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Saturday, October 31, 2009
bright lights and promises
the title is from a sad song by janice ian, one of four in this playlist... best enjoyed when feeling depressed and/or lonely... or if you just want to mellow.
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like it? click it.
Friday, October 30, 2009
no ghost in the machine
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...and i heard her say,
'i know it's counter-intuitive, i know how it feels, but you must understand... all evidence indicates that there is no ghost in the machine.'
i took this in july... but it fits better now. happy halloween... tomorrow!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
symphony of science: we are all connected - with greek subtitles
είμαστε όλοι συνδεδεμένοι: η συμφωνία της επιστήμης, με ελληνικούς υποτίτλους.
H/T to the sagan appreciation society. thank you.
H/T to the sagan appreciation society. thank you.
crumpled memory
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thanks to pixiespark for one of the most beautiful textures i've seen and hope to use again.
richard dawkins at the edinburgh book festival 2009
richard dawkins reads particularly enjoyable bits from his new book, the greatest show on earth. i found the last portion -- from about 49:00 on particularly interesting.
dawkins is so often misrepresented, sometimes from ignorance but also out of malice -- but videos such as this one heighten and deepen my respect for him as a scientist and as a human being.
dawkins is so often misrepresented, sometimes from ignorance but also out of malice -- but videos such as this one heighten and deepen my respect for him as a scientist and as a human being.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
the first annual carl sagan day: november 9th
i just received an email from the center for inquiry:
'carl sagan was a professor of astronomy and space science and director of the laboratory for planetary studies at cornell university. he served as an advisor and consultant to NASA and played a major role in the establishment of seti (search for extraterrestrial intelligence). he was a pulitzer prize-winning author and most familiar to the public through his cosmos series on pbs, which has now been broadcast in more than 60 countries and seen by more than 500 million people. in addition to numerous awards, recognitions, and honorary degress for his outstanding contributions to science, sagan is acknowledged as one of the most effective public faces of astronomy and space science throughout the world.
sagan died in december, 1996. to celebrate his legacy on the 75th anniversary of his birth (november 9, 1934), and to increase public involvement in the excitement of astronomy and space exploration, a local coalition of science and reason-based organizations have created the first annual carl sagan day. it is particularly fitting that we celebrate this great scientist in 2009, the international year of astronomy.
we hope not only to make carl sagan day an annual event, but to have other groups celebrate this day each year. we hope to have november 9th officially designated as carl sagan day.'
more information at carlsaganday.org
'carl sagan was a professor of astronomy and space science and director of the laboratory for planetary studies at cornell university. he served as an advisor and consultant to NASA and played a major role in the establishment of seti (search for extraterrestrial intelligence). he was a pulitzer prize-winning author and most familiar to the public through his cosmos series on pbs, which has now been broadcast in more than 60 countries and seen by more than 500 million people. in addition to numerous awards, recognitions, and honorary degress for his outstanding contributions to science, sagan is acknowledged as one of the most effective public faces of astronomy and space science throughout the world.
sagan died in december, 1996. to celebrate his legacy on the 75th anniversary of his birth (november 9, 1934), and to increase public involvement in the excitement of astronomy and space exploration, a local coalition of science and reason-based organizations have created the first annual carl sagan day. it is particularly fitting that we celebrate this great scientist in 2009, the international year of astronomy.
we hope not only to make carl sagan day an annual event, but to have other groups celebrate this day each year. we hope to have november 9th officially designated as carl sagan day.'
more information at carlsaganday.org
another pale blue dot: a repost
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in memory of carl sagan.
please read my two posts: a pale blue dot and 12 years: carl sagan's hopeful legacy
EDIT: i originally posted this on december 20, 2008, in memory of the day we lost carl sagan... but darknlooking's pale blue dot video is 5000 views short of a million -- and i believe that everyone should see this at least once.
please pass the video on.
richard dawkins on 'the hour' 2009
i've enjoyed all of george stroumboulopoulos' interviews of richard dawkins on the hour -- this one as well, especially the personal notes towards the end.
via RD
via RD
Sunday, October 25, 2009
undone
... i'm currently feeling undone.
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it seems that the motif is popular -- take your pick.
this one's the most prominent in my mind.
like it? click it!
it seems that the motif is popular -- take your pick.
this one's the most prominent in my mind.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
photographer arrested by amtrak security for taking pictures for the amtrak photography contest
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Nailed 'Em - Amtrak Photographer | ||||
| ||||
not news -- it's from february -- but this kind of crap happens all too often.
sisters
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a trip to the post office takes me past a yard with pretty flowers. i'd previously stopped for this one in april.
this time i stopped to shoot some chrysanthemums through the fence and a nice woman stopped to ask me if i was taking pictures. i showed her my shots on the display... it turns out she's one of three sisters who live in the vicinity and one of them owns the said yard. she invited me in to get a better view and all three showed me various flowers and talked about art and painting and loving families.
thank you marousa, antikleia and eleni.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
thank you
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this is from a still-blooming rosebush for a two-fold thank you...
to supportive friends who have made a difficult time easier.
to ricky (riczaf) for his lovely testimonial.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
both
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i was waiting to go to my mother's funeral -- and i found myself in front of my apartment building where gardeners were at work.
i was lost in my thoughts, but one group of cyclamens caught my eye, i suppose by the way the sun was backlighting it. suddenly i felt like the garden was grabbing me by the neck and saying look at me, damnit!... and there i was, rushing around, taking pictures of clovers and snails and flowers...
i felt so lucky to see such beauty, feel the warmth of the sun on my black sweater, smell the freshness of the cut grass and enjoy the smile from my caring neighbor.
the world is terrible and the world is wonderful.
both.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
lightfall
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even the best and the brightest of us fall.
the offspring selected it and i shot it.
for mom.
symphony of science: we are all connected
featuring carl sagan, bill nye, neil degrasse tyson and richard feynmann
lyrics:
[degrasse tyson]
we are all connected;
to each other, biologically
to the earth, chemically
to the rest of the universe atomically
[feynman]
i think nature's imagination
is so much greater than man's
she's never going to let us relax
[sagan]
we live in an in-between universe
where things change all right
but according to patterns, rules,
or as we call them, laws of nature
[nye]
i'm this guy standing on a planet
really i'm just a speck
compared with a star, the planet is just another speck
to think about all of this
to think about the vast emptiness of space
there's billions and billions of stars
billions and billions of specks
[sagan]
the beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it
but the way those atoms are put together
the cosmos is also within us
we're made of star stuff
we are a way for the cosmos to know itself
across the sea of space
the stars are other suns
we have traveled this way before
and there is much to be learned
i find it elevating and exhilarating
to discover that we live in a universe
which permits the evolution of molecular machines
as intricate and subtle as we
[degrasse tyson]
i know that the molecules in my body are traceable
to phenomena in the cosmos
that makes me want to grab people in the street
and say, have you heard this??
(richard feynman on hand drums and chanting)
[feynman]
there's this tremendous mess
of waves all over in space
which is the light bouncing around the room
and going from one thing to the other
and it's all really there
but you gotta stop and think about it
about the complexity to really get the pleasure
and it's all really there
the inconceivable nature of nature
lyrics:
[degrasse tyson]
we are all connected;
to each other, biologically
to the earth, chemically
to the rest of the universe atomically
[feynman]
i think nature's imagination
is so much greater than man's
she's never going to let us relax
[sagan]
we live in an in-between universe
where things change all right
but according to patterns, rules,
or as we call them, laws of nature
[nye]
i'm this guy standing on a planet
really i'm just a speck
compared with a star, the planet is just another speck
to think about all of this
to think about the vast emptiness of space
there's billions and billions of stars
billions and billions of specks
[sagan]
the beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it
but the way those atoms are put together
the cosmos is also within us
we're made of star stuff
we are a way for the cosmos to know itself
across the sea of space
the stars are other suns
we have traveled this way before
and there is much to be learned
i find it elevating and exhilarating
to discover that we live in a universe
which permits the evolution of molecular machines
as intricate and subtle as we
[degrasse tyson]
i know that the molecules in my body are traceable
to phenomena in the cosmos
that makes me want to grab people in the street
and say, have you heard this??
(richard feynman on hand drums and chanting)
[feynman]
there's this tremendous mess
of waves all over in space
which is the light bouncing around the room
and going from one thing to the other
and it's all really there
but you gotta stop and think about it
about the complexity to really get the pleasure
and it's all really there
the inconceivable nature of nature
Monday, October 19, 2009
the passage back to the place she was before
clickable
one of the reasons i started the 365 project was to learn more about taking pictures, to become more appreciative of my world and my time and to have a bundle of memories for 2009.
this is one memory i didn't ever expect or want to have.
this is the picture of the door of the room at the hospital on my mother's final day.
i was alone with her for many hours and it might seem funny for me to be doing this, but it is my way of coping with the situation.
as the night fell deep, i got comfortable and held her hand, hoping that the monitors' rhythms would reassuringly remain stable until the morning,
but they didn't.
she hasn't passed away. she's not resting in peace. she's not in a better place and this didn't happen for a reason.
spare me any prayers.
zoe se olous mas*.
*life to us all.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
jon stewart on the swine flu virus
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Doubt Break '09 | ||||
| ||||
the theory of chimpanzee mind
people are preparing to bury dorothy the chimpanzee while her friends are gathered behind the fence.
click pic to source
pz myers wonders what they're thinking, and so do i.
click pic to source
pz myers wonders what they're thinking, and so do i.
