greek sky

do you remember the full moon rising over poseidon's temple that i shot on wednesday?

well... you ain't seen nothing yet...

chris kotsiopoulos was there too and he shot these:




each image embiggens at its source. both images used with permission.
see what knowledge, experience and a lot of passion can do?
pure magic.

want to see more? hit his website, greek sky.

tim minchin: pope song

interested in the lyrics?



EDIT: download for free!

via pharyngula

mindwalk

by bernt capra



thank you, sagan appreciation society

weekend wars

...

it's only poseidon's moon

like it? click it!
this is a picture i've been wanting to shoot for years.

i knew from the photographer's ephemeris that yesterday, april 28th, the full moon would rise very close to poseidon's temple at sounion. i'd been waiting for a month for this day to come, and was thrilled that anthony ayiomamitis was planning a capture as well... so i joined him and his friends across the bay for a shot.

we were almost 2 kilometers away, the sky was clear and it was a bit windy.

anthony was set up ahead of time, already focused with his monster 'scope. as the moon started to appear, these guys started running back and forth with their cameras and telescopes to get a better position.

and i followed!

it's one of the funniest things i've ever seen.

i saw some of the others' shots which were just wonderful... i'll link to them here when i see them online.

EDIT: this by chris kotsiopoulos.

i can't say i'm satisfied with mine -- despite anthony lending me one of his lenses (500mm f/8) and giving me advice, the focal length was too short, as was the exposure. i should've increased the ISO. i used canon's digital photo professional to increase the exposure (i always shoot in RAW), then i reduced noise and cropped slightly to improve the composition. it's not a nice, crisp shot, i know, but i'm still happy that i captured this moment: the moon amidst the columns -- and in the middle, you can see the altar!

i do intend to learn more so as to eventually take one i'm pleased with. i think next month will be another good opportunity.

and i need a telescope!

this image is on the map on its flickr page.

hubble: window to the universe

narrated by brent spiner



via the bad astronomer

the secret life of neil degrasse tyson

on nova science now

go away. you're bothering me.

like it? click it!
rotated upside down by popular demand ;-)original on its page on flickr
btw, if you pick up a copy of the may issue of Digital SLR Photography magazine, and check out the DIY section... you'll see meeeee!

trek funnies

a couple of finds from my new subscription, l'astronave:


click image to source

eddie izzard on star trek:

simpsons trek and the evolution of shatner

if truth be told...

sun-shattered

like it? click it!
please view larger, on black

mr.G and i had cold chocolate on the beach at kavouri in athens... another opportunity for panography!

btw, here's a tutorial!

i've placed my position on flickr's map.

50 years of space exploration

by adam crowe


click to embiggen

neil degrasse tyson on apollo: nothing better since

in this video: 'quiet reflections and remembrances of a space program that once explored.' - neil degrasse tyson on facebook.

sidelines

like it? click it!

it's made out of meat

click image to source
from my food looks funny
via bad astronomy

hitchens vs d'souza: the god debate

at the university of notre dame on april 7, 2010.
in 11 parts:



for masochists who are still willing to listen to this highly overrated apologist.

i originally wrote a rant, but there's really little point... and i am astounded by hitchens' patience.

btw, i think d'souza sounds exactly like ernie.

via daily hitchens

hubble's 20...

...on saturday.

here's the birthday card (of the carina nebula) that it's giving us:


click image to source

turn around bright eyes

lin yu chun and william shatner



hmm... that was.. interesting.

earth from mars

from NASA goddard photo and video:


click pic to source

tempt - tempt - tempt

like it? click it!
'i deal with temptation by yielding to it' - mark twain

nix has recently acquired this cute little candy jar necklace, so we had some fun with it.

james randi takes down psychic fraud

on TED

Ξ\

like it? click it!

timescapes: 'death is the road to awe'

by tom lowe



via the bad astronomer

shatner of the mount

by fall on your sword



thanks, julia.

axis of awesome - 4 four chord song

this should go viral, if it's not already.

makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah

like it? click it!

in need of a coffee fix

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i had a latte with vanilla as nix sipped her shake. mr.G had a shake too.

i'm enthralled with panography.... igottafindamoreinterestingsubject.

here's a tutorial!

volcanic sunset

a post-eyjafjallajökull sunset in greece, by stellar astrophotographer, anthony ayiomamitis:


please click image to source for more info. image used with permission.

brian cox: the value of big science

an hour well spent:

marina sirtis at terraformers ii - episode 1

i found out about terraformers ii the previous tuesday and just barely had time to get myself registered to attend.
(thank you, julia, for letting me know!)

this is quite probably the most awesome trekkie gathering in the world, a charity event for the wwf... the location at the aegeon hotel at my beloved sounion, right outside of athens, an inspirational spot i keep coming back to.

