Hugo's second birthday. How? I feel like I've blinked. We spent the day at Bekonscot, a model village attraction. It was a lovely day with hot weather, a picnic and it was on a totally manageable scale (no pun intended).

Kong's newest development, the CQMG, is the newest edition to Military and Police forces within the EU.

Holding 100 6.8 High-velocity ammo in an either magazine-fed or belt-fed contraption.

It's incredibly short size makes it ideal for close quarters, and its recoil is perfectly manageable thanks to it's recoiling barrel system.

Comes in special Kong Honey Finish.

Credit to;

Shock; Grip, Handle. Magnifier mount and electronic.

Lonely Stalker; Sideways M249 Stock.

Feel free to comment and add notes!

I'm moving some photos from my hard drive, to make things more manageable. I thought I had posted this one, but when I checked my stream, I found that it was a different shot, from a different trip to the zoo. I'm loving the capabilities of my new camera; now I can actually submit photos of fruit bats to the volunteer coordinator!

I originally had no intention of going out and shooting CSX Q016 today but I gave in to temptation and the timing became perfect.

I decided to head east to a spot I had shot once before years ago along River Road between Sleepy Creek and Harley Michaels.

After walking along the road and then climbing down a poison ivy and sticker bush infested embankment I readied for my shot. Soon enough, Q016 came with CSX 1776 doing the leading honors. The engine is formerly numbered 3112, a GE locomotive just recently released in the new scheme to honor our Armed Forces.

It passed and I ran back 100 or so feet and then up the embankment towards my car and readied to shoot the dpu engine on the rear which was none other than CSX 911, a specialty painted locomotive honoring our 1st Responders released at the same time as 1776.

That was it! I had to get back towards Martinsburg and Back Creek Valley to pick up the girls from school. No chase, no adrenaline or cussing at drivers. Rather lucky to get two shots with very manageable light at the same spot in two different scenes.

Thanks for reading and moreso, enjoy the photos!

We don’t know why the chicken crosses the road, but it’s fun to watch. The original photo was of a riverfront sunset. Photoleap was used to add elements of other photos that I have taken.

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I posted this from a room in urgent care while waiting for sonogram results. The good news is that all is manageable. Am greatly relieved at the lack of severity. Life is good.

For those of you who actually look at my posts, you have probably already figured out that I am not a particularly good photographer nor artist. In real life, I mostly write. I tinker with video and photography. I personally use Flickr to store photos and videos, many that are private. Most of my poems are ones that I have just written, others are re-done for various reasons. I try to remember to let you know which it is. (The above poem was just written this week.)

I love to hop on Flickr because I follow some very good artists and I love to lose myself here in the beauty of their art or photography, be it virtual, real life, or just fantasy. Some of my contacts are just people I've come to love. I keep my Flickr circle small to keep it manageable and find that, even then, quite a few of my contacts have no interests in my posts. It doesn't bother me because I’m not here for the attention. I get enough of that in real life, sometimes too much. I love my alone time. That said, I really treasure the interactions I have here, though I could decide to walk away anytime, I know. But this is a beautiful way to spend time, so here I am. If I like or comment on your photo, I really love it.

I joined Flickr when I used to play Second Life and was a member of an in-world photo club. Another member introduced me to Flickr so I could post my in-world snaps and various machinima I created. What fun it was! I do struggle to create images for some of the poems I write, so please give me a pass on that. I’m here to look at what you have created. It’s really not about me. XO

*today I'm posting two poems - one new and one re-done - the above is a new one - they just keep coming*

The most accessible of Petra’s High Places, this well-preserved site was built atop Jebel Madbah with drains to channel the blood of sacrificial animals. A flight of steps signposted just before the Theatre leads to the site: turn right at the obelisks to reach the sacrificial platform. You can ascend by donkey (about JD10 one way), but you’ll sacrifice both the sense of achievement on reaching the summit and the good humour of your poor old transport.

The obelisks are more than 6m high ( flic.kr/p/2c6XBZ5 ); they are remarkable structures because they are carved out of the rock face, not built upon it: looking at the negative space surrounding them, you can understand the truly epic scale of excavation involved. Dedicated to the Nabataean gods Dushara and Al ‘Uzza, their iron-rich stone glows in the sun and they act like totems of this once-hallowed ground.

The altar area includes a large rectangular triclinium, where celebrants at the sacrifice shared a communal supper. In the middle of the High Place, there’s a large stone block preceded by three steps. This is a motab (repository), where the god statues involved in the procession would have been kept. Next to it is the circular altar, reached by another three steps; stone water basins nearby were used for cleansing and purifying.

The faint bleat of sheep or the clunk of a goat bell evokes the ancient scene – except that no ordinary person would have been permitted to enter this holy of holies at that time. Cast an eye across the superb panorama in front of you – far above the mortal goings-on of both ancient and modern city – and it’s easy to see how this site must have seemed closer to the sky than the earth.

The steps to the High Place of Sacrifice are well maintained, if unremitting, and it takes about 45 minutes up through the crevices and folds of the mountain to reach the obelisks from the Theatre. From here you fork right to reach the altar area. The route is steep but not unduly exposed, so is manageable (unless you suffer from severe vertigo) even without a head for heights. From the altar area, descend the shelves of rock to a broad rim: about 50m down are regal views of the Royal Tombs.

It’s worth sitting here for a while. From this lofty vantage point you can watch the everyday dramas of camel handlers arguing with their mounts, young children moving goats from one patch of sparse vegetation to the next and Bedouin stallholders regaling the unsuspecting traveller. They each move beyond the languishing tombs of ordinary folk, far too mindful of the needs of the living to worry much about the forgotten hopes of the ancient dead.

From the obelisks ( flic.kr/p/2c6XBZ5 ) it's possible to continue to the city centre via a group of interesting tombs in beautiful Wadi Farasa.

First of all, flickr did quite a number on the colors so it really is best to View On Black

Ok, so 1 month down and only 11 more to go. Thank you to everyone who has followed along so far and commented or faved anything. You guys are all fantastic. Having such great contacts is such a wonderful source of inspiration. It's always good to see everyone's different points of view and editing styles. So again, thanks to all of you.

Congratulations are due to you all, keep it up through the rest of the year.

The jump shot has grown to be a staple of 365ers and I was trying to hold off on doing it until I had gotten through at least a month. And I did! Only 334 more days to come up with ideas for, that seems manageable... riiiiight. One day at a time. =D

1.31.2010

PLEASE, NO invitations or self promotions, THEY WILL BE DELETED. My photos are FREE to use, just give me credit and it would be nice if you let me know, thanks.

This is a short hike from the road (about 300m), a beautiful 30ft waterfall. Park on the road above the falls near the bridge. The trail is steep and a little difficult but manageable.

As you can see, these roads are narrow in places, but is it really that narrow. That depends on the person you meet. If they don't won't to leave the tracks, nobody is going to move. So someone has to pull next to the trees on the right and the other person has to be willing to drive the ditch on the left. Doesn't happen often, but sometimes the other person isn't willing to do either. Than they have to back up to a wider spot, and normally there isn't one close that is much wider.

Usually most people are experienced, but some just don't want to get a scratch on their vehicle, and they should just stay off these roads.

After saying all that, Last Dollar Road is a very easy road drive. It is more interesting after a good rain, but still manageable.

Table Rock is a distinct peak in upstate South Carolina, and dare I say the most interesting mountain in the state. While it is stunning when view from below, a challenging but manageable trail climbs 2,200 feet in elevation for those who want to savor the views. Either way you prefer to enjoy Table Rock, I think this is a place everyone in the southeast should view at some point in their lifetimes.

Railways of Great Britain

This start of another one of my collections, although I have posted a few in the past.

I have taken quite a few images over the years of Old Steam, Diesel and Electric engines and after sorting out probably 3,000 plus, I’ve now got it down to a more manageable number.

I’m starting with English Engines. Some of these images could be 25 years old. Many were transferred from negatives via a scanner so the quality will not be as good I would like. I have put them all through Photoshop to get rid of the most glaring issues

Apologies to those enthusiasts if I don’t get the right engine with the right Railway, they were taken a long time ago, some of them have moved on and my memory is not as good as it was.

Happy viewing.

*For the PDW Contest*

The QSI "Enhydra" is a brand new lightweight Personal Defense Rifle, weighing just 2.5Kg and measuring 20 inches in lenght. It is STANAG compatible and features top and side rails for accessorizing and a detachable cheekrest. The QSI custom .300 Blackout AP rounds will tear through Type IIIA body armors at over 150m, whilst maintaining a low and manageable recoil.

Illuminated BUIS, rail protectors, unsupressed barrel, a rechargable batteries for the laser pointer+ammo counter and an EP side-changing kit are all included.

Quicksilver Ind. produces top of the notch firearms made for easy and cheap mass production, while maintaining very high quality. Our firearms will always be fully ambidextrous, two toned, operator-friendly and accessory-friendly.

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Credit Shockwave for workspace, Benjoo for the background and my girlfriend for the name idea (otter).

Also, if you like photography, check out my friends www.flickr.com/photos/97738810@N04/ , www.flickr.com/photos/ritasousafernandes/ , www.flickr.com/photos/tomascarvalho/ and www.flickr.com/photos/99957575@N03/ 's photostreams:D

Loving Rapunzel doll mattel version, I know lot of people prefer the Disney store version but for me I prefer mattel's. I just like here mousy face and her hair (not as accurate as the movie) but its soft and very manageable.

I re-bodied her into a raquel fashionista and it was a perfect match!

During the recent Christmas break, i visited the eternal city Rome. It was actually my second time visiting the capital city of Italy. My first encounter with the eternal city was in 2007 and it was the second place outside Germany that i travelled once settling down here for my studies. At that time i didn't own a SLR camera but a Sony T10 point and shoot. That explains why there aren't any photos of Rome in my photostream. I decided to pay a second visit mainly to escape from the freezing weather in Germany and after surveying around, the weather in Rome in December is still "manageable".

Rome is still busy and hectic as i remember. And to top that up, the Christmas holidays brought an exponential increase in tourist numbers. I arrived at the hostel quite late due to the traffic jam. I was stuck in the traffic as the sun sets. Not only that, it was a magnificent pinkish sunset. I was tempted to get out of the bus and take some pictures but then ill be leaving my bags behind. So no blue hour for me on the arrival day. After checking in, i decided to take a stroll to the city center and after walking for quite a bit, i realized that i was quite near to the Colosseum. So here it is, the picture of the Colosseum during my first day in Rome.

The lamp post is quite a distraction in this composition. But you cant get rid of it from this point of view.

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Shot with Tokina 11-16 mm @ 16 mm

Aperture f/8 | 3 sec. | ISO 200

This is whats left :) I think its a bit more Manageable.

I did go just a touch Susie Crazy in the last 3 months hehe.

