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I think this dress pattern is where I want it for my own purposes--next step is to see if it can be easily adapted for modern dolls... Susan cloth and a DebbieJones doll!
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All their rights are reserved to my own and unique property.
Any download, copy, duplication, edition, modification,
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Iterated triangles within a steel buttress of a skyscraper as seen from the ground.
Edifice at 540 W. Madison St., Chicago.
This is Cody's 2nd iteration of the Corsair sold by Brickmania. I don't own the first one so I can't compare it to that but I am quite happy with this model. I have swapped out the Light Bluish Gray on the fuselage for Medium Blue and will apply some insignia markings once I resize the star and bars with the red outline.
I know some people weren't crazy about the canopy choice and I was on the fence initially, but once you see it in person I think it works really well. I even waited a few days to put the decal on. If you've spent any amount of time looking at Corsair drawings or profiles it really does mimic the shape quite well.
The 4th iteration of the successful line of civilian mechs by Neolithic Technologies. The NTM4 is designed for construction and repair in space and is usually used on large space-borne repair-stations, working on ships coming in for a checkup or having been damaged by an attack or a meteor-shower (as long as these scientists don't invent some decent shields, repairs will be needed). It is also sometimes used on large ships itself, able to provide repairs while traveling.
It's long legs allow it to maneuver around ship-hulls with great easy and it's thin profile reduces the chances of it being hit by debris, small meteors or the occasional weapons-fire. It's fitted with magnetic pads on the end of all four limbs, strong claws for handling large pieces of debris, material or equipment. In addition to that the left arm has two smaller, more delicate arms able to hold and use human-sized equipment and the right arm features a built-in buzzsaw and plasma-torch.
The S stands for 'Supercore', which the name of the firm that produced the highly powerful, stable and long-lasting energy-core this model is equipped with.
Brickshelf (Now public!)
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This is what I've been building for the last few days. And it was most likely my most frustrating build yet, and also with the most satisfying result. The build was plagued by design flaws, the obligatory shortages of parts and just simply part-failure (lack of friction between some parts in for example the arms and the hind legs make this model surprisingly fragile). On top of that, it was a pain to photograph, so I'm glad to have that all behind me and to be able to just sit and look at the oh-so satisfying result.
Credit for the hand-design goes to Lord Dane and his 'Vertikale Denkfabrik'.
The man and his goat? Wait, that doesn't sound right! Haha.These goats are wild and can be aggressive. The Washington Trails Association has a good article about dealing with mountain goats. You can read about it here.
You've likely seen the first version of this photo, but here's the second iteration for your viewing pleasure.
Stillness is a collection of ambient photobooks, a year long series of experiments with ethereality, materiality and time. Eleven editions were published by FoAM on or near the new moons of 2015/2016 and a limited number of prints from each cycle were made. The final iteration is a collated selection of photographs from the series, with an introduction by Timothy Morton and epilogue by Maja Kuzmanovic, published in an edition of 300 by MER. Paper Kunsthalle and FoAM.
The book is available at the MER. webshop, or if you are further afield from Anagram Books or Perimeter
Latest iteration of my DF.9 turret for my Hoth diorama. I really don't like the straight cylinder in the lego sets, and have been looking for a way to have it taper inwards. Finally think I've cracked it.
As Merveilleuse Agnes Von Weiss the Baroness once again stuns in this new iteration of the character we all love to hate. Not one to be overshadowed, she came out the grandest out of all the dolls in the Fashion Royalty La Femme Collection. With a French Riviera theme one would not have thought of this ensemble but for Merveilleus this is a red carpet moment at the Cannes Film Festival or in her case it’s the annual European Trendsetters’ Association (ETSA) meeting which requires one to be dressed to the nines as this is a gathering of fashion and beauty industry personalities. Inspired by one of Jessy Ayala’s all-time favorite fashion designers Carolina Herrera, he captured her personal style and gave it a different spin by taking inspiration from Paris-based Turkish high fashion label Dice Kayek from their Pre-Fall 2017 Collection, the same collection that also inspired Exquise Adele’s caped suit.
Once again there are so many firsts for 2017. While we’ve seen Agnes for the very first time in FR White from 2016’s one-of-a-kind Rapacious at the Supermodel Convention, this is the first time that they mass produced her in this skin tone. Another first is having Agnes in a short hairstyle which I think is gorgeous on her and that brings me to the only flaw I see in this doll. Sometimes the hair net just ruins a rather perfect hairstyle. For a hair this short I think that the hair net is not necessary as it leaves indentations in some parts of the hair.
This is an impeccably styled doll from the hair down to the shoes. She comes with fashion pieces that you can mix and match from existing ones. The white poet blouse does not come with a back closure which is smart in a way as we don’t have to worry about rusting left by snaps or hooks. This is one of those moments where the pull-apart body comes in handy when you want to take her top off. The designers really took advantage of that feature. I love the reuse of the Head for Glamour face design which we’ve only seen once (or twice if you count the raven haired version) back in 2010.