we were honored by the presence of:
marina sirtis (deanna troi)
robert picardo (the doctor or the emergency medical hologram)
connor trinneer (charles trip tucker iii)
science consultant andre bormanis
authors and star trek experts larry nemecek and janet nemecek and pre-production coordinator, lolita fatjo.

the whole shebang was organized by maria katsiri-devolder and the forum community at sci-fi.gr.
and boy, was it fun!

here are a few pictures with marina sirtis:


silly fan-girl with marina

day 1: marina and her stories...


day 2: sunday's talk -- undiminished humor


me in the foreground, marina further back in green and mr.G says live long and prosper
(thanks for the shot, william!)
(click any image to the larger sized post on flickr)

marina is a warm, direct and honest. she has a greek heritage and is very proud of it... and speaks greek fluently.
it goes without saying that she's a beauty.

what you probably don't know is how funny she is. i enjoyed her hilarious recounts the behind-the-scenes life and adventures during the shooting of TNG and her quick-witted answers at the Q&A sessions.

more pictures to follow when i can steal some time from my heavy schedule.

videos and presentations will also be posted on sci-fi.gr

next: robert picardo at terraformers ii - episode 2

i've placed this on flickr's map.

pixels

by patrick jean

christian vs atheist

as in mac vs pc:



via biblioblography

david cross: the bible

the world's oldest game of telephone.



via the friendly atheist

christopher hitchens: arrest the pope

on MSNBC

jonathan klein: photos that change the world

again, on TED.



... and there are those who understand this power that want to take it away from us.

michael specter: the danger of science denial

on TED:



big placebo. lol.
excellent talk.

the non-deluded mantis

found on facebook.

if only my suppers were like this

from rational crank:


click image to embiggen and for more information.

the dinner guests:
j. robert oppenheimer
sir isaac newton
louis pasteur
stephen hawking
albert einstein
carl sagan
thomas edison
aristotle
dr. neil degrasse tyson
richard dawkins
charles darwin

via the friendly atheist.

the atheist barbie

from blag hag:


click image to source
(where you'll find theist barbies as well...)

via the friendly atheist

we're doomed.

like it? click it!

oxalis

like it? click it!
well... it is spring...

trek nation trailer

rod roddenberry's quest to understand his father, gene roddenberry, and the star trek phenomenon.



more info: trekmovie.com

rio-antirrio by light

like it? click it!
i've placed my position on flickr's map

earlier:

happy first contact day

on april 5th, 2063, 53 years from now, first contact will be made.
or so they say.



via trekmovie.com

structure

a shot inspired by a video...


like it? click it!
on vimeo:

silly

pz myer's holiday post ends thusly:

'...this is how you should think about the holiday today. selfless sacrifice for the greater good is a social virtue, and it's nice that christianity has imbedded the idea in its heart. but what's revolting is that they've taken this simple idea and spindled it up into a sick, twisted, confusing botch of a story that guts it of its power if you use your brain and think about it. is a holiday for the mindless, with a grim horror at its center.'

it's a good one.

the sun sets at rio-antirrio

like it? click it!
this bridge connects the peloponnese to the mainland in greece. i've placed my location on flickr's map.

partly inspired by n.pantazis' beautiful images from a nearby location and partly by the stunning astrophotography of anthony ayiomamitis.

creed

like it? click it!

"
i believe in time,
matter, and energy,
which make up the whole of the world.

i believe in reason, evidence and the human mind,
the only tools we have;
they are the product of natural forces
in a majestic but impersonal universe,
grander and richer than we can imagine,
a source of endless opportunities for discovery.

i believe in the power of doubt;
i do not seek out reassurances,
but embrace the question,
and strive to challenge my own beliefs.

i accept human mortality.

we have but one life,
brief and full of struggle,
leavened with love and community,
learning and exploration,
beauty and the creation of
new life, new art, and new ideas.

i rejoice in this life that i have,
and in the grandeur of a world that preceded me,
and an earth that will abide without me.
"
- pz myers

have a wonderful weekend.

the santa delusion

click image to source
actually, this was me in kindergarten. i remember it clearly. and they wouldn't listen.

via LOLgod

what NASA means to the US

as expressed by neil degrasse tyson

bits

like it? click it!
'all of the books in the world contain no more information than is broadcast as video in a single large american city in a single year. not all bits have equal value.'
- carl sagan

space time

mixed with the alan parson's project

your argument

a jewel, found on facebook:

david wolpe vs christopher hitchens - march 2010

wolpe and hitchens battle it out yet again, this time at john hancock hall in boston, massachusetts, on march 23, 2010. wolpe still doesn't make sense.

in 9 parts: