View allAll Photos Tagged improving
An improving image, both in vehicle representation and service quality/reliability, can be clearly shown in this photo by Redditch's only double decker. There were a few days where it wasn't on the service last week, but this was due to overhanging trees between Alcester and Evesham (Redditch to Alcester is fine because Stagecoach run double deckers on their route).
Diamond's BJ14 KTC (40625) is seen parked opposite the Alcester Police Station while operating the 247 towards Evesham. The 247 operates up to every hour between Redditch and Evesham Bus Stations. Around the school times, the frequency drops, with certain journeys calling in at local schools, which is why the Gemini was acquired by Redditch because of the termination of the 301 (Redditch-Alcester Schools). BJ14KTC was new in April 2014 as one of two Geminis for use with the Rotala PLC's Wessex operation. Soon after, it gained branding for use on the 51, a service Wessex stepped in to save that First West of England had axed. Sister BJ14KTA was also branded for the service. KTA (40626) has remained at Hounslow in a white livery for the Royal Holloway University, whereas in July 2019, KTC was transferred up to Diamond Bus North West (DBNW/DNW), for use at their newly taken over (from First Manchester) Bolton depot. However, September has seen it transfer down to Diamond Bus West Midlands for use at Redditch on the 247 (Redditch-Evesham) to provide extra capacity on the service following the withdrawing of the 301 (Alcester Schools-Redditch), which ran infront of the service. 40625 is a Volvo B9TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini 2.
"Improving the Eggs Before They Are Hatched" by STEPHANIE STROM via NYT t.co/FIYcKsGpTt (via Twitter twitter.com/felipemassone/status/668926673757294593)
Just a bit of an update. I had planned to be back earlier, but I managed to hurt my back over the weekend and have been trying to get everything back in sync. I’ve had my old back brace on for the past two days trying to get my spine back into alignment and it appears to have been successful. I am feeling much better and having no pain at the moment. I took the brace off this afternoon and went for a slow walk, and everything seems to be back in alignment. Only time will tell. I’m not going to spend much time in front of the computer this evening, but I did want to let everyone know what is going on. Best wishes to everyone for a great finish to this week. Enjoy it to the fullest and enjoy the journey.
Had a great time at the birthday celebration and got to spend some time with my family over the weekend as well before I hurt my back. Comments are turned off as this is just to let every that I am doing fine and should be back in a couple of days. Cheers.
DSC02116uls
The central criminal courts, Old Bailey, London. Seen after heavy Spring rain.
The court originated as the sessions house of the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of the City of London and of Middlesex. The original medieval court was first mentioned in 1585; it was next to the older Newgate gaol, and seems to have grown out of the endowment to improve the gaol and rooms for the Sheriffs, made possible by a gift from Richard Whittington. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and rebuilt in 1674, with the court open to the weather to prevent the spread of disease.
Plaque commemorating Bushel's Case of 1670
In 1734 it was refronted, enclosing the court and reducing the influence of spectators: this led to outbreaks of typhus, notably in 1750 when 60 people died, including the Lord Mayor and two judges. It was rebuilt again in 1774 and a second courtroom was added in 1824. Over 100,000 criminal trials were carried out at the Old Bailey between 1674 and 1834
In 1834, it was renamed as the Central Criminal Court and its jurisdiction extended beyond that of London and Middlesex to the whole of the English jurisdiction for trials of major cases. Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service manages the courts and administers the trials but the building itself is owned by the City of London Corporation, which finances the building, the running of it, the staff and the maintenance out of their own resources.
The court was originally intended as the site where only criminals accused of crimes committed in the City and Middlesex were tried. However, in 1856, there was public revulsion at the accusations against the doctor William Palmer that he was a poisoner and murderer. This led to fears that he could not receive a fair trial in his native Staffordshire. The Central Criminal Court Act 1856 was passed to enable his trial to be held at the Old Bailey.
In the 19th century, the Old Bailey was a small court adjacent to Newgate gaol. Hangings were a public spectacle in the street outside until May 1868. The condemned would be led along Dead Man's Walk between the prison and the court, and many were buried in the walk itself. Large, riotous crowds would gather and pelt the condemned with rotten fruit and vegetables and stones. In 1807, 28 people were crushed to death after a pie-seller's stall overturned. A secret tunnel was subsequently created between the prison and St Sepulchre's church opposite, to allow the chaplain to minister to the condemned man without having to force his way through the crowds.
The present Old Bailey building dates from 1902 but it was officially opened on 27 February 1907. It was designed by E. W. Mountford and built on the site of the infamous Newgate gaol, which was demolished to allow the court buildings to be constructed. Above the main entrance is inscribed the admonition: "Defend the Children of the Poor & Punish the Wrongdoer". King Edward VII opened the courthouse.
Lady Justice statue on the top of the court building
On the dome above the court stands a bronze statue of Lady Justice, executed by the British sculptor F. W. Pomeroy. She holds a sword in her right hand and the scales of justice in her left. The statue is popularly supposed to show blind Justice, however, the figure is not blindfolded: the courthouse brochures explain that this is because Lady Justice was originally not blindfolded, and because her “maidenly form” is supposed to guarantee her impartiality which renders the blindfold redundant.
During the Blitz of World War II, the Old Bailey was bombed and severely damaged, but subsequent reconstruction work restored most of it in the early 1950s. In 1952, the restored interior of the Grand Hall of the Central Criminal Court was once again open. The interior of the Great Hall (underneath the dome) is decorated with paintings commemorating the Blitz, as well as quasi-historical scenes of St Paul's Cathedral with nobles outside. Running around the entire hall are a series of axioms, some of biblical reference. They read:
"The law of the wise is a fountain of life"
"The welfare of the people is supreme"
"Right lives by law and law subsists by power"
"Poise the cause in justice's equal scales"
"Moses gave unto the people the laws of God"
"London shall have all its ancient rights"
The Great Hall (and the floor beneath it) is also decorated with many busts and statues, chiefly of British monarchs, but also of legal figures, and those who achieved renown by campaigning for improvement in prison conditions in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This part of the building also houses the shorthand-writers' offices.
The lower level also hosts a minor exhibition on the history of the Old Bailey and Newgate featuring historical prison artefacts.
In 1973, the Belfast Brigade of the Provisional IRA exploded a car bomb in the street outside the courts, killing one and injuring 200 people. A shard of glass is preserved as a reminder, embedded in the wall at the top of the main stairs.
South Block extension
Between 1968 and 1972, a new South Block, designed by the architects Donald McMorran and George Whitby, was built to accommodate more modern courts. There are presently 18 courts in use. Court 19 is now used variously as a press overflow facility, as a registration room for first-day jurors or as a holding area for serving jurors.
The original ceremonial gates to the 1907 part of the building are only used by the Lord Mayor and visiting royalty. The general entrance to the building is a few yards down the road in the South Block and is often featured as a backdrop in television news reports. There is also a separate rear entrance, not open to the public, which permits more discreet access. In Warwick Square, on the western side of the complex, is the "Lord Mayor's Entrance".
A remnant of the city wall is preserved in the basement beneath the cells.
Das Nil-Delta im Norden von Ägypten hat ein sehr dichtes Netz an Bahnlinien, welches die zahlreichen großen und kleinen Städte miteinander verbindet. Den Verkehr wickelt die Egyptian National Railway (ENR) über in der Regel mindestens zweistündlich verkehrende Nahverkehrszüge, sogenannten "Improved" ab. Die Bespannung dieser Züge übernehmen vornehmlich Lokomotiven von Henschel/EMD (AA22T) und EMD (G22CU/G22W oder JT22MC). Oftmals verlaufen die Strecken parallel zu Nil-Armen oder Bewässerungskanälen. So auch zwischen Ibrahimiah und Ebshway, wo am 11.02.2026 die ENR Lokomotive 3629 (EMD G22) mit dem Improved 462 Damanhour - Tanta fotografiert werden konnte.
The Nile Delta in northern Egypt has a very dense network of railway lines connecting numerous large and small towns. Traffic is handled by the Egyptian National Railway (ENR) via local trains, known as “Improved” trains, which generally run at least every two hours. These trains are primarily powered by locomotives from Henschel/EMD (AA22T) and EMD (G22CU/G22W or JT22MC). The routes often run parallel to branches of the Nile or irrigation canals. This is also the case between Ibrahimiah and Ebshway, where ENR locomotive 3629 (EMD G22) with the Improved 462 Damanhour - Tanta was photographed on February 11, 2026.
An upgraded Manticore with better weapons, sturdier construction, more armor, and other all round upgrades, and modifications to make it compete in a 1920s, and half decent in a 30s battlefield.
The Empress, and the chief of the Legion has expressed some regret that the military industrial complex of the Seaxhost Dominion has not been developing many new weapons with budget in favor of mining recourses. This however will soon change due to some new inspirations, and a need to compete with any would be attacker.
The tanks being used in the Gorabian desert war have been pretty impressive. While our Empress tanks are top notch, we need a new upgrade to the Manticore to improve its capabilities. Most notable is the need for a gun on a rotating turret, and more sturdy construction. We are pleased to announce a new prototype is nearly finished that will be more heavily armed, and will feature a 57mm gun. While many nations believe that larger caliber guns might be more powerful, a 57mm shell will still puncture the armor of even the mighty Basque Grand. In fact the 57mm main guns on Seaxhost tanks have proven to be able to pierce nearly 60mm of unsloped armor at optimal range, and in the next few years might even pierce the same amount sloped at 50 degrees sloped. Also our long barreled 57mm guns have proven to be more accurate then these short 75mm guns most nations are using. The Manticore MK IV will mount five machine guns, two 40mm guns like the one on our empress, a 77mm gun in the front like previous models, and the long 57mm gun mentioned in a turret designed to take out tanks.
It's armor is a total of 45mm of all round protection, this is expected to increase in upgrades. After much work in the factories our engineers believe to have reached a limit on what we can do combat wise, and it is expected to be able to compete 1/1 against a Basque Grand. We don't expect any heavy tanks of the early, and mid 20s to top the standards that Amestris had set. At least not without changing the class to huge, or goofy tank in the group... Huh. Well any future models will be either specialty vehicles, or special export models that are designed to meet requests of a nation that would want them.
On this day in 1780 the English prison reformer, social reformer & Quaker Elizabeth Fry was born.
Elizabeth Fry was one of Britain's most influential 19th century social reformers and is best known for her work on improving the conditions of Britain's gaols. Because of her work, first on the treatment of female prisoners at Newgate Prison and then more generally on the conditions in British and European gaols, she has often been referred to as the "angel of prisons".
Elizabeth was born on May 21st 1780 in Gurney Court, off Magdalen Street, Norwich, Norfolk, England into a prominent Quaker family, the Gurneys. Her father, John Gurney (1749–1809), was a partner in Gurney's Bank. Her mother, Catherine, was a member of the Barclay family who were among the founders of Barclays Bank. Her mother died when Elizabeth was twelve years old so as one of the oldest girls in the family, she was partly responsible for the care and education of the younger children.
She married Joseph Fry, who was also a Quaker, in August 1800 at the Norwich Goat Lane Friends Meeting House and moved to St Mildred's Court in the City of London. In 1811 she was recorded as a minister of the Religious Society of Friends.
Prompted by a family friend, Stephen Grellet, Fry visited Newgate Prison in 1813. The conditions she saw there horrified her. The women's section was overcrowded with women and children, some of whom had not even received a trial. The prisoners did their own cooking and washing in the small cells in which they slept on straw.
She returned the following day with food and clothes for some prisoners. She was unable to personally further her work for nearly four years because of difficulties within the Fry family, including financial difficulties in the Fry bank.
Fry returned in 1816 and was eventually able to fund a prison school for the children who were imprisoned with their mothers. Rather than attempt to impose discipline on the women, she suggested rules and then asked the prisoners to vote on them. In 1817 she helped found the Association for the Reformation of the Female Prisoners in Newgate. This association provided materials for women so that they could learn to sew patchwork which was calming and also allowed skills to develop, such as needlework and knitting which could offer employment when they were out of prison and then could earn money for themselves. This approach was copied elsewhere and led to the eventual creation of the British Ladies' Society for Promoting the Reformation of Female Prisoners in 1821. She also promoted the idea of rehabilitation instead of harsh punishment which was taken on by the city authorities in London as well as many other authorities and prisons.
Elizabeth Fry also campaigned for the rights and welfare of prisoners who were being transported. The women of Newgate Prison were taken through the streets of London in open carts, often in chains, huddled together with their few possessions. They were pelted with rotten food and filth by the people of the city. The fear was often enough to make women condemned to transportation riot on the evening before. Fry's first action was to persuade the Governor of Newgate prison to send the women in closed carriages and spare them this last indignity before transportation. She visited prison ships and persuaded captains to implement systems to ensure each woman and child would at least get a share of food and water on the long journey. Later she arranged each woman to be given scraps of material and sewing tools so that they could use the long journey to make quilts and have something to sell as well as useful skills when they reached their destination. She also included a bible and useful items such as string and knives and forks in this vital care package. Elizabeth Fry visited 106 transport ships and saw 12,000 convicts. Her work helped to start a movement for the abolition of transportation. Transportation was officially abolished in 1837, however Elizabeth Fry was still visiting transportation ships until 1843.
Fry wrote in her book Prisons in Scotland and the North of England that she stayed the night in some of the prisons and invited nobility to come and stay and see for themselves the conditions prisoners lived in. Her kindness helped her gain the friendship of the prisoners and they began to try to improve their conditions for themselves. Thomas Fowell Buxton, Fry's brother-in-law, was elected to Parliament for Weymouth and began to promote her work among his fellow MPs. In 1818 Fry gave evidence to a House of Commons committee on the conditions prevalent in British prisons, becoming the first woman to present evidence in Parliament.
Her humanitarian work didn’t stop at prisons. For example, she helped the homeless, establishing a "nightly shelter" in London after seeing the body of a young boy in the winter of 1819/1820. She also campaigned for the abolition of the slave trade and opened a training school for nurses. Her programme inspired Florence Nightingale, who took a team of Fry's nurses to assist wounded soldiers in the Crimean War.
Her work gained her admiration from people in high places. One such was Queen Victoria, who granted her an audience a few times before she was Queen and contributed money to her cause after she ascended to the throne. Another admirer was Robert Peel who passed several acts to further her cause including the Gaols Act 1823. The act was however largely ineffective, because there were no inspectors to make sure that it was being followed.
Fry died from a stroke in Ramsgate, England, on October 12th 1845. From 2001–2016, Fry was depicted on the reverse of £5 notes issued by the Bank of England.
Improving my photoshop skills
How did I do it? Probabily the wrong way!
Duplicated the original layer, took the new layer and made it almost B&W using saturation slider. Took a 'Polaroid' image from the web and created 3 layers at the top with the polaroid images. Then used the eraser tool to erase the B&W layer under the polaroids to reveal the original bottom layer.
Seneca Improved View 5x7 + 4x5 reducing back, Osaka 120mm f/6.3, New Guy Negative Collodion (~2 months old)
f/11, 8 seconds
Seeing improved compared to the previous photo.
Notes:
The NTB is fading, and a pattern of dark markings are visible on the northern edge before the central meridian.
White Spot Z is just passed the CM.
The EZ has an orange tint.
Three brown barges are visible in the SEBs.
Oval BA is at the CM, with the STB ghost trailing it.
The sector of the STB trailing Oval BA is dark.
Telescope: Celestron C14 EdgeHD
Camera: ZWO ASI290MM
Barlow: Astro-Physics Advanced Convertible Barlow
Filters: Chroma Red, Chroma Green, Chroma Blue
Seneca Improved View 5x7, Buhl Optical 9" (229mm) f/3.6, UVP-X collodion (23 months old)
f/3.6, 20 seconds
My silver bath needs an overhaul. I know I've always been against it but it might be time for a boil.
Improved Seneca View Camera (1906), Carl Zeiss f4.5 210mm, DRP, Tessar lens (1914), Thornton Pickard wooden shutter (1905), 5x7, X-ray film
This is my double space where everything has to fit now, or go into storage. This space is really looking good!
Captain Falcon:
I touched up the belt and abs
Shovel Knight:
New helmet and paint job
Ryu:
New face, fixed the dogi and bandana, and added a retarded mini hadouken XD
WALLOPS ISLAND, VA – Two suborbital rockets were successfully launched 15 seconds apart this morning from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility as part of a study of electrical currents in the ionosphere.
The launch of the Black Brant V at 10:31:25 a.m. and the Terrier-Improved Orion at 10:31:40 were part of the Daytime Dynamo experiment, a joint project between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA.
The project is designed to study a global electrical current called the dynamo, which sweeps through the ionosphere. The first rocket carried a payload that collected data on the neutral and charged particles in the ionosphere. The second rocket released a long trail of lithium gas to track how the upper atmospheric wind varies with altitude. These winds are believed to be the drivers of the dynamo currents.
