Random Photos

Astranut · Jan 18, 2023

I quite like this one.

pinball1970 · Jan 18, 2023

Astranut said:

I quite like this one.

He had to screen grab this before he posted, it is a picture he took in Ashton Manchester. 31.1.2021 @ 14.49.
I bullied him into posting as I thought it was very nice.

BillTre · Jan 19, 2023

Cool Cassini picture:

Ivan Seeking · Jan 19, 2023

I met this guy recently. It walked up to me, so I told it to sit, which it did.

Yellow quadruped robot with Boston Dynamics and Gray Solutions printed on its body, with a black arm and gripper mounted on its back, standing on blue carpet at an exhibition booth.

Yellow quadruped robot dog with black sensor head and legs, viewed from above, standing on a dark grey carpet beside a blue carpeted area and a person's legs.

I was surprised and a bit impressed! Then I realized the guy controlling it was standing behind me. LOL!!!

Point Conception · Jan 19, 2023

Chinese new year

Festive decorations on a sandy beach: red paper lanterns hanging from red poles, large painted peony flowers in orange, yellow and pink in the foreground, and a red archway with gold patterns and a gold character.

Red and gold decorative archway with gold floral patterns, a gold character 春 (spring) in the centre, red paper lanterns hanging, and pink and gold peony flowers, with the sea and sky behind.

StevieTNZ · Jan 20, 2023

The current Judges of New Zealand's Supreme Court (the Chief Justice third from the left):

Six people standing in a row in formal business attire against a warm wooden-panelled wall, with grey carpet below.

Andy Resnick · Jan 20, 2023

Over winter break we took a trip to the Cleveland Museum of Art- in addition to Bellows' "Stag at Sharkey's", this is one of my favorite pieces:

Gilt bronze sculpture of the deity Hevajra embracing consort Nairatmya, with many arms and a tiered crown, standing on a lotus base against a red background.

For the longest time I assumed this was some hyperviolent deity (it's adorned with skulls and stomping on people!), but it's not. Quite the opposite, actually- from the catalog:

"Hevajra and Consort
An emanation of Akshobhya, the Cosmic Buddha of the East, Hevajra holds a skull bowl in his 16 hands. The rear pair of Hevajra's four legs is shown in a dynamic dance posture, while his front two legs are in a lunge, trampling the miserable personifications of ignorance and the false sense of ego. Also trampling them is the left foot of his consort Nairatmya, who has her other leg wrapped around his waist. The figures are explicitly shown in sexual union, indicative of the bliss that comes from conquering all impediments to enlightenment."

And of course the armory is a perennial favorite:

Full suit of polished steel armor with red trim on a horse, displayed in a museum hall beneath a skylight, with a red and yellow plume on the helmet and a chain mail neck guard.

Point Conception · Jan 21, 2023

Nice crowd in Jomtien today for cappuccino and beach.

Interior of a cafe with grey upholstered armchairs and white tables, looking out through glass doors to tall green-cushioned bar stools and a sandy beach with the sea beyond. In the foreground, a tray holds a glass of water and a black cup of cappuccino with foam.

Calm blue sea with small green-tinged waves breaking onto a sandy beach, with a hazy hilly headland in the distance under a pale sky.

Tall high-rise condominium tower with white balconies and yellow accents, behind a row of palm trees above a sandy beach.

DennisN · Jan 21, 2023

Another red admiral shot last summer:

Looking for fuel...

Red admiral butterfly with dark wings marked by orange bands and white spots, perched on a pink dahlia flower in a garden, with green leaves and buds around it.

From above (annoying overexposure on the flower, but anyway...

)

Red admiral butterfly with dark wings marked with orange bands and white spots, perched on the center of a pale yellow dahlia flower with its wings closed.

Spreading the wings...

Red admiral butterfly with black wings edged in orange and white spots, perched on a purple-pink dahlia flower beside pink dahlia blooms and green leaves.

And another shot from above...
I thought it was fun to see how tight the wings are held here, almost like a clam

.

A dark butterfly with its wings partly open rests on the centre of a pale yellow dahlia, feeding on the orange pollen-covered disc florets.

(lens used: Canon nFD 50mm f/1.4)

DennisN · Jan 21, 2023

Graffiti on a garage door in the city:

Spray-painted graffiti mural on a corrugated metal door showing a fantasy forest at dusk with a red-and-white spotted mushroom, yellow fungi, a large green leafy plant and a red flower.

jtbell · Jan 21, 2023

Andy Resnick said:

Cleveland Museum of Art

I don't remember ever visiting it while I was growing up in NE Ohio, through college, although I've visited other institutions in the University Circle area. I'll put it on my list for next summer, when I'm planning to be in Cleveland for a convention.

jtbell · Jan 21, 2023

When I saw this today (oops, yesterday), I imagined a farmer looking through the rearview mirror of his pickup truck and wondering:

"Hey, where's my hay?"

Two large round hay bales lying on the grass verge beside a sidewalk along a roadside, with a gas station and cars on the road in the background.

There was nothing nearby that needed mulching, as far as I could see.

chemisttree · Jan 22, 2023

Blue and white sign on a wooden utility pole in a parking lot reads: PLEASE LIKE AND SHARE THIS POST. A grey Jeep and pickup trucks are parked behind it under a clear sky.

Ibix · Jan 22, 2023

jtbell said:

"Hey, where's my hay?"

"My hay's bailed!"

pinball1970 · Jan 22, 2023

Ibix said:

"My hay's bailed!"

One of those bails killed the ELO violinist in a freak accident.

gmax137 · Jan 22, 2023

pinball1970 said:

One of those bails killed the ELO violinist in a freak accident.

I had to look that up:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-11195393

Ivan Seeking · Jan 22, 2023

Sepia photo of an early 20th-century playground with tall wooden climbing frames of rails, rope ladders and poles, with children climbing and standing around the equipment.

Ivan Seeking · Jan 22, 2023

A large reddish octopus crawling across a white dock edge, with a diver in a black wetsuit and yellow air tank lying on the platform behind it, water visible below.

Ivan Seeking · Jan 22, 2023

One of my girlfriends and I out for a ride one day.

Two quad bikes parked on dirt in a shaded pine forest clearing, with riders wearing helmets; a person in dark clothes stands between them, holding a camera.

Andy Resnick · Jan 22, 2023

Snow on pine needles:

Close-up of two dark green pine needles with ice crystals and frost clustered around their bases on a pale grey background.

Janus · Jan 22, 2023

Moss can Spell!

Concrete slab with green moss growing in the joint lines and filling the letters of the carved inscription 'JOPLIN & MEEK 1611'.

jtbell · Jan 23, 2023

pinball1970 said:

One of those bails killed the ELO violinist in a freak accident.

So maybe they've jumped bail and are on the lam.

Hmmm... they were in front of a bank. Note the green TD logos at the left. Maybe they were plotting how to score some getaway money!

BillTre · Jan 23, 2023

A nice picture of little things:

Small orange-capped mushroom with a thin stem growing up through green moss, with dry brown leaves and grass blades in the background.

jtbell · Jan 23, 2023

jtbell said:

So maybe they've jumped bail and are on the lam.

I walked past the site this afternoon, and they're gone now. Just a couple handfuls of hay are left on the sidewalk. They're probably in Georgia by now.

Ivan Seeking · Jan 23, 2023

Steep wooden staircase seen from above, with wavy, scalloped carved treads and a wooden handrail, leading down to a room with a dark mat and shoes against a wall.

Ivan Seeking · Jan 23, 2023

One of my projects...for the Mossad. I spent an entire summer in the cockpit. And there were always a couple of guys with automatic weapons to keep me company.

pinball1970 · Jan 24, 2023

Ivan Seeking said:

One of my projects...for the Mossad. I spent an entire summer in the cockpit. And there were always a couple of guys with automatic weapons to keep me company.

View attachment 320986

Really!?

You guys make such obscure science and maths jokes i can never tell when you are kidding.

pinball1970 · Jan 24, 2023

jtbell said:

So maybe they've jumped bail and are on the lam.

Hmmm... they were in front of a bank. Note the green TD logos at the left. Maybe they were plotting how to score some getaway money!

Spelling. Got it.
That’s good.
I thought you were making a joke about a 62 old man being crushed to death by a 600 KG bale of hay ; )

Ivan Seeking · Jan 24, 2023

pinball1970 said:

Really!?

You guys make such obscure science and maths jokes i can never tell when you are kidding.

Really! I get to do some pretty cool stuff. I've worked on two rocket programs as well.

I was also held hostage for 24 hours in Peru... so it can be a mixed bag. :oldbiggrin:

Ivan Seeking · Jan 24, 2023

The second program was experimental. It was actually testing the concept of rail launch systems [to reduce fuel consumption and weight significantly]. The first launch spun out of control a bit after the launch due to a motor failure. They were planning a second launch when Covid hit.

When this was happening, I was sitting here with a VPN connection to the launch control system in case anything went wrong. No pressure there!!! :bugeye:

We had verified everything onsite but I watched the launch from my couch. So cool!!!

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