Friday, October 16, 2009
ni chi le ma?
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in china, people greet each other with this phrase -- 你吃了吗 ? -- a friendly hello which, literally means, have you eaten?
Thursday, October 15, 2009
separation of church and state in greece
.... there isn't any.....
the swearing in of the newly elected members of greek parliament on october 14, 2009:
please click to enlarge at source, at Ροΐδη Εμμονές
the swearing in of the newly elected members of greek parliament on october 14, 2009:
please click to enlarge at source, at Ροΐδη Εμμονές
raindropgenesis
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it's rainy today -- and i remembered an article i saw recently, that i'd like to share with flower enthusiasts -- especially the ones that take so many lovely pictures of them...
'the humble raindrop may have played an important role in the evolution of flowers, scientists in china have discovered.
a study of 80 species has revealed that flowers evolve different shapes and structures in part to prevent their pollen getting wet.
other flowers get round the problem by evolving waterproof pollen.
the finding may help explain why so many species in rainy areas either have droopy flowers or close their petals.
many researchers, including charles darwin, have speculated that flowers may have evolved certain traits or structures to protect themselves against the damaging effects of rain, which can wash away pollen grains and dilute nectar.
but few have experimentally tested the idea.'
read about how they finally did, on BBC earth news...
another view:
another interesting tidbit i fell on yesterday... want to know how flickr started?
flickr co-founder caterina fake on the value of viral loops via thomas hawk's friendfeed
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
trey ratcliff's 'the moments between, episode 1: japan'
The Moments Between, Episode 1: Japan from Trey Ratcliff on Vimeo.
this is a video of a beautiful series of long photographs -- it's something i've long wanted to do, but haven't yet done research on just how. but trey has -- and i look forward to his upcoming tutorial. read all about it on stuck in customs.
addiction
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you know you're addicted to flickr when:
1. you see an interesting portrait on a billboard and immediately search for the exif data.
2. you click on your text in other websites and expect it to automatically change to edit mode.
3. you search for crayons with colors from the flickr logo.
...what are your symptoms...?
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
(smashing) spiral-tuality xlii
NGC 2623: a galactic collision.
more info at cosmic log
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
more info at cosmic log
i'm so daisy
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i can't help myself -- i sometimes go past a patch of purple daisies and i almost always stop.
btw... these have been around for months and months -- don't they have a season?
Monday, October 12, 2009
moonflickring
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this is me most nights... sitting at my computer, and flickring, among other stuff.
for this, i used canon's remote live view on its EOS utility software.
i spent a bit of time watching through some videos from ice flow studios the other day -- it has some cool photoshopping tutorials -- i thought i'd share.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
fall imperfect
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it was still too early in the day and the sun was intense and patchy under the trees. but the late lunch was divine.
christopher hitchens at the 'festival of dangerous ideas'
i previously posted a snip... here is the entire program.
from the video description:
'christopher hitchens delivering the opening address of the 'festival of dangerous ideas' at the sydney opera house in october 2009.
the topic was 'religion poisons everything'.
part 1 - introduction by tony jones
parts 2-5 - 'religion poisons everything' speech
parts 6-12 - interview with tony jones'
from the video description:
'christopher hitchens delivering the opening address of the 'festival of dangerous ideas' at the sydney opera house in october 2009.
the topic was 'religion poisons everything'.
part 1 - introduction by tony jones
parts 2-5 - 'religion poisons everything' speech
parts 6-12 - interview with tony jones'
Saturday, October 10, 2009
the age of aquarium
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mr.g has a new aquarium... and i have a new subject for pictures. this guppy one of the first two inhabitants.
a closeup of the surface of the water
hair gives me goosebumps. always.
and then there's this...
Friday, October 09, 2009
white house star party
from the video description:
'president obama kicked off astronomy night on the south lawn of the white house. some 150 middle school students from the washington area got to learn more about their universe using more than 20 telescopes provided by NASA and other organizations. they observed jupiter, the moon and selected stars. other activities included science presentations with samples of meteorites and moon rocks. NASA's museum alliance, a consortium of museums, science centers and planetariums conducted activities worldwide to coincide with the white house event. astronomy night helped note the international year of astronomy, a global celebration of contributions to society and culture in the 400 years since galileo first used a telescope.'
Thursday, October 08, 2009
who you gonna call? stressbusters!
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this little guy was wandering around the office the last few days -- people would pick him up, give him a good squeeze, and put him back down.
he's not mine, but i'm thinking he needs a name. help me think of a suggestion?