She comes with what seems like a new set of jewelry including this newly developed intricate necklace. I’m not too fond of this type of jewelry as leaving a mark on the neck seems very likely. It might be easy to put on like Frosted Glamour Adele’s but in this case the opening isn’t wide enough to slide it to her neck. That might not be the case for every copy of this jewelry though and possibly heating it up first before putting it on the doll might help. The must-have accessory for Merveilleuse is her leopard print tasseled purse. It’s just that one accessory I would love to use over and over again. Her shoes are made in the new soles with chrome heels. While I love the fact that the designers finally come up with new soles, I think it’s time that they give us pointy ones similar to Louboutin’s Pigalle or So Kate. One thing I would change with Merveilleuse is the material of her shoes and that I would have loved it in patent leather instead. I think that could elevate the look of the shoe from basic to exceptional.
To me Merveilleuse Agnes along with Exquise Adele were the stand out in the collection and the only regret that I have with this doll was not ordering a second copy.
The final iteration of version 2 of my self-MOC. Every single piece that was not black or dark blue was swapped out or painted to match, including pins/axels. Stopping here to keep my sanity (or what's left of it at least).
Credit to BioRays for head design and Alieraah for the foot design.
"Cameras come and cameras go but good glass goes on forever."
When selecting gear for your hobby it pays to buy the best lenses that you can afford. Good lenses will serve you well through many iterations of cameras. I understand that sometimes you can't buy the best but when you can upgrade, spending money on good glass is usually better than spending money on the next generation camera.
I started with a Nikon D40 and 18-55 kit lens. I needed a telephoto and soon added an inexpensive 55-200. My first expensive lens was the Nikon 12-24 F/4, seen here on the far right.
This is a solid lens for a DX camera, designed and built for "pros" when Nikon did not have any FX cameras. I like the 24mm focal length as it gives me a 36mm equivalent - 35mm was my favorite walk around lens when I shot film and overlapped nicely with the wide end of my 18-55.
To be fully honest, I don't use this lens as often as I could. When photographing indoors without a tripod I find the lack of VR problematic. The f/4 speed does not help either. I keep looking at the Tokina 11-20 f/2.8 which offers an additional f/stop of speed but hate to part with the Nikon and can't see owning both. It also takes oversized 82mm filters; the other two lenses here take 77mm!
On the far left is my Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM, which, according to Thom Hogan (www.DSLRBodies.com) is arguably one of the best mid range zooms you can put on a DX camera. It is right sized, fast (f/2.8) and has VR (OS). This is my go to lens for most serious use. It is sharp, handles well and focusses fast and accurately. When I took it to the American Southwest I shot 85% of my images with it. Its quite versatile and the price has come down dramatically. If you need a lens like this you might also consider the Sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4 Contemporary or the newer (and much more expensive) Nikon 16-80mm f/2.8-4E VR, noting of course that while both lenses get you a little more reach than the Sigma 17-50 they do drop to f/4 at the long end. I never seriously considered the Nikon 17-55 f/2.8 DX lens. It is HUGE, expensive and lacks VR, something I think is essential for a mid range zoom.
Dead center is the fabulous Nikon AF-S 70-200 f/2.8 G IF-ED VR. I know that there are two newer versions but the original VR1 works fine on DX and is available for $850-1000 used. It focuses nearly instantly, is sharp as a razor and feels and handles like the fine tool that it is. If you shoot kids sports, people, or other fast action then this lens is for you. If you shoot in low light you must have it. I thought long and hard before paying $1600 for it used over 10 years ago but am glad I did; and you will be too.
No 70-200 f/2.8 is complete without a TC14E teleconverter which turns your 70-200 into a 100 - 280 f/4 zoom; close enough to 300f/4 to be a handy upgrade. It costs 1 f/stop but doesn't seem to lose much in sharpness or AF speed. It is shockingly expensive so you might want to consider the Nikon 70-300 which costs about the same. Be careful though; the TC14E, like all the other Nikon teleconverters, only works on a handful of professional grade lenses.
There you have it. My personal collection of performance lenses that have taken me from a D40 to a D200 through the D300s and now a D500 body. I've shot southwest landscapes to competitive cycling and never felt I was lacking.
Next on my list? A really long lens for distant wildlife, most likely the Nikon 200-500 f/5.6 zoom.
STROBIST INFO: Lit with a single Novatron 440+ watt second power pack firing into a 27" Larson Reflectasol Softbox. directly over the shooting table. I used 4 large sheets of white foam core to build an impromptu light table around my subject gear: both left and right sides, table top and background.
What are your favorite performance lenses? Which glass can't you do without? What's on your Christmas list?
This is Cody's 2nd iteration of the Corsair sold by Brickmania. I don't own the first one so I can't compare it to that but I am quite happy with this model. I have swapped out the Light Bluish Gray on the fuselage for Medium Blue and will apply some insignia markings once I resize the star and bars with the red outline.
I know some people weren't crazy about the canopy choice and I was on the fence initially, but once you see it in person I think it works really well. I even waited a few days to put the decal on. If you've spent any amount of time looking at Corsair drawings or profiles it really does mimic the shape quite well.
This is my second iteration of this MOC and I have completely reworked the top part of the gate, now includes a hallway where stormtroopers can look down onto the vehicle bay or the snowy terrain.
More Info and instructions can be found below: rebrickable.com/users/Wiktor%20Radomski/mocs/
Imperial Crates, Droids And Light Pack used in this MOC linked Below
rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-133675/Wiktor%20Radomski/imperia...
Imperial Fighter tank designed by ImperialBrickProductions, his Flickr page linked below
www.flickr.com/photos/imperialbrickproductions/
If you like this MOC or have any suggestions please feel free to comment below :)
The last iteration for the week, back at Pikes Peak but with Pro Image 100, a film I'd not shot before. C41 kit although a bit long in the tooth was able to handle without much issue. With such a vista the Xpan was just a joy to use despite the freezing cold and winds on this 14-er. I didn't bring gloves so had to heat my hands on some tea and of course, since they were available, the requisite donuts made at the high altitude. Thanks again to those flicker-ans who continue to share their images - they are fantastic!
Here is my second iteration of one of my favorite ships of Star Wars -- the Delta-7 Aethersprite Delta-7 Jedi Starfighter.
@khatmorg & @atlas_er are big influences on this design -- especially the cockpit area of @khatmorg & the wings by @atlas_er. Biggest difference in mine is the overall length is shorter by two studs (which I think is more accurate).
Overall I'm really happy with how it came out. I tried my best to eliminate all gaps, and make it smooth as possible. I've very proud of the green accent on the back wings, and how I was able to keep the front wing/hood area smooth.
I couldn't squeeze in rear landing gear, but I love how the underside came out.
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This image and its name are protected under copyright laws.
All their rights are reserved to my own and unique property.
Any download, copy, duplication, edition, modification,
printing, or resale is stricly prohibited.
*******************************************************************************
The last iteration for the week, back at Pikes Peak but with Pro Image 100, a film I'd not shot before. C41 kit although a bit long in the tooth was able to handle without much issue. With such a vista the Xpan was just a joy to use despite the freezing cold and winds on this 14-er. I didn't bring gloves so had to heat my hands on some tea and of course, since they were available, the requisite donuts made at the high altitude. Thanks again to those flicker-ans who continue to share their images - they are fantastic!
Some iteration of POWA/EDWA/EDNM crawls through Fairgrounds East on way to Waterville. Back in these days, this was big power for Pan Am.
Shot in June of 2009
Iterating on the edit of the final image. Some the crop, others the color and white balance settings. . Please bear with me.
New processing, better than the last iteration. Some stars appear green to me, which seems wrong. Oh well.
First attempt at this. Quite mysterious looking in my humble opinion.
The Western Veil Nebula is a supernova remnant consisting of oxygen, sulfur, and hydrogen gas. This area of Cygnus is densely populated with stars and includes regions of heated gas that make up the Cygnus Loop.
As APOD so eloquently puts it, the Western Veil Nebula is “an expanding cloud born of the death explosion of a massive star”. NGC 6960 (Caldwell 34) is often referred to as the Witch’s Broom as its delicate filamentary structure resembles this memorable shape.
Image Details:
- Imaging Scope: William Optics 61mm Zenithstar II Doublet
- Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI183MC Color with ZWO Duo Band filter
- Guiding Scope: William Optics 31mm
- Guiding Camera: Orion Starshoot Autoguider
- Acquisition Software: Sharpcap
- Guiding Software: PHD2
- Capture Software: SharpCap Pro (LiveStack mode with dithering)
- Light Frames: 20*6 mins @ 100 Gain, Temp -20C
- Dark Frames: 20*6 mins
- Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker
- Processed in PixInsight, Adobe Lightroom, and Topaz Denoise AI
Some designs go through so many iterations of improvement and innovation that the end of the line bears no resemblance to the model that began it. The CHT-3 (Commercial Hauler, Terrestrial, Model 3) Heavy by Abel-Norton Industries goes a long way towards proving that some things don't need to change much to keep up with the times.
Designed for large-scale earth moving on offworld colonies, the CHT-3 is the ground-transport backbone of 22nd century terraforming efforts. While its ancestry in the massive earth movers of the 20th century is obvious, the CHT-3 has a completely modular forward cab that can be reconfigured on-site for a variety of jobs, atmospheres, and gravities. The command deck is completely sealed and self-sufficient, providing enough air, food and water for the crew of six to survive for up to two weeks if completely cut off--long enough for a rescue mission from Earth, if need be.
The only major flaw of the CHT-3 is its sophistication, requiring both more manpower to operate and a highly-trained maintenance crew. But with the advent of cheap FTL, these considerations are not as great as they used to be. Long gone are the days when everything shipped to an offworld colony had to be justified down to the gram and capable of being fully maintained on-site using local materials.
Was just reminded by a LUG mate that I missed the USB brick, and I forgot about my store banner. I hear there's also a Duplo 2x4 brick postcard. Am I missing anything else from the list? This is purely RED 2x4 bricks, not things with a few different colours on them, and things like the ceramic coin bank and blue brick duffel bag.
Wasn't happy with the previous iteration of the barricade shields, so I reworked them along with most of the arms. Now they're bigger, shinier, and bulkier than before.
Side note: This is the first frame I've used mixel joints on. They work really well for allowing maximum articulation in the shield armatures.
Various iterations of religious buildings have been built on this site for centuries. This cathedral of York is mighty impressive and well worth a visit.
Taken with my digital Fujifilm X20
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This image and its name are protected under copyright laws.
All their rights are reserved to my own and unique property.
Any download, copy, duplication, edition, modification,
printing, or resale is stricly prohibited.
*******************************************************************************
In desperation, some iterations of the Wallaby were completely repurposed for non-combat applications, like this LLF-12 Muskrat, kitted out for demolition and mining, with its metal-detector “whiskers. The inclusion of a jump jet system as a standard feature for a mining frame should tell you all you need to know about the deep levels of confusion and miscommunication that the Wallaby teams had sunk into by this point, combined with the fact that nobody noticed the awkward symbolism of its placement. This “rump jet” led the Muskrat to become the “butt” of countless jokes in the frame enthusiast media.
The final iteration of version 2 of my self-MOC. Every single piece that was not black or dark blue was swapped out or painted to match, including pins/axels. Stopping here to keep my sanity (or what's left of it at least).
Credit to BioRays for head design and Alieraah for the foot design.
The last iteration for the week, back at Pikes Peak but with Pro Image 100, a film I'd not shot before. C41 kit although a bit long in the tooth was able to handle without much issue. With such a vista the Xpan was just a joy to use despite the freezing cold and winds on this 14-er. I didn't bring gloves so had to heat my hands on some tea and of course, since they were available, the requisite donuts made at the high altitude. Thanks again to those flicker-ans who continue to share their images - they are fantastic!
The final iteration of version 2 of my self-MOC. Every single piece that was not black or dark blue was swapped out or painted to match, including pins/axels. Stopping here to keep my sanity (or what's left of it at least).
Credit to BioRays for head design and Alieraah for the foot design.
The T1000 is an advanced iteration by Sirius Cyberdine Industries of their popular TR37 tracked rover. Updates include larger size cabin and tracks, a new polymercarbonate bubble windscreen that opens from the bottom to allow easy driver access, updated and more powerful instrumentation inside, a 360-degree multi-wavelength camera, unitized remote antenna, comprehensive communications array that can also be used as a defensive ray in emergency situations, and now all TR1000's come with a helper robot as well. The robot is quite useful when harsh conditions prevent the operators from going outside the unit. Sirius Cyberdine also had the foresight to include advanced personality modules within the helper bots, thus providing companionship to solo operators. Field reports indicate that the bots, while reliable and trustworthy companions, tend to get a bit of snarkiness in their personality chips over long deployments.
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Happy Febrovery everyone!
This rover is an advance on a rover I built last year, the TR37, seen here: www.flickr.com/photos/125250765@N04/24475833924/in/album-...
Enjoy and thanks for looking!
Amazing surface patterns at Primrose Terrace, Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. These terraces are the largest actively forming a set of sinter terraces in New Zealand.
WPD24Abstract. P3311858
Apparently it takes 20 increasingly subtle iterations to arrive at a version of the famed BBS LM wheel center which feels properly in-scale for the 10248 Ferrari and its #56145 wheels. These plain-paper test prints are all exactly the same size, but different combinations of spoke thicknesses, center hub nut and dish size, rim flange size and even surface color contrasts could make the wheel look too fragile or too small when placed on the build itself. Next steps will hopefully produce a set of these in plastic with appropriate deep hub recess and centerlock nut.
Left: Duo Mk. 3 - The latest and greatest iteration of Duo, which will be 99.9% identical to the production version. The only differences are the slight dimensioning changes, and deeper engravings (they were mistakenly engraved too shallow). Oh yeah, and Tyvek viewfinder shade, too. This one uses the black Tessar variety of Mamiya's 105mm.
Center: Duo Mk.2 - This was an experiment to test the usability of the D and DS lens variants (which by the way, work great - more contrast at the expense of some vignetting). Finishing did not go so well. Hawaii and the humidity, and, oh the humanity...
Right: Ur-Duo - The original prototype, which very much looks like a prototype. The focus rails originally meant to ride on four precision shoulder screws, but would misalign and jam. So guides had to be installed to keep them in check. Even then, the focus was pretty jellylike. The strap lugs were pretty suspect, but never failed. The viewfinder hood was originally a rigid-folding piece of junk, which got replaced by the current wire-supported design. My favorite part of it was definitely the lens. The chrome 105's are tiny and svelte. The coverage is quite nice too.
You can also see the differences in coatings here between the Tessar and Heliar variants.
This is the third iteration of a playground for children on this site.
The first one was on an adult scale: tall, fast, bare hard packed soil. You could really get hurt if you goofed. The upside was that you got to learn agility, strength, judgement, risk management.
That would not do! What if someone broke a fingernail? The civic authorities might be sued by a helicopter parent. Oddly, the replacement was so dull it was only the desperate who ever went near the silly plastic pile. Without adventure it was, well, pointless.
Now there's the third installation. Maybe they've overdone it? There's more crammed into small places, lots of soft stuff, but at the same time an extraordinary amount of concrete and exaggerated opportunities for collisions. But the risk is back along with all the new creative play places.
I read an article in Wild #187 by James McCormack exploring the notion that after almost clocking a deer on his bicycle, riding at night, without lights that we could have adventures in small ways. It didn't have to come from an epic in the wilderness, far away, it could be close to home: challenge, scale, risk, exoticism, aesthetics, audacity, uncertainty, novelty.
Well this is novel! Penguins are cute. Penguins with attitude and a shiv? Now that's next level adventure!
