Childhood on a Disc

I'm sure there are some here that will understand this.

When I think of "Windows," "Microsoft" or "computer game," I immediately think of XP. It's interesting how large an impact something like that can make on a person. Windows XP wasn't the genesis of the Windows operating systems, but it was my operating system. It was the one I learned on, it was the one I gamed on when I was a kid, and it was the one I reluctantly gave up for a more modern system (Windows 7 Pro, seen reflecting in the background). When I am older, and I think back on my childhood, I'll have plenty of memories to relish, but one of the fondest will be of something rather utilitarian and simple. I will never forget the sound of fans spinning up, a hard drive clicking away, and the boot up sound of good old Windows XP.

The Thin Red Line

Stars

Put on some good music and imagine

Limits

Here's an interesting thought. Does technology enable us to explore the world, or hinder us from it? We have so much information at our fingertips, yet we barely go outside.

The title of this photo is "Limits" - referring to the limits technology imposes on us (the fact that the shot was taken inside) and referring to the sky you can see in the picture. Because the sky is the limit, isn't it?

The most ironic part about all this is I'm sharing it on the internet.

Blown Away

There are two reasons why I shoot in black and white a lot. The first is a technical reason; seeing the shades of grey helps me quickly control my exposure the way I want. I don't have to worry about colors distracting me, it's pure grey scale. The second reason is a little different. When I'm flipping through all the photos I've taken after I've gone out a shot a bit and I flip to a color photo, it really blows me away.

I feel like we don't appreciate color photos as much as we used to, mostly because color photos have become commonplace. I still like to be blown away by a photo from time to time, even if it's just a simple one like this.

Citroën 22cv

The 22cv was a dream too big for Citroen to handle.

Read more here:

Ran When Parked article

Shadows on the Sand

Camels in the desert, viewed at sunset from above.

1970s W123 Chassis Rally Cars

Unknown model, but it sure is moving.

A factory-built 280E Safari rally car.

Rare views

A photo of the north pole of the moon from the Soviet probe Zond 8

Home

Isn't it amazing that we live in a world where people have gone to the moon? In my mind, that doesn't seem all that significant. It happened nearly 50 years ago, and we've done so much since then. But think about it. We've sent humans to another celestial body. It's a pretty amazing thing.

And it puts our little world into perspective. What seems so big and durable is really small and fragile. Isn't this world a beautiful place? I look at the Earth in these photos and I don't try to pick out my country. I see Earth, as a whole, as my home. It is our home, floating in the blackness of space.

Fire

There's something hauntingly beautiful about this image. Not just the colors, but the knowledge of what it is. Knowing that, at the tip of that rocket, are three people getting thrown upwards and thousands of miles per hour. And not just that, but knowing that they are going somewhere that we've never been before, and knowing that they could easily not come back, but going anyway.

The Beauty All Around Us

Car Stuff

A Citroen DS estate. Definitely one of the most interesting cars I have ever seen.

The 911 over the years.

Mercedes W123 chassis sedans on the assembly line in the late 1970s.

Style and elegance.

Alfa Romeo Spider. Definitely an incredible car.

Bringing Back the Classics (Sort Of)

Blood Dragon -

Basically, it's an 80s action movie - with all the puns and bad humor - wrapped up in a game. It's a $15 DLC on Steam, and totally worth playing.

Four Planets in One Frame

Three planets in conjunction - Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter - just above the horizon.

With Earth in the foreground.

Far Away Places

Let your imagination take you where you cannot go.

Two Hobbies Combined

Combining photo history and astronomy history: the eclipse of July 28th, 1851 taken by a Deguerreotype camera (aka the first photographic process invented).

Red Sea Wreck

It sunk in 1889. Located in the Red Sea (if you couldn't tell by the title).

My Religion

Look at this picture. You can see clouds and above them, the moon. Then above that, you can see Jupiter. It may be hard to see, but this picture represents pretty much my entire religious beliefs.

First, the reason you can see this picture in the first place is because of the color film it was taken with. The silver halide are incredibly light-sensitive. Then for the light (which passes through the glass lens). The light is made in a star, from Hydrogen fusion. It takes hundreds of thousands of years just to leave the star, then minutes to reach the Earth, Moon and Jupiter. The reason we can see those is because they reflect the light. And then there's the atmospheric diffraction that causes us to see the different colors of light in the sunset. Then you have the atmosphere, composed of Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Carbon Dioxide, and throw in a bit of water to create the clouds and the other stuff.

And then, why is the moon there? Gravity and motion, physics, chemistry, biology. The whole universe is a system of balances and imbalances, spinning into the future. And then what is the future? What is time? What is space-time?

What is this existence and what is this universe?

That question is my religion. I look at the world around me and I am amazed by all the things that I see. I am amazed that silver halide crystals react to light, I am amazed that plants go through photosynthesis, I am amazed that Jupiter and our star are both giant balls of gas, I am amazed that rocks fall when you throw them in the air, I am amazed that I myself have the power to ponder these things. This universe is full of amazing things.........................

...............................And so many more amazing things waiting to be discovered.


That is my religion.

Last of its Kind

Lancia 037, the last 2WD car to be used in Group B rally. It had a short stint of success in 1983, but it got beat out by 4WD Audi's.

But I seriously doubt Audi could ever make a car that looked this good.

Neat Military Technology Photos

Britain's earliest and newest tanks.

Post WW1. A stripped tank and an airship.

Hummel self-propelled gun.

Czech Sa.24 SMG chambered in 7.62x25mm. It used a wrap-around bolt which was copied by the Israelis to build the UZI.

Up Hill

1981 San Rémo Rally
Porsche 911 SC Eminence Alméras
Shot by Walter Röhrl

The Problem with Progress

This is the Czech ZK-383. It was produced in the late 1930s. It uses 9x19mm (9mm Para/Luger), so it's technically a sub-machine gun. However, it's built more like a squad support weapon, featuring a bi-pod and rifle-style adjustable sights. Its magazine is mounted on the left side of the gun, canted slightly downward. The gun is built more like an automatic carbine or rifle than anything else. It features quite a bit of rolled steel and machined construction, as well as a high quality stock. It was one of the best sub-machine guns of the 1930s in my opinion. Well built (although it didn't see many sales; however it did serve in the Bulgarian army until 1966 and in several South American nations).

And then we have this. This stamped-out, cheaply made thing is the post-war version of the ZK-383. It features all stamped sheet metal construction with rather cheap wood furniture. The only redeeming factor is the magazine has been moved to the bottom (better balance) and the magazine well can be rotated for easy carrying. Other than that, it's a cheaply made gun that faded into total obscurity.

This is the problem with progress in manufacturing. The cheaper you can make it the better it is for the economy, but it's not always the best decision.