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The Catedral de Santa Catalina was originally planned as a parish church for the Spaniards in 1665, but in 1682 it was elevated to the rank of cathedral. Work was not completed until 1762. The two bell towers were not completed to avoid higher taxation as the colonial authorities levied a lower tax on buildings that were not completed. The cathedral features a stunning Baroque façade containing elements of native iconography that was carved out of volcanic rock.
Features: Movable canards, folding wingtips, "retractable" slats and flaps, movable vertical stabilizers, functioning landing gear and pop-up missile bays.
Architectural features: Head-stops and Label-stops:
www.flickr.com/photos/191876035@N02/albums/72177720324068...
Thirteenth century English gothic.
Parish church of St Thomas the Martyr in Winchelsea, East Sussex.
www.flickr.com/photos/191876035@N02/albums/72177720323931...
Churches of the Chichester Diocese:
www.flickr.com/photos/191876035@N02/albums/72177720319517...
- image © Phil Brandon Hunter - www.philbhu.com - image ref: P2180137a
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 26: Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok of T1 poses at the League of Legends World Championship Semifinals Features Day on October 26, 2022 in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Fernando Decillis/Riot Games)
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the glorious spiral galaxy NGC 5643, which is located roughly 40 million light-years away in the constellation Lupus, the Wolf. NGC 5643 is a grand design spiral, which refers to the galaxy’s symmetrical form with two large, winding spiral arms that are clearly visible. Bright-blue stars define the galaxy’s spiral arms, along with lacy reddish-brown dust clouds and pink star-forming regions.
As fascinating as the galaxy appears at visible wavelengths, some of NGC 5643’s most interesting features are invisible to the human eye. Ultraviolet and X-ray images and spectra of NGC 5643 show that the galaxy hosts an active galactic nucleus: an especially bright galactic core powered by a feasting supermassive black hole. When a supermassive black hole ensnares gas from its surroundings, the gas collects in a disk that heats up to hundreds of thousands of degrees. The superheated gas shines brightly across the electromagnetic spectrum, but especially at X-ray wavelengths.
NGC 5643’s active galactic nucleus isn’t the brightest source of X-rays in the galaxy, though. Researchers using ESA’s XMM-Newton discovered an even brighter X-ray-emitting object, called NGC 5643 X-1, on the galaxy’s outskirts. What could be a more powerful source of X-rays than a supermassive black hole? Surprisingly, the answer appears to be a much smaller black hole! While the exact identity of NGC 5643 X-1 is unknown, evidence points to a black hole that is about 30 times more massive than the Sun. Locked in an orbital dance with a companion star, the black hole ensnares gas from its stellar companion, creating a superheated disk that outshines the NGC 5643’s galactic core.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker
#NASAMarshall #NASA #NASAHubble #Hubble #NASAGoddard #galaxy
Nice, well-used R8 with all the original features including Reg Vardy sticker and plates as well as all four wheel trims. Looks a bit faded in places but on the whole a solid looking car. Current owner since 2005.
Another lovely short pleated skirt added to my collection. This one has 2 stand out features for me. Firstly it is pink which is always a nice colour to get a skirt in, but secondly it has 2 horizontal white stripes around it just above the hem. This gives it a bit of a cheerleader skirt look, which I love :-)
City lights shine brighter during the holidays in the United States when compared with the rest of the year, as shown using a new analysis of daily data from the NASA-NOAA Suomi NPP satellite. Dark green pixels are areas where lights are 50 percent brighter, or more, during December.
Because snow reflects so much light, the researchers could only analyze snow-free cities. They focused on the U.S. West Coast from San Francisco and Los Angeles, and cities south of a rough imaginary line from St. Louis to Washington, D.C.
Credit: Jesse Allen, NASA’s Earth Observatory
Read more: www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/satellite-sees-holiday-light....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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Between Desoria trispinata there is another Isotomidae with a ?
In the image above at the right side, I could manage perhaps a detail shot of the eye (the little white one that looks right at you).
Fitted for SWALLOW Gauged XL
Features
-Materials Enabled
-Control Hud
-Left & Right Earrings
-Female Only
Taken with my DJI Phantom 4 Drone, this photo features icebergs adrift in the Iceberg Lagoon in Iceland.
One of the features of the grounds of the Palace at Versailles is a large man made, cross shaped lake known as Le Grande Canal.
Per Wikipedia: "With a length of 1,500 metres and a width of 62 metres, the Grand Canal, which was built between 1668 and 1671, physically and visually prolongs the east-west axis to the walls of the Grand Parc. During the Ancien Régime, the Grand Canal served as a venue for boating parties. In 1674, as a result of a series of diplomatic arrangements that benefited Louis XIV, the king ordered the construction of Petite Venise – Little Venice. Located at the junction of the Grand Canal and the junction of the northern transversal branch, Little Venice housed the caravels and yachts that were received from The Netherlands and the gondolas and gondoliers received as gifts from the Doge of Venice"
Here you are looking across to L'allée des Matelots.
Today you can rent a rowboat to navigate the Grand Canal as you please.
To see greater detail, click on the photo and/or the arrows in the upper right hand corner to expand.
Your views, favs and comments are greatly appreciated!
This Hubble Picture of the Week features the galaxy LEDA 857074, located in the constellation Eridanus. LEDA 857074 is a barred spiral galaxy, with partially broken spiral arms. It also has a particularly bright spot right in its bar: this is a supernova snapped by Hubble, named SN 2022ADQZ, and quite relevant to this Picture of the Week.
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has observed a vast range of celestial objects, from galaxies, to nebulae, to star clusters, to planets in the Solar System and beyond. Observing programmes usually seek to gather data so that astronomers can answer a specific question. Naturally, this means most scheduled observations target an object that astronomers have already researched. Some are famous, like the Crab Nebula or the globular cluster Omega Centauri; others might not be so well known to the public, but still be featured in hundreds of scientific papers, such as the Spider Galaxy or NGC 4753. Not so with this galaxy: LEDA 857074 is named in fewer than five papers, one of which is the Lyon-Meudon Extragalactic Database itself. Virtually no data have been recorded about it, other than its position: since its discovery, it simply hasn’t been studied. So how did it attract the gaze of the legendary Hubble?
The supernova is the answer — SN 2022ADQZ was detected by an automated survey in late 2022, and led to Hubble being pointed at its host galaxy, LEDA 857074, in early 2023. Astronomers have catalogued millions of galaxies, so while today tens of thousands of supernovae are detected annually, the chance that one is spotted in any particular galaxy is slim. We also do not know how actively LEDA 857074 is forming stars, and therefore how often it might host a supernova. This galaxy is therefore an unlikely and lucky target of Hubble, thanks to this supernova shining a spotlight on it! It now joins the ranks of many more famous celestial objects, with its own Hubble image.
[Image Description: A close-in view of a barred spiral galaxy. The bright, glowing bar crosses the centre of the galaxy, with blurred spiral arms curving away from its ends and continuing out of view. It’s surrounded by bright points of light that indicate stars and galaxies. The galaxy also hosts a bright supernova in its central bar.]
Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. J. Foley; CC BY 4.0
Soil scientists record the characteristics of the pedons, associated plant communities, geology, landforms, and other features that they study. They describe the kind and arrangement of soil horizons and their color, texture, size and shape of soil aggregates, kind and amount of rock fragments, distribution of plant roots, reaction, and other features that enable them to classify and identify soils. They describe plant species present (their combinations, productivity, and condition) to classify plant communities, correlate them to the soils with which they are typically associated, and predict their response to management and change.
The Icknuun soil series (a hydric soil) consists of very deep, very poorly drained soils that formed in organic material interlayered with thin strata of mineral material. Icknuun soils are in depressions on till plains. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent.
Hydric soils are formed under conditions of saturation, flooding, or ponding long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the upper part (Federal Register, 1994). Most hydric soils exhibit characteristic morphologies that result from repeated periods of saturation or inundation that last more than a few days.
To download the latest version of "Field Indicators of Hydric Soils" and additional technical references, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/ref/?cid=s...
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Euic Fluvaquentic Cryohemists
USE AND VEGETATION: Wildlife habitat and recreation. The natural vegetation is mainly sedges, sphagnum moss, bog birch, Labrador tea, and other low-growing shrubs and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cook Inlet-Susitna Lowlands. The series is of small extent.
For a detailed description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/I/ICKNUUN.html
For geographic distribution, visit:
This whirling image features a bright spiral galaxy known as MCG-01-24-014, which is located about 275 million light-years from Earth. In addition to being a well-defined spiral galaxy, MCG-01-24-014 has an extremely energetic core, known as an active galactic nucleus (AGN), so it is referred to as an active galaxy. Even more specifically, it is categorised as a Type-2 Seyfert galaxy. Seyfert galaxies host one of the most common subclasses of AGN, alongside quasars. Whilst the precise categorisation of AGNs is nuanced, Seyfert galaxies tend to be relatively nearby ones where the host galaxy remains plainly detectable alongside its central AGN, while quasars are invariably very distant AGNs whose incredible luminosities outshine their host galaxies.
There are further subclasses of both Seyfert galaxies and quasars. In the case of Seyfert galaxies, the predominant subcategories are Type-1 and Type-2. These are differentiated from one another by their spectra — the pattern that results when light is split into its constituent wavelengths — where the spectral lines that Type-2 Seyfert galaxies emit are particularly associated with specific so-called ‘forbidden’ emission. To understand why emitted light from a galaxy could be considered forbidden, it helps to understand why spectra exist in the first place. Spectra look the way they do because certain atoms and molecules will absorb and emit light very reliably at very specific wavelengths. The reason for this is quantum physics: electrons (the tiny particles that orbit the nuclei of atoms and molecules) can only exist at very specific energies, and therefore electrons can only lose or gain very specific amounts of energy. These very specific amounts of energy correspond to certain light wavelengths being absorbed or emitted.
Forbidden emission lines, therefore, are spectral emission lines that should not exist according to certain rules of quantum physics. But quantum physics is complex, and some of the rules used to predict it use assumptions that suit laboratory conditions here on Earth. Under those rules, this emission is ‘forbidden’ — so improbable that it’s disregarded. But in space, in the midst of an incredibly energetic galactic core, those assumptions don’t hold anymore, and the ‘forbidden’ light gets a chance to shine out towards us.
[Image Description: A spiral galaxy. It appears to be almost circular and seen face-on, with two prominent spiral arms winding out from a glowing core. It is centred in the frame as if a portrait. Most of the background is black, with only tiny, distant galaxies, but there are two large bright stars in the foreground, one blue and one red, directly above the galaxy.]
Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Kilpatrick; CC BY 4.0
Bentonite Hills. These colorful features are formed by erosion of the soft Brushy Basin shale member of the Jurassic Morrison Formation. The hills here are capped by the harder Bluff Sandstone member of the Morrison. Cathedral Valley area. Capitol Reef National Park. Wayne Co., Utah.
Outstanding features of the myth of the Indian rope trick include a scarcity of active practitioners and the absence of reliable witnesses to its ever having been successfully performed, or indeed attempted. This is not completely surprising when its gravity defying claims are considered. For a piece of conjuring which has never actually been seen, there are a surprising number of variations. However they coalesce around the unlikely prospect of a piece of rope being flung in to the air whereupon it achieves sufficient properties of rigidity and stability to enable it to be ascended by the performer. If this were not sufficiently miraculous, the audience's credulity is tested by Scotland proceeding to win the World Cup on three consecutive occassions, having won every match contested by a margin of five goals to nil and conceding no corner kicks in the process.
*Features:
- 100% Mesh structure
- 100% seamlessly tillable, several buildings next to each other - sideways
- 100% original mesh and design made by myself
- Fully rendered textures with light and shadows for a realistic effect
- Exterior textures come with NORMAL MAPS.
- Contains 7 Template Textures with full perms (see details below). These textures are for personal use only and can't be shared.
Floor.
Ceiling.
Wall right side (Interior).
Wall left side (Interior).
Wall Middle (Interior).
Awning cloth (Both sides).
- The prefabs buildings come in four different exterior textures which are sold separately and also as a Fatpack.
Each pack contains six different building shapes.
See details bellow:
Size 11x11x10
Prim count 14
Size 11x11x15
Prim count 14
Size 11x11x20
Prim count 16
Size 11x11x10 With Awning
Prim count 20
Size 11x11x15 With Awning
Prim count 20
Size 11x11x20 With Awning
Prim count 22
- Footprint: 11x11 Without Awning
- Footprint: 11x14 With Awning
- Minimum Parcel Size Required: 512sq. meters
- Permissions
Copy / Modify / No Transfer
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Antares/138/96/2003
marketplace.secondlife.com/p/The-Village-Shops-Fatpack-Bo...
The robin features prominently in British folklore, and that of northwestern France, but much less so in other parts of Europe. It was held to be a storm-cloud bird and sacred to Thor, the god of thunder, in Norse mythology. Robins feature in the traditional children's tale, Babes in the Wood; the birds cover the dead bodies of the children.
More recently, the robin has become strongly associated with Christmas, taking a starring role on many Christmas cards since the mid 19th century. The robin has appeared on many Christmas postage stamps. An old British folk tale seeks to explain the robin's distinctive breast. Legend has it that when Jesus was dying on the cross, the robin, then simply brown in colour, flew to his side and sang into his ear in order to comfort him in his pain. The blood from his wounds stained the robin's breast, and thereafter all robins got the mark of Christ's blood upon them.
An alternative legend has it that its breast was scorched fetching water for souls in Purgatory. The association with Christmas more probably arises from the fact that postmen in Victorian Britain wore red jackets and were nicknamed "Robins"; the robin featured on the Christmas card is an emblem of the postman delivering the card.
In the 1960s, in a vote publicised by The Times, the robin was adopted as the unofficial national bird of the UK. In 2015, the robin was again voted Britain's national bird in a poll organised by birdwatcher David Lindo, taking 34% of the final vote
Kadewe is the largest department store in mainland Europe, located in Berlin, Germany. It offers a wide range of luxury goods, including fashion, beauty, and homeware. The store also features a gourmet food hall with a variety of international delicacies.
Jamie Kelley has been telling me that my blue whale has the wrong proportions. And, since he had long ago lent me the National Geographic DVD, Kingdom of the Blue Whale, to help me understand them better, I finally watched it and reworked the design. Here is the result. It features the long, sleek lines of the whale. A better rendition and a better photo will follow.
Previously painted red-orange.
Signage removed with Photoshop AI to preserve historical context.
"Peter Bocquet the younger built this house shortly after the lot was given to him in July, 1770, by his father Peter Bocquet, senior, a Huguenot immigrant. The younger Bocquet became a major in the Revolutionary forces, a member of the General Assembly, a Privy Councilor and later State Treasurer and Commissioner of Sequestrated Estates. He planted in St. Paul's Parish. The superbly handsome Georgian decoration of the interior is notably like that of Col. John Stuart's house, c. 1772, at 106 Tradd St. Other notable features are the handsome Regency style front door frame, done in stucco, and the second floor balcony."
