Category Archives: Photos
Synchronicity
I was browsing the web and ran across this Gigapixel image of downtown Vancouver. I used to live there — not downtown, since my postdoc salary wouldn’t support that — but I opened it to see if I recognized the area. And I did, but not from when I lived there. I went to a conference there a few years ago, and went geocaching in the mornings as my internal clock ensured that I was always awake by 5 AM. Went out and about and got back by 7, in time to get ready for the morning sessions. There’s a geocache hidden in that gazebo-like structure. The picture was taken from a bridge, and from the photographer’s perspective, the hockey/basketball venue is to the right and a little behind.
Here it is on Google maps
Letchery
Beautiful Waterfalls of Letchworth State Park
Beautiful Waterfalls of Treman State Park
Beautiful Waterfalls of Watkins Glen State Park
I may just have to visit some of these on my next trip to western NY.
What You're Missing
Flickr: Light pollution: It’s not pretty
The preceding is sarcasm. Orem, UT is hardly a large city. This is intended to highlight the fact that light pollution is a problem everywhere, not just in cities with tens of millions of inhabitants.
Unlike some other forms of pollution, you can’t just pick up your photons when you’re done with them.
New, with Even More Big
A twofer. The Big Picture: Cassini’s continued mission and Earth Day 2009
Seeing in the Dark
On Saturday after the Open House, I stopped off at the Marine Corps memorial (depicting the flag-raising at Iwo Jima) to take some long-exposure photos. (“Long” in this case is ~5 seconds) I pass by it every day going to and from work, but had never actually stopped. Lots of tourists there, even at 10 PM on a Saturday.
From that area there’s a view of the Capitol almost lined up with the Lincoln memorial and Washington monument.
Redoubtable
The Big Picture: Alaska’s Mount Redoubt
Beginning March 22nd, 2009, Alaska’s Mount Redoubt, began a series of volcanic eruptions, and continues to be active to this date. Ash clouds produced by Redoubt have pushed 65,000 feet into the sky, disrupting air traffic, drifting across Cook Inlet, and depositing layers of gritty ash on populated areas of the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage, about 180 km (110 miles) to the northeast. Mount Redoubt has erupted at least five times since 1900, with the most recent event taking place in 1989. (27 photos total)
Blown Up, SIr!
The Big Picture: Undersea eruptions near Tonga
Scientists sailed out to have a closer look at the eruptions of an undersea volcano off the coast of Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean today. Tonga’s head geologist, Kelepi Mafi, said there was no apparent danger to residents of Nuku’alofa and others living on the main island of Tongatapu. Officials also said it may be related to a quake with a magnitude of 4.4 which struck last March 13 around 35 kilometers from the capital at a depth of nearly 150 kilometres. (I know this is an off-day posting, but really, thought the images were worth it – 12 photos total)
New Ultra Toy
A UV LED flashlight. Just checking on what fluoresces. Among the more interesting, we have the security stripe of a $20 bill
A Mr. Clean bottle shows both the label and the cleaner fluorescing
and some vitamin B complex (I think the B-12 is the main culprit here), dissolved in some vinegar, and spilled on the counter in the shape of a guitar. Worship the fluorescent guitar!
(I’ve previously noticed that vitamin B gives the appearance of remaining fluorescent even after digestion. Not that I’ve checked this with the flashlight. )
Go Fish
Panoramic view of the Amedee coral reef off New Caledonia
(I think it would be better if, after you panned around through pi or so, you saw a huge shark, but that’s just me)
If you scroll and look straight up, you’ll see Snell’s Window