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A baby, on my son's finger. We have many more of these.
Species post up soon, I promise, with bonus pictures of some animals. Until then, I made a really stupid cartoony post to tide you over.
Check out all my Species a Day posts, with writeups, here.
Vehicle mode of Delorean Time Machine
For more photos and writeups on this LEGO creation:
alanyuppie.blogspot.com/2018/04/lego-transformer-delorean...
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I have a different/better shot of our resident black widow that I'll add in the morning. I've been trying to only use decent shots for this series, but my memory card sucks, and I'm tired. So you get my view from one of my trips to the garage several months ago. An egg sac hatched and the spiderlings parachuted onto the light fixture. They were scurrying down to my head on new web when I took this. (If you can believe it, this was a totally separate occasion from my previous encounter of this type.) Sadly, these beauties were, um, evicted. I do have limits. For example, I only hatched and raised ONE of the black widow egg sacs. See? Totally normal limits.
Seriously, you should see it big. Every speck and blob you think might be a spider, is. And then some.
Check out all of my Species a Day writeups here.
Our target to reduce fertilizer emissions by 30% by 2030 is ambitious. I repeat: our plan to starve the world by 30% by 2030 is indeed ambitious. Can anyone say: Mao’s Great Famine? Who knew degrowth/net-zero/sustainability could be so fun?
Climate justice! The war on the farmers is a war on food production! The war on farmers is a war on humanity! Slash nitrogen emissions, slash fertilizer and livestock! “Nitrogen is one of the primary nutrients critical for the survival of all living organisms.” Shut off the water: cease and desist! Geoengineer the weather! Global dimming: sunlight is a fundamental component of life on Earth, without it life would cease to exist. Lower your carbon footprint! But isn’t CO2 the gas of life? Indeed, CO2 is essential for life on Earth. “Elementary, my dear Watson.” Yet common sense is gone, COVID proved that. As for academia and science: just follow the money.
Implementing the Paris Agreement requires economic and social(ist) transformation. We will transform the food systems and progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Eats da bugs, own nothing, and be happy!
Our Food Systems 2030 is an Umbrella Multi-Donor (Multi-Stakeholder) Trust Fund, which seeks to help countries through innovative public-private partnerships (neo-fascism) to advance social(ist) development and climate goals. Our propaganda: “Food systems are contributing up to one-third of greenhouse gas emissions, up to 80 per cent of biodiversity loss and use up to 70 per cent of freshwater.” Our sustainable (degrowth/net-zero) food production systems are for the good of the planet. Save the planet! Let’s kill all the plants, animals, people, and the planet too! We want positive outcomes for people and the planet. Therefore, reduce your carbon footprint with assisted suicide. It’s for the planet! You’re just a useless eater, eating up the planet’s finite resources.
The food system does not thrive without all sectors (public-private partnerships) working as one, towards common (collectivist/communist) goals. Our plan involves multiple sectors of government, working with multiple scientific disciplines, Small and Medium Enterprises and Multinational Corporations, along with development partners, so that we can create champions for change and global action. We will leverage our resources and collaborate with other stakeholders and partners (stakeholder capitalism/neo-commufascism) to support system-wide actions for food systems transformation. Investors interested in ESG (ESG is a type of social credit score system) should keep an eye out for natural asset companies.
The European Union literally has a social credit score system for farmers called “Eco-schemes”. “Two of these countries (the Netherlands and Hungary) introduced a points-based eco-schemes system, weighting and scoring the different practices according to their likely positive environmental impact.” “Eco-schemes are payment schemes in agriculture aiming at the protection of environment and climate.”
This coming new world order system will combine environmentalism with the economy—a green economy—as a way of controlling society. The leader of this neo-commufascist, stakeholder capitalist, Beast system, will be a man called the antichrist. He will revolutionize the world’s financial system. He who controls the world’s money supply controls the world. (He who controls the world’s food supply controls the world.) If you take his digital Mark on your right hand or forehead, you’ll be able to participate in this new world system. You’ll be able to buy and sell—that means that you’ll be able to buy food. 666: global citizens unite! But if you refuse to take the Mark of the Beast, you’ll starve. Environmental tyranny is coming! Can you see the stage being set for war, famine, and plague?
