Pentagon leaders often speak of the need for disruptive technologies in the Fleet to mitigate the risks of shrinking defense budgets, declining U.S. military technological superiority and improving adversary capabilities. Last week, a remarkable example of disruptive innovation occurred. How did the Navy react? It simply reaffirmed its unimaginative plan to send its carrier-launched drone to the boneyard—and potentially sentence the aircraft carrier to a similar fate.

The Navy’s test carrier drone, the X-47B UCAS-D (Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator), recently participated in the first-ever fully autonomous aerial refueling at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Though the implications of this engineering feat are wide-ranging and not wholly known at this point, successful demonstration of unmanned aerial refueling does shed light on several ongoing arguments about the future of U.S. military aviation.

First, the success of X-47B in breaking engineering barriers supports the expansion of unmanned aviation both within the carrier air wing and throughout the military as a whole. This is an autonomous aircraft as opposed to remotely piloted, and it just completed one of the most difficult tasks to perform with another aircraft through refueling. The Department of Defense has been working on developing a stabilized drogue to enable more reliable aerial refueling, but the X-47B did not even use this new system. Rather, the autonomous aircraft did all the work itself, demonstrating incredible feedback sensitivity.

Perhaps the reason there is not more fanfare or appreciation for the leap ahead in technological advancement is because the successful demonstration of autonomous aerial refueling, for some, supports an argument for replacing more F-35 Joint Strike Fighter carrier variants with X-47B-like platforms. There is a suggestion that such a progression would put the Navy’s sixth-generation fighter (F/A-XX) in jeopardy, a program which enjoys considerable support within the naval tactical aviation community. In this budgetary environment, relying on proven technologies—like those in the X-47B program—is a far better bet than the imagined, untested technologies in the yet-to-begin F/A-XX program.

Further, Pentagon leaders are fighting with Congress—specifically Chairmen John McCain, Mac Thornberry, and Randy Forbes—about what those unmanned combat aircraft should do in a program called the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS). Should the UCLASS merely serve as the eyes and ears of the aircraft carrier with limited strike capability in only non-contested environments, or should it be capable of striking enemies through their denied zones?

Last week, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus weighed in, commenting bluntly that the F-35C “almost certainly will be the last manned strike fighter aircraft the Department of the Navy will ever buy or fly.” This would seem to signal his strong support for the transition to unmanned platforms, especially for deep penetrating strike missions. Coincidentally (or not), Secretary Mabus last week also created two new civilian and military positions to focus solely on unmanned systems within the Navy to recognize the untapped potential of these types of platforms.

The UCAS-D’s successful autonomous refueling means that its impressive range of 2,400 miles can now be extended by tanker, thus allowing the carrier drone to carry vastly more ordnance. Already the X-47B carries about 85 percent of the payload of a F-35 Joint Strike Fighter—and carries it three times further. Even if tankers must turn around at 600 miles from the outer edge of an adversary’s denied zone, this breakthrough capability gives the X-47B enough “legs” to deliver true firepower anywhere US commanders want, especially if the ordnance delivered is capable of extended range flight of its own.

Without a refuelable UCLASS in the future carrier air wing, the Navy might as well take the “strike” out of carrier strike group. A key value of an aircraft carrier is its ability to accept new planes when the character of warfare changes, something it has done remarkably well for over seven decades. That change is happening now, and failure to procure a strike version of the UCLASS renders the Navy’s investment in new aircraft carriers far less cost-effective.

Outside of the carrier air wing, autonomous aerial refueling could result in several other force employment changes. For instance, the Marine Corps is currently putting the finishing touches on its program to develop a tanker variant of the V-22 Osprey. Combining tanker Ospreys with refuelable low-end land-based drones could result in much-improved reconnaissance abilities for the austere Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Forces that have become a staple of American forward presence. The Army has already developed a manned-unmanned teaming system for its Apache helicopters to control drones. Tanker V-22s could implement a version of the same to control and refuel fleets of unmanned aircraft and achieve true persistent surveillance. Even within the Navy—which will soon have V-22s onboard carriers to deliver supplies—the possibilities are enticing and need to be explored further through testing and experimentation.

These are only a small subset of the possibilities that opened up over the skies of Pax River last weekend. To fully exploit such disruptive technology, the Department of Defense should open access to the UCAS-D program to aviators from every service. Despite a long record of achievement, the Navy still maintains that it will shut down the UCAS-D program and send the X-47B to the aircraft boneyard in Arizona with less than a quarter of its rated flight hours used up. This is a true waste. As we suggested in 2013, the Navy should reconsider this policy and allow creative military thinkers to continue experimental testing of the two planes beyond fiscal year 2016.

The rhetoric of Secretary Mabus points the Navy in the right direction for the future. Now, he must follow through with action. Extending the UCAS-D test program and refining UCLASS requirements toward a high-end strike aircraft would cement Mabus’ legacy and truly put the Navy on the path to continued dominance in the future.

"The public perception of NASA has a lot to do with our technological successes and the discoveries that we've made, but none of that is possible without the people.

"In the six or so years that I've worked at NASA, I've learned a lot of incredible stories — not just of the struggles that different spacecraft encounter on their journeys throughout the universe. There are so many problems that need to be solved and fixes that need to be made, but there are also so many stories of teams that had to work together to accomplish their goals. And a lot of times, these teams are working after hours, on weekends, working late nights and early mornings. These are people who have other problems in their lives that they have to solve, and they're still showing up and making magic happen.

"This is why [Aubrey Gemignani] and I started Faces of NASA: We wanted to make that connection. It's not just rockets, astronauts, and telescopes. Hundreds of thousands of people come together to make these missions possible, and that's the part that's really interesting for me.

"I like to hold a mirror to other people, and in every Faces of NASA interview, I try to hold a mirror up to what the person has accomplished to get them to be proud of it. For many of those people, it's the first time they have to self-reflect.

"That's what's really nice about [the Faces of NASA project]. Everyone who works here is just living day-to-day, so when they have an opportunity to stop for a moment and look back on how far they've come... it's the best feeling for both of us. They're like, 'Wow, I've never really stopped to think about how much I've accomplished or how far I've come.' And I get to share that moment with them. That's my favorite part of Faces of NASA."

NASA Communications Strategist, Thalia Patrinos, poses for a portrait, Thursday, July 11, 2024, in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

And with advance to REALITY COPY there’s certainly no way of changing this perception only enforcing it, nothing in reality is good enough for “REALITY COPY” that is just another paradox that is not futuristic.

We might be still skeptical about the arrival of REALITY COPY, but its only before its sold at the supermarkets.

What would happen after “Reality Copy” when the progress of all possible levels of true “reality copy” (in technical sense, not psychologically-philosophical) are achieved. The reality hence is copied and sealed.

Technology won’t stop there… one wonders. What is next.

In political sense when reality in representation is something embraced by conservative social power than with “reality copy” the conservative power is the dominating from the social point of view having new level of reality and it’s copy to be controlled.

*seems like the only possibly alternative to REALITY COPY could be ultra radical Invisibility)

In principle the artist aims to deform the reality subjectively to create not the “reality copy” lacking such skills but to convey the artistic poetic goal of expressing whatever given artist wants to express.

In a matter of “reality copy” what is left for the artist to argue with and deform… to question and test… Nothing really changes socially except for more pressure applied to the issue of dealing with self-image and tools to “sell” When a person changes the image the higher the technology the more transformed is the final product.

The progress of mental growth is just as conservative as control on the “visual image of reality” and its copy.

The ongoing technological progress is irreversible as it carries percent of good with bad,

It is common knowledge how for instance internet is benefit and at the same time does damage. A person who knows about the addiction and suffers would acquire the knowledge and hope from the place the person suffers the internet of course.

Same thing is with photography and video. Reality copy would add more psychological problems to the present but create more visual attraction of true-life experience with whatever could be rediscovered in Lifecopy style. Probably is benefits pornography since it will continue same as consumption of food. The basic things… Consumerism benefits since it is super-trained for “instant reach” affect and will commercially exploit the “reality copy” to sell more of “reality copy” gadgets the phones, screens, etc.

New generation of people will repeat the cycle in new technological means of having “reality copy” as nothing new but similar to any visual information currently available.

The creative people are the ones BEHIND the time it seems in a matter of “reality copy” and being unable to have anything is an alternative.

The Invisible alternative is the ONLY ONE to question “reality copy”

That is the power of UNKNOWN.

Techno progress can deal in “reality” bringing higher resolution to the fore to sell new generation of phones and gadgets.

But it really doesn’t change the philosophical issue of questions asked by philosophers, what is life, what is art, why do we live. Questions remain unanswered when techno progress veils those questions with the promise that higher technology would bring the end to all unanswered questions and answer them for people.

So far the techno advance puts the artistic, literary and philosophical field out of business. As when people get the toys (gadgets) and the playground (the podium of internet) the art is irrelevant and completely disconnected from the social phenomenon of self-representation. Art is not interested to question something with no philosophical substance to it.

The commercial art is willing to supply more stuff for consumerism. If its reality-copy than someone empowered by financial wealth (born rich) would come up with more decorative solutions that could serve REALITY COPY in needed fashion, add more details to the “reality set” to those who can afford it.

Same way it is now when people with means live with more things.

“Reality Copy” of people without means would look just as it is in reality, gray and unexciting. To help people without means the software would offer “decoration” solutions to add the faux details able to transform the surroundings to less depressing. It would enter the person into “life copy” of vacation at Caribbean resorts… etc.

What in such situation could be philosophically questioned, if nothing changed in human morality, but techno advance manage to involve people into self-entertainment to such degree that a person is no longer interested to read books about other people or watch movies and hear news. Self-promotion is the ongoing and time-consuming thing. One has to research the “popular” topics.

As to participating in reality activities, there’s the issue of not having time for anything that doesn’t deal with self-promotion and earning a living.

ART commerce is growing commercially going Industrial since supplying consumer goods is always rewarding in sales. On the other hand this and techno revolution reduces interest of writers and philosophers to dig in depths where there is no depth. It makes such people disengaged with the process. When there are no critical voices to the established situation or some few art critics pretend to do what is expected of them – know about current situation not only on the art scene but at large - socially, and have strong voice against the trends that contribute to the lowering of culture. There’s no more liberal freedom since nobody reads the newspapers. Even if the working critics were principal enough to write articles and books they know their voice would not be heard. They are not vociferous about anything at all because there’s a concept of supporting and art endavour since art is in decline and anything that relates to art needs their support.

There are no voices to oppose the current situation for many reasons such as no younger people would be interested in such undertaking also for many reasons of being disoriented in expectation of techno changes or living their me-life.

The young ones are the invisibility movers, every day someone who is young, information and internet savvy adds the invisibility statement to their online identity. I saw it on tumblr and Iheart. (samples year web address – source)

Art consumer goods sell and make the seller get the goods since sale is the rule.

Art critics silently agree and actually it seems if they even try to disagree there is nothing in art that presently shows any direction against the established art situation.

There isn’t anything not saying a serious claim to deny aesthetic values of the art present and past, to turn away from any influence and history by the fashion avant-garde to question than resuscitate (bring back from death) art that lost vitality and practically is a dead art of dominating taste in an authoritarian culture and conformity.

Bring new blood to reinvent the art into weapon against the outlived old and positioning itself as direct opposition AGAINST art that represents culture of the present time.

Culture of consumerism that turned into visual consumerism with the help of internet is hard to oppose and challenge in any attempt of making bid public art spectacle, won’t challenge any concept but serve certain need for entertainment.

Invisible art of Paul Jaisini stands against all that is dominating and culturally regressive in the present, false visual multiplicity that imply democracy and absence of segregation in visual sphere, all inclusiveness.

On so many levels Paul Jaisini brings knowledge of how the present condition reflect on a mind. (non-linear thinking, information processing, constant analysis is the advanced state of high analytical creative mind /osd, adad is the side effect but there are more worse side effects) Shows the burst to create in manifestation of genius mind (can do any task without training) but unable to maintain the creative process as wholesome, bored with the immediate results. Invisibility is theoretical stability and result of high impact activity that gives fast result of creativity and genius realized in art. Then instability in the fact of the created art un--preserved and lost, destroyed.

On a lower level of people who start building some blog with enthusiasm dedicating time, research than abandoning it to become digital graveyard demonstrates inability to continue and search for new. Inability to face what yesterday seemed interesting and capture someone’s mind to give the creative boost.

(fast life, no sleep, high tech knowledge, constant search for new, unsatisfied… new is old – altogether supports “CONSUMERISM” when buying is haul more than physically needed, quantity is the need for new.

Invisible art as a concept seem to attract wide public and elite in such diametrically opposed combination, of people without high aesthetics in mind or the complete opposite illuminati-culturati. People with average or below average taste and aesthetic requirements are as interested and supportive as the elite. When it comes to someone in the middle- another phenomena, quite often those who are educated and intelligent take a stand against even one mention of the art being possibly somehow invisible.

These people respond very well and willing to agree with the concept as Invisible art is brought to them by mass media. In the beginning I was using internet to send out essays and saw the proof that as avant-garde wanted to reach people who never acquired artistically developed taste the invisible art was and now is more than ever suits their taste even to degree of obsession.

That’s adds insult to injury when nobody even pay attention and there’s nothing to offer as the alternative.

They want something tangible as the alternative, the grown philosophy to brew in the minds of people and artists as the sign of time.

The invisibility is the idea that has the power to antagonize the “reality copy” but not in a sense that is widely used in the present time. To express social isolation in case of the teens as seen on tumblr. (examples and variations of Invisibility trend in primitive pictures shared every day in such huge quantities no art publication ever knew, teens and pre-teens are those with passion among the rest of us, when they spread the word it goes far, same as the early internet time, when the word would go far distances to large number of people)

Historically known of the episodes when many artists tried to create the so-called invis art but it really didn’t involve much creativity except for the concepts they came up with, but in reality it involved the reduction of visual means and performance art when the audience came up with more ideas acting around the non-existent artwork than the artist.

Personally I discovered high interactive value of the “PRESUMED” invisible painting when I was getting a lot of responses with very interesting commentaries from the people who actually insisted I was sending them info about the invisible artworks. I never made any claims when sending written essays. People decided for me and probably this is the best way for the interactive dialogue to let people decide.

The only known versions of invisible artworks would be not something that can turn into a philosophical school of thought but random reductions of visual means of various artists. It all came to same MOA that involved frames etc., not the process of creativity or life long creativity that would show how such artistic philosophy develops and what various periods of the artist’s life produce by his belief in his artistic style.

The known precedents of exhibiting so-called invisible art were always random statements that never continued to develop in a distinct style.

What one usually expects is a blank canvas, a picture with some written ideas which is more a topography art, a picture that is in a wrapping of covered up and is a found object art. The only known artists who continued wrapping is Christo but his art is not considered invisible even though he hides or attempts to hide what is inside the wrapping….

Recently same as in more distant periods in time many artists are trying to reduce their visual means. There’s a difference though. In previous times artists ventured into reduction of visual means with more ease. The artworks from older times with reduced visual means had much less labor and look less worked on.

Now the reduction of visual means is something that doesn’t fall under the artistic philosophy when an artists trying to prevent an overkill of the visual imagery.

If Rothko worked on his abstract painting laboriously than in current standards his work would be considered not sale’s worthy. Now to be sale-worthy the abstraction is worked to show a lot of workmanship. Surely Rothko doesn’t want anyone to see a lot of workmanship quite the opposite, he wanted his paintings to look fresh and not overdone. And in current standards he would have to toil on every dot in his painting to perfect it.

Today’s abstract paintings look like very hard-worked on simulations of surfaces that look like some textures (varieties of plain or distressed surfaces /stone and whatever is the decorative surfaces of abstracts, patterns that are used in interior design.

Overworked, machine-like is expensive looking enough to sell in the gallery but it creates a certain amount of fatigue in time. The commerce knows about it, the fatigue would bring the art buyer to buy more to add some new life to the art collection ed infinitum.

Art commerce wants more art collectors in the times when art is selling and makes money and should be called what it is – decorative luxury items.

Art or luxury decorative items was always meant for people with wealth and they always wanted to get their money worth.

When abstract painting is done in a manner to be worthy of selling price it is not creativity of conceptual thought and has no abstracted meaning. The craft of simulating surfaces is widely known and is used in interior design. When it is unique that no other craftsman can repeat it is recognized nearly as jewelry and rag-making, etc. All the items that cost money due to the high workmanship and hours, months and sometimes years of creation. Same way was built the historical hand-made furniture. Same way the current abstract decorations will hold in time. It is made for someone as rich as royalties but it doesn’t mean that it has anything to do with artistic creativity, the most mysterious and unexplained human phenomenon.

So anyone who is interested to earn money as a maker of such luxury items and be able to place them in the store for sale – the art gallery, can come up with own recipe for surface replica and start working will find a paying job on the art scene nowadays...

It doesn’t involve questioning of morals, times and life. It involves many hours of working and ability to produce varieties of the same surfaces in good taste. Instead of questioning human spirituality, or questioning art means that someone considers irrelevant and outdated, not for any breakthrough to create something revolutionary new.

I chose this shot of the Raptor for this rant because it does not glorify the technological marvel that it is. It shows the culmination of the 20 year+ path it took to get to this picture. Here it shows a Raptor taxing out for a sortie over the Nellis ranges amongst its operational stablemates. The F-22 has come a LONG way to deliver the goods and now, once its capability is just being understood Secretary Gates and the Obama Administration TERMINATED THE PROJECT in favor of the F-35. Here is my response to a fraternity brother who wrote me in response to today's cuts. He stated he is happy that the money is going more towards the troops on the ground and not these flying overpriced techno-dream machines. To his credit he served heroically 18 months in iraq during the worst of the Shiite uprising. Please take the time to read it and tell me your thoughts on today's events.

______________________________

You are right right, our ground troops need a much higher focus going forward. But Gates has not given them that at the expense of the F-22. No he actually cut our battalions from a goal of 48 to 45 and shelved the badly needed Future Combat System that would give the ground guys "netcentric" 21st century technology. OH but he did increase Pentagon bureaucracy by a HUGE margin.

Why is the F-22 needed.

1.) Although 183 airframes seems like a lot, it is NOT. If we were to go to war tomorrow it would only leave a SUSTAINED force of about 30-40 jets that would be combat ready at any given time. The rest believe it or not are stuck in training, upgrades, depot, systems testing or tactics development. Each raptor carries 8 missiles, 6 of which (beyond visual range AIM-120Cs) would be used if everything goes RIGHT. If it does not the other 2 (AIM-9M) plus the 480rds of 20mm are for self defense. In other words after 6 shots the raptor runs. Further they usually volley 2 AIM-120Cs per target. That leaves a real world potential kill probability of 3 airframes per sortie against a serious threat. Raptors fight in divisions of 4 at a time so that is 12 enemy aircraft destroyed before they have to re-arm. This is NOT ENEOUGH CAPABILITY AGAINST THREATS SUCH AS CHINA OR EVEN LOWER TIER FOES WITH CRUISE MISSILES. Enemies will now know that all they have to do is saturate the Raptor to break through to our high value assets (AWACS, JSTARS, TANKERS, NETWORK RELAY AIRCRAFT, CARRIERS, GARRISONS ETC.) it simply is not enough capability for first day of war scenarios.

2.) The Raptor can do things the F-35 cannot. The F-35 can only carry 4 AIM-120s with no close in heaters like the AIM-9X (Infra Red homing and highly maneuverable). That means the F-35 can only kill 2 targets at beyond visual range with high probability of kill. Further only the USAF version of the F-35 will carry and internal gun for self defense close in.

3.) The Raptor can supercruise (obtain sustained supersonic speed without gas guzzling afterburner) the F-35 cannot. The F-35 is a heavy single engine aircraft that is not even as maneuverable as an F-16 in certain areas of the flight envelope. It has no thrust vectoring for super maneuverability and is not as stealthy nor stealthy in all aspects like the F-22. Simply it is not even close to a replacement for air superiority. They are apples and oranges.

4.) The F-15 is old, if we retain 173 "GOLDEN EAGLES" with the new Electronically Scanned Array Radars (APG-63V3) along with other upgrades it will only be ON PAR with the Suckhoi Su-27 derivatives that are being exported by Russia RIGHT NOW. The upgraded F-15s will rely on the F-22 using its supercomputer listening and targeting technology to forward targets to it to shoot beyond visual range. If you don’t have enough F-22s to maintain battlefield persistence then these upgraded Eagles will have a greater possibility of be destroyed.

5.) THE BIG ONE: WHY DO WE NEED THE F-35 IF WE HAVE ENOUGH RAPTORS????????

WE DONT. It is a handout to industry. If we had enough F-22s we could kick down the door of the enemy in the first hours of war, destroying all their aircraft in the air and on the ground as well as the enemy's air defense networks (yes the F-22 is a FANTASTIC bomber too when paired against modern integrated air defense systems). Instead of buying the F-35 we could buy new block F-16s and F/A-18E/Fs at HALF the cost of an F-35. Once air superiority is obtained, you don’t need stealth, you need reliable proven platforms to SUPPORT THE WARFIGHTER ON THE GROUND.

6.) The F-22 is a "known" weapon system. In other words it is PROVEN to be highly effective, flying today, in production and beating all the goals set out in its genesis. The F-35 has only flown 200 hours in a pre-production prototype configuration, yet the DoD and Lockheed have ALREADY put it into full production!!!! Its insane and unprecedented. The F-22 took 8 years of FLIGHT testing in this stage to be validated and reach initial operational capability. DoD has bypassed TESTING because we need it now and partner export countries need it yesterday. In reality the aircraft will be YEARS over schedule and we are throwing HUGE money away building an invalidated aircraft yet alone a vetted integrated weapons system. Remember the grounding of the F-15s last year leaving the US with its pants down do to cracks in the forward "longeron" structural booms? Well these types of flaws can now be tested for over years of evaluation. This is especially scary for the F-35 because they literally lightened up its structure dramatically so it could meet the weight qualification needed for the vertical takeoff version intended for the marines. The F-15 was originally OVER built in true McDonald Douglas fashion and after 30 years it experienced airframe ending cracks. The F-35 is under built from the get-go and UNTESTED and will need to last 30 years!!!! Good luck.

7.) The F-35 is a one size fits all airframe. The F-22 is a thoroughbred built to KILL ANYTHING. The F-35 is a compromise in every since of the word. I mean do you really think the Marines are going to keep such a fragile aircraft flying in dusty desert environment while keeping up the radar absorbent materials? Have you ever seen a deployed USMC AV-8B harrier? They DO NOT win the housekeeping seal of approval! NO WAY. PIPEDREAM. Its an overcomplicated solution for marines especially that will result in low availability rates and high costs.

8.) The F-35 is made to be exported to tens of allied nations like the F-16 was. We will order over 2500, the partner nations another 1000 or more. We don’t need this weapon system, but our industry does. So DoD, instead of buying enough raptors to gain full air supremacy while SAVING money buy purchasing rugged and cost effective F-16s, AV-8Bs, F/A-18E/Fs decides to purchase a high risk, over complicated one size fits all airframe in order to make Lockheed a little bit more wealthy and ensuring our weapons exports for the next couple of decades. In effect saying, SCREW THE WAR FIGHTER WHILE SLEEPING WITH THE BIGGEST OF ALL DEFENSE CONTRACTORS. Its stupid, expensive and a bad choice for America.

9.) As far as costs go, you site a flyaway cost of over 150million, you are right. But what you don’t mention is that the first HUNDREDS of F-35s will cost the US almost as much money for much less capability! Yes that’s right the F-35 will cost well over 125million for first decade of lots! Only after hundreds and hundreds have been built will cost come down to almost twice that of a well equipped F-16!!!!! This is NOT a cost effective piece of machinery. No, very much the opposite! It is a poster child for the DoD’s “capability creep” that is PARALYZING good weapon systems by making them too expensive to field in appropriate numbers.

10.) Does it really make sense to have a stealth techno marvel giving air support to grunts months after the aerial opposition has been dismantled? NO! Why pay the huge premium of an all stealth force when the Raptor, B-2, UCAVs, and cruise missiles can do the job more cost effectively? We need to go back to the classic Hi-lo mix of airframes. The high end to kick down the door, the low end to make sure the forward air controllers always have something with weapons ready to deliver above troops in contact’s heads.

In essence this is not an argument about redistributing funds from the air to the ground but what to BUY for the air! The answer is F-22s AND reliable, tried and trusted platforms that are cheap to build and operate. Instead, we have a one size fits all force for very NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL threat profiles which we face around the world. Its dangerous, near sighted, distracting, expensive, biased toward corporate America and not the war fighter and its just plane WRONG.

Remember you don’t need an F-22 until you really need an F-22!

My thoughts.

Ty

***NOTE: READ THROUH THIS BLOG, AN AMZING SERIES OF EVENTS THAT HAVE PRETTY MUCH COME TO PASS EXACTLY AS STATED.

The family BIS: The Bank for International Settlements is working with various other crime syndicates (central banks) to build digital financial networks and platforms along with technological tools to support a new era of international monetary cooperation in the digital money ecosystem.

I’m gonna make you a deal you can’t refuse. It’s not personal, it’s strictly business. The banker with the briefcase can steal more money than the man with a gun.

The future is a tokenized world. The tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) will enable the buying and selling of digital assets through blockchain technology. Blockchain is a digital ledger, a digital list of records, a digital database that records financial transactions in a business network. Most payment systems are designed for domestic use; therefore, Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) must be interlinked to a shared global platform. Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) must be combined with Fast Payment Systems (FPS) in order to calculate various exchange rates for real-time cross-border transactions. CBDCs will then be transferred via digital bridges between domestic platforms and transnational networks. This transnational blockchain network will act like an interbank foreign exchange.

There are two main forms of CBDCs: retail CBDCs and wholesale CBDCs. Retail CBDCs are used by the general public and wholesale CBDCs are used by the banking industry. Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures (PFMIs) will be the international standard for this distributed ledger wholesale interbank financial market infrastructure payment settlement system. Indeed, collaboration between global partners will push the boundaries of central bank innovation and efficiency.

“Give me control of a nation’s money and I care not who makes its laws.” The banking mafia will extort your money and assets. You’ll own nothing and be happy. You’ll be controlled by a Social Credit Score system. You’ll be given an allowance: Universal Basic Income (universal welfare/socialism). The mob will control you.

The Godfather will eventually consolidate the family business, creating a One World Digital Currency (OWDC) called the MARK. The Godfather’s symbol will be a number, and his number will be 666.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.”

(Reuters) – “The first human patient implanted with a brain-chip from Neuralink appears to have fully recovered and is able to control a computer mouse using their thoughts, the startup’s founder Elon Musk said late on Monday.” (One day they’ll be able to do this on an industrial scale: The Fourth Industrial Revolution).

Belgian postcard, no. 2. Publicity postcard by The Three Caballeros (Norman Ferguson, Clyde Geronimi, Jack Kinney, Bill Roberts, 1944). Caption: Panchito recounts his exploits to Joe Carioca and Donald Duck.

The Three Caballeros (Norman Ferguson, Clyde Geronimi, Jack Kinney, Bill Roberts, 1944) is an American animated musical film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It is the seventh animated feature in the Disney Animated Canon, as well as the first animated Disney film to be a sequel (to Saludos Amigos). The film also marked Donald Duck's 10th anniversary and is the first Walt Disney feature to combine animation with live-action footage.

The Three Caballeros plots an adventure through parts of Latin America, combining live-action and animation. It is the second of the Disney package films of the 1940s. The film is a series of self-contained segments, strung together by the device of Donald Duck opening birthday gifts from his Latin American friends. Several Latin American stars of the period appear, including singers Aurora Miranda (sister of Carmen Miranda) and Dora Luz, and dancer Carmen Molina. Throughout the film, the Aracuan Bird appears at random moments. He usually pesters everyone, sometimes stealing José's cigar. His most famous gag is when he re-routes the train by drawing new tracks. He later returns in Melody Time.

The Three Caballeros was produced as part of the studio's goodwill message for South America but is less obviously propagandistic than many of its wartime productions. The film again stars Donald Duck, who in the course of the film is joined by an old friend, José Carioca, the cigar-smoking parrot from Saludos Amigos, representing Brazil, and later makes a new friend in the persona of a pistol-packing rooster Panchito Pistoles, representing Mexico. The Three Caballeros received mixed reviews upon its original release. Most critics were relatively perplexed by the "technological razzle-dazzle" of the film, thinking that, in contrast to the previous feature films up to this time, "it displayed more flash than substance, more technique than artistry." Bosley Crowther wrote in The New York Times, "Dizzy Disney and his playmates have let their technical talents run wild." Today critics are more positive. Stephen Thomas Erlewine at AllMovie: "Filled with achingly funny jokes, good music, and stunning, ground-breaking animation, The Three Caballeros remains extremely entertaining decades after its release. It is one of Disney's unacknowledged classics." Calstanhope at IMDb: "The animation is very good and some of the music (especially the title song) is memorable. Watch it for what it is and enjoy!"

Sources: Stephen Thomas Erlewine (AllMovie), Disney Wiki, Wikipedia, and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Firearm was a notorious, technologically-advanced bounty hunter who continuously threatened the Hero Factory. Firearm is a mercenary more than capable of carrying out assignments but lacking in the ambition to mastermind his own agenda.

Shortly before the betrayal of Von Ness, Firearm came to operate exclusively out of the Delta Quadrant, gaining experience as a mercenary and branching out his services. For some time, Firearm established his headquarters along the edge of the Necron Expanse, a vast region of frontier space with no stars systems for 200 lightyears. Following the success of Hero Factory in the galactic neighborhood, Firearm was able to inflate his service charges exponentially, with bounty hunters coming in short supply.

Over the course of his career, Firearm has utilized a number of weapons and gadgets to carry out his assignments, initially starting with standard issue Meteor Blasters and later diversifying to carry heavily customized gear for each mission. Most prominently, he has been known to carry a modified Combat Rifle looted from a Makuhero Industries factory.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Firearm has been known to keep several extensive weapons and ammunition caches on planets around the Delta Quadrant, often containing launchers looted from Heroes or other criminals.

Straight out of the camera.

Contax T3 Kodak 400UC

sf/ca 2011

www.terrybarentsen.com

Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | North American P-51C, "Excalibur III":

On May 29, 1951, Capt. Charles F. Blair flew Excalibur III from Norway across the North Pole to Alaska in a record-setting 10½ hours. Using a system of carefully plotted "sun lines" he developed, Blair was able to navigate with precision where conventional magnetic compasses often failed. Four months earlier, he had flown Excalibur III from New York to London in less than 8 hours, breaking the existing mark by over an hour.

Excalibur III first belonged to famed aviator A. Paul Mantz, who added extra fuel tanks for long-distance racing to this standard P-51C fighter. With it Mantz won the 1946 and 1947 Bendix air race and set a transcontinental speed record in 1947 when the airplane was named Blaze of Noon. Blair purchased it from Mantz in 1949 and renamed it Excalibur III, after the Sikorsky VS-44 flying boat he flew for American Export Airlines.

Gift of Pan American World Airways

Manufacturer:

North American Aircraft Company

Date:

1944

Country of Origin:

United States of America

Dimensions:

Wingspan: 11.3 m (37 ft)

Length: 9.8 m (32 ft 3 in)

Height: 3.9 m (12 ft 10 in)

Weight, empty: 4,445 kg (9,800 lb)

Weight, gross: 5,052 kg (11,800 lb)

Top speed: 700 km/h (435 mph)

Materials:

Overall: Aluminum

Physical Description:

Single seat, single engine, low wing monoplane, World War II fighter modified for racing.

• • • • •

Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Boeing 367-80 Jet Transport:

On July 15, 1954, a graceful, swept-winged aircraft, bedecked in brown and yellow paint and powered by four revolutionary new engines first took to the sky above Seattle. Built by the Boeing Aircraft Company, the 367-80, better known as the Dash 80, would come to revolutionize commercial air transportation when its developed version entered service as the famous Boeing 707, America's first jet airliner.

In the early 1950s, Boeing had begun to study the possibility of creating a jet-powered military transport and tanker to complement the new generation of Boeing jet bombers entering service with the U.S. Air Force. When the Air Force showed no interest, Boeing invested $16 million of its own capital to build a prototype jet transport in a daring gamble that the airlines and the Air Force would buy it once the aircraft had flown and proven itself. As Boeing had done with the B-17, it risked the company on one roll of the dice and won.

Boeing engineers had initially based the jet transport on studies of improved designs of the Model 367, better known to the public as the C-97 piston-engined transport and aerial tanker. By the time Boeing progressed to the 80th iteration, the design bore no resemblance to the C-97 but, for security reasons, Boeing decided to let the jet project be known as the 367-80.

Work proceeded quickly after the formal start of the project on May 20, 1952. The 367-80 mated a large cabin based on the dimensions of the C-97 with the 35-degree swept-wing design based on the wings of the B-47 and B-52 but considerably stiffer and incorporating a pronounced dihedral. The wings were mounted low on the fuselage and incorporated high-speed and low-speed ailerons as well as a sophisticated flap and spoiler system. Four Pratt & Whitney JT3 turbojet engines, each producing 10,000 pounds of thrust, were mounted on struts beneath the wings.

Upon the Dash 80's first flight on July 15, 1954, (the 34th anniversary of the founding of the Boeing Company) Boeing clearly had a winner. Flying 100 miles per hour faster than the de Havilland Comet and significantly larger, the new Boeing had a maximum range of more than 3,500 miles. As hoped, the Air Force bought 29 examples of the design as a tanker/transport after they convinced Boeing to widen the design by 12 inches. Satisfied, the Air Force designated it the KC-135A. A total of 732 KC-135s were built.

Quickly Boeing turned its attention to selling the airline industry on this new jet transport. Clearly the industry was impressed with the capabilities of the prototype 707 but never more so than at the Gold Cup hydroplane races held on Lake Washington in Seattle, in August 1955. During the festivities surrounding this event, Boeing had gathered many airline representatives to enjoy the competition and witness a fly past of the new Dash 80. To the audience's intense delight and Boeing's profound shock, test pilot Alvin "Tex" Johnston barrel-rolled the Dash 80 over the lake in full view of thousands of astonished spectators. Johnston vividly displayed the superior strength and performance of this new jet, readily convincing the airline industry to buy this new airliner.

In searching for a market, Boeing found a ready customer in Pan American Airway's president Juan Trippe. Trippe had been spending much of his time searching for a suitable jet airliner to enable his pioneering company to maintain its leadership in international air travel. Working with Boeing, Trippe overcame Boeing's resistance to widening the Dash-80 design, now known as the 707, to seat six passengers in each seat row rather than five. Trippe did so by placing an order with Boeing for 20 707s but also ordering 25 of Douglas's competing DC-8, which had yet to fly but could accommodate six-abreast seating. At Pan Am's insistence, the 707 was made four inches wider than the Dash 80 so that it could carry 160 passengers six-abreast. The wider fuselage developed for the 707 became the standard design for all of Boeing's subsequent narrow-body airliners.

Although the British de Havilland D.H. 106 Comet and the Soviet Tupolev Tu-104 entered service earlier, the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 were bigger, faster, had greater range, and were more profitable to fly. In October 1958 Pan American ushered the jet age into the United States when it opened international service with the Boeing 707 in October 1958. National Airlines inaugurated domestic jet service two months later using a 707-120 borrowed from Pan Am. American Airlines flew the first domestic 707 jet service with its own aircraft in January 1959. American set a new speed mark when it opened the first regularly-scheduled transcontinental jet service in 1959. Subsequent nonstop flights between New York and San Francisco took only 5 hours - 3 hours less than by the piston-engine DC-7. The one-way fare, including a $10 surcharge for jet service, was $115.50, or $231 round trip. The flight was almost 40 percent faster and almost 25 percent cheaper than flying by piston-engine airliners. The consequent surge of traffic demand was substantial.

The 707 was originally designed for transcontinental or one-stop transatlantic range. But modified with extra fuel tanks and more efficient turbofan engines, the 707-300 Intercontinental series aircraft could fly nonstop across the Atlantic with full payload under any conditions. Boeing built 855 707s, of which 725 were bought by airlines worldwide.

Having launched the Boeing Company into the commercial jet age, the Dash 80 soldiered on as a highly successful experimental aircraft. Until its retirement in 1972, the Dash 80 tested numerous advanced systems, many of which were incorporated into later generations of jet transports. At one point, the Dash 80 carried three different engine types in its four nacelles. Serving as a test bed for the new 727, the Dash 80 was briefly equipped with a fifth engine mounted on the rear fuselage. Engineers also modified the wing in planform and contour to study the effects of different airfoil shapes. Numerous flap configurations were also fitted including a highly sophisticated system of "blown" flaps which redirected engine exhaust over the flaps to increase lift at low speeds. Fin height and horizontal stabilizer width was later increased and at one point, a special multiple wheel low pressure landing gear was fitted to test the feasibility of operating future heavy military transports from unprepared landing fields.

After a long and distinguished career, the Boeing 367-80 was finally retired and donated to the Smithsonian in 1972. At present, the aircraft is installated at the National Air and Space Museum's new facility at Washington Dulles International Airport.

Gift of the Boeing Company

Manufacturer:

Boeing Aircraft Co.

Date:

1954

Country of Origin:

United States of America

Dimensions:

Height 19' 2": Length 73' 10": Wing Span 129' 8": Weight 33,279 lbs.

Physical Description:

Prototype Boeing 707; yellow and brown.

• • • • •

Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Concorde, Fox Alpha, Air France:

The first supersonic airliner to enter service, the Concorde flew thousands of passengers across the Atlantic at twice the speed of sound for over 25 years. Designed and built by Aérospatiale of France and the British Aviation Corporation, the graceful Concorde was a stunning technological achievement that could not overcome serious economic problems.

In 1976 Air France and British Airways jointly inaugurated Concorde service to destinations around the globe. Carrying up to 100 passengers in great comfort, the Concorde catered to first class passengers for whom speed was critical. It could cross the Atlantic in fewer than four hours - half the time of a conventional jet airliner. However its high operating costs resulted in very high fares that limited the number of passengers who could afford to fly it. These problems and a shrinking market eventually forced the reduction of service until all Concordes were retired in 2003.

In 1989, Air France signed a letter of agreement to donate a Concorde to the National Air and Space Museum upon the aircraft's retirement. On June 12, 2003, Air France honored that agreement, donating Concorde F-BVFA to the Museum upon the completion of its last flight. This aircraft was the first Air France Concorde to open service to Rio de Janeiro, Washington, D.C., and New York and had flown 17,824 hours.

Gift of Air France.

Manufacturer:

Societe Nationale Industrielle Aerospatiale

British Aircraft Corporation

Dimensions:

Wingspan: 25.56 m (83 ft 10 in)

Length: 61.66 m (202 ft 3 in)

Height: 11.3 m (37 ft 1 in)

Weight, empty: 79,265 kg (174,750 lb)

Weight, gross: 181,435 kg (400,000 lb)

Top speed: 2,179 km/h (1350 mph)

Engine: Four Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593 Mk 602, 17,259 kg (38,050 lb) thrust each

Manufacturer: Société Nationale Industrielle Aérospatiale, Paris, France, and British Aircraft Corporation, London, United Kingdom

Physical Description:

Aircaft Serial Number: 205. Including four (4) engines, bearing respectively the serial number: CBE066, CBE062, CBE086 and CBE085.

Also included, aircraft plaque: "AIR FRANCE Lorsque viendra le jour d'exposer Concorde dans un musee, la Smithsonian Institution a dores et deja choisi, pour le Musee de l'Air et de l'Espace de Washington, un appariel portant le couleurs d'Air France."

Photo:Fpurkhalter, modèle:Leeloo Wayne, Design/Retouche:Montage:AXIA Agence de communication (Stéphane Benedetti)

The technological magic of opening a car door without fumbling for my key which is always at the bottom of my bag.

43/52 in 2022 challenge: technological

Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong

Las zonas de aguas profundas o de geología compleja son lugares en los que se localizan hidrocarburos y a los que se puede acceder en la actualidad gracias a la innovación tecnológica y a las nuevas técnicas de Exploración y Producción.

Más info en:

www.repsol.com/es_es/corporacion/conocer-repsol/nuestra-a...

Complex areas of deepwater geology are places where certain hydrocarbons are accessible today thanks to technological innovation and the new techniques of exploration and production.

More info on :

www.repsol.com/es_es/corporacion/conocer-repsol/nuestra-a ...

Here lies Auguste Henri Bouillaud, buried as a hero in a military cemetery in north eastern France.

Bouillaud gave his life in defence of his country some 104 years ago, during World War One, so let us now examine his sacrifice in the context of ‘the war to end all wars.’ (www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFuOFTp9zeE)

Press commentary on France’s 1914 war aims (encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/war_aims_and_wa...).) was banned, with all energies directed to keeping the population onside for the “the war of justice and lawfare.”

This largely centred on securing national borders against the Prussian threat and recovering Alsace-Lorraine, a resonant theme after decades of turbulence on the eastern frontier.

