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Mobile phones and cameras at the ready the crowds try to capture the first LT150 train as it passes through Barbican station pulled by Metropolitan No 1 0-4-4T. The poor lighting, snowfall and speed of the train made this pretty tricky!. I have managed to freeze (excuse the pun) the photographers but have not quite caught the train. Still you get the idea.
All credit to LT for allowing these special trains to run and credit also to the photographers and watchers who acted sensibly. The Health & Safety people must have been grinding their teeth.
Managed to get out today for a few hours after a late start. I had a bit of a duck fest. I prefer woodland birds, but I thought I would try and make the most of the ducks on the lagoons. I like the reeds reflected on the water as much as the birds. This is one of my favourite native ducks.
Managed to somewhat stupidly forget my camera battery, so this phone shot will have to suffice.
Bristol VR stands at Seaton Tramway bus stop working the 'Mendip Mule' sightseeing tour of East Devon/West Dorset.
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde (L) talks with Benin’s Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni (R) at the Cotonou International Airport upon her arrival December 10, 2017 in Benin. IMF Staff Photo/Stephen Jaffe
I've never managed to take a usable shot of an ant before,until now! I've always been fascinated by these little creatures. I marvel at how well their society is structured (It is better organized than ours I feel!)
Ants
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the Cretaceous period, about 140 million years ago, and diversified after the rise of flowering plants.
More than 12,500 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified.
They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists.
Ants form colonies that range in size from a few dozen predatory individuals living in small natural cavities to highly organised colonies that may occupy large territories and consist of millions of individuals.
Larger colonies consist of various castes of sterile, wingless females, most of which are workers (ergates), as well as soldiers (dinergates) and other specialised groups.
Nearly all ant colonies also have some fertile males called "drones" (aner) and one or more fertile females called "queens" (gynes).
The colonies are described as superorganisms because the ants appear to operate as a unified entity, collectively working together to support the colony.
Ants have colonized almost every landmass on Earth. The only places lacking indigenous ants are Antarctica and a few remote or inhospitable islands. Ants thrive in most ecosystems and may form 15–25% of the terrestrial animal biomass.[11] Their success in so many environments has been attributed to their social organization and their ability to modify habitats, tap resources, and defend themselves. Their long co-evolution with other species has led to mimetic, commensal, parasitic, and mutualistic relationships.
Ant societies have a division of labor, communication between individuals, and an ability to solve complex problems.
These parallels with human societies have long been an inspiration and subject of study. Many human cultures make use of ants in cuisine, medication, and rituals. Some species are valued in their role as biological pest control agents.
Their ability to exploit resources may bring ants into conflict with humans, however, as they can damage crops and invade buildings.
Some species, such as the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis Invicta), are regarded as invasive species, establishing themselves in areas where they have been introduced accidentally.
Link -
I finally managed to identify this caterpillar that usually only shows up accidentally in my photos of the wingstem flower, and that I have been looking for on purpose ever since it started to bloom. Generally it is tended by an ant, as here. I gently brushed the ant off with a blade of grass to get some photos of just the caterpillar--hopefully that wasn't a bad thing to do. It is pretty well camouflaged, and the ant didn't go far and had plenty of chance to return.
Can't believe the year is over and I managed to complete my first 365 project. It's been a great experience and I couldn't have done it without this group. Happy 2014 to you all!
Designer unknown (佚名)
1960, April
Managing
Guan (菅)
Call nr.: BG D82/297 (IISH collection)
More? See: chineseposters.net
Managed to catch this at Mare Street/Hackney Central station, looks like a Holloway Stowaway(or more) has been borrowed for the route as other MCV EvoSetis are either still being delayed or limited number vehicles are set for the route, I dunno but we'll see, won't we...
Route 30
Metroline London
VWH2093
Wright Gemini 3 MK1
LK15 CWP
Picture Taken with Samsung S7 Edge
I managed to get there following the magic light thread left by the star receding across the enchanting Ida Valley. The quality light, the one which can change your personal alchemy, was slowly moving into the distance taking time away from the photographer who could hardly wait beyond the next opportunity.
