Robotic systems continue to evolve, slowly penetrating many areas of our lives, from manufacturing, medicine and remote exploration to entertainment, security and personal assistance. Developers in Japan are currently building robots to assist the elderly, while NASA develops the next generation of space explorers, and artists are exploring new avenues of entertainment. Collected here are a handful of images of our recent robotic past, and perhaps a glimpse into the near future. (32 photos total)
Category Archives: Photos
Progress on NASA's Constellation
Progress on NASA’s Constellation at The Big Picture
Fire!
Bushfires in Victoria, Australia at The Big Picture
A couple of the “aftermath” pictures remind me of what I saw at Yellowstone after the big fires there in 1988. I drove through in 1989 on my way to Oregon, back when I was a young(er) man, going west.
Wait for it …
Long Exposure Photography: 15 Stunning Examples
Something to try out. I just ordered a locking shutter-release for my digital SLR
Moving in Stereo
Life’s the same, except for my shoes
Stereograms! Make Your Own 3D Camera for $15 or Less
If you happen to have two digital cameras, you can skip some of the steps, like getting the film developed and scanning the pictures. I was able to get my hands on a second camera; I found that butt-end joining got the lenses close together. I also tried side-by-side, using some optics posts and attaching to the camera tripod mounts. Unfortunately I did not have a third camera, so I can’t show the full rig.
Here is a laser table stereogram. I tested this on a few people, and not all could get it to work. But I can, and that’s good enough, for I am the benchmark for many things.
Also, you can see that the two pictures appear to diverge from each other, an example of the leaning tower illusion
Pictures at an Inauguration
No surprise that The Big Picture has some great photos of the inauguration.
The Inauguration of President Barack Obama
I stayed indoors and watched on TV. No way I was braving that throng.
Earth, Observed
Earth, observed at the Big Picture
Here’s one of the pictures. I find this one fascinating — try and guess the scale of the picture, i.e. the horizontal size of the photo should be about 20 cm. What distance does that represent on the picture? Click the link to find out.
Ice, Ice Baby
Natures Spectacular Geometry of Snowflakes Frost and Ice
‘Tis the season (where I am, anyway)
Tilt-Shift Maker
Tilt-Shift photos are the ones that look like they are of a miniature scene, but are really a trick of the focus and depth-of-field. You can do it with a special lens, or with software. Which is now available online: Tilt Shift Maker
Here’s a picture of rock-stacking from my trip to Monterey, tilt-shifted:
