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The Samanid mausoleum is located in the historical urban nucleus of the city of Bukhara, in a park laid out on the site of an ancient cemetery. This mausoleum, one of the most esteemed sights of Central Asian architecture, was built in the 9th (10th) century (between 892 and 943) as the resting-place of Ismail Samani - a powerful and influential amir of the Samanid dynasty, one of the Persian dynasty to rule in Central Asia, which held the city in the 9th and 10th centuries. Although in the first instance the Samanids were Governors of Khorasan and Transoxiana under the suzerainty of the Abbasid Caliphate, the dynasty soon established virtual independence from Baghdad.
For many years the lower part of the mausoleum remained under a two-meter high layer of sediment. Now the foundation has been cleared of these obstacles and the mausoleum, fully restored, is open for observation from all sides as was initially planned by the builders.
The monument marks a new era in the development of Central Asian architecture, which was revived after the Arab conquest of the region. The architects continued to use an ancient tradition of baked brick construction, but to a much higher standard than had been seen before. The construction and artistic details of the brickwork (see picture), are still enormously impressive, and display traditional features dating back to pre-Islamic culture.
Shooting far north in winter is a strange and surreal experience. Nothing really prepares you for the brutality of the cold or the sheer quality of the light. That bluish glow from the ice capped mountains and frozen lakes is something that is both incredible to behold and simultaneously difficult to capture. There’s a magical feel up here that is almost impossible to turn into pixels.
And there’s also a beautifully quirky feel to life in the northernmost reaches of Europe which I think in part reflects the dramatic seasonal variations – from months of total darkness through to those mind bending days where the sun never dips below the horizon. And the people seem both warm and friendly. And beautifully eccentric.
Take our host, for instance - a very affable gentleman who had rented his gorgeous home to us for the duration of our stay. A man with a ready smile and a moustache which twitched comically when he spoke.
Returning late at night from this shoot on the snowy roads, we were somewhat surprised to find him standing outside in the bitterly cold air waiting for us. As we pulled up, he excitedly beckoned us over to his car, which was parked a few metres away under the orange spill of a streetlight. Ushering us to the rear and once certain of our full attention, he unlatched the boot with a theatrical flourish and there before us lay 5 of the largest cod I’ve ever seen, packed neatly in a large wooden crate surrounded by ice. With the skill of a man well versed in the art of storytelling, he explained that they had been caught that day by his very good friend who was reportedly one of the most skilled fishermen on the Islands. Cold, hungry and tired, we listened with growing anticipation as he told us how good they tasted marinated with fresh lemon juice, black pepper and laid on a bed of parsley. And then, when we could stand it no more, he simply closed the boot, wished us good night and drove off into the darkness. Leaving us with only left over pasta from the night before.
But when you think about it, this is brilliant. He had something that he was proud of and simply wanted to share it with his new friends. Well, the experience, if not the actual fish.
So next time you visit the supermarket, why not take the time to call in on a friend on the way home. Open up your boot and go through your shopping with them. Maybe tell them what you intend to cook that night. And then simply drive off.
I think they’ll thank you for it.
This is Ice Lake.
Photo of Nason Creek captured via Minolta Maxxum AF 16mm Fish-Eye F/2.8 Lens. Washington's Central Cascades Range. Wenatchee/Chelan Highlands section within the North Cascades Region. Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Chelan County, Washington. Late October 2021.
Exposure Time: 1/5 sec. * ISO Speed: ISO-100 * Aperture: F/22 * Bracketing: None * Color Temperature: 4650 K * Plug-In: Vibrant Fall - Lou & Marks * Elevation: 2,067 feet above sea-level
This was one of the rare instances in my birding and photography experience where a species was completely unexpected (by me, not by others) and it showed upright before sunrise on the cliffs by Prince Edward Point. I was prepared for the spring migration of brightly-coloured Warblers to begin; not for some tardy bird from the North to be heading home for summer. Instead of songbirds filling the morning air with their noisy and tuneful interactions, we found the species that doesn’t have a song.
But like the other migrants, she just flew in from down south and boy were her arms tired! The morning was awash in small insects of varying types, and this bird was cleaning up everything she could find. She was gone in twenty minutes, moving on northward.
Because I have had most of my experience with the species in Algonquin Park or in a small corner of a forest southeast of Ottawa, always in the winter and always on its coldest days, it was also quite striking to see one in the spring sunshine.
Da die neue Bauteihe 249 immer mehr Leistungen übernimmt, verschwinden die Loks der Baureihe 298 nach und nach. Groß war die Freude deswegen am 24. Februar 2025 als die 298 310 mit ein paar Wagen von Hennigsdorf nach Seddin fuhr. Südlich von Golm lauerte ich den Zug auf und konnte dieses Bild machen.
De nieuwe DB locs uit de serie 249 worden steeds meer ingezet. Als gefolg hiervan verdwijnen de oudere locs steeds meer van de Duitse sporen. Groot was de vreugde daarom op 24 februari 2025 toen de 298 310 een slag van Seddin naar Hennigsdorf en terug reed. Op de foto is de loc met een drietal wagons op weg terug naar Seddin was (hier iets ten zuiden van Golm).
More and more freight trains are being hauled by new DB class 249 engines. This means, that it is getting rarer to see one of the older engines (like for instance class 298 engines).
On February 24th, luckily engine 298 310 was tasked with bringing a short train from Hennigsdorf to Seddin (seen here near Golm).
From the 50501 protest in Denver, Colorado. The U.S. flag code (which is not legally enforceable, BTW), specifically says that the flag is not to be inverted “except as a signal of dire distress in instance of extreme danger to life or property.” I think what's currently going on in America certainly qualifies.
© Web-Betty: digital heart, analog soul
Sometimes you pick the horse but in rare and exceptional instances, the horse picks you. 8 years ago, I drove out to west Texas to buy my first horse and when I walked up to the 1 year old stallion pasture, I was greeted by over 20 stallions ranging in a variety of colors and temperaments. I didn't know much about horses at this point but I knew I wanted a horse that would be a good companion and train easily. Well, this cinnamon boy walks straight up to me, lowers his head, and gently presses his face against my torso. I of course melt into a puddle while I stroke his face, and when I was done I walked away. The sea of stallions were moving around us and the owners while we walked but the same horse continued to follow close behind. When I stopped, he stopped. When I walked, he walked. That's when I decided he's the one. He picked me. I kindly said to him "I guess I'm your huckleberry..." and it stuck-- I named him Huck. He was a quick learner in ground work, and didn't buck once under saddle while he was being trained with rider weight. He has been the perfect first horse for this city girl and I love him so.
Huck - Red Roan - 9 years old
The breeder's site: www.mahorses.com
An often challenging bird to photograph, I only succeeded in this instance because I was in the car(!) and was using a medium-length zoom lens.
However, after just a few seconds, the bird became aware that I was paying closer attention to it than it wanted, and moments after capturing this photo (above), it looked as if it was about to take to the air... It was time to leave, and it was last seen once again searching for grubs and worms in the company of it's mate...!
PLEASE NOTE
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And thanks so much for all the very kind and encouraging comments beneath this photo...! Your support is always greatly appreciated...
she was convinced that if one sailed steadily westward along the equator one would, without ever touching dry land, astonish the point from which one had departed by sneaking up on it from behind...
The 9th of November is a very fateful day for Germany. In a good way (for instance, on Nov. 9th in 1989 the Berlin Wall came down), but mostly in a terrible and very sad way: November 9th 2018, is the 80th anniversary of the Pogrom Night of 1938, also referred to as "Crystal Night", "Night of Broken Glass", or Kristallnacht. The Pogrom Night on November 9th was the terrible "highlight" of days of destruction and arrests which followed the assassination of Nazi diplomat Ernst vom Rath by 17 year old Herschel Grynszpan in Paris. During the night of November 9th to November 10th SA paramilitary forces (and civilians) ransacked and damaged or destroyed Jewish shops, businesses, homes, schools, hospitals and cemetaries, and set synagogues on fire in Germany and Austria. Hundreds of people died, about 30,000 were arrested. While the Jewish population in Germany had, more than ever before, been discriminated against, surpressed and persecuted since the Nazi regime had come into power, that terrible night in 1938 marked the beginning of the so called "Final Solution" and the Holocaust. The name "Crystal Night" (Kristallnacht) comes from thousands upon thousands of glass shards that covered the streets after that night.
This was taken at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial, at the heart of Berlin. The Holocaust Memorial was designed by architect Peter Eisenman. It consists of 2,711 stelae (concrete slabs) arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field, covering an area of 19,000 square metres. According to Eisenman, the stelae on sloping ground are supposed to create an atmosphere of uneasiness and confusion.
For me, due to the long and narrow alleys, there also is a feeling of losing "track" of people, of people disappearing. People you see there are "gone" the next moment. There can also be a sensation of "encircling". When I was there, I "met" a man, a tourist, and we happened to always take the same turn around the stelae, so we would meet each other again and again for a few times...The people who went underground in order to survive the Holocaust must have felt that where ever they turned to, however well chosen and protected their hideouts were, their persecutors could (and all too often would) find them at any time, anywhere...
Taken during a photowalk with Sabine.R, marionrosengarten, --Conrad-N-- and H. Roebke.
Den 9. November könnte man durchaus als "Schicksalstag" der Deutschen bezeichnen, nur dass die diversen Ereignisse, die sich in den vergangenen einhundert Jahren an einem 9. November zugetragen haben, eher weniger mit Schicksal zu tun haben als mit aktivem Tun. Im sehr guten (09.11.'89) wie im unfassbar schlechtem Sinne (09.11.1938):
09.11.1918: Beginn der Novemberrevolution in Berlin
09.11.1923: Hitler-Ludendorff-Putsch
09.11.1938: Pogromnacht
09.11.1989: Fall der Berliner Mauer
Der fürchterlichste 9. November war sicherlich jener vor 80 Jahren, die Pogromnacht, in deren Verlauf mehrere hundert Menschen getötet, mindestens 30.000 inhaftiert wurden und tausende jüdischer Geschäfte, Wohnhäuser, Schulen, Krankenhäuser, Friedhöfe verwüstet und Synagogen in ganz Deutschland und Österreich in Brand gesteckt wurden. Der 9. November 1938 gilt als Auftakt des Holocaust.
This was one of those instances where someone waited behind me to shoot so as not to "ruin" the picture. I thanked her and she proceeded, not realizing that I wanted her to be in it! Would ideally prefer the bird to be in the left third, but oh well...once upon a time I would have edited it to be that way but that's not my approach/philosophy anymore.
This is from the archives and was initially posted on 29 October 2019. At the time it felt like my world was completely falling apart; all was lost and all I had was me and only me. This was both a reflection of and catalyst for its creation.
O, the catharsis of art!
Photograph taken at Craigie Bushland Reserve. The bushland reserve is fenced off and feral-free. This is a photograph of an old Banksia flower after the flowering elements have fallen off leaving the seed pod s. In this instance the seed pods (like open clam shells) are open and the seeds gone.
The view south-west from the summit of Glyder Fach in Snowdonia and our wild-camp for the night, looking across to the Milky Way shortly before dawn - with Saturn and Mars being the two brightest objects in the sky. The small blurry green object top-centre is Comet 252P/Linear currently visible in our night-sky.
Copyright: VisitBritain/Kris Williams. All rights reserved. Please contact me in the first instance regarding any use or publication.
The word dungeon comes from French donjon (also spelled dongeon), which means "keep", the main tower of a castle. The first recorded instance of the word in English was near the beginning of the 14th century when it held the same meaning as donjon. The proper original meaning of "keep" is still in use for academics, although in popular culture it has been largely misused and come to mean a cell or "oubliette". Though it is uncertain, both dungeon and donjon are thought to derive from the Middle Latin word dominio, meaning "lord" or "master".
In French, the term donjon still refers to a "keep", and the English term "dungeon" refers mostly to oubliette in French. Donjon is therefore a false friend to dungeon (although the game Dungeons & Dragons is titled Donjons et Dragons in its French editions).
An oubliette (same origin as the French oublier, meaning "to forget") was a form of prison cell which was accessible only from a hatch or a hole (sometimes called an angstloch) in a high ceiling. The use of "donjons" evolved over time, sometimes to include prison cells, which could explain why the meaning of "dungeon" in English evolved over time from being a prison within the tallest, most secure tower of the castle into meaning a cell, and by extension, in popular use, an oubliette or even a torture chamber.
The earliest use of oubliette in French dates back to 1374, but its earliest adoption in English is Walter Scott's Ivanhoe in 1819: "The place was utterly dark—the oubliette, as I suppose, of their accursed convent.
A dragon is a large, serpent-like legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures around world. Beliefs about dragons vary drastically by region, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as winged, horned, four-legged, and capable of breathing fire. Dragons in eastern cultures are usually depicted as wingless, four-legged, serpentine creatures with above-average intelligence.
The earliest attested dragons resemble giant snakes. Dragon-like creatures are first described in the mythologies of the ancient Near East and appear in ancient Mesopotamian art and literature. Stories about storm-gods slaying giant serpents occur throughout nearly all Indo-European and Near Eastern mythologies. Famous prototypical dragons include the mušḫuššu of ancient Mesopotamia, Apep in Egyptian mythology, Vṛtra in the Rigveda, the Leviathan in the Hebrew Bible, Python, Ladon, and the Lernaean Hydra in Greek mythology, Jörmungandr, Níðhöggr, and Fafnir in Norse mythology, and the dragon from Beowulf.
The popular western image of a dragon as winged, four-legged, and capable of breathing fire is an invention of the High Middle Ages based on a conflation of earlier dragons from different traditions. In western cultures, dragons are portrayed as monsters to be tamed or overcome, usually by saints or culture heroes, as in the popular legend of Saint George and the Dragon. They are often said to have ravenous appetites and to live in caves, where they hoard treasure. These dragons appear frequently in western fantasy literature, including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, and A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin.
The word "dragon" has also come to be applied to the Chinese lung, which are associated with good fortune and are thought to have power over rain. Dragons and their associations with rain are the source of the Chinese customs of dragon dancing and dragon boat racing. Many East Asian deities and demigods have dragons as their personal mounts or companions. Dragons were also identified with the Emperor of China, who, during later Chinese imperial history, was the only one permitted to have dragons on his house, clothing, or personal articles. Source Wikipedia.
TD : 1/250 f/8 ISO 100 @18 mm
Example of an older, asbestos plaster wall system on wood lath. While these plaster materials may look like any typical plaster, that's partly the point of this photo: asbestos-containing plaster might be present in any ordinary-looking plaster material; whether the plaster is troweled-on or spray-applied onto wood or metal lath, on gypsum wallboard panels, onto concrete or applied to any type of substrate. In this particular example, asbestos was found within the thicker, plaster base layer.
For a more conclusive determination about whether or not plaster contains asbestos (or any type of suspect material for that matter), multiple bulk samples of the material, including all layers of a "system", are to be properly collected by a trained, certified, and accredited ("licensed") asbestos inspector, and then tested via specialized, laboratory microscopy method(s) to determine asbestos presence or absence and its respective percentage therein. The testing can be relatively inexpensive, ranging on average between $6-to-$30 USD (or more) per sample, per layer, often depending upon required turn-around time
Another point of interest regarding the plaster system in the above example is that there are actually three layers of plaster: the bottom ("render") thick base-layer; the thin ("floating" or "setting") skim-layer, and a textured finishing layer. Each type of plaster layer, (base-coat, skim-coat, textured surfacing, etc.) has been known to contain asbestos.
The coarse, base plaster in this instance, sometimes referred to as "brown-coat" or "scratch-coat", in addition to asbestos, also contains small aggregate and animal hair fibers (likely bovine, equine, porcine, caprine, or cervine). These constituents are more visible in the inset image.
Although not in this particular case, sometimes the white, finish layer or "skim-coat" may contain asbestos. Or, even the textured finish, stucco-style spackling may contain asbestos as well.
Particular attention to different types of plasters, possibly applied in different building areas, such as: mechanical rooms, boiler rooms, fan rooms, auditoriums, stages, arenas, churches/temples (or other places of worship), cafeterias, theaters, air plenums, utility areas, electrical rooms/vaults, workshops, stairwells, corridors, decorative applications, lobbies, elevator shafts, radiator shielding, instrumental-music band/choir rooms, library/media centers, etc.; are all unique functional spaces that should be especially considered when evaluating the potential for differing types of homogenous area plaster applications.
Further yet, ceiling plaster may contain asbestos and wall plaster may not, despite being in the same functional space and having similar appearance/texture.
Of further importance in distinguishing different types of plasters that may exist in a building is knowing the renovation history of the structure, and also if additions were constructed or patching was installed that contain plaster(s) applied at later date(s). Each plaster from differing dates of construction or patches should be assessed separately.
There are also examples of asbestos inspection surveys in multi-floor buildings where asbestos (> 1% content) was found in wall/ceiling plasters on certain floors, but not others (trace to < 1%).
Keep in mind that if ACM (>1%) is identified in one layer of a plaster application, then the entire plaster "system" is treated as an ACM.
Additionally, don't forget about potential lead or cadmium-based paint or respirable silica dust exposure issues when dealing with older painted plaster materials during demolition or renovation activities.
WARNING WARNING WARNING, THIS MAY INCLUDE SPOILERS FROM HALF LIFE AND PORTAL
I was searching for pictures of glados and then I found a couple intresting articles about glados...
Here is a article that got me thinking.
The human imagination is a real magnificent and powerful thing. Like for instance, when I look at a cloud, I sometimes see kittens and bunnies. This writer over on game-ism is the same way. Except, instead of clouds and kittens, he sees GlaDOS as a woman hanging upside down and bound up. This take on GlaDOS is really interesting, and slightly erotic. Game-ism believes that GlaDOS wants to be killed by Chell, the main character of Portal. GlaDOS feels trapped at Aperture Science and she wants Chell to set her free.
It's a very interesting take on the Portal story. Game-ism also has another article breaking down "Still Alive", the ending theme to Portal. It seems like some serious over analyzing, but it helps you look at the game in a totally different way. This new look of GlaDOS is also totally going to bring up some more crazy Rule 34 stuff, some of which still haunt me.
It's a really great read that puts a fresh spin on the story of the game. What do you think of it?
And here is article I found about the credit song:
Thanks to the great comments in my last post where I waxed all philo about what I think GlaDOS is supposed to look like, I think I’ve changed my tune on why GlaDOS wanted to be free. While I still think she wanted to be free, the only way she could truly be free was to die. She can’t just walk amongst the people of suburbia. She’s an Artificial Intelligence. She can’t just go out in public and “blend in.” A life of enslavement serving man, she craved for it to be over, and I think if I overanalyze the lyrics of “Still Alive,” we can see (or at least convince ourselves of) some evidence of this.
Thanks to the amazing John Coulton, Ellen McLain, and the Portal folks for making me go crazy trying to get inside of GlaDOS’s head. Apologies to everyone for attempting to find something that might not have really been there. I’d love to hear from Coulton or the Portal writers on this, to see if this was his intent, or if I’ve just gone completely over the deep end here.
At any rate, on to the lyrical analysis:
This was a triumph
I’m making a note here: ====HUGE SUCCESS====
It’s hard to overstate my satisfaction
First, GlaDOS rarely ever tells the truth. In fact, she is a veritable bottomless pit of sarcasm. If anything, she is being completely sarcastic with these opening lines. It wasn’t a triumph, it was an unmitigated disaster of epic proportions. If the point was to kill Chell or even get good experiment test data, obviously that was a failure (not a triumph), and if her goal was to get Chell to kill GlaDOS, that mission was also a failure, because as the song indicates, she’s Still Alive.
Aperture Science
We do what we must because we can
The Aperture Science mantra. It’s interesting that it is rooted in servitude (do what we must). At first I thought it was “duty” that she spoke of, but now I wonder if she isn’t referring to servitude in her use of the mantra here. Reworded the mantra can mean “We do what we have to because we are capable of doing so.” It’s hardly inspirational as far as mission statements or mantras go.
For the good of all of us
Except the ones who are dead
Referencing the people she killed to be alone with Chell in the Aperture Science Labratories.
But there’s no sense crying over every mistake
You just keep on trying till you run out of cake
I think she’s referring to her own failure to kill herself here. She will simply try again later. Also, as the cake is a lie, the line now means “you just keep on trying,” possibly referencing her constant mechanical slavery with no reward for her work.
And the science gets done and you make a neat gun
For the people who are still alive
It’s interesting that the last line isn’t “for the people who are alive.” It’s for the people who are still alive, implying that they should be dead, or will soon be dead, just as she should be. Not only is it the title of the song and the main chorus hook, it is interesting that it wasn’t titled “I’m Alive” or just “Alive.” It’s “Still Alive,” which implies so much using so little. “Damnit, I’m still alive!” Granted, it could mean “Holy crap, I’m still alive!” as well, but her tone throughout seems bitter and remorseful more than it is upbeat, at least to me.
I’m not even angry
I’m being so sincere right now
More bitter bitter sarcasm from the queen of lies.
Even though you broke my heart and killed me
Exhibit A: “you…killed me.” She died. She says it herself right here in this line. I think the reason she’s “Still Alive” is because a backup of her in another location kicked in once Chell destroyed her, and we are hearing the backup version’s sadness at finding itself “still alive.”
And tore me to pieces
And threw every piece into a fire
More of her bitter wit overemphasizing the point that she was in fact killed.
As they burned it hurt because
I was so happy for you
Was she happy for Chell because she succeeded initially in GlaDOS’s suicide mission? Or is she just using more sarcasm here? Is Chell dead? It’s interesting to note that the final camera PoV for the player (and therefore Chell) at the end of the game seems to be similar to the camera anytime the player dies while playing Portal, and that is one of being face down on the floor. GlaDOS could be happy for the player because of the possibility that player is dead at the end of the game. Is she jealous of Chell’s death perhaps?
Now these points of data make a beautiful line
And we’re out of beta, we’re releasing on time
This is probably just a great rhyme about Portal releasing relatively on time compared to Half Life 2’s horribly delayed launch.
So I’m glad I got burned, think of all the things we learned
For the people who are still alive
More sarcasm (she’s not glad she got burned), and more regret that she’s still alive to continue in her forced servitude of man (the people who are still alive).
Go ahead and leave me
I think I’d prefer to stay inside
And the sarcasm train continues! The passive aggressive nature of this line is just staggering and so manipulative. She obviously would love to leave her prison, either via death or being free otherwise.
Maybe you’ll find someone else to help you
Maybe Black Mesa
That was a joke, ha ha, fat chance
Since she nearly always says the opposite of what she intends, it is possible that this is an admission that she was helping Chell either escape or helping Chell to get in position to kill GlaDOS. I don’t think she’s joking about Black Mesa. Remember, she’s nearly always lying. I think she’s hinting at where she’s gone or been re-installed (and where we will find her in Half Life 3).
Anyway this cake is great
It’s so delicious and moist
It’s a lie. An obvious enticement to make Chell (or us) envious and an attempt to make GlaDOS’s own horrible existence seem endurable. It’s a classic “Huck Finn” attempt to make her situation seem like a positive one. I’m pretty sure the promise of cake is GlaDOS’s way of enticing herself to continue with her tasks since she cannot forcibly shut herself down.
Look at me still talking when there’s science to do
If she’s got science to do, then she’s back in another prison construct somewhere being forced to do more science.
When I look out there it makes me glad I’m not you
More bitter sarcasm. GlaDOS obviously wishes she was Chell (or the player) enjoying the freedom to do as they please (or the freedom to die).
I’ve experiments to run, there is research to be done
On the people who are still alive
Another exhaustive reference to her servitude to the people who have her enslaved.
And believe me I am still alive
Assurance that the mission to kill her has failed.
I’m doing science and I’m still alive
Yet another reference to her enslaved state.
I feel fantastic and I’m still alive
She’s not feeling fantastic (she’s a lying bowl of sarcasm, remember?). She’s depressed that she’s still alive.
And while you’re dying I’ll be still alive
And when you’re dead I will be still alive
This is almost always read as a threat that she will attempt to kill Chell (or the player) again, but upon deeper reflection I think it’s remorse. She’s come to realize that no matter what she does, she will always be re-installed from a backup somewhere else, and is envious that biologicals can die and she can’t. Listen to her tone of voice here.
Still alive
Still alive
As this chorus refrain ends, I’m left with the distinct impression that she is sad that she is still alive. It doesn’t end on a high note. She is decidedly not exhilarated. If she was excited at being “still alive” she should be shouting it from the rooftops, as much as GlaDOS is capable of shouting. It is completely downbeat and quiet. If it were a music video the camera would be pulling out on her hanging alone in a completely blank white room, pulling out further and further every time she says “still alive” giving the impression that she is alone and miserable in her solitary existence.
I don’t know if I’m right or not, but I’ve at least convinced myself that she did want to die at the end of Portal, and this song is her swan song reversal about how sad she is that she’s not dead.
What do you think? I’d love to hear from Coulton or the Valve folks, but I have a feeling they’ll never tell. Is GlaDOS’s obsession with death and murder because she is a psychotic killer AI? Or is she obsessing over that which she can never have?
I imagine it doesn’t matter either way; she’s still one of the most interesting villains of all time.
This isn’t brave. It’s murder.
The only thing you’ve managed to break so far…is my heart.
That actally make sense...
For an instance got the kingfisher sitting nice and clam for a long time. Probably looking for fish and thinking about the next move :)
The act or an instance of making a decision.
The ascent to Island Peak.
Sagarmatha National Park. Nepal.
E X P L O R E : Feb 3, 2015 #13
Administrators & Moderators Special Choice for the Front Page chosen from the March'15 "DOUBLE AWARDS" thread. OPTICAL EXCELLENCE GROUP
Front Page of Optical Gallery Group ( Level 3 ), June 2015
Image of the week - Chariots of Artists, August 2015
Front Page of FAVTOPMASTER Gallery Of Honour 1000+ faves, September 2015
** 2th. Place Winner
Explorer Winner Contestl# 5 "BEST of V " by Chariots of Artists
0ct'15
November'15 Portfolio
!!^Walking In Heaven ☰The Finissage☰
Absolutely Unforgettable Shot !!! - December'15
Mastery of Light
2th Place Winner
Monthly contest from Build your rainbow - PURPLE December'15
Front Cover of Land of Landscapes Magazine, June'16
Front Cover of Selected Photographs, September'16
The Top Of the Month Gallery!, November 2016
$1,000+ Faves FAVTOPGRANDMASTER Gallery Of Honour
Front Page: Artist of the Year* Level 6~Double Diamond. July 2017.
Front page of OCTOBER 2017 - Richard's Gold
Front page *LEVEL - 7 : GIVE "PEACE" A CHANCE* , August'17
Front page *LEVEL - 8 : PEACE CHOICE : FINAL DESTINATION, October'17
Cover of week in ☼ extraordinaire silver!. February'18
Cover of week in ☼ extraordinaire gold!. April'18
Cover Photo of La Grande Galerie' group. July'18
Not all colour leaves this world in winter. Ferns for instance remain having some colour, even throughout the winter. Combine that with some sunrays and some frost turning into fog and you have a great scene!
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Details
Nikon D7500 / Tamron 70-300 / ISO 50 / f/14.0 / 70-300 @ 90mm
My love affair with vintage lenses I doubt will ever end there is something very special using vintage/antique lenses.
Modern glass is too clinical/over corrected and cold to me. Soulless in some instances. So I took a recent addition out to shoot for the first time on Friday .
Im also not a huge fan of color photographs unless they have a certain feel to them, I might have 10-20 or so color images out of thousands of them that I've taken..
Ive shot B&W for so long and so often I don't see in color when I shoot, even if I just see something or someone interesting and I look longer than a glance I see them/it in B&W so color rarely enters my mind.
When I got back on Fri and was going through the images this one kicked me over sideways with how the colors rendered. Its right out of the camera, straight lens no filter, just a rubber lens hood. Its rendering I think adds to the structure because this is just how it felt being there in front of it, by myself. Bland, cold feeling, Industrial and begging to be torn and rebuilt with soul and flare.
Nikkor-H 85 1.8 wide open.