A Bill Gates Venture Aims To Spray Dust Into The Atmosphere To Block The Sun:
www.forbes.com/sites/arielcohen/2021/01/11/bill-gates-bac...
Stolen Water:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=En-7bNw7pi4
Moonlit Pyramid Rock Panorama
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I visited Pyramid Rock at Phillip Island in the hopes of capturing an Aurora following a recent solar flare. Sadly it did not eventuate so instead I spent the night having a play around with a large panorama. This image is two combined panorama's of about 15 and 21 images which were taken with a Sony A7R 4, Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 (@ 28mm), 15 seconds, f/2.8 & ISO 1600. Image was stitched using Autopano Giga, and was edited in Lightroom CC and Photoshop. The image was really just a test to see how using a motion controller (PINE II) and motorized heads worked. Sadly there are a few errors around the horizon but otherwise it was a great experience and was a very nice environment to spend the night at, listening to the nearby possums and penguins. I have a full writeup at Moonlit Panorama • Travis Hale (Photography and Science)
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<--For those that are interested, All the Socials -->
Instagram: Trav.Hale,
Twitter: @TravisHale,
Facebook: TravHale
500px: TravisHale,
Flickr: TravisH1984,
Web: www.travishale.com
I'm really in love with the Vignette app for Android, but I always have trouble keeping up with the number of filters and effects that it enables, so I made myself a cheat sheet.
(See my quick blog writeup for more information, including the complete list of effects.)
A few months after posting, this is the most-viewed thing I've ever posted to flickr. Huh. I'm glad so many people find it useful!
While in Tokyo last year, I retraced the steps I took during my first vacation there, almost 20 years ago. I tried to recreate some of the photos I took to see how things had changed.
I made a full writeup in this blog post, which will also include more photos than I'll be posting here on Flickr.
去年、東京にいる間に、ほぼ20年前の初めて東京へ行った旅行の行った道を戻りました。景色はどうやて変わったのかと思いました。それで、昔に撮った写真と比べるために、出来るだけ同じように現代版を撮りました。
もっと詳しくは このブログの投稿をご覧になってください。
For more photos and writeups on this LEGO creation:
alanyuppie.blogspot.com/2018/04/lego-transformer-delorean...
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Probably the most interesting feature of this store is its yogurt counter. No, not frozen yogurt, just regular greek yogurt. Yes, it's weird. Here's a writeup about the company, which is apparently kind of a big deal locally (though I had only barely heard of it before this... I'm not exactly a foodie, and I try to stay several blocks away from Pike Place Market, especially during the summer :) ).
For more photos and writeups on this LEGO creation:
alanyuppie.blogspot.com/2018/04/lego-transformer-delorean...
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Richard sent me these very cool techniques along with a great writeup on his blog. Details are now on Swooshable: #1 and #2.
Richard sent me these very cool techniques along with a great writeup on his blog. Details are now on Swooshable: #1 and #2.
Strobist: Elinchrom Quadra HS Head in a large octa, boomed overhead, f/5.6. 2 silver reflectors on side, one on the floor. Elinchrom ELC Pro HD 500 in the ELinchrom "Bishop's Hat" background reflector, seasoned to taste.
Skyport triggering.
PP in LR/PS.
Writeup on kidona.com.
© Donald J. Fadel, Jr. | kidona.com
Builder's plate. Who knew this locomotive is in the Register of Historical Places??? Maumelle Ordnance Works Locomotive #1 , mascarading as Augusta Railroad #7 at the Fort smith Trolley Museum. A truely unique critter for sure as it is powered by a Hercules gasoline engine that will turn 1800 rpm and is coupled to the wheels through a 4 speed gear box to the counter shafts that turn the drivers through drive rods. I had no idea I was photoing such a significant piece of history. Attached is the writeup from Wiki, I recommend reading it for some fascinating information.
(@ Artica dreams, SIM: MetaLES )
a larger size of the picture can be found here
(well...this is muuch longer than i expected :O. originally this started, because when Santa Margie was so generous to me before Christmas, Exile had a hair sale and i saw the hair Shuri wears in this picture and thought "Hey supergirlhair!! What to do with it ? " solution : a trashy super heroine of course (trashy backgroundstory included ;D). Didn't have time for this writeup until today~(^-^)~ )
"They call me Snowstar, but my name is Ice. "
Ice's story:
Her mission on this remote little planet called earth is to find and rescue others of her kind, who stranded here.
She came from Xyr, a planet at the other side of this universe. A planet, inhabited by living soulful ice. The long-living people of this planet are peaceful and kind by nature. They communicate through telepathy and live from the sunlight they refract and reflect with their crystalline bodies.
For Aeons they experienced peace and idyll, but the life as they knew it was forever changed by the Meteorites. Nobody knew where they came from, but suddenly they were there, on a direct course towards Xyr.
The only chance they had to avoid their planet's complete destruction, was to combine the telekinetic powers of all able citizens of Xyr and try to deflect the traveling Meteorites. They succeeded. The course was altered just enough, that the traveling meteorites only graced the Atmosphere of Xyr.
But instead half of them hit it's twin planet Ryx. The population there was nearly wiped out and the unusual force of the Meteorites dragged millions of Xyrians with them to die in the fires on Ryx or to be lost in the unknown depths of space.
All that happened years before our Heroine was born. In her time Ryx was already abandoned and all remaining Ryxians relocated to Xyr and the shooting-star-force was already established. Able Citizens of Xyr with powers far beyond the average, could apply and take on the honorable and dangerous mission to travel space and find the Xyrians and Ryxians the Meteorites took with them, so that, if possible, lost Xyrians and Ryxians could be send back and reunite with the community of their people.
But that was only the official part of the Mission. Although it was still unclear where the meteorites had come from, it was certain that it had been no accident, but the evil plan of an unknown foe. A truth unbeknownst to anyone but those, who successfully passed the tests and training to become a shooting star to seek salvation for their people and the true nature of their foe.
To join the shooting-star-force to go on this unsure mission, although it was against her very nature to leave the save haven of the telepathic continuum of her people, was Ice's deepest desire ever since her grandmother had first told her the story of that special force called shooting stars, how her whole family had been taken away by the meteorites, when she was still bearing the light of her precious daughter Ice, Ice's mother (the Xyrian language has around 10000 words for ice, of which around 900 are common names).
How the twin-world Ryx died and how that taught new emotions to the Ice-people, how it had taught them the meaning of the words grieve and rage and hate and Vengeance.
how the words murder and crime and punishment were invented, when a few Ryxians, blind with grieve and rage had killed many many innocent Xyrian, as they blamed all of Xyr for their tragic fate. They had been banned from the solar system as consequence of their deeds.
Ice's centuries long journey brought her to many planets. Only on a few of them, were even signs that ice-souls had stranded there, but they just had vanished without trace or clue why and where to, or their long travel in the tail of the meteorites had weakened them too severely, the environment of the planet they landed on was too harsh or the inhabitants of the planets murdered them, because they thought they were a threat.
They melted, they vanished, they perished, none lived.
Then, one day, a sudden energy-storm forced her out of her intended route and into a remote solar system, she hadn't planed to visit, but as soon as she entered it, she sensed the distinct energy signature of the meteorites and followed it to a blue planet dominated by a young barbaric species of consumers(= a type of species who needs to consume the lives of others to maintain their own). They called themselves humans among several other names, in several other languages.
Seeking help from the so called "community" or "Leaders" of a species as primitive and barbaric as humans, was out of question, but without help she would (due to the energetic and physical nature of this planet) not be able to stay active, for more than a few days, before she would have to either leave the atmosphere of earth or be forced to enter preservative sleep, from which she would not be able to wake up on her own accord until she would either be provided with the necessary energy environment or her body would slowly become weaker and she would die eventually.
Yet again Coincidence was her greatest ally. Right before Ice had to leave, she found Elena on a snowy day, stuck and dying in a snowdrift. She made a contract with the human , entered her body with her own soul, healed it and put her own body to sleep, save inside of a preservation-capsule.
From then on the human, Elena Irwen , helped her to search for lost souls and everything seemed to finally work out, but the peace only held for a little while. Ice didn't know yet at that time, that;
Elena was more special, than she herself knew and she was not the only one.
Humans may be barbaric and stupid, but that doesn't mean they can't be dangerous.
The shooting-star forces were not the only ones who searched for the lost souls of Xyr and Ryx.
Banned doesn't necessarily mean gone and the flame of rage burned hotter than ever in some of the Ryxians and in one especially .
A fierce battle awaited and it involved more and cost more, than anyone could ever have anticipated...anyone...but the great evil (picture-link coming soon) who started it of course.
to be continued
PS.: thanks a lot for reading ;D, this is the second version of the picture, because I like this better, edited with pixlr.com/o-matic/ )
I stand corrected on the physical explanation of the sunset angel. The key term here is "cloud shadowing"; Google with this, and you will find the best writeups on the phenomenon, including Phil Plait's excellent blog posting on Slate. When the sun is behind a cloud, a shadow is cast, but the irregularities of a cloud contour allows for random beams of light to poke through. These beams are essentially parallel, but from far away, they look like they are radiating from the sun. That is just perspective at work. We will see an angel on the opposite horizon when the clould is close by at about the same level as us with plenty of blue sky around the cloud as it blocks the sun. Then the beams shoot past us and appear to converge on a vanishing point on the opposite horizon. This is of course fainter than the rays seen when facing the sun. Anyway, a sunset angel should be rare; the necessary conditions probably occur only a couple times in a decade. It requires a high place like Haleakala along with a higher altitude cloud like cumulonimbus in just the right place and of the right size and shape and air filled for many miles with water droplets or volcanic aerosols to make beams visible. This is still much more likely than a camera obscura event. See actual CLOUD blocking sun
Strobist: Elinchrom Quadra HS Head in a large octa, boomed overhead, f/4. 2 silver reflectors on side, one on the floor. Skyport triggering.
PP in LR/PS.
Writeup on kidona.com.
© Donald J. Fadel, Jr. | kidona.com
Vehicle mode of Delorean Time Machine
For more photos and writeups on this LEGO creation:
alanyuppie.blogspot.com/2018/04/lego-transformer-delorean...
Follow me in FB!
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I built this for the Jaeger vs. Kaiju building challenge over on Brick Mecha Division. Here's the lore writeup I made for it there:
The next generation of technology in the fight against the Kaiju, EUXO was designed to mirror a human's anatomy without using any organic material. The result is an incredibly complex synthetic organism that - by linking with the pilot's brain - functions as their surrogate body. This allows for reaction times and awareness unheard of in previous generation Jaegers.
For standard armaments, EUXO carries a medium-range AP rifle for piercing Kajiu hide and an "Ahlspiess" Anti-Kaiju spear. The Ahlspiess is designed to be stabbed into the enemy beast, whereupon its two prongs forcefully open and it emits a large energy blast to the Kaiju's internals.
The EUXO can also utilize optional Type-B equipment. This functions as extra armor and includes a number of stabilizers for extra maneuverability during air drops.
So yeah, obvious Evangelion inspiration here. I originally just wanted to add some optional shoulder parts containing ammo/missiles but that eventually grew into a full armor set. Note that the waist armor also includes extra braces for the hip joints so the whole thing doesn't topple under the added weight.
Sasha is a beautiful cat "with her own viewpoints and opinions. She can be quite friendly and enjoys chin scratches -- on her own terms, of course!. She's active and would love her own human companion to share playtime with." (says the shelter writeup.) As of about 6 November 2015, she was at Purrington's... not sure if she went back to the shelter but she was adopted on 27 November 2015, when thanks to "black (cat) friday" all adoption fees for all cats and kittens were covered by Best Friends and Zappos.com!
This photo shows the Sherwood main shelter adoption area from inside one of the free-roam rooms. You can see a cat-quarium and the wall of cages that goes around the central care area.
Pointblank from G1 Transformers cartoon series, turns into a futuristic speedster. Transformation doesn't require reassembly of parts.
I am taking inspiration from both his original toy version from the 80s and also some design cues from his cartoon/comic version.
For more photos and writeups of this LEGO creation, do pay a visit to my blog link below ! Thank you!
alanyuppie.blogspot.com/2018/05/lego-former-targetmaster-...
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Vehicle mode of Delorean Time Machine
For more photos and writeups on this LEGO creation:
alanyuppie.blogspot.com/2018/04/lego-transformer-delorean...
Follow me in FB!
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Pointblank from G1 Transformers cartoon series, turns into a futuristic speedster. Transformation doesn't require reassembly of parts.
I am taking inspiration from both his original toy version from the 80s and also some design cues from his cartoon/comic version.
For more photos and writeups of this LEGO creation, do pay a visit to my blog link below ! Thank you!
alanyuppie.blogspot.com/2018/05/lego-former-targetmaster-...
Follow me in FB!
www.facebook.com/alanyuppiebrick/
..and subscribe my youtube channel!
www.youtube.com/user/alanyuppie
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I stopped by the Camera Company today with a simple question, which is really no matter to this stranger story. Alas, I waited for a few minutes as they were assisting a man with 35mm film. I couldn't help but notice the beautiful camera and lens combination in his hand, and knew that at that instant I wanted to take his photograph. We all chatted for a brief moment on the benefit to the Nikon system being so interchangeable between digital and 35mm. After brief conversation he left, and I was able to ask my question; but I still wanted to capture the man with the magnificent camera!
As luck may have it, I did my usual up and down walk of State Street and when I reached the 100 Block we ran into one another again. This time I was able to make a little more conversation with him, introducing myself as Chris and he informed me that his name was Brent. Quickly learning the ins and outs of his photographic style, he told, me that he prefers film over digital. Though he did admit that shooting so much digital sometimes creates a false reality, as often he finds himself looking at the back of his 35mm SLR to review images. I explained to him my project of shooting the strangers of Madison, and asked if I could include him in the project. As most photographers do, he agreed and posed nicely for me against the glass windows on Overture Center for the Arts. Quickly adjusting my settings, I fired a few frames off; but he told me that I should take a photo of him with his camera to his eye. As often enough that is how his subjects see him, while I tried that I like this more classic pose.
I learned through our conversation that Brent recently made his first ebay purchase, in fact it was a mint Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens. While he didn't specify what version, I've owned a number of Nikkor 50mm an always had good luck with them. He acknowledged that he was a bit leery of the offer as it was being auctioned from Japan (home to Nikon at that) but four quick days later he had his new lens. He stated that it looked as good as new and came in the original box and everything, I hope that we cross paths again someday so I can take a look at the lens. Today he was shooting with a 135mm f2 AI-S lens, a tack sharp of a telephoto (1981-2005).
In parting I gave him a link to my Flickr page, so that he could sort out finding his photograph and story included for the 100 strangers project. He did inform me that I should consider a name change as "local paparazzi" could bring up all sorts of bad results. I assured him that I have a large following, and thus upon searching Google the first result is a link to my photostream. All the more reason to get business cards made out, but that's another step for another day!
063/100
Not super happy about the lighting on this one, but I'm tired. Better version tomorrow, maybe.
Taken at the Gilbert Riparian Preserve.
Check out all of my Species a Day writeups here.
I originally built my previous LEGO Technique as an assembly to deal with the gavel. Then things got crazy. See my writeup at www.dagsbricks.com/2013/11/lego-techniques-bring-down-gav...
I built this for the Jaeger vs. Kaiju building challenge over on Brick Mecha Division. Here's the lore writeup I made for it there:
The next generation of technology in the fight against the Kaiju, EUXO was designed to mirror a human's anatomy without using any organic material. The result is an incredibly complex synthetic organism that - by linking with the pilot's brain - functions as their surrogate body. This allows for reaction times and awareness unheard of in previous generation Jaegers.
For standard armaments, EUXO carries a medium-range AP rifle for piercing Kajiu hide and an "Ahlspiess" Anti-Kaiju spear. The Ahlspiess is designed to be stabbed into the enemy beast, whereupon its two prongs forcefully open and it emits a large energy blast to the Kaiju's internals.
The EUXO can also utilize optional Type-B equipment. This functions as extra armor and includes a number of stabilizers for extra maneuverability during air drops.
So yeah, obvious Evangelion inspiration here. I originally just wanted to add some optional shoulder parts containing ammo/missiles but that eventually grew into a full armor set. Note that the waist armor also includes extra braces for the hip joints so the whole thing doesn't topple under the added weight.