The golden disk which usually collects all the colours on its way to the other side paused for a moment, generating just enough of a glow to set up a beautiful dream waiting for its dreamer.
The power that can do this, exhales beauty and calls fantasy its home.
Being typically bad at managing social media, I have finally gathered the energy to post about these MOCs days after the setup… but here they are, my final MOCs before becoming a LEGO Designer! 😊
The big idea of the showcase is that each of the model shows a part of who I am. “Imagine!”, being the biggest of all, represents my passion for LEGO, which is a pretty big part of me. I always had the idea if the day ever comes that I get to display something at the Masterpiece Gallery, I will create a piece that celebrates the imagination of LEGO bricks, an ultimate love letter to my hobby… and what captures the essence of LEGO better than the LEGO House itself? So, the idea came to me: What would LEGO House look like if it’s reinterpreted into a sculpture?
Looking at the model from afar, you can immediately see the four iconic colours of the zones at LEGO House, and then in the middle there are two figures, representing the History Collection below and the Masterpiece Gallery on top. More importantly, they also echo my journey – as well as, I believe, many others’ – as a LEGO fan: it all started from me sitting on the floor playing with the bricks, falling in love with the system, and eventually grow up to become an AFOL and continue to create more and more crazy models with the bricks.
As you look closer, there are also a lot of easter eggs related to the House. For example, there are the rocket, submarine, hot air balloon and sea monster from the rooftop playground. There are also a microscale version of every single LEGO House exclusives released, representing perhaps the most important place of the house for many visitors: the shop!
Each of the 3 MOCs also has their own unique set of challenges. For “Imagine!”, it was about the composition, as well as capturing dynamic and organic objects in LEGO bricks, like the smoke and fire, clouds and waves, and the twisty beanstalk. I also had fun tackling the structural issue for the tall rocket flame, and balancing the yellow castle on the beanstalk, but none of that had nearly prepared me well enough for what the second MOC brought to the table…
P.S. Fun fact: I was first invited to display in 2020, but due to COVID everything was delayed… Despite getting over a year of time to prepare due to the delay, I went with the usual route of being a deadline fighter and rushed through everything in my last month in Hong Kong. I am pretty proud to say that I managed to pull off this ambitious project in just 10 days. Time pressure makes miracles! 😊
Full Album: www.flickr.com/photos/legocityson/albums/72157719956599360
I managed to string together a few minutes without rain, more or less aligned the cameras, and shot some comparative video of four thermal cameras.
This comparison is flawed for all sorts of reasons I'll explain as I go along, but it does give some rough idea of the comparative video.
Top left is a Argus 2 fireman's camera, which I think is based on a Raytheon core. Resolution is 320 x 240 and I believe the frame rate is 15Hz.
Top right is a MSA Evolution 4000 fireman's camera, again 320 x 240 but this time 30Hz and I think it's a VOX core. There is some kind of issue with drift, which is why the pictures flicker.
Bottom left is an eVet camera with a 320 x 240 BST core at 15Hz. Surprisingly, it actually has pretty much the best performance of the 320 x 240 cameras, although it looks like there was a DC problem with the video link to the Quad. I suspect it wasn't seeing a proper 50Ω load but I wasn't able to hook up an outboard load to test this. The key to the eVet is that it has a big f/0.8 lens - great for sensitivity, but poor for depth of focus. I'm not sure I got the focus right here.
The Therm-App camera, bottom right, was set up slightly differently. The basic imager is 384 x 288 and I have the 8.7Hz version. It was connected to a Nexus 10 tablet, whose HDMI video output was converted to NTSC, which was then connected to the Quad. Because the tablet outputs 16:9 video that isn't compensated for by the HDMI-to-analogue converter, the picture is squished. I used a 13mm f/1 lens. The standards conversion was generally quite unkind to the Therm-App, but it doesn't surprise me that it came out like that.
All of the cameras were set to their defaults. Only the Therm-App had a noticeable automatic gain control action, with the picture levels altering significantly when the hot engine exhaust manifold is in view.
The video outputs of the cameras were fed into a quad processor and then recorded on a laptop via an EasyCap USB dongle. The de-interlace artefacts are quite obvious on moving items, causing raggedy edges.
I found the results interesting. The side by side comparison certainly does show just how terrible an 8.7Hz frame rate looks, even in comparison to 15Hz.
What does anyone else think? (Apart from the fact that I shouldn't try becoming a film director anytime soon).
Managed to finish the decals off today but was low daylight when took the pics so appologies for the "grainy-ness" of them. I may try to take some more to replace these in better light, but not sure when I'll get chance.
Hopefully these are good enough to give the general impression of the model, though they really dont do it justice.
Happy enough to call it finished now, just need to paint...er, brass chrome the whistle ;)
Wanted to try a "fez" for the pressure dome, but managed to somehow lose the only one I had, so this'll do for now.
Looks lovely running, will try and get some video of it in action at some point, but spare time is very limited at the mo due to work.
Managed to capture him in one of his more peaceful moods
his mate had an injured foot and he was very protective toward her.
February 8, 2019
Orlando, Florida
Day two in Florida was spent at Universal Studios, from open to close. As a huge Harry Potter nerd, I've wanted to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park ever since it was originally announced as in development. Today, I finally got to check it off of the bucket list and pretend to be a wizard.
We had butterbeer, ate at the Leaky Cauldron, rode both of the Harry Potter rides, explored Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, and took the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9 & 3/4. It was magical. The level of detail that Universal put into creating an immersive environment is pretty astounding. I now want to reread the books.
In addition to Harry Potter world, we rode the Incredible Hulk roller coaster (perhaps my favorite roller coaster I've ever been on), the original ET ride, a cool King Kong ride, drank a Duff beer at Moe's Tavern, explored the Jurassic Park world, and rode a roller coaster that had a literally straight up incline. Somehow we managed to fit in everything that I had wanted to do at Universal & Island of Adventure in just one day.
It was an exhausting, but very fun day. Julia's Fitbit counted 16,000 steps taken (and much more time on our feet that was not counted standing in lines, ha).
Programs used for managing and editing mods for Skyrim:
Mod Organizer, TES5Edit, Wrye Bash, DDS Viewer, NifSkope & GeDoSaTo for downsampling
Main visual mods used in my screenshots:
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GRASS: SFO v2.3b, Tamriel Reloaded Grasses, Unique Grasses, Unbelievable Grass Two, Verdant - A Skyrim Grass Plugin
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TREES: Skyrim Flora Overhaul v2.3b, SFO v2.1, Ultimate Lush Overhaul, Realistic Aspen Trees, 4K Parallax Treebark, TreesHD_Skyrim_Variation, Upgrade and fix for TreesHD by Pfuscher, 4K Tree and Parallax for Pines by Pfuscher, CM Bark
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TEXTURES & MESHES: Static Mesh Improvement Mod - SMIM, Skyrim Realistic Overhaul, NobleSkyrimMod HD-2K, Tamriel Reloaded HD, Skyrim HD - 2K Textures, Skyrim HD - Terrain Parallax Tribute, 4K Parallax Skyrim by Pfuscher, Vivid Landscapes - All in One, Realistic Water Two, Project Parallax Remastered, Immersive Roads, Real Roads
Jeannie managed again, or should I rather say - as always - to conquer my chair first.
Should I be the first she will join and then slowly, slowly twist and turn and push until there is no more space for me - not even half my tushy and I silently get out (wouldn't want to disturb the queen while resting).
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva meets Alberto Fernández, the President of Argentina
IMF Photo/Kim Haughton
19 September 2022
New York, New York, United States
Photo ref: KH220919058.jpg
Multnomah Falls, Oregon.
Drove by the first time, because we didn't know it was there. Drove by the second time, because the parking lot was overflowing and our car was overheating. The third time, it was too early but we managed to get a nice look from the parking lot and I pieced together this photo of the lovely falls (doesn't do it any justice as you can't hear the roar of the water).
Finally managed to take photos of some MSD clothes that are lounging around here.
It's completely impossible to take photos this time of year in Sweden, so I set up two table lamps on a bedside table and hoped for the best. Seems to have worked pretty well, there is light!
T.o.m.o.r.r.o.w. Hopefully.
The snow didn't last long on Monday, just managed to grab this shot before the rain came down again and washed the rest away!
(had more Thursday night and is coming down again now)
HFF!
I managed to persuade Claire to pop down to the High Level and Tyne Bridges on Sunday for an hour to try a few shots I had in mind. 2 things I didnt bank on... high wind and that bloody Rugby World Cup sign that just happened to be in the way of the shot I had wanted. These days its a never ending rotation of neon signs that seemed cool the first time but I just wish they'de quit it now.
Anyway first stop was the High Level where I clagged the Canon 70-200 f4L onto the Sony a7ii. Ive had the Canon for yonks and this was only the 2nd time I'd used it and I have to say Im really impressed with it on the a7ii.
One thing I learned on this day was don't bother trying Long Exposures with long lenses, just dont. Every shot was soft or blurred. Ive had problems in the past few months with other long exposures mainly with the 24-105 at the long end and i've learned my lesson now. Total waste of the memory card lol Anyway, this session was soon over as I got 'the look' off Claire and it was time to pack up!
Tech Info...
Sony a7ii
Canon EF 70-200 f4L va Commlite Adapter (£60)
Filters...
None, I think its a first!
Processing Info...
I opened the RAW file in Adobe Camera Raw and made some lens corrections before importing to PS CS6. I opened the shot in Silver Efex Pro 2 and ran through the presets until I found one I was happy with then tweaked it with a few slider moves.
Back into CS6 and I made some curves layers with luminosity masks to selectively lighten or darken certain areas.
Next I did some selective sharpening in Niksofts plugin before finally cropping and getting the final image.
Managed to find some cheap Cybermen & Daleks at B&M stores in Dundee so picked up a few reinforcements whilst I had the chance...
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and World Bank President David Malpass participate in The Way Forward: Responding to Global Shocks in a Time of Uncertainty at the World Bank.
IMF Photo/Cory Hancock
19 April 2022
Washington, DC, United States
Photo ref: CH220419051.arw
Here are some of our youth multipliers and scholarship holders who make up the AfroBreak dance group at Hummingbird. They are a pretty energetic group of youngsters who are more than dedicated to what they practice, which is mainly Break dancing.
With Beija-Flor na Comunidade (Hummingbird in the Community), it means we are taking Hummingbird to the community instead of the community coming to us. In other words, Hummingbird is spreading its wings!
The programme is part of a new strategy being developed by our youth mentors to get a preliminary feel in connection with their objectives to implant small Hummingbird nuclei in the more distant parts of our community, thus bringing our activities to the poorest kids who have no means of reaching our main centre.
The first community to be receiving some of Hummingbird’s vibrant activities is the Sitio Joaninha, which is a rough hilly area about 6 kilometres away from us, where many of the families who used to work on the rubbish tip live. The tip was closed down a few years ago and the area covered with topsoil so as to recuperate some of the natural vegetation.
Most of the shanty homes were constructed during the active years of the tip, when entire families found their livelihoods under the most unhealthy and hazardous working conditions. Since its closure there has been very few alternatives in the way of work and habitation, so very few have been able to move to better conditions. To the contrary; the area has rapidly grown to accommodate even more poverty-stricken families who have no other alternative than to grab a small plot of land and try to survive on what little is available in terms of public amenities in such places.
The majority of homes have no running water and depend on the council delivering drinking water by truck each day. Electricity is acquired through a series of illegal connections, which people have hooked-up to the main electricity network through a maze of literally thousands of metres of wiring crossing the landscape in all directions in order to bring power to one’s home.
This is quite common during the rapid growth of favela (shanty) areas and pressures from the inhabitants will eventually cause most councils to come up with a more satisfactory and less risky solution.
Many of the children who live here have a long way to walk to reach school, as there is no public transport. The tendency is therefore not to go, especially during the rainy or colder seasons. Very few have the willpower or even the means of getting to Hummingbird to participate in all the good things we have to offer in our Street Migration Prevention Programme, although there are some who do.
This is the main reason for us to bring Hummingbird to the kids. If we can manage to finance a more permanent solution we will be able to continue with a variety of activities throughout the entire year and not just during the school holiday season, which is our proposal in this phase of the project.
Managed to capture two rolls of b/w snapshots during a recent family holiday on the South Coast of NSW, Australia.
Olympus Trip 35 with Kodak BW400CN 400 film
Managed to grab one shot whilst it was stretching its wing, something different to the usual perch shots and one of my favourites from that moment. If you look closely you can see a dragonfly wing in its left talon!
Thank you to those who have made me their contact. Due to poor health, eye problems and low energy I regret I can't take on any new contacts but nearly always manage to reply to your comments. Please no more than 1 invite.
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde (L) and the President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi (R) speak at the Michel Camdessus Central Bankjing Lecture May 14, 2015 at the IMF Headquarters In Washington, DC. IMF Staff Photo/Stephen Jaffe
I took Lewis and Joshua out for the afternoon and they had a great time playing at the park and I managed to catch a few shots when I came across this lovely sculpture!
There is wonderful detail in the sculpture of the elderly gentleman which reminded me of a quote I heard many years ago .....
"I am a magpie. My eye collects details"
Our Daily Challenge ~ Details ..
Thanks to everyone who views this photo, adds a note, leaves a comment and of course BIG thanks to anyone who chooses to favourite my photo .... Thanks to you all.
Attenborough Nature Reserve, in Attenborough, Nottinghamshire.
Attenborough Nature Reserve is managed by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust in partnership with the site's owners, Cemex (formerly RMC Group), supported by Broxtowe Borough Council. At its centre is a building called Attenborough Nature Centre, comprising visitor services and educational facilities.
The site was used as gravel pits between 1929 and 1967, and is still owned by CEMEX, the gravel extraction company, who continue to extract sand and gravel from neighbouring areas. Working gravel barges still pass through the site. As sections of the site are worked out they are restored as wetland. In 2010 an area known as Thrumpton's Land was restored in this way. The reserve was established at the completion of an earlier phase of workings, in 1966 and was opened by the naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough.
The reserve now covers 145 hectares of lakes, wetland, grassland and scrub. It sits at the confluence of the River Erewash and the Trent, and is part of an area designated as the Attenborough Gravel Pits Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The SSSI covers 226.6 hectares (560 acres) and extends westwards beyond the reserve, to the County
There are large lakes formed by the flooded pits, known as Church Pond, Clifton Pond, Main Pond, Tween Pond and Beeston Pond, plus drier areas of scrub and grassland such as Corbetts Meadow and Erewash field. There are also areas of native willow and woodland.
The ponds have become the most important bird overwintering area in Nottinghamshire for shoveler and diving ducks. The species count since 1966 is now over 250 bird species. Among the nationally rare birds seen at the reserve are penduline tit (1994), squacco heron (1998 and 2011), purple heron (2003) and sora (2004).
The Attenborough Nature Centre at the site provides an educational facility, shop and refreshment point and car park for the reserve, accessed from Barton Lane, Attenborough. The Centre was completed in 2005, since which it has won a Gold award for eco-tourism. Almost 40 years after he opened the reserve itself, David Attenborough returned to open the centre. An article in BBC Wildlife Magazine listed it as number 9 in a top ten 'eco places in the world'. The facilities are open seven days a week, and the centre is surrounded by the ponds. There are also two public hides.
Information gained from:
managed to get a day off work & had to go back to see these as didn't do very well today I did quite well
blimey how hot was it today but fantastic loved having day off in the sun
Managed to get some nice shots of this little bird, only the one present in the dunes. They have been there in numbers this year
Did You Know: Outdoor Living Spaces are best when they manage your protection and maintain … t.co/yqqB7I1kml t.co/ziNQCxAA77 (via Twitter twitter.com/EnergySaversCA/status/726452675034886145)
Managed to get a quick wash in, only has the bronze as it was raining, done a great job, love the new user face
Managed a walk today to take pictures at my leisure and got a couple in before the wind and rain drove in from the north - brr. Hope it's better tomorrow because I've got the whole day to myself...