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The history of Yamaha Motorcycles
"I want to carry out trial manufacture of motorcycle engines." It was from these words spoken by Genichi Kawakami (Yamaha Motor's first president) in 1953, that today's Yamaha Motor Company was born.
"If you're going to do something, be the best."
Genichi Kawakami
Genichi Kawakami was the first son of Kaichi Kawakami, the third-generation president of Nippon Gakki (musical instruments and electronics; presently Yamaha Corporation). Genichi studied and graduated from Takachiho Higher Commercial School in March of 1934. In July of 1937, he was the second Kawakami to join the Nippon Gakki Company.
He quickly rose to positions of manager of the company's Tenryu Factory Company (musical instruments) and then Senior General Manager, before assuming the position of fourth-generation President in 1950 at the young age of 38.
In 1953, Genichi was looking for a way to make use of idle machining equipment that had previously been used to make aircraft propellers. Looking back on the founding of Yamaha Motor Company, Genichi had this to say. "While the company was performing well and had some financial leeway, I felt the need to look for our next area of business. So, I did some research." He explored producing many products, including sewing machines, auto parts, scooters, three-wheeled utility vehicles, and…motorcycles. Market and competitive factors led him to focus on the motorcycle market. Genichi actually visited the United States many times during this period.
When asked about this decision, he said, "I had my research division chief and other managers visit leading motorcycle factories around the country. They came back and told me there was still plenty of opportunity, even if we were entering the market late. I didn't want to be completely unprepared in this unfamiliar business so we toured to German factories before setting out to build our first 125cc bike. I joined in this tour around Europe during which my chief engineers learned how to build motorbikes. We did as much research as possible to insure that we could build a bike as good as any out there. Once we had that confidence, we started going."
The first Yamaha motorcycle... the YA-1.
"If you are going to make it, make it the very best there is." With these words as their motto, the development team poured all their energies into building the first prototype, and ten months later in August of 1954 the first model was complete. It was the Yamaha YA-1. The bike was powered by an air-cooled, 2-stroke, single cylinder 125cc engine. Once finished, it was put through an unprecedented 10,000 km endurance test to ensure that its quality was top-class. This was destined to be the first crystallization of what has now become a long tradition of Yamaha creativity and an inexhaustible spirit of challenge.
Then, in January of 1955 the Hamakita Factory of Nippon Gakki was built and production began on the YA-1. With confidence in the new direction that Genichi was taking, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. was founded on July 1, 1955. Staffed by 274 enthusiastic employees, the new motorcycle manufacturer built about 200 units per month.
That same year, Yamaha entered its new YA-1 in the two biggest race events in Japan. They were the 3rd Mt. Fuji Ascent Race and the 1st Asama Highlands Race. In these debut races Yamaha won the 125cc class. And, the following year the YA-1 won again in both the Light and Ultra-light classes of the Asama Highlands Race.
By 1956, a second model was ready for production. This was the YC1, a 175cc single cylinder two-stroke. In 1957 Yamaha began production of its first 250cc, two-stroke twin, the YD1.
The first Yamaha to compete in America (1957).
Based on Genichi's firm belief that a product isn't a product until it can hold it's own around the world, in 1958 Yamaha became the first Japanese maker to venture into the international race arena. The result was an impressive 6th place in the Catalina Grand Prix race in the USA. News of this achievement won immediate recognition for the high level of Yamaha technology not only in Japan but among American race fans, as well. This was only the start, however.
Yamaha took quick action using the momentum gained in the USA and began marketing their motorcycles through an independent distributor in California. In 1958, Cooper Motors began selling the YD-1 250 and the MF-1 (50cc, two-stroke, single cylinder, step through street bike). Then in 1960, Yamaha International Corporation began selling motorcycles in the USA through dealers.
With the overseas experiences under his belt, in 1960, Genichi then turned his attention to the Marine industry and the production of the first Yamaha boats and outboard motors. This was the beginning of an aggressive expansion into new fields utilizing the new engines and FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) technologies. The first watercraft model was the CAT-21, followed by the RUN-13 and the P-7 123cc outboard motor.
In 1963, Yamaha demonstrated its focus on cutting-edge, technological innovations by developing the Autolube System. This landmark solution was a separate oil injection system for two-stroke models, eliminating the inconvenience of pre-mixing fuel and oil.
Yamaha was building a strong reputation as a superior manufacturer which was reflected in its first project carried out in the new Iwata, Japan Plant, built in 1966. (The YMC headquarters was moved to Iwata in 1972.) Toyota and Yamaha teamed up to produce the highly regarded Toyota 2000 GT sports car. This very limited edition vehicle, still admired for its performance and craftsmanship, created a sensation among enthusiast in Japan and abroad.
Genichi said, "I believe that the most important thing when building a product is to always keep in mind the standpoint of the people who will use it." An example of the commitment to "walking in the customers' shoes" was the move in 1966 by Yamaha to continue its expansion. Overseas motorcycle manufacturing was established in Thailand and Mexico. In 1968, the globalization continued with Brazil and the Netherlands. With manufacturing bases, distributors and R&D operations in a market, Yamaha could be involved in grassroots efforts to build products that truly met the needs of each market by respecting and valuing the distinct national sensibilities and customs of each country. Yamaha continues that tradition, today.
By the late 1960s, Yamaha had quality products that had proven themselves in the global marketplace based on superior performance and innovation. Distribution and product diversity were on the right track. But Genichi knew that beyond quality, success would demand more. He had this view on the power of original ideas. "In the future, a company's future will hinge on ideas over and above quality. Products that have no character, nothing unique about them, will not sell no matter how well made or affordable…and that would spell doom for any company."
He also knew that forward vision, walking hand in hand with original ideas, would create an opportunity for the company and its customers that could mean years of happiness and memorable experiences. Genichi said, "In the business world today, so many people are obsessed with figures. They become fixated on the numbers of the minute and without them are too afraid to do any real work. But in fact, every situation is in flux from moment to moment, developing with a natural flow. Unless one reads that flow, it is impossible to start out in a new field of business."
A real-world illustration of this belief is the Yamaha DT-1. The world's first true off-road motorcycle debuted in 1968 to create an entirely new genre we know today as trail bikes. The DT-1 made a huge impact on motorcycling in the USA because it was truly dirt worthy. Yamaha definitely "read the flow" when it produced
"Make every challenge an opportunity."
Genichi Kawakami
the 250cc, single cylinder, 2-stroke, Enduro that put Yamaha On/Off-Road motorcycles on the map in the USA. The DT-1 exemplified the power of original ideas, forward vision, and quick action coupled with keeping in mind the customers' desires.
In years to come Yamaha continued to grow (and continues to this day). Diversity increased with the addition of products including snowmobiles, race kart engines, generators, scooters, ATVs, personal watercraft and more.
Genichi Kawakami set the stage for Yamaha Motor Company's success with his vision and philosophies. Total honesty towards the customer and making products that hold their own enables the company that serves people in thirty-three countries, to provide an improved lifestyle through exceptional quality, high performance products.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA Cypress, California
Genichi Kawakami's history with Yamaha was long and rich. He saw the new corporate headquarters in Cypress, California and the 25th Anniversary of Yamaha become a reality in 1980. He also watched bike #20 million roll off the assembly line in 1982. Genichi passed away on May 25, 2002 yet his vision lives on through the people and products of Yamaha, throughout the world.
History Timeline of Yamaha (USA)
Year Yamaha Motor Origin
1955
The first Yamaha motorized product was the YA-1 Motorcycle (125cc, 2-stroke, single cylinder, streetbike). It was produced and sold in Japan.
Year USA History
1958 The first Yamaha Motorcycles sold in the USA were by Cooper Motors, an independent distributor. The models were the YD1 (250cc, 2-stroke, twin cylinder, streetbike) and MF-1 (50cc, 2-stroke, single cylinder, streetbike, step-through).
1960 Yamaha International Corporation began selling motorcycles in the USA.
1968
The DT-1 Enduro was introduced. The world's first dual purpose motorcycle which had on & off-road capability. Its impact on Motorcycling in the USA was enormous.
Yamaha's first Snowmobile, the SL350 (2-stroke, twin cylinder) was introduced. This was the first Snowmobile with slide valve carburetors.
1970
Yamaha’s first 4-stroke motorcycle model, the XS-1 (650cc vertical twin) was introduced.
1971
The SR433 high performance Snowmobile was introduced.
1973 Yamaha continued expansion into new markets by introducing Generators (ET1200).
1975
Yamaha pioneered the very first single-shock, production motocross bikes. This was the beginning of the YZ Monocross machines that changed motocross forever.
1976 The legendary SRX440 snowmobile hits the market and quickly catapults Yamaha to the forefront of the snowmobile racing scene.
1977
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, was founded in order to better appeal to the American market and establish a separate identity (from music & electronics) for Yamaha motorized products.
1978
The XS1100 motorcycle (four cylinder, shaft drive) was introduced.
XS650 Special was introduced. This was the first production Cruiser built by a Japanese manufacturer.
Golf Cars were introduced in the USA with the G1 gas model.
1979
YICS (Yamaha Induction Control System), a fuel-saving engine system, was developed for 4-stroke engines.
1980
The new Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, corporate office was opened in Cypress, California.
The first 3-wheel ATV was sold in USA… the Tri-Moto (YT125).
The G1-E electric powered Golf Car model was introduced.
1981
The first air-cooled, V-twin cruiser, the Virago 750, was introduced.
1984
The first production 5-valve per cylinder engine was introduced on the FZ750 motorcycle.
Yamaha’s first 4-wheel ATV, the YFM200, was introduced in the USA.
The Phazer snowmobile was introduced. Known for its light weight and agile handling.
Yamaha begins marketing Outboard Motors in the USA.
1985
The V-Max 1200 musclebike hits the streets.
1986
Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America was founded in Newnan, Georgia.
1987
A new exhaust system for 4-stroke engines, “EXUP,” was developed to provide higher horsepower output throughout an engine's powerband.
Yamaha introduces personal watercraft...the sit-down WaveRunner and the stand-up WaveJammer.
Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Company begins Golf Car and Water Vehicle production for USA and overseas markets.
1992
The Vmax-4 Snowmobile (2-stroke, four cylinder) was introduced.
1994
Yamaha expands its product offerings by acquiring the Cobia boat company.
1995
The Century and Skeeter boat companies are acquired by Yamaha.
1996
Yamaha introduces its first Star model with the 1300cc, V4 Royal Star.
Tennessee Watercraft produces Sport Boats and later, the SUV WaveRunner.
1997
Yamaha acquires the G3 boat company.
At the Newnan, Georgia, manufacturing facility, the first ATV (the BearTracker) rolls off the assembly line.
Yamaha opens southeastern offices in Kennesaw, Georgia.
1998
The YZ400F four-stroke motocross bike was introduced. This was the first mass produced 4-stroke motocrosser.
The YZF-R1 sport bike was introduced. It set the standard for open class sport bikes for several years.
The Grizzly 600 4x4 ATV with Ultramatic transmission was introduced.
The EF2800i generator with Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) was introduced. PMW allows use with equipment that requires stable frequency and voltage.
2000
The Buckmaster® Edition Big Bear 400 4x4 was introduced. This was the first ATV with camouflage bodywork.
2002
The F225 Outboard was introduced. It was the largest 4-stroke Outboard at the time.
The FX140 WaveRunner (1000cc, 4-stroke, four cylinder) was introduced. The world's first high performance 4-stroke personal watercraft.
2003
The RX-1 Snowmbile (1000cc, 4-stroke, four cylinder) was introduced. The world's first high performance 4-stroke Snowmobile.
2004 Rhino Side x Side model introduced. Combined performance, terrainability, utility capabilities, and take-along-a-friend convenience to lead the way in a new category of off-road recreation.
FBI Stolen motorcycles
gp500.org/FBI_stolen_motorcycles.html
Motorcycles VIN Decoder
Free download under CC Attribution (CC BY 2.0). Please credit the artist and rawpixel.com
Hu Zhengyan (c. 1584-1674) was a Chinese traditional painter, calligrapher, seal carver and publisher during the transition of the Ming and Qing dynasties. He produced China’s first printed publication in color, and was famous for his incredible techniques achieving gradation and modulation of shades in woodblock prints.
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: rawpixel
Sample image taken with a Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R mounted on a Fujifilm XT1 body; each of these images is an out-of-camera JPEG with Lens Modulation Optimisation enabled. These samples and comparisons are part of my Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R review at:
cameralabs.com/reviews/Fujifilm_Fujinon_XF_56mm_f1-2_R/
Feel free to download the original image for evaluation on your own computer or printer, but please don't use it on another website or publication without permission from www.cameralabs.com/
UCSF scientists have successfully treated a patient with severe depression by identifying the personal pattern of brain activity leading to their suffering and using a “brain pacemaker” to restore it to its natural rhythm.
DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) for mood; can elicit joy with precise placement of electrode; 2mm over, and you might see fear
First patient had TRD, cured with DBS sensing electrode in the amygdala looking for the pattern that signals the onset of her depression, which triggers a second electrode in the ventral striatum — involved in emotion, motivation, and reward, where stimulation consistently eliminated her feelings of depression. None of this is felt or perceived by the patient.
Can detect the precursor to depression before they experience it.
Patient: “Within a few weeks, the suicidal thoughts just disappeared. Then it was just a gradual process where it was like my lens on the world changed.” She smiled for the first time in five years.
GP500.Org Part # 24000 Yamaha motorcycle windshields
GP500 motorcycle windshields
The history of Yamaha Motorcycles
"I want to carry out trial manufacture of motorcycle engines." It was from these words spoken by Genichi Kawakami (Yamaha Motor's first president) in 1953, that today's Yamaha Motor Company was born.
"If you're going to do something, be the best."
Genichi Kawakami
Genichi Kawakami was the first son of Kaichi Kawakami, the third-generation president of Nippon Gakki (musical instruments and electronics; presently Yamaha Corporation). Genichi studied and graduated from Takachiho Higher Commercial School in March of 1934. In July of 1937, he was the second Kawakami to join the Nippon Gakki Company.
He quickly rose to positions of manager of the company's Tenryu Factory Company (musical instruments) and then Senior General Manager, before assuming the position of fourth-generation President in 1950 at the young age of 38.
In 1953, Genichi was looking for a way to make use of idle machining equipment that had previously been used to make aircraft propellers. Looking back on the founding of Yamaha Motor Company, Genichi had this to say. "While the company was performing well and had some financial leeway, I felt the need to look for our next area of business. So, I did some research." He explored producing many products, including sewing machines, auto parts, scooters, three-wheeled utility vehicles, and…motorcycles. Market and competitive factors led him to focus on the motorcycle market. Genichi actually visited the United States many times during this period.
When asked about this decision, he said, "I had my research division chief and other managers visit leading motorcycle factories around the country. They came back and told me there was still plenty of opportunity, even if we were entering the market late. I didn't want to be completely unprepared in this unfamiliar business so we toured to German factories before setting out to build our first 125cc bike. I joined in this tour around Europe during which my chief engineers learned how to build motorbikes. We did as much research as possible to insure that we could build a bike as good as any out there. Once we had that confidence, we started going."
The first Yamaha motorcycle... the YA-1.
"If you are going to make it, make it the very best there is." With these words as their motto, the development team poured all their energies into building the first prototype, and ten months later in August of 1954 the first model was complete. It was the Yamaha YA-1. The bike was powered by an air-cooled, 2-stroke, single cylinder 125cc engine. Once finished, it was put through an unprecedented 10,000 km endurance test to ensure that its quality was top-class. This was destined to be the first crystallization of what has now become a long tradition of Yamaha creativity and an inexhaustible spirit of challenge.
Then, in January of 1955 the Hamakita Factory of Nippon Gakki was built and production began on the YA-1. With confidence in the new direction that Genichi was taking, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. was founded on July 1, 1955. Staffed by 274 enthusiastic employees, the new motorcycle manufacturer built about 200 units per month.
That same year, Yamaha entered its new YA-1 in the two biggest race events in Japan. They were the 3rd Mt. Fuji Ascent Race and the 1st Asama Highlands Race. In these debut races Yamaha won the 125cc class. And, the following year the YA-1 won again in both the Light and Ultra-light classes of the Asama Highlands Race.
By 1956, a second model was ready for production. This was the YC1, a 175cc single cylinder two-stroke. In 1957 Yamaha began production of its first 250cc, two-stroke twin, the YD1.
The first Yamaha to compete in America (1957).
Based on Genichi's firm belief that a product isn't a product until it can hold it's own around the world, in 1958 Yamaha became the first Japanese maker to venture into the international race arena. The result was an impressive 6th place in the Catalina Grand Prix race in the USA. News of this achievement won immediate recognition for the high level of Yamaha technology not only in Japan but among American race fans, as well. This was only the start, however.
Yamaha took quick action using the momentum gained in the USA and began marketing their motorcycles through an independent distributor in California. In 1958, Cooper Motors began selling the YD-1 250 and the MF-1 (50cc, two-stroke, single cylinder, step through street bike). Then in 1960, Yamaha International Corporation began selling motorcycles in the USA through dealers.
With the overseas experiences under his belt, in 1960, Genichi then turned his attention to the Marine industry and the production of the first Yamaha boats and outboard motors. This was the beginning of an aggressive expansion into new fields utilizing the new engines and FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) technologies. The first watercraft model was the CAT-21, followed by the RUN-13 and the P-7 123cc outboard motor.
In 1963, Yamaha demonstrated its focus on cutting-edge, technological innovations by developing the Autolube System. This landmark solution was a separate oil injection system for two-stroke models, eliminating the inconvenience of pre-mixing fuel and oil.
Yamaha was building a strong reputation as a superior manufacturer which was reflected in its first project carried out in the new Iwata, Japan Plant, built in 1966. (The YMC headquarters was moved to Iwata in 1972.) Toyota and Yamaha teamed up to produce the highly regarded Toyota 2000 GT sports car. This very limited edition vehicle, still admired for its performance and craftsmanship, created a sensation among enthusiast in Japan and abroad.
Genichi said, "I believe that the most important thing when building a product is to always keep in mind the standpoint of the people who will use it." An example of the commitment to "walking in the customers' shoes" was the move in 1966 by Yamaha to continue its expansion. Overseas motorcycle manufacturing was established in Thailand and Mexico. In 1968, the globalization continued with Brazil and the Netherlands. With manufacturing bases, distributors and R&D operations in a market, Yamaha could be involved in grassroots efforts to build products that truly met the needs of each market by respecting and valuing the distinct national sensibilities and customs of each country. Yamaha continues that tradition, today.
By the late 1960s, Yamaha had quality products that had proven themselves in the global marketplace based on superior performance and innovation. Distribution and product diversity were on the right track. But Genichi knew that beyond quality, success would demand more. He had this view on the power of original ideas. "In the future, a company's future will hinge on ideas over and above quality. Products that have no character, nothing unique about them, will not sell no matter how well made or affordable…and that would spell doom for any company."
He also knew that forward vision, walking hand in hand with original ideas, would create an opportunity for the company and its customers that could mean years of happiness and memorable experiences. Genichi said, "In the business world today, so many people are obsessed with figures. They become fixated on the numbers of the minute and without them are too afraid to do any real work. But in fact, every situation is in flux from moment to moment, developing with a natural flow. Unless one reads that flow, it is impossible to start out in a new field of business."
A real-world illustration of this belief is the Yamaha DT-1. The world's first true off-road motorcycle debuted in 1968 to create an entirely new genre we know today as trail bikes. The DT-1 made a huge impact on motorcycling in the USA because it was truly dirt worthy. Yamaha definitely "read the flow" when it produced
"Make every challenge an opportunity."
Genichi Kawakami
the 250cc, single cylinder, 2-stroke, Enduro that put Yamaha On/Off-Road motorcycles on the map in the USA. The DT-1 exemplified the power of original ideas, forward vision, and quick action coupled with keeping in mind the customers' desires.
In years to come Yamaha continued to grow (and continues to this day). Diversity increased with the addition of products including snowmobiles, race kart engines, generators, scooters, ATVs, personal watercraft and more.
Genichi Kawakami set the stage for Yamaha Motor Company's success with his vision and philosophies. Total honesty towards the customer and making products that hold their own enables the company that serves people in thirty-three countries, to provide an improved lifestyle through exceptional quality, high performance products.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA Cypress, California
Genichi Kawakami's history with Yamaha was long and rich. He saw the new corporate headquarters in Cypress, California and the 25th Anniversary of Yamaha become a reality in 1980. He also watched bike #20 million roll off the assembly line in 1982. Genichi passed away on May 25, 2002 yet his vision lives on through the people and products of Yamaha, throughout the world.
History Timeline of Yamaha (USA)
Year Yamaha Motor Origin
1955
The first Yamaha motorized product was the YA-1 Motorcycle (125cc, 2-stroke, single cylinder, streetbike). It was produced and sold in Japan.
Year USA History
1958 The first Yamaha Motorcycles sold in the USA were by Cooper Motors, an independent distributor. The models were the YD1 (250cc, 2-stroke, twin cylinder, streetbike) and MF-1 (50cc, 2-stroke, single cylinder, streetbike, step-through).
1960 Yamaha International Corporation began selling motorcycles in the USA.
1968
The DT-1 Enduro was introduced. The world's first dual purpose motorcycle which had on & off-road capability. Its impact on Motorcycling in the USA was enormous.
Yamaha's first Snowmobile, the SL350 (2-stroke, twin cylinder) was introduced. This was the first Snowmobile with slide valve carburetors.
1970
Yamaha’s first 4-stroke motorcycle model, the XS-1 (650cc vertical twin) was introduced.
1971
The SR433 high performance Snowmobile was introduced.
1973 Yamaha continued expansion into new markets by introducing Generators (ET1200).
1975
Yamaha pioneered the very first single-shock, production motocross bikes. This was the beginning of the YZ Monocross machines that changed motocross forever.
1976 The legendary SRX440 snowmobile hits the market and quickly catapults Yamaha to the forefront of the snowmobile racing scene.
1977
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, was founded in order to better appeal to the American market and establish a separate identity (from music & electronics) for Yamaha motorized products.
1978
The XS1100 motorcycle (four cylinder, shaft drive) was introduced.
XS650 Special was introduced. This was the first production Cruiser built by a Japanese manufacturer.
Golf Cars were introduced in the USA with the G1 gas model.
1979
YICS (Yamaha Induction Control System), a fuel-saving engine system, was developed for 4-stroke engines.
1980
The new Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, corporate office was opened in Cypress, California.
The first 3-wheel ATV was sold in USA… the Tri-Moto (YT125).
The G1-E electric powered Golf Car model was introduced.
1981
The first air-cooled, V-twin cruiser, the Virago 750, was introduced.
1984
The first production 5-valve per cylinder engine was introduced on the FZ750 motorcycle.
Yamaha’s first 4-wheel ATV, the YFM200, was introduced in the USA.
The Phazer snowmobile was introduced. Known for its light weight and agile handling.
Yamaha begins marketing Outboard Motors in the USA.
1985
The V-Max 1200 musclebike hits the streets.
1986
Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America was founded in Newnan, Georgia.
1987
A new exhaust system for 4-stroke engines, “EXUP,” was developed to provide higher horsepower output throughout an engine's powerband.
Yamaha introduces personal watercraft...the sit-down WaveRunner and the stand-up WaveJammer.
Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Company begins Golf Car and Water Vehicle production for USA and overseas markets.
1992
The Vmax-4 Snowmobile (2-stroke, four cylinder) was introduced.
1994
Yamaha expands its product offerings by acquiring the Cobia boat company.
1995
The Century and Skeeter boat companies are acquired by Yamaha.
1996
Yamaha introduces its first Star model with the 1300cc, V4 Royal Star.
Tennessee Watercraft produces Sport Boats and later, the SUV WaveRunner.
1997
Yamaha acquires the G3 boat company.
At the Newnan, Georgia, manufacturing facility, the first ATV (the BearTracker) rolls off the assembly line.
Yamaha opens southeastern offices in Kennesaw, Georgia.
1998
The YZ400F four-stroke motocross bike was introduced. This was the first mass produced 4-stroke motocrosser.
The YZF-R1 sport bike was introduced. It set the standard for open class sport bikes for several years.
The Grizzly 600 4x4 ATV with Ultramatic transmission was introduced.
The EF2800i generator with Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) was introduced. PMW allows use with equipment that requires stable frequency and voltage.
2000
The Buckmaster® Edition Big Bear 400 4x4 was introduced. This was the first ATV with camouflage bodywork.
2002
The F225 Outboard was introduced. It was the largest 4-stroke Outboard at the time.
The FX140 WaveRunner (1000cc, 4-stroke, four cylinder) was introduced. The world's first high performance 4-stroke personal watercraft.
2003
The RX-1 Snowmbile (1000cc, 4-stroke, four cylinder) was introduced. The world's first high performance 4-stroke Snowmobile.
2004 Rhino Side x Side model introduced. Combined performance, terrainability, utility capabilities, and take-along-a-friend convenience to lead the way in a new category of off-road recreation.
FBI Stolen motorcycles
gp500.org/FBI_stolen_motorcycles.html
Motorcycles VIN Decoder
Free download under CC Attribution (CC BY 2.0). Please credit the artist and rawpixel.com
Hu Zhengyan (c. 1584-1674) was a Chinese traditional painter, calligrapher, seal carver and publisher during the transition of the Ming and Qing dynasties. He produced China’s first printed publication in color, and was famous for his incredible techniques achieving gradation and modulation of shades in woodblock prints.
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: rawpixel
-----
2012 Update: I've since ditched my MacMini/EyeTV setup for the Boxee Box / Live TV tuner setup. Read more
----
I'll write up a much larger blog post on this after I see how broadcast works @ Superbowl Party, but real quick:
I have a Mac MIni (w/ Boxee & Plex) hooked up to an Eye TV (USB tuner, $130) that is hooked up to the Time Warner cable that runs thru my apt and reading the unencrypted QAM stream. (read: watching cable w/out a cable box)
The QAM feed has about 120 channels - most of them are bullshit (infomercials, pay-per-view ads) and a lot of Spanish channels. These are the 12 that are interesting (and work great)
I'll cover this in the post, but configuring the EyeTV (separating good channels from crap) can be a bit of a pain, so I'm hoping this screenshot will let some people skip corners. (note: I am using the TV Guide listings from "Northern Manhattan" even tho I am downtown. Take note of the "1008" channels - there's a ton of them, but only 2-3 worth keeping. Tell the difference using the freq/MHz)
Links:
EyeTV: www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/EyeTV-Hybrid-1...
QAM: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadrature_amplitude_modulation
Search terms for Google (cause I couldn't find this info when searching)
+ QAM channels in NYC
+ Time Warner Cable QAM
+ TWC QAM
+ eyeTV in NYC
+ eyeTV Manhattan
ps: Using Boxee and Plex for everything else (movies, Netflix, Hulu, CNN, ESPN3, etc)
And yes, I get the irony of trying to #QuitCable tho still being dependent on their physical cable line to get this QAM stream. The #QuitCable thing is more "stop paying $161/mo for something I barely use but sometimes need" and less "sever all ties w/ Time Warner" (i'll still be paying for internet thru them). Slightly still up in the air is "does TIme Warner change their QAM policies if a critical mass of people quit cable? My understanding is that they're required to broadcast the "major networks" over QAM, tho not required to do it in HD. I could also ditch QAM / Time Warner for TV entirely but I'm hearing that over-the-air antennas (that pick up broadcast HD signals) don't do so well in the "urban canyon" that is NYC.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
For other uses, see Mallard (disambiguation).
Mallard
Temporal range: Late Pleistocene–present
PreꞒꞒOSDCPTJKPgN
↓
Anas platyrhynchos male female quadrat.jpg
Female (left) and male (right)
MENU0:00
Female call
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classificationedit
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Anseriformes
Family:Anatidae
Genus:Anas
Species:A. platyrhynchos
Binomial name
Anas platyrhynchos
Linnaeus, 1758
Subspecies
A. p. platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758
A. p. domesticus Linnaeus, 1758
A. p. conboschas C. L. Brehm, 1831 (disputed)
AnasPlatyrhynchosIUCN2019 2.png
Range of A. platyrhynchos
Breeding
Resident
Passage
Non-breeding
Vagrant (seasonality uncertain)
Possibly extinct and introduced
Extant and introduced (seasonality uncertain)
Possibly extant and introduced (seasonality uncertain)
Synonyms
Anas boschas Linnaeus, 1758
Anas adunca Linnaeus, 1758
The mallard (/ˈmælɑːrd, ˈmælərd/) or wild duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Falkland Islands, and South Africa. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae. The male birds (drakes) have a glossy green head and are grey on their wings and belly, while the females (hens or ducks) have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Both sexes have an area of white-bordered black or iridescent blue feathers called a speculum on their wings; males especially tend to have blue speculum feathers. The mallard is 50–65 cm (20–26 in) long, of which the body makes up around two-thirds the length. The wingspan is 81–98 cm (32–39 in) and the bill is 4.4 to 6.1 cm (1.7 to 2.4 in) long. It is often slightly heavier than most other dabbling ducks, weighing 0.7–1.6 kg (1.5–3.5 lb). Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are social animals preferring to congregate in groups or flocks of varying sizes. This species is the main ancestor of most breeds of domestic ducks.
The female lays eight to 13 creamy white to greenish-buff spotless eggs, on alternate days. Incubation takes 27 to 28 days and fledging takes 50 to 60 days. The ducklings are precocial and fully capable of swimming as soon as they hatch.
The mallard is considered to be a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Unlike many waterfowl, mallards are considered an invasive species in some regions. It is a very adaptable species, being able to live and even thrive in urban areas which may have supported more localised, sensitive species of waterfowl before development. The non-migratory mallard interbreeds with indigenous wild ducks of closely related species through genetic pollution by producing fertile offspring. Complete hybridisation of various species of wild duck gene pools could result in the extinction of many indigenous waterfowl. The wild mallard is the ancestor of most domestic ducks, and its naturally evolved wild gene pool gets genetically polluted by the domestic and feral mallard populations.
Taxonomy and evolutionary history
An American black duck (top left) and a male mallard (bottom right) in eclipse plumage
The mallard was one of the many bird species originally described in the 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae by Carl Linnaeus.[2] He gave it two binomial names: Anas platyrhynchos and Anas boschas.[3] The latter was generally preferred until 1906 when Einar Lönnberg established that A. platyrhynchos had priority, as it appeared on an earlier page in the text.[4] The scientific name comes from Latin Anas, "duck" and Ancient Greek πλατυρυγχος, platyrhynchus, "broad-billed" (from πλατύς, platys, "broad" and ρυγχός, rhunkhos, "bill").[5] The genome of Anas platyrhynchos was sequenced in 2013.[6]
The name mallard originally referred to any wild drake, and it is sometimes still used this way.[7] It was derived from the Old French malart or mallart for "wild drake" although its true derivation is unclear.[8] It may be related to, or at least influenced by, an Old High German masculine proper name Madelhart, clues lying in the alternative English forms "maudelard" and "mawdelard".[9] Masle (male) has also been proposed as an influence.[10]
Mallards frequently interbreed with their closest relatives in the genus Anas, such as the American black duck, and also with species more distantly related, such as the northern pintail, leading to various hybrids that may be fully fertile.[11] This is quite unusual among such different species, and is apparently because the mallard evolved very rapidly and recently, during the Late Pleistocene.[12] The distinct lineages of this radiation are usually kept separate due to non-overlapping ranges and behavioural cues, but have not yet reached the point where they are fully genetically incompatible.[12] Mallards and their domestic conspecifics are also fully interfertile.[13]
Genetic analysis has shown that certain mallards appear to be closer to their Indo-Pacific relatives, while others are related to their American relatives.[14] Mitochondrial DNA data for the D-loop sequence suggest that mallards may have evolved in the general area of Siberia. Mallard bones rather abruptly appear in food remains of ancient humans and other deposits of fossil bones in Europe, without a good candidate for a local predecessor species.[15] The large Ice Age palaeosubspecies that made up at least the European and West Asian populations during the Pleistocene has been named Anas platyrhynchos palaeoboschas.[16]
Mallards are differentiated in their mitochondrial DNA between North American and Eurasian populations,[17] but the nuclear genome displays a notable lack of genetic structure.[18] Haplotypes typical of American mallard relatives and eastern spot-billed ducks can be found in mallards around the Bering Sea.[19] The Aleutian Islands hold a population of mallards that appear to be evolving towards becoming a subspecies, as gene flow with other populations is very limited.[15]
Also, the paucity of morphological differences between the Old World mallards and the New World mallard demonstrates the extent to which the genome is shared among them such that birds like the Chinese spot-billed duck are highly similar to the Old World mallard, and birds such as the Hawaiian duck are highly similar to the New World mallard.[20]
The size of the mallard varies clinally; for example, birds from Greenland, though larger, have smaller bills, paler plumage, and stockier bodies than birds further south and are sometimes classified as a separate subspecies, the Greenland mallard (A. p. conboschas).[21]
Description
Juvenile male and female
Iridescent speculum feathers of the male
MENU0:00
A group of mallards quacking
Duckling
The mallard is a medium-sized waterfowl species that is often slightly heavier than most other dabbling ducks. It is 50–65 cm (20–26 in) long – of which the body makes up around two-thirds – has a wingspan of 81–98 cm (32–39 in),[22]: 505 and weighs 0.7–1.6 kg (1.5–3.5 lb).[23] Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 25.7 to 30.6 cm (10.1 to 12.0 in), the bill is 4.4 to 6.1 cm (1.7 to 2.4 in), and the tarsus is 4.1 to 4.8 cm (1.6 to 1.9 in).[24]
The breeding male mallard is unmistakable, with a glossy bottle-green head and a white collar that demarcates the head from the purple-tinged brown breast, grey-brown wings, and a pale grey belly.[25] The rear of the male is black, with white-bordered dark tail feathers.[22]: 506 The bill of the male is a yellowish-orange tipped with black, with that of the female generally darker and ranging from black to mottled orange and brown.[26] The female mallard is predominantly mottled, with each individual feather showing sharp contrast from buff to very dark brown, a coloration shared by most female dabbling ducks, and has buff cheeks, eyebrow, throat, and neck, with a darker crown and eye-stripe.[22]: 506
Both male and female mallards have distinct iridescent purple-blue speculum feathers edged with white, which are prominent in flight or at rest but temporarily shed during the annual summer moult.[27] Upon hatching, the plumage of the duckling is yellow on the underside and face (with streaks by the eyes) and black on the back (with some yellow spots) all the way to the top and back of the head.[28] Its legs and bill are also black.[28] As it nears a month in age, the duckling's plumage starts becoming drab, looking more like the female, though more streaked, and its legs lose their dark grey colouring.[22]: 506 Two months after hatching, the fledgling period has ended, and the duckling is now a juvenile.[29] Between three and four months of age, the juvenile can finally begin flying, as its wings are fully developed for flight (which can be confirmed by the sight of purple speculum feathers). Its bill soon loses its dark grey colouring, and its sex can finally be distinguished visually by three factors: 1) the bill is yellow in males, but black and orange in females;[30][self-published source] 2) the breast feathers are reddish-brown in males, but brown in females;[30] and 3) in males, the centre tail feather (drake feather) is curled, but in females, the centre tail feather is straight.[30] During the final period of maturity leading up to adulthood (6–10 months of age), the plumage of female juveniles remains the same while the plumage of male juveniles gradually changes to its characteristic colours.[31] This change in plumage also applies to adult mallard males when they transition in and out of their non-breeding eclipse plumage at the beginning and the end of the summer moulting period.[31] The adulthood age for mallards is fourteen months, and the average life expectancy is three years, but they can live to twenty.[32]
Several species of duck have brown-plumaged females that can be confused with the female mallard.[33] The female gadwall (Mareca strepera) has an orange-lined bill, white belly, black and white speculum that is seen as a white square on the wings in flight, and is a smaller bird.[22]: 506 More similar to the female mallard in North America are the American black duck (A. rubripes), which is notably darker-hued in both sexes than the mallard,[34] and the mottled duck (A. fulvigula), which is somewhat darker than the female mallard, and with slightly different bare-part colouration and no white edge on the speculum.[34]
In captivity, domestic ducks come in wild-type plumages, white, and other colours.[35] Most of these colour variants are also known in domestic mallards not bred as livestock, but kept as pets, aviary birds, etc., where they are rare but increasing in availability.[35]
Owing to their highly 'malleable' genetic code, mallards can display a large amount of variation,[36] as seen here with this female, who displays faded or 'apricot' plumage.
A noisy species, the female has the deep quack stereotypically associated with ducks.[22]: 507 Male mallards make a sound phonetically similar to that of the female, a typical quack, but it is deeper and quieter compared to that of the female. When incubating a nest, or when offspring are present, females vocalise differently, making a call that sounds like a truncated version of the usual quack. This maternal vocalisation is highly attractive to their young. The repetition and frequency modulation of these quacks form the auditory basis for species identification in offspring, a process known as acoustic conspecific identification.[37] In addition, females hiss if the nest or offspring are threatened or interfered with. When taking off, the wings of a mallard produce a characteristic faint whistling noise.[38]
The mallard is a rare example of both Allen's Rule and Bergmann's Rule in birds.[39] Bergmann's Rule, which states that polar forms tend to be larger than related ones from warmer climates, has numerous examples in birds,[40] as in case of the Greenland mallard which is larger than the mallards further south.[21] Allen's Rule says that appendages like ears tend to be smaller in polar forms to minimise heat loss, and larger in tropical and desert equivalents to facilitate heat diffusion, and that the polar taxa are stockier overall.[41] Examples of this rule in birds are rare as they lack external ears, but the bill of ducks is supplied with a few blood vessels to prevent heat loss,[42] and, as in the Greenland mallard, the bill is smaller than that of birds farther south, illustrating the rule.[21]
Due to the variability of the mallard's genetic code, which gives it its vast interbreeding capability, mutations in the genes that decide plumage colour are very common and have resulted in a wide variety of hybrids, such as Brewer's duck (mallard × gadwall, Mareca strepera).[43]
Abstract
Space medicine research has drawn immense attention toward provision of efficient life support systems during long-term missions into space. However, in extended missions, a wide range of diseases may affect astronauts. In space medicine research, the gastrointestinal microbiome and its role in maintaining astronauts' health has received little attention.
We would like to draw researchers' attention to the significant role of microbiota. Because of the high number of microorganisms in the human body, man has been called a 'supra-organism' and gastrointestinal flora has been referred to as 'a virtual organ of the human body'.
In space, the lifestyle, sterility of spaceship and environmental stresses can result in alterations in intestinal microbiota, which can lead to an impaired immunity and predispose astronauts to illness. This concern is heightened by increase in virulence of pathogens in microgravity. Thus, design of a personal probiotic kit is recommended to improve the health status of astronauts.
Introduction
Living in space has been a great desire for mankind, leading to the development of space stations for long-duration manned space missions. The design of a life support system is needed to maintain the minimum life requirements for humans in space by conserving a stable body temperature, a standard pressure on the body and by managing waste products.
So far, the majority of research in this area has been devoted to the human primary requirements such as air, water and food. Furthermore, a life support system deals with astronauts' healthcare. Although health status of the astronauts such as immunological and physiological problems has been investigated, less attention has been paid to the intestinal microbiome and its significant role in the astronaut's health.
Immunological and physiological health problems could occur when considering the identified increase in the virulence and antibiotic resistance of some infectious bacteria exposed to microgravity, along with possible weakening of the immune system during space flight. Compensating for these alterations may not only enhance the health and immunity status of astronauts, but might have possible effects on enhancing the duration of space journeys.
For many years, the importance of intestinal flora in human health and disease has been known to man. Researchers have suggested a possible association between the changes in the balance of gut flora and several diseases. At the end of the Human Genome Project, the aggregation of flora genes within the human genome was named the 'human metagenome, highlighting the crucial role of the microbiome in the maintenance of health.
This perspective highlights the crucial role of the microbiome in the health and/or disease status in astronauts. Considering astronauts' special health and nutrition needs in orbit, it could be advantageous to develop probiotics for each crew member. These healthy bacteria could then be consumed during long-duration missions to replenish the intestinal microbiome.
The Human Intestine & the Microbiome
Today 'gut health' is a term increasingly used in the medical literature to describe effective digestion and absorption, the absence of gastrointestinal lesions, presence of normal intestinal microflora and proper immune function. However, from a scientific point of view, it is still extremely unclear what gut health is or how it can be defined and/or measured.
The interactions between the gastrointestinal barrier and the microbiome appear to be a complex mechanism that assists in maintaining gut health. The gastrointestinal tract contributes to digestion and absorption of nutrients, minerals and fluids, osmoregulation, endocrine regulation and host metabolism, mucosal and systemic tolerance, immunoenhancement, defense against potential pathogens and harmful substances, signaling from the periphery to the brain, and detoxification of toxic molecules originating from the environment or the host.
Recognition of the importance of gastrointestinal health and microflora can be an important asset to astronauts' health.
Across the large surface of the digestive tract, healthy and pathogenic bacteria compete for dominance. With such a huge exposure area, the immune system has a hard task of hindering pathogens from entering the blood and lymph. The presence of a balance between beneficial and potentially harmful bacteria is considered normal and contributes to a dynamic and healthy human gut.
One way to maintain this homeostasis is to introduce helpful bacteria or probiotics. After the first suggestion of the health benefits of probiotics in the early 20th century by Nobel Laureate Metchnikoff, many bacterial strains have been clinically tested as potential probiotics. Probiotics are thought to play a health-promoting role by improving intestinal microbial infections.
The surface area, apparent balance of microflora and health impact of the human gut reminds us that this complex organ must not be forgotten as one factor in long-duration spaceflight health.
Stress & Gut Microbiome
The Human Genome Project revealed that the human body is the habitat of microbial symbionts ten-times more in number than Homo sapiens cells. The recognition of the complex interactional environment between the human and our symbiotic microflora led researchers to name this the 'human microbiome'.
In the human gut, the microbiome directly influences biochemical, physiological and immunological pathways and is the first line of resistance to various diseases.
Traveling can act as an environmental stress causing changes in the microbiome composition or its gene expression. This may lead to the transient (as in travelers' diarrhea) or permanent dominance of pathogenic gut bacteria. Recently, it was shown that exposure to a social stressor altered the composition of the intestinal microbiome, indicating stressor-induced immunomodulation.
It was demonstrated that stressor exposure changes the stability of the microflora and leads to bacterial translocation. Circulating levels of IL-6 and MCP-1 increased with stressor exposure and these increases were significantly and positively correlated to changes in three bacterial genera (i.e., Coprococcus, Pseudobutyrivibrio and Dorea) in the cecum.
This suggested that the microbiome somehow contributed to stressor-induced immunoenhancement. To test the theory, in follow-up experiments, mice were treated with an antibiotic cocktail to determine whether reducing microflora would annul this stressor-induced increase in circulating cytokines.
In the antibiotic-treated mice, exposure to the same stressor failed to increase IL-6 and MCP-1 confirming that intestinal microflora were necessary for the observed increase in circulating cytokines.
Microgravity Stress Alters Bacterial Virulence
Studies have shown an increase in the virulence, changes in growth modulation and alterations in response to antibiotics in certain bacteria both in space and simulated microgravity. Significant technological and logistical hurdles have hindered thorough genotypic and phenotypic analyses of bacterial response to actual space environment.
In this line, Wilson et al. cultured Salmonella enterica Typhimurium aboard space shuttle mission STS-115 with identical cultures as ground controls. Global microarray and proteomic analyses were carried out and 167 differentially expressed transcripts and 73 proteins were identified among which conserved RNA-binding protein Hfq was suggested as a likely global regulator involved in the response to spaceflight.
Similar results were obtained with ground-based microgravity culture model. Furthermore, spaceflight-grown S. enterica Typhimurium had enhanced virulence in murine models and exhibited extracellular matrix accumulation consistent with a biofilm. Typhimurium grown in spaceflight analog exhibited increased virulence, increased resistance to environmental stresses (acid, osmotic and thermal stress), increased survival in macrophages and global changes in gene expression.
Low-shear modeled microgravity rendered adherent–invasive Escherichia coli more adherent to a mammalian gastrointestinal epithelial-like cell line, Caco-2. Simulated microgravity conditions markedly increased production of the heat-labile enterotoxin from enterotoxigenic E. coli. Upon a 12-day exposure to low-shear modeled microgravity, Candida albicans exhibited increased filamentation, formation of biofilm communities, phenotypic switching and more resistance to the antifungal agent amphotericin B.
Only one virulence gene was found among 163 differentially expressed genes in simulated microgravity grown S. Typhimurium and actually, most virulence genes were expressed at a lower level (including genes involved in lipopolysaccharide production). Furthermore, sigma factor (a transcription factor responsible for a general stress response) was not thought to be a cause, since a decreased level of its gene expression was observed in simulated microgravity.
The mechanism of enhanced virulence of S. Typhimurium grown in actual spaceflight and rotating wall vessel culture conditions does not involve an increased expression of traditional genes that regulate the virulence of this bacterium under normal gravity conditions; however, Hfq pathway is required for full virulence in S. Typhimurium.
Biofilm formation is part of the normal growth cycle of most bacteria and this film is linked to chronic diseases that are difficult to treat such as endocarditis, cystitis and bacterial otitis media. Bacterial biofilm creates superior resistance to oxidative, osmolarity, pH and antibiotic stresses.
Theoretically, bacterial biofilm production, which enhances bacterial survival by resistance to the immune system and antimicrobial agents, may increase the risk and/or severity of infection in long-term space missions. Diminished gravity has been shown to stimulate bacterial biofilm formation both in E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In a study by Crabbe et al. in 2008, rotating wall vessel technology was exploited to study the effect of microgravity on growth behavior of P. aeruginosa PAO1.
Rotating wall vessel cultivation resulted in a self-aggregating phenotype, which subsequently led to formation of biofilms. In a second study in 2010, the same researchers employed microarrays to investigate the response of P. aeruginosa PAO1 to low-shear modeled microgravity both in rotating wall vessel and random position machine.
P. aeruginosa demonstrated increased alginate production and upregulation of AlgU-controlled transcripts (including those coding for stress-related proteins) in modeled microgravity. Results of the study also implicated the involvement of Hfq in response of P. aeruginosa to simulated microgravity. Involvement of Hfq in response of P. aeruginosa to actual spaceflight was later confirmed in another study.
In addition, there is concern that antibiotic-resistance increases during short-term spaceflight. The MIC of both colistin and kanamycin increased significantly in E. coli grown aboard the flight module compared with the MIC on the ground. A similar increase in the MIC of oxacillin, erythromycin and chloramphenicol was reported in Staphylococcus aureus. This has led to concerns that the efficacy of antibiotics may be diminished during even short orbital missions.
It has been hypothesized that reduction in the natural, terrestrial diversity of the gastrointestinal bacterial microflora in spaceflight may give rise to an increase in the presence of the drug-resistant bacteria. It has also been postulated that the emergence of such resistant clones could be facilitated by the administration of antibiotics either before or during the flight.
Emergence of drug resistance is also facilitated by bacterial mutation which occurs more frequently in long-term spaceflights. Overall, there is the possibility that drug-resistant bacteria could colonize all crew members on a mission, giving rise to a difficult-to-treat healthcare problem.
Spaceflight & the Microbiome
In an attempt to protect astronauts from exposure to novel pathogens preflight, several guidelines are carried out. Prelaunch, crew members are limited both in travel and visitors to limit pathogen exposure. Therefore, crew members tend to launch with normal gut microflora and with a reduced risk of gut infection.
Items flown to the International Space Station (ISS) are cleaned before loading to limit introducing bacteria to the environment. Once in orbit, all areas in the ISS have ultra-high-efficiency bacterial filters in the air supply ducts to reduce the levels of bacteria and fungi. Finally, cleaning of the surfaces of the modules is a regular 'housekeeping' chore to limit bacterial and fungal growth.
Still, microorganisms exist on the ISS. No matter how much cleaning is done, microorganisms are continuously shed from skin, mucous membranes, gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts or can be released by sneezing, coughing and talking. Specimens were obtained for mycological examination from the skin, throat, urine and feces of the six astronauts who conducted the Apollo 14 and Apollo 15 lunar exploration missions both before and after flight.
Analysis of preflight data demonstrated that the process of severely restricting opportunities for colonization for 3 weeks before flight resulted in a 50% reduction in the number of isolated species. Postflight data indicated that exposure to the spaceflight environment for up to 2 weeks resulted in an even greater reduction with a relative increase in the potential pathogen C. albicans.
The compositions of intestinal, oral and nasal flora have been shown to change even during short spaceflights. In one study, a reduction in the number of nonpathogenic bacteria and an increase in the number of opportunistic pathogens has been reported in the nasal flora of cosmonauts. A significant reduction in the number of bacterial species of the intestine has been seen after 2 weeks of spaceflight.
These observations were similar to changes seen in ground volunteers who were kept in isolation, in which volunteers were fed only sterilized, dehydrated foods. A significant decrease in the number of bifidobacteria, lactobacilli and other bacteria was seen. In a Russian experiment, a decrease in lactobacilli (and replacement with pathogens) were seen in mouth and throat cavities in all mission members in in-flight period.
Spaceflights and even the preparation phase before take-off can exert dysbiosis in the human microflora which results in reduction of the defense group of microorganisms (bifidobacteria and lactobacilli) and appearance of opportunistic pathogens such as E. coli, enterobacteria and clostridia. Subsequently, this procedure can lead to accumulation of the potentially pathogenic species and their long-term persistence.
Colonization resistance is one of the factors that needs to be taken into account to stabilize the microflora of the cosmonauts during space flights. Indigenous microflora are vital for preservation of microecological homeostasis. It has been hypothesized that a regular intake of probiotic foods might be helpful in correcting this change.
Human microflora functions as a barrier against antigens from microorganisms and food. Alterations in the microbiome composition have been reported in inflammatory bowel disease, inflammatory conditions, ulcerative colitis and more. Healthy immunophysiologic regulation in the gut has been hypothesized to depend on the establishment of indigenous microflora that create specific immune responses at the gut and system levels.
Furthermore, gut microflora has a role in induction and maintenance of oral tolerance in experimental animal models. Changes in the diversity and number of gut microflora have been linked to a deficient immune system as well as immunological dysregulation which is associated with many human noninfectious diseases such as autoimmunity, allergy and cancer.
Reinforcing this concept of health symbiosis, studies of germ-free animal showed wide-ranging defects in the development and maturation of gut-associated lymphoid tissues. Another way of viewing this health interaction comes from the data that ten Salmonella bacteria have been shown to induce infection in germ-free mice, while 109 bacteria are needed to induce infection in a conventional animal possessing intact intestinal microflora.
To maintain astronaut health on orbit, an awareness of the importance of a balanced gut microbiome to maintaining the immune homeostasis and resistance to infections is valuable.
Previous studies have shown that important immune parameters are decreased during spaceflight. Reductions in the number and proportion of lymphocytes and their cytokine production, depression of dendritic cells function and T-cell activation, and finally reduction in numbers of monocytes and precursors of macrophages, have been noted.
In one study, stresses associated with spaceflight were shown to alter important functions of neutrophils and monocytes. In another study, the astronauts' monocyte functions showed reductions in their ability to engulf E. coli, elicit an oxidative burst and degranulation. Non-MHC-restricted (CD56) killer cell cytotoxicity tends to decrease after short-term spaceflight.
In the latter study, the authors examined the age, gender (nine men and one woman), flight experience, mission factors and mission role (e.g., pilot, scientist or crew) of the astronauts and found no correlation between these variables and individual non-MHC killer cell function levels.
Therefore, other factors may contribute to the compromised immune system in space. Decreased natural killer cell cytotoxicity in cosmonauts after short- and long-term spaceflights have also been reported. Reductions in absolute numbers of lymphocytes, eosinophils and natural killer cells, reduced lymphocyte mitogenic response, diminished delayed-type hypersensitivity, changes in CD4+:CD8+ ratios and reduced production of IL-2 and IFN-γ have also been reported.
The immune system changes of astronauts as well as environmental stress may have been a factor in known incidents of infectious illness in crew members. During the Apollo 8 preflight period for instance, all crew members suffered viral gastroenteritis. During flight, the effects of mission duration on the neuroimmune responses in astronauts were studied and changes in plasma cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, total IgE levels, number of white blood cells, polymorphonuclear leukocytes and CD4+ T cells were found at different times.
Upper respiratory problems, influenza, viral gastroenteritis, rhinitis, pharyngitis or mild dermatologic problems were among the illnesses that astronauts faced during Apollo spaceflights. Reactivation of varicellas zoster virus, herpes virus and shedding of Epstein–Barr virus was also found in space shuttle crew members.
In astronauts of the Mir station, analyses demonstrated a significant number of episodes of microbial infections, including conjunctivitis, acute respiratory events and dental infections. Future Perspective: Considering Probiotics as a Countermeasure
On Earth, probiotics have been shown to improve both innate and adaptive immune responses. Oral bacteriotherapy with probiotic bacterial strains is believed to improve the intestine's immunologic barrier, particularly through intestinal IgA responses and alleviation of inflammatory reactions. A gut-stabilizing effect seems to occur through a balance between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines.
Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG has been shown to inhibit TNF-α-induced IL-8 secretion of human colon adenocarcinoma (HT29) cells and to reduce elevated fecal concentration of TNF-α in patients with atopic dermatitis and cow milk allergy. On the other hand, ingestion of lactobacilli in fermented milk products or as live-attenuated bacteria potentiated the IFN-γ production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
Oral administration of lactobacilli increased the systemic and mucosal IgA response to dietary antigens. Oral supplementation with Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium breve enhanced the antibody response to ovalbumin and stimulated the IgA response to cholera toxin in mice. An increase in the humoral immune response including an increase in rotavirus-specific antibody-secreting cells in the IgA class was also detected in children and individuals receiving L. rhamnosus GG.
Isolauri et al. reported that infants receiving a reassortant live oral rotavirus vaccine in conjunction with L. rhamnosus GG had a higher frequency of rotavirus-specific IgM class antibody-secreting cells. An increased incidence of rotavirus-specific IgA antibody class seroconversion compared with placebo subjects was also seen. IgA+ cells and IL-6-producing cells increased in number after 7 days of Lactobacillus casei administration.
In another study, administration of lactic acid bacteria stimulated the gut immune cells to release inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-12, and regulatory cytokines like IL-4 and IL- 10 in a dose- and strain-dependent manner. Several lactobacilli strains have been shown to promote the immunopotentiator capacity of cells of the innate immune system, including macrophages. Examples of probiotics that can modulate the gut immune system are abundant and have been reviewed extensively.
Buckley et al. have suggested that consumption of soy-based fermented products (containing lactic acid bacteria) can prevent the health problems of astronauts associated with long-term space travel. Assessment of soy-based fermented products by in vitro challenge system (using TNF-α) with human intestinal epithelial and macrophage cell lines has demonstrated the ability of the intervention to downregulate production of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-8.
Considering the importance of the human gut in healthy digestion, nutrient absorption and exposure to pathogens across its large surface area, a healthy digestive tract is important to a healthy human. Diet, lifestyle, antibiotic therapy, different kinds of stressful conditions and so on, can exert alterations in an astronaut's gut microbiome in space.
Considering potential immune system alterations from gut microflora changes, antibiotic use in orbit and changes of increased virulence and antibiotic resistance of bacteria in space, physicians who care for astronauts must remember the importance of the intestinal microbiome to their health status. From this perspective, an impaired digestive system might endanger the mission as well as the health of the astronaut. One countermeasure to be considered would be replenishing the astronaut's intestinal microflora by introducing immune-enhancing probiotic bacteria periodically during the mission.
Diet, lifestyle, antibiotic therapy and various environmental stresses, and so on, can exert alterations in an astronaut's gut microbiome in space and impair their immune system.
Although single probiotics have sometimes been shown to promote health, the human microbiome is composed of more than 400 microbial species, most of which remain uncultured and have as yet unknown functions. The Human Microbiome Project will certainly pave the way for us to increase our understanding of these microbial entities.[4] Thus, providing only a single probiotic might not be the answer.
Contrary to numerous previous investigations and clinical trials in which only effects of single or a couple of probiotics have been studied, we think multiprobiotic therapy and/or designing individualized probiotic kits seems a more reasonable option. A series of experiments need to be launched to confirm the efficacy and safety of using probiotics in space.
Safety studies are of equal importance as efficacy studies, since astronauts are immunocompromised (although as discussed above, much of this may return to washing out of microflora in space). These studies can be carried out initially in ground-based space analogs and further followed in actual space (first on animal models and then on humans). The lifestyle of astronauts can be simulated in these studies and after interventions; the composition of microbiota (including opportunistic pathogens) along with immunological markers should be determined.
Both short- and long-term confinement and actual spaceflight studies can be designed. The administration and/or consumption of probiotics is supposed to have immune-enhancing effects, hinder alterations in the human microbiome to a large extent and prevent colonization of potential pathogens. Upon observation of possible benefits, probiotics can be incorporated into astronauts' food or supplied periodically as a probiotic kit.
This line of research can be followed by NASA scientists and other space agencies to enhance the quality of life of astronauts and to contribute to human presence in space.
Surprisingly, this may bring a future where astronauts utilize probiotic bacteria to counteract the potential effect of pathogenic bacteria during spaceflight.
Basic weathering on. It's quite heavy like the
paint modulation as it'll be covered up by
a winter white wash finish.
The markings aren't accurate, just scraps from the
spares box but they'll mostly be covered up and just
leave a hint of something under the white wash.
A DIY audio electronics development platform. Very easy to plug things in and out of the breadboards and Arduino (duemilanove). Seeed Studio oscilloscope has proven to be a worthy tool. Now cooking: an arduino synthesizer, based on some simple waveform tables, homemade 8-bit DAC and bitwise modulation. Basically same as this but now much neater. Audio and video demos coming up, soon maybe... Here's an old demo, this one sounds roughly the same.
Free download under CC Attribution (CC BY 2.0). Please credit the artist and rawpixel.com
Hu Zhengyan (c. 1584-1674) was a Chinese traditional painter, calligrapher, seal carver and publisher during the transition of the Ming and Qing dynasties. He produced China’s first printed publication in color, and was famous for his incredible techniques achieving gradation and modulation of shades in woodblock prints.
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: rawpixel
Sample image taken with a Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R mounted on a Fujifilm XT1 body; each of these images is an out-of-camera JPEG with Lens Modulation Optimisation enabled. These samples and comparisons are part of my Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R review at:
cameralabs.com/reviews/Fujifilm_Fujinon_XF_56mm_f1-2_R/
Feel free to download the original image for evaluation on your own computer or printer, but please don't use it on another website or publication without permission from www.cameralabs.com/
Sample image taken with a Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R mounted on a Fujifilm XT1 body; each of these images is an out-of-camera JPEG with Lens Modulation Optimisation enabled. These samples and comparisons are part of my Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R review at:
cameralabs.com/reviews/Fujifilm_Fujinon_XF_56mm_f1-2_R/
Feel free to download the original image for evaluation on your own computer or printer, but please don't use it on another website or publication without permission from www.cameralabs.com/
GP500 motorcycle windshields
The history of Yamaha Motorcycles
"I want to carry out trial manufacture of motorcycle engines." It was from these words spoken by Genichi Kawakami (Yamaha Motor's first president) in 1953, that today's Yamaha Motor Company was born.
"If you're going to do something, be the best."
Genichi Kawakami
Genichi Kawakami was the first son of Kaichi Kawakami, the third-generation president of Nippon Gakki (musical instruments and electronics; presently Yamaha Corporation). Genichi studied and graduated from Takachiho Higher Commercial School in March of 1934. In July of 1937, he was the second Kawakami to join the Nippon Gakki Company.
He quickly rose to positions of manager of the company's Tenryu Factory Company (musical instruments) and then Senior General Manager, before assuming the position of fourth-generation President in 1950 at the young age of 38.
In 1953, Genichi was looking for a way to make use of idle machining equipment that had previously been used to make aircraft propellers. Looking back on the founding of Yamaha Motor Company, Genichi had this to say. "While the company was performing well and had some financial leeway, I felt the need to look for our next area of business. So, I did some research." He explored producing many products, including sewing machines, auto parts, scooters, three-wheeled utility vehicles, and…motorcycles. Market and competitive factors led him to focus on the motorcycle market. Genichi actually visited the United States many times during this period.
When asked about this decision, he said, "I had my research division chief and other managers visit leading motorcycle factories around the country. They came back and told me there was still plenty of opportunity, even if we were entering the market late. I didn't want to be completely unprepared in this unfamiliar business so we toured to German factories before setting out to build our first 125cc bike. I joined in this tour around Europe during which my chief engineers learned how to build motorbikes. We did as much research as possible to insure that we could build a bike as good as any out there. Once we had that confidence, we started going."
The first Yamaha motorcycle... the YA-1.
"If you are going to make it, make it the very best there is." With these words as their motto, the development team poured all their energies into building the first prototype, and ten months later in August of 1954 the first model was complete. It was the Yamaha YA-1. The bike was powered by an air-cooled, 2-stroke, single cylinder 125cc engine. Once finished, it was put through an unprecedented 10,000 km endurance test to ensure that its quality was top-class. This was destined to be the first crystallization of what has now become a long tradition of Yamaha creativity and an inexhaustible spirit of challenge.
Then, in January of 1955 the Hamakita Factory of Nippon Gakki was built and production began on the YA-1. With confidence in the new direction that Genichi was taking, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. was founded on July 1, 1955. Staffed by 274 enthusiastic employees, the new motorcycle manufacturer built about 200 units per month.
That same year, Yamaha entered its new YA-1 in the two biggest race events in Japan. They were the 3rd Mt. Fuji Ascent Race and the 1st Asama Highlands Race. In these debut races Yamaha won the 125cc class. And, the following year the YA-1 won again in both the Light and Ultra-light classes of the Asama Highlands Race.
By 1956, a second model was ready for production. This was the YC1, a 175cc single cylinder two-stroke. In 1957 Yamaha began production of its first 250cc, two-stroke twin, the YD1.
The first Yamaha to compete in America (1957).
Based on Genichi's firm belief that a product isn't a product until it can hold it's own around the world, in 1958 Yamaha became the first Japanese maker to venture into the international race arena. The result was an impressive 6th place in the Catalina Grand Prix race in the USA. News of this achievement won immediate recognition for the high level of Yamaha technology not only in Japan but among American race fans, as well. This was only the start, however.
Yamaha took quick action using the momentum gained in the USA and began marketing their motorcycles through an independent distributor in California. In 1958, Cooper Motors began selling the YD-1 250 and the MF-1 (50cc, two-stroke, single cylinder, step through street bike). Then in 1960, Yamaha International Corporation began selling motorcycles in the USA through dealers.
With the overseas experiences under his belt, in 1960, Genichi then turned his attention to the Marine industry and the production of the first Yamaha boats and outboard motors. This was the beginning of an aggressive expansion into new fields utilizing the new engines and FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) technologies. The first watercraft model was the CAT-21, followed by the RUN-13 and the P-7 123cc outboard motor.
In 1963, Yamaha demonstrated its focus on cutting-edge, technological innovations by developing the Autolube System. This landmark solution was a separate oil injection system for two-stroke models, eliminating the inconvenience of pre-mixing fuel and oil.
Yamaha was building a strong reputation as a superior manufacturer which was reflected in its first project carried out in the new Iwata, Japan Plant, built in 1966. (The YMC headquarters was moved to Iwata in 1972.) Toyota and Yamaha teamed up to produce the highly regarded Toyota 2000 GT sports car. This very limited edition vehicle, still admired for its performance and craftsmanship, created a sensation among enthusiast in Japan and abroad.
Genichi said, "I believe that the most important thing when building a product is to always keep in mind the standpoint of the people who will use it." An example of the commitment to "walking in the customers' shoes" was the move in 1966 by Yamaha to continue its expansion. Overseas motorcycle manufacturing was established in Thailand and Mexico. In 1968, the globalization continued with Brazil and the Netherlands. With manufacturing bases, distributors and R&D operations in a market, Yamaha could be involved in grassroots efforts to build products that truly met the needs of each market by respecting and valuing the distinct national sensibilities and customs of each country. Yamaha continues that tradition, today.
By the late 1960s, Yamaha had quality products that had proven themselves in the global marketplace based on superior performance and innovation. Distribution and product diversity were on the right track. But Genichi knew that beyond quality, success would demand more. He had this view on the power of original ideas. "In the future, a company's future will hinge on ideas over and above quality. Products that have no character, nothing unique about them, will not sell no matter how well made or affordable…and that would spell doom for any company."
He also knew that forward vision, walking hand in hand with original ideas, would create an opportunity for the company and its customers that could mean years of happiness and memorable experiences. Genichi said, "In the business world today, so many people are obsessed with figures. They become fixated on the numbers of the minute and without them are too afraid to do any real work. But in fact, every situation is in flux from moment to moment, developing with a natural flow. Unless one reads that flow, it is impossible to start out in a new field of business."
A real-world illustration of this belief is the Yamaha DT-1. The world's first true off-road motorcycle debuted in 1968 to create an entirely new genre we know today as trail bikes. The DT-1 made a huge impact on motorcycling in the USA because it was truly dirt worthy. Yamaha definitely "read the flow" when it produced
"Make every challenge an opportunity."
Genichi Kawakami
the 250cc, single cylinder, 2-stroke, Enduro that put Yamaha On/Off-Road motorcycles on the map in the USA. The DT-1 exemplified the power of original ideas, forward vision, and quick action coupled with keeping in mind the customers' desires.
In years to come Yamaha continued to grow (and continues to this day). Diversity increased with the addition of products including snowmobiles, race kart engines, generators, scooters, ATVs, personal watercraft and more.
Genichi Kawakami set the stage for Yamaha Motor Company's success with his vision and philosophies. Total honesty towards the customer and making products that hold their own enables the company that serves people in thirty-three countries, to provide an improved lifestyle through exceptional quality, high performance products.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA Cypress, California
Genichi Kawakami's history with Yamaha was long and rich. He saw the new corporate headquarters in Cypress, California and the 25th Anniversary of Yamaha become a reality in 1980. He also watched bike #20 million roll off the assembly line in 1982. Genichi passed away on May 25, 2002 yet his vision lives on through the people and products of Yamaha, throughout the world.
History Timeline of Yamaha (USA)
Year Yamaha Motor Origin
1955
The first Yamaha motorized product was the YA-1 Motorcycle (125cc, 2-stroke, single cylinder, streetbike). It was produced and sold in Japan.
Year USA History
1958 The first Yamaha Motorcycles sold in the USA were by Cooper Motors, an independent distributor. The models were the YD1 (250cc, 2-stroke, twin cylinder, streetbike) and MF-1 (50cc, 2-stroke, single cylinder, streetbike, step-through).
1960 Yamaha International Corporation began selling motorcycles in the USA.
1968
The DT-1 Enduro was introduced. The world's first dual purpose motorcycle which had on & off-road capability. Its impact on Motorcycling in the USA was enormous.
Yamaha's first Snowmobile, the SL350 (2-stroke, twin cylinder) was introduced. This was the first Snowmobile with slide valve carburetors.
1970
Yamaha’s first 4-stroke motorcycle model, the XS-1 (650cc vertical twin) was introduced.
1971
The SR433 high performance Snowmobile was introduced.
1973 Yamaha continued expansion into new markets by introducing Generators (ET1200).
1975
Yamaha pioneered the very first single-shock, production motocross bikes. This was the beginning of the YZ Monocross machines that changed motocross forever.
1976 The legendary SRX440 snowmobile hits the market and quickly catapults Yamaha to the forefront of the snowmobile racing scene.
1977
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, was founded in order to better appeal to the American market and establish a separate identity (from music & electronics) for Yamaha motorized products.
1978
The XS1100 motorcycle (four cylinder, shaft drive) was introduced.
XS650 Special was introduced. This was the first production Cruiser built by a Japanese manufacturer.
Golf Cars were introduced in the USA with the G1 gas model.
1979
YICS (Yamaha Induction Control System), a fuel-saving engine system, was developed for 4-stroke engines.
1980
The new Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, corporate office was opened in Cypress, California.
The first 3-wheel ATV was sold in USA… the Tri-Moto (YT125).
The G1-E electric powered Golf Car model was introduced.
1981
The first air-cooled, V-twin cruiser, the Virago 750, was introduced.
1984
The first production 5-valve per cylinder engine was introduced on the FZ750 motorcycle.
Yamaha’s first 4-wheel ATV, the YFM200, was introduced in the USA.
The Phazer snowmobile was introduced. Known for its light weight and agile handling.
Yamaha begins marketing Outboard Motors in the USA.
1985
The V-Max 1200 musclebike hits the streets.
1986
Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America was founded in Newnan, Georgia.
1987
A new exhaust system for 4-stroke engines, “EXUP,” was developed to provide higher horsepower output throughout an engine's powerband.
Yamaha introduces personal watercraft...the sit-down WaveRunner and the stand-up WaveJammer.
Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Company begins Golf Car and Water Vehicle production for USA and overseas markets.
1992
The Vmax-4 Snowmobile (2-stroke, four cylinder) was introduced.
1994
Yamaha expands its product offerings by acquiring the Cobia boat company.
1995
The Century and Skeeter boat companies are acquired by Yamaha.
1996
Yamaha introduces its first Star model with the 1300cc, V4 Royal Star.
Tennessee Watercraft produces Sport Boats and later, the SUV WaveRunner.
1997
Yamaha acquires the G3 boat company.
At the Newnan, Georgia, manufacturing facility, the first ATV (the BearTracker) rolls off the assembly line.
Yamaha opens southeastern offices in Kennesaw, Georgia.
1998
The YZ400F four-stroke motocross bike was introduced. This was the first mass produced 4-stroke motocrosser.
The YZF-R1 sport bike was introduced. It set the standard for open class sport bikes for several years.
The Grizzly 600 4x4 ATV with Ultramatic transmission was introduced.
The EF2800i generator with Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) was introduced. PMW allows use with equipment that requires stable frequency and voltage.
2000
The Buckmaster® Edition Big Bear 400 4x4 was introduced. This was the first ATV with camouflage bodywork.
2002
The F225 Outboard was introduced. It was the largest 4-stroke Outboard at the time.
The FX140 WaveRunner (1000cc, 4-stroke, four cylinder) was introduced. The world's first high performance 4-stroke personal watercraft.
2003
The RX-1 Snowmbile (1000cc, 4-stroke, four cylinder) was introduced. The world's first high performance 4-stroke Snowmobile.
2004 Rhino Side x Side model introduced. Combined performance, terrainability, utility capabilities, and take-along-a-friend convenience to lead the way in a new category of off-road recreation.
FBI Stolen motorcycles
gp500.org/FBI_stolen_motorcycles.html
Motorcycles VIN Decoder
detail: untitled (searching)
2016_08_13
charcoal pastel and graphite on manila tagboard
12" x 12" (30.48 x 30.48)cm
Matt Niebuhr
West Branch Studio
Free download under CC Attribution (CC BY 2.0). Please credit the artist and rawpixel.com
Hu Zhengyan (c. 1584-1674) was a Chinese traditional painter, calligrapher, seal carver and publisher during the transition of the Ming and Qing dynasties. He produced China’s first printed publication in color, and was famous for his incredible techniques achieving gradation and modulation of shades in woodblock prints.
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: rawpixel
Sample image taken with a Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R mounted on a Fujifilm XT1 body; each of these images is an out-of-camera JPEG with Lens Modulation Optimisation enabled. These samples and comparisons are part of my Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R review at:
cameralabs.com/reviews/Fujifilm_Fujinon_XF_56mm_f1-2_R/
Feel free to download the original image for evaluation on your own computer or printer, but please don't use it on another website or publication without permission from www.cameralabs.com/
Sample image taken with a Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R mounted on a Fujifilm XT1 body; each of these images is an out-of-camera JPEG with Lens Modulation Optimisation enabled. These samples and comparisons are part of my Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R review at:
cameralabs.com/reviews/Fujifilm_Fujinon_XF_56mm_f1-2_R/
Feel free to download the original image for evaluation on your own computer or printer, but please don't use it on another website or publication without permission from www.cameralabs.com/
Sample image taken with a Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R mounted on a Fujifilm XT1 body; each of these images is an out-of-camera JPEG with Lens Modulation Optimisation enabled. These samples and comparisons are part of my Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R review at:
cameralabs.com/reviews/Fujifilm_Fujinon_XF_56mm_f1-2_R/
Feel free to download the original image for evaluation on your own computer or printer, but please don't use it on another website or publication without permission from www.cameralabs.com/
Sample image taken with a Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R mounted on a Fujifilm XT1 body; each of these images is an out-of-camera JPEG with Lens Modulation Optimisation enabled. These samples and comparisons are part of my Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R review at:
cameralabs.com/reviews/Fujifilm_Fujinon_XF_56mm_f1-2_R/
Feel free to download the original image for evaluation on your own computer or printer, but please don't use it on another website or publication without permission from www.cameralabs.com/
Free download under CC Attribution (CC BY 2.0). Please credit the artist and rawpixel.com
Hu Zhengyan (c. 1584-1674) was a Chinese traditional painter, calligrapher, seal carver and publisher during the transition of the Ming and Qing dynasties. He produced China’s first printed publication in color, and was famous for his incredible techniques achieving gradation and modulation of shades in woodblock prints.
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: rawpixel
Sample image taken with a Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R mounted on a Fujifilm XT1 body; each of these images is an out-of-camera JPEG with Lens Modulation Optimisation enabled. These samples and comparisons are part of my Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R review at:
cameralabs.com/reviews/Fujifilm_Fujinon_XF_56mm_f1-2_R/
Feel free to download the original image for evaluation on your own computer or printer, but please don't use it on another website or publication without permission from www.cameralabs.com/
Sample image taken with a Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R mounted on a Fujifilm XT1 body; each of these images is an out-of-camera JPEG with Lens Modulation Optimisation enabled. These samples and comparisons are part of my Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R review at:
cameralabs.com/reviews/Fujifilm_Fujinon_XF_56mm_f1-2_R/
Feel free to download the original image for evaluation on your own computer or printer, but please don't use it on another website or publication without permission from www.cameralabs.com/
Sample image taken with a Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R mounted on a Fujifilm XT1 body; each of these images is an out-of-camera JPEG with Lens Modulation Optimisation enabled. These samples and comparisons are part of my Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R review at:
cameralabs.com/reviews/Fujifilm_Fujinon_XF_56mm_f1-2_R/
Feel free to download the original image for evaluation on your own computer or printer, but please don't use it on another website or publication without permission from www.cameralabs.com/
ASM Hydrasynth 49-key
The HYDRASYNTH keyboard is both a sound designers dream synth as well as a performing musicians ideal. The sound engine is designed for maximum flexibility. At the same time, we designed the user interface in a way to allow you to edit the patch quickly with a minimal amount of paging and many workflow shortcuts.
Utilizing an advanced wavetable synthesis engine, 3 Oscillators, dual Wave Mutators and 2 filters that can be configured in series or parallel, the tone generating capabilities are unmatched.
As for the performance capabilities, The HYDRASYNTH keyboard has our proprietary Polytouch™ keybed that offers polyphonic aftertouch over each note, giving you the type of expressive control found only in certain vintage synths.
Add to this a 4 octave ribbon controller and ergonomically designed pitch and mod wheels and you have expression and control that is not equaled in any other hardware synthesizer on the market… Today or ever.
Polytouch™ keybed
The new ASM Polytouch® semi-weighted keybed allows not only the standard velocity and aftertouch found on other keybeds but we support fully polyphonic aftertouch.
In recent years companies have been trying to find ways to give the keyboard musician more ways to better express themselves. The problem is that their solution is almost never a keyboard, so you have to learn a new technique to play them.
The Polytouch™ keybed features a high quality, standard sized keys, so you can start playing it instantly.
Oscillators
The tone generation capability is the heart of any synthesizer.
The 3 oscillators allow you to choose from a selection of 219 single cycle waveforms.
Wavemorphing is a feature usually found on synths with preset wave tables. Creating user wavetables is arduous or downright impossible. Unlike most wavetable synths, our oscillators 1 & 2 have our WAVELIST mode.
This mode allows you to pick and choose 8 waves, from our bank of 219, arrange them in the order you want, and then morph from one to another.
mutators
Oscillators 1 & 2 are routed into our MUTATORS. The Mutators allow you to modulate, bend and sculpt the sound in new (and old) ways.
Each MUTANT allows you to choose from the following processes:
FM-Linear - for making classic FM sounds. Choose multiple FM sources, including external inputs.
Wavestack™ - creates 5 copies of the incoming sound and allows you to set a detune amount.
Hard Sync - This gives you those classic hard sync sounds. Try hard syncing a morphing wavetable for some fun.
Pulse Width - This will pulse width modulate ANY input sound.
PW - Squeeze - This is a different form of pulse width mod that creates a smoother sound.
PW-ASM - this mode divides the incoming wave into 8 slices and allows you to set how much pulse width mod will happen in each section.
Harmonic Sweep - this will sweep the harmonics of the incoming sound.
PhazDiff - this takes the input signal, shifts the phase and then creates a difference result with the original signal
The Mutant's can also generate its own waveforms in both FM and Sync modes so that you do not have use another oscillator....Of course the routing is flexible so you can choose the other oscillators as mod sources if you like.
Mixer/ filter routing
The 3 Oscillators are fed into a mixer along with the Noise generator and Ring Modulator.
The Mixer allows you to mix levels as well as pan the input source.
There is a balance control that allows you to choose how much signal of each source is routed to filters 1 and 2.
The filters can be set to be parallel or series for ultimate flexibility.
filters
If oscillators and tone generators are the heart of a synthesizer, the filters are the soul.
The Hydrasynth has two filters that can be configured in series or parallel.
The first filter has 16 different filter models, giving you multiple options for tailoring your sound.
The second filter is a 12db per octave has a continuous sweep from either low pass > bandpass >high pass or low pass > notch > high pass, similar to the way the classic SEM filter worked.
LFO's
5 Low-Frequency Oscillators…YES, 5.
Much like our sound engine, the LFO’s are not ordinary by any means.
The Hydrasynth LFO’s feature a STEP mode that allows you to create patterns with up to 64 steps. Having 5 mini step sequencers gives you an amazing amount of possibilities for further shaping your sound.
Of course, there are also 10 standard waveforms to choose from.
The LFO's all have delay, fade in, 3 triggering modes, smoothing, start phase, one-shot mode so that they can act as envelopes and BPM sync.
envelopes
5 DAHDSR Envelopes……YES 5.
An advanced sound engine needs plenty of modulation sources. Our 6 stage envelopes feature Delay, Attack, Hold, Decay, Sustain and Release stages.
The time settings for the stage can be set in seconds or in time divisions, giving you envelopes that play in
sync to your song.
You can also loop the envelopes to create LFO’s whose shape can be voltage controlled in the modulation matrix.
The envelopes have the added ability to be triggered from multiple sources as of the 1.5 update.
MODULATION MATRIX
The modulation capabilities on the Hydrasynth are endless.
With 32 user definable modulation routings, you will have plenty of ways to use the 29 modulation sources and 155 modulation destinations.
Almost everything in the synth engine can be a modulation destination including the effects and arpeggiator.
The Modulation matrix points themselves can also become modulation destinations.
Modulation sources & destinations include the CV Mod In & Out jacks as well as MIDI CC’s
ARPEGGIATOR
The arpeggiator allows for standard note arpeggiations but also has a phrase arpeggio built-in. Parameters like RATCHET and CHANCE will generate other rhythmic patterns with some randomness to add life and spontaneity to your performance.
You can also modulate most of the parameters in the arpeggiator so imagine using LFO’s, Envelopes, Polyphonic Aftertouch or the Ribbon controller to modify your arpeggios in real time.
CV/GATE - MIDI - USB
There is the standard MIDI and USB/MIDI interfaces on the synth but we go deeper and allow the use of CV/GATE interfaces for connecting to the modular world.
It supports the standard voltages for Eurorack modulars, the 1.2V per octave Buchla standard, as well as some of the Japanese Volts>HZ products. The MOD in and outs allow for modulation from DC to full audio ranges, expanding your modulation capabilities.
Main Controls
The Main system controls are where you navigate your patches, configure system settings and see parameters like the envelopes, waveforms, filters in the OLED screen.
Init and Random buttons will allow you to initialize or randomize a complete patch or specific modules with a press & hold + module select button.
Pressing the HOME button returns you to navigating patches in a simple and easy way.
master controls
The Master Control section is where all parameter editing, patch naming, and Macro performing is done.
Using OLED screens, high-resolution encoders with LED rings, and 8 buttons, this section is designed to give you good feedback on what is going on.
The VOICE parameters give you access to play modes, analog feel, voice panning and many other features.
macros
The patch MACROS are designed to allow the user deep control over the engine in live performance.
The 8 assignable encoders and buttons can each be routed to 8 destinations. Complete sound transformations can take place with the press of a button or turn of a knob.
patches
The Hydrasynth comes with 5 banks of 128 patches in total. We hired some of the best patch designers around to create the 256 factory patches.
Finding the patch you want and searching the library is made easy with our BROWSER. Our PC/MAC based Patch Manager plug-in also allows easy moving of patches to create your favorite order as well as load in new patch libraries in the future.
effects
The effects chain goes beyond the typical ones found in other synths. Pre-effects and post-effects give you some unique ways to process your sound.
The delays and reverbs were modeled on some of the most popular effects on the market.
The effects are the perfect way to complete your sound, in the box.
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Free download under CC Attribution (CC BY 2.0). Please credit the artist and rawpixel.com
Hu Zhengyan (c. 1584-1674) was a Chinese traditional painter, calligrapher, seal carver and publisher during the transition of the Ming and Qing dynasties. He produced China’s first printed publication in color, and was famous for his incredible techniques achieving gradation and modulation of shades in woodblock prints.
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: rawpixel
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
The Antioch (formerly Greene Avenue) Baptist Church was designed in the Queen Anne style with Romanesque Revival elements by Lansing C. Holden and built in 1887-92. While it clearly reads as a religious building, its striking design harmonizes with the adjacent residential streetscape by reproducing the scale, texture, and overall character of the neighboring rowhouses. Among these is the adjacent Antioch Baptist Church House, which in its exterior materials and details is a well composed architectural complement to the church. Designed as part of a row of seven houses by the Brooklyn firm of Langston & Dahlander, this structure was built in circa 1892-93 as a single-family residence; it was purchased by the Antioch Baptist Church in 1961 for use as a church house.
The Antioch Baptist Church has played a prominent role in Brooklyn's religious history. It was built by the Greene Avenue Baptist congregation, which was a white group originally founded in Bushwick in 1854 and is remembered for its many philanthropic programs. As economic and demographic changes transformed the Bedford-Stuyvesant area surrounding the Greene Avenue church from a mixed-income white neighborhood to an economically diverse black community, this church remained a visual and social anchor. The building was sold in 1950 to the Antioch Baptist congregation, which had been established in downtown Brooklyn by Rev. Moses P. Paylor in 1918. Upon relocating to Greene Avenue, the Antioch congregation continued its dedication to social justice and spiritual enlightenment, receiving as guests nationally renowned civil rights leaders, politicians, performing artists, authors, and many other influential people, particularly black Americans. Today, Antioch persists as a prominent institution in New York's most populous black community, whose cultural roots stem from the communities of Weeksville and Carrsville which were founded by blacks and flourished nearby in the mid-nineteenth century.
2
In the spring of 1854 the white Baptists of Bushwick met for the purpose of organizing a Baptist church in that vicinity. A Board of Trustees was elected and the group was incorporated as "The First Baptist Society of the Town of Bushwick, long Island. "5 Soon recognized by the Baptist Council of Churches, it purchased its first house of worship, a structure on Bushwick Avenue opposite Wall Street which the Ascension Episcopal Church had recently erected but could not afford to keep. Having outgrown this building after twelve years, the society — renamed the Gethsemane Baptist Church of Brooklyn — moved temporarily to member J. Whittlesey's Omnibus House on Broadway near Sumner Avenue. The church members purchased property on Willoughby Avenue near Broadway and erected a new church, dedicated in 1868.
The future of the congregation would be linked to today's Bedford-Stuyvesant. A theological disagreement divided the group, and about thirty members withdrew and organized the Trinity Baptist Church in 1875; two years later they built a wooden chapel on Greene Avenue between Patchen Avenue and Broadway (within the borders of what is today considered Bedford-Stuyvesant, and now demolished).6 The church members remaining on Willoughby Avenue adopted the name Willoughby Avenue Baptist Church in 1879 and two years later they chose the Rev. Robert B. Montgomery (1839-1893) as their new pastor. A native of Scotland, Montgomery moved to Canada where he eventually studied for the ministry at the Baptist College of Ontario (later renamed McMaster University of Toronto) and served in various pastorates; he was pastor of a church at Seneca Falls, New York, when he was invited to the Willoughby Avenue church. It was Rev. Montgomery who led the congregation in 1884-85 as it sold the church and began worshipping in the hall of the Warner Institute, where it remained for several years. Meanwhile it purchased land on Greene Avenue, in the heart of the developing area which would eventually be called Bedford-Stuyvesant; in 1885 a building committee was chosen to solicit designs for the new church and to oversee the project.^ plans submitted by Lansing C. Holden were selected,8 but before construction was completed, the plans were probably altered by Paul F. Higgs (see "Design and Construction of the Church," below).
The exterior of the Antioch Baptist Church is a striking example of Queen Anne design that incorporates Romanesque Revival elements. The horizontal expanse of its rusticated base, bowed central mass, and garland-embellished bands is balanced by the verticality of the stacked windows and of the four towers, particularly the turreted comers and arched narrow openings of the end towers. The steeple .of the western tower accentuates the vertical, or medieval, ambience while serving as a counterpoint to an otherwise symmetrical design. Other Romanesque-inspired details are round-arched window openings, serpentine door straps and carved stone bases on the bartizans (overhanging comer towers). The contrasting colors and textures of the brick, stone, pressed metal, slate shingles, and roof tiles adds to the design's Queen Anne character.
The modulation of the church's facade into several projecting and recessed masses, its set-back behind a small garden, its simple stoop-like staircases, and its varied silhouette allow the large volume of the building to harmonize with the adjacent residential streetscape. Several groups of rowhouses were already standing in the vicinity when the church was designed and the remaining rows were built during the construction of the church and slightly later; therefore, it would seem that this contextual approach to the design of the church was a conscious one on the part of the architect.
The estimated cost of architect Holden's proposed church was $55,000 or $60,000,which was more than the congregation could afford; therefore, it was decided to build only the basement at first. The ceremonious laying of the cornerstone took place in August, 1887; the following April the newly christened "Greene Avenue Baptist Church" held services in the roofed-over basement, which had been built by F. Mapes and accommodated 570 people. At this time the almost 700-member church also resumed its Sunday school and missionary activity. The total cost of land and basement was $35,000; when the $10,000 mortgage was paid off late in 1890, the members decided to complete the church.
The intention to finish the building according to Holden's plans was not carried through, primarily due to financial restraints. New plans were solicited, but none were accepted. Instead, New York City architect Paul F. Higgs, who had been a competitor, was asked to revise Holden's original design^; the resulting scheme, published in the Brooklyn Eagle [see fig. 2], was estimated to cost $27,000. The church took out a new $25,000 mortgage and construction resumed in 1891. The opening of the auditorium was hailed by week-long dedication services, directed by Rev. Montgomery, in April, 1892.
The church exterior reveals the overall organization of the interior (not included in this designation), particularly that of the auditorium. The expansive auditorium takes on the traditional shape of a Greek cross. Surrounding the central space, which has a coved ceiling supported by broad arches on slender columns, are four vaulted "arms," one containing the bowed bay visible on the facade and another sheltering the raised sanctuary.
Contemporaneous with the completion of the church, the architectural firm of Langston & Dahlander designed a row of seven dwellings for the lots directly to the west of the church. Commissioned by Louis C. Schliep, a financial broker on Wall Street, 14 the plans were submitted for a building permit in December, 1891, with an estimated cost of $5,000 per building. 15 Faced in brick and brownstone, these Queen Anne style houses with Romanesgue Revival details have three stories and raised basements. Number 826 (now the church house) was designed and built^^ as the easternmost of this group of rowhouses. Their alternating rhythm of pitched roofs and gabled facades and the sophisticated variation of details within the row support the theory that Nos. 814 (recently demolished)^ and 826 were designed with the same overall composition. Unlike the other five facades, each of the end houses at Nos. 814 and 826 were designed with a second story pierced by a single window and a pair of windows as well as paired third-story dormers. Apparently the architects were extremely sensitive to the design of the adjacent church, then just being completed, as they introduced at No. 826 corbeled lintels over the first-story openings, arched second-story openings with brick voussoirs that contrast' with the color of the facade in an identical fashion as those on the church, slate roof shingles, and uneven dormer sizes in order to complement the church facade. 18 Presumably, the seven rowhouses were executed between 1892 and 1893.
The Greene Avenue congregation continued to prosper in its new location, which was occasionally called the "Baptist fort." Soon after Rev. Montgomery's death in 1893, the church elected Rev. Cornelius Woelfkin (1859-1928) as pastor. Bom on Manhattan's West Side to German parents, Woelfkin was ordained to the ministry in 1886 and served as pastor of churches in New York and New Jersey before arriving at the Greene Avenue church in 1894. During his pastorate, the continued increase in membership (surpassing 1000 faithful by 1904) necessitated the building of a gallery in the auditorium and the church celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 1904. The following year, Woelfkin's abiding friendship with oil executive and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr., led to the clergyman's transfer to Rockefeller's Fifth Avenue (later Park Avenue) Baptist Church in Manhattan; in that location Woelfkin solidified his reputation as a well-respected anti-Fundamentalist. Curing the early twentieth century, the Greene Avenue congregation's continued vitality permitted the dispatch of members as missionaries to China, Cuba, and throughout the United States. Those remaining in Brooklyn supported philanthropic work, renovated the church interior (including the installation of new stained-glass windows in 1901
and 191025), and in 1922 hosted former Secretary of State and popular orator William Jennings Bryan for a speech against Darwinism.
After several decades of dwindling jnembership, the church sold its largely intact^ house of worship to the Antioch Baptist Church in 1950. The remaining members of the Greene Avenue church moved to other Baptist churches and the funds from the sale were distributed to various charities.
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Antioch's prominence within the black church^ and the city's religious community is attested to by the enormous number of famous and influential guests it has hosted. 33 Among them are:., civil rights leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Ralph Abemathy, Rev. Dr. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Hazel Cukes (New York's head of the NAACP), and Rosa Parks; politicians including Governor Nelson Rockefeller and Mayors John V. Lindsay and David N. Dinkins; and African-American celebrities in many fields such as Aretha Franklin, Dick Gregory, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Jackie Robinson, Spike Lee, and Langston Hughes. Many of these visits are memorialized in a large photo montage now located in a room adjacent to the church balcony.
Subsequent History of 826 Greene Avenue^
The building that now functions as the church house was sold in 1894 by Thaddeus Halsted Myers to Frederick H. Norwood (aka Frederic H. Narwood) , a manufacturer, for $7,500. Norwood, in turn, sold the house to Elias Reiss in 1920. Seventeen years later it was purchased by Anna Perlman, whose family owned the house until 1948. In that year Mildred Lewis and Sentry Scarborough bought the property; they and their heirs owned the building, which was converted to a multiple dwelling, until 1961 when it was sold to the Antioch Baptist Church. Rev. Lawrence had the structure altered into a one-family parsonage in 1963-65. It currently serves as a non-residential church house.
Description of the Church^ [see figs. 4, 6-7]
The church's nearly-symmetrical facade is composed of five sections, covered largely in rock-faced white and red-brown brick of elongated proportions, russet slate shingles, and white Indiana limestone.
The central section features a bay, sheathed in fish-scale and plain slate shingles, which projects from a limestone base and is flanked by a pair of brick towers. Resting on iron brackets, the bay is adorned by three pressed-metal bands, one decorated with swags, and a swag-embellished cornice. Each of the three round-arched openings, crowned by a projecting keystone, contains stained glass in its arched top section and flat-headed lower sections. The lower portion of the bay bears a long, narrow sign with the words "ANTIOCH BAPTIST CHURCH." The base, buttressed at its sides, is pierced by five double-hung wood-sash windows to which wrought-iron grilles have been added. This section's half-conical roof is now covered with asphalt shingles (originally Roman tile). The flanking red-brick towers terminate the buttresses and are surmounted by cornices and bell-shaped roofs with finials. The western tower bears the cornerstone inserted upon Antioch's arrival in 1950.
Adjacent to the central section are two identical, recessed sections. Their stone bases align with that of- the central section;- their red-brown
brick upper portions contain round-arched openings beneath contrasting white brick arches with stone keystones. Each opening contains stained glass and is divided by a swag-encrusted pressed metal spandrel into an arched upper portion and rectangular lower portion.. Stained-glass windows, filling openings on three sides of the building, depict religious scenes, abstracted foliage, and geometric patterns.
The end pavilions take the form of . matching towers with strikingly different crowns. Each red-brick tower has a long flight of stone steps flanked by original cast-iron pipe railings, some of which retain their intermediate cast-iron infill. Each pair of oak doors, their five-paneled surfaces painted red and embellished with serpentine iron strap hinges, is surrounded by a stone frame and capped by a prominent, hipped hood, now covered in asphalt shingles. At the mid-section, each tower is pierced by an arched opening with a double-hung wood-sash window, a brick arch, and a stone sill. The upper portion of each tower is bracketed between dentiled stone bands, reinforced by bartizans, and pierced by trebled double-hung wood-sash windows with intersecting white brick arches and a continuous stone sill. The western tower culminates in a tall steeple, now surfaced in asphalt shingles; in contrast, the eastern tower has a low pyramidal roof with a carved stone finial. The exposed sides of the end towers are articulated identically to the front of these towers.
At the bottom of each staircase now stands a cast-iron base of what must have been an early streetlight. While not original, these elements must have been added around the turn of the century. Between the staircases, a granite curb supports an original iron fence that protects a small garden. Within the garden is a modestly-sized announcement board with a glass front. Two narrow wings, deeply recessed behind iron gates, span the alleys between the church and the adjacent buildings. Sided in wood and painted dark brown, each of the wings has an arched opening with double-hung wood-sash window and rests on a ground-story arch; in the eastern wing, this arch is filled by a door leading to the Fellowship Hall, while its western counterpart remains open to the alley beyond it.
From the rear of the building, the main roof is visible: its hipped central section is intersected by pitched-roofs covering the arms, which terminate in gables. The rear elevation, partially obscured by an adjoining structure, is stuccoed and pierced by window openings. The brick side walls of the main body of the church, one painted white and the other stuccoed, are pierced by arched openings which contain historic stained glass windows at the auditorium level and recent wrought-iron gates at the basement.
Description of the Church House [see fig. 5]
To the west side of the church is the three-story rowhouse with a raised basement; it now serves as the church house. The box-shaped stone stoop, now painted, has a rock-faced front wall and smooth side walls. A non-original wrought-iron fence with a gate separates the sidewalk from the areaway, now filled in. Original iron gates remain at the basement entrance under the stoop and over the basement window. The parlor story is also -fronted in rock-faced limestone. A projecting lintel, on end corbels,
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shields the doorway. (The door is not original.) The window opening to the west of the door contains a pair of windows separated by a turned mull ion and capped by leaded glass transoms that are bracketed by rounded corbels. A rectangular sign surmounts the parlor Story and a flower box has been installed beneath the windows. The second story is fronted in rock-faced red-brown brick. Above the door, a small arched opening with a stone sill rests on a stone plaque carved with oak leaves and a shield. To the west are two arched openings. All three second-story openings are united by a stone springing course and have rock-faced white brick arches. A modillioned cornice is surmounted by the slightly pitched slate roof from which two dormers, of unequal size, protrude. Both have smooth surrounds, modillioned cornices, and slate-tiled hipped roofs, one with a ball finial. All windows have one-over-one double-hung wood sash. The house's gabled end walls project slightly above the roof. The eastern wall is of rough brick, and is stuccoed. The western wall is a party wall with the adjacent rowhouse.
- From the 1990 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report
Free download under CC Attribution (CC BY 2.0). Please credit the artist and rawpixel.com
Hu Zhengyan (c. 1584-1674) was a Chinese traditional painter, calligrapher, seal carver and publisher during the transition of the Ming and Qing dynasties. He produced China’s first printed publication in color, and was famous for his incredible techniques achieving gradation and modulation of shades in woodblock prints.
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: rawpixel
Free download under CC Attribution (CC BY 2.0). Please credit the artist and rawpixel.com
Hu Zhengyan (c. 1584-1674) was a Chinese traditional painter, calligrapher, seal carver and publisher during the transition of the Ming and Qing dynasties. He produced China’s first printed publication in color, and was famous for his incredible techniques achieving gradation and modulation of shades in woodblock prints.
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: rawpixel
Free download under CC Attribution (CC BY 2.0). Please credit the artist and rawpixel.com
Hu Zhengyan (c. 1584-1674) was a Chinese traditional painter, calligrapher, seal carver and publisher during the transition of the Ming and Qing dynasties. He produced China’s first printed publication in color, and was famous for his incredible techniques achieving gradation and modulation of shades in woodblock prints.
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: rawpixel
Having owned the 2008 Kona Sutra for ten months, and just completed the first chain/cassette replacement, I thought it was about time for a long term review, to give other people an idea of what living with the Sutra has been like. My previous post explains why I chose the Sutra - I came up with what I thought was an impossibly eclectic list of requirements from a bicycle, and the Sutra ticked every single box.
Here's some specs, for the statophiles out there:
Frame size C54cm
Frame tubing Dedacciai COM 12.5 Butted Cromoly
Fork Kona P2 700c TB Disc w/Lowrider
Headset TH
Crankarms FSA Gossamer MegaExo Chainrings 30/39/50
B/B FSA MegaExo
Pedals Shimano PD-M520 SPD - Silver
Chain Shimano HG53 --> Shimano HG93 XT
Freewheel Shimano Deore (11-32, 9 Spd) --> Shimano XT M760 (11-32, 9spd)
F/D Shimano Tiagra Triple
R/D Shimano XT Shadow
Shifters Shimano Bar-Con
Handlebar FSA RD30 0S
Stem FSA OS-190LX
Grips Velo Wrap with Gel
Brakes Avid BB7 Road Disc Brake
Levers Shimano BLR-600
Front Hub Shimano M525 Disc
Rear Hub Shimano M525 Disc
Spokes DT Stainless 14g
Tyres Continental Contact 700 x 32C --> Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700x38c
Rims Mavic A 317 Disc
Saddle Selle Italia XO SE --> Brooks B17
Seatpost FSA SL-280
Seat Clamp Kona Clamp
Rear Rack Tubus Logo
Panniers Bikebins
Computer Sigma DTS 1606 L
Fenders SKS Chromoplastic
My primary (i.e. 99% of the time) use of the Sutra has been for commuting. I have covered over 2700 miles (4500km) in the time I have owned it. My commuting route through London is pretty tough on bikes - the roads south of the Thames are awful and full of potholes, through the City there is broken glass all over the place, and further north of the river there are speed-bumps everywhere. When I first got the Sutra she was wearing Continental Contact tyres, and they were pretty poor for commuting. They punctured easily and transmitted the bumpiness of the road right up into my forearms. Not much fun. After one puncture too many I replaced the tyres with Schwalbe Marathon Pluses, in their largest diameter, and the difference was marked. The increased volume of air provides a lot more cushioning for the arms, and I have not had a single puncture yet, despite having pulled 6mm long pieces of glass out of the tyre surfaces. The tyres are relatively heavy, but then so is the rest of the bike, and extra weight makes you stronger!
The original rear rack was pretty flimsy, and it did not allow the attachment of the Bikebin panniers I bought to try and add some rigidity. I ended up having to angle grind chunks out of the rack to fit the panniers, which can't have improved their structural integrity. After a month of experiencing the odd sensation of the bike wagging its tail whenever I stood up to pedal hard, I bit the bullet and upgraded the rack to a Tubus Logo. It was a tight fit with the rear disc brake, but the difference was immense. Gone was the sensation of a jelly-like bike, to be replaced by a sensation of rigid stability. Whilst the rack was expensive, it made all the difference, and I would highly recommend it.
Speaking of the brakes, they have saved my life on more than one occasion, usually when a Taxi decides to perform an emergency stop to pick up a fare. The brakes stop consistently in all conditions, and so far I have not had to replace the pads, although I think it will be time to do it soon. Not bad considering I have travelled almost five thousand kilometres in all weathers in the stop-start conditions of London. I was concerned that the brakes might be too powerful, but the modulation provided by the levers and the flex in the arm of the brake means that whilst the power is there if necessary, you have a lot of control over it. There is some disc drag, but this is owing more to my laziness than the brakes themselves, and seems to have little impact on cruising speeds.
Using the bike in all conditions has been excellent. The all-over fenders (something I have never fitted to a bike previously) really keep the rain off and eliminate spray from the road. I had to saw a bit of the front fender off to fit it over the larger tyres, and a little bit off the rear for the same reason, but after the modification they have been flawless.
I had heard reports of spokes snapping, and nothing happened to me until recently, when I noticed a detached spoke whilst replacing the rear cassette. I had no idea how long the spoke had been damaged for, and replaced it myself. The rear wheel is slightly askew, but it does not foul on anything, which is good considering the small tolerance between it and the fender. To be fair, I have been jumping off kerbs and sometimes it is impossible to miss a massive hole in the road when you are in busy traffic. An upgrade I am considering is a stronger rear wheel, although it is not pressingly urgent.
The ride of the bike is super smooth, and certainly not anything like the road bikes I am used to. I use my other road bike for triathlons, and whilst it is a lot more nimble, it is much less comfortable. The Sutra is comfortable all day long, owing in no small part to the Brooks B17 saddle, which took about two thousand miles to properly break in! It was worth it though - sitting on the bike is like sitting in an armchair (albeit a very odd armchair, but an armchair nonetheless). I tend to cruise at about 20mph on her, and my 10.5 mile commute to work takes about 37 minutes. I have started seeking out hills in preparation for some touring of Wales, and the Sutra certainly loves to climb. The aggressive, mountain-bike-like frame geometry no doubt assists in this, and is confidence inspiring when climbing and descending. The bar-con shifters were a novelty for me, but they make a lot of sense, especially if replacement shifters were needed on a tour. There are even bosses on the downtube to fit truly old-school shifters in an emergency.
The weight of the bike was a shock initially - weighing in at 15kgs without the accessories, she weighs significantly more than my Specialized Hardrock mountain bike, which is saying something! Over time I have become accustomed to the weight, and now it feels normal. The main advantage of this is that when I ride anything else, it feels super light and goes very rapidly. This makes this bike an ideal training steed.
In conclusion, I have found a lot to love about the Kona Sutra - she's tough, strong and surprisingly fast. There were some niggles about fitting add-ons, but they were all easy to overcome, and the result has been a reliable bike that I think will keep delivering for years.
This steampunk or Victorian necklace started with a bit of Victorian ceiling tin with a pebbled pattern. I shaped it to resemble a honeycomb section before riveting on the over-sized bee. The bee was previously treated to a patina to create the color modulations. He appears to be holding an antique watch works wearing its own time-induced patina. A retaining ring was riveted behind the bee and fishing gear was added to provide movement in the piece. All this steamy delight hangs from an 18" section of chain that once supported a pendulum in a cuckoo clock. I am a trained, if somewhat buggy, silversmith and have built this piece to last.
Antonello da Messina (Messina, 1430 - Messina, February, 1479) was an Italian painter of the Italian Renaissance. He was deeply influenced by Early Netherlandish and Venetian painting. He served as apprentice in Messina and in Palermo before studying under Niccolò Colantonio in Naples, one of the most lively centres of Renaissance art. In 1457, he received his first commission as an independent painter, a banner for the Confraternità di San Michele dei Gerbini in Reggio Calabria. The first work to be signed and dated by him, the Salvator Mundi, was created in 1470. Among his most famous paintings are the Annunciation and Saint Jerome in His Study, which he painted in 1474.
Antonello's style is remarkable for its fusion of Italian simplicity with a Flemish concern for detail. He exercised an important influence on Italian painting due to his introduction and dissemination of Flemish painterly styles. His portraits are characterised by their modulation of light and shadow, as seen in this painting.
[Oil on walnut, 20.4 x 14.5 cm]
gandalfsgallery.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/antonello-da-messi...
I GOD OF ALL SUPREME FORCE UNIVERSE WERE TAUGHT LESSONS BY THE INDIAN THIRTY OFFICERS OF THE IPS.REQUESTING WE TO GIVE A FEW THOUSAND CRORES NOT JUST A CRORE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE POLICE TRAINING IN THE POLICE TRAINING COLLEGE PHILLAUR.P.S.PASRICHA THE PRINCIPAL OF THE COLLEGE WAS A VERY NICE PERSON ON PHONE.NO MEETING WAS.IT ALL WAS DUE A FAMILY MEMBER WHO BECAME A REAL DEATH IN ALL ASPECTS.WHO WAS SENT BY THE WE THE SENDER SAINT SHRI S.S.KOHLI NOT AS IT WAS NOT HIS PROPERTY.HE WE SAW WERE SENT BY THE SOLE LANDOWNER EARTH MISTER M.S.KOHLII WHO HAD BEEN TAKING INTEREST IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA AT THE LEVEL OF THE WORLD PRESIDENTS AND WAS A ONE IN THEM BEING PRESIDENT OF . THIRTY SIX COUNTRIES OTHER THAN INDIA OF WHICH TOO HE WAS OVER ABOVE ELECTED PRESIDENT BEING OWNER OF INDIA..WHICH HE WAS GIVEN IN PURCHASE OF HIS TECHNOLOGIES OF THE RAIL INVENTED TILL 1.1.1948.ANY GIVEN THEREAFTER WE CONSIDE WITH THE AGENTS OF THEY TRYING TO DEVIATE HIS WEALTH..TO ENGLAND ON COMMISSIONS OR SEX ALLURES OF THE WHITE WOMEN BEING LOOSE IN SEX AND OF NO VALUE BEING ABSOLUTELY INEFFICIENT WHO STOPPED THEMSELVES THE CONFIDENTIAL REPORT SYSTEM.IN 1948 THE WE CONSIDER WE AS A TIRED AS..THE WE ON THE 2 OF IT THE WE THE OWNER OF INDIA.ACCEPTABLE TO NEHRU..WHO AND GANDHI WANTED WE NOT TO OPT FOR A ROYALTY OF TEN PERCENT ON THE SLAE OF THE RAIL SERVICES..AROUND THE WORLD AND INSTEAD BUY THEM THE OUR TO ACCEPT AS A LEADERS OF SOME LEVEL IN THE OUR DRIVEN FREEDOM MOVEMENT.WE WERE THERE IN THE MURAL ORIGINAL DEPICTING THE LEADERS OF THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT IN WHICH PATEL WAS THIRD TO OUR KULLAN DEVI RENAMED LATER KULWANT KOHLI WHOP WERRE THE FIRST LEADER TO BE IN THE SCULPTURE OF THIRTY NINE FEET AND TEN FEET TILL IN THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SORING THE SOME WHO POLICERS RAPED HER REPEATEDLY FOR IT SAYING WERE GIVING REGARDS NOT BUT TELLING WHO WAS SHE TO BE A WOMAN AND NOT KNOWN AND STILL IN THE LEAD PHOTO TO THE SCULPTURE NAMED THEN A MURAL THERE ON THE ROADSIDE BEHIND THE PRESIDENT HOUSE DELHI ON THE ROAD BEHIND IT ADJACENT TO IT AND IRVIN HOSPITAL NEAR.THEY ALSO PUT HER MOTHER IN THE PROSTITUTE--A SPECIAL AREA AFTER SEEING HER ALL ALONE NOT BUT MADE HER SO.DECLARING HER DEAD AND GETTING ANOTHER BODY IN THE CLOTHES GETTING IT BURNT BY A RELATIVE.BUT PUTTING HER THROUGH THE NAKED TREATMENT MEANT IN THE SOME COUNTRIES OF THE PLANET AGAINST THE WILL OF THE SOLE LANDOWNER WORLD WE..THE GOD OF ALL HERE ON THE EARTH AS THEIR SON AND GRANDSON.MAHARANI JHANSI BAI WAS THE MOTHER OF THE KULLAN IN NAME PUNJAB SAID LACHCHMI..INSTEAD OF LAXMI OF HINDI BELT BTO WHICH SHE BELONGED..FROM JHANSI IN MADHYA PRADESH..WHO SOUGHT REFUGE IN THE HUSBAND AT AGE SIX OF THE THEN THE GURU OF THE PLANET------THE ELECTED MASTER OF THE STATE.AS WHICH HE WAS FOR THREE HUNDRED YEARS. WE CAME TO LIVE HIM AS WE ARE LIVING THE HIS GRANDSON A SUPER SUPERIOR TO HIM..IN MANY MANY SCIENCES,ARTS,CULTURES AND HAS OWNED THE EARTH BY PURCHASING IT FROM THE JOINT OWNER TWENTY SIX COUNTRY WESTREN ALLY..WHO TOO OWNED INDIA AND HAD TAKEN WE AS THE GOD IDENTIFIED ON THE OBSERVATIONS AND TESTS OF THE THIRTY FOUR SONS OF A BITCH SAID BY MISTER J.L.NEHRU WE REGRET.AS A MAN OF LOW.MORAL.CHARACT MAN NOT BUT A BHAINGA LIKE MAHATMA GANDHI CAUGHT IN RAPING TWO OF THESE CITED .POLICE PAHARGUNJ PUT A CASE WE SAW CORRECTLY DECIDED CORRECTLY IN WHICH NEHRU GOT HE SHOT.PUTTING BLAME ON THE HINDU MAHASABHA..WE BOTH GOD BROUGHT FORTH IN THE YEAR WE THE THREE YEAR OLDIE AS NOT BUT AS A SIXTEEN PLUS WELL ESTABLISHED ASSESSED INTERNATIONALLY AS NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD AS THE ADMINISTRATOR..BY THE INTERNATIONAL INTELLIGENCE.WE REFER TO THE NOTE TO THE PARLIAMENT OF INDIA OF THE INTELLIGENCE INDIA DATED THREE OF THE TWO OF THE NINETEEN SIXTY FOUR NOT THREE.IN THE MATTER AT THE NUMBER FOUR OF THE THEN IN THE MATTER TAKEN UP BY OUR FRIEND RAM MANOHAR LOHIA WITH WHO WE HAD A ONE NOT THREE TALKS ON THE WE AS A CONSTITUTION IN THE DELHI..WHICH WAS BEREFT OF SECURITY FOR THE SIKH GIRLS.SPECIALLY ORGANISED BY SOME.WE WERE THE SIKH GURU WHO WROTE GURU GRANTH FOLLOWED TILL NOW BY THE SIKHS.WE ONLY PUT OUR CREDIT TO ARJAN DEVE FIFTH GURU FICTIOUSLY CARVED BY WE TO WARD OFF THE HINDU ONSLAUGHT ON US.WHICH HAS BEEN CONTINUOUS SINCE THEN I GOD CERTIFY THAT THIS HAS BEEN SO. AND I HAVE BEEN TIME AND AGAIN SAID WE WILL CONTROL THE COUNTRY COME WHAT MAY TAKING OVER THE ENTIRE EARTH.AS IT IS OF ONE OF THE INDIA AND HE A MILD MAN NICE ENOUGH TO BE CONTROLLED..ASD WE DID IN USSR KILLING THE COUNTRY AND ECONOMY COMPLETELY SHOWING AS IUF THE USA WAS DOING IT CONTROLLING THE TWO THE RONALD REGAN COUPLE THROUGH THE HARJIT'S CHOTA RAJAN GANG SINCE THE WHITE HOUSE CAPTURE KILLING PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON BY A BULLET IN THE CHEST TO SLOW DEATH AND MAKE HIM CRY WHILE K.PAUL WAS ASKED BY TWO A.S. BRAR AND HARJIT SINGH AND A D.I.S.KOHLI NOT BUT PRESENT SAID IN THE RAW RECORD NOW BEING MADE IN PUT IN IS BY THEY THREE THESE HERE CITED.K.K.PAUL DID DRINK TWO FULL SLUSH OUT OF HIS CHEST BEFORE THE FEMALE SHRIEKED PRESIDENT AND A GUARD RUSHED IN TOO TO BE SHOT BY THE THEY TWO NOT HIM...TOO TOOK THE THEIR ATOMIC MISSILE SYSTEM ON CONTROL AS PLOTTED BY THE TWO NOT FOUR INCLUDING A RPK.PRESIDENT L.B.JOHNSON SEEING CARD OF GOD HAD STARTED A CONVERSATION WITH THE GOD MARKED BY HE AND HIS TEAM WE HERE IN INDIA CHANDIGARH G-3,SECTOR 14,CHANDIGARH IN PANJAB UNIVERSITY WHILE WE IN THEIR HEARING PUT TO CONFERENCE IN SEE REACTIONS CLEARED WE NEVER CAME TO READ CARD SENT TO WE AND WERE SNATCHED OF THESE BY MISS RAJPAL KAUR KOHLI BEFORE HER MARRIAGE TO DIS KOHLI WHO TOO WERE WITH THEY IN THE WHITE HOUSE WE HAD PROHIBITED IN THE LISTEN OF THE C.I.A. STAFF IN THE WHITE HOUSE WHEN DIS KOHLI PHONED FROM THERE HE WAS IN TROUBLE AND NEEDED HELP SOME WANT TO SEE PRESIDENT AMERICA AND I BE HELPING BY ASKING THE WHITE HOIUSE STAFF TO LET THEM SEE HIM THEY WANT AT LEAST A SINGLE MAN TO DO SO...AT WHICH WE ASKED THEY GIVE PHONE TO THE STAFF AND STARTED DETAILED CONVERSATION ALERTING THEY AND THE WHITE HOUSE.BUT WE THE GOD OF ALL FROM HEAVENS SAW WHAT OUR AVTAR COULD NOT SEE BEING IN CHANDIGARH.EXCEPT IMAGINE WHAT WAS HAPPENING MUCH MORE SUPERIORLY THAN THESE ALL AND THEIR OTHER LEADERS TILL WHICH HE SERVED OPPOSING THESE AND IS TILL TODAY OPPOSED TOTALLY BY THESE DOERS OFD DISGRACE TOP HE THE THEIR OWNER LAND,FREEDOM GIVER WHICH NEVER WAS TILL IOTA DUE NEHRU GANDHI OR HINDUS OR SIKHS IN GENERAL OR DUE THEIR EFFORT TO RISE FOR THE COUNTRY. WE CORRECT IT TILL INFINITY TOO IN SAYING THE FREEDOM WERE ONLY DUE THIS FAMILY.WE DO NOT INCLUDE DIS KOHLI IN IT BECAUSE OF SANSI YADWINDRA SINGH SAYING HE IS THEIR SPERM IN GIVEN IN RAPES TOO TO HIS MOTHER SO TOO WILL KILL HER TOO FATHER TOO BROTHER TOO IN IT IF HE DOES NOT SERVE THEM.THAY THE PRESIDENT JOHNSON IN CONVERSATIONS LASTING TOTAL THAT DAY THIRTY FIVE MINUTES FOUND M.S. THE GOD DID NOT APPROVE THEIR REACHING HE EVEN TO HIS STAFF BECAUSE OF MODULATIONS AND LANGUAGE OF THEY ALL WHO TALKED TO HE FROM A PHONE IN WHITE HOUSE GROUND PROVIDED TO TOURISTS INTERESTED IN CALLING ON THE STAFF TELLING PROBABLY C.I.A. STAFF HERE TO ASK THEY SEE OUTSIDE AND MEET AT MOST A RECEPTIONIST TO ENQUIRE ANY POINT EVEN THEY CAN ANSWER IF FIND ANY THEY FEEL THEY SHOULD BE FROM ANOTHER APPLY THEMSELVES AND NO RECOMMENDATION HIS IOS LISTENING TO MATTER IN TONES NOT DESIRABLE.............I CERTIFY THAT THIS WAS CLEAR BEFORE AMRINDER SINGH BRAR ASKED THE TWO CARRYING GUN ASKED TO DEPOSIT CARRYING IN STILL INSISTED ON SHOWING THREE CARDS OF GOD .DIS DID NOT CARRY IT .THE THREE WE DESIRE BE INN BTHE PRISON NOW BUT ARE EVADING OUR ORDERS.INSTEAD ARE TRYING TO KILL ME. . WHEN THEY SEEING ARE CAUGHT SHOT HIM WHILE TAKING OVER ECONOMY OF AMERICA IN TELLING WE ARE THE GOD SO BE LET DOING OUR GOD WORK IN SHOOTING IN NO ACTION BE AS THE CARD ASKED BE AS A PERMIT TO HE WE THE ACTUAL GOD WHO ALONE COULD BE EXERCISING IT THE CARD.WE ASK WHERE DOES THE CARD PROVIDE ANY TO CARRY OR WE TO GIVE.MORE THAN WE HOW THE CARDS OTHER BE THERE EXCEPT BY A PROCESS OF IT.THEY EXPLAIN......IF IT IS DUE THEIR ASKING THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE OR OTHER HAVING OUR FILE WHY DID THEY. IF THEY GOT IT REPEATEDLY TO THE THEIR PRESIDENT WHY THE THEIR PRESIDENT KEPT THEM AND NOT PASS ON THESE TO WE THE SENIOR TO HIM BY TWO BILLION OF TIMES...IF HIS JUNIOR STAFF PASSED ON WHY IT.WHY IT TO POLICE.WHO MISLED THEM WHEN WE ARE FILE NUMBER ONE EVEN NOW AND FOR LIFE AND OTHERWISE BEING NEVER IN SELLING LAND.AS OWNER OF THEY AS WELL ALL ON EARTH ASKED TO BE IT BECAUSE OF OUR NOT BEING ATTACHED TO A COUNTRY OR PERSON OR RELIGION BEING THE GODLY THAT HE WE SON M.S.KOHLII WAS. WHY HAVE MANY PERSONS JOINED AS KOHLI SAHEB.I TELL OUR SEEN WE SAW A POLICER K.K.PAUL FELL TO THINK AS A D.S.P. HEADING A POLICE STATION DEFENCE COLONY IN DELHI REQUESTING POSITIONS FROM HEAD U.N. AND SOLE LANDOWNER WORLD M.S.KOHLII THROUGH HIS NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOURER MRS. BIMLA PAUL HIS OWN MOTHER WHICH HE DID A NUMBER OF TIMES IS ON C.I.A.,U.N.,KGB AND THIRTY SIX OTHER COUNTRY RECORD.FORGETFULNESS AND IRRESPONSIBILITY OF THAT ORDER TO EAT A POSITION TWELVE BILLION TIMES HIGHER HOW IT BE PERMITTED BY WE TO EVEN A PRESIDENT ELECTED BY PEOPLE SO WE FIRE THEY ALL OF THE HINDU AND SIKH. THE WE ARE READY WITH THE DATA ON THE THEY.ANY CAN CALL ON WE FROM AMONGST THE REPORTERS.U.N. STAFF TOO WE DO NOT SEE ANY MORE ERLIER IT WAS. SO TOO NATO PLANES PASSING DAILY OVER MY HOUSE AS A ROUTINE. NO MORE SAYING THEY THROUGH TRUMP A ILLICIT RELATION OF THE THEY IN RAPING THE WISE QUEEN WITH THEY THIRTY OFFICERS OF THE MASONS CLUB NOT BUT THEY TOO IN IT.WE NEVER KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON AS THE THEY ALL IN THE IT INCLUDING THE THEIR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENTS WERE IN TAKING WE OFF HOME IN CAGES TO PLUCK OUR RIGHTS LIKE A SLAVE'S. THIS IS THE HIGHEST INJUSTICE WE HAVE SEEN.