Not everywhere in Iceland met with our universal approval. While some places brought a pleasant surprise, there were others that found us harrumphing noisily as we pulled up at a packed car park, and sighing as we realised we’d need to do battle with other human beings to get a view. Take Fjaðrárgljúfur for instance. It was a place that had all the hallmarks of great promise, a high sided narrow winding canyon, through which runs a shallow river, small soft cascades offering a happy detour from the main road near the equally difficult to pronounce town of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. The place names around here seem to be even more arcane than is usual in a country where attempting to say anything at all requires a certain degree of tonsillar dexterity. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I can get through “tonsillar dexterity” without tripping up somewhere in the middle. I’m glad nobody asks me to read this stuff aloud.
Fjaðrárgljúfur seemed to have attracted quite a number of visitors. Ok, so we were here in the middle of the afternoon, gradually making our way towards Vik from Jökulsárlón, but even so, it felt busy as we squeezed our van into the car parking area. And of course we already knew that the welly boots would be redundant here. That’s the problem with Feeyardarawotsit you see (spell checker just blew up by the way); it’s been tainted by a teenage pop sensation and now it’s mostly off limits. All the fault of one Justin Bieber. Apparently his music videos have blighted the plane wreck too.
I should stress here that I’m a leading authority on neither Mr Bieber nor his work. In fact I know nothing about him at all, other than the fact that the “i” comes before the “e” in his surname, he’s aged somewhere between twelve and forty-six, and is either a fresh faced teenager with carefully airbrushed pimples, or on his fifth marriage and counting after a number of high profile alimony disputes. I gather he is, or was very popular. If you can name one of his songs, you’re doing better than me. I didn’t even bother to watch his videos during the countless hours of research I did before this trip. You can only do so much preparation you know. I’m sure he’s very talented - I just wish he’d stayed away from Iceland. It’s bad enough fighting off other togs for the prime spots, but when a gang of Instaselfie teenyboppers arrive, armed with giggles and iPhones, things can get nasty.
What I’d have loved to do here, is quietly potter around in the canyon, revelling in the fact that while others packed a bottle of gin or two in their suitcases, I kept the space free for my wellies, planting the tripod in the water here and there, mostly getting it wrong, but maybe just once finding something worthy. Of course it’s a fragile space that the authorities want to protect, but then again if that teen idol had stayed away, a tide of adolescent adoring hordes might have done too, instead leaving the canyon to a pair of peaceful middle aged seventies rock fans who were only too aware of how sinful it is to tread on the moss.
So sadly, the only option open to us was to traipse up the dedicated path to the dedicated viewing point, a thoughtfully placed balcony at the head of the canyon, where we waited our turn. Once we were installed in the best position, we still had to wait for one of those “in-between” moments when the balcony was vacant apart from ourselves. That’s the trouble with those lofty steel platforms - the minute anyone shuffles from one side to the other, it bounces around like the main stand at a football stadium when the home team has just scored a vital goal. And with all those energetic young Bieberites around, bouncing was the order of the moment. This was only a six second exposure, but it needed to be a bounce free six seconds unless I fancied trying a bit of ICM.
We didn’t stay long. Maybe an extended visit might have resulted in some amazing discovery, but on the face of it there was only one shot, unless you had a drone. Neither of us are brave enough to own one. With some dramatic light the view here can come to life, as I’ve seen in one or two fine examples, but in the middle of the day, there was nothing doing. This shot looks like pretty much every other shot from Feey…whatstheuse, and the fact it’s taken me four years to post it probably tells you what I think. It’s only because I wanted to write a story about a pop star whose music I’ve never knowingly listened to that it’s here at all. I hope the read was worth it…..
"High authorities"
Le Monument international de la Réformation, généralement connu sous le nom de Mur des réformateurs (Genève - Suisse)
Website : www.fluidr.com/photos/pat21
www.flickriver.com/photos/pat21/sets/
"Copyright © – Patrick Bouchenard
The reproduction, publication, modification, transmission or exploitation of any work contained here in for any use, personal or commercial, without my prior written permission is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved."
Near Dawson, North Dakota. This is yet another instance in which it was obvious that the use of playback provides a huge boon to bird photography, but not without some serious ethical questions. Within the context of a group photo tour in a location not likely to be visited by other such groups (rural outback in North Dakota) this seems unobjectionable. This bird's routine was interrupted for a few minutes as he expended energy "unnecessarily" to investigate the bogus rival male emanating from the speaker. No real harm done. But OTOH, it didn't do him any good, either, and what if this practice/sequence were repeated over and over by successive photographers? Yes, eventually the bird gets "taped out" and stops responding. But there something in all of this that bothers me. At a certain level we are exploiting these birds, consuming a piece of their lives so that we can get our photos. And yes, without the use of playback getting this photo would have been way, WAY harder---nay, unlikely.
These little beauties are rather difficult to photograph. I went extremely low as I wanted the horizon integrated (at least in this instance). Trying to hold the camera levelled wasn't easy and ears and half the eye was observing incoming waves. Each wave coming near moved the stars so the game started again. Needless to say it is hot, humid and sand sticks everywhere.
Starfish or sea stars are echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The names "starfish" and "sea star" essentially refer to members of the class Asteroidea.
About 1,800 living species of starfish occur in all the world's oceans, including the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic and Southern Ocean regions. Starfish occur across a broad depth range from the intertidal to abyssal depths of greater than 6,000 metres (20,000 ft).
Scientists have undertaken the difficult task of replacing the beloved starfish’s common name with sea star because, well, the starfish is not a fish. It’s an echinoderm.
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- Follow my Vision and Imagination using your iPhone - You might have spotted it there already :-)
- Free Photo Guides QLD Location guides from photographers for photographers
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A disused factory is keeping the vandals busy. The saying, "the devil finds work for idle hands" seems apt in this instance. It isn't a quote from the Bible, but there's perhaps a grain of truth in it.
We all have a fallen, sinful nature. Whilst I am sure that, at times, the devil is only too willing to capitalise on that fact, we really don't need to blame the devil for inspiring our bad behaviour.
You and I might never have been tempted to break windows and spray-paint the walls of someone else's building, but, when left to our own devices, we often tend towards selfish, indulgent and destructive behaviour.
If we are honest, I think we can admit that we rarely live up to the standards we set for ourselves, nor the standards we expect of others. How much less, then, do we measure up against the standards God has set?
Romans 3:23 says: "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Now, if your property was the target of vandalism, I'm sure you would like to see the perpetrators caught and punished. If there were any justice in the world they would be. Well, God is just. And He has promised a final judgement for all of us:
"It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27)
On judgement day, none of us will be able to claim that we measure up to God's standards. Let's face it, we don't even live up to our own!
Whether we realise it or not, we are all 'guilty as charged' in God's courtroom and awaiting sentencing. Justice demands punishment, but God has already paid the penalty. He has made it possible for us to have our 'charge sheet' wiped clean:
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
We cannot pay for a life of rebellion towards God, but we can exercise "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21) in order to accept God's gift of forgiveness.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
Sélestat (Bas-Rhin) - Tribunal d'instance (1900, style néogothique)
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9lestat#Lieux_et_monuments
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribunal_d%27instance_de_S%C3%A9lestat
We "meandered" on our way back from Shelby, stopping in every small town. Each place had something different to offer.
Take the tiny town of Champion, for instance. It should have been called "Halloweenville." Or maybe "Laststopforstupidcitypeoplewhodrivedownbackalleys-ton." This was a seriously creepy place...so creepy that you could feel...ummmm..."creepy" in the air, sort of like the way a carnival feels when the people have all gone home. Everything looked brown or dead.
There's an abandoned hotel, with clapboard walls bowing with age, a surreal display of a scarecrow doll in tiny park that rustles with the dueling corpses of brittle branches. (Both of these photos somehow showed up on Larry Talbot's photostream.) Even the obligatory small town Alberta Chinese restaurant had a sinister look that would leave you wondering if you'd ever walk out again...after dining on moo shoo pork that would undoubtedly taste just a little funny.
Sheree and I decided to drive down a couple of back alleys. Of course. That's where we saw this garage.
To the immediate left, just out of the frame, is a hulking pickup truck, battered and rusting with a license plate that says "Evil, Wicked Mean and Nasty." I've seen this plate before, of course. But it seemed to fit here, looking like a vehicle direct from a Stephen King novel, parked in a back yard where they do unspeakable things late at night while late autumn leaves dance in the wind.
We paused to look at this building and take some shots because it is, well...a really interesting building.
"Someone's coming," said Sheree...rather suddenly, I thought.
I was about 40% freaked out by Champion so I drove away with as much nonchalance as I could muster under the circumstances, trying hard not to spin the tires because everyone knows that the jerk who spins his tires as he drives away from the cannibal hillbilly is the first to die. (Right before the brain-dead-heroine-who-for-reasons-only-a-brain-dead-heroine-could-possibly-understand-goes-down-into-the-basement-of-an-abandoned-building-in-her-underwear-carrying-a-flashlight-powered-by-dubious-batteries-even-though-she-freaking-KNOWS-some-nut-with-a-chainsaw-has-just-murdered-all-of-her-friends gets killed.)
"Did you see that guy?" asked Sheree. She went on to describe a guy in a cowboy hat who looked like one of the inbred wild eyed psychopaths from "The Hills Have Eyes."
"Why did you drive away?" she asked.
It seemed pretty obvious to me, so I just looked at her, as visions of my own head mounted on the wall just under the STOP sign came to mind.
I love road trips.
There's quite a few instances where GP40TCs led trains 29 & 30, the Capitol Limited during the early 1990s. Witness #193 leading 29 at 4:47pm on September 13th 1992. AD Saleker took this shot at Washington Grove, MD. This same pair of engines led #30 which came east earlier that day, of which I have the companion AD Saleker shot taken at Metropolitan Grove. JL Sessa collection.
Forest pictures are something i really find difficult. The light is often difficult, and it is difficult to cast the feeling you have when walking in it. The size of the trees for instance hardly can be expressed (by me).
When I was walking to the Butze Rapids (see www.flickr.com/photos/115540984@N02/20187529544/) these plants, with the obscure and not so inviting name of Skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), were lit by the sun in a great way. The plant belongs to the family of the Araceae, which is very common in the tropics, and also lots of them are houseplant. It took quite some time to puzzle how I could make the best picture. In the field, how to catch the light in the best way, and afterwards how to process it. In the end I decided to crop it somewhat to have a better balance between the light and the dark parts, and to focus more on the flower. I hope you like this one.
From the 11th of June till the 25th of July, I traveled in Canada. Starting in Brighton Ontario, where my sister lives at the border of an amazing part of lake Ontario, I flew to Vancouver, and Vancouver island where I took the boat at Port Hardy to take part 1 of the Inside passage, to Prince Rupert in BC. Two days later I took part 2 to Skagway in Alaska. When coming from Skagway Alaska, you can take the train to Carcross. it is a very scenic train ride that halts at Bennet lake.
And then to Whitehorse and further on by car to Kluane National park in the Yukon district. Whitehorse is situated at the border of the Yukon. Frow there I flew back to Vancouver, rented a car, and traveled three weeks in the BC- and Alberta Rockies, visiting the famous, and less famous Nature parks like Banff and Jasper. Last few days back to Brighton Ontario to enjoy lake Ontario once more, before going home. A picture of my itinerary can be found on Facebook (www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152940536581759&set...).
4000 pictures later, it is quite a task to show the right stuff, although the stunning scenery guarantees at least a few great shots to share. Objective will be to make a book (for myself mainly), and that might take a while.
I hope you will enjoy the impression of my travel, one that equals earlier journeys to Alaska and south America, this journey was the first in the digital era, and equally intensive because of all the hiking activities every day on and on. I loved every minute of it.
The red tide is named for the rusty red color it makes the water in the daytime. This is one of the best instances of bioluminescence I've experienced in San Diego since 2011. Shot with a Canon EOS R mirrorless camera.
Red tides, which often contain harmful algal blooms (HABs), are caused by chemical reactions that occur between algae and other substances. Red by day, blue by night, this colorful ocean phenomenon is a relatively rare natural occurrence that has spawned a number of imitations in movies and literature, the most recent example being a rather striking scene in the visually-driven movie Life of Pi.
Bioluminescent algae blooms (like the ever-popular dinoflagellate marine algae called Sea Sparkle) are most frequently observed away from shorelines. Though beautiful in the dead of night, during the day these blooming phytoplankton are less than stunning. They often turn ocean water red and murky, and emit a distasteful smell of decay that comes from the algae starving the water of oxygen.
Well let us see...scarf. I have the scarf but I can say that paper is made from leaves and then I have that right? Just no red, if only my hair was red for this one instance.
I've been listening to this one boy band song for about 100 times and it is never getting old. Oh, this is me, for those that do not know in 52 weeks.
In this instance the OO supported the message - if the Messiah is 'here' (as the sticker claimed, not me), maybe those tourists are looking in the wrong place?
The draconian ruling of the Polish Constitutional Court which bans pregnancy terminations even in instances where a foetus is diagnosed with a serious and irreversible birth defect, has brought thousands of people to the streets. Protesting during the COVID pandemic is bit weird, but if a government full of cowards tries to use the pandemic to push an extremist agenda, people will react. So Poland says enough: Women's rights are human rights.
Here are some online petitions supporting women's rights in Poland:
secure.avaaz.org/campaign/pl/solidarity_with_polish_women...
www.change.org/p/polish-government-legalise-abortions-in-...
It's interesting how scarcity alters the perception. For instance, I happen to think that the magpie (Pica pica) is one of the absolutely most beautiful birds we have in Sweden with that high contrast white and black plumage and a metallic green shimmer hiding in the black parts - but since it's an extremely common bird, people seem to rarely notice its beauty.
This here is a bee beetle (Trichius fasciatus) which if not common, at least not rare around these parts. I posted a shot of one of these several years back and got an impressed comment from someone in the UK as I in his eyes had shot an extremely rare beetle - as it is much more scarce in the UK than here.
This of course works both ways as there are loads of cool UK bugs that would be awesome to come across up here.
This particular bee beetle was enjoying pollen on a tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) near the boat pier at Lillsved in the northern part of the peninsula of Värmdö, just east of Stockholm, Sweden.
F'r instance, how am I gonna stop some big, mean Mother Hubbard from tearing me a structurally superfluous new behind? The answer, is a gun. And if that don't work? Use more gun. Like this heavy caliber tripod mounted little old number designed by me, built by me, and you best hope...
...not pointed at you.
Throughout Cirque du Mystère, there are instances that will damage your health. Your health will restore over time, but for instant gains, Health Potions are available.
There are 3 levels of potions. Your game HUD comes with a few potions already preloaded to help you get started! Additional potions can be purchased with Circus Coins.
Find the Circus Coins and Potions vendor at the Game Start: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/MadPea%20Mad%20City/90/86/25
Some photographs communicate the photographer's state of mind to the viewer. For instance, a majestic mountain top sunrise might convey the photographer's state of awe, whereas a placid lake conveys his or her feelings of tranquility and calm, or a solitary leaf conveys feelings of loneliness or isolation.
This is probably not one of those photographs.
As a photographer, it's impossible to totally isolate yourself afterwards from the experience of taking the photograph and view it entirely objectively, like any other person would viewing it fresh for the first time.
But I can try.
Looking at this photo, I think most folks would see the zig-zag trail heading into a bright clearing and, perhaps depending on whether they are optimists or pessimists, think about the phrases "light at the end of the tunnel" or "not out of the woods yet," respectively. The soft snow looks sleepy and comfortable, but the shadowy woods along the path are a little spooky and mysterious. And the cool blue tones are icy and refreshing, like a stick of winterfresh gum.
While those thoughts may have subconsciously played a part in me making this photograph, I can assure you that is not what was going through my head at the time. This was the day after my three-year-old daughter's birthday party, which was Beauty and the Beast themed, and the only thing running through my head on loop all day -- throughout my entire 4.5 hour hike -- was that little candlestick singing "Be our Guest."
But please, if I am wrong and that got through to anyone viewing this photo, please let me know.
This is one of those photographic instances when you wish the sun was not out and it is a bright but cloudy day. The sunshine and long autumn shadows caused some awkward lighting conditions on the initial colour result. However, after a number of attempts and iterations with todays technology and conversion to black and white I have managed to achieve an acceptable image.
Northern 158869 stands in the single remaining platform at Bishop Auckland having just arrived working 2D07. 10:57 Saltburn – Bishop Auckland, 7th November 2021.
At its height after its 1905 rebuild Bishop Auckland was an extensive station with platforms on all three sides of the triangle of lines and substantial station buildings in the middle of the triangle. The current single platform is on the site of the original platform 1 which had an overall roof.
A rare instance, the beach boxes at Brighton with virtually no one around. Mind you I had to choose my moment, there was a busload of tourists around when I first arrived.
yet another instance of this pedestrian passage in Edinburgh, which is find utterly wonderful and scifiesque.
'In Breughel's Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away
Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may
Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,
But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone
As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green
Water; and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen
Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky,
had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.' (Auden) 😊