The next scheduled launch from Wallops is Terrier-Improved Malemute carrying experiments developed by students in the RockSat-X program. The launch is currently scheduled between 6 and 10 a.m., August 13.
More information on the NASA sounding rocket program and the Daytime Dynamo experiment can be found on the web at:
Credit: NASA/Wallops/Alli Stancil
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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En route to Holyhead the Network Rail test train, headed by 43014 'The Railway' Observer', appropriately branded 'Improving Your Railway' heads through station improvements taking place at Llandudno Junction station
Aaah, I totally forgot DDW! Again ! *cries* I'll try to post more! I >_<
Otherwise, don't laugh! It's my 2nd canvas ! And I am going to improve ! XD Miles wears a BHC outfit. It's really gorgeous! =)
(download link below)
In 2015 I got my degree in Computer Science, and worked on this project for my thesis.
Oripa is a small CAD software developed by Jun Mitani, especially for origami. It implements the most common origami constructions for drawing crease patterns (CPs), and provides some amazing features for flat folding: it checks the Kawasaki-Maekawa-Justin conditions at the internal vertices, and computes previews of the expected folded result! (More details in the attached text and on the original Mitani's Oripa website: mitani.cs.tsukuba.ac.jp/oripa/ )
At some point, the source code was released, and other people began working on it on github ( github.com/oripa/oripa ), adding new functionalities to the project.
I've been using this software quite a lot, as an help in designing new origami, especially tessellations in 2012-2013. At that time I was also an avid student of the mathematics of origami, and felt this software could be improved a lot by adding a few more functionalities.
That's why I began working on it for my degree thesis, to finally work on the missing features I was looking for...
Unfortunately, I could not work directly on github as I had to work completely offline, and could not properly set it up on my laptop. Feel free to integrate my version there too, if you like!
My initial plan was to add the missing origami constructions as new drawing tools to the software. They are more complex than the existing ones, as they must allow the user to choose between up to 2-3 possible solutions. Therefore I started with a new drawing tool, to complete existing vertices where exactly one crease is missing. I did not implement the choice among the possible solutions for lack of time for graduating, and this tool still contains bugs.
In the meantime, I corrected a few bugs, and added some simpler tools, which I felt much more useful for my needs:
- a triangular grid (for tessellators!), as an alternative to the standard square one
- a command to scale up (or down) the CP, when new vertices get too close and could not be managed by the software (it has bugs, I ususally use this command and then switch to an older version to continue drawing..)
- the upper bound for grids is also increased
After graduating in 2015, I did not continue developing this project, as my interest for computer science was diminishing since 2014, while realizing that I was feeling much better when working on different fields and activities, far from computer screens, but that's another story...
Therefore, the bugs I introduced were never fixed so far.
More recently, mxfung had been working on a new version of Oripa for Android ( play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.origamitoolbox.... ), and I invite you to check it out, if you have a touch screen device you can use it with!
During these years, I felt that some people could still be interested in this modified desktop version, and maybe in the involved mathematics as well. So here is a link to download Oripa+ (as .jar or zipped), and the texts and slides I prepared for my thesis discussion.
Enjoy!
DOWNLOAD:
1821x1629 Improved textures, SweetFX 1.4
4xMSAA + 4xSGSSAA
No HUD, custom FOV, timestop, freecam hack & Ini tweaks.
My previous machines used tensed thread to interlock the levers. My newer method uses 100% unmodified Lego, and is built with common parts. It is a very basic replication of tappet interlocking. As one lever is pulled into its reverse position is displaces the 1x1 round a half a plate into the gap on the adjacent tappet. This prevents the adjacent tappet from being reversed until the lever in reverse has been returned to normal. This basic principle is used to construct tappets so that arranging conflicting routes is impossible.
The machine controls five signals, that are part of an interlocking where three tracks converge to two. Each lever represents a route, either straight or diverging. Pulling the lever will clear a signal but, the actual aspect (y/y or y/r or g/r) is determined by the track circuits, not the lever.
It can be used with mechanical signals as well.
Setup:
Camera Canon 6D | Exposure 1/125 | 50 mm | Aperture f/5,6 / ISO 100 /Manual Exposure - - - -
One soft box / 9h
One soft box / 14h
One BD above / 17h00
One bare at 10h
One bare for the back ground with blue filter
F-4 Phantom – 5195 units produced, 63 years of production/service, dozens of monographs, modelling plans, etc., what can go wrong? Well, actually quite many things. Still, after a few setbacks, here it is, my latest model
About the jet
The history of McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II started back in the mid 50’, with the first flight taking place on 27th May 1958. Initially, the F4H-1 (the initial designation before the tri-service unification) started as an unsolicited proposal from McDonnell Douglas, which actually didn’t get much interest. Only after the problems of other Navy fighters led to the necessity of acquiring a new general-purpose fighter, the Phantom as we know could get its chance. After winning the competition against the Vought’s F8U-3 Crusader III submission, the F4H-1 went to service in 1961, with a new designation of F-4B (starting in 1962). Even though F-4B was a revolutionary design for it time, it still had a number of deficiencies, with the most serious ones being slightly too high approach speed, and its AN-APQ-72 radar lacking the look-down, shoot-down capabilities, performing poorly against the ground clutter. As a consequence, after delivering 649 F-4B, in late 1966 McDonnell introduced a new, improved version – the F-4J. This version featured a revised and strengthened internal structure, more powerful J79-GE-10 engines (the smokeless, 10B version was introduced later in 1978), new, wider tires (resulting in bulges on the top part of the wings), a few aerodynamic improvements for decreasing the approach speed (changes to inboard leading edges and slotted stabilator), and most importantly, new AWG-10 radar, with solid-state elements and prominent look-down, shoot-down capabilities. The F-4J served through the Vietnam war until the late 70’, together with the F-4B, and later F-4N (upgraded F-4B). After that, starting from 1978, the selected 265 F-4J underwent an upgrade to F-4S standard (the initial idea was for 302, but the number was reduced), featuring smokeless J79-GE-10B engines, improved electronics, and leading-edge maneuvering slats, similar to those on USAF’s F-4E. In this variant, Phantoms served until 1987 in USN, and 1992 in USMC. In the meantime, 15 F-4J were also sold to UK, to fill the gap left by FGR. 2 Phantoms (F-4M) deployed to the Falkland Islands. These aircraft, known also as F-4J(UK) Phantom F.3s, served from 1984 to 1991. Interestingly, they were greatly appreciated by the RAF pilots, with most of them considering them superior to British Spey-engined variants, mainly due to the much faster response of the J-79 turbojets, in comparison to Rolls-Royce Spey 203 turbofans.
About the building process
While I’ve always appreciated the F-4, I was never a “Phantom Phanatic”. In fact, the idea for this model came to me by accident – I was a bit stuck with other projects, and thinking about different solutions, the idea that 2x3x1 curved slopes would make for an excellent Phantom fuselage went through my mind. I thought that these easy, boxy shapes of F-4 would make for a nice relax after the complex shapes of my F-14 and MiG-29, and so I started. Unfortunately, I made a huge mistake at the very beginning – I used the blueprints from the book, without validating their correctness first, which later cost me a lot of headaches.
Before going further, I should mention some of the F-4 models by other people, which were a huge inspiration to me. Of course, there is an excellent F-4B by Mad Physicist , a beautiful F-4B by Carl Greatrix , and a whole series of different F-4s by Justin Davies. However, from the viewpoint of my model, three Phantoms were of particular importance for me. The first one is F-4N by Jonah Padberg. Even though I’ve ended with a very different cockpit design, I’ve started with the modification of his 3-stud wide canopy and angled cockpit section. The next model, is a F-4B by Maks, who made an excellent, SNOT version of the Phantom, which to a large degree influenced some of my design choices. Lastly, there is a huge, 1/15 scale F-4J by crash_cramer, which might be my favorite LEGO model ever. Similarly as in the case of my F-14 Tomcat, I tried to emulate some of his techniques in a smaller scale.