I wanted to create an image that was a bit haunting, with some sensuality. The glow of the light and the darkness of the hands play well together by creating depth and mystery. Freeman mentions how black and white allows more expression in the modulation of tone, in conveying texture, the modeling of form, and in defining shape. I enhanced this photo with a levels adjustment, noise reduction, hue, and saturation.
Free download under CC Attribution (CC BY 2.0). Please credit the artist and rawpixel.com
Hu Zhengyan (c. 1584-1674) was a Chinese traditional painter, calligrapher, seal carver and publisher during the transition of the Ming and Qing dynasties. He produced China’s first printed publication in color, and was famous for his incredible techniques achieving gradation and modulation of shades in woodblock prints.
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: rawpixel
Free download under CC Attribution (CC BY 2.0). Please credit the artist and rawpixel.com
Hu Zhengyan (c. 1584-1674) was a Chinese traditional painter, calligrapher, seal carver and publisher during the transition of the Ming and Qing dynasties. He produced China’s first printed publication in color, and was famous for his incredible techniques achieving gradation and modulation of shades in woodblock prints.
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: rawpixel
Having owned the 2008 Kona Sutra for ten months, and just completed the first chain/cassette replacement, I thought it was about time for a long term review, to give other people an idea of what living with the Sutra has been like. My previous post explains why I chose the Sutra - I came up with what I thought was an impossibly eclectic list of requirements from a bicycle, and the Sutra ticked every single box.
Here's some specs, for the statophiles out there: Frame size C54cm Frame tubing Dedacciai COM 12.5 Butted Cromoly Fork Kona P2 700c TB Disc w/Lowrider Headset TH Crankarms FSA Gossamer MegaExo Chainrings 30/39/50 B/B FSA MegaExo Pedals Shimano PD-M520 SPD - Silver Chain Shimano HG53 --> Shimano HG93 XT Freewheel Shimano Deore (11-32, 9 Spd) --> Shimano XT M760 (11-32, 9spd) F/D Shimano Tiagra Triple R/D Shimano XT Shadow Shifters Shimano Bar-Con Handlebar FSA RD30 0S Stem FSA OS-190LX Grips Velo Wrap with Gel Brakes Avid BB7 Road Disc Brake Levers Shimano BLR-600 Front Hub Shimano M525 Disc Rear Hub Shimano M525 Disc Spokes DT Stainless 14g Tires Continental Contact 700 x 32C --> Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700x38c Rims Mavic A 317 Disc Saddle Selle Italia XO SE --> Brooks B17 Seatpost FSA SL-280 Seat Clamp Kona Clamp Rear Rack Tubus Logo Panniers Bikebins Computer Sigma DTS 1606 L Fenders SKS Chromoplastic
My primary (i.e. 99% of the time) use of the Sutra has been for commuting. I have covered over 2700 miles (4500km) in the time I have owned it. My commuting route through London is pretty tough on bikes - the roads south of the Thames are awful and full of potholes, through the City there is broken glass all over the place, and further north of the river there are speedbumps everywhere. When I first got the Sutra she was wearing Continental Contact tyres, and they were pretty poor for commuting. They punctured easily and transmitted the bumpiness of the road right up into my forearms. Not much fun. After one puncture too many I replaced the tyres with Schwalbe Marathon Pluses, in their largest diameter, and the difference was marked. The increased volume of air provides a lot more cushioning for the arms, and I have not had a single puncture yet, despite having pulled 6mm long pieces of glass out of the tyre surfaces. The tyres are relatively heavy, but then so is the rest of the bike, and extra weight makes you stronger!
The original rear rack was pretty flimsy, and it did not allow the attachment of the Bikebin panniers I bought to try and add some rigidity. I ended up having to angle grind chunks out of the rack to fit the panniers, which can't have improved their structural integrity. After a month of experiencing the odd sensation of the bike wagging its tail whenever I stood up to pedal hard, I bit the bullet and upgraded the rack to a Tubus Logo. It was a tight fit with the rear disc brake, but the difference was immense. Gone was the sensation of a jelly-like bike, to be replaced by a sensation of rigid stability. Whilst the rack was expensive, it made all the difference, and I would highly recommend it.
Speaking of the brakes, they have saved my life on more than one occasion, usually when a Taxi decides to perform an emergency stop to pick up a fare. The brakes stop consistently in all conditions, and so far I have not had to replace the pads, althoguh I think it will be time to do it soon. Not bad considering I have travelled almost five thousand kilometres in all weathers in the stop-start conditions of London. I was concerned that the brakes might be too powerful, but the modulation provided by the levers and the flex in the arm of the brake means that whilst the power is there if necessary, you have a lot of control over it. There is some disc drag, but this is owing more to my laziness than the brakes themselves, and seems to have little impact on cruising speeds.
Using the bike in all conditions has been excellent. The all-over fenders (something I have never fitted to a bike previously) really keep the rain off and eliminate spray from the road. I had to saw a bit of the front fender off to fit it over the larger tyres, and a little bit off the rear for the same reason, but after the modification they have been flawless.
I had heard reports of spokes snapping, and nothing happened to me until recently, when I noticed a detached spoke whilst replacing the rear cassette. I had no idea how long the spoke had been damaged for, and replaced it myself. The rear wheel is slightly askew, but it does not foul on anything, which is good considering the small tolerance between it and the fender. To be fair, I have been jumping off kerbs and sometimes it is impossible to miss a massive hole in the road when you are in busy traffic. An upgrade I am considering is a stronger rear wheel, although it is not pressingly urgent.
The ride of the bike is super smooth, and certainly not anything like the road bikes I am used to. I use my other road bike for triathlons, and whilst it is a lot more nimble, it is much less comfortable. The Sutra is comfortable all day long, owing in no small part to the Brooks B17 saddle, which took about two thousand miles to properly break in! It was worth it though - sitting on the bike is like sitting in an armchair (albeit a very odd armchair, but an armchair nonetheless). I tend to cruise at about 20mph on her, and my 10.5 mile commute to work takes about 37 minutes. I have started seeking out hills in preparation for some touring of Wales, and the sutra certainly loves to climb. The aggressive, mountain-bike-like frame geometry no doubt assists in this, and is confidence inspiring when climbing and descending. The bar-con shifters were a novelty for me, but they make a lot of sense, especially if replacement shifters were needed on a tour. There are even bosses on the downtube to fit truly old-school shifters in an emergency.
The weight of the bike was a shock initially - weighing in at 15kgs without the accessories, she weighs significantly more than my Specialized Hardrock mountain bike, which is saying something! Over time I have become accustomed to the weight, and now it feels normal. The main advantage of this is that when I ride anything else, it feels super light and goes very rapidly. This makes this bike an ideal training steed.
In conclusion, I have found a lot to love about the Kona Sutra - she's tough, strong and surprisingly fast. There were some niggles about fitting add-ons, but they were all easy to overcome, and the result has been a reliable bike that I think will keep delivering for years.
Free download under CC Attribution (CC BY 2.0). Please credit the artist and rawpixel.com
Hu Zhengyan (c. 1584-1674) was a Chinese traditional painter, calligrapher, seal carver and publisher during the transition of the Ming and Qing dynasties. He produced China’s first printed publication in color, and was famous for his incredible techniques achieving gradation and modulation of shades in woodblock prints.
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: rawpixel
+BEST BEFORE UNU +
¬Best Before Unu
UNU (Antonis Anissegos)
and BESTBEFORE (Andreas Karaoulanis) met in March 2010 on stage at a Festival in Thessaloniki, following the invitation of the festival director to perform together.
The match was instant and after the success of their performance, they decided to form the duo best before unu.
Since then they produced together many short audio/visual pieces, and performed often in Greece and in Germany.
The intensive electronics of unu found a visual counterpoint in the moving images of bestbefore, generating complex sonic-visual formations. While audio frequencies are analyzed and passed into image motions, which in turn feed back to the music, a never ending circulation of influence travels in both directions.
As an enrichment of the collaboration, best before unu appears also with live piano, adding an acoustic dimension to the creative process. A journey through morphing landscapes and imaginary organisms, stimulating the audience to continuously perceive new associations.
vimeo.com/channels/bestbeforeunu/
bestbefore.gr/blog/category/best-before-unu/
+PARABELLES+
Its a jodeling nonjodeling elektronic duo .
+JAGUAR+
Jaguar is a collective formed by Oscar Martin (noish) and Constanza Piña (corazón de robota) focused on noise exploration and creative electronics sound devices. Jaguar is devoted to ride by bike around the city and look for old TVs to transform them into spices synthesizers and no logic machines.
+AME ZEK+
Ame Zek is an electronic musician, sound artist, and composer based in Berlin. To electronic music enthusiasts, he is a producer of sound waves and an LFO modulator. The music of Ame Zek is constructed from modulation chains to create a platform for building evolving sound structures.
+ ANACONDA BOY+
AnacondaBoy
Am Electronic music producer from Bangladesh
∆∆condadrums∆∆
Cracked voices, broken noises and the realm of the stage provokes the transformation of a human electronic music producer into the electronic beast that is Anacondaboy Using synthesizers, analog recordings and crash sounds the anaconda boy is in love with beats and broken noises. Crash melodies catch the attention of the audience taking their attention and bringing them into a land of pop metal beat music that is like a flash. This transformation from human to electronic beast brings a stroboscopic, psychedelic music where the voice can be analog and the audience can dance.
+PANI K.+
Visuals and electronic cakes. Origin coming from video and filmart, she studied in Poland, Pani K. is also interested to let a kitchen sing and performs her own language of beautiful music.
+YVES YANOMAMI+
+ DJ KIM KONG-IL
Free download under CC Attribution (CC BY 2.0). Please credit the artist and rawpixel.com
Hu Zhengyan (c. 1584-1674) was a Chinese traditional painter, calligrapher, seal carver and publisher during the transition of the Ming and Qing dynasties. He produced China’s first printed publication in color, and was famous for his incredible techniques achieving gradation and modulation of shades in woodblock prints.
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: rawpixel
The insert panel allows DJs to mix in their laptop computers or MP3 players, and the oscilloscope tells us whether or not we are "in phase" - a technical term for whether the recordings played are in proper stereo modulation, which is another technical term meaning does it sound good or not.
If you would like to adopt a Fixture, please make a paid-in-full pledge of $180 or more to WFMU's 2026 Marathon by 11:59pm on March 15th, 2026, and then send an email via this page to stake your claim. Make sure that you specify in the email that you'd like The WFMU Oscilloscope and Insert Panel!
First come, first served!
Ogundipe Fayomi's monument for Dr. Ronald Erwin McNair (1950–1986) combines a traditional bust with a uniquely shaped pedestal. McNair was the African-American astronaut, physicist, teacher, and musician who died aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger when it exploded on January 28, 1986.
This park, formerly known as Guider Park, was named for Dr. McNair in the same year as the Challenger disaster. The City’s Department of Cultural Affairs sponsored a competition through its Percent-for-Art program to choose an artist to create a central sculpture. They ultimately selected the Nigerian-born sculptor Fayomi, who fashioned a sensitive bronze portrait, set within a nine-foot tall polished red-granite pedestal resembling a modified rocket ship. The pyramidal base features bronze relief with images relating to Dr. McNair’s achievements and interests.
Dr. McNair was born on October 21, 1950, in Lake City, South Carolina. He graduated from Carver High School in Lake City in 1967, and received a B.S. degree in physics from North Carolina A & T State University in 1971. In 1976, Dr. McNair completed his Ph.D. in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). After graduating from MIT, Dr. McNair was employed as a staff physicist at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California. His work there involved developing lasers for isotope separation and photochemistry, using non-linear interactions in low-temperature liquids. He also conducted research on electro-optic laser modulation for satellite-to-satellite space communications and explored the scientific foundations of the martial arts. A member of numerous scientific organizations and a visiting lecturer in physics at Texas Southern University, Dr. McNair also taught karate as a fifth-degree black belt and was a performing jazz saxophonist.
In 1978, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected Dr. McNair as an astronaut candidate. He completed his training the following year, and became eligible as a mission specialist astronaut on Space Shuttle flight crews. He first flew as a mission specialist on Mission STS-41-B on February 3, 1984, which featured the first untethered spacewalk. Serving as a mission specialist on Mission STS-51-L, his life was tragically cut short when the space shuttle exploded one minute and 13 seconds into the launch. After his death, the Dr. Ronald E. McNair Foundation for Science, Technology & Space Education was established in Atlanta, Georgia.
When this monument was dedicated on June 14, 1994, family, friends, former colleagues, community representatives, city officials and hundreds of school children gathered in memory of Dr. McNair’s legacy. The monument and the park, which was renovated at the time of the sculpture’s installation, evoke a mood in keeping with Dr. McNair’s wish inscribed on the pedestal. It reads, “that we should allow this planet to be the beautiful oasis that she is, and allow ourselves to live more in the peace she generates.”
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Sansui Solid State Stereophonic AU 999
Specifications
Year 1970
Power amplifier part
Effective output 70W/70W (4ohm)
80W/80W (8ohm)
Music power (IHF) 180W (4ohm)
140W (8ohm)
THD 0.4%
Cross modulation distortion 0.4%
Power Band Width (IHF) 10Hz - 30kHz
Frequency characteristic 5Hz - 100kHz
Stereo separation 50dB
A hum and a noise 100dB
Input sensitivity/impedance 1V/40kohm
Load impedance 4ohm-16ohm
Dumping factor 45 (8ohm)
Preamplifier part
Output power 1V
THD 0.1%
Frequency characteristic 15Hz - 70kHz
A hum and a noise (IHF) Phono1, 2:80dB
Mic:80dB
Tuner, Aux: 85dB
Input sensitivity Phono1, 2:2mV
Mic:3mV
Tuner, Aux, Tape mon (Pin/Din): 200mV
Sound-recording output Tape rec(Pin):200mV
Tape rec(Din):30mV
Tone control Bass: +12dB--8dB (20Hz)
Midrange: ±5dB (1kHz, 2kHz)
Treble: +12dB--8dB (20kHz)
Tone selector Bass:Defeat, 200Hz, 400Hz
Midrange:Defeat, 1kHz, 2kHz
Treble:Defeat, 6kHz, 3kHz
A low filter -20dB(20Hz)
A high filter -18dB(20kHz)
Muting −20dB
Miscellaneous
Power consumption 370W
Dimensions
Width 461.5x height 155x depth of 316mm
Weight 17.5kg
Option Wood case C-17
RCA model 1-XF-4 "Filteramic" AM/FM radio receiver, c. 1955.
Many people began bringing radio receivers into their homes in the 1920s. By the early 1960s most homes had at least one radio and often more. At that time amplitude modulation, or AM, served as the primary mode of broadcasting, but a newer mode that used frequency modulation, or FM, was becoming increasingly popular. Well-known industrial designer John Vassos created this radio for RCA in the 1950s.
I think Hitachi succeeded in their attempt to make a "serious" radio with this 10 transistor KH-1002S.
Very hefty, well built, solid performer on all bands and good tone. This one may end up being a regular player in my basement radio room.
This radio utilizes Automatic Frequency Control. (AFC)
taken from the internet
Automatic Frequency Control. (AFC) - method or device to keep a radio or television receiver automatically tuned to a desired frequency or channel. Assuming that the receiver is at least approximately tuned to the desired frequency, a circuit in the receiver develops an error voltage proportional to the degree to which the receiver is mistuned. This error voltage is then fed back to the tuning circuit in such a way that the tuning error is reduced. In most frequency modulation (FM) detectors an error voltage of this type is easily available. In an FM receiver, automatic frequency control (AFC) may make it difficult to receive a weak signal located near in frequency to a strong one.