I built this for the Jaeger vs. Kaiju building challenge over on Brick Mecha Division. Here's the lore writeup I made for it there:
The next generation of technology in the fight against the Kaiju, EUXO was designed to mirror a human's anatomy without using any organic material. The result is an incredibly complex synthetic organism that - by linking with the pilot's brain - functions as their surrogate body. This allows for reaction times and awareness unheard of in previous generation Jaegers.
For standard armaments, EUXO carries a medium-range AP rifle for piercing Kajiu hide and an "Ahlspiess" Anti-Kaiju spear. The Ahlspiess is designed to be stabbed into the enemy beast, whereupon its two prongs forcefully open and it emits a large energy blast to the Kaiju's internals.
The EUXO can also utilize optional Type-B equipment. This functions as extra armor and includes a number of stabilizers for extra maneuverability during air drops.
So yeah, obvious Evangelion inspiration here. I originally just wanted to add some optional shoulder parts containing ammo/missiles but that eventually grew into a full armor set. Note that the waist armor also includes extra braces for the hip joints so the whole thing doesn't topple under the added weight.
I built this for the Jaeger vs. Kaiju building challenge over on Brick Mecha Division. Here's the lore writeup I made for it there:
The next generation of technology in the fight against the Kaiju, EUXO was designed to mirror a human's anatomy without using any organic material. The result is an incredibly complex synthetic organism that - by linking with the pilot's brain - functions as their surrogate body. This allows for reaction times and awareness unheard of in previous generation Jaegers.
For standard armaments, EUXO carries a medium-range AP rifle for piercing Kajiu hide and an "Ahlspiess" Anti-Kaiju spear. The Ahlspiess is designed to be stabbed into the enemy beast, whereupon its two prongs forcefully open and it emits a large energy blast to the Kaiju's internals.
The EUXO can also utilize optional Type-B equipment. This functions as extra armor and includes a number of stabilizers for extra maneuverability during air drops.
So yeah, obvious Evangelion inspiration here. I originally just wanted to add some optional shoulder parts containing ammo/missiles but that eventually grew into a full armor set. Note that the waist armor also includes extra braces for the hip joints so the whole thing doesn't topple under the added weight.
Crosshair from G1 Transformers Cartoon Series transforms into a futuristic buggy.
For more photos and writeups on this LEGO creations:
alanyuppie.blogspot.com/2018/03/lego-transformer-crosshai...
Follow me in FB!
www.facebook.com/alanyuppiebrick/
..and subscribe my youtube channel!
www.youtube.com/user/alanyuppie
...Instagram, anyone?
A little crazy Mayan flash flavor experience
full writeup on: www.flashflavor.com/2007/11/26/165/for-the-next-time-you-...
At the preview for Houston's 2014 Art Car Parade.
Today's Houston Chronicle features a great writeup on the parade, history, etc.:
If you wish to read about the rock sculptures then go here for the writeup about what I made today. If you want to read mad ramblings then stay right here as you'll find plenty... :-)
There is something that my art gives to me that I find quite hard to explain. It gives me little insights into the world and into myself but they happen without me knowing I am looking for them. Often after I create something I learn something that I was not searching for or expected to reveal. I suppose many artists have questions they want to answer and they use their art to search for resolutions. But with mine I regularly find out that there are things being revealed by accident. It is almost like my subconcious mind is opened and things come out that I did not expect nor was looking for. It is only now that I have realised that art allows you to learn about oneself. I only found this out by practicing art and I had no idea that that is the way it would be.
Recently I have been taking a break. I have been reading lots of art history and looking at symbology from around the world to try and open my mind to more wider influences. Doing these things has given me some space to think about my own art and as this new year begins and spring approaches I feel like I have consolidated what I have learnt over the past year and feel that I am ready to begin again and learn much more.
I am trying to peel back a new layer by starting to investigate how the seasons affect me personally. Of course my art reflects the seasons, the colours and materials available are my pallete with which to express but it is starting to become clear to me that the changes in season actually affect me physiologically and this is also expressed through what I make. How exactly, I don't know but I want to learn more about that this year.
I came to this conclusion as I have entered the doldrums on two occasions in the past year, whilst being quite prolific the rest of the time. As summer turned to spring and since the turn of the year I have felt unable to muster any inspiration but as the nights draw back and spring draws nearer I feel the passion returning and I am convinced that this is more than just one-of-those-things and it is tied in with the change of the seasons. After all we are creatures of this world and under its influence just the same as anything else that lives along with us.
Anyway - normal coverage has been resumed. And if you have made it this far, and managed to get through these mid-winter musings then I have something important to share with you.
I am attracted by colours and my art nearly always involves spotting something I like that grabs my attention and then making something with it. Today it was grouse poo.
Well no not really. But there was a lot of it on the fell today and in a world of brown and grey, brightly coloured grouse poo did seem attractive. I noticed that depending on its age the colours changed and I was so very tempted to create a colour fade with it. I am a little worried that I am becoming a little obsessed and when that happens I just have to make whatever is in my mind for fear of going insane. I can envisage a whole series of poo land art with such broad scope for different ideas. And through the study I can learn about what all the different creatures eat and bring a whole new dimension to it through the sense of smell. And before you know it a whole new field of land art will be born. And that field may have cows, sheep or chickens in it. And of course poo...
Now I expect you want to know about these rock stacks? Well they are just stacked bits of rock! There is nothing new to learn here not while there is grouse poo to collect...
While in Tokyo last year, I retraced the steps I took during my first vacation there, almost 20 years ago. I tried to recreate some of the photos I took to see how things had changed.
I made a full writeup in this blog post, which will also include more photos than I'll be posting here on Flickr.
去年、東京にいる間に、ほぼ20年前の初めて東京へ行った旅行の行った道を戻りました。景色はどうやて変わったのかと思いました。それで、昔に撮った写真と比べるために、出来るだけ同じように現代版を撮りました。
もっと詳しくは このブログの投稿をご覧になってください。
shot this photo way back in 2008 and came across it recently. My editing of it was simply terrible and, since it was one of my favorites, I decided to give it new life with a total post processing redo. Came out much better. Here is my writeup from back then.
Venice is a magical place and it is very hard to describe it to someone who hasn't been there. There is a feel to the "city" that is unlike anywhere else I have been. Venice actually lies in a lagoon that is protected from the sea by thin strips of land that have three small inlets. Rather than an island, Venice is actually made up of 124 small islands connected by small bridges. Venice is a favorite destination for tourists who arrive by plane, water taxi and cruise ships. This particular morning, I got up at dawn and wandered out onto the Grand Canal. This is one of the few times you can avoid the crowds of tourists and get some shots without worrying about bumping into someone. I noticed this artist that had the same idea and was painting the scene. As I began to shoot a few photos of the artist, I noticed this large cruise ship being towed down the Grand Canal out to sea by a little tugboat. It was an amazing scene that I never saw coming. I think I enjoy the images that are a result of just dumb luck the best.
Portraits Of Seattle #6 Musician FENCES
Click the Link to read my writeup/Andrew Matsons 3 Questions
1903, Henry Ives Cobb. Cobb was a prominent architect from Chicago; this was his first building in New York. It originally had a 4-column portico surrounding the entrance, topped by an entablature. Interestingly, 100 Broadway, a couple blocks up and built a few years before, originally had a similar structure: Greek Revival columns surmounted by Renaissance Revival relief on the facade. But that building lost its facade decoration in a subsequent reconstruction, whereas this one lost its columns.
For an excellent writeup on this building, as well as a picture of the original facade with columns, see daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2012/07/henry-ives-cobbs-1....
I built this for the Jaeger vs. Kaiju building challenge over on Brick Mecha Division. Here's the lore writeup I made for it there:
The next generation of technology in the fight against the Kaiju, EUXO was designed to mirror a human's anatomy without using any organic material. The result is an incredibly complex synthetic organism that - by linking with the pilot's brain - functions as their surrogate body. This allows for reaction times and awareness unheard of in previous generation Jaegers.
For standard armaments, EUXO carries a medium-range AP rifle for piercing Kajiu hide and an "Ahlspiess" Anti-Kaiju spear. The Ahlspiess is designed to be stabbed into the enemy beast, whereupon its two prongs forcefully open and it emits a large energy blast to the Kaiju's internals.
The EUXO can also utilize optional Type-B equipment. This functions as extra armor and includes a number of stabilizers for extra maneuverability during air drops.
So yeah, obvious Evangelion inspiration here. I originally just wanted to add some optional shoulder parts containing ammo/missiles but that eventually grew into a full armor set. Note that the waist armor also includes extra braces for the hip joints so the whole thing doesn't topple under the added weight.
Richard sent me these very cool techniques along with a great writeup on his blog. Details are now on Swooshable: #1 and #2.
presenting the next 2x in battery performance with a novel manufacturing process that is 7x more compact.
Templeton's writeup in Forbes.
2 August 2020
The FG Mason Engineering model A2 receiver was a portable solid state, ulta-wideband receiver introduced in 1964 and discontinued in the 1980's. It could demodulate AM, FM and CW signals with a range of bandwidths, and was intended primarily for "TSCM" (bug-sweeping and transmitter locating) applications. It was supplied in a custom briefcase with a collection of front-end tuning modules providing full coverage between 2 KHz and 2 GHz. This photo shows the A2 and all its accessories in the case. Included were tuning modules, various telescoping and wire antennas, battery packs, an AC power supply with a power line antenna coupler, and headphones.
Each unit was hand made to order, and the kit was priced accordingly. The main customer was the US Government, and a total of about 800 units were said to have been produced. I purchased this one a few years ago from a GSA surplus auction; I believe the original owner of this one was the FCC. The radio and all its tuning modules still function, although I've never had the courage to power up the CRT scope. (Note that this radio, serial number 50, was an early production version from around 1964-1965.)
A good writeup on the A2 can be found at www.cryptomuseum.com/df/mason/a2.htm
It’s hard to imagine today what an engineering accomplishment the Mason A2 was in 1964. It basically replaced a small truckload of RF gear with something that fit into a single portable, reasonably concealable case.
The Cold War may have nearly killed us all, but it produced some pretty neat gadgets.
Rodenstock 180mm/5.6 Digaron lens (@ f/9), Phase One IQ4-150 digital back (@ ISO 50), Cambo WRS-1600 camera with movements applied.
No emulsions were harmed in the making of this image,
964
(the man whose never taken a "selfie")
As I was out walking with my friend Ryan, I felt that I was in a bit of a rut for finding strangers since my 100 more strangers set was completed. The large amount of tattoos on him, as well a gentle looking face drew me to introduce myself and the project that is the 608 strangers. He agreed and as most people do, I asked him about his many tattoos. The over cliched question arose, when I asked "Which one is your favorite?" He smirked and explained to me that while he has a large amount of ink on his body, most of the tattoos were just done out of being "bored" with fellow artists. Kind of interesting to think that one would cover themselves with such works, and not have something that stands out a "favorite" or at least one with the most behind it.
None the less I learned that Lawrence was a recent transplant to Madison, as he had only been on the isthmus the better part of the last three weeks. With positive energy and a good outlook on the world, he hopes to either open his own shop OR join forces with one of the many local artists in the area. He expressed to me that the hardest part with tattoos is that it's always a learning curve, as every client is different and each has their own style and ideas. As I snapped a few photos from the middle of State Street (keeping my peripherals open for buses) he cracked a smile. As he told me that he's never taken a selfie, lack of self confidence maybe not. He just "never got into that," so with hopes I can share this photo with him someday.
We parted ways and I wished him the best of luck with his search, and maybe someday down the road I'll get ink and he will be the artist. None the less I made a new friend, which is truly what I believe the concept behind 100 strangers is all about. If I hadn't joined the group, I may not have been as adventurous with my writings and style. If your looking for quality portraits of total strangers (or maybe not so much) feel free to check out the group. If your up for a challenge, considering joining the group as it's full of very helpful awesome people!
111/100
This is a side-project that I've been working on for a while.
Like most people, I have a large collection of digital music, which is awesome, but sometimes I miss the process of physically choosing an album. Also, when you have friends over, it's a little weird to hand them a laptop and say "Pick an album!". When you have thousands of artists to choose from, the paradox of choice kicks in and it's a bit like asking them to pick a 401k plan.
The small vinyl records are Christmas ornaments that I embedded RFID tags into and then pasted their album art that I downloaded from discogs and had printed on quality photo paper at a print shop. The record player is a cardboard box that I put the RFID reader in and then pasted a photo of a record player I found on Flickr.
Full writeup is here.