-The Preservation Society of Charleston
PLEASE, NO GRAPHICS, BADGES, OR AWARDS IN COMMENTS. They will be deleted.
Dōtonbori (道頓堀), Osaka, Japan.
Handheld shot with FE 16-35mm f2.8 GM.
Couple of the best features of mirrorless are IBIS and a dual-gain sensor, a boon to handheld night photography.
In post-processing such images, my aim is to preserve the contrast of the bright vs the dark areas. All too often night images appear flat and lifeless from overzealous pushing of highlights recovery and shadow lifting.
Got the iPhone 15 Pro Max recently as my iPhone 11 Pro Max died abruptly after successfully completing an IOS update.
Just like cameras, there’s no need to buy into every newly released iteration, IMO skipping 3 or even 4 iterations is fine these days, less waste for the planet besides.
This is the 1st time I got to play with Apple’s ProRAW and in particular 48mp ProRAW Max. New stuffs in iPhone 15 Pro Max are; 1) 24mp photo mode, 2) 48mp HEIF Max and ProRAW Max, 3) Night mode in 16-bit color space, 4) 5x camera and 5) Action button.
1) 24mp photo mode
==================
From dpreview;
“Using Apple’s Photonic Engine technology, the camera captures multiple versions of a scene that are optimized for different things, such as light capture, noise removal, color fidelity, subject awareness and so on. It then compresses those images into a single layer. What the iPhone 15 series adds is another computational step, combining that optimized result with a 48MP image to add detail, resulting in the default 24MP image.”
This much advertised new 24mp mode, it’s limited ONLY to the 1x Main camera (ie not on 0.5x, 2x or 5x) with further limitations when using Night mode, Macro, Flash or Portrait Lighting which can only be saved at 12mp. Tapping on the 1x icon toggles to the 1.2x (28mm) and 1.5x (35mm) cropped modes. We do get 24mp with the 1.2x and 1.5x crop mode from the main 1x camera but 2x crop yields only 12mp. The greater the crop, the smaller the file size even as resolution remains unchanged.
I’m really not happy with the 12mp limitation for Flash and Macro shots even though I can understand this helps with better noise performance (pixel-binning) for Night mode. The current Sony A7SIII is still only 12mp even though A7RV is 61mp. iPhone cameras have no physical variable aperture control hence Macro shot are not stopped down for greater DOF (like in ILC cameras) which will result in loss of light so I can’t see why Macro mode needs to default to 12mp especially if focus stacking is used without the ability/need to stop down the aperture. My old iPhone 11 Pro Max could focus at close subject distances even though it did not have a “dedicated” Macro mode, in iPhone 15 Pro Max, at similar close distances, it can’t even focus until you invoke the Macro mode, what gives? Imagine your 48mp premium camera can only take 12mp images when you attach a Macro lens, how is this acceptable!? (See postscript (1) below).
2) 48mp output
==============
ProRAW files are in uncompressed 12bit DNG file format. ProRAW is unlike our typical camera RAW, this is an Apple creation in collaboration with Adobe. ProRAW is a demosiaced file that stores results of computational photography right inside the RAW. Apple avoids sloppy demosaic algorithms in third-party programs or apps by doing this step themselves, which makes Apple's DNG file already different from one you'd get out of a DSLR.
Unedited 48mp ProRAW Max files seem to look a little soft almost as if lacking critical focus, the files can be pushed quite a lot and do take (in fact require) a lot of sharpening compared to the HEIF files. These 48mp ProRAW Max files are around 60+mb (apparently can go up to 100mb!) vs 5mp HEIF Max, the size difference is more than 10x. High time Apple introduces lossless compression to their ProRAW files. The 61mp Sony A7R5 lossless compressed RAW is 83.1mb vs 133.7mb uncompressed. The 42mp Sony A7R2/A7R3 has lossy compressed RAW at 43mb vs 83mb uncompressed so 48mp ProRAW at 60-100mb is just ridiculous for a smartphone. Simple editing of 60+mb ProRAW Max files on the iPhone, clicking “save” has a bit of lag.
Fortunately there is also an on-screen HEIF Max=>RAW12=>RAW Max toggle.
In summary, 48mp ProRAW Max or HEIF Max or 24mp HEIF are only available to the 1x camera because only this main 1x camera has the quad-Bayer sensor. 1.2x and 1.5x cropped from the 1x camera will also produce 24mp HEIF but ProRAW is 35mp for 1.2x and 24mp for 1.5x. The 2x cropped only produces 12mp files. Apple up-scale the 1.2x and 1.5x photos to maintain the 24mp output. Quad-Bayer sensor first appeared on iPhone 14 Pro models.
3) Night mode in 16-bit color space
==============================
I can’t see any difference indoors, will have to try some outdoors night shots soon.
4) 5x camera
===========
The new 5x (120mm) camera has 3-axis sensor-shift stabilization, I believe the 1x is stabilized at 2-axis only and the 0.5x has no stabilization? Sensor-shift stabilization first appeared in the iPhone 12 Pro Max, lens-based stabilization was the previous standard, just like DSLR to Mirrorless cameras.
This new 120mm equivalent tetraprism camera is useful, the screen appeared nicely stabilized to compose the shot and the results are crisp.
[Postscript: The 5x camera’s native aperture is f2.8 but can be adjusted post shot to simulate f1.4 if “Portrait” mode is turned on.]
5) Action button
==============
IMO best use of the new “Action” button is to assign it to “Camera” which not only allows us to invoke camera in locked screen but also as shutter/record button, it’s a little more instantaneous then the camera icon in locked screen.
A couple of personal takeaways;
============================
1. Always backup your phone before updating the software and have it plugged in to a power source while updating,
2. ProRAW is great and in particular 48mp ProRaw Max enabled by the quad-Bayer sensor. This is a real step in the right direction to turn smartphones into viable cameras. Just like in cameras, RAW files will not look good compared to JPEG/HEIF. Apple ProRAW files do respond to edits well and can be pushed further than HEIF files, more importantly ProRAW can and should take a lot of sharpening to look like HEIF/JPEG from iPhones. Apple will need to upgrade its in-phone “Photos” app editor IMO to better exploit the 48mp ProRAW Max files.
Yet to try;
1. Portrait “faux-keh”,
2. Night mode with new 16-bit color space for outdoors.
Future evolution? I’m listing out important features I hope to see in future iPhone iterations, will skip each iteration until Apple makes the iPhone I desire, or until my current phone dies whichever comes first.
1. True optical telephoto zoom lens,
2. High-resolution photos in all modes including Macro and Flash modes at least on the main 1x camera,
3. High-resolution for the 0.5x ultra-wide camera,
4. Lossless compression for ProRAW Max files,
5. Manual settings allowing users control shutter speed, ISO, sensor-shift stabilization on/off. As it is, we already get EV control & AF/AE lock on iPhones,
6. 1 touch White Balance adjustment like the way Ricoh GR does it.
7. Tripod-based pixel-shift high resolution mode at Base ISO.
8. Better “Photos” app with selective post-processing capability.
9. Dual-slot backup; with external SSD, if file is large 48mp ProRAW Max, the phone should retain a 12 or 24mp HEIF file.
Postscript
=========
1) iPhone 11 Pro Max 1x main camera sensor size is 1/2.55” while the 15 Pro Max is 1/1.28” which explains for the worse minimum focus distance for the newest phone. iPhone 15 Pro Max has to switch to its 0.5x ultra-wide camera for Macro, this 0.5x camera sensor has the same size and resolution as the 1x in the iPhone 11 Pro Max at 1/2.55” 12mp hence Macro mode on iPhone 15 Pro Max drops to 12mp. IMO the so called “Macro mode” is kinda bogus!
2) Found yet another limitation to the 24mp and 48mp modes on the 1x (incl 1.2x & 1.5x) camera. If 16:9 widescreen format is selected, output resolution drops to 36mp from the original 48mp.
3) 5x camera with native f2.8 aperture can simulate f1.4 post shot when Portrait mode is turned on.
Overlooking a serene body of water, the Kizhi Pogost on Kizhi Island, Karelia, Russia, features striking wooden architecture with ornate domes and spires. The overcast sky enhances the intricate silhouette of the Church of the Transfiguration and other structures. Dense greenery lines the foreground, providing a contrasting natural backdrop. This UNESCO World Heritage site exemplifies Russian carpentry traditions and historical religious architecture. The scene captures the blend of nature and heritage in a tranquil lakeside setting.
Marzan Empire
Classification: Mid/Long Range
Armaments:
(1) ER-UZIMOD
(1) MS-HANDH2H
Based off the new Marzan Liberator line, the Type 08 was built as a well balanced unit for overall use. While retaining the same core feature as the Type 30, it features less armor but better mobility due to the lessened weight. It's also equipped with the prototype UZIMOD modular energy rifle that allows different range and firepower settings based on current attachments. As a backup weapon option, the HANDH2H Missile System offers extra firepower that can be disposed once used.
---
More info, WIP details, and other LEGO mechs over at my blog: messymaru.com/
Follow me at other social media sites:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MessyWorksLEGO
Twitter: twitter.com/Messymaru
Instagram: www.instagram.com/messymaru/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/messymaru
---
reFrame Version 3.0 frame (instructions) now available
For those interested in LEGO mech building, I also have an eBook from 2015 called Mech Wars 2015 Instructional Primer. It contains some things I wrote about basic mech building, a bit about my Mech Warsuniverse, and all my early models from 2014-2015. If you’re looking for a resource that could help you start or even improve your mech building skills, you might find this eBook useful.
This postcard features a reproduction of the 1988 Dutch "Kinderpostzegel" (Children's Welfare Stamp). The design, titled "Child and Water," shows a child in rain gear under blue raindrops. This specific stamp had a value of 55c + 25c surcharge for charity.
Country: Netherlands
Year of Stamp Issue: 1988
Catalog No: NVPH 1415
Theme: Children and Water
Montacute is an Elizabethan manor house, very grand with lots of windows (at a time when windows were expensive) and decorative features.
At Montacute, Somerset, England. A National Trust property.
This DreamWorld image features Katie Johnson having been given a sleeping draught, sending her into a deep slumber by unknown forces. I suspect the billowing blue smoke will begin to shape itself into some kind of form any minute now; who or what is behind this is a mystery!
Read my blog for more about the image and the "vacation" I'm forcing myself to take for the next week or two!
Model: the beautiful and graceful Katie Johnson
*Blog
I have been hesitant to share photos of friends and family. But these are pretty special. And my friends and I are not getting any younger.
Our friend threw a birthday party at his Scottsdale Airpark garage / warehouse. He had about 70 or his favorite cars here tonight. His other 250 cars are at the Clive Cussler Museum on Arvada Colorado.
I don't know classic cars and since this is his garage there were no descriptive monuments by each car. I just had to appreciate each as a mechanical beauty of its time.
This is one of Clive's favorite autos. Any help identifying this car will be appreciated. This is the one that they made into his birthday cake. I believe this is a 1937 Cord convertible Coupe.
"One of the most attractive and rarest variants of the 810/812 models was the convertible coupe Approximately 195 came out of the factory and only 64 were supercharged. This car features a 200 cubic inch L-head V-8 engine with a centrifugal supercharger, front wheel drive, independent front suspension and a solid rear axle. This car won its class at Pebble Beach in 2007."
I think that the car behind this is a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr V12 coupe. Any confirmation or correction will be appreciated.
IMG_0145
*Features:
- 100% Mesh structure
- 100% seamlessly tillable, several buildings next to each other - sideways
- 100% original mesh and design made by myself
- Fully rendered textures with light and shadows for a realistic effect
- Exterior textures come with NORMAL MAPS.
- Contains 7 Template Textures with full perms (see details below). These textures are for personal use only and can't be shared.
Floor.
Ceiling.
Wall right side (Interior).
Wall left side (Interior).
Wall Middle (Interior).
Awning cloth (Both sides).
- The prefabs buildings come in four different exterior textures which are sold separately and also as a Fatpack.
Each pack contains six different building shapes.
See details bellow:
Size 11x11x10
Prim count 14
Size 11x11x15
Prim count 14
Size 11x11x20
Prim count 16
Size 11x11x10 With Awning
Prim count 20
Size 11x11x15 With Awning
Prim count 20
Size 11x11x20 With Awning
Prim count 22
- Footprint: 11x11 Without Awning
- Footprint: 11x14 With Awning
- Minimum Parcel Size Required: 512sq. meters
- Permissions
Copy / Modify / No Transfer
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Antares/138/96/2003
marketplace.secondlife.com/p/The-Village-Shops-Fatpack-Bo...
Some more of the larger lunar features captured just before the full Moon of January 31st, this time from the south western region. The large, dark crater on the terminator (on the left) is Crater Darwin. Below that is Crater Byrgius. Above Crater Byrgius is a row of three crater, these are (from left to right) Crater Fréres, Crater Henry, and Crater Cavendish. On the right of the image is Crater Mersenius and at the bottom is Crater Vieta.
Created from 2 x 1000 frame videos with the best 1000 frames selected.
Captured with FireCapture
Processed in AutoStakkert, Registax and Photoshop
Equipment:
Sky-Watcher Explorer-150PDS
Skywatcher EQ5 Mount
ZWO ASI1600 MC Pro camera
x2 Barlow with extension tubes
Dramatic cloud formation over Manhattan Beach, California, USA, with golden and orange hues dominating the sky. The urban area features a row of buildings along the shoreline, where the sandy beach meets the ocean's edge. The foreground shows gentle waves approaching, while the expansive, illuminated clouds create a striking contrast with the blue sky and hint of a rainbow, adding to the visual drama of the scene in January 2019.
Paxton’s Tower,
Llanarthne,
Carmarthenshire.
TAKEN - Sat 30th Oct'21
The tower is 36 feet high. The lower part of the tower is triangular in shape with a turret at each corner. On the first floor there is a banqueting room. Coloured glass from one of the windows can now be seen in the Carmarthen Museum at Abergwili. On the second floor there is a hexagonal prospect room surrounded by roof terraces. The windows to the prospect room are now bricked up. There is currently public access to the first floor banqueting room via stairs in one of the corner turrets.
Built in 1894, this Romanesque Revival-style mansion was constructed for Henry B. Denker, a founder of the St. Charles Car Manufacturing Company, later the American Car and Foundry Company, in 1873, and Mayor of St. Charles from 1907-1910. The house features a red brick exterior with a rough-hewn stone base, a hipped roof with wide overhanging eaves, one-over-one double-hung windows, two cylindrical towers at the corners of the south facade with conical roofs and finials, gabled dormers, a sun porch on the second floor of the west facade with roman arched windows, decorative brick corbeling and stone trim, doric columns and brick piers, a two-story northern service ell, and an enclosed porch with a hipped roof on the south facade. The building is a contributing structure in the Midtown Neighborhood Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, and today houses office space.
Tie a yellow ribbon!
For Happy Bench Monday today, I uploaded a shot of the inside of a dusty and abandoned church. Just to make the presentation, here is Christ Church, Sofala in all its external, corrugated iron abandonment.
We will return to Sofala in due course and it also features in my 2018 trip album. An old gold mining town, much of it is right out of the second half of the 19th Century, and often showing its age. Christ Church has been abandoned for a while and it’s rather chewed sign goes well with the surrounding graveyard which fits the town’s ambience exactly, with gravestones and grave fences collapsed or fallen, weed grown and occupants long forgotten.
Sofala is north of Bathurst in New South Wales and a round trip to equally historic Hill End, Sofala and back via Portland and Lithgow makes for a fascinating day delving into the history of our nation. And if you love photography, fill your card because the shots of heritage buildings, murals and vistas of the western side of the Blue Mountains are outstanding. You probably need a few days to do the area justice, more if you add in Jenolan Caves.
Features a dark, glossy green-blue cap, a rich chestnut or maroon neck, greyish-green wings, and distinct bright yellow legs and eyes. Unlike larger, long-legged herons, the Green Heron is quite compact and often keeps its neck pulled tightly against its body, making it look almost hunched. They are famous for being one of the few bird species known to use tools. They will drop insects, twigs, feathers, or breadcrumbs onto the surface of the water to lure curious fish within striking distance. They are found near small wetlands, ponds, marshes, and heavily vegetated stream banks where they hunt under dense cover.
Chacahua Lagoons National Park
Oaxaca Mexico
This Miami Beach beach-front resort features a full-service spa and 6 restaurants and lounges. The honored Guests can lounge at the outdoor pool and hot tub or visit the Art Deco District, which is just a 5-minute walk away.
This hotel offers a city or ocean view in all rooms; a flat-screen cable TV, small refrigerator, and sofa bed are also provided. Room service is available 24 hours a day.
The front desk is open 24 hours a day for added convenience to the Guests. The Loews Miami Beach Hotel guests can also stay in touch with free public Wi-Fi. Shops are on site as well.
The Loews Miami Beach Hotel was designed by Nichols Architects (formerly known as Nichols Brosch Sandoval & Associates or NBWW).
The project, completed in 1998, involved the construction of a new 800-key tower and the restoration of the historic 1939 Art Deco St. Moritz building.
Key details regarding the design team include:
Original Architecture: John Nichols served as the founder and lead designer. The architectural team also included partners Don Wolfe, Patrick Busteed, and Henry Paredes.
Recent Renovations (2025): A major $55 million guestroom transformation, completed in late 2025, was designed by the New York-based firm Meyer Davis.
Specialty Design: Interior architecture for specific hospitality areas has previously involved Cass Calder Smith, with Design Principal Cass Calder Smith and Project Architect Taylor Lawson leading the team.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
www.loewshotels.com/miami-beach
apps.miamidadepa.gov/PropertySearch/#/?address=1601%20col...
www.google.com/search?q=who+was+the+architect+of+the+loew...
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
The triumphal arch at the end of the pedestrian street Rua Augusta opens up on to Commerce Square. It has been recently restored and is now not only very clean and repaired but is also open to visitors who want to go up to the observation level. The arch was constructed in 1755 following an earthquake in the same year as a celebration of the reconstruction of the city following the quake. It was only completed in 1875.
The top of the arch is adorned with sculptures by Célestin Anatole Calmels of allegorical figures featuring Glory crowning Genius and Valor who sit on either side of Glory. On the lower levels of the arch there are more figures this time by Vitor Bastos. Bastos’ sculptures are of famous Portuguese figures including Vasco da Gama, Pereira and Viriato. Two reclining figures represent the Tagus River and Douro River. On the side of the arch facing Rue Augusta there is a clock, stone reliefs and filigree decoration. The arch has six columns reaching 11 meters high and the cornice is 30 meters high. It features the Portuguese coat of arms.
Visitors can go up to the top of the monumental arch by elevator for panoramic views over Terreiro do Paço Square, the Baixa district, Lisbon Cathedral, St. George’s Castle and the Tagus River. While inside the arch you can learn about the history of the arch from an exhibition entitled “ Sala do Relogio.” The arch featured in the Ted Danson version of Gulliver’s Travels when Gulliver was wheeled through the arch in Lilliput.
Praça do Comércio is one of the most emblematic places in Lisbon. This picturesque square, bordered to the south by the Tagus River, is flanked on the other three sides by white and yellow Pombaline buildings. It is a leading tourist hub due to its many quality shops, bars and restaurants.
Exploring the square on foot is a great way to enjoy its historic vibe. Here you will see an equestrian sculpture of King José I as well as the 30-metre-high Triumphal Arch on Augusta Street. The arch platform offers stunning views of Praça do Comércio, the Tagus River and part of central Lisbon.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
www.visitacity.com/en/lisbon/attraction-by-type/all?campa...
fr.hotels.com/go/portugal/lieux-emblematiques-lisbonne
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
Another image from a very famous place
Do we need another image from Tunnel View in Yosemite National Park? One could argue that after Adams took his iconic "Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park" in 1944 there has been little need to recapture the public's imagination with the view of this grand valley from a simple roadside pull-out. Yet there is rarely any shortage of photographers and nature lovers peering out over the stone wall making memories and photographs of the valley's major features laid out in such stunning symmetry. So then, what is the reason for snapping away (see below for proof of just how many people bore witness to the grandeur represented in this photograph)? Do we need more nature images of landscapes thoroughly inhabited and (theoretically) protected? Why is a culture so hell-bent on consuming and utilizing every natural resource possible even interested in nature photographs, especially of landscapes which have been (at least temporarily) spared from mining, drilling, clear-cutting and development? I have two answers to these questions - the general and the personal.
The Wellspring
The valley called Yosemite, and a few other spots on Earth, have served as the nursery for ideas. These ideas were the basis for a series of successful and unsuccessful marches in the name of conservationism and environmentalism. The valley was the gray-walled and sand-floored crib of Muir's preservationism. If Muir loved the wilds before (and he certainly did) he came to Yosemite, he got so near to the heartbeat of the Earth that he wanted for the rest of his life to try and get nearer. The valley was the luminous, storm-ravaged epic landscape of Adams' classic photograph - laid out like some glamourous nude, covering just enough with a lacy veil of fog and snowcloud to elicit excitement and inspire others to the same end as Ansel. Camp 4 was the cradle of the American love affair with rock climbing and the first rungs of Rowell's ladder from a poor mechanic to influential photojournalist and world-explorer. Perhaps too The Valley has been the nursemaid to our love of hiking and exploring the wilder places of America as something, if not vocation, then more dear than avocation. Thomas Jefferson famously wrote, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure." Conservationism did not die as some antiquated nineteenth century ideal, but it too must be refreshed from time to time. It's night-soils were the words of Muir, the photographs of Adams, Rowell, and others. There is much yet in this world, and even in the Yosemite Valley, that needs protecting and conserving. I don't know that my photographs will change anyone else's mind about how to behave in the valley or in their own backyards, but I do know the process of taking photographs of this place has fixed in my mind the value of this wonderful place. The argument, therefore, is that ideas need expression and the continual flow of nature imagery is an effort to convince the apathetic and timid of the great value inherent in conservation. Great photography is a call to action, it draws the breath from our lungs and the blood from our hearts for a moment only to rush it back two-fold and inspire us to do more (by doing less) than gnaw with an axe at old, pine-perfumed gardens. Maybe Ansel's was just an aperitif to some great and yet-unmade masterpiece more completely encapsulating the million-fold images, emotions and experiences that are Yosemite. Not all of us are going to make these still epics, however, and the reason to justify our personal photographic efforts are perhaps subtly different.
