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the main shopping street at nafplion in june.
thank goodness it's friday.
Friday, July 31, 2009
red shirt cologne
smell like there's no tomorrow
click pic to source
... because tomorrow may never come
click pic to source
... because tomorrow may never come
Thursday, July 30, 2009
color blinds
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i think this is a little juvenile, but i've been spending too much time indoors, in the office... just trying to brighten up my day.
it's fun sometimes to play with the white balance settings on DPP.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
tool tips
like it? click it, then...!
i've been double-tagged on flickr... by apenrade and westie4us.
so... here are 10 riveting things about me:
1. i played lacrosse in high school -- very badly.
2. i wear almost exclusively black.
3. my favorite city is san francisco.
4. some kinds of amorphous jazz can make me physically ill.
5. do not push my nose down. i will not rest until i push it back up.
6. i was once the family cow, nursing my baby for almost three years.
7. i'm left-handed, -footed, -eyed and -eared.
8. i don't have a superstitious bone in my body.
9. i'm a pessimist.
10. i dream in science-fiction.
so, to tag, my ten
Tony₂
richard.heeks
T Does Wool
tommy...c
kounelli
Jenny [海外遠征中]
daruma*
Ashu Mittal
5erg10
and...
Re(Becca) Tabor Armstrong
atheist blogroll photography contest
mojoey has a knack for gathering the power of atheist bloggers on the internet, as seen by his almsot 1000-member-at-the-moment atheist blogroll. as an added treat, he organizes a photography contest for members of the blogroll.... plus members of atheist nexus.
categories for the images are:
atheism/religion
travel and people
self-portrait
altered images
the natural world
the deadline is september 15th -- rules and details, at deep thoughts!
categories for the images are:
atheism/religion
travel and people
self-portrait
altered images
the natural world
the deadline is september 15th -- rules and details, at deep thoughts!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
optic boom
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my shooting yesterday was an epic fail. this is the salvage-the-day-and-get-at-least-one-pic photo.
science is in the details
sam harris discusses the recent nomination of francis collins to be the next director of the national institutes of health in the united states.
'as someone who believes that our understanding of human nature can be derived from neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science and behavioral economics, among others, i am troubled by dr. collins’s line of thinking. i also believe it would seriously undercut fields like neuroscience and our growing understanding of the human mind. if we must look to religion to explain our moral sense, what should we make of the deficits of moral reasoning associated with conditions like frontal lobe syndrome and psychopathy? are these disorders best addressed by theology?
dr. collins has written that “science offers no answers to the most pressing questions of human existence” and that “the claims of atheistic materialism must be steadfastly resisted.”
one can only hope that these convictions will not affect his judgment at the institutes of health. after all, understanding human well-being at the level of the brain might very well offer some “answers to the most pressing questions of human existence” — questions like, why do we suffer? or, indeed, is it possible to love one’s neighbor as oneself? and wouldn’t any effort to explain human nature without reference to a soul, and to explain morality without reference to god, necessarily constitute “atheistic materialism”?
francis collins is an accomplished scientist and a man who is sincere in his beliefs. and that is precisely what makes me so uncomfortable about his nomination. must we really entrust the future of biomedical research in the united states to a man who sincerely believes that a scientific understanding of human nature is impossible?'
the entire piece is here.
'as someone who believes that our understanding of human nature can be derived from neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science and behavioral economics, among others, i am troubled by dr. collins’s line of thinking. i also believe it would seriously undercut fields like neuroscience and our growing understanding of the human mind. if we must look to religion to explain our moral sense, what should we make of the deficits of moral reasoning associated with conditions like frontal lobe syndrome and psychopathy? are these disorders best addressed by theology?
dr. collins has written that “science offers no answers to the most pressing questions of human existence” and that “the claims of atheistic materialism must be steadfastly resisted.”
one can only hope that these convictions will not affect his judgment at the institutes of health. after all, understanding human well-being at the level of the brain might very well offer some “answers to the most pressing questions of human existence” — questions like, why do we suffer? or, indeed, is it possible to love one’s neighbor as oneself? and wouldn’t any effort to explain human nature without reference to a soul, and to explain morality without reference to god, necessarily constitute “atheistic materialism”?
francis collins is an accomplished scientist and a man who is sincere in his beliefs. and that is precisely what makes me so uncomfortable about his nomination. must we really entrust the future of biomedical research in the united states to a man who sincerely believes that a scientific understanding of human nature is impossible?'
the entire piece is here.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
costume
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a piece a friend showed me... a bit more than what i'd wear, but great for a daily pic.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
fortunate
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i had to lay down on the office floor for this.
the coins are a play on traditional greek ethnic clothing, symbolizing wealth.
Friday, July 24, 2009
females right-pawed, males left-pawed
'female domestic cats tend to preferentially use their right front paw while male cats more often rely upon their left front paw, according to a new study that suggests the sex of a cat determines how its brain will be wired.
the findings also add to a growing body of evidence that male animals tend to be left-handed, or in this case left-pawed, more often than females. while 90 percent of all humans are right-handed, of the remaining southpaws, more tend to be men.
the differences are even clearer among cats.'
read the rest on discovery news.
the findings also add to a growing body of evidence that male animals tend to be left-handed, or in this case left-pawed, more often than females. while 90 percent of all humans are right-handed, of the remaining southpaws, more tend to be men.
the differences are even clearer among cats.'
read the rest on discovery news.
orthodox leaders on swine flu
via teachers dude's BBQ:
in an article in kathimerini.gr, regarding communion procedures which use a common silver spoon for everyone (loosely translated):
'there is also a great deal of confusion about holy protection. when asked if the virus can spread during holy communion, archbishop ieronimos replied that 'these are holy issues and theology and are not to be discussed', but eparch anthimos says that the utensils are made of silver, which kills germs.'
in an article in kathimerini.gr, regarding communion procedures which use a common silver spoon for everyone (loosely translated):
'there is also a great deal of confusion about holy protection. when asked if the virus can spread during holy communion, archbishop ieronimos replied that 'these are holy issues and theology and are not to be discussed', but eparch anthimos says that the utensils are made of silver, which kills germs.'
unintoxicated
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amethystos comes from the greek words a- (not) and methystos (drunk).
wikipedia says:
'amethyst was considered to be a strong antidote against drunkenness, which is why wine goblets were often carved from it. in greek mythology, dionysus, the god of intoxication, was pursuing a maiden named amethystos, who refused his affections. amethystos prayed to the gods to remain chaste, which the goddess artemis granted and transformed her into a white stone. humbled by amethystos's desire to remain chaste, dionysus poured wine over the stone as an offering, dyeing the crystals purple.'
it's easily one of my favorite stones. when i see amethystos, as pronounced in greek, i always imagine it to be a white crystal doused in wine.
i'm wearing this bracelet these days -- it was a gift from last christmas. the offspring got one too.
collision on jupiter
amateur astronomer anthony wesley found a new scar on jupiter:
click pic to source on apod (via the bad astronomer)
click pic to source on apod (via the bad astronomer)
what are extraterrestrials watching?
this is a great image... and so similar an idea to the opening sequence of the movie, contact:
click pic to view properly at its source at abstruse goose
click pic to view properly at its source at abstruse goose
Thursday, July 23, 2009
enceladus play-by-play
a great movie of the scans of enceladus by brent buffington on the cassini navigation team.
a portrait of aggeliki
like it? click it!
there's a new girl in the office... new enough to still be willing to humor me.
saturnian moon shows evidence of ammonia
via JPL and reposted in full:
'data collected during two close flybys of saturn's moon enceladus by NASA's cassini spacecraft add more fuel to the fire about the saturnian ice world containing sub-surface liquid water. the data collected by cassini's ion and neutral mass spectrometer during enceladus flybys in july and oct. 2008, were released in the july 23 issue of the journal nature.
"when cassini flew through the plume erupting from enceladus on october 8 of last year, our spectrometer was able to sniff out many complex chemicals, including organic ones, in the vapor and icy particles," said hunter waite, the cassini ion and neutral mass spectrometer lead scientist from the southwest research institute in san antonio, texas. "one of the chemicals definitively identified was ammonia."
on earth, the presence of ammonia means the potential for sparkling clean floors and counter tops. in space, the presence of ammonia provides strong evidence for the existence of at least some liquid water.
how could ammonia equate to liquid water inside an ice-covered moon in one of the chillier neighborhoods of our solar system? as many a homeowner interested in keeping their abodes spick and span know, ammonia promptly dissolves in water. but what many people do not realize is that ammonia acts as antifreeze, keeping water liquid at lower temperatures than would otherwise be possible. with the presence of ammonia, water can exist in a liquid state to temperatures as low as 176 degrees kelvin (-143 degrees fahrenheit).
"given that temperatures in excess of 180 kelvin (-136 degrees fahrenheit) have been measured near the fractures on enceladus where the jets emanate, we think we have an excellent argument for a liquid water interior," said waite.
cassini discovered water vapor and particles spewing from enceladus in 2005. since then, scientists have been trying to determine if the plume originates from a liquid source inside the moon or is due to other causes.
"ammonia is sort of a holy grail for icy volcanism," said william mckinnon, a scientist from washington university in saint louis, missouri. "this is the first time we've found it for sure on an icy satellite of a giant planet. it is probably everywhere in the saturn system."
just how much water is contained within enceladus' icy interior is still up for debate. so far, cassini has made five flybys of enceladus, one of the chief targets for cassini's extended mission. two close flybys are scheduled for november of this year, and two more close flybys are scheduled for april and may or 2010. data collected during these future flybys may help settle the debate.