The first assumption was to go for the 3-stud wide canopy, similarly as in my MiG-29. Such solution is much more accurate in this scale and makes the model look much more realistic in my opinion. In fact, I’m so pleased with the outcome here that I will likely rebuild my F-14 in near future to similar standard. The construction itself started with the wings. I’ve always came under impression that similarly to F-15, the angle for the leading edge is 45 degrees. Well, not really. Instead, the angle is 51 degrees, which effectively eliminates any plate-based solutions, leaving the brick-built wing as the only valid option. So instead of getting a nice, simple, sturdy 45 degrees wing, I had to go with a brick-built one, which combined with the main landing gear solution and folding mechanism, proved to be a nightmare. After figuring it out, the next challenge was to design the angled cockpit area. Here, the solutions from Jonah’s model were of great help. With those two pieces in place, the rest went relatively smoothly, leading to the stage presented in WiP pictures. And then, having 85% of a model ready, I checked the validity of my blueprints. I was able to get my hands on the original F-4 factory drawing on the Aviation Archives website, and all my drawings turned out to be off by a considerable margin. Fortunately, I’m not the only person dissatisfied by the quality of available blueprints, and I was able to find this awesome website, with a set of 100% accurate drawings, based on the factory ones, including the cross-sections. That was good news, the bad one was that my fuselage was too short, too high, and too wide. So I had to lower the whole fuselage by a plate, elongate it by 2 studs, and modify it from 10-stud wide, to 9-stud wide. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that hard, but after lowering the fuselage, it became evident that the angling of the front section is too steep. This, in turn, required a complete revision of the already most problematic section, consuming an awful lot of time. But after all these problems, I finally got a model, with which I am quite satisfied.
About the model
The model represents a McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II in a 1/33 scale. The camouflage is based on the F-4J from VF-96 squadron, BuNo. 155800, callsign “Showtime100”, deployed on the USS Constellation aircraft carrier in Vietnam, around 1972. This particular aircraft, on the 10th of May 1972, was credited with 3 MiG-17 kills, being flown by pilot Lt Randy Cunningham and RIO Lt(jg) Willy Driscoll. This effectively made them the only Navy aces of the Vietnam war, as they already had 2 kills on their account. You may also note that they flew a “borrowed” plane, as the name on the cockpit is that of Lowell “Gus” Eggert, who later commanded the USS Constellation from 1974 onward. As usual, the model possesses a number of features: openable cockpits, working flaps, foldable wings, working horizontal and vertical tails, retractable landing gear and tailhook. I’m rather pleased with the functionality, as most of the features, especially the landing gear, are much more reliable than in e.g. my MiG-29. The loadout comprises 4 AIM-7E Sparrows, 4 AIM-9G Sidewinders, and a centerline 600 gal. fuel tank. Also, under the wings, there are outboard pylons for two 370 gal. fuel tanks, which are visible on some of the photos. The credit for the stand design goes to Jerac. There is a small discrepancy in the camouflage – in principle nearly all USN phantoms had an all-white underside, with an exception of some late 80s’, extremely dull, low-vis versions. Unfortunately, due to the brick-built nature of the wing, I was unable to make them white on the bottom. For a moment, I contemplated utilizing huge white stickers, but it wouldn’t look all that great, and it would make the wings extremely modification-unfriendly. Still, the final effect is not that bad. So, please enjoy, and let me know what is your opinion on this model.
West Virginia, USA. We build things and we let them rot rather than tear them down. It is a dilemma. Where are the people who left this behind?
Seneca Improved View 5x7, Bausch & Lomb 5x7 Tessar 1c f/4.5, Old Workhorse Collodion (with a touch of red New Guy negative for contrast), 5x7 tintype
f/32, 8 seconds
Location: Kadinamkulam backwater, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Thank you for your Visit & Valuable comments,❤❤❤
which is an encouragement, helps me to improve
Improved version of a previously uploaded photo. Cream and brown livery, same as Sheffield buses of that era. Not sure why destination panel reads York as this is platform 7 - ie. southbound services.
Seneca Improved View 8x10, Kodak 8.5" Commercial Ektar f/6.3 + CPL, Arista EDU Ultra 100
XTOL (stock) 6 mins, tray-developed
f/8, 1/250s
Slight light leak from the film holder accidentally not being seated all the way down.
This old Kodak lens doesn't really have normal filter threads but a 43-52mm step up ring threads in well enough without damage.
Improved version, made by RCA Victor Company Limited, Montréal - note Russian language labelling for Lend-Lease export requirements
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_Set_No._19
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMC_Electronics
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lend-Lease
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Located at Ontario Regiment RCAC Museum, housed inside Canadian Army Chevrolet C-15A Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) general service (GS) vehicle outfitted as specialized wireless truck, 1944
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_Regiment
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Canadian_Armoured_Corps
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Military_Pattern_truck
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Oshawa Executive Airport
www.oshawa.ca/en/transportation-parking/oshawa-executive-...