Senator Johnson, what were you thinking? This isn’t an exclamation. I really want to know.
In one of the most recent iterations of tone-deaf statements made by politicians, Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said this on Joe Pag’s conservative radio talk show (emphasis mine):
“Even though those thousands of people that were marching to the Capitol were trying to pressure people like me to vote the way they wanted me to vote, I knew those were people that love this country, that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break the law, and so I wasn’t concerned.”
“Now, had the tables been turned—Joe, this could get me in trouble—had the tables been turned, and President Trump won the election and those were tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter and Antifa protesters, I might have been a little concerned.”
It was both shocking and amazing to hear someone—an elected Senator, no less—say such a thing without realizing the impact of his words. This is the definition of institutional racism: thought patterns so embedded in society, some see nothing wrong in expressing them, let alone thinking them. Did you say them to gain political currency, or do you believe them? As Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. recently said, “Republicans and conservatives have used culture wars as a way of encouraging working-class voters to cast their ballots on the basis of social, religious, and racial issues rather than on economic questions.” Your comments, shocking as they are to me, are chum, thrown into political waters to rile up your Republican base. In the feeding frenzy, they ignore the economic precipice they live on and, worse, don’t even realize how unimportant their lives are to the GOP.
The Justice Department’s mounting evidence against those who stormed the Capitol doesn’t correlate with your sentiments. In response to criticism about your statement, you replied, “There were no racial undertones to my comments.” You’re right, Senator. These weren’t undertones; these were overt. Here are some facts that should interest you.
In an interview with 60 Minutes, federal prosecutor and former acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Michael R. Sherwin, said they were now in the process of prosecuting over 400 cases involving the January assault on the Capitol. “The bulk of those cases are federal criminal charges and significant felony charges: five, ten, twenty-year penalties…. Of those 400, we have over 100 who have been charged with assaulting federal officers and local police officers. Ten percent of the cases, I’ll call them more complex conspiracy cases—we do have evidence, it’s in the public record—where individual militia groups from different facets, Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, Proud Boys, did have a plan—we don’t know what the full plan is—to come to D.C., organize, breach the Capitol in some manner.” The investigation is only getting started.
Sherwin was an eyewitness to the insurrection. Dressed in his running clothes, he followed protesters from Donald Trump’s rally to the Capitol. “As the morning progressed, I noticed that some people were in tactical gear,” he said. “Those individuals, I noticed, left the speeches early. You could see it was getting more riled up. And it became more aggressive.” Prosecutors have charged many with obstruction of official government proceedings (the Electoral College count). Convictions could result in twenty-year felony sentences. The government has arrested two men for assaulting Capitol police officer Brian D. Sicknick, who later died of his injuries. If his autopsy shows their actions resulted in his death, they will be charged with murder.
Do you think, Senator, these people “truly respect law enforcement [and] would never do anything to break the law,” as you stated?
Covered live on TV, hundreds of thousands of Americans witnessed this breach. Rioters posted their own videos and photographs of their actions. Others proudly texted their involvement. The people you described as loving their country put members of Congress, the military, and police at risk. What’s so loving about that?
Politicians have been spinning their versions of events since the dawn of our country. During both the Reagan and George H. Bush administrations, Lee Atwater’s noxious tactics are the contemporary antecedent for the misleading hyperbole we experience today. Truth became malleable. Atwater’s support for making furloughed felon Willie Horton’s armed robbery and rape charges an issue during the 1988 presidential campaign against Democrat Michael Dukakis was instrumental in Bush overcoming a 17-point deficit to win the presidency. Atwater stated he would “strip the bark off the little bastard” and “make Willie Horton his running mate.” Trump’s “alternative facts” were the culmination of bending the truth for political gain. What’s fascinating is the traction these lies generate.
In 1987, the Federal Communications Commission rescinded the Fairness Doctrine, which required media outlets to present controversial issues fairly and balanced. “The Fairness Doctrine required that those who were talked about be given a chance to respond to the statements made by broadcasters.” The FCC believed this safeguard impinged on a person’s First Amendment rights, and they did away with it. Political discourse has digressed ever since.
“Cancel culture” has become our most recent ad hoc policing system to control the cacophony of voices and opinions on traditional and social media. But it’s often harsh and indiscriminate. A few months back, a Facebook friend wrote about some stress in their life, posting a sizeable animated emoji showing a round yellow face grinding its teeth. I responded to that emoji by saying, “relax” (I know firsthand the pain of bruxism—teeth-gnashing). A few minutes later, a well-known woman writer admonished me for telling any woman to relax. I only knew my friend via Facebook. And her handle was gender-neutral, so I didn’t realize she was a woman. I was going to clarify my response, but when I saw that 27 people had already liked her retort, I thought better of it. I felt ganged up upon and ridiculed unfairly. A simple question, “What did you mean?” would have cleared everything up quickly. Instead, I deleted my comment. But the feeling of being misunderstood without recourse stayed with me the rest of the day. Seeking context is a rare commodity. So that’s why I’m asking you, Senator, despite the facts, why did you say what you said?
Ultimately, it’s the responsibility of your Wisconsin constituents to judge your words and deeds. But that doesn’t mean the rest of us will stand by when you pass your judgments. They’re deadly.
And, yes, Senator Johnson, you are a racist.
Feel free to pass this poster on. It's free to download here (click on the down arrow just to the lower right of the image).
See the rest of the posters from the Chamomile Tea Party! Digital high res downloads are free here (click the down arrow on the lower right side of the image). Other options are available. And join our Facebook group.
Follow the history of our country's political intransigence from 2010-2020 through a seven-part exhibit of these posters on Google Arts & Culture.
The F-106 was the ultimate development of the USAF's 1954 interceptor program of the early 1950s. It was the sixth iteration of the famous 1950s-era “Century” series of jet fighters. The initial winner of the competition had been the F-102 Delta Dagger, but earlier versions of this aircraft had demonstrated extremely poor performance, being limited to flying at subsonic speeds and relatively low altitudes. During the testing phase, the F-102 underwent numerous changes to improve its performance, notably the application of the area rule to the fuselage shaping, an engine change, and the dropping of the advanced MX-1179 fire control system and its replacement with a slightly upgraded version of the MX-1 already in use on subsonic designs. The resulting aircraft became the F-102A, and despite being considered barely suitable for its mission, the Air Force sent out a production contract in March of 1954, under which the first deliveries were expected during the following year.
By December 1951, the Air Force had already turned its attention to a further improved version, which was initially referred to as the F-102B. The main planned change was the replacement of the F-102A's Pratt & Whitney J57 (which had itself replaced the original J40) with the more powerful Bristol Olympus, which was produced under license as the Wright J67. By the time this engine would be available, the MX-1179 was expected to be available, and thus, it was also selected. The result would be the "ultimate interceptor" that the USAF had wanted originally. However, while initial work on the Olympus appeared to be going well, by August of 1953, Wright was already a full year behind schedule in development. Continued development did not resolve problems with the engine, and in early 1955, the Air Force approved the switch over to the Pratt & Whitney J75.
The J75 was bigger than the J57 in the F-102A and had a greater mass flow. This demanded changes to the inlets to allow more airflow, and this led to the further refinement of using a variable-geometry inlet duct to allow the intakes to be tuned to the best performance across a wide range of supersonic speeds. This change also led to the vents being somewhat shorter. The fuselage grew slightly longer and was cleaned up and simplified in many ways. The wing was partially enlarged in area, and a redesigned vertical tail surface was used. The engine's two-position afterburner exhaust nozzle was also used for idle thrust control. The nozzle was held open, reducing idle thrust by 40%, giving slower taxiing speeds and less brake wear.
Throughout the early development of the F-102B, it had to compete for attention and resources with the F-102As; the aviation author Marcelle Knaack observed that there were less funds to develop the more capable systems of the F-102B, which would have been useful in more quickly overcoming some of the technical difficulties that would be encountered. The number of F-102As on order grew substantially beyond that which had been originally forecast, indicative of the growing importance attached to what had once been intended to be an interim or 'stop-gap' aircraft to fill in until the F-102Bs could be delivered. In December of 1955, a mock-up with the expected layout of the MX-1179, now known as the MA-1, was inspected and approved.
On April 18th, 1956, in a clear sign of growing confidence that the aircraft was improving, an extended production contract for 17 F-102Bs was issued to Convair; however, this order was for substantially fewer aircraft than had been anticipated initially at this stage. On June 17th of that year, the plane was officially re-designated as the F-106A. On August 18th, 1956, the USAF issued a systems development directive that called for both the development and the production of the F-106s to occur simultaneously; Knaack attributed this policy to being responsible for several later problems in the program. In April of 1957, the USAF formally rejected Convair's F-102C proposal (essentially a re-engined model of the F-102) to concentrate on the more advanced F-106 program, which it had anticipated to enter service during the following year.
On December 26th, 1956, the prototype F-106, an aerodynamic test bed, performed its maiden flight from Edwards Air Force Base in California. On February 26th, 1957, the second prototype, which was outfitted with a fuller set of equipment, made its first flight. Early flight testing around the end of 1956 and the beginning of 1957 demonstrated somewhat disappointing results, having achieved less of a performance gain over the F-102 than had been anticipated. Specifically, both the acceleration and maximum speed were below Convair's estimates. Furthermore, both the engines and avionics proved to be somewhat unreliable. These combined problems and the delays associated with them were nearly responsible for the termination of the program.
However, the service decided to persist with the F-106 program after the Air Defense Command had heavily advocated for it. Based upon the test data submitted, USAF officials had determined that modifications to the inlet duct cowling and charging ejectors were likely to increase both acceleration and speed; modifications would be made following the completion of Category II testing and were evaluated during Category III testing. At this stage, the service enacted several measures to hasten development towards production; in April of 1957, it authorized the conditional acceptance of several F-106s being used by Convair for flight testing; it also took several quick decisions to settle outstanding development questions. By mid-1957, funding for 120 F-106As had been allocated. The USAF ultimately opted to order 350 F-106s, which was substantially less than the planned 1,000 fleet of aircraft. Deliveries of the single-seat F-106A and the twin-seat F-106B combat-capable trainer variant commenced to 15 fighter interceptor squadrons in October of 1959.
On December 15th, 1959, an F-106 flown by Major Joseph W. Rogers made history when his plane set a new world speed record for fighter jets, reaching an incredible speed of 1,525.96 mph (2,455 kph) at 40,500 ft (12,300m). The F-106 was envisaged as a specialized all-weather missile-armed interceptor to shoot down bombers. It was complemented by other Century Series fighters for different roles, such as daylight air superiority or fighter-bombing. To support its part, the F-106 was equipped with the Hughes MA-1 integrated fire-control system, which could be linked to the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) network for Ground Control Interception (GCI) missions, allowing the aircraft to be steered by controllers. The MA-1 system proved to be highly troublesome and was eventually upgraded more than 60 times while in service.
Like the F-102s, the F-106 was designed without a gun or provision for carrying bombs, but it carried its missiles in an internal weapons bay for clean supersonic flight. It was armed with four Hughes AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missiles (either AIM-4F/G infra-red guided missiles or semi-active radar homing (SARH)-guided (which detected reflected radar signals) AIM-4E missiles, along with a single 1.5 kiloton-warhead AIR-2 (MB-2) Genie unguided air-to-air rocket intended to be fired into enemy bomber formations. Like its predecessor, the F-102 Delta Dagger, it could carry a drop tank under each wing. Later, jet fighters such as the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and the F-15 Eagle took missiles recessed externally in the fuselage. However, stealth aircraft would re-adopt the idea of carrying missiles or bombs internally for a reduced radar signature.
The first ejection seat fitted to early F-106s was a variation of the seat used by the F-102 and was called the Weber interim seat. It was a catapult seat that used an explosive charge to propel it clear of the aircraft. This seat was not a zero-zero seat and was inadequate for ejections at supersonic speeds as well as ground-level ejections and ejections at rates below 120 knots (140 mph; 220 kph) and 2,000 ft (610 m). The second seat that replaced the Weber interim seat was the Convair/ICESC (Industry Crew Escape System Committee) Supersonic Rotational B-seat, called the supersonic "bobsled," hence the B designation. It was designed with supersonic ejection as the primary criterion since the F-106 was capable of Mach 2 performance. Fighter pilots viewed high-speed ejections as the most important. Seat designers considered an ejection at low altitude and slow speed the most likely possibility. The ejection sequence with the B-seat was quite complicated, and some unsuccessful ejections resulted in pilot fatalities. The third seat, which replaced the Convair B-seat, was the Weber Zero-Zero ROCAT (Rocket Catapult) seat. Weber Aircraft Corporation designed a "zero-zero" seat to operate at up to 600 knots (690 mph; 1,100 kph). High-altitude supersonic ejections were rare, and ejections at relatively low altitudes and speeds were more likely. The Weber "zero-zero" seat was satisfactory and was retrofitted to the F-106 after 1965.
Early operations of the F-106 were troubled by numerous technical issues; these included generator defects, fuel-flow issues (particularly during cold weather), and combustor-starter malfunctions. In December of 1959, all F-106s were temporarily grounded following the accidental jettisoning of the canopy mid-flight on one aircraft. Many of, but not all, of these problems were resolved by the start of 1961; this can be partially attributed to two significant modification and retrofit programs conducted during this timeframe. Following the resolution of initial teething problems—in particular, an ejection seat that killed the first 12 pilots to eject from the aircraft—its exceptional performance led to the aircraft becoming relatively popular amongst its pilots.
The F-106 served in the contiguous U.S., Alaska, and Iceland, as well as for brief periods in both Germany and South Korea. The F-106 was the second-highest sequentially numbered P/F- aircraft to enter service under the old number sequence (the F-111 was highest) before the system was reset under the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system. In service, the F-106's official name, "Delta Dart," was rarely used, and the aircraft was universally known simply as "The Six" as it was the sixth and last member in Convair’s Century series of jet fighters. The arrival of the F-106 in quantity quickly led to the withdrawal of various older aircraft that were being used in the interceptor role at that time, such as the North American F-86 Sabres and the Northrop F-89 Scorpions.
Although contemplated for use in the Vietnam War, the F-106 never saw combat, nor was it exported to any foreign users. However, after the cancellation of their own Avro Arrow, the Canadian government briefly considered purchasing the F-106C/D. To standardize aircraft types, the USAF was directed to conduct Operation Highspeed, a fly-off competition between the USAF F-106A and the U.S. Navy F4H-1 (F-4B) Phantom, which was not only as capable as the F-106 as a missile-armed interceptor but could carry as large a bomb load as the Republic F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bomber. The Phantom was the winner but would first be used to escort and later replace the F-105 fighter bomber in the late 1960s before replacing older interceptors in the Air Defense Command in the 1970s.
The F-106 was progressively updated in service, with improved avionics, a modified wing featuring a noticeable conical camber, an infrared search and track system, streamlined supersonic wing tanks that provided virtually no degradation to overall aircraft performance, better instrumentation, and features like an inflight refueling receptacle and an arrestor hook for landing emergencies.
Air-to-air combat testing suggested "The Six" was a reasonable match for the F-4 Phantom II in a dogfight, with superior high-altitude turn performance and overall maneuverability (aided by the aircraft's lower wing loading). Indeed, the Phantom had better radar—it was operated by an additional crew member—and could carry a load of up to four radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow and four infrared AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, while the AIM-4 Falcon missiles carried by the F-106 proved to be a disappointment for dogfighting over Vietnam. The F-4s had a higher thrust/weight ratio with superior climb, better high-speed/low-altitude maneuverability, and could be used as a fighter-bomber. Air combat experience over Vietnam showed the need for increased pilot visibility and the utility of a built-in gun, which had been added to the "E" variant of USAF Phantoms.
In 1972, some F-106As were upgraded in Project Six Shooter, which involved fitting the F-106 with a new canopy without metal bracing, significantly improving pilot visibility. Also added was an optical gunsight and provision for a M61 Vulcan 20mm cannon. The M61 Vulcan had 650 rounds of ammunition in the center weapons bay, replacing the AIM-26 Super Falcon or Genie. The F-15A Eagle started replacing the F-106 in 1981, with "The Sixes" being passed on to Air National Guard units. The F-106 remained in service in various USAF and ANG units until they were fully retired from service in August of 1988.
Between June 1st, 1983, and August 1st, 1988, the Delta Darts were incrementally retired and sent to the Military Storage and Disposition Center in Arizona. When the need for a high-performance Full-Scaled Aerial Target Drone was required, the USAF began withdrawing Delta Darts from storage. Starting in 1986, 194 of the surviving surplus aircraft were converted into target drones, and these were designated QF-106As and used for target practice vehicles under the Pacer Six Program by the Aerial Targets Squadron. The last one was destroyed in January of 1998. The drones were still capable of being flown as manned aircraft, such as for ferrying to a test; during the trial, they were flown unmanned. The QF-106 replaced the QF-100 Super Sabre drone; the last shootdown of a QF-106 (BuNo 57-2524) took place at Holloman AFB on February 20th, 1997, after which the QF-106 was superseded by the QF-4S and QF-4E Phantom II drone.
Six aircraft were retained by NASA for testing purposes through 1998. An F-106B two-seat trainer was operated by NASA Langley Research Center between 1979-1991. This Delta Dart was used in research programs ranging from testing supersonic engines to improving the maneuverability of fighters. Between 1980 and 1986, the aircraft was modified for lightning strike research and became known as the “Lightning Strike Plane” and was struck 714 times without significant damage. While on an hour-long flight at 38,000 ft (12,000 m) in 1984, lightning struck the research aircraft up to 72 times. One effective modification was the replacement of the composite nose radome with a metallic radome. Although the maximum speed of the F-106 was Mach 2.3, during the lightning experiments, it was flown at subsonic speeds into clouds at 300 knots (350 mph; 560 kph) from 5,000 to 40,000 ft (1,500 to 12,200 m). The aircraft was equipped with optical sensors, which consisted of a video camera and a light detector. Data acquisition was performed with 1980s state-of-the-art digital waveform recorders.
NASA used six drones in its Eclipse Project, which ran from 1997–1998. The Dryden Flight Research Center supported project Eclipse, which sought to demonstrate the feasibility of a reusable Aerotow-launch vehicle. The objective was to tow, inflight, a modified QF-106 aircraft with a C-141A as a transport aircraft. This test demonstrated the possibility of towing and launching a space launch vehicle from behind a tow plane.
On February 2nd, 1970, an F-106 of the 71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, piloted by Captain Gary Foust, entered a flat spin over Montana. Foust followed procedures and ejected from the aircraft safely. The resulting change of balance caused the plane to stabilize and later land "wheels up" in a snow-covered field, suffering only minor damage. The aircraft, appropriately nicknamed "The Cornfield Bomber," was then sent back to base via rail, repaired, and returned to service, and is now on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton.
This F-106B, BuNo 57-2513, was only the 33rd F-106 ever produced, and spent almost all of its career as a testbed, flying with the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California after delivery in 1958, then assigned directly to USAF Logistics Command from then until 1982, usually flying from Kelly AFB, Texas. It was assigned to the 325th Fighter Weapons Wing at Tyndall AFB, Florida until 1986, when it returned to California; it was assigned to the B-1B development program at Palmdale to act as a chase plane. (Yanks' sources also claim that 57-2513 briefly served with the 120th Fighter-Interceptor Group (Montana ANG) at Great Falls AFB, but the F-106.net page doesn’t confirm this.)
57-2513 flew with the B-1 chase program until 1990, when it returned to Tyndall and was assigned to 475th Weapons Evaluation Group, and was finally retired in 1993–one of the last (if not the last) non-drone F-106s to leave service. It would be acquired by the Yanks Air Museum in 2004 and restored to its markings when it was with the B-1 program.
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There were three iterations of the Bristol VR chassis (Series I to III). Eastern Coach Works refreshed its body design for each type, but with a lag between Series I and II (the final examples of the former received - what were effectively - Series II bodies). The distinguishing features of the Series II were the BET-style curved windscreen and more rounded lower front panel. These features were carried over to the Series III, albeit with a slightly modified front panel and repositioned rear grilles. This digital representation of YHN 654M has been back-dated from a Series III. The black windscreen gasket is prototypically-correct on this particular bus, whereas the adjacent bus had the more common cream version. Series III models generally had grey gaskets, more suited to NBC liveries (26-Jun-23).
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Any download, copy, duplication, edition, modification,
printing, or resale is stricly prohibited.
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