated by the Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1859 and became part of the Italian kingdom.

 

www.britannica.com/place/Como-Italy

 

Sent from my Samsung device

DSC_0042 SOOC

 

For maximum effect, click the image, to go into the Lightbox, to view at the largest size; or, perhaps, by clicking the expansion arrows at top right of the page for a Full Screen view.

Don't use or reproduce this image on Websites/Blog or any other media without my explicit permission.

© All Rights Reserved - Jim Goodyear 2017.

This is a USB device looking like a Canon 5D camera! Looks fun!

 

Photo by: Rouben Dickranian

I believe this device is an optical instrument to attempt to locate the flash from Allied artillery batteries. The goal of protecting infantry from the devastating effect of artillery fire led to many technological advances in the Great War. Once recorded the flash points could be located through a number of different methods, and the battery in question could be fired upon. I believe they were called Mastfernrohr.

From the underground steel cage fight matches at Silent Sam's, Ben 10 prepares for combat!

 

Character Biography

 

Benjamin Kirby "Ben" Tennyson is the titular main protagonist of the Ben 10 franchise. He was an ordinary 10-year-old boy until he found the Omnitrix, a powerful watch-like device that allowed him to turn into 10 different aliens.

 

Though initially immature and clumsy, Ben grew to be a true hero. By the time he was 16, he had become famous in not only his hometown of Bellwood but on Earth and beyond. Ben has also been deputized by the Plumbers and has gained more aliens as time progressed.

 

Appearance

 

Ben's physical appearance has changed throughout the series from a 10-year-old to a 16-year-old. However, he retains some recurring characteristics. He has brown hair, green eyes, fair skin, and he is quite skinny for his age, though he shows a lot of muscle definition due to being athletic.

 

Regular Appearances

 

In the Omniverse flashbacks in which he was five years old, Ben wore green overalls with a white shirt underneath it. White numbers saying "5 1/2" were on a black square in front of his overalls.

 

In the Original Series and Omniverse flashbacks, Ben's usual clothes consisted of a black-striped, white shirt with short sleeves, military green cargo pants with side pockets with a black belt hidden under his shirt, and black and white sneakers with black stripes. Ben wore the original Omnitrix on his left wrist.

 

In Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, Ben wore a black short-sleeved T-shirt, blue jeans, and a green jacket with white stripes on his left sleeve and the number 10 on the right, white socks, and black and white Converse-style shoes. His hair is also shorter than it was when he was 10/11 years old. Ben wore the reconfigured original Omnitrix in Alien Force and the Ultimatrix in Ultimate Alien on his left wrist.

 

In Omniverse, Ben wears a black shirt that has a green stripe in the middle with a white 10 and green stripes on the sides of his shirt. He wears brown cargo pants with pockets at the knees with a brown belt hidden under the shirt and green and white shoes. He has also grown out his hair. He wears the Omnitrix on his left wrist.

 

During water-based activities in the Original Series, he wore a blue swimsuit in The Krakken and A Small Problem and a red and yellow swimsuit in Divided We Stand and Big Fat Alien Wedding.

 

In a daydream in The Galactic Enforcers, Ultra Ben looked like Ben with a stereotypical superhero costume in a grey, black and white color scheme.

 

In Back With a Vengeance, he wore a yellow raincoat while touring Niagara Falls on a ship.

 

In A Change of Face, he wore a pilgrim outfit.

 

In Merry Christmas, while cursed as an elf, he had pointy ears, and his eyes were fully green.

 

In Game Over, while inside Sumo Slammer Smackdown, he wore brownish-green armor and had longer hair, tied in a ponytail.

 

In The Unnaturals, he wore a blue baseball shirt with the letter "C" at the front and number 23 at the back, white shorts, blue and yellow socks, blue and white shoes, and a blue baseball helmet. Before the baseball game and after he battled the Squires and Coach Finn, he wore a blue and yellow baseball cap with the letter "C" in the middle.

 

In Secret of the Omnitrix, he wore light blue pajamas. Later in the movie, he wore a pale blue spacesuit with white stripes on the sleeves and thighs, along with a white helmet with pale blue stripes.

 

In a dream in Perfect Day, Ultra Ben wore frameless blue goggles with horn-like extensions, a cyan shirt and white pants. He also donned a white cape.

 

In Big Fat Alien Wedding, during the wedding ceremony, he wore a purple tuxedo with a red bow tie and white polo shirt.

 

In Ben 10 vs. Negative 10: Part 2, he temporarily wore a visor in the Mt. Rushmore Plumber base.

 

In Ben 10 Returns: Part 1 and War of the Worlds: Part 1, Ben's soccer clothes consisted of the T-shirt he wore as a 10/11-year-old but with the number 10 at the back, a long-sleeved green undershirt, green shorts, gray gloves with black stripes, and knee-high socks.

 

In a flashback in Ben 10 Returns: Part 2, Young Ben wore his T-shirt from the Original Series and shoes from Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, along with military green shorts, white socks, and a bluish grey bicycle helmet.

 

In What Are Little Girls Made Of? and In Charm's Way, he wore green trunks.

 

In Save the Last Dance, he wore a white bicycle helmet.

 

In Birds of a Feather, when on the Moon, he wore an orange spacesuit with four arms.

 

In Alien Swarm, he briefly wore a dark grey hoodie. While riding Max's motorcycle, he wore a black helmet.

 

In The Final Battle: Part 1, when held captive by Kraab, he wore an orange cuff.

 

In Duped, The Perfect Girlfriend and Of Predators and Prey: Part 1, Ben briefly wore 3D glasses. In Duped, along with the glasses, he also wore a black wig in the style of a bun.

 

In Ultimate Alien, Ben wore a standard Plumber suit during a few of his off-world excursions.

 

In Video Games, he wore a blue full-body motion capture suit with white balls on it.

 

In Fused, Revenge of the Swarm, and Night of the Living Nightmare, Ben's sleeping clothes consisted of his usual black T-shirt and white shorts.

 

In Basic Training, while at the barracks in the Plumbers' Academy, he wore an olive tank top and black shorts.

 

In Inspector #13, he wore a green T-shirt and black shorts.

 

In Catch a Falling Star, he wore a white cast around his right arm.

 

In The Ultimate Enemy: Part 2, he wore full-body armor while wielding Ascalon.

 

In Omniverse, Ben sometimes wears a white hooded jacket with green stripes on both arms and a green number 10 on the right side.

 

In Omniverse, while riding the Tenn-Speed, Ben wears a white helmet with the number 10 on it, a green visor, a short-sleeved black T-shirt, long white pants and a belt with the number 10 on it.

 

In Malefactor, 11-year-old Ben wore a Psycholeopterran-proof visor.

 

In Arrested Development, 11-year-old Ben's gym clothes consisted of a white T-shirt with a red outline, and red shorts with a vertical white line.

 

In Bros in Space, he wore a ceremonial female Revonnahgander outfit.

 

In Special Delivery, while working for Mr. Baumann, he wore a pink and white cap and a pink apron with a black 'B' on it.

 

In From Hedorium to Eternity, 11-year-old Ben's pajamas consisted of a green T-shirt with a white "10" on it, as well as white shorts.

 

In The Most Dangerous Game Show, Ben wore a crown bestowed upon him by Charles Zenith.

 

Personality

 

“You think I don't know? When it's hero time, if I mess up, somebody could die. From what you told me, if we mess up this time, everybody could die... Maybe that's too much to have in your head when you have to win. Maybe if I pretend everything is a big joke, when the time comes, I'll be able to do what I have to do.”

– 10-year-old Ben to 17-year-old Kevin asking him to be serious.

 

Initially cocky, childish, and selfish, Ben's immaturity and attention-seeking behavior often led him to joke around, regardless of the situation, which landed him in trouble with adults. When he was 10 years old, he often used the Omnitrix improperly in order to benefit himself instead of actually helping others, such as using Grey Matter to search cereal boxes for a gold Sumo Slammer card.

 

His allies often criticized his attitude, unaware of the fact that he used humor to mask his fears. It was also implied that, on some level, Ben helped people to get rewards and for the thrill of being a hero, rather than because it was the right thing to do.

 

Despite some childish attitude, Ben was heroic, caring and generally good-natured, always willing to save others at any time even at the risk of himself. In spite of this good nature, heroism, and his moments of maturity, Ben could occasionally get carried away when it came to fame and recognition.

 

This led him to act rather arrogantly and recklessly, and occasionally made dire mistakes and alienated his loved ones. However, he was quick to realize his mistakes and is quick to take responsibility and knew not to take things too far.

 

Over the years, Ben has displayed good leadership skills, as well as the ability to adapt his attitude to a situation, becoming serious when it's called for. He became more mature, responsible and sensible. He continues to be kind-hearted and willing to lay down his own life for others, such as when he attempted to sacrifice himself to set the sentient Ultimate Forms free from the Ultimatrix.

 

His idealistic views and unwillingness to compromise his values – aspects condemned by Azmuth, yet commended by others – sometimes drive him to act against reason, such as helping his enemies if they need it (most remarkably Vilgax).

 

Professor Paradox has praised Ben's good nature, going so far as to say he had the gift to make the right choices at the right moments, and even Azmuth himself states that Ben ultimately always does the right thing.

 

Also, Ben doesn't give up and wouldn't let anyone stop him from doing what's right for those in need, especially his family, friends and mentors, or to bring enemies down, even when he once got a broken arm.

 

However, even as a teen, Ben still displays some of his negative childish traits at times, which usually comes to light when Ben gets too caught up with fame.

 

Ben also has a violent, aggressive side: when Ben fails to save someone, is worried about the well-being his loved ones, or if people get hurt because of his failure, he becomes angry and lashes out, even at people he cares about.

 

Perhaps the most notable of these instances is when Kevin willingly mutated himself to stop Aggregor, Ben was determined to kill Kevin, even fighting Gwen when she refused to help him.

 

During the episode, Ben confessed to Max that he felt guilty for letting fame get into his head and claimed that he was trying to act more mature for once. He also threatened to hunt down and destroy the Forever Knights if Driscoll did not promise to cease hunting down aliens.

 

Ben has experienced trust issues, when it comes to automatically trusting everybody and teaming up with people whose true colours are later revealed and turns against the team.

 

Though often perceived as unintelligent because of his immaturity and constant joking, Ben is cunning and resourceful when needed, quickly adapting when the Omnitrix doesn't provide him with the alien he wanted. He has once admitted that people assume he's not paying attention, but he actually is.

 

In Omniverse, Ben started thinking of himself as more of a superhero than a Plumber, often remarking that he's not a cop, but a superhero.

 

Powers and Abilities - Street Fighting Proficiency

 

Ben is a fairly proficient fighter, even as a human, being able to hold his own against Pierce.

 

Although he mainly employs a loose street fighting style, he also knows martial arts, having been trained in savate and karate by Gwen, and Marquess of Queensbury boxing.

 

On top of that, he has gained practical experience from years of fighting aliens. He copied a lot of his fighting moves from Kangaroo Commando.

 

Ben has also received basic Plumber training, having succeeded in the Plumbers' Academy with a 95 out of a 100.

 

Ben has good reflexes, being able to easily dodge shots from Manny's blasters before disarming him while in human form, dodge Sunder's axe attacks, Zed's lunges, and a laser blast from Tummyhead.

 

Ben has an extraordinarily sharp memory, as he was perfectly capable of remembering and writing down the mystic rune-like symbols for entering the inter-dimensional realm of Legerdomain with just one glance from a distance. This is even more true for things that interest him.

 

Ben is surprisingly a natural at hoverboard-based combat, which generally requires intensive training and the use of holographic simulators. Relatedly, he is also good at snowboarding.

 

Ben has shown himself to be quite proficient in using weaponry, such as a DNA Repair Gun and Ascalon.

 

Ben is proficient at driving, having been taught by Max. For example, he was able to swerve out of the way at the last second to avoid coming into contact with Eunice's crashing pod.

 

Ben has impressive piloting skills, as shown when, at 10 years old, he could adequately control a gyropod (a small ship designed for alien pilots) within seconds of testing, and at 16 years old, could pilot the Rustbucket 3. He gets this skill from a combination of playing video games and tap lessons Sandra made him take, though he would never admit it. Despite this, Kevin is considered to be a better pilot than Ben.

 

Ben is proficient at baseball.

 

Ben is proficient at soccer, serving as a goalie for his high school team. In fact, he was the first freshman start as goalie on his school's team.

 

Ben is a decent musician, as he knew a variety of electric guitar techniques like shredding, hammer-ons, and pinch harmonics, and on drums, was able to keep up with a professional rock band.

 

It is evident that Ben is smart in some respects, possessing an above-average to high intelligence and maintaining a B+ average at school. Gwen even stated that he really is not working up to his potential at school.

 

Equipment - Omnitrix

 

“"You are...one of us?"

"I'm one of everybody."”

– A Necrofriggian Guard and Big Chill.

 

Ben is the wielder of the Omnitrix (formerly the Ultimatrix and first Omnitrix), which gives him the power to modify his own genetic code in order to turn into various alien creatures. Traditionally, he could only transform into ten aliens at the beginning of both the Original Series and Alien Force, but he later gained additional forms by either unlocking them or by scanning the DNA of aliens he met.

 

When transforming into an alien, Ben gets all the creature's features, including its appearance, voice, all of its unique and special abilities and powers, strengths and weaknesses. Though he mostly retains his personality, there are some cases where the transformation causes a change in it, like with Rath and Juryrigg.

 

Though he usually uses his alien forms to fight, he can impersonate aliens as he did with Waterhazard to convince P'Andor to go home, though he was only successful at getting P'Andor to believe he was Bivalvan.

 

In addition to transforming into aliens, the Ultimatrix included what is referred as an "evolutionary function", that allowed Ben to evolve his alien forms, referred to as Ultimate Forms.

 

In addition to the primary transformations and evolutionary function, the Omnitrices and Ultimatrix can both be used for various purposes. Both have a built-in Universal Translator that allows Ben to communicate with most aliens that do not speak English.

 

The original Omnitrix displayed the ability to manipulate and repair genetic damage, a function he used to cure DNAliens and save the Highbreed from extinction. Azmuth also mentioned that Ben could use the original Omnitrix to bring back to life any species stored on Primus.

 

The current Omnitrix also has a failsafe to help prevent Ben from dying.

 

Ben formerly owned an X321 hoverboard, given to him by Tetrax. It was destroyed when it fell into a vat of nuclear waste. Tetrax gave him a second hoverboard which was later destroyed by Khyber. The second hoverboard was later either rebuilt or replaced.

 

Plumber Badge

 

Ben has a Plumber suit, allowing him to survive in unsuitable environments. Kevin modified his suit by installing a propulsion unit and neuroshock pulsers.

 

As a Galactic Enforcer, Ben had a badge which allowed him to activate some features from the team's ship remotely.

 

Ben formerly had a hazmat suit, given to him by Max. The suit protected him from the effects of Corrodium and allowed him to survive in space.

 

Ben temporarily wore a spacesuit, given to him by Tetrax, which allowed him to survive in space.

 

Ben temporarily used an ID Mask to disguise himself as a DNAlien to navigate a Highbreed ship.

 

Ben temporarily drove Kevin's car when Kevin had been aged into an old man by the Time Monster.

 

Ben formerly wielded a DNA Repair Gun, which he used to revert the DNAliens back to human. Simian later sold it to the Incurseans.

 

Ben temporarily used Max's motorcycle during Alien Swarm.

 

Ben formerly owned the Mark 10, given to him as a birthday gift by Kevin. The car is now owned by Sandra.

 

Ben temporarily wielded Ascalon, which also covered him in armor.

 

Ben, as Juryrigg, created the Tenn-Speed from parts of the destroyed Proto-TRUK. It was later damaged by Ben off-screen prior to Let's Do the Time War Again, and its parts were used by Ben 10,000 as Uprigg to create the Time Cycles. Both Time Cycles were destroyed when Ben and Rook crash-landed onto the Contumelia Ship.

 

When in Sumo Slammer Smackdown, he had access to a sword.

 

Weaknesses - Coulrophobia

 

Ben appears to have a short attention span and very little patience at times. More often than not, it can get him into trouble, such as not reading the directions when trapped in Sumo Slammer Smackdown.

 

Though he has matured substantially since receiving the original Omnitrix, he is still a teenager with much to learn and is prone to irrational impulses and recklessness.

 

Ben has coulrophobia (i.e. a fear of clowns), which was indirectly caused by Max.

 

Ben is vulnerable to the cold virus.

 

Ben is vulnerable to hypnosis.

 

Ben is not immune to Corrodium and will be mutated when exposed to this mineral unless he either wears special protection or transforms into an alien.

 

Ben can be rendered unconscious by sedative quills, such as those generated by Argit's species.

 

Ben has an allergy to peanuts.

 

Ben can experience pain from electricity, such as that generated by a Nosedeenian, Phil as a Terroranchula, a Conductoid or a Cerebrocrustacean.

 

Ben's worst fear is that of peacocks.

 

Ben's worst subject is Physics.

 

Whenever the Omnitrix times out, Ben is left powerless until he either dodges or switches to a new alien form. In addition to gaining the selected alien's powers and strengths, he gains its weaknesses.

 

Whenever Ben unlocks a new alien form, he is at a disadvantage of not knowing its abilities and weaknesses until he gains experience with using that alien. However, this was not an issue when he wielded the recalibrated original Omnitrix, as the device granted him full understanding of the aliens' powers.

 

Despite his experience in using the Omnitrices and Ultimatrix, Ben still does not know every function of them. Due to his inquisitive nature and impatience, he has accidentally unlocked new functions such as the Master Control and the randomizer, which can at times do more harm than good.

 

Though the current Omnitrix is designed to work only for him, Ben still has not mastered it. According to Azmuth, Ben may get the Master Control on his 18th birthday.

 

The current Omnitrix does not actually mistransform, but rather it is due to Ben hitting the Omnitrix too hard, thereby causing the time-out function to select another alien at random.

 

At times, the natural biological behavior of certain aliens can override Ben's behavior, such as Big Chill's reproductive phase or Swampfire's blossoming process.

 

Any illness Ben is experiencing in his human form will affect his alien forms.

 

Family

 

Ben has stated that he loves and cares about his mom and dad, and that they're good parents and raised him well enough to become the person he is today.

 

Ken Tennyson

 

Ben looked up to Ken as a role model, and Ben practically "worshipped" Ken when he was 10. Ken took Ben to his first soccer practice.

 

Gwen Tennyson

 

In the Original Series, Ben's relationship with Max seemed to be that of a father and son, because the majority of the series took place in the summer and Max was the only guardian available. When he was seriously injured in The Alliance, Ben went full strength with Four Arms and brutally destroyed Vilgax's Mechadroids as they were the catalyst for his injury. His relationship with his grandfather has not changed much at all during Alien Force, Ultimate Alien, and Omniverse.

 

In Ben 10 Returns: Part 1, he yelled at Gwen when she jokingly wondered how Max's cooking hadn't killed him, as he was worried about where he was.

 

Lucy Mann

 

Ben and Lucy get along quite well in both the Original Series and Omniverse, though Ben was nervous about dancing with her in Big Fat Alien Wedding. During the Omniverse flashbacks, he was shown to enjoy her company, which she reciprocated.

 

Allies

 

Azmuth

 

Ben's initial thoughts of Azmuth before meeting him were never stated, but he did find it to be somewhat surprising that he was a Galvan. After meeting him, he thought of him as a jerk who cared about no one but himself. However, his perception of him changed when Azmuth fixed the Omnitrix.

 

Five years prior to Omniverse, Ben and Azmuth interacted more frequently after the latter's reintegration into Galvan society. Ben was disgusted towards Azmuth's refusal to correct Malware, but they still respected and assisted each other. In a flashback in Showdown: Part 1, Azmuth warned Ben to not overuse Feedback, but Ben did not heed his warning and Feedback was lost from the Omnitrix after a fight with Malware. and during a flashback in Showdown: Part 2, Azmuth offered Ben advice and comfort after he lost Feedback.

 

In Alien Force, Ben respected Azmuth as the creator of the Omnitrix, though he was willing to go against his orders when he deemed it necessary, such as when he refused to stay out of the final battle against the Highbreed. In Vengeance of Vilgax: Part 2, Ben lost Azmuth's trust after hacking the Omnitrix.

 

Professor Paradox

 

Ben first met Professor Paradox in Paradox to stop a Trans-Dimensional Creature. Professor Paradox claimed he would help Ben save the "whole entire universe".

 

Paradox puts great faith in Ben, even stating to Azmuth that he was destined for greatness.

 

Jimmy Jones

 

Jimmy revealed Ben's identity to the public on Earth by linking alien sightings along with the intergalactic peace symbol all on their chests matching that of a picture of Ben ready to activate the Omnitrix and leaking it to his own personal website.

 

In Ultimate Alien, Ben considered him a reliable source of information. However, in Omniverse, Ben is shown to be very skeptical and dismissive of Jimmy's claims and theories.

 

Skurd

 

Initially, Ben and Skurd had a strenuous relationship, with Ben finding Skurd's snark to be annoying and Skurd finding Ben to be nothing more than a "free lunch". During their tenure together, they would frequently bicker. However, over time, the two grew closer, with both saying they owed the other their life. Ben 10,000, upon seeing Skurd for the first time in years, recalled fond memories.

 

Romantic

 

Elena Valadis

 

Elena Valadis is one of the Plumbers' kids and a former member of Ben's soccer team. Ben met Elena when he was 13 and had to convince his soccer teammates to let her join. She appeared in the live-action film Ben 10: Alien Swarm.

 

Elena also appeared in Revenge of the Swarm, where she served as the Queen of the Hive. Victor Valadis attacked Ben at night, so the trio went to her to find whether she knew anything about the Microchips.

 

Later, when Ben mentioned Julie, it made her angry and jealous, and she kidnapped her in order to keep Ben all to herself. They almost kissed, but her plan was revealed to Ben, and he saved Julie. Elena, being possessed by the Hive Queen, encountered Armodrillo and choked him with the Microchips.

 

However, she was convinced by Julie to not to do so. She willingly sacrificed herself in order save Ben, proving how much she liked him and that there was still the Elena that cared for him. Ben became sorry for her, understanding how much she had liked him. At the end of the episode, the Microchips reformed, revealing she was still alive.

 

Elena appeared in The Perfect Girlfriend disguised as Julie. As Julie, she tried to do everything to make Ben happy. Once Ben found out Julie was Elena, he tried to reason with her, but when the real Julie turned up, he ended up fighting her as Ultimate Echo Echo, during which she choked him with the Microchips again. Julie told Elena that if she killed him, then no one could have him. At the end of the episode, Elena retreated into the sewer, "knowing what hate feels like" indicating that she now had a hatred for Ben and promised to return.

 

Eunice

 

The Unitrix's pod was discovered in the forest at the same time Ben's team was driving for a camping trip. After encountering her, she stayed with them for the day, bonding with Ben (who had recently broken up with Julie).

 

The two of them were soon attacked by Sunder, who shut Eunice down and attempted to get away before Gwen and Kevin stopped him as Kevin restarted the Unitrix again. While the four of them scuffled with Sunder that led to a muddy area, Azmuth arrived, broke up the fight, and cleared things up. Following a brief argument, Ben allowed Azmuth, under a compromise, to take on Eunice as one of his assistants on Primus.

 

Emily

 

Emily briefly dated Ben, but the reason they broke up was that Ben went "hero" and left Emily on a 200-foot-tall watchtower, causing Emily to get angry at Ben.

 

Ester

 

When Ester first met Ben in Hot Stretch, they fought for the fusion device. When she realized the other Kraaho were doing evil things, she joined Ben's team. She introduced him to her friends, and they played an alien version of hockey.

 

Ben turned into Waterhazard and splashed everyone with water to cool them down, even when Ester told him not to. He then brought her a towel, and she blushed as he gazed at her.

 

She turned the water floating around him into snowflakes and ran off laughing. Rook told Ben she liked him. When she became the chief, she hugged Ben and told him she and her kind would be good neighbors. Later Ester's friends called Ben her boyfriend, and Ben at first denied it, but then excitedly asked Rook if he had a chance with her.

 

In Rules of Engagement, Ben offered to help clean up the Hot Spot with her. She excitedly agreed, wrapping her arms around his arm. She also stated that she is fond of Mr. Smoothy.

 

Sometime before Return to Forever, they went on a movie date.

 

In Catfight, Ester was in a double date with Ben, Rook, and Rayona. Later in the episode, she hugged Ben, and the two ran off to watch Sumo Slammers 6 3D again.

