Friday, September 5, 2014

)'( BURNING MAN )'( El Pulpo Mechanico )'(

Deep in The Playa we found Duane Flatmo's kinetic creation El Pulpo Mechanico. This mechanical octopus shoots fire from its tendrils and also carries passengers. Like all mutant vehicles it's limited to 5 mph in the city and Playa.

A different shot of El Pulpo in The Playa. According to Duane Flatmo it took 4 people more than 4 months to make this kinetic sculpture.

A daytime view of El Pulpo Mechanico at 4:00 and Kandahar.

Like most things at Burning Man, El Pulpo looks very different in the daytime. 4:00 and Kandahar.

A closer view of El Pulpo. Obviously this kinetic sculpture was made of many different materials. 4:00 and Kandahar in the city.

)'( BURNING MAN )'( MORE Mutant Vehicles & Art Cars )'(

Near the Hiburnia Bar a ship car.

Some of the cars do have upper and lower decks. Near the Hiburnia Bar.

This one could be a fox...not sure. Near Hiburnia.

Passing by Zombie Camp is a crystalline vehicle.
 
A bee passing Zombie Camp.

An elephant at Zombie Camp.

)'( BURNING MAN )'( Mutant Vehicles & Art Cars )'(

There are literally hundreds of mutant vehicles and art cars in BRC. All of them are unique and have to be approved before they can be driven around the city and The Playa.

A giant VW Beetle looks radically different driving through the streets at night than in the day. Near 4:00 and Jade in Black Rock City.

I couldn't figure out what this was supposed to be. At the intersection of 4:00 and Jade.

Nor could I figure out this either. At the intersection of 4:00 and Jade.

Out on The Playa I found a land speeder.

Looks like a pinata drives like a car. On The Playa.

Cheshire Cat out on The Playa.

This had horns of dragons. At 2:00 on the edge of The Playa.

Another interesting mutant on the edge of The Playa at 2:00.

Friday, August 22, 2014

)'( BURNING MAN )'(

)'(
)'(

Burning Man cometh. Pics to follow.
 

Duane Flatmo's El Pulpo Mechanico courtesy of AutoMart.

)'(  )'(  )'(

Friday, July 18, 2014

Waterfronts

Lake Union in Seattle. It's fresh water even though its next to the Sound.

The Sleepless in Seattle houseboat on Lake Union.

Pike Place Market is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, farmers markets in the states.

Every day fresh fruit and vegetables are brought in for the thousands of people that visit Pike Place.

Delicious fruits and vegetables at Pike Place.

Public Art -- Seattle

The Space Needle in Seattle. It's a tourist's trap, but worth doing at least once in your lifetime. Bring 20 bucks just to get to the top and another 20 to 40 bucks to eat and drink...minimum.
A large bronze pig near Pike Place. It's actually a piggy bank. On the back there is a slot where you can donate money. The collections are for the less fortunate in the Seattle area.


Right below the Space Needle are many public sculptures.

A different angle of the same sculpture above.

Not Seattle but San Juan Island. She's beautiful and looks like she should be on the bow of a ship...but she is mounted outside a bar and restaurant.

At the base of the Space Needle there is this bright red sculpture. It's made of large sections of metal pipe welded together. Like all the other shots I take, I waited a long time to get the shot with no people in it. Yes, you don't see them, but there are three people in this pic.. I waited about 10 minutes to get the right shot.

Black Lightning...right at the base of the Space Needle. Seattle has an abundance of public art. The city even has an ordinance requiring it for new construction.

A totem pole right at the base of the Space Needle.

An angle of the EMP Museum. Ironically proximate to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation office. Paul Allen, cofounder of Microsoft with Bill Gates, financed much of the EMP Museum's construction. The two had a falling out of sorts years ago.

The Seattle Art Museum or SAM. The is actually a kinetic statue. The hammer arm is constantly striking.

I wasn't able to figure out the name of this statuary when I was taking the pics, but later found a reference to Bamboo Forest. These are large sections of metal nearly an inch thick and chemically stained. They are beautiful. And, again, I timed my shot with minimal humans...because we are about human expression...not humans.

Another shot of the Bamboo Forest next to the EMP Museum.
 
A statue of a Native American. Seattle is a Native American name.


I Broke The Prime Rule of Blogging--Don't Stop Posting

Sorry everyone for the 6+ month hiatus. I had a relocation, semester startup, and other lame excuses. Please be patient and we'll get the posts coming again. The goal is to post at least once a week, but shooting for three posts a week. I'm also considering opening up the Google+ community. We'll see. We're in the second half of 2014 and I'm going to mix things up a bit. I'm starting a YouTube channel that will explore content like:
  • Creative Writing and Composition
  • Photography
  • Pictorial Arts
  • Wines, Wine Tasting, and Spirits
  • Arts and Crafts
  • The Sciences
  • Other Fun Stuff
Enjoy life, keep it real, and contribute to the world in a positive way! And check us out now and then!



Saturday, October 19, 2013

What's Cool in the World Today

visit Skeptic.com

  • Watch the "Baloney Detection Kit" on Skeptic. This is one of my favorite sites. It's about education, science, and sound reasoning. I first saw Dr. Shermer on an episode of Bullshit with Penn and Teller. I've been a fan ever since.


  • The self-deprecating James Altucher offers his musings on his site. I'm a big fan of his efforts and philosophy. This guy is a truly alternative thinker that believes failure is an integral part of success.

  • Alessandro Acquisti has an interesting view of privacy on TED. I love TED. It is one of the best alternatives to regular television programming or other mindless garbage.


Sunday, October 13, 2013

Macabre or Morbid Artistic Expression?

 
It doesn't matter what it is, these photos are awesome.  The article was posted by the HuffPost and has some interesting commentary about the shots, how they were "posed" and Lake Natron itself.  The photographer is Nick Brandt and his photos are all awesome.  Here is his home page. Below is one of my favorites of his.

Photos by Nick Brandt.
 

Friday, September 27, 2013

Human Expression - Camels?

 
I am amazed at the many ways people will express themselves. They will even adorn their camels in the most interesting of ways. This is from odditycentral.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Cool Things in the World Today


Dragons at Deviantart, a place of arts and crafts
 
Wind-Powered Life Forms at TED, a place for unconventional ideas
 
A Murder of Crows at PBS, a place of public broadcasting
 
Awesome Astronomy Pics at NASA, a place of space exploration
 
Virtual Digs at Archaeology, a place of human history
 
Squeezels at BuzzFeed

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

San Juan Island

Friday Harbor, San Juan. Accessible only by watercraft, or emergency helo, San Juan was a wonderful, idyllic experience. It was late March, and apparently the off season. We encountered very few people. Those we did bump into were quite friendly.
 
A different shot with a slightly fisheye look of Friday Harbor from the ferry showing many boats moored in slips.

South Beach on San Juan. We were a party of three and the only ones on this pristine but driftwood-cluttered shoreline.

The Cattle Point Lighthouse on San Juan. We sat out here for more than an hour with only a couple of cars passing by. There was a comfortable bench with a great serene view.

A different shot of the Cattle Point Lighthouse with a fenceline in the foreground...slightly out of focus.

This lighthouse on San Juan is rather small compared to some. But it still stands out as an icon against the surrounding scape.

One of the natives of San Juan. I was at max zoom on my 250mm telephoto lens and this as good as I could get. The red fox, not very trusting of humans here, is but one of many animals on the islands. There are deer, voles, otters, rabbits, as well as many species of birds including the Osprey.

Moonlight over Friday Harbor.  I have to admit I was pulling out on the ferry and was in a selected mode. In hindsight, I wish I has used a manual setting on this and explored different exposures.

Dusk at Friday Harbor. It was very tranquil and quiet when we pulled out on our way back to Anacortes.