The appeal to national survival and salvation through the defeat of a feared enemy, was useful in neutralising any further examination of how a successful outcome to the war could advance France’s colonial ambitions, its wish to access greater supplies of raw materials and its desire for a new European order.

France’s war aims evolved over the course of the global conflict. After Russia was convulsed by revolution and civil war, the country’s political class came out in support of “democracy as a condition for peace.”

‘Make war to make democracy’ has become a familiar refrain ever since, as the invasion of Iraq (www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc7xA2veD4Y) and the “liberation” of Grenada (www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfLGDxnRH-Q) amply demonstrate.

These examples of statecraft reveal the ease with which our masters turn ploughshares into swords on the basis that more killing keeps us safer (www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM0H-x5BRB4).

In the post-Vietnam era of volunteer armies and mercenaries employed by military contractors, lethal violence and war-making have never been easier, nor more politically-expedient.

Moreover, the ‘war business’ is now backed by five centuries of detailed experience showing just how conflict boosts Western economies.

The endless struggles of early modern Europe forced the contesting nations to strengthen their revenue structures and armaments industries. This finance, technology and arms race gave them a decisive advantage in later wars against peoples in Asia, Africa and the ‘New World.’

Europe’s dominion over the globe was the result of superior weaponry, critical advances in science and medicine and technological improvements harnessed to capitalist enterprise.

Communism was pushed into the dustbin of history in part because the Russians were broken by the costs of keeping pace with the American military-industrial project.

The demise of Communism encouraged real hope that the pre-eminence of the Western war-economy would go the same way.

How foolish this has proved to be.

The Cold War struggle between democratic states and the Communist bloc has morphed easily into a ‘Clash Of Civilisations’ confrontation with political Islam, with its roots (www.youtube.com/watch?v=84P4dzow1Bw) in the rise of Israel, the Suez crisis and the fall of the Iranian Shah.

Jihadists, near and far, are an ever-present threat to our open societies (www.politico.eu/article/europe-hasnt-won-the-war-on-terror/).

Predictably, the latest vile terrorist outrage in France at the Notre Dame Basilica in Nice (www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8894929/Pictured-Terrori...) paved the way for a slew of news articles and media commentary discussing the place of Muslims in the country (www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/world/europe/france-terror-att...).

This narrative (www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyjamZvjuUQ) is the near automatic response of the commentariat to terrorism.

How unfavourably this compares to the media reaction (www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LKY75PA-dE) to the United Kingdom’s 30 year battle against the Irish Republican Army (www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZEtm_u1GMY).

In spite of strong incentives, neither the British government, nor the national media declared that ‘The Troubles’ were the product of ‘political Catholicism.’

Instead, they persisted, in public at least, with the view that the IRA was a criminal conspiracy that could be defeated by closing-off the gunmens’ money supply and through the maintenance of political resolve, steadfast police work and the intelligence service’s comprehensive penetration of terrorist networks.

Of course, political negotiations between the British and Irish governments and Sinn Fein representatives remained ‘off camera’ but by the time of the Good Friday Agreement, the IRA had come to the conclusion that it was thoroughly compromised (www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xtayc3VxWw) and could not win and so peace was made.

Could this ‘M3P’ recipe of money, politics, police work and penetration help us to defeat the armed zealots who hide behind their religious texts and cause mayhem?

Do human rights-based societies have any other choice?

Classic Motorshow, Bremen

Not only a very rare Porsche 959, but one of the original prototypes Porsche used for development testing of the components that would be fitted to these technological marvels. The ad below can tell you the specific history of this prototype so I won’t regurgitate that here, but the short version is that this prototype was involved in ABS and tire testing at the high-speed ring in Nardo, Italy. Once 959 production was completed and the prototype was retired from testing service it was returned to the Porsche factory for a full refurbishment before making its way to its first private owner. Its ownership history appears to be fully documented, with much of that history spent in collections in Japan, prior to its current availability. The 959, of course, is one of Porsche’s most historic cars, most famously for the way in which it challenged the Ferrari F40 for supercar supremacy in its day. The two car makers took very different approaches to their supercars with Porsche following its generally tack of combining the best of luxury, technology, and performance in a single package while the F40 stripped out seemingly everything to offer the purest driving expression Ferrari could manage in a road car. While never really the prettiest of machines, the 959 served as a testament to Porsche’s engineering capabilities and provided a testing bed for many features that would make their way to the 911 over the years that followed. The 959 prototypes, like the one seen here, were built off of the 930 chassis and used in a variety of development settings. Reportedly 29 total were built and it is believed that 10 have survived.

Text from the ad:

This is the most advanced road Porsche ever built and one of the most impressive in the automotive history. « Porsche engineers were given a goal and set free, the 959 put Porsche on the map when it came to innovative automotive technology. There were 934s and 935s, and even the 956/962, but to put it all together in a street car was unheard of. It was a major factor in moving Porsche’s racing prowess from the track to the street. ». How come a better explanation from the 959’s genesis could be ? This is the one from Dieter Landenberger, the head of Porsche historical archives.

In 1981 there was a big change at the head of Porsche with the replacement from Ernst Fuhrmann by Peter Schultz, a new direction and strategy were given then. Fuhrmann in the mid 70s thought the 911 was going to an end and stopped its development to focus on the front engined cars ( 924/928/944 ) but Schultz thought very different. In 1981 he gave the green light to work on the project of a « Super » 911 with the aim of building a Group B racing version complying with the all-new FIA regulations. The car was designed and built at the Porsche Motorsport department at Weissach and a prototype called « Gruppe B » shown at the 1983 Frankfurt show. It was an immense success with its amazing specifications and design, many though this could never be turned into a road car. It took another two years of development and testings to have the production car ready and to list a few of the « world premieres » it had : four wheels drive, ABS 4 channels, twin turbos, tyre pressure monitoring, adjustable torque balance front/rear from 20 to 80%, 17 inches wheels, adjustable ride height, 6 speeds gearbox and so on. The 959 was so advanced technologically that it immediately sat new standards in terms of performance and drivability. The production car launched in 1986 had 450 HP and 317km/h as top speed and ran the standing km in only 21,7 sec, beating the 288 GTO by 2secs. Porsche always have the habit of validating a new technology via Motorosport and in 1986, Jacky Icks won the Paris – Dakar race and René Metge / Claude Ballot Léna won their class at Le Mans and finished 7th OA with race prepared 959s, which other car did it ? The fabulous 959 is the first step and rolling laboratory of the 911’s rebirth. According to Porsche only 292 of them were built ( as per comparaison Ferrari built 1311 F40s ) and all sold on pre order. This is one of the rarest Porsche ever built and probably the most charismatic of their road cars.

This is a quite a unique opportunity in a dealer career to offer a Porsche factory prototype, considering they normally don’t come to the market, being destroyed or keep at the museum. This mind boggling 959, chassis number WPOZZZ93ZFS010067 was built in 1985, given the internal code « V1KOM » and registered BB-PW481. In 1985 Helmutt Bott ( head of the 959 development ) has taken 29 930 chassis from the Porsche factory to turn them in Weissach ( Porsche Motorsport dept ) into the 959 Pre-production prototypes and these were called « F,N or V ». These 29 prototypes were the latest ones and used for media coverage, crash tests and road tests. This car is one of the the 7 « V – Series » which were assigned to the road tests, this particular one was used for ABS and tyre development. Unfortunately most of the 29 Prototypes were destroyed and scrapped at the end of the 959 program.

« 10067 » is one of the 4 959 prototypes survivor and one of the only two road going ones. Interestingly enough, the first owner was Professor Tachio Saito, who happened to be a close friend of Ferry Porsche. He noticed chassis 10067 during a visit to the factory whilst translating a book that Dr Porsche had written (Helmut Bott’s personal 959 was the preceding chassis, number 10066). As the founder of the Porsche Owners’ Club of Japan, as well as its first president, Professor Saito was more than qualified as one of Porsche’s preferred customers. A copy of factory correspondence, dated 4 December 1989 and addressed to Saito, refers to certain tasks to be undertaken by the factory prior to his acquisition of this prototype. The letter was written by Herr Willrett, believed to be Elmar Willrett, who was a Porsche engineer who was deeply involved in the development of both the 935 and 935 racing engines and who worked under Rolf Sprenger in the « Sonderwisches » (Special Wishes) Program. The document suggests that this car was to be prepared for display purposes, with functional brakes and steering. Once an agreement was settled, Porsche A.G. completed the restoration of the car, and after 16 months, Professor Saito took delivery of his prototype 959.

The professor maintained the 959 for only a short period of time, until noted collector Hideyasu Ohba, of Tokyo, Japan, acquired it for his collection of historic Porsches. In 2000, Mr Ohba sold this car to Minoru Miura, of Chiba, Japan. In 2006, still in Japan, the 959 was then acquired by Mr Shigeru from the Miura Collection. The car went to another 2 hands before coming up to the market via Art & Revs.

Being an original Protoype, this car comes with its pre-production magnesium wheels, « Denloc » Dunlop tires, brakes and some lightweight panels. All the production 959s were delivered with Bridgestone RE71 tires, the Dunlops were not retained though they incorporated a world premiere with a kind of « Run Flat » technology. The car is now only 400km and can only be described as being in new condition. It is fully working and was the subject to a recent overhaul and driven for 5 km.

Porsche factory no longer releases any Prototype to the public, this is a unique opportunity to acquire one.

Taken at the Mineral Museum at Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan.

for july 26th 2011, sooc. a little behind again.... woopppsss. this is my film camera, it's getting a lot of usage seeing as my t3i is with canon (:

my 365 project

Classic Motorshow, Bremen

Not only a very rare Porsche 959, but one of the original prototypes Porsche used for development testing of the components that would be fitted to these technological marvels. The ad below can tell you the specific history of this prototype so I won’t regurgitate that here, but the short version is that this prototype was involved in ABS and tire testing at the high-speed ring in Nardo, Italy. Once 959 production was completed and the prototype was retired from testing service it was returned to the Porsche factory for a full refurbishment before making its way to its first private owner. Its ownership history appears to be fully documented, with much of that history spent in collections in Japan, prior to its current availability. The 959, of course, is one of Porsche’s most historic cars, most famously for the way in which it challenged the Ferrari F40 for supercar supremacy in its day. The two car makers took very different approaches to their supercars with Porsche following its generally tack of combining the best of luxury, technology, and performance in a single package while the F40 stripped out seemingly everything to offer the purest driving expression Ferrari could manage in a road car. While never really the prettiest of machines, the 959 served as a testament to Porsche’s engineering capabilities and provided a testing bed for many features that would make their way to the 911 over the years that followed. The 959 prototypes, like the one seen here, were built off of the 930 chassis and used in a variety of development settings. Reportedly 29 total were built and it is believed that 10 have survived.

Text from the ad:

This is the most advanced road Porsche ever built and one of the most impressive in the automotive history. « Porsche engineers were given a goal and set free, the 959 put Porsche on the map when it came to innovative automotive technology. There were 934s and 935s, and even the 956/962, but to put it all together in a street car was unheard of. It was a major factor in moving Porsche’s racing prowess from the track to the street. ». How come a better explanation from the 959’s genesis could be ? This is the one from Dieter Landenberger, the head of Porsche historical archives.

In 1981 there was a big change at the head of Porsche with the replacement from Ernst Fuhrmann by Peter Schultz, a new direction and strategy were given then. Fuhrmann in the mid 70s thought the 911 was going to an end and stopped its development to focus on the front engined cars ( 924/928/944 ) but Schultz thought very different. In 1981 he gave the green light to work on the project of a « Super » 911 with the aim of building a Group B racing version complying with the all-new FIA regulations. The car was designed and built at the Porsche Motorsport department at Weissach and a prototype called « Gruppe B » shown at the 1983 Frankfurt show. It was an immense success with its amazing specifications and design, many though this could never be turned into a road car. It took another two years of development and testings to have the production car ready and to list a few of the « world premieres » it had : four wheels drive, ABS 4 channels, twin turbos, tyre pressure monitoring, adjustable torque balance front/rear from 20 to 80%, 17 inches wheels, adjustable ride height, 6 speeds gearbox and so on. The 959 was so advanced technologically that it immediately sat new standards in terms of performance and drivability. The production car launched in 1986 had 450 HP and 317km/h as top speed and ran the standing km in only 21,7 sec, beating the 288 GTO by 2secs. Porsche always have the habit of validating a new technology via Motorosport and in 1986, Jacky Icks won the Paris – Dakar race and René Metge / Claude Ballot Léna won their class at Le Mans and finished 7th OA with race prepared 959s, which other car did it ? The fabulous 959 is the first step and rolling laboratory of the 911’s rebirth. According to Porsche only 292 of them were built ( as per comparaison Ferrari built 1311 F40s ) and all sold on pre order. This is one of the rarest Porsche ever built and probably the most charismatic of their road cars.

This is a quite a unique opportunity in a dealer career to offer a Porsche factory prototype, considering they normally don’t come to the market, being destroyed or keep at the museum. This mind boggling 959, chassis number WPOZZZ93ZFS010067 was built in 1985, given the internal code « V1KOM » and registered BB-PW481. In 1985 Helmutt Bott ( head of the 959 development ) has taken 29 930 chassis from the Porsche factory to turn them in Weissach ( Porsche Motorsport dept ) into the 959 Pre-production prototypes and these were called « F,N or V ». These 29 prototypes were the latest ones and used for media coverage, crash tests and road tests. This car is one of the the 7 « V – Series » which were assigned to the road tests, this particular one was used for ABS and tyre development. Unfortunately most of the 29 Prototypes were destroyed and scrapped at the end of the 959 program.

« 10067 » is one of the 4 959 prototypes survivor and one of the only two road going ones. Interestingly enough, the first owner was Professor Tachio Saito, who happened to be a close friend of Ferry Porsche. He noticed chassis 10067 during a visit to the factory whilst translating a book that Dr Porsche had written (Helmut Bott’s personal 959 was the preceding chassis, number 10066). As the founder of the Porsche Owners’ Club of Japan, as well as its first president, Professor Saito was more than qualified as one of Porsche’s preferred customers. A copy of factory correspondence, dated 4 December 1989 and addressed to Saito, refers to certain tasks to be undertaken by the factory prior to his acquisition of this prototype. The letter was written by Herr Willrett, believed to be Elmar Willrett, who was a Porsche engineer who was deeply involved in the development of both the 935 and 935 racing engines and who worked under Rolf Sprenger in the « Sonderwisches » (Special Wishes) Program. The document suggests that this car was to be prepared for display purposes, with functional brakes and steering. Once an agreement was settled, Porsche A.G. completed the restoration of the car, and after 16 months, Professor Saito took delivery of his prototype 959.

The professor maintained the 959 for only a short period of time, until noted collector Hideyasu Ohba, of Tokyo, Japan, acquired it for his collection of historic Porsches. In 2000, Mr Ohba sold this car to Minoru Miura, of Chiba, Japan. In 2006, still in Japan, the 959 was then acquired by Mr Shigeru from the Miura Collection. The car went to another 2 hands before coming up to the market via Art & Revs.

Being an original Protoype, this car comes with its pre-production magnesium wheels, « Denloc » Dunlop tires, brakes and some lightweight panels. All the production 959s were delivered with Bridgestone RE71 tires, the Dunlops were not retained though they incorporated a world premiere with a kind of « Run Flat » technology. The car is now only 400km and can only be described as being in new condition. It is fully working and was the subject to a recent overhaul and driven for 5 km.

Porsche factory no longer releases any Prototype to the public, this is a unique opportunity to acquire one.

DDC-Technological Dog!

Poetography-Dog

I had to use this photo and quote because with Shizandra it isn't true! She is very aware of the camera. Whenever I set her up for a photo she goes into her "pose mode!" She is so aware of what's going on around her. So perhaps Border Collies are the exception to this rule? She posed for me with my Fuji X-30. She got a cookie too!

for show in L.A. at Junc. This is connected to part two but it's 11x17 so both sides had to be scanned separately.

The then J16 was a brand new top of the line fighter when it was introduced into the Norwistanische Heeresflieger by late 1939, but as the following years saw massive technological improvements, it's now mostly used with reserve sqaudrons in a ground support role.

Not sure if I'll go with Norwistan again in D&Q 10, but since I havn't decied yet the plane carries its insignia for the time being.

Video footage of the TSSAA 5A State Championship game was shot throughout the evening by an older gentleman sitting near the top of the stands on the Farragut Admirals side of the field. I imagine he had a son or grandson playing for the Admirals who eventually came from behind to beat the Independence Eagles for a 5A State Title.

This image was focused directly on the screen of the video camera with a shallow enough depth of field to have a defocused background where the actual game was taking place.

Technical Information:

Camera - Nikon D7200 (handheld)

Lens – Nikkor 18-300mm Zoom

ISO – 2000

Aperture – f/8

Exposure – 1/60 second

Focal Length – 100mm

The original RAW file was processed with Adobe Camera Raw and final adjustments were made with Photoshop CS6.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Concorde, Fox Alpha, Air France:

The first supersonic airliner to enter service, the Concorde flew thousands of passengers across the Atlantic at twice the speed of sound for over 25 years. Designed and built by Aérospatiale of France and the British Aviation Corporation, the graceful Concorde was a stunning technological achievement that could not overcome serious economic problems.

In 1976 Air France and British Airways jointly inaugurated Concorde service to destinations around the globe. Carrying up to 100 passengers in great comfort, the Concorde catered to first class passengers for whom speed was critical. It could cross the Atlantic in fewer than four hours - half the time of a conventional jet airliner. However its high operating costs resulted in very high fares that limited the number of passengers who could afford to fly it. These problems and a shrinking market eventually forced the reduction of service until all Concordes were retired in 2003.

In 1989, Air France signed a letter of agreement to donate a Concorde to the National Air and Space Museum upon the aircraft's retirement. On June 12, 2003, Air France honored that agreement, donating Concorde F-BVFA to the Museum upon the completion of its last flight. This aircraft was the first Air France Concorde to open service to Rio de Janeiro, Washington, D.C., and New York and had flown 17,824 hours.

Gift of Air France.

Manufacturer:

Societe Nationale Industrielle Aerospatiale

British Aircraft Corporation

Dimensions:

Wingspan: 25.56 m (83 ft 10 in)

Length: 61.66 m (202 ft 3 in)

Height: 11.3 m (37 ft 1 in)

Weight, empty: 79,265 kg (174,750 lb)

Weight, gross: 181,435 kg (400,000 lb)

Top speed: 2,179 km/h (1350 mph)

Engine: Four Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593 Mk 602, 17,259 kg (38,050 lb) thrust each

Manufacturer: Société Nationale Industrielle Aérospatiale, Paris, France, and British Aircraft Corporation, London, United Kingdom

Physical Description:

Aircaft Serial Number: 205. Including four (4) engines, bearing respectively the serial number: CBE066, CBE062, CBE086 and CBE085.

Also included, aircraft plaque: "AIR FRANCE Lorsque viendra le jour d'exposer Concorde dans un musee, la Smithsonian Institution a dores et deja choisi, pour le Musee de l'Air et de l'Espace de Washington, un appariel portant le couleurs d'Air France."

Ancient prophets, Isaiah, Mohammed, Ezekiel, Moses, Saul (Paul) and Jesus were ‘ascended’ into craft, to later suffer psychological distress, having met “God, or the Devil and His Angels”. Ancient alien abductions recorded in the Old Testament, reflect ontological shock after superior beings with miraculous technology identified themselves as,”God”, worshipped by Hebrews who called the skies above, ‘Heaven’ Their technology still looks like magic to us, 5000 years after the Old Testament’s documented encounters with this,”God”. Modern abductees report that during their abductions onboard craft, they often see a frightening alien race. These beings radiate rage and hatred, and appear to be overlords of the many alien races who frequent the crossroads of Earth for salvage, and to abduct humans and these beings command and pilot UFOs. Small greys, who act in unison like robots, are work beings, designed and created and labeled,’synthetic work beings’. There are similar descriptions of these overlords: Muscular, winged, sentient, highly technological, upright standing to seven or eight feet tall, scaled reptilian beings, with webbing between their claws, who have yellow/red cat-like eyes, upright saurian ‘monitor lizards’, Mothmen, alien reptilians who looked upon us, as we fancied veal. That may completely explain the ‘God-ordered’ Kosher dietary laws; strictly control what human animals eat,( as we do with snails and Omaha beef) and you will make them more tasteful as an edible. At Bud Hopkins’ house, during Saturday evening meetings, I learned that abductees had also somehow gleaned what reptoids regular diets consisted of: human young. It was a chilling story I was to hear repeatedly, echoed elsewhere, like Rod Serling’s “Twilight Zone” episode,”To Serve Man”, where our importance as a race in the Universe is that of a mere condiment. It reframed correctly, the true modus operandi behind this particular alien type and its ancient and continuing interaction/visitations with mankind. We were NOT the top of the food chain! Reading the O.T. Bible, again with alien-fresh eyes, even a non abductee can discern the elusive and controlling reptilian silhouette. Statue carvings of reptilians display the Mayan ‘God’ and Egyptian ‘God’ who created other similar “chosen people” sacrificial religions. This reptilian ‘God’, seated within a comparable “Holy of Holies”, in ancient Central America, was the centerpiece of power and evil, poised to eat and relish the Mayan God’s favorite dish, that of still beating human hearts.

This ‘God’ is the self-same demanding, controlling, punishing UFO ‘Heavenly’ “God” who insisted and demanded to the Hebrews that by ‘law’, much sacrificial blood be splashed on all four corners of His Altar.In the Garden of Eden tale, are clear reptilian fingerprints; alien advanced technological surgery (Adam put to sleep and a ‘rib’ removed for cloning and genetic manipulation) created a human-alien hybrid, the status of modern man and modern woman. Reptilians. horrid creatures. are completely in command of other alien subservient beings, aboard UFO craft and starships. Some wrongly and whimsically surmised about “God”, that pigs wrote the Bible, as half the world’s two major religions forbade the eating of swine… It is laughable, to us, today, that ancient human cultures throughout the ancient world wrongly mistook highly technological beings, who landed in craft, from the skies, as “God”, but the Mayans and Israelites were clearly and purposefully duped, by these beings. The impersonation, masquerade of ancient aliens as, “God”, helmeted and duped the world in the Old Testament .. God, our true spiritual father, is much too imbued within us, and within everything all around us, to be so easily discerned.

Religion, instead, is the bane.Gandhi said : ” I very much like your Christ , but not at all, your Christians”. There is a human unconscious remnant distant memory, of looking up, towards the stars for ‘God’. Earth, is the only planet, not named for a ‘God’. But God had nothing to do with an alien machine.

A closer look at the Ark of the Covenant, is more illuminating and revealing towards this realization of non-divine origins of the Old Testament; it was an object that breached the physical world of the Jews and the unseen paranormal world of the demanding “God” who had suddenly burst upon the scene.

Biblical evidence exists that the Ark of the Covenant was structurally designed as superior technology, acting as an alien transmitter-capacitor as well as a alien weapon.

The Ark, lethal when touched, was used to communicate with alien entities who masqueraded as “God”, who insisted a contrivance to be built, which would carry ‘God’s voice’, and aid Israelites when it was carried into battles: “And they shall make an Ark of shittim wood, two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. ‘And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold around and all about.” One of the Gold plates was positively charged and one was negatively charged and together they formed the condenser.

If one of the cherubim’s positioned above the Mercy Seat acted as a magnet, then one has the rudimentary requirements of a two way communication set. The ‘Lord’, this “God”, even detailed what clothing should be worn when consulting “God” through this Ark device, so that no interference would be encountered and to limit the risk of electrocution. This discussion shall follow, shortly. Further proof of the Ark’s innate communication function can be found in the First Book Of Samuel, Chapter 3:3, when the Ark directly speaks to Samuel: “And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the Ark of God was, and Samuel was laid to sleep. ‘That the Lord called Samuel, and he answered here am I. ‘And he ran unto Eli, and said here am I, for thou calledst me. And he said. I called not, lie down again. And he went and lay down”. This repeated itself on two more occasions and eventually Eli realized that the Lord was speaking to Samuel via the Ark, which he then told to Samuel, and on the fourth occasion Samuel was able to converse with the “Lord”, directly THROUGH this contrivance.The only persons in the house at the time were Eli and Samuel, and it is quite blatant that it was indeed the Ark which ‘spoke’ to Samuel.

This Ark , clearly an alien technological invention, beyond ancient man’s technological understanding, seems a most unseemly ‘tool’ for our true, good and all powerful, God of the Universe, who communicates through angels, coincidences and signs, dreams, infused insights, inspiration and telepathy.

The True spirit God does not need such mechanical contrivances and HE, is down a long hall and somewhere else, than in that “Book” that pretends to delineate and define God. This machine/ weapon technological artifice was an alien designed three-in-one communication device set, religious receptacle and weapon of mass destruction. The Ark had these three uses; at all times of communication with ‘God’ and at all times of great battles, the Ark was invariably present. Unfortunately, not everyone had the same opinion of the Ark as lethally divine in intent. David decided for safety’s sake, to ‘steal away with it’, with Uzzah’s help, with tragic consequences as retold in the second book of Samuel, Chapter 6: “And when they came to Nachons threshing-floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the Ark of God, and took hold of it, for the oxen shook it. ‘And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote him there for his error, and there he died by the Ark of God.” Quite clearly the Ark , carrying a massive electrical charge, killed Uzzah on the spot when he touched it. Theologians mince words. Why didn’t “the God of the Universe”, kill Uzzah for attempting to sequester the Ark at the outset; why did He have to wait until the Ark was actually touched? Because, to theologians, ‘God’, accurately described in the Hebrew Old Testament, was a crafty, manipulative, and completely masquerading alien. Regard this startling photo of a Sumerian ‘God’, worshipped and obeyed 7000 years before Abraham, Isaac and Moses, with much the same sacrificial orders.ood technology always looks just like magic to a primitive.Consider the WWII “Cargo Cults” that developed in the South Pacific when native islanders took our pilots and airmen for “Gods from the Sky.”When the war ended, these primitive peoples sought to incite the return of the “Sky Gods” by making facsimile airplane out of palm trees and fronds.

This Ark ‘contrivance’, from the UFO document of the Old Testament, reveals more about this ancient,’God’ who used the Ark as an alien technological tool to conduct this masquerade.Insights about this ‘God Machine’ reveal the reptilian alien fingerprint and its fuller silhouette, unfurled in Biblical descriptions, that yield eve more truths.

The Ark of the Covenant alien ordered to be built, was an ornate golden chest used for electrical radiation/ radio communication, to both hear from ‘God’ and to speak to “God”, and was additionally used as a terrible weapon against the enemies of the Israelites.In order to operate it safely, the high priest from the family of Kohath (of the tribe of Levi), who knew even more of its ‘secrets’, had to wear a breastplate with twelve sacred gemstones called ‘the Stones of Fire’, for his own physical protection.

The ‘holiest’ part of the Ark was called the ‘oracle’, the place where one could literally discern audible orders to Israel from “God”, which were almost totally made through Moses.

When Moses entered into the tabernacle of the covenant to consult with this ‘oracle’, he heard a voice speaking to him from the ‘propitiatory’, a sectional ‘speaker’ that was over the ark between the two cherubim, the wings of which acted as separate battery terminal poles. This is technology, not spirituality. Specific directives, given to Moses, would now come from “God”, through this machine : “Thence will I give orders, and will speak to thee over the propitiatory, and from the midst of these two cherubim, which shall be upon the Ark of the testimony, all things which I will command the children of Israel by thee”. Unlike orders given from a ‘ burning bush’, a disembodied voice in a laser of light focused upon a bush, all of “God’s” future orders came from this ‘burning’ box , an electronic technological contrivance. There was an intermittent appearance of a “cloud” between the cherubim and at these times the Ark machinery was considered so dangerous that Moses, himself, would not approach it. I am personally sure that the accompanying sharp smell of ozone, a characteristic smell of a modern powerful radio transmitter, filled the room, at such times, as well. A “fire” which emerged from the Ark of the testimony was preceded by a “glow” which the Bible describes as the “glory of the Lord”.The army that carried the Ark of the Covenant, before it, was invincible. Is mankind a simple ‘speck’ of import, in an endless and timeless Universe? We are a considerable, “speck”, given that we are created as a harvest-able crop farmed throughout the Universe, by the masters of our Universe, Draco reptilians, and thus very much someone else’s valuable property. Though we are no more than a condiment in reptoids menu, we are also imbued with a soul/spirit, by God, a soul/spirit that is also garnered by reptoids after our ‘death’ and recycled by them.Disclosure will NOT EVER, will NEVER happen, simply because humankind could never handle the dismal alien-human ‘truth’.We figure, spiritually and physically, for both elements of mankind are harvested (abducted) much more than a mere speck, but instead one of a prized simian creature useful for reptilian’s purposes who deluded mankind in a God masquerade that has blinded and helmeted Earth.Director of CIA, Admiral R.H. Hillenkoetter: “It is time for the truth to be brought out in open Congressional hearings. Behind the scenes, high-ranking Air Force officers are soberly concerned about UFOs. But through official secrecy and ridicule, citizens are led to believe the unknown flying objects are nonsense. To hide the facts, the Air Force has silenced its personnel.” p. 58, quoted from New York Times, February 28, 1960, p. L30

Paul Schroeder, September 25th, 2017 Brooklyn, NY

Two fiery jets allegedly issued from between the cherubim above the Ark, burning up snakes, scorpions, thorns, and enemies in the Israelites' path. Such legendary attributes of ... In his first book,Chariots of the Gods, he explained that he believed the Ark of the Covenant was an alien invention that was electrically charged.Thelidonthe Ark ofthe Covenant hadtwocherubim facing each other. There isnoindication that these cherubim were ever removed from the lid, anditis certain thatthelid was never removed. Even so, two large cherubim standing on the floor and spreading their wings over the Ark were placed in the Most Holy Place.

The Ark of the Covenant (Hebrew: אָרוֹן הַבְּרִית, Modern Arōn Ha'brēt Tiberian ʾĀrôn Habbərîṯ), also known as the Ark of the Testimony, is a gold-covered wooden chest with lid cover described in the Book of Exodus as containing the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. According to various texts within the Hebrew Bible, it also contained Aaron's rod and a pot of manna. The biblical account relates that, approximately one year after the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, the Ark was created according to the pattern given to Moses by God when the Israelites were encamped at the foot of biblical Mount Sinai. Thereafter, the gold-plated acacia chest was carried by its staves while en route by the Levites approximately 2,000 cubits (approximately 800 meters or 2,600 feet) in advance of the people when on the march or before the Israelite army, the host of fighting men. When carried, the Ark was always hidden under a large veil made of skins and blue cloth, always carefully concealed, even from the eyes of the priests and the Levites who carried it. God was said to have spoken with Moses "from between the two cherubim" on the Ark's cover.[3] When at rest the tabernacle was set up and the holy Ark was placed under the veil of the covering the staves of it crossing the middle side bars to hold it up off the ground.According to the Book of Exodus, God instructed Moses on Mount Sinai during his 40-day stay upon the mountain within the thick cloud and darkness where God was and he was shown the pattern for the tabernacle and furnishings of the Ark to be made of shittim wood to house the Tablets of Stone. Moses instructed Bezalel and Oholiab to construct the Ark. In Deuteronomy, however, the Ark is said to have been built specifically by Moses himself without reference of Bezalel or Oholiab. The Book of Exodus gives detailed instructions on how the Ark is to be constructed. It is to be 2½ cubits in length, 1½ in breadth, and 1½ in height (approximately 131×79×79 cm or 52×31×31 in). Then it is to be gilded entirely with gold, and a crown or molding of gold is to be put around it. Four rings of gold are to be attached to its four corners, two on each side—and through these rings staves of shittim-wood overlaid with gold for carrying the Ark are to be inserted; and these are not to be removed. A golden lid, the kapporet (traditionally "mercy seat" in Christian translations) which is covered with 2 golden cherubim, is to be placed above the Ark. Instructions missing from the biblical account include the thickness of the mercy seat, but instruct that the cherubim cover be beaten out the ends of it and details concerning the cherubim except that they form the space that God will appear. The Ark is finally to be placed under the veil of the covering.The biblical account continues that, after its creation by Moses, the Ark was carried by the Israelites during their 40 years of wandering in the desert. Whenever the Israelites camped, the Ark was placed in a separate room in a sacred tent, called the Tabernacle. When the Israelites, led by Joshua toward the Promised Land, arrived at the banks of the Jordan river, the Ark was carried in the lead preceding the people and was the signal for their advance (Joshua 3:3, 6). During the crossing, the river grew dry as soon as the feet of the priests carrying the Ark touched its waters, and remained so until the priests—with the Ark—left the river after the people had passed over (Josh. 3:15-17; 4:10, 11, 18). As memorials, twelve stones were taken from the Jordan at the place where the priests had stood (Josh. 4:1-9). In the Battle of Jericho, the Ark was carried round the city once a day for seven days, preceded by the armed men and seven priests sounding seven trumpets of rams' horns (Josh. 6:4-15). On the seventh day, the seven priests sounding the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Ark compassed the city seven times and, with a great shout, Jericho's wall fell down flat and the people took the city (Josh. 6:16-20). After the defeat at Ai, Joshua lamented before the Ark (Josh. 7:6-9). When Joshua read the Law to the people between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, they stood on each side of the Ark. We next hear of the Ark in Bethel where it was being cared for by the priest Phineas the grandson of Aaron (Judges 20:26f, where 'Bethel' is translated 'the House of God' in the King James Version). According to this verse it was consulted by the people of Israel when they were planning to attack the Benjaminites at the battle of Gibeah. Later, however, the Ark was kept at Shiloh, another religious centre some 10 miles north of Bethel, at the time of the prophet Samuel's apprenticeship (1 Samuel 3:3), where it was cared for by Hophni and Phinehas, two sons of Eli (1 Samuel 4:3f).A few years later the elders of Israel decided to take the Ark out onto the battlefield to assist them against the Philistines, after being defeated at the battle of Eben-Ezer (1 Sam. 4:3-11). They were, however, heavily defeated with the loss of 30,000 men. The Ark was captured by the Philistines and Hophni and Phinehas were killed. The news of its capture was at once taken to Shiloh by a messenger "with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head." The old priest, Eli, fell dead when he heard it; and his daughter-in-law, bearing a son at the time the news of the capture of the Ark was received, named him Ichabod — explained as "The glory has departed Israel" in reference to the loss of the Ark (1 Sam. 4:12-22). The mother of the child Ichabod died at his birth. (1 Sam. 4:20) The Philistines took the Ark to several places in their country, and at each place misfortune befell them (1 Sam. 5:1-6). At Ashdod it was placed in the temple of Dagon. The next morning Dagon was found prostrate, bowed down, before it; and on being restored to his place, he was on the following morning again found prostrate and broken. The people of Ashdod were smitten with tumors; a plague of mice was sent over the land (1 Sam. 6:5). The affliction of boils was also visited upon the people of Gath and of Ekron, whither the Ark was successively removed (1 Sam. 5:8-12). After the Ark had been among them for seven months, the Philistines, on the advice of their diviners, returned it to the Israelites, accompanying its return with an offering consisting of golden images of the tumors and mice wherewith they had been afflicted. The Ark was set up in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite, and the Beth-shemites offered sacrifices and burnt offerings (1 Sam. 6:1-15). Out of curiosity the men of Beth-shemesh gazed at the Ark; and as a punishment, seventy of them (fifty thousand and seventy in some translations) were smitten by the Lord (1 Samuel 6:19). The Bethshemites sent to Kirjath-jearim, or Baal-Judah, to have the Ark removed (1 Samuel 6:21); and it was taken to the house of Abinadab, whose son Eleazar was sanctified to keep it. Kirjath-jearim remained the abode of the Ark for twenty years. Under Saul, the Ark was with the army before he first met the Philistines, but the king was too impatient to consult it before engaging in battle. In 1 Chronicles 13:3 it is stated that the people were not accustomed to consulting the Ark in the days of Saul.At the beginning of his reign over the United Monarchy, King David removed the Ark from Kirjath-jearim amid great rejoicing. On the way to Zion, Uzzah, one of the drivers of the cart that carried the Ark, put out his hand to steady the Ark, and was struck dead by God for touching it. The place was subsequently named "Perez-Uzzah", literally "Outburst Against Uzzah",[10] as a result. David, in fear, carried the Ark aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite, instead of carrying it on to Zion, and there it stayed three months (2 Samuel 6:1-11; 1 Chronicles 13:1-13). On hearing that God had blessed Obed-edom because of the presence of the Ark in his house, David had the Ark brought to Zion by the Levites, while he himself, "girded with a linen ephod ... danced before the Lord with all his might" and in the sight of all the public gathered in Jerusalem - a performance that caused him to be scornfully rebuked by his first wife, Saul's daughter Michal (2 Sam. 6:12-16, 20-22; 1 Chron. 15). In Zion, David put the Ark in the tabernacle he had prepared for it, offered sacrifices, distributed food, and blessed the people and his own household (2 Sam. 6:17-20; 1 Chron. 16:1-3; 2 Chron. 1:4).

The Levites were appointed to minister before the Ark (1 Chron. 16:4). David's plan of building a temple for the Ark was stopped at the advice of God (2 Sam. 7:1-17; 1 Chron. 17:1-15; 28:2, 3). The Ark was with the army during the siege of Rabbah (2 Sam. 11:11); and when David fled from Jerusalem at the time of Absalom's conspiracy, the Ark was carried along with him until he ordered Zadok the priest to return it to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 15:24-29).

In Solomon's Temple

When Abiathar was dismissed from the priesthood by King Solomon for having taken part in Adonijah's conspiracy against David, his life was spared because he had formerly borne the Ark (1 Kings 2:26). Solomon worshipped before the Ark after his dream in which God promised him wisdom (1 Kings 3:15). During the construction of Solomon's Temple, a special inner room, named Kodesh Hakodashim (Eng. Holy of Holies), was prepared to receive and house the Ark (1 Kings 6:19); and when the Temple was dedicated, the Ark—containing the original tablets of the Ten Commandments—was placed therein (1 Kings 8:6-9). When the priests emerged from the holy place after placing the Ark there, the Temple was filled with a cloud, "for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord" (1 Kings 8:10-11; 2 Chron. 5:13, 14).

When Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter, he caused her to dwell in a house outside Zion, as Zion was consecrated because of its containing the Ark (2 Chron. 8:11). King Josiah also had the Ark returned to the Temple (2 Chron. 35:3), from which it appears to have been removed by one of his predecessors (cf. 2 Chron. 33-34 and 2 Kings 21-23).

The Babylonian Conquest and aftermath[edit]

In 587 BC, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple. There is no record of what became of the Ark in the Books of Kings and Chronicles. An ancient Greek version of the biblical third Book of Ezra, 1 Esdras, suggests that Babylonians took away the vessels of the ark of God, but does not mention taking away the Ark: And they took all the holy vessels of the Lord, both great and small, with the vessels of the ark of God, and the king's treasures, and carried them away into Babylon— 1 Esdras 1:54

In Rabbinic literature, the final disposition of the Ark is disputed. Some rabbis hold that it must have been carried off to Babylon, while others hold that it must have been hidden lest it be carried off into Babylon and never brought back.[11] A late 2nd-century rabbinic work known as the Tosefta states the opinions of these rabbis that Josiah, the king of Judah, stored away the Ark, along with the jar of manna, and a jar containing the holy anointing oil, the rod of Aaron which budded and a chest given to Israel by the Philistines.[12] This was said to have been done in order to prevent their being carried off into Babylon as had already happened to the other vessels. Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Shimon, in the same rabbinic work, state that the Ark was, in fact, taken into Babylon. Rabbi Yehudah, dissenting, says that the Ark was stored away in its own place, meaning, somewhere on the Temple Mount.

References in Scripture

Tanakh; The Ark is first mentioned in the Book of Exodus, and then numerous times in Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, I Samuel, II Samuel, I Kings, I Chronicles, II Chronicles, Psalms and Jeremiah. In the Book of Jeremiah, it is referenced by Jeremiah, who, speaking in the days of Josiah (Jer. 3:16), prophesied a future time, possibly the end of days, when the Ark will no longer be talked about or be made again: And it shall be that when you multiply and become fruitful in the land, in those days - the word of the LORD - they will no longer say, 'The Ark of the Covenant of the LORD' and it will not come to mind; they will not mention it, and will not recall it, and it will not be used any more.Rashi comments on this verse that "The entire people will be so imbued with the spirit of sanctity that God's Presence will rest upon them collectively, as if the congregation itself was the Ark of the Covenant."

Second Book of Maccabees

According to Second Maccabees, at the beginning of chapter 2: The records show that it was the prophet Jeremiah who ... prompted by a divine message ... gave orders that the Tent of Meeting and the ark should go with him. Then he went away to the mountain from the top of which Moses saw God's promised land. When he reached the mountain, Jeremiah found a cave-dwelling; he carried the tent, the ark, and the incense-altar into it, then blocked up the entrance. Some of his companions came to mark out the way, but were unable to find it. When Jeremiah learnt of this he reprimanded them. "The place shall remain unknown", he said, "until God finally gathers his people together and shows mercy to them. The Lord will bring these things to light again, and the glory of the Lord will appear with the cloud, as it was seen both in the time of Moses and when Solomon prayed that the shrine might be worthily consecrated."II Maccabees 2:4–8 (Douay-Rheims, 1899) The "mountain from the top of which Moses saw God's promised land" would be Mount Nebo, located in what is now Jordan.

The Ark in Islamic sources

Chapter 2 (Sura 2) of the Quran (Verse 248), is believed to refer to the Ark: And their prophet said to them, "Indeed, a sign of his kingship is that the chest (tābūt) will come to you in which is assurance (sakīnatun) from your Lord and a remnant of what the family of Moses (Mūsā) and the family of Aaron (Hārūn) had left, carried by the angels. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers." The Arabic word sakīna (variously translated "peace of reassurance" or "spirit of tranquility") is related to the post-Biblical Hebrew shekhinah, meaning "dwelling or presence of God". The Islamic scholar Al Baidawi mentioned that the sakina could be Tawrat, the Books of Moses.[15] According to Al-Jalalan, the relics in the Ark were the fragments of the two tablets, rods, robes, shoes, mitres of Moses and the vase of manna.[15] Al-Tha'alibi, in Qisas Al-Anbiya (The Stories of the Prophets), has given an earlier and later history of the Ark.

According to Uri Rubin the Ark of the Covenant has a religious basis in Islam, and Islam gives it special significance.[

Possible locations: Since its disappearance from the Biblical narrative, there have been a number of claims of having discovered or of having possession of the Ark, and several possible places have been suggested for its location. Mount Nebo..2 Maccabees 2:4-10, written around 100 BC, says that the prophet Jeremiah, "being warned by God" before the Babylonian invasion, took the Ark, the Tabernacle, and the Altar of Incense, and buried them in a cave on Mount Nebo, informing those of his followers who wished to find the place that it should remain unknown "until the time that God should gather His people again together, and receive them unto mercy."[17] Mount Nebo is also described in the Bible (Deuteronomy 34) as the site from which Moses views the Promised Land, and apparently also is his final burial place. Mount Nebo is approximately 47 km (29 miles) slightly south of due east from Jerusalem, near the east bank of the Jordan River. Ethiopia..The Chapel of the Tablet at the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum allegedly houses the original Ark of the Covenant. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church claims to possess the Ark of the Covenant, or Tabot, in Axum. The object is currently kept under guard in a treasury near the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion. Replicas of the Axum tabot are kept in every Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church, each with its own dedication to a particular saint; the most popular of these include Mary, George and Michael. The Kebra Nagast was composed to legitimise the Solomonic dynasty, which ruled the Ethiopian Empire following its establishment in 1270. It narrates how the real Ark of the Covenant was brought to Ethiopia by Menelik I with divine assistance, while a forgery was left in the Temple in Jerusalem. Although the Kebra Nagast is the best-known account of this belief, it predates the document. Abu al-Makarim, writing in the last quarter of the twelfth century, makes one early reference to this belief that they possessed the Ark. "The Abyssinians possess also the Ark of the Covenant", he wrote, and, after a description of the object, describes how the liturgy is celebrated upon the Ark four times a year, "on the feast of the great nativity, on the feast of the glorious Baptism, on the feast of the holy Resurrection, and on the feast of the illuminating Cross." In his 1992 book The Sign and the Seal, British writer Graham Hancock suggests, contrary to the Kebra Nagast, that the ark spent several years in Egypt before it came to Ethiopia via the Nile River, where it was kept in the islands of Lake Tana for about four hundred years and finally taken to Axum.[20] Archaeologist John Holladay of the University of Toronto called Hancock's theory "garbage and hogwash," while Edward Ullendorff, a former Professor of Ethiopian Studies at the University of London, said he "wasted a lot of time reading it." On 25 June 2009, the patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia, Abune Paulos, said he would announce to the world the next day the unveiling of the Ark of the Covenant, which he said had been kept safe and secure in a church in Axum, Ethiopia.[22] The following day, on 26 June 2009, the patriarch announced that he would not unveil the Ark after all, but that instead he could attest to its current status. The Lemba people of South Africa and Zimbabwe have claimed that their ancestors carried the Ark south, calling it the ngoma lungundu or "voice of God", eventually hiding it in a deep cave in the Dumghe mountains, their spiritual home.[On 14 April 2008, in a UK Channel 4 documentary, Tudor Parfitt, taking a literalist approach to the Biblical story, described his research into this claim. He says that the object described by the Lemba has attributes similar to the Ark. It was of similar size, was carried on poles by priests, was not allowed to touch the ground, was revered as a voice of their God, and was used as a weapon of great power, sweeping enemies aside. In his book The Lost Ark of the Covenant (2008), Parfitt also suggests that the Ark was taken to Arabia following the events depicted in the Second Book of Maccabees, and cites Arabic sources which maintain it was brought in distant times to Yemen. One Lemba clan, the Buba, which was supposed to have brought the Ark to Africa, have a genetic signature called the Cohen Modal Haplotype. This suggests a male Semitic link to the Levant. Lemba tradition maintains that the Ark spent some time in Sena in Yemen. Later, it was taken across the sea to East Africa and may have been taken inland at the time of the Great Zimbabwe civilization. According to their oral traditions, some time after the arrival of the Lemba with the Ark, it self-destructed. Using a core from the original, the Lemba priests constructed a new one. This replica was discovered in a cave by a Swedish German missionary named Harald von Sicard in the 1940s and eventually found its way to the Museum of Human Science in Harare.[25] Parfitt had this artifact radio-carbon dated to about 1350, which coincided with the sudden end of the Great Zimbabwe civilization.Chartres Cathedral, France

French author Louis Charpentier claimed that the Ark was taken to the Chartres Cathedral by the Knights Templar.. Rennes-le-Château, then to the United States

One author has theorised that the Ark was taken from Jerusalem to the village of Rennes-le-Château in Southern France. Karen Ralls has cited Freemason Patrick Byrne, who believes the Ark was moved from Rennes-le-Château at the outbreak of World War I to the United States.

The Ark of the Covenant was said to have been kept in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, surviving the pillages of Rome by Genseric and Alaric I but lost when the basilica burned. "Rabbi Eliezer ben José stated that he saw in Rome the mercy-seat of the temple. There was a bloodstain on it. On inquiry he was told that it was a stain from the blood which the high priest sprinkled thereon on the Day of Atonement."[In 2003, author Graham Phillips hypothetically concluded that the Ark was taken to Mount Sinai in the Valley of Edom by the Maccabees. Phillips claims it remained there until the 1180s, when Ralph de Sudeley, the leader of the Templars found the Maccabean treasure at Jebel al-Madhbah, and returned home to his estate at Herdewyke in Warwickshire, England taking the treasure with him.[34]

During the turn of the 20th century British Israelites carried out some excavations of the Hill of Tara in Ireland looking for the Ark of the Covenant—the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland campaigned successfully to have them stopped before they destroyed the hill. In 1922 in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, the royal tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun (KV62) was opened by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon. Among the artifacts was a processional ark, listed as Shrine 261, the Anubis Shrine. Almost immediately after publication of the photographs[36] of this sensational archaeological find, some claimed that the Anubis Shrine could be the Ark of the Covenant. John M. Lundquist, author of The Temple of Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future (2008), discounts this idea. The Anubis Shrine measures 95 centimetres (37 in) long, 37 centimetres (15 in) wide, and 54.3 centimetres (21.4 in) high in the shape of a pylon. The Biblical Ark of the Covenant is approximately 133 centimetres (52 in) long, 80 centimetres (31 in) wide, and 80 centimetres (31 in) high in the shape of a rectangular chest.

Lundquist observes that the Anubis Shrine is not strictly analogous to the Ark of the Covenant; it can only be said that the it is "ark-like", constructed of wood, gessoed and gilded, stored within a sacred tomb, "guarding" the treasury of the tomb (and not the primary focus of that environment), that it contains compartments within it that store and hold sacred objects, that it has a figure of Anubis on its lid, and that it was carried by two staves permanently inserted into rings at its base and borne by eight priests in the funerary procession to Tutankhamun's tomb. Its value is the insight it provides to the ancient culture of Egypt.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ark_of_the_Covenant

"PARALLEL" entry .. inspired a recent computer crash.. presenting an opportunity to look inside the box

30/100... 100 x: The 2015 Edition... Week 15 - Parallel.

Negative Space Project

#38 "Technology" "115 Pictures in 2015"

Olympus XA2 +Kodak Ektachrome Extra 100 (Expired)

Technological marvel of the 31st century.

Jessie sez:

"We live in amazing times of technological advance where there is even new kinds of munny being produced!

I has just sent Porshie Beetle under the door into Brushtail's headquarters at 1 Rodent Way, The Skirting Board, Vienna, whose door is marked "Strictly No Admittance to the Public", 'cos I can hear machinery inside running 24/7 and am curious to know what is going on in there.

I has just received his official report back and it makes fascinating reading. The machines there are turning out a new type of bank note that have a duck's head printed on them instead of pictures of the Queen! Each banknote also has a little microchip that can be scanned by a special reader to check if it is counterfeit or not. If you scan the note through the reader, it makes a Quack-Quack sound LOL! Now, what's the point of all this you may well ask - hmmmm ..... let me think now -----

Oh. I see! IF IT LOOKS LIKE A DUCK AND QUACKS LIKE A DUCK; THEN IT IS A DUCK!

This is simply another illegal get-rich-quick scam perpetrated by that AWFUL and irrepressible but creative BRUSHTAIL MOUSIE!" 🐭

P.S. there is already a queue of naive BunBuns forming outside of Brushtail's secret H.Q. They are all clutching their precious Bitecoins in their little front paws ready to exchange for their allocation of the new Duck-Quack currency. Would you invest your hard-earned cash in this new scam - SORRY! - investment opportunity? This new Duck-Quack currency nonsense makes even crypto-currency look like a world-class stable currency! Will they ever learn? 😂

Amanda-Yolanda Mousie, Brushtail's personal assistant, is standing at the door exchanging Bitecoin for this new marvellous financial instrument. Amanda tests each individual Bitecoin using her sharp little teethy-pegs to bite them. If the coins survive the test, she then exchanges them for HUGE wads of the new Duck-Quack currency in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20 and 100 Gazillion notes!

Disclaimer:

"Careful now little Bunbuns!!

Brushtail Mousie Holdings is NEITHER regulated by the Financial Services Authority NOR the Securities and Exchange Commission and the value of your investment is NOT guaranteed. The value of your investment can fall as well as rise and your eventual returns may amount to less than your original investment. It is recommended therefore that you consult a qualified financial adviser BEFORE you fall for this scam - SORRY! - invest in this wonderful get-rich-quick opportunity!"

Polyxena Sarcophagus is a remarkable object as it is one of the earliest stone sarcophagi with figural scenes ever to have been found in Asia Minor. It represents the early example of the Proconnesian marble workshops. It has impressive dimensions of 3.32 meters in length, 1.60 meters in width, and 1.78 meters in height. A whole in the cover of the sarcophagus indicates that it had been robbed in antiquity. Moreover, fragments of a wheeled cart that transported the corpse to the tumulus were discovered beneath the terracotta tiles that surrounded the sarcophagus. Although the figures of the reliefs depict mainly women, the person buried was a 40-year-old man.

The reliefs on the sarcophagus show a funerary celebration on three sides, and on the back what is believed to be the sacrifice of Polyxena by Neuptolemos in front of the tomb of his father Achilles. Although not mentioned by Homer, Polyxena was a well-known figure of Greek mythology. She was tee youngest daughter of King Priam of Troy and his wife, Hecuba. An oracle prophesied that Troy would not be defeated if Polyxena's brother, Prince Troilus, reached the age of twenty. The siblings were ambushed when they were attempting to fetch water from a fountain, and Troilus was killed by Achilles, who soon became interested in Polyxena. He seemed to trust Polyxena, and he told her of his only vulnerability: his heel.

Polyxena revealed this secret to her brothers, Paris and Deiphobus, who ambushed Achilles and shot him in the heel with an arrow. At the end of the Trojan War, Achilles' ghost came back to the Greeks to demand the human sacrifice of Polyxena to appease the wind needed to set sail back to Greece. She was to be killed at the foot of Achilles' grave. Polyxena was eager to die as a sacrifice to Achilles rather than live as a slave. She refused to beg for mercy and died bravely as the son of Achilles, Neoptolemus, slit her throat.

Troy has tempted the travellers for thousands of years. Troy Museum situated 700 meters to the east of Troy archaeological site.

Over the centuries, the epic Trojan wars from Homer’s Iliad have been tempted the travellers for thousands of years to come to visit Troy. Situated 700 meters to the east of Troy archaeological site. The Troy Museum attracted visitors to Troy now have a possibility to gain much more information about this archaeological site and put its history into a much broader perspective. Most of the artefacts displayed in the museum had been previously exhibited in the Archaeological Museum in the centre of Çanakkale, far away from the site of Troy. The new arrangement makes it much easier to see these objects, and the visit to the museum is an excellent introduction to the tour of Troy..

It is true that the story of mighty Troy has fascinated travelers for thousands of years. With my wife Kathy, who is very interested in history, we wanted to see the Trojan stories and the conditions of that day once again. There were very few visitors as the tourist season just started and it was important for us that it wasn't crowded. Amongst the exhibites, the small section of golden crowns made of very small and thin leaves of gold and the small medical instruments used in the conditions in those days caught my attention, small bottles with different colors and incredibly beautiful shapes. The techniques of how to set the sail in different seasons at sea used by ships are among the techniques that still using by the seafarers nowadays.

Visit the museum 3rd floor inviting you to meet the emperors. Statues of Hadrian and Augustos and one of the oldest example of sacophagus with figurative narration discovered in Anatoria so far. I also recommend the terrace view. It's a bit windy but plenty of oxygen feels great... The museum exhibits around 2,000 artifacts in total and awaits its visitors with more than 40,000 artifacts in its warehouse.

Text description provided by the architects. The archeological site of Troy has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 because of its outstanding universal value as a site that has witnessed various civilizations for over 4000 years and has been a significant influence on the development of the European civilization, arts, and literature over two millennia. Museum of Troy, located 800 meters from the site, is honoring this heritage and is a medium to tell the rich history of Troy in relation to its natural, cultural, artistic and archeological context. The museum building was acquired as a result of a national architectural design contest held by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey in 2011. The museum was opened to visitors in October 2018 as a result of 7 years of work.

The building of the Troy Museum stands out in the barren landscape of the Trojan plain, attracting the visitors' attention from afar. If the effect it makes on the visitors is the one that its designers aimed at, remains an open question, to be answered by the guests themselves.The entrance to the Troy Museum entrance is accessed by a large ramp lined with concrete walls with niches holing small exhibits. The ramp leads the visitors to the subterranean floor, with an entrance hall. This level also houses exhibition spaces, a cafe, a restaurant, and a museum shop. There are also conservation laboratories and storage space for the museum's collection, inaccessible to the visitors.The exhibition is divided into four levels, starting at the lowest one: Cities of Troad, Layers of Troy, Ancient World, and Troy Excavation History. Above them, there is a terrace offering the views of the site of Troy and the whole region of the Troad. These four levels provide an overview of Troy and the Troad, divided into seven sections: Troad Region Archaeology, Bronze Age of Troy, Iliad and the Trojan War, Troad and Ilion in Ancient History, Eastern Rome and Ottoman Period, History of Archaeology, and Traces of Troy.The exhibition presents these stories along a chronological timeline highlighting technological changes, social organization, political and economic relations, urban development, daily life, arts, and craftsmanship. The visitors can explore, read, watch, contemplate, and interact with the exhibition at their own pace. Moreover, a special storyline has been prepared within the exhibition for the younger visitors, to evoke their curiosity and facilitate engagement with the artefacts.

Thank you so much for visiting my stream, whether you comments , favorites or just have a look. I appreciate it very much, wishing the best of luck and good light.

© All rights reserved R.Ertug Please do not use this image without my explicit written permission. Contact me by Flickr mail if you want to buy or use Your comments and critiques are very well appreciated.

Thanks for stopping and looking :)

PS - After 2 parts of my 22 year old Nikon 28-70 mm f/2.8 lens were replaced by the award-winning Nikon master 'Ata', it was fully serviced and renewed. After many years, I happily started to use my very heavy lens, which had fallen asleep in my drawer with my camera and accessories.

Kyle Bruckmann

...

CD :

Kyle Bruckmann

Technological Music Vol. 2

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GMA

Today is both Four Square Day and National Librarian Day. While we have featured the hard working crew in our libraries, here we find Mrs. Marion, the school librarian, out on the playground enjoying some 'active minutes' with the school children. True, this scene would be reminiscent of times before the "Stay at Home" mandates, but here, she is enjoying what is properly done on the 16th day of April, also known as Four Square Day. Yes, four squared (4 times 4) is 16, hence the day!

Here is also some other information about librarians:

The role of librarians continually changes as social and technological needs shift. Librarians deal with information in a plethora of formats, such as books, magazines, newspapers, electronic resources, manuscripts, and photographs. They also provide other information services, such as information literacy instruction and coordination with community groups to host public programs. There is a long list of different types of librarians: archivists, collection development or acquisitions librarians, electronic resource librarians, school librarians, instruction librarians, media specialists, outreach librarians, public service librarians, reference or research librarians, systems librarians, technical service librarians, children's librarians, and young adult librarians. Some experienced librarians also work in administrative positions.

Librarians date back to the eighth century BC, when Ashurbanipal, King of Assyria, introduced librarianship as a profession after he put a library in his palace in Nineveh. The "keeper of books" at his library oversaw thousands of tablets. Following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, Ptolemy created the Great Library of Alexandria, which housed all Greek literature and was known for its famous librarians, such as Callimachus.

At the end of the Roman Republic and at the beginning of the Roman Empire, Roman aristocrats often had libraries in their homes. Some lent out materials as librarians would. Some Roman emperors created public libraries where scholars worked as librarians. Following the fall of Rome, librarians worked in Christian monasteries. They often oversaw monks who copied books. A little while later, people called librarius worked to expand cataloging, inventory, and classification.

After reemerging in the fourteenth century, universities began having libraries and librarians. Private libraries developed in Europe during the Renaissance, which were planned and organized by librarians. Materials were restricted, but libraries were open to the public. Librarians soon created the Bibliotheca Universalis, a universal listing of all printed books. The influence of these librarians and the use of Bibliotheca Universalis changed libraries. Literature meant for entertainment began being included with literature of academic importance. Oxford's Bodleian library was opened at this time, which was known as the first modern library. Libraries also became more efficient after the library catalog made its debut in 1595.

Professionalization of librarians started in the nineteenth century, when the first training school and universities related to the profession were opened, the first professional library associations were formed, and the first licensing procedures were started. A similar amount of women and men worked as librarians in 1920, but eighty percent of librarians were women by 1960. The number remains close to this today. On National Librarian Day, we honor librarians for the role they play in connecting us with information at libraries.

How to Observe

The best way to spend the day is to head to a library and thank a librarian for the help they provide. With the current COVID-19 situation, many libraries are closed to the general public, but thank you cards and letters, phone calls, and emails may be prepared and sent to your local library. Perhaps there is a particular librarian who has helped you over the years whom you could thank. Some other ways to spend the day could be to get assistance from a librarian at one of the best libraries in the world or to learn about some of the most famous librarians of all time. This is also a befitting day to look into becoming a librarian.

20200416 107/366

Castello - Cagliari

For TLC Sept 2014 (Technologic). More info - wp.me/p49kPp-6I

technological

The Nuva archer is a skilled warrior and technological wonder. The concept was brought about by General Taka's imagination and executed by the hands of the most skilled matoran. This archer differs from traditional archer units in that he does not need to carry his ammunition on his body during battle. His "arrows" or bolts are stored, generated, and replinished within his technologically advanced left arm which coordinates with the "crossbow" or bolt thrower that he wields. The bolt thrower is one of a kind and is viewed as a breakthrough in modern weaponry. Though quite bulky, the bolt thrower allows the archer to fire single highly charged energy bolts, which have the power to penetrate light/medium armor, at a rate of 1.5 seconds. After firing 10 bolts the archer's arm requires a cool down period which lasts approximately 8 to 10 seconds. Once completed, the archer may continue raining destruction down upon the enemy. The archer's built-in optical system allows the archer to target enemy's from a greater distance than the typical archer. The Nuva archer's advanced weaponry and overal engineering give the Nuva army a great advantage on the battlefied when facing overwhelming numbers.

I hope you guys enjoy this one! Building him really inspired me to go back and revamp General Taka and the Nuva Infantry, so stay tuned for those guys in the future! Thanks for all of your support this past year! Looking forward to the next year!

la galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a Milano

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Enderle Center - Tustin, CA

The 1970 Sinthesis 2000 Prototype was created by Tom Tjaarda and Peter Giacobbi. Tom Tjaarda the well-known American designer who made Italy his home in 1960 is responsible for the styling of the Sinthesis. He also designed cars for Pininfarina, Ghia and De Tomaso. Peter Giacobbi also spent his entire life in the automotive industry as an engineer and designer. He began his career in Italy where he developed engine components for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, Ducati and others. After returning to the United States he was hired by DeLorean Motor Cars as Chief Engineer and built the prototype DMC12 sports car.

The significance of the Sinthesis is that it is a "one of a kind" sports car designed and built with American Engineering and Italian Design; hence the Ying/Yang symbol --- two opposites coming together. The two young men designed their own body, chassis, interior, suspension, glass, wiring and hardware. The design features a water cooled 4-cylinder engine located amidships. The only other car built during that period that shared this configuration was the air-cooled Porsche 550 race car.

The chassis is unique and extremely rigid. Unlike any other car at the time, it has a steel back-bone and stressed side rails. Another unique characteristic of the car at the time is that there are no door-sills, which facilitates ingress and egress to the low-slung sports car. Technologically advanced for its time, the Sinthesis was designed with an opening toward the rear of the front hood that distributes hot air from the radiator to the windshield, thereby reducing the need for wipers and defrosters. The Sinthesis was also the first functional car to have factory installed driver and passenger air bags. (Giacobbi - Tjaarda being the factory)

Specifications: Year built: 1970

Length: 166"

Width: 65"

Height: 45"

Weight: 2,420#

Engine: Modified Lancia Flavia 2.0L 4-cylinder boxer, water cooled

Horsepower: 153 @ 5300 RPM

Torque: 146 ft lbs @ 3000 RPM

Carburetion: Dual Weber 40 IDF

Suspension: 4 Wheel independent suspension with unequal

length A-arms

Brakes: 4-wheel disc brakes

Service feature: Engine, transmission, rear suspension

mounted on detachable sub frame

I felt this was, all-in-all, an extremely nice effort. I'm a bit

surprised it never went into production.

- Sir, Can I ask you a thing!

- Well Lomax I am in the middle of a fight with the Pirat captain, but sure, why not!

- Now I know we are in a movie, since this is the very same room we were in at last mission, only slightly altered with different props, and also we caught them of guard so the director didn´t have time to dress the enemies as proper space-pirates these guys suits look like 17th century, I bet they were filming a pirat movie before!

This happened in the previous episode:

- Sir, can I ask you a thing?

- Lomax, why now when we have narrowed down the nasty boss in his throne room!

- eh Sorry boss, it is just that I start to see a theme in this work, I know I am just a rookie, but I have started to see this theme!

First we board a ship or venture in to a base, then we fight all the foot soldiers and evade the traps then we find the big boss in some purple, red or similar throne room just waiting for us...

why? then he has a small speech and we start fighting him and then he dies and we win!

- (Big Boss) Welcome my Heros, so you found me at last, you have been fighting well.....

Kiyosato Lake (清里湖・Kiyosato-ko) in Yamanashi Prefecture stands out among the numerous reservoirs I have visited in the Kanto Plain. Initially, I found some of the embankment’s appearance somewhat unattractive, but little did I know that there was a fascinating reason behind its unique design.

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The Hive At Nanyang Technological University (NTU's Learning Hub)

Technological progress continues in the Tanzimat Empire.

...i'm sure it was big news

Well ,for me anyway. Went to Helsby to photograph the 6F91, the emptied sand wagons from Ince and Elton Glassworks. While waiting took a shot ,with the smartphone of the 1D35 Transport for Wales service, from Manchester Airport to Llandudno Junction, running with 175104. Tried to get the red berries on the tree in, and the semaphore signals, the double aspect signal being one of only two on the Natioal Network!

Refreshment coming via a trademark cup !!

Over the long march of biological and now technological evolution, we have finally reached a survival gate — we have enough computational power to model the trajectory all Near-Earth Objects (NEO's) that could threaten life on Earth. This was not possible in the year 2000, or any time over the prior millennia. We have made a million-fold improvement in computation in just the past 20 years. So, we can see the future and predict decades in advance of an impact event and then give the NEO a nudge such that it misses Earth entirely.

It’s not like the movies, where you have an asteroid on final approach and try to blow it up somehow (that just turns a rifle into a shotgun blast); instead, you launch a rocket to rear-end it and change its velocity ever so slightly. Integrated over years, that small delta-v makes all the difference. In short, asteroid defense does not end with a bang, but merely a nudge. That is, if you know what you are doing!

The non-profit B612 (with co-fiounding astronauts Ed Lu and Rusty Schweickart) did a webinar and demo of their ADAM simulation tool for calculating asteroid orbit propagation. They gave me permission to share the unpublished work of their Asteroid Institute tech team. Here's an unlisted video showing the sim seen here.

Rusty Schweickart, the first Lunar Module Pilot summarizes: “We live in a remarkable time in history. We can change the trajectory of the solar system, ever so slightly, and protect life on Earth"

Mapping the Final Frontier with ADAM (Asteroid Decision Analysis + Mapping):

The ADAM project runs on the Google Compute Engine to provide a cloud platform for large-scale orbital dynamics. Small errors in the initial velocity vector measurements can expand over decades to very different outcomes, especially when gravitational slingshots around the planets occur. So, they run thousands of Monte-Carlo simulations over an array of starting conditions, creating a distribution of points, as seen in the images here, some hitting Earth (red) or a near miss (green). The distribution of endpoints gives a probability of deep impact. As a heuristic patch to some insane computational complexity, we can calculate a probability for the long term, which narrows like a hurricane forecast cone to a certainly as time advances.

To reach an accuracy of a few kilometers over many decades, it’s not just the complexity of an n-body problem. They had to model effects such as the curvature of space-time due to General Relativity, the non-sphericity of the Sun, the gravitational asymmetry of the planets, moons and larger asteroids, as well as the non-isotropic thermal re-radiation from rotation of the asteroid.

So so the good news: we can do this today, and with each passing year of Moore's Law, we can look further into the future, moving from decades to a 100 years. The further you can see, and the more precisely, the easier the nudge becomes.

For input to the model you just need a series of at least three sample points (but more is better). And we are about to get a whole lot better at that. Starting in 2022, LSST will observe ~600,000 asteroids every night, and discover new asteroids at 10X today’s rate. This will accentuate the computation-bounded problem of using this torrent of data.

There is something poetic about the computational defense of humanity. And something that rhymes with history. The Space Race of the 60s was won computationally, not by brute force heavy-lift, which would have favored the Soviets.

Survival is computational. Intelligence allows us to see the future.