"where liquid water and organics exist, is there life?" asked jonathan lunine a cassini scientist from the university of arizona, tucson. "such is the case for earth; what was found on enceladus bolsters this moon's promise for containing potential habitable environments."
the cassini-huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the european space agency and the italian space agency. the cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at jpl. jpl manages the mission for the science mission directorate at NASA headquarters in washington.'
also here and here
'data collected during two close flybys of saturn's moon enceladus by NASA's cassini spacecraft add more fuel to the fire about the saturnian ice world containing sub-surface liquid water. the data collected by cassini's ion and neutral mass spectrometer during enceladus flybys in july and oct. 2008, were released in the july 23 issue of the journal nature.
"when cassini flew through the plume erupting from enceladus on october 8 of last year, our spectrometer was able to sniff out many complex chemicals, including organic ones, in the vapor and icy particles," said hunter waite, the cassini ion and neutral mass spectrometer lead scientist from the southwest research institute in san antonio, texas. "one of the chemicals definitively identified was ammonia."
on earth, the presence of ammonia means the potential for sparkling clean floors and counter tops. in space, the presence of ammonia provides strong evidence for the existence of at least some liquid water.
how could ammonia equate to liquid water inside an ice-covered moon in one of the chillier neighborhoods of our solar system? as many a homeowner interested in keeping their abodes spick and span know, ammonia promptly dissolves in water. but what many people do not realize is that ammonia acts as antifreeze, keeping water liquid at lower temperatures than would otherwise be possible. with the presence of ammonia, water can exist in a liquid state to temperatures as low as 176 degrees kelvin (-143 degrees fahrenheit).
"given that temperatures in excess of 180 kelvin (-136 degrees fahrenheit) have been measured near the fractures on enceladus where the jets emanate, we think we have an excellent argument for a liquid water interior," said waite.
cassini discovered water vapor and particles spewing from enceladus in 2005. since then, scientists have been trying to determine if the plume originates from a liquid source inside the moon or is due to other causes.
"ammonia is sort of a holy grail for icy volcanism," said william mckinnon, a scientist from washington university in saint louis, missouri. "this is the first time we've found it for sure on an icy satellite of a giant planet. it is probably everywhere in the saturn system."
just how much water is contained within enceladus' icy interior is still up for debate. so far, cassini has made five flybys of enceladus, one of the chief targets for cassini's extended mission. two close flybys are scheduled for november of this year, and two more close flybys are scheduled for april and may or 2010. data collected during these future flybys may help settle the debate.
"where liquid water and organics exist, is there life?" asked jonathan lunine a cassini scientist from the university of arizona, tucson. "such is the case for earth; what was found on enceladus bolsters this moon's promise for containing potential habitable environments."
the cassini-huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the european space agency and the italian space agency. the cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at jpl. jpl manages the mission for the science mission directorate at NASA headquarters in washington.'
also here and here
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
dawkins, tyson, druyan, stenger, grothe
video description:
'this panel discussion took place at a center for inquiry - new york city conference titled "secular society and its enemies." the panel discusses a wide variety of topics, including, science, science education, the nature of science, the correct political methodology and much more.
richard dawkins, neil degrasse tyson, ann druyan and victor stenger. moderated by d.j. grothe.
recorded by bluewater media llc.'
i'm really looking forward to seeing this -- it's going to be a treat.
'this panel discussion took place at a center for inquiry - new york city conference titled "secular society and its enemies." the panel discusses a wide variety of topics, including, science, science education, the nature of science, the correct political methodology and much more.
richard dawkins, neil degrasse tyson, ann druyan and victor stenger. moderated by d.j. grothe.
recorded by bluewater media llc.'
i'm really looking forward to seeing this -- it's going to be a treat.
total solar eclipse: july 22, 2009
it takes a while to load for some reason -- or else, see it at danwei
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
parasol
like it? click it!
i took this in the spring. i like how macro lenses make small flowers look massive.
Monday, July 20, 2009
sunset at vouliagmeni
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near the end of a too-hot weekend, we went to vouliagmeni for dinner. mr.g had a late-evening swim and the offspring re-read a harry potter. me, i shot a few.
more spheres!
i've placed this image on the map at the original flickr page.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
my galileoscope
i was 7 when three human beings, the crew of apollo 11, went to the moon. i remember being riveted to my television set... and my imagination soared.
click pic to source
the imagery of the time says more than i could ever write. we saw what determination, cooperation, ingenuity and the highest ethics can achieve. we aimed the lenses back to ourselves and saw our home from afar. our self-perception was forever changed.