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Olympus OM-D E-M5 + Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-200mm F3.5-6.3
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_OM-D_E-M5
www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/omd-em5/omd-em5A.HTM
www.imaging-resource.com/lenses/olympus/12-200mm-f3.5-6.3...
P1060113 Anx2 Q90 2k f25 f50
Somewhat OTT signage in Shoreditch, East London. Of course I couldn’t see anyone actually working...
Sony A7RII Fine Art Zion National Park Autumn Winter Subway Hike! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography!
An important thing to remember is that even though pixel sizes keep getting smaller and smaller, the technology is advancing, so the smaller pixels are more efficient at collecting light. For instance, the Sony A7rII is back-illuminated which allows more photons to hit the sensor. Semiconductor technology is always advancing, so the brilliant engineers are always improving the signal/noise ratio. Far higher pixel counts, as well as better dynamic ranger, are thus not only possible, but the future!
Yes I have a Ph.D. in physics! I worked on phototranistors and photodiodes as well as an artificial retina for the blind. :)
You can read more about my own physics theory (dx4/dt=ic) here: herosodysseyphysics.wordpress.com/
And follow me on instagram! @45surf
Facebook!
www.facebook.com/elliot.mcgucken
Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Photography!
I love shooting fine art landscapes and fine art nature photography! :) I live for it!
Feel free to ask me any questions! Always love sharing tech talk and insights! :)
And all the best on Your Epic Hero's Odyssey!
The new Lightroom rocks!
Beautiful magnificent clouds!
View your artistic mission into photography as an epic odyssey of heroic poetry! Take it from Homer in Homer's Odyssey: "Tell me, O muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy. Many cities did he visit, and many were the nations with whose manners and customs he was acquainted; moreover he suffered much by sea while trying to save his own life and bring his men safely home; but do what he might he could not save his men, for they perished through their own sheer folly in eating the cattle of the Sun-god Hyperion; so the god prevented them from ever reaching home. Tell me, too, about all these things, O daughter of Jove, from whatsoever source you may know them. " --Samuel Butler Translation of Homer's Odyssey
All the best on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
Sony A7RII Fine Art Zion National Park Autumn Winter Subway Hike! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography! Sony A7R2 & Sony 16-35mm Vario-Tessar T FE F4 ZA OSS E-Mount Lens!
It's a side street in Stockbridge, which I've often admired from the bottom, but never quite managed to make work in a picture. I think it works quite well from the top, though the framing can be improved on this I think.
It all sounds simple enough: if you want to improve your photography, study good photographs and learn from them. So where does one find good photographs? In galleries; in photo books; the winners of reputable competitions; photographs that people are prepared to pay for, handsomely. They must be good. Then I saw a photograph that had been awarded $28,000 for first prize in a reputable competition: a depiction of a corner of a room, just three planes meeting at a point, with what looked like a rough circle, scratched by hand on the negative. ? Okay, maybe I need to go farther up market. Cindy Sherman's Untitled #96 fetched $3.9m at auction. It must be really good, for that price: the head and torso of a sunburned girl wearing an orange sweater and checked skirt, lying on some orange tiles. Lots of orange but I still failed to see the attraction. I decided to skip the also-rans and check out the most expensive photograph ever sold: Andreas Gurskey’s Rhein II. A river, shot from the side, with green banks, a footpath and a moderately cloudy sky. Looks like it might have been shot from the window of a passing bus. Lots of green; lots of parallel straight lines; nice echo of the sky colour in the water. But would I pay upwards of $4.3m for it, even if I had the money? I don’t think so. Okay, now it doesn’t sound so simple. I mean, is a photograph good just because someone says it’s good? I need to give this some more thought.
Seneca Improved View 8x10, Kodak 8.5" Commercial Ektar f/6.3, Tutti Frutti collodion (50/50 UVP-X + New Guy positive collodion), Tintype
f/16, 4 seconds
Iron/copper/potassium developer
Surprising results from mixing 2 collodions together. Got the contrast of the UVP-X (4 months old) and some of the shadow detail of the New Guy (1 month old). Perhaps trying to make a lithium + ammonium iodide & cadmium bromide recipe is in order.
Original Picture at
www.flickr.com/photos/126612220@N04/14953883843/
Thought to be either Autumn 1970 or July 1971
Loco was used in tests on the WCML to measure reaction to track defects and high speed wind action on passing trains above 100mph. Reported to have reached 129mph during testing.