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
CSIRO
... we're getting more and more cool music focused on science.
i think people are getting it.
via pharyngula.
chimamanda adichie: the danger of a single story
i've lived extensively in greece, canada, the U.S. and a bit in china. i'm often asked, what's america/greece/china like? i most often have no idea what to answer. you can't sum up a country in a sentence... or a conversation. it often happens that i get asked if this or that stereotype is true -- and it often is, but it's part of a larger mosaic that makes it untrue.
if i had more money and independence, i'd travel more. not to go on a holiday, but to live. it's very exciting and satisfying to have your misconceptions demolished.
a couple of snips:
"
the single story creates stereotypes and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue but that they are incomplete. they make one story become the only story.
"
if i had more money and independence, i'd travel more. not to go on a holiday, but to live. it's very exciting and satisfying to have your misconceptions demolished.
a couple of snips:
"
the single story creates stereotypes and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue but that they are incomplete. they make one story become the only story.
"
"
the consequence of the single story is this: is robs people of dignity. it makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. it emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar.
the consequence of the single story is this: is robs people of dignity. it makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. it emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar.
"
dinner with dawkins
this was not taken by me... i found it on flickr -- richard dawkins looks rather jovial and the quotes are interesting.
some dawkins’ quotes from last night:
"you could give aristotle a tutorial – and you could thrill him to the core of his being. aristotle was an encyclopedic polymath, an all time intellect, yet not only can you know more than him about the world, you also can have a deeper understanding of how everything works. science is cumulative. and that is deeply aesthetically satisfying.”
“when we applied for non-profit status in the u.k., and faced delays greater than for a new religion, the charitable commission wrote back to us, and i quote: ‘kindly explain how scientific education benefits humanity.’”
“a 2008 gallup poll reveals that over 40% of americans deny evolution and believe the earth is less than 10,000 years old – not a trivial error... we have an obligation to engage the other 40%.”
“the power of any scientific theory is the ratio of all that it explains divided by all that it needs to assume. by that measure, darwin’s theory is perhaps the greatest theory in all of science. it is so simple, and explains so much.”
“we should teach children how to think rather than what to think. it is child abuse to teach a child that you belong to a faith.”
click pic to original flickr page by jurvetson
"
richard dawkins was in good spirits for the RDF dinner last night, with his new book vaulting to #14 on amazon. christopher hitchens added to the camaraderie. the mc opened with a poetic prayer to the fsm. “give… ‘til it feels good.” ramen.some dawkins’ quotes from last night:
"you could give aristotle a tutorial – and you could thrill him to the core of his being. aristotle was an encyclopedic polymath, an all time intellect, yet not only can you know more than him about the world, you also can have a deeper understanding of how everything works. science is cumulative. and that is deeply aesthetically satisfying.”
“when we applied for non-profit status in the u.k., and faced delays greater than for a new religion, the charitable commission wrote back to us, and i quote: ‘kindly explain how scientific education benefits humanity.’”
“a 2008 gallup poll reveals that over 40% of americans deny evolution and believe the earth is less than 10,000 years old – not a trivial error... we have an obligation to engage the other 40%.”
“the power of any scientific theory is the ratio of all that it explains divided by all that it needs to assume. by that measure, darwin’s theory is perhaps the greatest theory in all of science. it is so simple, and explains so much.”
“we should teach children how to think rather than what to think. it is child abuse to teach a child that you belong to a faith.”
"
a massive ring around saturn
click pic to source
'NASA's spitzer space telescope has discovered an enormous ring around saturn -- by far the largest of the giant planet's many rings.
the new belt lies at the far reaches of the saturnian system, with an orbit tilted 27 degrees from the main ring plane. the bulk of its material starts about six million kilometers (3.7 million miles) away from the planet and extends outward roughly another 12 million kilometers (7.4 million miles). one of saturn's farthest moons, phoebe, circles within the newfound ring, and is likely the source of its material.'
read on...
beware of pirates bearing gifts
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... or gifts bearing pirates...
i was hoping to find something as cool as this in my kinder, but i kept getting these pirates... they're not very fierce, are they?
in other news, two teenagers are going to raise money for cancer research by riding to different parts of the U.S. on their bicycles... consider donating here.
EDIT: name change - from vikings to gauls!
EDIT AGAIN: ok... it's PIRATES!
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
down-to-earth
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i was on the way to work when i saw this plumbago's branches had dropped to the ground. i had to lie down on the sidewalk to get a low POV, getting all messed up.
i used to want to look impeccable and now nothing matters except getting the picture i want.
i've got less than 90 images to go on this year's project and i'm feeling dissatisfied. i look through my contacts' images, wonderful galleries and a refreshed explore and i see amazing, thrilling imagery. how i wish i could stretch out and create something truly unique, emotional and expressive.
Monday, October 05, 2009
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