Couple of pics of my outfit for last night. The left side is for driving with the sensible shoe making things a bit more manageable. Then jacket off and some higher heels to accentuate my legs. As for the evening itself, I had a lovely time, Rachel is a fab hostess meaning I was satisfactorily fed and watered and before you know it, it's half midnight and time to head home. Gonna be a long day I suspect as I'm cream crackered and work beckons 💋

Danger Overhead

Just like looking out for overhead power lines it pays to look up when diving.

We teach new divers that they should never put themselves into a position where they can not make an immediate ascent to the surface if they come into difficulty.

It's all very well to be taught to be a good dive buddy, to be vigilant and always at the ready to assist your dive buddy should a problem arise but how often is that vigilance really put to the test.

More often than not when a manageable crisis arises, divers head straight up regardless of their buddy.

So remember to look up, there may be danger overhead.

Photo: Robert Rath, 'Danger Overhead', 1/160s f/22 ISO320 15mm

... more at wetshutter.com

Just a simple rotation tonight as I really like the textures of the bubble rod when lit on ribbon strobe mode using Ryu's Magicstik V2. Just a 5 way rotation, I like to keep to odd numbers as it keeps the symetry more manageable.

_PDS6506

BNSF 265 leads the MINNTW through Sauk Rapids on BNSF’s Staples Subdivision on July 4, Independence Day. Unfortunately, the sky has been becoming hazy recently due to Canadian wildfires, however I still acquired a manageable shot. 1/800, F8, and ISO200 worked well for me in this setting.

The grabber mech is one of four mechs planned for Mechtober 2021.

After the Scanner Mech has located scrap to salvage and the Cutter Mech has chopped it into more manageable chunks, the Grabber Mech moves in and loads it into the Hauler Mech.

Tea or Chai is the most widely drunk beverage in the whole world. The tea plant, Camellia Sansis, is a cultivated variety of a Tea planttree that has its origins in an area between India and China. There are three main varieties of the tea plant - China, Assam, and Cambodia - and a number of hybrids between the varieties. The China variety grows as high as nine feet (2.75 metres). It is a hardy plant able to withstand cold winters and has an economic life of at least 100 years.

The Assam variety, a single-stem tree ranging from 20 to 60 feet (6 to 18 metres) in height. Regular pruning keeps its height to a more manageable 4 to 5 feet tall. It has an economic life of 40 years with regular pruning and plucking. When grown at an altitude near that of Darjeeling (Assam) or Munnar (Kerala), it produces tea with fascinating flavours , sought after around the globe.

Alice Lake was always described to me as one of the more challenging day hikes in the Sawtooth Mountains, but after my sister and I completed the 4000'-gain Mount Olympus hike in Utah, the Alice description didn't faze me at all. 12 miles, 1600'? No big deal.

And for once, the no big deal attitude turned out to be accurate. While I can see how a couple of the stream crossings would be tricky in early season, it was a very manageable hike and didn't leave any scars besides a couple blisters and mosquito bites. And the lake itself? WOW. Beautiful. On-par-with-Sawtooth-Lake beautiful. This one's a keeper.

(Did I mention that my wide-angle lens is back from the shop and in perfect working order? Just in time for this trip!)

500px | Blog | Facebook | Tumblr

I'm wearing all red today, which stands out very well in the green forest. Most obvious is my red cocktail dress. It's from the brand Chi Chi London, which is among my favorite brands of dresses. Their dresses are usually very feminine, classic, chic, of good quality and not too expensive. This red dress fits me perfectly and is completely lined with soft satin, so it feels amazing on my body. The bodice fits tight around my bust and is made of red lace. The skirt flares out from the waist and consists of many thin layers of transparent tulle, also in red and with matching lace on top. I combined the dress with matching red stockings and red pumps. Clearly the pumps are not really practical in the forest, yet it's manageable and I do love their look. Much better than those hideous outdoor boots!

A close-up of a child that fondly embraces a brick. Looking at this photograph you are really close to the child’s skin. The picture appeals to your desire to touch it and yet you don’t. That’s because of the framing of the photograph, which emphatically draws your attention to the child’s gesture: there is some kind of interaction between the soft skin and the hard surface of the brick. The contrast between skin and brick is enhanced by the use of light and colour. But the child’s gesture is of a positive nature: the relaxed hand and arm accommodate smoothly to the weight and coarseness of the brick. The child carries it as a precious, easily manageable object. Touching appears to be a smooth, almost tender process here. Through the physical gesture – touching the brick - the child shows that it is also emotionally touched by it.

But there is more going on. The picture also makes us think about the effect of the skin. The skin as an interface between two ‘worlds’, that of the child and that of the brick. Demarcating as well as connecting. And therefore comparable to glass. On reflection, you could even call glass a visible skin. So it is probably not accidental that the exhibited photographs often show a glass wall.

Have a look at the two photographs in the same corner as the one mentioned above. Here, too, we find a skin that demarcates and a skin that connects. The drops of water and the stains on the glass highlight the first aspect. But behind it other worlds become visible, albeit extremely vague. In the one case there is light that beckons us, in the other one there are colours that tempt us.

In these photographs as well as in the other ones – also the ones without glass – we are taken to a world full of the unusual: shadowy shapes, colour nuances, vague traces, and ambiguous objects which bring each other to life. It is an inexhaustible wondrous world full of promises that we can explore with our eyes and hands without having to worry about supposed meanings and messages. Margriet in wonderland, Margriet through the looking-glass, Margriet who touches us.

Janneke Lam, photographer and cultural theorist

Around 30 odd years ago I was given a Athearn Blue Box 86' boxcar which had a broken under-frame and was missing one of the trucks. I happily accepted it as back then it wasn't easy to get equipment, especially as I live in New Zealand and models had to be imported from the USA. I was sure I could do something with it. I realised that it was too big for the layout so I decided to cut it down to a freelance 60' car which was much more manageable on the layout. Here is the result. Not highly detailed and showing its Blue Box origins, but still in operation it has covered many miles in those 30 odd years.

Hello, dear flickriends. Despite what I wrote yesterday, I am NOT devoting my life to images of robotic chickens and such. It was April Fool's Day after all, and I thought I'd have a bit of fun to offset "the blahs." I hope you all had a good laugh.

It's truly good to be back amongst the living. I'm not sure how often I'll be here, but I'll be around none-the-less. I tell you, I have seen the bottom of the barrel.....and it looks exactly like a basement in Northern New Jersey! As I continue with the molting process of all things mental and material, I'll be posting here to fight off those nasty anxiety demons and flex the creative muscles that have been screaming in atrophic discontent.

And yes, I'll eventually offer for your consideration the lists of my personal items available for purchase. Since there is SO much to handle, I figured it would be best to break it down into manageable chunks over time. This whole experience of sifting through the ton of crap I've accumulated over the past 20+ years is becoming an enlightening one, to say the least. The moral: Don't waste money on "things" you really don't want or need, just because you can. Instead, use it to change life for the better. Use it to make a difference in the world. Use it to truly enjoy living, and not just existing.

Anyway, thank you all (yet again) for hanging in there with me. I adore and cherish each and every one of you. For those of you that made a donation, sent an e-mail, left a comment, or said a prayer to help both Jolene and I get through this terribly rough patch, know that you have my eternal gratitude. Whether your effort was great or small, it's appreciated deeply by us both. If you ever are in dire straits yourself, realize that the karma train makes stops in both directions. All you need do is drop me a line and I will send some positive energy your way. Because of you, I have it in surplus now! And if you need more than that, just say so. I'll do whatever I can with the resources I have to help.

By the way, as a small token of flickrlove, I'd like all of you to have the high-resolution version of this very picture as a gift. I even signed it for you. You can download it, print it out, and frame it for display in your home, office or dorm. You can use it as a desktop picture too. I usually don't upload print-quality pics because you never can tell where they'll wind up. But, what the hell, peeps...it's all about the love! I only ask that you respect the copyright as you would the other CC licensed shots here. And if you do hang it up somewhere, take a pic and let me have a gander. I always like to see how the kids are doing!

OK, enough of my emotional blathering. Time to get on with the proper photo caption (while I am off to comment on the thousands of your pictures I've missed in my absence).....

[+]

As you may know, I did the whole "Flickr Pickr" thing in February to introduce you to those photographers whose work I thought you'd be interested in experiencing for yourself. Many of you thanked me for that, as it helped to broaden your awareness (and mine) of the amazing talent that exists on this site.

I've become completely humbled by the outpouring of generosity you've show me in the past month, and realize now more than ever that we all need one another to survive in this world. No person is an island. This online community in particular flourishes because we're all truly connected in our words and deeds. Each of us counts on the other for inspiration and encouragement. And when it comes to simply wanting an "escape," we can rely on our neighbors in Flickrland to offer a shoulder to cry on, a joke to lighten our spirits, or a picture that will leave our jaws hanging with a beauty we'd never expect to witness in our darkest hours. What a wonderful gift to be blessed with in life!

So, I've decided that for the rest of this year, every single time I upload a new pic to my photostream, I'm going to put a link at the bottom of my post to another person on this site. As was the case before, it may be someone you already know and admire, or a completely new discovery. It doesn't matter. I want to be a part, in my own way, of bringing everyone here even closer together. You all have shown me an incredible amount of love and support, and this is just a small way of paying back that unselfish and extraordinary kindness.

It will read "Open your eyes to something new today," with a link to the photog. Visit them and introduce yourself. Leave a comment. Make a friend. Share the love.

Today's discovery is ::: iv0/genericgrl :::

rolleiflex 2.8c

planar 80 2.8

delta 400

xtol 1:1 11.5m

honolulu hawaii

Putting the 'Flex through some night trials before taking it to Prime Time. Shutter is bit stiff but manageable as is the focusing screen. Looks like missing a 1/15 shutter speed will work out though a bit tricky at 1/5-1/10s! I'll just have to force my heart to stop beating.

This photo from about a hundred yards from our duplex is a example of how the canals are lined and some nearly taken over by the mangrove trees. Once one owner lets something grow the new owner has to have permission from the city to trim or cut.

Fortunately this has not happened at our duplex and the total water edge is clear and manageable .

It’s good to be back. What a fun trip it’s been…

I went back to my notes from breakfast with Barack, as they seem relevant to the recent turn of events:

“I am a risky proposition. If you ask who will likely win the election, I’d consider myself still an underdog. The press may not think so, but I do. But the upside is enormous. The way the race is emerging, it’s between me and Hillary. In her attack on my experience, she is saying ‘I know how things are done. I can manage the existing system.’ I am saying the system needs to change. That’s my pitch. If you agree that more of the same is not sufficient, then I am your best bet. If the status quo is manageable, then you have other choices."

"This will be a sequential race, like it was for Kerry in the primary. It’s all up for grabs in the early states. Democratic primary voters are not inspired by Hillary, but they respect her. I do better with Independents and Republicans. With Hillary, the Democrats know what they are going to get. They are not yet sure if they can hand me the keys to the car.”