Making memories and photographs
The process of taking photographs is more about what is not in the photograph than what makes it into the frame. This is true in the compositional sense - often exclusion of extraneous elements and isolation of subject is the key to a successful photograph (a lesson I must constantly learn and a tree that is continually refreshed by the "manure" of deleting photographs poorly executed). This statement is also true in the figurative sense. These photographs are about more than their subject. They are about an amazing light show as dessert to a full meal of hiking and camping, they are about sitting at what seems like the top of Eden and enjoying a simple cup of hot soup as the blood-crimson of sunset gives way to steel-blue of twilight and finally to soot-black of night. They are about the fan-blade whoosh of ravens' wings over the Pines campground and the long light of drawing winter skies in the high country of the Tuolumne Meadows - sundogs and all. The act of photographing is an act of personal education and change.
What I've learned in my time as photographer hobbyist is that you cannot collect or consume nature images. This is where I think most of us who aspire to wonderful amateur photography fail. There is an oft-considered difference amongst photographers between "taking" a photograph, like a vacation snapshot or a record shot of some event, and "making" a photograph through careful composition, consideration, patience and thought. So too there is a difference between remembering things and making memories. Stopping at a roadside pullout and clicking away at even the most gorgeous and tumultuous light shows of our Earth, only to pop back into the car and head out along a drab ribbon of asphalt is to take a snapshot in your mind's eye and does disservice to the photograph, no matter how grand. If I could have told something to my younger self when looking to learn about how to make photographs, I would have told myself "Sit the $&#@ down and absorb the world you're trying to photograph - you can't photograph something you don't understand and you won't understand it until you let it in." I say all this because the photograph above of the valley from the famous Tunnel View pullout was populated with an enormous number of photographers, each very earnest and very serious and very talented. I counted at least two workshops going on and quite a bit of knowledge seemed to be in the offing. By the time I took the second photograph - my wife and I were alone. We had been alone for an hour by the time I took the fourth photograph on this post.
"Letting it in" is something different for everyone and I probably couldn't teach it to my younger self, let along a stranger. It's something like how Buddha can't share enlightenment, but can only share the "way." It is a balancing act between imaging, imagining and observing. Compare the difference in the quality of the light between the photograph that leads this post with the one below (taken just a moment apart). The conservationists problems would quickly end if only he or she could bring all the skeptics, miners and misers to Tunnel View for a late-fall light-show and therein lies the dichotomy.
The Dichotomy of the Valley
Tunnel View is famous because it presents the major aspects of the valley so harmoniously. Yosemite's scale seems to grow in proportion to its distance from the viewer. Half Dome is distant but towering, El Capitan is accurately represented as an impossibly sheer and impossibly beautiful slab of granite, some titanic slab table laid on its side, and nearest of all is the Bridalveil spilling fresh mountain run-off from the high country into a flower garden of amber- and ocher- and scarlet-leaved trees. The valley has just overcome the crisis of its birth, trees new and the cataclysm so near that water has not yet had time to erode its way, crashing instead from precipitous heights and providing our only clue of the impossible scale involved. I had made the pull-out having just hiked 12 miles of the valley floor trail that day and the complementary 10 miles the day before. In that hike I was struck with the out-of-place luxury of the guest resorts within the valley. To me there is something idealogical irreconcilable between a luxury hotel and a preservation of wilderness like Yosemite. I had many thoughts rattling around in my head while I took this last 16-minute exposure. I was thinking about originality, documentation, and the value of an image. The idea I wanted to convey was the dichotomy inherent to these national parks of ours. Yosemite village has a gift shop that sells purses and t-shirts and other trinkets designed to separate bused-in tourists from their money. The shop has a large plaque decrying how many plastic water bottles were consumed in Yosemite the year previous. The plaque is hung above a display selling plastic water bottles. Forever increasing pressure from the outside world to bring more visitors, to consume more wilderness, is one aim of these parks. In stark opposition is the initial, Muir-esque ideology of the parks - a preservation outside of development and the mar of humanity. So I waited for the last rays of twilight to fade and I left my shutter open for what seemed like an eternity, capturing the light pollution of a parade of cars, thundering past Tunnel View, casting their headlamps on the bows of nearby pines and then, on the valley floor, weaving through the gathering fog along the park road between the Pohono bridge and the northern park destinations; I imaged behind it all and above the valley the collected pollution casting a red pall on the sky like the representation of distant war by some Renaissance master.
Originality
To take a step back, and to put an end to my ramblings, it is hard not to take a good photograph from Tunnel View, or for that matter, of the valley. In two trips, I have been able to produce what I think are two rather unique images of the place (at least to the degree that any photographic act is one of creation or uniqueness): "The Dichotomy of the Valley" (above) and "We are Killers" (below). Far more importantly I spent two unforgettable evenings trying to absorb a bit of the grandeur in the thin and chilly mountain air. Had I to boil down the thesis here at play I would simply say that what is lacking in poor photography when compared to great photography are ideas and the successful expression of those ideas. The world is full of information easily found about how to successfully express a photographic idea, but often woefully short of fresh ideas themselves. This is why there was only one Muir, one Adams and one Rowell and why there is only one you. The reason that we need more images of nature, of Tunnel View, of the valley is that no two images are the same, they are all products of their respective creators and our thirst for brilliant creators is never quenched though the wellspring of Yosemite has provided amply. The trick isn't to represent Tunnel View, but to represent yourself through Tunnel View.
Steinhatchee Falls and Steinhatchee Rise are tracts of protected lands in Florida named for aquatic features. Steinhatchee Falls includes 1,766 acres (715 ha), and Steinhatchee Rise covers 3,559 acres (1,440 ha). Steinhatchee Falls is in southeastern Taylor County, Florida. Steinhatchee Rise is in southwestern Dixie County, Florida.
The area around the falls is floodplain swamp, bottom land forest, pine plantation, and mixed hardwood forest. The area around Steinhatchee Rise contains also includes floodplain swamp, bottom land forest, pine plantation, and mixed hardwood forest as well as mesic woods and wet flat woods. Animal species in the area include gopher tortoise, wading birds, wild hog, swallow-tailed kite, Swainson's warbler, deer, turkey, and squirrel. A trailhead for the Steinhatchee Trail Tennille Trail is on Florida SR 51.
Steinhatchee Falls Park is a tourist attraction and viewpoint with water cascading over a small falls on the Steinhatchee River. The Steinhatchee Trail is a 3-mile (5 km) multi-use trail ending at Steinhatchee Falls. Coming off a limestone lip across the river, the height of Steinhatchee Falls ranges from four to five feet down to being almost unnoticeable when the river is high.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steinhatchee_Falls
map.mysuwanneeriver.com/tracts/steinhatchee-falls-185/
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
El casco antiguo de Graz fue declarado Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco en 1999.
A orillas del río Mur se encuentra una colina llamada Schlossberg, que tiene una altura de 475 metros.
Hace más de 1.000 años se construyó un castillo que dio el nombre a la ciudad (que se deriva de la palabra eslovena gradec, que significa "pequeño castillo"). Desde el año 1125 la colina albergó una impresionante fortaleza. En 1809 Napoleón ordenó destruirla. En dicha colina se edificó en 1560 la Torre del reloj, uno de los símbolos de la ciudad. Entre las diferentes calles que forman parte del distrito Innere Stadt destaca la calle Sporgasse. La calle es más antigua que la ciudad ya que fueron los romanos, los primeros que trazaron una vía que iba desde el valle del río Mur hasta la ciudad romana de Savaria (actual Szombately, en Hungría). Los artesanos que trabajaban en esta calle son los que dieron el nombre a la calle. En la actualidad, la Sporgasse es una calle dedicada al comercio.
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casco_histórico_de_Graz
Innere Stadt (German pronunciation: [ˈɪnəʀə ʃtat]) is the 1st district of the Austrian city of Graz, capital of the federal state of Styria. It is the part of the Old Town (in German: Altstadt) containing the Schloßberg and the city park (Stadtpark). The district borders are formed by the Mur river between Radetzkybrücke and Keplerbrücke, the Wickenburggasse, the Glacis, Jakominiplatz and the Radetzkystraße. The district covers an area of 1.16 km² and -as of 2011- has a population of 3,545.
In 1999, the Old Town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innere_Stadt_(Graz)
Graz [ˈɡʁaːt͡s] es una ciudad austríaca, capital del estado federado de Estiria (en alemán, Steiermark). Con una población de 269.997 habitantes (1-1-2014) es la segunda ciudad más grande del país. Ciudad universitaria por excelencia, fue nombrada Capital Europea de la Cultura en el año 2003.
Graz está situada a orillas del río Mura al sureste de Austria. Se encuentra a 189 kilómetros de Viena, la capital de país.
La primera mención de la ciudad apareció en un documento escrito por el margrave de Estiria Leopoldo I. En la actualidad no se dispone del original aunque existe una copia del siglo XV.
El último representante de la dinastía Otakar fue Otakar IV de Estiria, margrave de Estiria y duque desde 1180. Otakar no tenía descendencia y había contraído la lepra. En el año 1186 Otakar se reunió con el duque Leopoldo V, de la Casa de Babenberg, en la localidad de Enns donde firmaron el Pacto de Georgenberger mediante el cual Otokar designaba a los Babenberg como sucesores.
En 1379 Graz se convierte en la residencia de los Habsburgo al ser nombrada capital de la Austria interna (en alemán Innerösterreich), territorio que comprendía Estiria, Carintia, Carniola y algunas posesiones en Italia. La estancia de la familia imperial se prolongó hasta 1619.
El 10 de abril de 1797, las tropas francesas hicieron su entrada en Graz por primera vez. Dos días más tarde, Napoleón llegó a Graz, donde permaneció unos días hasta su marcha a Göss, cerca de Leoben. El 14 de noviembre de 1805, el ejército francés, al mando del general Marmont, invadió la ciudad por segunda vez. La ocupación finalizó el 11 de enero de 1806 con la retirada de las tropas galas. El 30 de mayo de 1809 se produjo la tercera incursión de la legión francesa, esta vez bajo las órdenes de MacDonald. El 4 de enero de 1810 los franceses abandonaron Graz definitivamente.
Durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial el 16 % de los edificios fueron destruidos y 1788 personas perdieron la vida como consecuencia de la ofensiva. El casco histórico no se vio afectado por los ataques, a excepción de la Tummelplatz. La estación central y las plantas industriales del sur y el oeste de la ciudad fueron los objetivos de los bombardeos.
En los años posteriores a la proclamación de la independencia del país en 1955, se produjeron muchos de los cambios que conformaron la imagen actual de la ciudad. En el plano cultural destaca la creación de varios festivales. En 1968 se celebró la primera edición del steirische herbst, el festival de arte contemporáneo más antiguo de Europa. En 1985 se inauguró el Styriarte, festival dedicado a la música clásica. Ambos festivales se celebran cada año y son de gran importancia para la capital de Estiria. La fisionomía de Graz va a experimentar sucesivas modificaciones y ampliaciones. Así pues, se construyeron nuevos puentes y en 1972 se abrió la primera zona peatonal. A finales de los años 80 tiene lugar un importante crecimiento de la zona sureste. En 1988, Puntigam fue considerado como distrito independiente de Straßgang, quedando establecidos los diecisiete distritos en los que se divide Graz hoy en día.
En 1993 la ciudad recibió un premio de la organización ecologista Greenpeace. Ese mismo año organizó el Mes de la cultura europeo por encargo de la Unión Europea.
El casco antiguo de Graz fue declarado Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco en 1999.
Graz cuenta con 4 universidades que reúnen a cerca de 40 000 estudiantes. Es la segunda ciudad universitaria más importante de Austria después de Viena. Uno de cada 7 habitantes de Graz estudia.
Graz (/ɡrɑːts/ GRAHTS, German: [ɡʁaːts]) is the capital of the Austrian province Styria and the second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. On 1 January 2019, it had a population of 328,276 (292,269 of whom had principal residence status). In 2015, the population of the Graz larger urban zone who had principal residence status stood at 633,168. Graz has a long tradition as seat of universities: its six universities have almost 60,000 students. Its historic centre is one of the best-preserved city centres in Central Europe.[5]
For centuries, Graz was more important to Slovenes and Croats, both politically and culturally, than the capitals of Ljubljana, Slovenia and Zagreb, Croatia; it remains influential to this day.[6] In 1999, Graz's historic centre was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites and in 2010, the site was extended with Eggenberg Palace (German: Schloss Eggenberg). Graz was the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2003 and became a City of Culinary Delights in 2008.
The name of the city, Graz, formerly spelled Gratz, most likely stems from the Slavic gradec, "small castle". Some archaeological finds point to the erection of a small castle by Alpine Slavic people, which over time became a heavily defended fortification. In literary Slovene and Croatian, gradec still means "small castle". The German name 'Graz' first appears in records in 1128.
Graz is situated on the Mur river in southeast Austria. It is about 200 km (120 mi) southwest of Vienna. The nearest larger urban centre is Maribor in Slovenia which is about 50 km (31 mi) away. Graz is the capital and largest city in Styria, a green and heavily forested area.
The oldest settlement on the ground of the modern city of Graz dates back to the Copper Age. However, no historical continuity exists of a settlement before the Middle Ages. During the 12th century, dukes under Babenberg rule made the town into an important commercial center. Later, Graz came under the rule of the Habsburgs and, in 1281, gained special privileges from King Rudolph I.
In the 14th century, Graz became the city of residence of the Inner Austrian line of the Habsburgs. The royalty lived in the Schlossberg castle and from there ruled Styria, Carinthia, most of today's Slovenia, and parts of Italy (Carniola, Gorizia and Gradisca, Trieste).
In the 16th century, the city's design and planning were primarily controlled by Italian Renaissance architects and artists. One of the most famous buildings built in this style is the Landhaus, designed by Domenico dell'Allio, and used by the local rulers as a governmental headquarters.
Karl-Franzens-Universität, also called the University of Graz, is the city's oldest university, founded in 1585 by Archduke Karl II. For most of its existence, it was controlled by the Catholic church, and was closed in 1782 by Joseph II in an attempt to gain state control over educational institutions. Joseph II transformed it into a lyceum where civil servants and medical personnel were trained. In 1827 it was re-instituted as a university by Emperor Franz I, thus gaining the name 'Karl-Franzens Universität,' meaning 'Charles-Francis University.' Over 30,000 students currently study at this university.
The astronomer Johannes Kepler lived in Graz for a short period. There, he worked as a math teacher and was a professor of mathematics at the University of Graz, but still found time to study astronomy. He left Graz to go to Prague when Lutherans were banned from the city.
Ludwig Boltzmann was Professor for Mathematical Physics from 1869 to 1890. During that time, Nikola Tesla studied electrical engineering at the Polytechnic in 1875. Nobel Laureate Otto Loewi taught at the University of Graz from 1909 until 1938. Ivo Andric, the 1961 Nobel Prize for Literature Laureate obtained his doctorate at the University of Graz. Erwin Schrödinger was briefly chancellor of the University of Graz in 1936.
Graz lies in Styria, or Steiermark in German. Mark is an old German word indicating a large area of land used as a defensive border, in which the peasantry is taught how to organize and fight in the case of an invasion. With a strategic location at the head of the open and fertile Mur valley, Graz was often assaulted (unsuccessfully), e.g. by the Hungarians under Matthias Corvinus in 1481, and by the Ottoman Turks in 1529 and 1532. Apart from the Riegersburg Castle, the Schlossberg was the only fortification in the region that never fell to the Ottoman Turks. Graz is home to the region's provincial armory, which is the world's largest historical collection of late medieval and Renaissance weaponry. It has been preserved since 1551, and displays over 30,000 items.
From the earlier part of the 15th century, Graz was the residence of the younger branch of the Habsburgs, which succeeded to the imperial throne in 1619 in the person of Emperor Ferdinand II, who moved the capital to Vienna. New fortifications were built on the Schlossberg at the end of the 16th century. Napoleon's army occupied Graz in 1797. In 1809, the city withstood another assault by the French army. During this attack, the commanding officer in the fortress was ordered to defend it with about 900 men against Napoleon's army of about 3,000. He successfully defended the Schlossberg against eight attacks, but they were forced to give up after the Grande Armée occupied Vienna and the Emperor ordered to surrender. Following the defeat of Austria by Napoleonic forces at the Battle of Wagram in 1809, the fortifications were demolished using explosives, as stipulated in the Peace of Schönbrunn of the same year. The belltower and the civic clock tower, often used as the symbol of Graz, were spared after the people of Graz paid a ransom for their preservation.
Archduke Karl II of Inner Austria had 20,000 Protestant books burned in the square of what is now a mental hospital, and succeeded in returning Styria to the authority of the Holy See. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was born in Graz, in what is now the Stadtmuseum (city museum).
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students. At the end of 2016 there were 33,473 people with secondary residence status in Graz.
Oceanic climate is the type found in the city, but due to the 0 °C isotherm, the same occurs in a humid continental climate with based in Köppen system (Cfb/Dfb borderline). Wladimir Köppen himself was in town and conducted studies to see how the climate of the past influenced the Continental Drift theory. Due to its position southeast of the Alps, Graz is shielded from the prevailing westerly winds that bring weather fronts in from the North Atlantic to northwestern and central Europe. The weather in Graz is thus influenced by the Mediterranean, and it has more hours of sunshine per year than Vienna or Salzburg and also less wind or rain. Graz lies in a basin that is only open to the south, causing the climate to be warmer than would be expected at that latitude. Plants are found in Graz that normally grow much further south.
Politically, culturally, scientifically and religiously, Graz was an important centre for all Slovenes, especially from the establishment of the University of Graz in 1586 until the establishment of University of Ljubljana in 1919. In 1574, the first Slovene Catholic book [sl] was published in Graz, and in 1592, Hieronymus Megiser published in Graz the book Dictionarium quatuor linguarum, the first multilingual dictionary of Slovene.
The Styrian Slovenes did not consider Graz a German city, but their own, a place to study while living at their relatives' homes and to fulfill one's career ambitions. The student associations in Graz were a crucible of the Slovene identity, and the Slovene students in Graz were more nationally aware than some others. This led to fierce anti-Slovene efforts of German nationalists in Graz before and during World War II.
Many Slovenian Styrians study there. Slovenes are among the professors at the Institute for Jazz in Graz. Numerous Slovenes have found employment there, while being formerly unemployed in Slovenia. For the Slovene culture, Graz remains permanently important due to its university and the Universalmuseum Joanneum archives containing numerous documents from the Slovenian Styria.
A symposium on the relation of Graz and the Slovenes was held in Graz in 2010, at the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the first and oldest chair of Slovene. It was established at the Lyzeum of Graz in July 1811 on the initiative of Janez Nepomuk Primic [sl]. A collection of lectures on the topic was published. The Slovenian Post commemorated the anniversary with a stamp.
For the year that Graz was Cultural Capital of Europe, new structures were erected. The Graz Museum of Contemporary Art (German: Kunsthaus) was designed by Peter Cook and Colin Fournier and is situated next to the Mur river. The Island in the Mur is a floating platform made of steel. It was designed by American architect Vito Acconci and contains a café, an open-air theatre and a playground.
The historic centre was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999 due to the harmonious co-existence of typical buildings from different epochs and in different architectural styles. Situated in a cultural borderland between Central Europe, Italy and the Balkan States, Graz absorbed various influences from the neighbouring regions and thus received its exceptional townscape. Today the old town consists of over 1000 buildings, their age ranging from Gothic to contemporary.
The most important sights in the historic centre are:
Town Hall (Rathaus). The Schlossberg hill, a hill dominating the historic centre (475 m (1,558.40 ft) high), site of a demolished fortress, with views over Graz. The Clock Tower (Uhrturm) is a symbol of Graz, at the top of the Schlossberg hill. The New Gallery (Neue Galerie), a museum of art. The Schlossberg hill funicular (Schlossbergbahn), a funicular railway up the Schlossberg hill. The seat of Styria's provincial parliament (Landhaus), a palace in Lombardic style. It is one of the most important examples of Renaissance architecture in Austria and was built by Italian architect Domenico dell'Allio between 1557 and 1565.
The Armoury (Landeszeughaus) is the largest of its kind in the world.
The Graz Opera House (Opernhaus), the principal venue for opera, ballet, and operetta performances. It is the 2nd largest opera house in Austria.
The Graz Theatre (Schauspielhaus), Graz's principal theatre for productions of plays.
The Cathedral (Dom), a rare monument of Gothic architecture. Once, there were many frescos on the outer walls; today, only a few remain, like the Landplagenbild ("picture of plagues") painted in 1485, presumably by Thomas von Villach. The three plagues it depicts are locusts, pestilence and the invasion of the Turks, all of them striking the town in 1480. It features the oldest painted view of Graz.
The mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II next to the cathedral, the most important building of Mannerism in Graz. It includes both the grave where Ferdinand II and his wife are buried, and a church dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria.
The Castle (Burg), with Gothic double staircase, built between 1438 and 1453 by Emperor Frederick III, because the old castle on the Schlossberg hill was too small and uncomfortable. The castle remained the residence of the Inner Austrian Court until 1619. Today, it serves as residence for the Styrian government.
The Painted House (Gemaltes Haus) in Herrengasse 3. It is completely covered with frescos (painted in 1742 by Johann Mayer).
The Museum of Contemporary Art Graz (Kunsthaus)
The Island in the Mur (Murinsel), an artificial island in the Mur river.
Buildings, inner courtyards (e. g. Early Renaissance courtyard of the Former House of Teutonic Knights in Sporgasse 22) and roofscape of the old town.
The Old Town and the adjacent districts are characterized by the historic residential buildings and churches found there. In the outer districts buildings are predominantly of the architectural styles from the second half of the 20th century.
In 1965 the Grazer Schule (School of Graz) was founded. Several buildings around the universities are of this style, for example the green houses by Volker Giencke and the RESOWI center by Günther Domenig.
Before Graz became the European Capital of Culture in 2003, several new projects were realized, such as the Stadthalle, the Kindermuseum (museum for children), the Helmut-List-Halle, the Kunsthaus and the Murinsel.
Woot woot!
Features
-The Adaptable Battle Rifle/Weapon System, or as it has been nicknamed, the "Abberwes" rifle was considered the top of the line assault rifle, but due to it's price, it quickly fell in the civilian market.
-This version, the military model, was fitted with a 8x40 super enhanced scope with an integrated laser on the side, a 20" chrome lined CQB barrel, a small rail system with three rails, a 20rd 7.62x51 NATO magazine, an olive drab finish, and an adjustable monopod and buttplate. As for now, only 2-3 special forces carry these as their primary weapon.
MSRP: $3,499.95
Currently being tested in Germany.