 

In Fight at the Museum, Ester invited Ben to the Bellwood Museum for a date, but Ben, not knowing it was a date, brought Rook since Rook enjoys museums. Ester was shown to be horrified when she heard that Ben and Kai end up together in the future Spanner comes from, while Ben himself stated there was no way that was going to happen.

 

Later in The Most Dangerous Game Show, feeling that Ben really was destined to be with Kai, Ester decided to let go of him. While trying to talk to Ben, who she couldn't get in contact with, Ester ultimately fell in love with Antonio. Eventually, Ester made her feelings known to Ben, breaking up on good terms, even stating she still liked him while remaining friends.

 

Empress Attea

 

In The Frogs of War: Part 2, Bullfrag infiltrated Attea's team and from the moment she saw him, Attea had a crush on him. When they met in the cell block of Plumber Headquarters, Bullfrag came up to her and started flirting, taking note that his new form showed her in a whole new light. Attea was a bit flustered, but started flirting back, only to be knocked out by a mana blast by Gwen. Bullfrag blamed his crush on Attea on his Incursean DNA.

 

At the end of the episode, when leaving Earth, she gave Ben the offer to come with her and "Ditch that monkey face and turn into Bullfrag again". He promptly declined. Attea gave him a kiss to the back of his head with her long tongue, winked, and took off.

 

She later decided that Ben was her only option for a mate in Catfight. However, Ben later convinced her that she was capable of ruling on her own.

 

Drew Saturday

 

In T.G.I.S., Ben gained a crush on Drew Saturday the minute he saw her. She responded to Ben saying, "right back at ya". When Doc told Ben, Rook, Zak, and Fisk that Dr. Animo and his Chupacabra army were attacking Mr. Baumann's store, Drew offered to stay behind to look after the petrified Gilford Bromley.

 

Ben, though, suggested that Rook stay behind, and Drew come with him, telling them that they might need her medical expertise. Later, when Ben, Rook, Zak, and Fisk arrived at the airship to stop V.V. Argost and his army of cryptids, Doc and Drew revealed themselves and told them that they escaped moments before Argost showed up. Ben then instantly told Drew that he was happy that she was okay, causing Zak to remind him that Doc was okay too. At the end of the episode, Ben told Zak how it was a pleasure to work with him and his mom. He then took a photo with Zak, Doc, Drew, and Fisk as Four Arms.

 

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A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.

 

Ben 10

Sumo Slammers

Ben 10

2006, Bandai

  

Explosive - Scripts and Animations, High Quality Bento Animations, available in Full Perm and Standard versoion. Visit the store and watch live Animations: Walking, Combat, Emotive. Sitting, Lying, Dancing, Couple, Sport and Other. Some animations have built-in avatar physics. Scripts and Pose Stand are also available in the store, to inspire your photos. Reach for joy with Explosive Animations

 

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This image shows the back of the fighter, including the cloaking device.

Kuat Drive Yards' TX-37 I-Wing Starfighter was a uniquely shaped spy craft during the reign of the Empire. Its' slim shape and dark coloration made it difficult to blast in dogfights, and in the event of a serious hit, the swiveling cockpit could detach as an escape pod. Perhaps the most famous I-Wing pilot was the notorious Alterf Skendiv, whose various missions contributed to the Imperial takeover of hundreds of planets. Alterf's personal I-Wing went through numerous modifications, including the addition of a Stygium crystal cloaking device. Sadly, Skendiv's trusty vessel was destroyed in an asteroid collision, but it's rumored that Alterf survived by ejecting in his escape pod.

 

This ship is my entry into the FBTB Alphabet Fighters contest . I'm up against "B'ob" (AKA the incredible Simply Complex Simplicity) for this round!

Matched to Denon 103 & a Sonic Masterpiece.

The default colour is PURPLE. Why? I don't know. But many people paint their Alphasmart devices, so I thought I'd give it a go with my Dana.

 

So, for $25 - $40 and postage, instead of buying a laptop, you can get an Alphasmart Dana or Neo or Neo 2 used on Ebay.

 

Alphasmarts are basically a portable, battery operated word processor.

 

The Dana has a larger screen, and runs on the old Palm OS, which means it can run a number of basic apps. However, you'd only really use any of the Alphasmarts for word processing these days.

 

It gives you room for approximately 80,000 words in memory, I think, and you can simultaneously have 8 documents open, toggling between them with the F1 to F8 keys. The Dana allows two 1 GB SD cards to insert in the back, so you can save your files - because whenever the battery goes completely flat, all in-system memory in cleared.

 

The Dana gives you 25 typing hours of battery life, with rechargeable batteries. So, not 25 hours lying around, but actual typing on the screen.

 

The screen isn't the greatest when indoors - it's an old type of screen, like that found in pocket calculators. The Neo 2 is easier to read, because the Dana has a touch-screen panel in front of the text screen, which makes it a bit glary and shiny, and the text is a bit muted.

 

The fantastic thing about the screen, though, is that in bright lighting or when outdoors, the screen is very, very readable. On a sunny day, the screen is very crisp and the text is fantastic! Compare that to my Ipad or gloss-screen laptop, where it's hard to even make out the screen on a sunny day, let alone read the text...

 

The Neo 2 which I am getting next, has a much smaller screen, no SD cards, and doesn't have the touch-screen Palm OS, but the text is easier to read when indoors compared with the Dana. In return, the Neo 2 Alphasmart can run for 700 hours on just 3 x AA batteries.

 

Yes, that's right: 700 hours of use! That's 70 x longer than a typical Ipad before needing the batteries to be changed.

 

Of course, all it does is word processing - but for writers, journallers, and so forth, it is rugged, super cheap, forget-about-having-to-check-battery-level-for-months, and so on.

 

To transfer your typing to a computer, you just plug the Dana or Neo 2 into the PC or Mac using a USB cable. Open a word processing program like Notepad or Microsoft Word on the PC, and press Send on the Dana / Neo 2.

 

The Alphasmart device will then 'auto type' your document from your Alphasmart onto the page on your computer, transferring it. It's kind of like printing out a document, but text is being sent to your word processor's page on your computer screen.

 

You can even plug it into an Ipad, and Send the text of your documents into any text IOS apps: just get the Camera Adapter for the Ipad, and instead of plugging a camera USB cable into the adapter, plug an unpowered USB Hub into it. Then plug your DANA or NEO into the USB Hub, and it is detected as an external keyboard! Now if you bring up something like Notes on the Ipad, and click Send, it will type your Alphasmart document onto your IOS device for you!

 

This is neat, because if you use auto-replacement features in programs like Word, you can set up auto-formatting, corrections, and so forth, as the transfer takes place onto your computer.

 

While writing, I typically transfer pages into Word, save it as a DocX file, then use Calibre to convert it to a Mobi, and I can put it onto my Kindle. Then I have all my current material, plotting, character design, planning notes, etc, referrable on my Kindle, while I continue writing on the Alphasmart.

Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device

Printer's device of Johann Faber (d. 1542).

 

[Pitts identifies it as the device of Christian Egenolff (1502-1555) here, however, Faber printed this book and the monogram at bottom right looks like IFE (for Iohannes Faber Emmeus, as he was wont to call himself).]

 

Penn Libraries call number: GC5 F1125 529s

New application Camera & Gallery > PocketPix for Android.

 

PocketPix allows you to reduce the size of all the photos on your mobile by up to 90X - the idea is to never have to delete photos from your device again. Really.

 

Of course we'd be very happy for you to take a look, have a play with the app, and maybe, let us know what you think.

 

play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ices.pocketpix

This device was used for a few years for skid training. It raised or lowered the wheels of the ambulance and reduced traction at front, rear or side - or all at once! No longer restricted to a skid pan, the service could train on large spaces such as airfields.

 

Leyland DAF Customline - this was the time of transition between the V8 petrol and the puny Diesel!

Chippenham

Everyone has a right to access our public lands, but few of Glacier's trails were created with accessibility in mind.

 

A first step to addressing limits to accessibility is to identify them.

 

Glacier and the National Park Service are using tools—like the orange, one-wheeled device a ranger is pictured here using—to evaluate trails in the park using the High Efficiency Trail Assessment Process (HETAP).

 

HETAP identifies trail variables: grade, cross-slope, trail width, surface material, and more.

 

This data allows park managers to prioritize future trail improvements, and allow visitors in the future to make more informed decisions.

This square metal thing is used to hold up the sides of trenches when installing storm drains.

AI Generated Image