And from an earlier dinner event, responding to a question on his qualifications and experience:

“Look, I’ve been on the national scene for two years. People in Washington think nothing outside Washington counts. I’m applying for the most powerful job on Earth, and in case you didn’t notice I’m a 45 year old black guy. So there are some hurdles to be overcome. Experience is a proxy for judgment. Sometimes the experienced have bad judgment. No one has a better resume than Dick Cheney. At every stage there are a set of hurdles. I like clearing hurdles.”

(earlier photos & quotes)

SW Ohio. Trucks like this one were once a common sight around the area. If memory serves, they were frequently used by utility companies. The crane on top was used to set utility poles. The Snakedoctor took me to this site back in the Summer. At that time the grass was so grown up that I couldn't get a picture I was happy with. We recently returned to find some of the surrounding junk removed and the grass in a more manageable condition so I could get a shot I am more pleased with. The window has a sticker on it that says "Crane Rockers". Crane makes performance cams and rocker arms, but I can't figure out what that has to do with the truck. Perhaps the owner was simply a fan of Crane cams. (Later Warren S52 told me that the engines in these trucks were flat heads. Since flat heads don't have rockers, I have to think the owner just thought the Crane Rockers decals was cool and put it on his truck.)

This panorama shows what I call Tongue Valley, a descent of 1/3 mile to the Lost City. It's the valley between East Tongue and West Tongue, the "tips" of the Forked Tongue ridge (see photos).

My companion and I walked on the top of the ridge to get here, but did not try the descent. We walked along the rim of the valley, though, seeing if a descent was manageable. I think it is, but might require a rope assist for perhaps 20-30 feet at the top.

There would be two ways to get to the Lost City. One would be this way. The other would be to walk along the base of the Forked Tongue Ridge on the east side (the far side from here) via a different trailhead. That route would include a good valley view of Sky Pocket on the way. The ridge-top route gives you good views of Sky Pocket from above. Both are excellent (see examples in my Paria New Discoveries album).

To use this ridge-top route to the Lost City, take a rope to get down the spot indicated in the notes. Then it should be fairly easy to descend the rest of the way. You could use the same rope to get back up and then take the rope back with you.

Daily Photo - Univac

I'm such a nerd and I love this computer.

My background is computer science and math, so I've always been into computers. This UNIVAC was just hitting its stride around the time I was born, and Moore's Law was kind enough to keep the doublings at a manageable rate so it wasn't a whole lot faster when I got my own first computer! I think I started with the Timex Sinclair 99 before getting into the C-64, then a whole host of Amigas before getting into the world of PCs (see these old vintage ads of computer stuff I tweeted about yesterday). Anyway, I'll try not to geek out too much here!

This photo was taken at the new Air and Space Museum in DC. There is an area in the back with all the rockets that also had the computers that were used alongside them at mission control. So, if you have any geek in you at all, I really recommend it.

Meet me at OpenCamp!

The Powers That Be talked me into speaking at openca.mp/, which is Aug 27-29 in Dallas. Who is OpenCamp for? As the website says, "Webmasters and web developers, bloggers, podcasters, social media enthusiasts and anyone interested in web content creation!" This is put together by the same people who did WordCamp Dallas and DrupalCamp Dallas. This should be one of the biggest events for bloggers this year - so I hope you can come out!

Cali Lewis, one of the organizers, recently mentioned OpenCamp in her recent Geekbrief video. You can get a full list of the speakers on the OpenCamp Page... along with me will be Chris Pirillo, John P, and many others.  I've heard Leo Laporte may even join the festivities... that would be a lot of fun to hang out with him again!

Right after OpenCamp, I'll be heading out to Burning Man in the middle of the Black Rock Desert. That will be a wild time!

Exclusive! Video to be released on Abduzeedo!

The crew over at abduzeedo.com/ grabbed the Exclusive of my new video release on Friday. It's a bit different than anything I have ever done... I hope you like it. I'll link over there on Friday so you can be among the first to see it.

New Prints Available

If you go over to the Prints area of the site, you can get links to all the latest prints to be released. I only release about 1% or 2% of the works as Limited Edition Numbered Prints. One of them is featured today over in a onemansblog.com/2010/05/19/my-new-custom-wall-art-from-tr.... That print should come available soon.

from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com

♦ Instructions available at BrickVault ♦

This is it! After the Torment, the Negotiator proudly joins my Midi-Scale capital ship collection, engineered with the same philosophy in mind: maximizing accuracy, features and proportions of the original model in a moderate size.

Made of 3,145 pieces, 68cm (27 inches) long, weighing 1,6kg, the Negotiator is a medium-sized, modular Venator-class Star Destroyer holding on a single, unique Lego stand.

This piece of work is the result of weeks of designing, engineering and intense testing. I wanted the Negotiator to be dense, massive-looking, intricate and packed with detail, while being compact and manageable.

Building at such a scale, I had to take into account every possible constraint (balance, weight distribution, structure sturdiness) while never compromising any aesthetics (SNOT look, thickness, greeble).

The Negotiator features every intricate part of the studio model: turrets, hangar and docking bays, engines, bridge, greeble... with utter attention to detail and proportions of the original ship, as seen in the Prequels.

► Instructions for the Negotiator are available at BrickVault!

Under a stormy sunset, the small town of Anfo on the banks of Lago Idro yields to the dusk.

A short drive West from Lake Garda is the far more interesting and photogenic Lake Idro. Smaller and more manageable than the larger lakes in this region of Italy, it is also far less crowded and touristy. There are interesting walks all around, including one to Monte Stino -- where this photo was taken. The peak has been used as a military outpost for centuries, and most recently in WW2 as it was near the border between the Empire of Austria and the Kingdom of Italy.

As is often the case with my better photos, this was taken on a day where the weather was suboptimal. We decided to head up to the summit anyway, in the hope that we would get lucky with the light. During the trip up the mountain, there were brief bursts of sunshine which encouraged us. However, by the time we had reached the top, these brief spells of sunshine were too low in the sky to get over the mountains and reach the lake itself.

I took this photo when one cloud (hey, you've got to work with them!)blocked the sun to even out the exposure between the shadowy lakeside villages and the foreground foliage.

Monte Stino, Lombardy, Italy, 2014

Sony a7R with Zeiss FE 35mm f/2.8

After a great breakfast at a small cafe we took the Scenic Drive into Capitol Reef National Park. It's mostly a paved road until the very end but still manageable. We spent a few hours exploring the area. When we left Capitol Reef we decided to look for something new. I read about the Notom Road, east of the park, so we decided to check it out. Good decision. We went in about 12 miles before the road got rougher. Great scenery - it is the back side of the Waterpocket Fold - another area we need to check out. We then drove through some really desolate landscape before coming to the Hite Overlook. Great view of the Colorado River in the Glen Canyon Recreation Area. After this we were going to visit some Indian ruins but took a wrong turn somewhere so we just headed to Cortez, CO for the evening. Good day.

I took these photos in April 2018 in south eastern Utah.

Running the contours of the hills, less than 100 ft. above the Los Pinos River, a Denver & Rio Grande Western narrow gauge freight heads west toward Cumbres Pass on a late October afternoon. With K-36 Locomotive #487 leading and #488 helping at mid-train, this freight is beginning the nearly 5 mile, north/south "detour" that the line makes within the Los Pinos Valley, to keep the grade manageable.

This image was captured during a 5-day photo shoot on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in October of 2012 and was quite literally the only scene on the entire trip in which we did not have direct sunlight.

This roadside waterfall on North Carolina Route 215, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, was a happy find on a day which featured way too much sunshine. We came across this spot late in the day, when shade softened the light and made the contrast manageable. For this image, four exposures were merged in HDR Efex Pro 2. Final color and contrast adjustments were made in Lightroom and Color Efex Pro 4, and the color image was converted to B&W in Siver Efex Pro 2.

Railways of Great Britain

This start of another one of my collections, although I have posted a few in the past.

I have taken quite a few images over the years of Old Steam, Diesel and Electric engines and after sorting out probably 3,000 plus, I’ve now got it down to a more manageable number.

I’m starting with English Engines. Some of these images could be 25 years old. Many were transferred from negatives via a scanner so the quality will not be as good I would like. I have put them all through Photoshop to get rid of the most glaring issues

Apologies to those enthusiasts if I don’t get the right engine with the right Railway, they were taken a long time ago, some of them have moved on and my memory is not as good as it was.

Happy viewing.

As our D&RG Passenger Extra drifts down the south side of the lava-capped mesa below Whiplash Curve, she crosses into New Mexico at around Milepost 295. In just the past mile of track from MP 295 to 296, the line crosses the Colorado-New Mexico Border no fewer than 3 times as it follows the contours of the land, keeping the grades manageable.

The power today is the recently restored T-12 Class Passenger Locomotive, #168. This engine was built in 1883 and served the D&RG and D&RGW for 55 years before her formal retirement. She then spent another 80 years as a park display in Colorado Springs, before a decision was made in 2016 to bring her back to life as a special excursion engine. Amazingly, after 80 years outdoors, she was actually in pretty good shape. She emerged from her restoration in late 2019, but due to the COVID pandemic, her debut in public service was delayed until 2021.

*from the archives. submitted for For February's 2009 Scavenger Hunt: Eye Candy.

yet another from the archives. i had wanted to do something with eyes & candies... actually tried a couple ideas but they were not working out like i had planned... so i though i would just choose something from the archives that my eyes love to look at ;) so now i have only 3 items left for the hunt.. and i think that is a manageable amount for this week. should be able to finish. yay.

definition of eye candy - visual images that are pleasing to see but are intellectually undemanding. ;)

------

yet another shot from the bouquet of flowers i got on sunday. they are fast fading..

.and the sun is now gone too. the rain has come.. and i have to say i am quite relieved... we need it here. yay.

isn't bigger always better?

A trio of Cobbler’s Lasts. Left behind by a previous owner of our house and ripe for a photo shoot.

A reworking of one of this afternoon’s takes. Now it’s getting slightly warmer I have finally got round to organising an untidy garage. The dim natural light in here is superb (and infinitely manageable), or there’s power for other options. I even have a collection of old sheets and curtains to fashion any backdrop that suits the occasion. Ladies & gentlemen, I declare the Richard Harvey Garage Studio officially open!

Earlier take ⬇️

www.flickr.com/photos/bigharv/51934062329/in/photostream/

The Great American Eclipse of 2024 | Totality

Nothing can fully prepare you for experiencing this in person. It is undoubtedly the most spectacular astronomical event we can ever experience on Earth. It was worth the ~1800 miles of driving from SC to IL and back even for the naked eye experience alone.

This capture shows the last minute of totality. With the sun's blinding photosphere hidden from view, the glowing solar corona and several solar prominences surround the dark silhouette of the moon. The lunar surface is also visible, illuminated by earthshine. The deep red color of the gigantic solar prominence at the 5 o'clock position was obvious to the naked eye. Seeing it through binoculars was indescribable. Based on my rough calculations, this massive solar prominence was about 43,000 miles (69,000 km) tall. That's over 5 times larger than our entire planet.

381 images were combined to create this ultra-high dynamic range composite image. After combining 9 of the 10 exposures listed below into an HDR image, I processed it 4 different ways (with countless iterations for each). These 4 images were carefully blended with layers to reveal details in the corona while preserving the colorful prominences, which typically get blown out in processing. The 10th exposure was also added to show the lunar surface.

I made the fatal mistake of recording raw video in 8-bit format instead of 16-bit (8-bit is the default in FireCapture). It's similar to shooting in JPG instead of raw. However, combining multiple exposures for this HDR image reduced the defects more than I expected. I was surprised to see a very manageable amount of color banding, allowing me to stretch it enough to show the outer corona. I'm amazed at how this turned out!

HDR combination of 10 image stacks with different exposure values (all Gain 1, Offset 50):

-

50x 0.5 ms (19:01:40 UTC)

39x 1.0 ms (19:01:45)

42x 2.5 ms (19:01:57)

52x 5.0 ms (19:02:02)

50x 10 ms (19:02:11)

44x 25 ms (19:02:18)

50x 50 ms (19:02:24)

35x 100 ms (19:02:31)

12x 500 ms (19:02:39)

7x 1000 ms (19:02:48)

Location: Shawnee National Forest, Wolf Lake, IL (north of the McCann Springs Picnic Area)

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

Telescope: Explore Scientific ED80 f/6.0 Apochromatic Refractor (with HoTech 2" SCA Field Flattener)

Accessories: Baader 2" ClickLock, William Optics Rotator, ZWO EAF, StarTech 4-port USB hub

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G (unguided)

Capture software: FireCapture, Stellarium

Processing software: PIPP (converted AVI to non-debayered TIF), PixInsight, and GIMP

Railways of Great Britain

This start of another one of my collections although I have posted a few in the past

I have taken quite a few images over the years of Old Steam, Diesel and Electric engines and after sorting out probably 3,000 plus, I’ve now got it down to a more manageable number.

I’m starting with English Engines. Some of these images could be 25 years old. Many were transferred from negatives via a scanner so the quality will not be as good I would like. I have put them all through Photoshop to get rid of the most glaring issues

Apologies to those enthusiasts if I don’t get the right engine with the right Railway, they were taken a long time ago, some of them have moved on and my memory is not as good as it was.

Happy viewing.

SUPPLIES

-a fine tooth comb

-shampoo

-conditioner

-a bowl

-a towel (to put under the bowl so your work surface doesn't get wet)

-a bottle with gel diluted in water (I use a color bottle which I put about 1-2 tablespoons of gel in and then mix with warm water)

STEPS

#1: I always shampoo and condition the doll prior to boil washing her. I find that this helps make the hair more manageable, and makes the job easier. Not to mention, if the doll is second hand, she's probably really dirty anyways!

#2: I like to boil wash my dolls using a bowl of water heated in the microwave. Some people like to heat the water on the stove in a pan. I'm personally not comfortable doing that, and I find I get great results with my method too. So if you want to try to boil wash a doll on the stove, I definitely recommend looking up other people's tutorials. Depending on your microwave, you may need to heat the water for a different amount of time. I usually heat my bowl for about 4 minutes, until the water is bubbling. For kanekalon hair, I find the water doesn't need to be as hot.

#3: Once the water is heated, carefully dunk your doll's head into the bowl. For saran hair, I usually leave the doll in the bowl for several minutes before combing her out. With kanekalon hair, I usually wait about a minute and then comb her out. A fine tooth comb will really smooth out any tangles. It will make the hair sleek from root to tip.

#4: Some dolls will need Step #3 repeated multiple times until their hair is smooth. Some dolls may need two or three entire boil washes again.

#5: One you are satisfied with the results, run your doll under cold tap water. This will seal the hair style. I know with human hair, cold water also makes it shiny...but I don't know if that applies to synthetic hair.

#6: Take the diluted gel mixture and drizzle it all over your doll's hair. I usually do a zig zag motion starting at the top of her scalp, and all the way down her lengths. I also do the underside in the same manner. If my doll has bangs, I put extra gel on them.

#7: Comb the gel through your doll's hair. It is now time for her to dry. I never blow dry my doll's hair because it causes heat damage. Some people like using a blow dryer, but I don't personally recommend it. I like to place my dolls on a bed in front of a fan. The fan will help their hair dry much quicker.

***IMPORTANT NOTES***

*Be mindful of bangs/fringe because the hot water will make them go flat too. If you do not want to straighten your doll's fringe/bangs, don't completely submerge her head in the hot water. Only place the lengths of her hair into the bowl. I like to take hot water on my comb and brush my doll's bangs and scalp if I do not want to completely flatten her bangs. This will smooth out the fuzzy hairs without straightening the bangs entirely.

*The more gel you put into the mixture, the more likely your doll's hair will get sticky. I use gel sparingly because I want it to tame the flyaway hairs and to lightly hold the style. I personally don't like the gel helmet look. But if you prefer, you can put as much gel on your doll as desired.

*Personally, I don't like to put more than four dolls in one boil wash bowl at a time. The more dolls are in the bowl, the more the heat from the water will be dispersed between them. So I plan accordingly. For dolls who do not need much heat, I boil wash them together in small batches. For dolls with very damaged/cantankerous hair, I give them their own bowl.

*Change the water between each boil wash. Sometimes extra shampoo or conditioner will come out of the doll's hair while she is in the bowl. Also, some dolls who are older make the water smelly, even when they've just been washed. So just to be cautious, I always recommend changing the water and rinsing the bowl.

*The heat from the water will soften the doll's head. This is totally normal, so don't worry! Actually, it's a great way of removing your doll's head if you need to change her body or remove glue. You can also soften any part of her body by soaking it in hot water.

*As far as I know, this technique is one hundred percent safe. I can't say for the stove boil wash method, but I've never had any incidents with melting or burning when using the microwave. I have boil washed just about all 2,400 plus of my dolls these past five years, and they've all been fine. In fact, I've boil washed some of my dolls more than five times, and they always turn out great.

*You can also create other hair styles using this technique. If you put rollers or straws, or even braids, in a doll's hair and then dunk her in hot water, you will create different curls. I've also done this before, but nowadays I usually straighten all my dolls with kanekalon hair since I find it more manageable.

*Depending on your doll's hair type, this will yield different results. Saran hair is VERY stubborn. It's not easy to get it to curl, and chances are it won't entirely straighten out. Personally, I find a boil wash is perfect for saran hair since it makes it soft, but still maintains the integrity of the doll's original hair style (for example, it won't take out curls on saran hair easily). Kanekalon hair on the other hand is super pliable. It usually goes completely straight after one dunk. But, it is also more sensitive to the heat, so if the water is too hot, it might cause the hair to ball up. This is totally reversible--the doll just needs to be dunked again and combed out.

Video tutorial:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhzRb9rIMs0&feature=youtu.be

Under Michigan Avenue

If anyone knows a good affordable place to move and start a new life I am all ears!

Explore #410 on Thursday, October 8, 2009.

Bryden was the first of the Project Mc2 girls to have three dolls in my collection. For some reason, I always love her dolls - her outfits are stylish and her gamer/technicolor/hype aesthetic is something I adore. Her hair is great too - especially her crimped style from her first two dolls, while the third has tight curls, which are manageable. And her face is great as well, with some great make-up choices. I'm sure that her first wave version has a more condensed face than her later versions though?

canon 6d

Interested to find out how manageable high iso n how clean can this newly anticipated full-frame contender??

Can Canon 6D truly unplug to deliver those charming whistle among competitive rivals? So far, some relevant mighty headlines free echo had been spreading on the common street with favoritism praise by satisfy user .. but how true it is????

Practically me, no insight technical metrology though , summarise to drill on the interesting highlight of ISO aspect with down to earth unbiased information as I own both the Canon 5d2 n 6D n other canon latest camera.

Here, pushing n testing some of the unusual limit of raising ISO 800 beside the normal ISO 100 with just single count exposure during my night landscape shot ! It seem to picking up some minor dark shadow noise, I don't really see any different up to this point even with my old 5Dmark2. The following iSo may interest more when u start pumping up, differences may appear especially those attempt longer exposure at night with slight struggle noise from ISO2000-3200 when call in. However, 6D exhibit much acceptable cleaner n finer color noise pick up by our common visible eye, when kick harder into ISO3200-6400 region, it slowly turn sucks for my personal limitation preference if pro-longe exposure more than 20s would briefly terrify an image during dark or dimly lit condition, but , still a useful iso helper during good daylight combat to gain for faster shutter speed by day with very less worry.

For ISO 6400 onwards, noise condition varies much with canon top of the line good quality glass that able to shot at widest end. However, a normal third party lens will show it true color, the forbidden ugly yucky noise start rising from f4 onwards.

Ignore the 250,000 ISO. Chances of other lower ISO is mere nonsense or gimmick from major popular website guru-reviewers who testify as still usable, a skeptical commercial tactic or been undertable compensated for self benefit reason to claim positive remarks had screw up many earger buyer into wrong believed.

Final verdict appear that, not really so desirable once after the holy mark iso 3200. Don't fall into the legendary rumors of it high capability of sweet superb ISO terminology , any attempt above that, it simply ruin your image.. Canon's yet need indepth technical improvement with such technology here. Unless people can really afford high end wide opening f1.2 super fast lens pair with such heavenly spec advance camera. If not, forget about it high ISO fantasy at the moment. Focusing was average as less miss n hit continue depend on combination skill during servo tracking mode. Be amaze with the primitive ONe Shot mode. A killer keeper with fantastic result at most time. Overall Color display is towards nice warmer vivid tone, however, exposure may tend to lean on brighter side but acceptable unless u take the effort to manual compensate -2/3 stop depend on what u r metering at.

Congratulate those who're still holding on their 5DMark2, please continue to enjoy the fundamental robust mechanism of fullframe though some may feel somehow back dated but rest assure the substential reliable engineering n technology did proven numerous awards recognition winning shot taken by it predecessor without doubt praise by the world.

I see little trade off for those preparing giving up their mark2. With Canon 6D paper, U may acquire what today's Canon intelligent imaging digi 5+ processor inside with the ability climb up to +3 ev that canon claim able to shot at moon light condition but, but ... remember not a guarantee 100% token it will absolutely strike during critical precious moment that make u hate their promise, I'm seriously afraid photographers may loss more of other essential function what ur 5d2 previously had are awefully missing from 6D.

Last words, keep ur 5 D2 n continue shooting. I'm feeling regret at some point .

This sign caught my attention, as 2,500 km to a campsite is some walk! Then I remembered in Europe they use a comma rather than a full stop as we do in Australia to indicate two and half kilometres to the campsite. Just a bit more manageable.

The Camping De l’Allier is the local campsite just a short distance off the Chemin de Stevenson in La Bastide-Puylaurent.

Day 6 of 12 - La Bastide-Puylaurent to Chasserades: Walking the Chemin de Stevenson (GR 70 Robert Louis Stevenson Trail) in the south of France.