Random Photos

nsaspook · Apr 1, 2025

Photo of a double rainbow arcing over a wet parking lot in front of a Jack in the Box restaurant, under dark storm clouds.

symbolipoint · Apr 1, 2025

Nice full-rainbow, by @nsaspook.
I took motion pictures of a full-arch rainbow, many decades ago in a tropical place. Neat to see if a person never saw that before.

nsaspook · Apr 1, 2025

Random Portland side street. Nice boat.

Residential side street lined with parked vehicles, including a motorhome, a camper trailer with a boat covered by a blue tarp, a yellow SUV, a motorcycle and cars, with power lines and utility poles overhead.

Large white and orange motorhome with dark tinted windows, parked on asphalt, towing a white and orange motorboat on a trailer. Badge on side reads Executive.

Cream and tan cabin cruiser boat with a windshield and railing, sitting on a rusty, peeling-paint two-axle boat trailer on an asphalt street beside a chain-link fence and trees.

Makes you wonder what the story is. I'm told it's been there of months. Looks clean.

Tom.G · Apr 1, 2025

Must have so much of his funds tied up in vehicles that he can't afford paint for the trailer! :cry:

nsaspook · Apr 1, 2025

symbolipoint said:

Nice full-rainbow, by @nsaspook.
I took motion pictures of a full-arch rainbow, many decades ago in a tropical place. Neat to see if a person never saw that before.

More rainbows

A girl in a striped top and purple leggings tosses food into a dark pond with a low stone wall, lawn and trees behind her, with a small sign reading RAINBOW TROUT on the wall.

and something else.

Two large fish swimming near the surface of clear, rippling green water, with ferns and foliage along the bank above.

nsaspook · Apr 1, 2025

Yellow diamond-shaped warning sticker on a white surface with the text INTER-LOCK above a picture of a cat behind an open door with a barcode, and a black cat-like figure falling, with Korean text below reading 열지 마시오.

Safety sticker on electrical equipment from Korea.

DennisN · Apr 1, 2025

Cat eyes - close-ups

I tried photographing the eyes of my cat today and got the best result so far, I think...

Here's the resting test subject, unaware of my coming intrusion:

Close-up of a sleeping tabby cat's face with eyes closed, showing grey and tan striped fur, whiskers and a pink nose.

...but her eyes are not open... she is very sleepy here...

Close-up of a sleeping tabby cat's face, showing its closed eye, pink nose and grey-and-gold striped fur.

...so I had to alert her by making some meowing sounds myself... please, open your eyes...

Close-up of a cat's partly open eye with a golden-yellow iris, a black pupil and a small catchlight, surrounded by fine fur.

The right eye - probably my most successful eye shot so far...
...a lot of details can be seen in the iris, which almost looks like it has shades of gold color...

Close-up of a cat's golden-yellow eye with a narrow vertical black pupil, a bright catchlight near the centre, and fine iris texture.

...and here's the left eye, also with nice details I think...

Close-up of a cat's golden-yellow eye with reddish-brown flecks in the iris, a vertical black pupil and a bright catchlight reflection, surrounded by fur.

And here's the gear I used, Sony A7R + 2x teleconverter + Canon nFD 100mm Macro...
...it may look a bit cumbersome, but it's pretty ok to shoot handheld actually...

Top-down photo of a mirrorless camera body with a long manual telephoto lens attached, its lens hood at the left, with a braided wrist strap looped over the grip.

DennisN · Apr 2, 2025

Haha, it was April Fools' Day yesterday and I happened to read a fun review from the serious photography site DPReview... they reviewed a toy camera like it was a serious camera, pretty fun...
Note that the camera seems to be real; it is a really tiny plastic 1.3MP camera (link: Sanrio character toy Cameras DSC-PIENI Hello Kitty).

Hands holding a small pink and silver toy camera with a Hello Kitty illustration on its front and a lens labelled 1.3Mega Pixels f=3.2mm F2.8.

Image: behold the mighty Hello Kitty camera. Quote: "Taking photos is best accomplished with a 'spray and pray' approach. You point, shoot and hope. I say 'hope' because the camera doesn't actually take a photo of what's in front of you but something off to one side. It's like having an integrated AI that guesses what you're trying to photograph, then fails spectacularly every time."

Review: The Hello Kitty rangefinder is a camera you'll hate to love (Apr 1 2025 by Dale Baskin)
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/hello-kitty-toy-camera-review

They did a short video review too

:

DPReview Hands-On Review with the Hello Kitty Rangefinder Camera: Features, Pros, and Cons

nsaspook · Apr 2, 2025

New seat for the brain while cleaning up the gardens.

Green rolling garden seat with a padded molded seat, a metal basket on the left and a folding pull handle on the right, standing on grass in front of two potted plants on a wooden deck.

Green rolling garden scooter seat with a tractor-style seat, two large black wheels, a storage basket underneath, beside red planter pots with parsley and orange irrigation tubing on grass.

Backyard in spring with a large cherry tree in full white blossom beside a small white metal shed, a wooden fence and a grass lawn with fallen petals.

We have spring cherry blossom snow on the ground.

phinds · Apr 3, 2025

My grandson, the Brainiac. I think it's just the angle of the camera, but he looks like a comic book villain.

A bald baby lying on his stomach on a patterned floor mat in a room with green walls, propped on his forearms and looking off to one side.

BillTre · Apr 3, 2025

Little babies seem like 1/3 to 11/4 head to me. Their proportions normalize as they grow.

berkeman · Apr 3, 2025

phinds said:

he looks like a comic book villain.

Just wait until he starts to grow fur!

nsaspook · Apr 3, 2025

Screenshot of a student grades page for Winter 2025 Quarter showing a GPA summary of 4.00 for the selected term and 3.99 overall, with a course work table listing four courses, each graded A.

She's working on Ph 424 Classical Mechanics I this quarter. Finally the fun stuff.
https://www.coursicle.com/pdx/courses/PH/424/

Point Conception · Apr 4, 2025

Along Beach Rd, Pattaya

Photo taken from an elevated walkway above a city street lined with palm trees, outdoor cafe tables under umbrellas, and a street food cart, with a sign reading 24 HRS and a red sign on the left.

ach

A woman reclining in a round wicker chair with a pink cushion, surrounded by pink flowers and green foliage, with a palm tree and beach umbrellas visible behind her.

A woman with long reddish-brown hair sits sideways in a round wicker chair framed by pink and white flowers and green leaves, with palm trees and sky behind her.

DennisN · Apr 4, 2025

Some spring shots from March last year:

Snowdrops

Several white snowdrop flowers with green drooping tips on slender stems, backlit in sunlight, with yellow crocuses and blurred bokeh in the background.

Red leaves in spring

Close-up of dark purple-red leaves backlit by low sun, with a thin bare twig crossing diagonally and dried brown stems behind.

Winter aconite

Crocuses

Cluster of purple crocus flowers in bud and partly open, with yellow-tipped bases, growing among dark green grass in shadow.

(Lens used: I don't remember )

jtbell · