These York Carriage Works built units date back forty years having been built between 1984 and 1987. I don't know a great deal about their continued life expectancy but I can't help thinking that their time is numbered. As far as I am aware they have proved themselves to be reliable. I even found a note online that mentioned one of the class having clocked over 2 million miles by 2013. Extrapolating that figure would give a milage approaching the 3 million mark.

The title is only broadly related to the picture.

I remember reading a comment on one of my photos which stated "I like your style". Now, first of all I have to apologize to commentator since I can't remember who wrote it and under which picture.

But then, back to the point, my reaction was to ask myself: " What is my style? I don't think I have one!"

And I am still puzzled about whether there is a common thread linking my photos one to another. I basically like to shoot to everything that attracts my attention, like a curious kid. I don't like planning in advance and yet I know that before 'clicking' my mind is quickly processing different variables, meaning I have a plan, after all.

If I had to choose a subject I like more than others, I believe I would be able to find one. But at the same time I realize I am fascinated by the extrapolation of a detail from the general picture. Usually I hope to offer if not a new one at least a different, an unusual point of view. I suspect I seldom succeed in this peculiar task, but I keep trying nonetheless :)

Funny how you see things in an environment that you have passed by many times and not even considered to be there. Its happened to me recently, where I've managed to squeeze a new perspective out of a familiar place. Its almost like the more you look the more you see, but paradoxically the more you see, makes it harder to see anything. And or make the choices harder. (Am I making any sense?)

It’s a greater challenge to attempt a new perspective on a similar place, than to go to a new (photogenic location), because it forces you to push your creativity into new areas, ironically taking you out of your comfort zone. We learn most from our challenges!

It’s a little bit like life, when your 21 you really believe that you have the world sorted. And as you get older you realise that what you thought when you were 21 is in fact naive and that life is ‘a lot’ more complex than that. So extrapolating this what I'm writing now, what I'm producing photographically now, is indeed off its time and I shall develop (hopefully in the positive direction). So those locations visited many times will keep being productive ‘if’ i keep developing.

Anyway getting to the synthesis here, I feel that only a few months ago I wouldn’t have seen this shot, something has inspired me, challenged me to explore this composition. I will give credit to many of you out there in flickr land because some of you guys have both inspired and challenged my thoughts. Cheers guys!

Composing a shot, forces you to select only a small part of an environment, which you choose to present. And this shot to me particularly demonstrates that. When I saw the whole scene I liked it but it was only when I began to frame elements of it, did this part begin to work, (for me at least). I feel the opposing curves here are cut into by the framing, which creates a kind of tension and forces your eye back along to the other side. My eye moves back and forth horizontally, flowing around the curves in a figure of eight. I did consider taking the tree out to the right, (and when I shot this I planned as much), but after some reflection it has grown on me, as a kind of contrast against the smooth, something to break the flow. Something prickly to add tension.

Era giunto il momento di provare ad acquisire ed elaborare foto astronomiche solo in Banda Stretta (BS). E per chi non lo sapesse questa scelta è dettata dal fatto che nelle zone con Inquinamento Luminoso (IL), soprattutto ultimamente con l'illuminazione a Led, è praticamente quasi impossibile fare fotografia Deep-Sky. Quindi gli astrofili ripiegano utilizzando filtri per fotografare oggetti celesti che emettono su una gamma di lunghezze d'onda specifica (H-alfa, H-beta, OIII, SII) come le nebulose ad emissione. Negli ultimi anni sono stati sviluppati filtri dual, tri e quad-band sempre più selettivi.

Per contro però al sensore arriva poco segnale quindi spesso i tempi di posa si debbono alzare come pure il numero di pose.

Inoltre l'immagine risultante presenta un certo sbilanciamento dei colori soprattutto le stelle.

Non è facile trovare un buon compromesso.

Eppure sarà stata la "fortuna del principiante", questa prova mi ha soddisfatto per il risultato raggiunto. Forse la luminosità dell'oggetto fotografato ha contribuito.

Si tratta della bellissima nebulosa ad emissione IC5070, detta

"Pellicano", acquisita con filtro Optolong L-eNhance (tri-band: H-alfa, H-beta e OIII).

L'immagine combinata in modalità RGB presentava la nebulosa con una dominante uniformemente rosso-arancio, che soffocava l'eventuale presenza di OIII (tipicamente blu-grigio). Poi, informandomi con altri astrofili e viaggiando sul web ho provato con SIRIL l'estrapolazione dei canali Ha e OIII e successivamente ho ricomposto in modalità RGB rispettivamente i canali HOO. Così facendo sono riuscito ad evidenziare entrambi i gas tra i quali si intrappolano molte nebulose oscure spettacolari.

________________

The time had come to try to acquire and process astronomical photos only in Narrow Band (NB). And for those who do not know, this choice is dictated by the fact that in areas with Light Pollution (LP) especially lately with LED lighting it is practically almost impossible to do Deep-Sky photography. So amateur astronomers fall back on using filters to photograph celestial objects that emit on a specific range of wavelengths (H-alpha, H-beta, OIII, SII) such as emission nebulae. In recent years, increasingly selective dual, tri and quad-band filters have been developed.

On the other hand, however, little signal reaches the sensor so often the exposure times must be increased as well as the number of exposures.

Furthermore, the resulting image presents a certain imbalance of colors especially the stars.

It is not easy to find a good compromise.

Yet it must have been "beginner's luck", this test satisfied me for the result achieved. Perhaps the brightness of the photographed object contributed.

This is the beautiful emission nebula IC5070, called "Pelican",

acquired with an Optolong L-eNhance filter (tri-band: H-alpha, H-beta and OIII).

The image combined in RGB mode presented the nebula with a uniformly red-orange dominant, which suffocated the possible presence of OIII (typically blue-gray). Then, by informing myself with other amateur astronomers and by traveling on the web, I tried with SIRIL the extrapolation of the Ha and OIII channels and subsequently I recomposed in RGB mode the HOO channels respectively. By doing this I was able to highlight both gases between which many spectacular dark nebulae are trapped.

(translated by Google)

___________

Optic: Rifrattore APO Scopos TL805 80mm/f7 + WO 0.8X

Camera: ZWO ASI533MC-Pro

Mount: Sky Watcher HEQ5 Synscan

Seeing: 3 (scala Antoniadi inversa)

Narrowband filter Optolong L-eNhance 2"

BS 37x600s 121gain / 15 dark /21 flat / 13 darkflat /0 bias sensor -5°C

BS 41x300s 121gain / 12 dark /21 flat / 13 darkflat /0 bias sensor -5°C

Date: 25-27-30/08/2024, 02/09/2024

Integration: 9h 35min

Temperature: 20°C (media)

location for : Biancavilla -Catania-(Italy) 515m slm

Acquisition: NINA, PHDGuiding

Processing: DSS, GraXpert, SIRIL, PS.

A moorland road leading into a bank of fog above Elkstone, Staffordshire

Extrapolating the whole of creation with the minuscule consumption of fairy cake.

I was cancelled from my shift this evening. So now, I find myself in an entirely different galaxy. One much larger than the one that we are more or less familiar with.

"There is that terrible listlessness that starts to set in about 2:55, when you know you’ve taken all the baths that you can usefully take that day, that however hard you stare at any given paragraph in the newspaper you will never actually read it, or use the revolutionary new pruning technique it describes, and that as you stare at the clock the hands will move relentlessly on to four o’clock, and you will enter the long dark teatime of the soul."

I think this may have been the only photo I made this past spring of the cherry blossom's in downtown Portland, having spent most of my attention on the cherry trees up in Seattle. But it isn't sakura that this image makes me think of, or even spring, but rather motion. Everything is moving, nothing is static. Certainly this image shows the ghosts of the crowds of people as they flowed or loitered around the trees. In some spots you can see the branches where they were blowing in the wind. If I had stood here long enough I would have seen the sun cross the sky and the parked cars over on the edge of the frame disappear. Longer still and I could watch the grass grow. As would the trees. The ground would shift, subtly heaving up or sinking down as it was wont to do. Even longer and I could have watched buildings grow or tumble, for nothing in a city stays the same for terribly long... depending on how you measure time. Children playing under the blossoms would become young adults snapping selfies under the blossoms would become adults watching their children playing under the blossoms. The river would swell, maybe flooding its banks, then it would recede. Without human intervention it would eventually carve an entirely new course and may find itself out of sight of these trees altogether. The Earth is spinning and then it is tilting, all the while tracing an elliptical orbit through space. The core of our sun will shrink while its outer gaseous layers will expand. Talking about expanding, the universe itself is growing a bit more every day. At least for the next 65 million years at which point we think it will stop "briefly" before staring to contract in about 100 million years. And that is considered a short amount of time as far as space is concerned.

So yeah, I love watching change, even the change I know is there but I cannot see. I can unfortunately stand still for only so long, but it is at least long enough to dip a toe in those waters and to make an image like this that helps my imagination extrapolate beyond its edges.

Hasselblad 500C

JCH Street Pan 400

Infrared R72 filter

#trees #grass #plants #water #PicsArt @Sarasota, Florida

dahon© 2010

one of my favourites of the opera house shots.... taken on a trip to the opera house again yields great pics!

Details:

Taken with the Sigma 10-20 lens

Shot @ 10mm

1 RAW file [0]

2 Extrapolated Exposures [-2,+2]

Combined, Tonemapped & Boosted through Photomatix

Minor Sharpening, Crop & Curves applied through Photoshop

| On Black | my blog.. | my twitter.. |

Digitally composed graphics. Please see the original below.

General characteristics

Crew: One

Length: 6.13 m (20 ft 1 in)

Wingspan: 9 m (29 ft 6 in)

Height: 3.25 m (10 ft 8 in)

Wing area: 14.5 m² (156.1 ft²)

Empty weight: 1,490 kg (3,285 lb)

Loaded weight: 1,941 kg (4,279 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 2,095 kg (4,619 lb)

Powerplant: 1× Shvetsov M-63 supercharged air-cooled radial engine, 820 kW (1,100 hp) driving a two-blade propeller

Performance

Maximum speed: 525 km/h (283 kn, 326 mph) at 3,000 m (9,845 ft)

Range: 700 km (378 nmi, 435 mi (with drop tanks))

Service ceiling: 9,700 m (31,825 ft)

Rate of climb: 14.7 m/s (2,900 ft/min)

Wing loading: 134 kg/m² (27 lb/ft²)

Power/mass: 346 W/kg (0.21 hp/lb)

Time to altitude: 5.8 minutes to 5,000 m (16,405 ft)

Armament

2 × fixed forward-firing 7.62 mm (0.30 in) ShKAS machine guns in upper cowling

2 × fixed forward-firing 20 mm (0.79 in) ShVAK cannons in the wings

6 × unguided RS-82 rockets or up to 500 kg (1,102 lb) of bombs

The Polikarpov I-16 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it was the world's first cantilever-winged monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear. The I-16 was introduced in the mid-1930s and formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Force at the beginning of World War II. The diminutive fighter, nicknamed "Ishak" by Soviet pilots, prominently featured in the Second Sino-Japanese War,[1] the Battle of Khalkhin Gol and the Spanish Civil War—where it was called the Rata ("rat") by the Nationalists or Mosca ("fly") by the Republicans. The Finnish nickname for I-16 was Siipiorava ("Flying Squirrel").

Design and development

While working on the Polikarpov I-15 biplane, Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov began designing an advanced monoplane fighter. It featured cutting-edge innovations such as retractable landing gear and a fully enclosed cockpit, and was optimized for speed with a short stubby fuselage (similar to Gee Bee R-1) and a Wright Cyclone radial engine in a NACA cowling. The aircraft was small, light and simple to build.

Full scale work on the TsKB-12 prototype began in June 1933 and the aircraft was accepted into production on 22 November 1933, a month before it took to the air. The TsKB-12 was of mixed construction using a wooden monocoque fuselage and wings based around a KhMA chrome-molybdenum steel alloy wing spar, dural ribs and D1 aluminum alloy skinning on the center and leading edges, with the remaining portions of the wings fabric covered. Another modern feature were the ailerons which ran almost the entire trailing edge of the wing and also operated as flaps (in the manner of more modern flaperons) by drooping 15°. The cockpit was covered by a 40 cm (16 in) wide canopy which featured an Aldis tubular gun sight which could slide back and forth on runners fitted with bungee cords of rubber. A 225 l (59.4 US gal) fuel tank was fitted directly in front of the cockpit. The main gear was fully retractable by a hand-crank. The armament consisted of a pair of 7.62 mm (0.30 in) ShKAS machine guns in the wings, mounted on the outboard side of the main gear and carried 900 rounds of ammo.

These features were proposed at first by Andrei N. Tupolev, however the NII VVS was more concerned about the stresses a typical combat aircraft was subjected to in combat, and initially considered the risk too great. However TsAGI, with the help of the 3rd Design Brigade under the leadership of Pavel O. Sukhoi and Aleksandr P. Putylov eventually convinced NII VVS that what was being proposed was not only feasible, but would enhance the aircraft's performance.

The TsKB-12 was designed around the Wright Cyclone SR-1820-F-3 nine cylinder radial engine (rated at 529 kW/710 hp); a license to build this engine was being negotiated. As the license was not yet approved, Polikarpov was asked to settle for the less powerful M-22 (Soviet-built version of the Gnome-Rhone Jupiter 9ASB which itself was a licensed version of the Bristol Jupiter VI ) with 358 kW (480 hp). This was deemed acceptable because the projected top speed still exceeded 300 km/h (185 mph).

The M-22 powered TsKB-12 first took to the air on 30 December 1933 with the famous Soviet test pilot Valery Chkalov at the controls. The second TsKB-12 with a Cyclone engine and three-bladed propeller flew in January of the following year. Initial government trials in February 1934 revealed very good maneuverability but the aircraft did not tolerate abrupt control inputs. Thus the TsKB-12 was deemed dangerous to fly and all aerobatics were forbidden. The M-22 version was preferred due to vibration of the Cyclone-powered aircraft. Pilots commented early on about difficulty in climbing into the cockpit, a trait that persisted through I-16's service life. Before continuing test flights the designers had to answer the question of spin behavior. Wind tunnel testing suggested that TsKB-12 with its short tail would enter an unrecoverable flat spin, but real-life trials were necessary to confirm this. Since Cyclone engines were rare it was decided to risk the M-22 prototype for this purpose. On 1 March and 2 March 1934, Chkalov performed 75 spins and discovered that the aircraft had very benign stall behavior (dipping a wing and recovering without input from the pilot when airspeed increased) and intentional spins could be easily terminated by placing controls in the neutral position. The stories of vicious spin behavior of the I-16 perpetuated in modern literature is unfounded (perhaps extrapolated from Gee Bee experience). In fact, the I-16's stablemate, the biplane Polikarpov I-153, exhibited much worse spin characteristics.

Service trials of the new fighter, designated I-16, began on 22 March 1934. The M-22 prototype reached 359 km/h (223 mph). The manually-retracted landing gear was prone to jamming and required considerable strength from the pilot. Most of the test flights were performed with the gear extended. On 1 May 1934, the M-22 prototype participated in the flyover of the Red Square. Approximately 30 I-16 Type 1 aircraft were delivered, but were not assigned to any V-VS fighter squadron. Most pilots who flew the I-16 Type 1 for evaluation purposes did not find the aircraft to have many redeeming characteristics. Regardless of pilot opinion, much attention was focused on the Cyclone powered aircraft and the M-25 (the license built Cyclone). On 14 April 1934, the Cyclone prototype was damaged when one of the landing gear legs collapsed while it was taxiing.

The third prototype with a Cyclone engine incorporated a series of aerodynamic improvements and was delivered for government trials on 7 September 1934. The top speed of 437 km/h (270 mph) no longer satisfied the Air Force, who now wanted the experimental Nazarov M-58 engine and 470 km/h (290 mph). Subsequently, the M-22 powered version entered production at Factory 21 in Nizhny Novgorod and Factory 39 in Moscow. Because it was the fourth aircraft produced by these factories, it received the designation I-16 Type 4. Aircraft fitted with these new engines required a slightly changed airframe, including armor plating for the pilot and changes to the landing gear doors to allow for complete closure.

The M-25 fitted I-16, the I-16 Type 5, featured a new engine cowling which was slightly smaller in diameter and featured nine forward facing shuttered openings to control cooling airflow, a redesigned exhaust with eight individual outlet stubs, and other changes. The M-25 was rated at 474 kW (635 hp) at sea level and 522 kW (700 hp) at 2,300 m (7,546 ft). Due to the poor quality of the canopy glazing, the I-16 Type 5 pilots typically left the canopy open or removed the rear portion completely. By the time the Type 5 arrived, it was the world's lightest production fighter (1,460 kg/3,219 lb), as well as the worlds fastest, able to reach speeds of 454 km/h (282 mph) at altitude and 395 km/h (245 mph) at sea level. While the Type 5 could not perform the high-g maneuvers of other fighters, it possessed superior speed and climb rates, and had extremely responsive aileron control which gave the Type 5 a very good roll rate which lead to precision maneuvers in loops and split-Ss.

A total of 7,005 single-seat and 1,639 two-seat trainer variants were produced.

Operational history

Initial service experience revealed that the ShKAS machine guns had a tendency to jam. This was the result of the guns being installed in the wings upside-down to facilitate the fit. The problem was addressed in later modifications. Evaluations from pilots confirmed the experience with prototypes. Controls were light and very sensitive, abrupt maneuvers resulted in spins, and spin behavior was excellent. A barrel roll could be performed in under 1.5 seconds (roll rate over 240 degrees/second). The machine guns were fired via a cable and the required effort, coupled with sensitive controls, made precision aiming difficult. The rear weight bias made I-16 easy to handle on unprepared airfields because the aircraft was rather unlikely to flip over the nose even if the front wheels dug in.

The pilots had poor visibility and the canopy tended to become fouled with engine oil and the moving portion was prone to slamming shut during hard maneuvers which caused many pilots to fix it in the open position. The I-16 was a difficult fighter to fly. The front section of the fuselage, with the engine, was too close to the centre of gravity, and the pilot's cockpit too far to the rear. The Polikarpov had insufficient longitudinal stability and it was impossible to fly the aircraft "hand off".

Spanish Civil WarAt the start of Spanish Civil War in 1936, Republican forces pleaded for fighter aircraft. After receiving payment in gold, Joseph Stalin dispatched around 475[6] I-16 Type 5s and Type 6s. The first I-16s appeared in Spanish skies in November 1936.[7] The Polikarpov monoplanes had their baptism of fire on the 13 November 1936, when 12 I-16s intercepted a Nationalist bombing raid on Madrid. Soviet pilots claimed four air victories. Two Germans Heinkel He 51 pilots were indeed killed. But the Soviets suffered losses too; the group commander collided with an enemy aircraft and another I-16 pilot crash landed.[8] The Polikarpovs immediately began dominating the enemy He 51s, Arado Ar 68 and Fiat CR.32 biplanes, and remained unchallenged until the introduction of the Messerschmitt Bf 109. The arrival of the newest Bf 109Bs and the Nationalist overwhelming quantitative superiority of fighters were the primary cause of the heavy combat losses suffered by I-15s and I-16s throughout 1937.[9] A number of aviation publications called the new Soviet fighter a "Boeing" due to the incorrect assumption that it was based on the Boeing P-26's design. The Nationalists nicknamed the stubby fighter Rata (Rat), while the Republicans affectionately called it Mosca (Fly).

Combat experience showed that the I-16 had deficiencies; several aircraft were lost after structural failure of the wings which was quickly remedied by reinforced structures. Heavy machine gun bullets could sometimes penetrate the armored backrest and fuel tanks occasionally caught fire in spite of being protected. The hot Spanish climate required the addition of oil radiators, and dust adversely affected the life of the engines. Although some aircraft accumulated up to 400 hours of flying time, the average life of an I-16 was 87 days, of which one sixth was spent on maintenance. The biggest complaint in service was the light armament of only two 7.62 mm (0.30 in) machine guns. This was urgently addressed with Type 6 which added a third ShKAS in the bottom of the fuselage. The four-gun Type 10 was nicknamed "Super Mosca" or simply "Super". The total number of I-16s delivered to Spain in 1936-1938 amounted to 276. When the war ended, on 1 April 1939, 187 Ratas had been lost in Spain: 112 lost in combat, one shot down by anti-aircraft fire, 11 destroyed on the ground, one force-landed and 62 lost in accidents.

The Far East

Another 250 I-16 Type 10 were supplied to China. This model added a second set of 7.62 mm (0.30 in) ShKAS machine guns, armor behind the pilot, and had a slightly upgraded 560 kW (750 hp) M-25 engine. In 1939, these aircraft fought against the Japanese, fighting the fixed-landing gear equipped Nakajima Ki-27 Nate of the IJAAF and IJNAF's Mitsubishi A5M Claude. Further large scale action took place in fighting between the Soviet Union and Japan in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol in 1939. The next year, the Imperial Japanese Navy introduced the A6M Zero which was more than a match for the I-16.

Further attempts were made to upgrade the firepower of the aircraft using 20 mm (0.79 in) ShVAK cannons, making the I-16 one of the most heavily armed fighters of that moment,[11] able to fire 28 pounds of ammunition in three seconds. Pilots loved the results, but the cannons were in short supply and only a small number of I-16 Type 12, 17, 27, and 28 were built. The cannons adversely affected performance with the 360° circle time increasing from 15 seconds in Type 5 to 18 seconds. Type 24 replaced the skid with a tailwheel and featured the much more powerful 670 kW (900 hp) Shvetsov M-63 engine. Type 29 replaced two of the ShKAS guns with a single 12.7 mm (.50 in) UBS. Types 18, 24, 27, 28, and 29 could be equipped to carry RS-82 unguided rockets.

A 1939 government study found that I-16 had exhausted its performance potential. Addition of armor, radio, battery, and flaps during the aircraft's evolution exacerbated the rear weight distribution to the point where the aircraft required considerable forward pressure on the stick to maintain level flight and at the same time developed a tendency to enter uncontrolled dives. Extension and retraction of the landing flaps caused a dramatic change in the aircraft attitude. Accurate gunfire was difficult.

Russia

The pilots nicknamed the aircraft Ishak (Russian: Ишак, Donkey/Hinny) because it was similar to the Russian pronunciation of "I-16". When the Great Patriotic War erupted on 22 June 1941, 1,635 of 4,226 VVS aircraft were I-16s of all variants, fielded by 57 fighter regiments in frontier areas.[12] Then main assault delivered by Luftwaffe's Luftflotte 2 (in support of Wehrmacht Army Group Centre) was directed against the Soviet Western Special Mililtary district, that deployed 361 (424, according to other sources) I-16s. [13] During the early phase of the campaign the I-16 bases were main targets for the German aircraft and after 48 hours of combat, of the 1,635 Polikarpov monoplanes in service on 21 June 1941, only 937 were left.[14] By 30 June the number of I-16s of western frontline units had dropped to 873, including 99 that required repairs.[15] To stem the Luftwaffe aerial assault several I-16 pilots adopted the Taran tactic and sacrified their lives, ramming German aircraft.[15]

Its main opponent in the sky of 1941 was the German Messerschmitt Bf 109.[16] The I-16 was slightly more maneuverable than the early Bf 109s and could fight the Messerschmitt Bf 109 '"Emil" on equal terms in turns. Soviet skilled pilots took advantage of Polikarpov's superior horizontal maneuverability and liked it enough to resist the switch to more modern fighters. The German aircraft, however, outclassed its Russian opponent in service ceiling, rate of climb, acceleration and, crucially, in horizontal and diving speed, due to better aerodynamics and a more powerful engine. The main versions of the I-16 had a maximum speed of 450–470 km/h (279-291 mph), while the Bf 109E had a maximum speed of 560–570 km/h (347-353 mph), and the Bf109F, of 600 km/h (372 mph). Superior speed was the decisive factor in a dogfight so German pilots held the initiative and could decide if chasing their opponents, attacking them from above and behind and then gaining altitude for an eventual new attack. Meanwhile Polikarpovs could only defend each other by forming a defensive circle or via horizontal maneuverability.[16] Moreover, in terms of armament, Messerschmitts had a slight edge on the I-16. The "Emile" carried two wing-mounted 20 mm MG FF cannon and two synchronyzed 7.92 mm MG-17 with a weight of a one-second salvo of 2.37 Kg, while the most common version of the I-16 - armed with just two synchronized and two wing-mounted 7.62 ShKAS - could deliver 1.43 kg of bullets each second.[17] Finallly, the ammunition storage on a Messerschmitt exceeded that of the I-16, carrying 1,000 bullets for each machine guns (plus 60 rounds for each cannon), while the Polikarpov carried just 450 rounds for each ShKAS.[18]

The I-16 and had a more durable engine than the liquid-cooled engine of the Bf 109. Around half of all produced I-16s were still in service in 1943, when they were finally replaced.

Specially modified I-16s were used in the Zveno parasite aircraft experiments using the Tupolev TB-3 mothership.

The Luftwaffe was known to have captured some I-16s and UTI-4s two-place trainers (two of which were marked with the Stammkennzeichen codes DM+HC and DM+HD) and flown from Rechlin by Kampfgeschwader 200 (KG 200).[19] The Luftwaffe was not the only air force able to test its fighters against the I-16; the Japanese captured a few I-16s as well.[1] and the Romanian Air Force also got one when a Soviet pilot defected.[20] The Finnish Air Force (FAF) captured along with several other Soviet types, some I-16s. During the Winter War and the Continuation War, the Finns captured six I-16s and one I-16UTI. Two of the captured I-16s and I-16UTIs were put back into flying condition and flight tested.

From Wikipedia

Nature's Palate - first colors of Autumn. I could hardly resist this colorful leaf, so I adorned a tree with its beauty, and snapped some shots with the green bokeh behind.

Hyperbolic rhetoric reverberating rhyme,

movement of articulating variegated chime,

A favorite of mine,

Extrapolated dime,

Investigative grime with green bokeh behind.

The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne is an unfinished oil painting by High Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, dated to c. 1501–1519. It depicts Saint Anne, her daughter the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus. Christ is shown grappling with a sacrificial lamb symbolizing his Passion as the Virgin tries to restrain him. The painting was commissioned as the high altarpiece for the Church of Santissima Annunziata in Florence and its theme had long preoccupied Leonardo.

It is likely that the painting was commissioned by King Louis XII of France following the birth of his daughter in 1499, but it was never delivered to him. Leonardo probed into incorporating these figures together by drawing the Burlington House Cartoon (National Gallery). In 2008, a curator at the Louvre discovered several faint sketches believed to have been made by Leonardo on the back of the painting. Infrared reflectography was used to reveal a "7–by–4 inch drawing of a horse's head", which had a resemblance to sketches of horses that Leonardo had made previously before drawing The Battle of Anghiari. Also revealed was a second sketch 61⁄2 inch–by–4 inch depiction of half a skull. A third sketch showed the infant Jesus playing with a lamb, which sketch was similar to that which is painted on the front side. The Louvre spokesperson said that the sketches were "very probably" made by Leonardo and that it was the first time that any drawing had been found on the "flip side of one of his works". The drawings will be further studied by a group of experts as the painting undergoes restoration.

Leonardo's painting is at once both pleasing, calm yet confusing upon closer examination. The composition of the three figures is fairly tight, with the Virgin Mary clearly interacting with the infant Jesus. Upon closer examination of their positioning it is apparent that Mary is sitting on Saint Anne's lap. It is unclear what meaning this could have and what meaning Leonardo intended to project with that pose. There is no clear parallel in other works of art and women sitting in each other's lap are not a clear cultural or traditional reference that the viewer can relate to. Additionally, although the exact sizes of neither the Mother Virgin nor Saint Anne are known, it can be extrapolated from the painting that Saint Anne is a significantly larger person than Mary. This subtle yet perceptible distortion in size was utilized by Leonardo to emphasize the mother–daughter relationship between the two women despite the apparent lack of visual cues to the greater age of Saint Anne that would otherwise identify her as the mother. The child is holding a lamb. We also see that Mary is gazing into her child's eyes, while Saint Anne is looking at Mary. As Mary is sitting on her lap and Saint Anne is looking at her, it is possible that Leonardo was trying to make a point about their relationship and personalities.

(Theme music plays)

Mysterious by Tom Aldrich

freemusicarchive.org/music/tom-aldrich/underscore/mysteri...

Soul Sleuths intro, voice over plays over intro montage of explorations.

Paranormal. Supernatural. Otherworldly. Mysterious.

Unexplained.

There are those who shrug off these words.

There are those who find these words irresistible.

If you are watching, then you are among the latter. You are people with

inquisitive minds, adventurous hearts, and courageous souls.

Together, we will explore places some say are inhabited by restless

spirits, demons, and creatures of unknown origin.

Our team of believers and skeptics seek to unite science and mysticism

in our quest to produce empirical evidence that some things may exist on

the boundaries of what we regard as reality.

Welcome to Soul Sleuths, where "investigation is just the beginning."

SCENE ONE

(dissolves to Soul set where Nica and Hammer sit on white throw cloth-covered armchairs)

Nica: Hi there, thank you for joining us, and we hope you will enjoy seeing me scared out of my mind as we investigate the Death Row Wraiths Of Rook River Prison.

Hammer: I think Johnny Cash had a song about that place.

Nica: (snort/laughs) No, he didn't, but it would be cool if he did. Speaking of cool, we're going to be using a cool new device invented by our very own, Edi! (motions) Come on over, Edi, and tell everyone what this new weapon to our arsenal is called, and what it does.

Rebus: (from direction of camera) Cord!

There's a brief scene of Edi falling into frame then everything goes black. When picture resumes, Nica and Hammer are in their chairs, Edi is seated on the floor, on a puffy cushion, between them. She's wearing a pink helmet of some sort, pink jammies with teddy bear slippers, and is waving vigorously at the camera.

Nica: And we're back. Just a little technical difficulty.

Edi: That's me! Hi, everybody! (Hammer chuckles)

Nica: Edi, why don't you tell our fellow investigators about your new invention?

Hammer: And why you're in your PJs.

Rebus: (vo from direction of camera) I don't mind.

Edi: My PJs are comfy. (pointing to her head) It's called the Spectre Detectre. It allows the wearer to see and hear spectral images and sounds, enhanced by A.I.

Hammer: So, it creates images and sounds?

Edi: Not exactly, it's constantly measuring electromagnetic waves, EMFs, as well as temperature, motion, and barometric pressure. All of this data is fed into the computer, the A.I. searches for bunching then extrapolates what is the most likely source, shape, and/or sound.

Nica: Bunching?

Edi: (nods) Uh huh, when a bunch of data seems to be focused in one area, simultaneously. Like when your shorts ride up in--

Nica: And there you have it, people. The Spectre Detectre, one of a kind. Hopefully this pioneering tech will become available to paranormal investigators worldwide, if our field tests are successful. (the set fades, being replaced with black and white images that match the accompanying voice over) In 1953, the city of Rook River, in Eastern Washington, was selected as the site of a new prison. Mostly for its isolation, and relative ease of security. With the treacherous rapids of Rook River running along along the west side, and flat expanses of open prairie everywhere else, it was considered inescapable, and was soon filled with the dregs of the criminal world; murderers, rapists, and other violent offenders.

Hammer: (vo) I imagine there were a lot of fights and whatnot, with people like that being crammed together.

Nica: (vo) Not as much as you would think. William Roscoe Brickermann was the warden--

Hammer: (vo) Helluva name.

Nica: (vo) Yeah. You needed a name like that to be a warden in Rook River. Brickermann was a stickler for security, and he had no sympathy for the "miscreants of human detritis" in his keeping.

Hammer: (vo) Why did you do air quotes?

Nica: (vo) Because I was quoting.

Hammer: (snort/laughs) (vo) That was a quote?

Nica: (vo) From one of Brickermann's statements, yeah.

Hammer: (laughs) (vo) Wow. So, these prisoners must have had it rough.

Nica: (vo) Yes and no. Prisoners were never kept more than two to a cell. They were rotated once a week. They were fed in their cells, without utensils, depriving them of a means to fashion weapons.

Hammer: (vo) They ate with their fingers?

Nica: (vo) Their meals consisted of varying types of soups they could drink from bowls, and sandwiches.

Hammer: (vo) Is that healthy?

Nica: (vo) Apparently, it was. There were no cases of malnourishment.

Hammer: (vo) Sounds like they should adopt that for all prisons. Curb that shiv making.

Nica: (laughs) (vo) Prisoners were allowed books to read, games to play, but there was no mass interaction except for once daily when 25 men at a time would be allowed into the yard for exercise. These precautions kept the guards safe, reduced prison violence, and while Brickermann was often criticized for his failure to advance rehabilitation, there were few noteworthy incidents of death, or violence.

Hammer: (vo) Doesn't sound like a place that would be super haunted. (pause) I can tell by the look on your face that there's more to this story.

Nica: Bailey

Hammer: Arc

Edi: Teddi

Philly: Seth

Rebus: Erebus

Silv

1st Warm day of Spring today ... dropped by the ocean on the way home...

One advantage of working in a camera shop - you sometimes get access to film before it is released. That is how I came into possession of two rolls of the new Kentmere Pan 200. I shot one roll in 35mm through my Olympus XA and then a roll of 120 through my Hasselblad. I must say I came away with different impressions from each. Overall I like the film. It has a certain FP4 vibe to it. There is some nice contrast and the shadows get deep quickly. I have only worked with the 100 and 400 speeds a bit and have been slow to warm up to them, but the 200 has gotten my interest right from the start.

The 35mm was surprisingly grainy. I was caught off guard by how much grit those images had. So when my 120 finally got developed I was equally surprised by how clean and smooth it looked. Yes, I know, this is a difference between 35mm and 120. That negative size really does matter. But my 120 shots are even smoother than I guessed they were going to be going from what I saw of the 35mm extrapolated up to 6x6cm.

My second initial takeaway is that this stuff doesn't do all that bad with long exposure work. I was in a real long exposure mindset with this roll and had no clue to its reciprocity, so I figured I would just give it the standard +1 for 15-60 second exposures and see how I did. Turns out I did fairly well. Or rather, the film did. Having reviewed the data sheet since then I can see that this film has pretty normal reciprocity failure rates, so that +1 was pretty much in line.

But this is mostly technical gobbledygook. And that is only because I did not have much to say about Heceta Head tonight. You know, in all my years along the Oregon coast I cannot remember the last time I actually visited this light house. I have stopped at the distant viewpoint many times, but the parking fee for going to the lighthouse has always somewhat discouraged me. I guess I prefer the free features of the Oregon coast. But we made an exception with this visit and walked the path up to and behind the lighthouse itself. There is a spot where you are eyelevel with the light and since it was slowly spinning (its signature is one flash every ten seconds) I thought it would make an interesting long exposure. In all I think this one was about a minute in length. Kind of interesting how it doesn't look like the lens of the light was moving at all, but that is the unpredictable nature of making long exposures of moving subjects for ya.

Hasselblad 500C/M

Kentmere Pan 200

On Friday I dropped by a local park after work and spotted an immature Red-tailed Hawk sitting on a nest box on a pole and scanning the ground below for a potential prey. I took my position slightly below on a slope, away from it and waited. Then the bird dove down and I started tracking it. Soon it disappeared from view and I took my finger off the shutter.

Later when I looked at the photos on my computer I realized that I took seven extra frames after the bird disappeared from view. To illustrate the point I created this short video after stitching the frames together and introducing slight delay between frames. At 20 frames per second on Z9 that 7 frames amount to close to 300 ms - it took me that long to stop taking photos after the bird disappeared behind the slope. Some may call it reaction time. After the light hit the retina, it took about 30 ms to reach my brain which then took another 120ms to process before the command was sent to my finger to stop taking photos. But this also means we are always living in the past, I only 'saw' the bird disappearing 150 ms after it actually happened. Interesting dilemma.

So, how does a catcher catch a ball that is moving fast? By the time the catcher 'sees' the ball it has already gone past him in reality. A successful catch is still possible because brain extrapolates and predicts where the ball will be before eyes see it. Take a close look at the frames after the bird disappeared. One could see that I was still tracking downward (ground moved upward) because the brain predicted where the bird would be and my hands simply followed it. Fascinating, isn't it?

I also wondered if 300 ms reaction time in the field is good. So I took a test on my computer with color changing circle and my average reaction time came out to be 261 ms., a very respectable number compared to the average of 248 ms found in a group of 18-20 year old medical students. It's raining outside and I am stuck indoor, so I decided to write this up and created this benchmark to measure against as I grow old. And now go measure yours, see where you stand.

By the way, I could've set an alternate title as 'We are always living in the past'. I took the ideas from an article that I just read (theconversation.com/what-youre-seeing-right-now-is-the-pa...)

How about a pair of waterfall pinhole images for the day? I figured the first will be of the natural variety and tonight's post will be of the artificial type.

It occurred to me the other day while preparing for a pinhole class I was teaching that next year will mark ten years I have been running around with pinhole cameras of one type or another. I can even track it down to a specific month (and maybe with some extrapolation the day of the month). That realization kind of snuck up on me, but I think it is cool. Gosh I have had some good times with these cameras and I have learned so much about photography just by seeing the world through their lensless eyes. I am pretty sure I am going to start working on a new book of photography that is going to be a retrospective of those ten years of pinhole photography. After all, my first published book of photography was pinhole work. But that is a story I will continue on another day.

This is a symbolic snowflake. I have often admired the fact that many people use snowflakes as proof that God exists, while others use these natural constructs as evidence to soften that certainty. I don’t consider this divisive; quite the opposite, there is a sense of inclusiveness. Everyone finds something to respect in such a tiny crystal from the sky.

Whether you identify a hexagram shape as synonymous with the Star of David, or you curiously measure the 60-degree angles created by the molecular bonds of water ice extrapolated onto a macro scale, one thing is for certain: a snowflake such as this is beautiful. That leads me to an interesting question – what is beauty?

I’m sure we all define it differently. In general, symmetry is beautiful. As is repeating patterns, balance and geometry. Personally, I find beauty in the puzzles that these structures present, as well as any blemishes that break the pattern. Everyone has their own valid opinions for this definition.

Keep in mind that this is just a collection of ordered water molecules. While the number of molecular connections is constantly in flux, I don’t think I’m wrong to call it an inanimate object. It just “is”. It is not beautiful as some sort of physical property that can be measured. Therein lies the real treasure: the discovery that beauty is not within the objects that we see, but in how we perceive them. This is a concept that bridges the gap between theology and science. Scientists would say that God did not create this snowflake, citing all we know about the related natural environmental physics. Theologians could easily make a counter-argument, posing a simple question. “How, then, is something so miniscule and inconsequential to our survival perceived with such admiration?”

The debate could rage on, as it always has; each side providing more evidence, more anecdotes, analogies, history and facts. Both sides need not be wrong. All discussed over the simple symbolism of a snowflake.

From a physics standpoint, this snowflake has a few curious and unique features. Bubbles in the ice usually cast a shadow on the bottom surface of the ice, and the offset of the shadow determines the thickness of the ice underneath it (thereby showing the position of the bubble within the ice). The large central hexagon has a greater shadow offset than the frilly “frame” around it, suggesting that these two bubbles are growing at different levels within the ice. This is further supported by the small rainbow-coloured ovals adorning each side of every corner – they have shadows independent of the larger hexagon as well, defining them as separate structures on a different layer within the ice.

Snowflakes have more depth than we normally give them credit for – both in a physical and philosophical way.

If you’re curious how these snowflake images are created, as well as all of my macro work, be sure to check out my upcoming book on the topic: skycrystals.ca/product/pre-order-macro-photography-the-un...

ok I am exaggerating/extrapolating ...a bit.

but sticking to objective facts, it is a dung fly on a picnic table.

Happy FlyDay Friday to you all

This time next week i'll be retired - strange mix of anticipation and reflection with a definite but controlled streak of apprehension also in the mix too.

Shonen Knife - Perfect Freedom

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl-ur8gIelA

Farmhouse, now restaurant. Late C14 to right with mid C17 block to left. MAIN BLOCK. Exposed timber-framing with curved braces and brick infilling. 1st floors of service and solar ends jettied forward on brackets and joists. Dragon post to right. Central recess with eaves carried on 2 curved braces. Plain tiled hipped roof with gablets, 1 gabled dormer to left, central stack off-ridge to front and end stack to right. 2 storeys; irregular 2 window front, all win- dows being in central recess except on ground floor with one window on left hand side of ground floor under right hand jetty. All windows glazing bar sashes, except non-opening window with glazing bars on ground floor to right. Arched doorway to right of recess with C20 boarded and ribbed door and 2 storey bay window to left. EXTENSION. Timber-framed, exposed on 1st floor, with red brick dressings. Coursed rubble stone ground floor with red brick dressings. Plain tiled roof with central ridge stack. 2 storeys and cellars; irregular 2 window front, glazing bar sashes except casement on 1st floor to left. One segment- headed collar light to right. C20 boarded and ribbed door with pentice hood, off-centre to left. REAR OF MAIN BLOCK. Gabled stair-tower to rear. INTERIOR. Hall, floored over, with collar-purlin roof and crown-post. Longitudinal crown- post roof over 1st floor of service-end, which may be remains of upper floor hall, from which the house was later extrapolated.

Inspirée par ... www.flickr.com/photos/blue_celt/14060017288/

This tiny gem holds plenty of mystery, looking like a cell about to divide in the very center and carrying almost organic qualities through the inner hexagon. View large!

From the very beginning, this snowflake has had a 2-fold symmetric feeling, with an elongated center that offers up a similar shaped bubble, back to solid ice, back to a bubble, and after a crazy period of indecisiveness that lasted mere seconds, it returned a hexagonal shape and later grew branches. This is the magic of this snowflake, in two parts.

The elongated center is most certainly due to aerodynamics. How the snowflake was falling could easily describe the slightly deviation from perfect symmetry. Falling more in one direct or a combination of two directions more than others can create these initial shapes at random, but that growth echoes through the overall design. Something that happens on a molecular levels ends up being extrapolated into the macro world for us to observe! Fun physics at work!

The same can be said for the indecisiveness of this snowflake. When such a crystal splits in two because a cavity in the ice expands to the corners, it usually shifts growth patterns and one side grows faster than the other. This didn’t happen, instead the snowflake continue to grow in a stable fashion and closed back up. The two bright areas in the center are bubbles trapped in the ice based on this physics, where the bubble exists are multiple layers of ice on either side and thereby more reflective surfaces, so they appear brighter.

The “splash” pattern on the outer edge of the larger bubble is a mystery. If you imagine that the cavity is entirely open, and then roughly 50 percent of it closes in even steps, then the alternating 50 perfect closes off a few seconds later… I can’t imagine why this happens. It’s not the first time I’ve seen this, but it’s very hard to explain. There has to be another force at work. I haven’t studied the effects of electron charge or electricity of snowflakes heavily, and I know there is some measurable impact. Could that be the clue?

There’s more to explore in a snowflake like this, like the outer edges growing back inward creating a new cavity in the branch tips through inward growth, but let’s save that for another day. There’s enough to ponder on already!

For more scientific musings that describe how snowflakes form, and all the photographic techniques you could ever hope to know, pick up a copy of Sky Crystals: www.skycrystals.ca/book/ - you’ll be impressed by the details and how timeless the content is! Makes a great coffee-table book if you’re not a naturalist or a photographer, and a purchase supports this project. :)

Streams and rivers that form on top of the Greenland ice sheet during spring and summer are the main agent transporting melt runoff from the ice sheet to the ocean.

“Surface melting in Greenland has increased recently, and we lacked a rigorous estimate of the water volumes being produced and their transport,” said Tom Wagner, the cryosphere program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “NASA funds fieldwork like Smith’s because it helps us to interpret satellite data, and to extrapolate measurements from the local field sites to the larger ice sheet."

Credit: NASA/Goddard/Maria-José Viñas

Read more: www.nasa.gov/feature/a-summer-of-nasa-research-on-sea-lev...

NASA image use policy.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.

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Je suis tellement heureux de pouvoir à nouveau créer et exposer avec Jaz après des mois loin de SL. A vendredi soir :)

I am so happy to be able to create and exhibit with Jaz again after months away from SL. See you Friday night :) (french time).

Mono chromatic madness.

At the eve of war, love sees no colour.

When war comes, the love of humanity sees no boundaries, for whom we love.

Love has no colour!

A black door, a red door, a blue door, a Pandora’s box of doors.

Any port in a storm.

In the nexus to hell, the only light, is love, and it overlaps darkness, as it has no colour.

Like a dimension, in a dimension, the two cannot be separated.

When surrounded by darkness, all colours reign when in love.

In love there is no darkness.

For it is the light.

Sometimes a pin prick in the ocean of id.

At what point is the limit of love.

How far would it go?

How far would you go?

How far would I go?

Who is the general of love?

How many stars rest on his shoulders.

And what would he do for his people?

A way out when there was none.

A darkness turned upside down.

A horror turned inside out.

No fear of the nothing, that turned into, a love of something.

Below is a simplified key for the poem. With links and descriptions as to where part of the inspiration come from for the poem. In no way could it encompass, the extent of all of the inputs, into what created it. As I am unable, to quantify where it all comes from.

Where it says mine, it is a quote from me, and I can not think of any other place that it comes from. I have performed a similarity check via Microsoft word editor, and it says there are 0% likenesses on the net. I hope you found it stimulating, and or interesting. Have a great day or night where ever you find yourself while reading this.

Mono chromatic madness.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monochrome_painting

At the eve of war, love sees no colour.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR9tHr_ekRw

When war comes, the love of humanity sees no boundaries, for whom we love.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCp0Gcvx8yc&list=PLo6SlFiL7Sw...

Love has no colour!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_a_Dream

A black door, a red door, a blue door, a Pandora’s box of doors.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=flSmiIne-4k

Any port in a storm.

John Cleland Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure

In the nexus to hell, the only light, is love, and it overlaps darkness, as it has no colour.

Mine but an extrapolation of other people’s work.

Like a dimension, in a dimension, the two cannot be separated.

My consideration of the creation to the universe.

When surrounded by darkness, all colours reign when in love.

Black is made up of many colour, my copilot.

In love there is no darkness.

Mine, no explanation to give here.

For it is the light.

Sometimes a pin prick in the ocean of id.

Juxtaposition between me a Sigmund Freud.

At what point is the limit of love.

How far would it go?

How far would you go?

How far would I go?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJxoVkPZAUA

Who is the general of love?

Mine

How many stars rest on his shoulders.

Inspired by my dad’s explanation for the number of stars a general carries. In this case near infinite.

And what would he do for his people?

A way out, when there was none.

A darkness turned upside down.

A horror turned inside out.

Mine.

No fear of the nothing, that turned into, a love of something.

Mine.

Villa d'Elboeuf, Portici, Naples (Italy)

First Villa of the so called Miglio d'Oro, Villa d'Elboeuf was built in 18th Century.

(Soon or later it will *shine* again).

Hopefully.

What looks like an engine made its way to space and back last November. While the hardware of the Perwaves experiment will not end up in your car, results from this research could lead to more efficient and carbon-free fuel in the future.

Perwaves, or Percolating Reaction-Diffusion Waves, set metal powder on fire to study how it burns in a chamber. This is done in weightless conditions because the powder clumps under gravity. In weightlessness, the metal powder can be evenly spaced and suspended, making it easier to study.

Why metals? Because of their high energy density, metals can compete with gasoline and oil for fuel efficiency. The only waste product is rust, which can easily be recycled back into metal powder, making metals a fully carbon-free source of energy. However, metals do not ignite easily unless in powder form, when they burn in a process known as ‘discrete burning.’

Like a sparkler lit on New Year’s Eve, the metal powder ignites and burns completely due to the heat created by other fuel elements around it. Unlike traditional fires that burn through their fuel continuously, discrete fires spread by jumping from one fuel source to another.

The Perwaves experiment is looking for the ideal blend of oxygen and metal powder as well the ideal size of the metal dust to create the best conditions for combustion. The results from the burning will be analysed to create discrete burning models to extrapolate the ideal conditions and to optimise industrial burner designs.

Perwaves launched on the Texus-56 sounding rocket from Esrange, Sweden last November. The rocket flew to 260 km before falling back to Earth, offering researchers six minutes of zero gravity. During this time, researchers confirmed that the hardware works and that iron-fuelled combustion is sustainable.

The team details their work in an article published in Acta Astronautica but the next step is to fly the experiment in the world’s weightless laboratory, the International Space Station, to continue collecting scientific data over longer periods of time.

Perwaves was conceived by McGill University in Montreal, Canada and designed by the sounding rocket team at Airbus in Bremen, Germany.

Credits: Airbus sounding rocket team Bremen

Gyps indicus breeds in south-east Pakistan and peninsular India south of the Gangetic plain, north to Delhi, east through Madhya Pradesh, south to the Nilgiris, and occasionally further south (Collar et al. 2001). The species was first recorded in Nepal in 2011 (Subedi and DeCandido 2013). It was common until very recently, but since the mid-1990s has suffered a catastrophic decline (over 97%) throughout its range. This was first noticed in Keoladeo National Park, India (Prakash et al. 2003), where counts of feeding birds fell from 816 birds in 1985-1986 to just 25 in 1998-1999. Just one tiny population in the Ramanagaram Hills of Karnataka is known to remain in inland southern India, and it is rare elsewhere within its former range (Prakash et al. 2007). Data indicates that the rate of population decline of G. tenuirostris and G. indicus combined has now slowed in India (Prakash et al. 2012).Extensive research has identified the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac to be the cause behind this rapid population collapse (Green et al. 2004, Oaks et al. 2004a, Shultz et al. 2004, Swan et al. 2005). This drug, used to treat domestic livestock, is ingested by vultures feeding on their carcasses leading to renal failure causing visceral gout (Oaks et al. 2004a,b; Swan et al. 2005, Gilbert et al. 2006). It is now rare in Pakistan, and although a colony of 200-250 pairs was discovered in 2003 in Sindh Province (A. A. Khan in litt. 2003). In 2007, the total Indian population, based on extrapolations from road transects, was estimated at 45,000 individuals, with a combined average annual decline for this species and G. tenuirostris of over 16% during 2000-2007 (Prakash et al. 2007). It is estimated that its relative abundance in Pakistan declined by 61% between 2003-2004 and 2006-2007, this was followed by a 55% increase by 2007-2008 (Chaudhry et al. 2012).

IUCN

The very first sizable Classic Space set I had as a kid was 6928 Uranium Search Vehicle, which I loved. I decided to build an updated version.

I made a few intentional changes to the design, but they're all extrapolated from the original. Specifically, the two sections are joined with an articulated tunnel rather than a hinge, and there are modest living quarters (including two beds) inside.

Be sure to check out the full set of photos!

The SBB building in Bern Wankdorf. The exterior is surrounded by many colored glass bars: as experiment I have tried extrapolating these architectural elements in order to create several abstract images, where preserving and at the same time emphasizing the essence and beauty of the patterns these elements design.

Thanks for watching!

digital colab with SToppin. See her original here www.flickr.com/photos/stoppin/372693957/in/pool-in_the_st... I decided to 'complete' her, just started, project.

The image shows the water depth (m) over Faenza from 17 May 2023, extrapolated by processing satellite data and Digital Elevation Models (DEM) with the SaferPlaces platform.

Credits: ESA (Processed by SaferPlaces and overlaid on Google’s VHR basemap)

Todavía no me había repuesto del shock de haber presenciado el traslado de una novísima unidad de la Serie 453 y, cuando apenas habían pasado 50 minutos (un suspiro si lo extrapolamos a la cruda realidad de nuestro ferrocarril) se presentó en Quintanillabón este precioso portacoches a cargo de una inesperada locomotora con la librea de Athos Rail. En realidad, durante ese tiempo había estado charlando con otro colega y hasta me había despedido de él. Acababa de arrancar el motor de mi coche cuando ese mismo aficionado me llamó para avisarme de la llegada de este tren. Llegué a pensar que alguien con mucho mando en la dirección de nuestro ferrocarril se había vuelto loco porque ver cuatro trenes interesantes y variados en poco más de una hora es una rareza de dimensiones catedralicias, casi una variante ferroviaria del "mal de Stendhal". En fin, que fue una sorpresa mayúscula fotografiar una locomotora que ni me imaginaba que estuviera circulando por esta línea y que, además, no estaba tan grafiteada como nos habían anunciado. Todavía hoy me cuesta asimilar tanta suerte en tan poco tiempo pero, por si acaso, para el próximo día volveré por aquí con muy pocas esperanzas de cazar algo realmente interesante porque la decepción puede ser morrocotuda.

I had not yet recovered from the shock of having witnessed the transfer of a brand new unit of the Series 453 and, after barely 50 minutes (a breath if we extrapolate it to the harsh reality of our railway) this beautiful car transporter arrived in Quintanillabón, driven by an unexpected locomotive with the livery of Athos Rail. In fact, during that time I had been chatting with another colleague and had even said goodbye to him. I had just started the engine of my car when that same fan called me to tell me of the arrival of this train. I began to think that someone with a lot of power in the direction of our railway had gone mad because seeing four interesting and varied trains in just over an hour is a rarity of cathedral proportions, almost a railway variant of the "Stendhal disease". In short, it was a huge surprise to photograph a locomotive that I had never imagined was circulating on this line and that, in addition, was not as graffitied as we had been told. Even today I find it hard to accept so much luck in such a short time, but just in case, I will come back here the next day with very little hope of catching anything really interesting because the disappointment could be huge.

dahon© 2010

there were so many people around taking photos of the opera house.. but i managed to go find spots where noone was and got this pretty cool shot...

Details:

Taken with the Sigma 10-20mm lens

Shot @ 10mm

1 RAW file ; 2 Extrapolated Exposures [-2,+2]

Combined & Tonemapped throught Photomatix

Minor Sharpening & Crop + Curves adjustment through Photoshop

| On Black | my blog.. | my twitter.. |

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.

These are the things I learned:

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don't hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don't take things that aren't yours.

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.

Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.

And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

[Source: "ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN" by Robert Fulghum. See his web site at www.robertfulghum.com/ ]

dahon© 2010

ive always wanted to try this.. looking up at sydneys skyline, the skys the limit..

Details:

Taken with the Sigma 10-20 lens

Shot @ 10mm

2 RAW files [-2,0]

1 Extrapolated Exposure [+2]

Combined, Tonemapped & Boosted through Photomatix

Minor Sharpening, Crop & Curves applied through Photoshop

| On Black | my blog.. | my twitter.. |

Sous le soleil, un arbre, ses branches et ses feuilles, aux ombres projetées sur une surface plane de contreplaqué abandonné derrière une église, aux couleurs tannées par la lumière et les intempéries. Un coté plus lumineux, auquel s'oppose un coté plus sombre.

Grenade, Espagne, Juin 2014.

We’ve sent numerous missions into space to study the Sun; past and present solar explorers include ESA’s Proba-2 (PRoject for OnBoard Autonomy 2) and SOHO (SOlar Heliospheric Observatory) probes, NASA’s SDO and STEREO missions (the Solar Dynamics Observatory and Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, respectively), and the joint NASA/ESA Ulysses mission. However, most of these spacecraft have focused mainly on the equatorial regions of the Sun, with the notable exception of Ulysses – this probe observed our star at a wide range of latitudes for nearly two decades, until the mission came to an end in 2009.

Despite Ulysses’ insights, this focus on low solar latitudes has left the Sun’s poles relatively unexplored. A lack of imaging data means that scientists must get creative in piecing together pictures of the Sun’s polar regions – as seen here in this artificial image of the solar north pole.

This image extrapolates low-latitude Proba-2 observations of the Sun to reconstruct a view of the star’s pole. While the poles cannot be seen directly, when spacecraft observe the solar atmosphere they gather data on everything along their line of sight, also viewing the atmosphere extending around the disc of the Sun (the apparent glow around the main disc of the Sun, which also extends over the poles). Scientists can use this to infer the appearance of the polar regions. In order to estimate the properties of the solar atmosphere over the poles, they continuously image the main disc of the Sun and take small slivers of data from the outer and upper regions of the star as it rotates, compensating for the fact that the Sun does not rotate at constant speeds at all latitudes. Over time, these small arrays of data can be combined to approximate a view of the pole, as shown in this view. More in-depth information on the process used to create this image can be found here.

Signs of this patchwork approach can be seen in this image, which comprises data from Proba-2’s extreme-ultraviolet SWAP imager. The line across the middle is created due to small changes in the solar atmosphere that occurred over the timeframe of creating this image. This image also shows a bright bulge on the upper-right side of the Sun; this is created by a low-latitude coronal hole rotating around the solar disc. The polar coronal hole region, which can be seen as the dark patch in the centre of the solar disc, is a source of fast solar wind. It is seen here to contain a subtle network of light and dark structures, which may cause variations in solar wind speed.

While such views go a way towards revealing the secrets of the Sun’s poles – such as how waves propagate across our star, and how it may create phenomena such as coronal holes and ejections that go on to influence space weather around the Earth – direct observations of these regions are needed in order to build on past data gathered by Ulysses. ESA’s Solar Orbiter aims to plug this knowledge gap when it launches in 2020. This mission will study the Sun in detail from latitudes high enough to explore its polar regions, also revealing how its magnetic field and particle emissions impact its cosmic environment – including the area of space that we call home.

Credits: ESA/Royal Observatory of Belgium

How do you explain Daylight Savings time to a dog???

Daily Dog Challenge 2680.

"Time"

I was really pleased with Toby's efforts tonight.

True, it would have been nice to get his nose a bit lower, but his posing is still a work in progress, and if the Cookie drops down so low it's out of sight he shifts his focus back up to me.

(Yes, Henry knows to extrapolate the Cookie's location and lower his gaze appropriately.)

But Toby did follow my cues to "hit his mark", stayed put, and, most importantly, didn't knock my clock on the floor.

I'm calling this one a success!

119 Pictures in 2019 - #22. Clocks / Watches

100x in 2019 : #18 (Red Abstract)

Yet another cotton print from the fabric store.

I personally love this shade of red and it goes so well with Golden fur, putting it into the "Gee, I really should use it more often" category.

Stop on by Henry and Toby's blog: bzdogs.com - The Secret Life of the Suburban Dog

Gullfoss (Golden Falls) is undoubtedly the most visited waterfall in Iceland, a highlight of the 'must do' Golden Circle day trip from Reykjavík.

The main source of the Hvítá (simply 'White') River is Langjökull, Iceland´s second largest glacier. The river is entirely unregulated at this point; in fact, it was abortive attempts to exploit Gullfoss for hydropower that eventually resulted in the waterfall being donated to the state for protection. Flow over the waterfall is therefore natural, averaging 140 m³/s in the summer and 80 m³/s in winter, though the peak recorded flood was an incredible 2,000 m³/s.

The drop, spanning the full 175 m width of the river, is 32 m in two stages which, unusually, are perpendicular to one another. The first, off the left of the image, cascades 11 m, roughly north to south, then the river plummets east to west over this cliff into Gullfossgjúfur, a gorge 20 m wide and 2.5 km long, with walls up to 70 m in height, probably formed by a glacial burst flood. This second drop is 'only' 21 m, but from the most popular viewpoint, at the upper right of this image, one can't see into Gullfossgjúfur, tempting imagination to extrapolate.

Even in May air temperatures were low, with spray settling on the surrounding area as frost.

extrapolated from photo of nodding donkey with artwork

This image is the result of close to a year of planning, shooting, and then post-processing - a bit of a term project if you will. It's funny that I don't consider myself to be a big fan of post-processing, but at times, I find it adds significant value. In this case, the capability actually provided the inspiration for the capture.

I first got the idea for this after having seen some key post-processing technologies emerge - panoramic stitching, comet-like star trail processing, and star trail extension. On their own, these technologies can be pretty impressive, but I wondered how engaging it could look to capture star trails in an image so wide that it shows curvature of the trails from both poles...

There is a lot more to this post... see the rest and get free wallpaper from:

www.coloradocaptures.com/fine-art-photography-gallery/won...

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Back From The Dead

I know I pretty much disappeared off the face of the earth, but I had my head down on a couple of important projects - and I'm happy to say they're now complete. And now that I'm back, I invite you to join me in celebrating the release of a lot of cool new stuff.

New Website: I had ambitious goals that featured a faster, more flexible, and easier to use store plus a learning center forum. So over the last 9 months, I put in a boatload of hours and worked with consultants in Poland, Belarus, India, the U.K., and the U.S. to get it done. I'll leave it to you to decide if it was a significant improvement (I hope you think so):

• www.coloradocaptures.com

• www.coloradocaptures.com/fine-art-photography-gallery

Product Line Additions: With the new store, we now have several new and unique additions to the product line including Stack-A-Plaque, Aluminum, Acrylic, and Stone.

• www.coloradocaptures.com/print-format-choices/

Learning Center Discussion Forum: It's been a dream of mine to build a discussion community in the Colorado Captures website. I learned along the way that this was a whole lot more challenging than I had realized although I was able to reach all of my goals in the end. Now that it's complete, the topics cover a lot of techniques and suggestions that an aspiring photographer would be interested in. So please help build the community by participating in the forum.

• www.coloradocaptures.com/forum

Photography Workshops in RMNP: After months of preparation, I'm now offering photography workshops in Rocky Mountain National Park. As a compliment to the classroom training and learning center discussion forum, the photography workshops are a natural fit with a choice of either hiking workshop or driving tour.

• www.coloradocaptures.com/instructor-led-training/photogra...

Beyond all these enhancements, I'm also still fine tuning the website to make your experience as good as it can possibly be. And to be honest, I've been looking forward to saying that for a long time now... Thank you for your patience everyone. Be well and stay tuned for more images coming soon!

I believe the special projection unit they use here is called The Hippo. From my basic understanding, they make a 3D projection-mapping of the surface upon which they are about to project, then make the appropriate extrapolations so they can project “flatly” onto it. There's some mondo math going on there, but the effect is absolutely sensational. I did my humble best to try to capture it with a photo.

- Trey Ratcliff

Click here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

The image shows the water depth (m) over Molinella from 17 May 2023, extrapolated by processing satellite data and Digital Elevation Models (DEM) with the SaferPlaces platform.

Credits: ESA (Processed by SaferPlaces and overlaid on Google’s VHR basemap)

The SBB building in Bern Wankdorf. The exterior is surrounded by many colored glass bars: as experiment I have tried extrapolating these architectural elements in order to create several abstract images, where preserving and at the same time emphasizing the essence and beauty of the patterns these elements design.

Thanks for watching!