now that i think about it, i can hardly believe the depth of the sense of wonder, enthusiasm and pride in our fellow humans that a child of 7 can have. little humans are sponges and they soak up the best and worst of what they see.
click pic to source
the imagery of the time says more than i could ever write. we saw what determination, cooperation, ingenuity and the highest ethics can achieve. we aimed the lenses back to ourselves and saw our home from afar. our self-perception was forever changed.
now that i think about it, i can hardly believe the depth of the sense of wonder, enthusiasm and pride in our fellow humans that a child of 7 can have. little humans are sponges and they soak up the best and worst of what they see.
like'em? click on them, then!
my copy of the galileoscope arrived a few days ago. its short description from the official website reads:
'the galileoscope™ is a high-quality, low-cost telescope kit developed for the international year of astronomy 2009 by a team of leading astronomers, optical engineers, and science educators. no matter where you live, with this easy-to-assemble, 50-mm (2-inch) diameter, 25- to 50-power achromatic refractor, you can see the celestial wonders that galileo galilei first glimpsed 400 years ago and that still delight stargazers today. these include lunar craters and mountains, four moons circling jupiter, the phases of venus, saturn's rings, and countless stars invisible to the unaided eye.'
i haven't decided yet if it's safe enough to attach a dSLR to get a shot through it, but the morning was still blue and i got a few shots of the galileoscope itself as the sun began to rise over athens.
my copy of the galileoscope arrived a few days ago. its short description from the official website reads:
'the galileoscope™ is a high-quality, low-cost telescope kit developed for the international year of astronomy 2009 by a team of leading astronomers, optical engineers, and science educators. no matter where you live, with this easy-to-assemble, 50-mm (2-inch) diameter, 25- to 50-power achromatic refractor, you can see the celestial wonders that galileo galilei first glimpsed 400 years ago and that still delight stargazers today. these include lunar craters and mountains, four moons circling jupiter, the phases of venus, saturn's rings, and countless stars invisible to the unaided eye.'
this telescope is great for children -- these days, with such great computer-aided imagery everywhere, it's important for them to look deep into the sky, to directly see saturn, jupiter and the moon. i think it will help them understand that these are real places, places we've visited, physically or remotely, places we can go to again and again.
since i was thinking about the moon landings, i decided to start with something easy. yesterday morning i woke up slightly early and went up to the roof to see the moonrise. i was impressed with the clarity -- don't forget it's a $15 'scope.
i haven't decided yet if it's safe enough to attach a dSLR to get a shot through it, but the morning was still blue and i got a few shots of the galileoscope itself as the sun began to rise over athens.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
semiself
click either to embiggen
i laugh, but i'm not coping very well. i didn't take enough pictures when they were worth it -- if you're young, take as many selfies as you can.
goodbye, walter cronkite
i watched the apollo missions. walter cronkite showed them to me and we were excited together.
...and that's the way it is...
...and that's the way it is...
Friday, July 17, 2009
acropolis museum abstracts
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much has been written about the acropolis museum, and of the building itself. i found it to be beautiful, even as it serves as a background for its exhibits.
more from the acropolis museum
the caryatids as seen through the glass floor from above:
Thursday, July 16, 2009
ruby squared
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out of all the custom shaped bokeh i've tried, i think i like the simplicity of square the best. you can find a recipe for custom shapes on my snowberries photo.
ruby γλυκειά
έλα ξανά
έλα ξανά κοντά μου
έλα πρωί
σαν την αυτή
χρυσή σαν ηλιαχτίδα
ruby μου μικρή
-cat stevens
tr:
ruby glykeia (ruby my sweet)
ela xana (come again)
ela xana konta mou (come again close to me)
ela proi (come in the morning)
me tin avgi (by dawn)
hrisi san iliahtida (gold as a sunbeam)
ruby mou mikri (my little ruby)
why are there till chimpanzees?
i like these videos -- richard dawkins goes through a bunch of misunderstandings about science and evolution.
this time, 'if we're descended from monkeys, why are there still monkeys?'
via RD
this time, 'if we're descended from monkeys, why are there still monkeys?'
via RD
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
the pledge without 'under god'
from the video description:
'clips from the 1939 porky pig cartoon "old glory"
notice how "under god" is not in the pledge,neither in the book he's reading,or when he recites it.
thats because "under god" was wrongly added in 1954.'
'clips from the 1939 porky pig cartoon "old glory"
notice how "under god" is not in the pledge,neither in the book he's reading,or when he recites it.
thats because "under god" was wrongly added in 1954.'
blew
like it? click it!
i think i love blue on a flower more than any other color. these have appeared around the neighborhood lately and i got a few decent shots, even though it was fairly breezy and i had no tripod.
this is the first image i've processed with a texture -- i like the way it turned out and it was easy and fun. i used max f. william's dol guldur texture from his layered textures set.
two more closeups, with no texture:
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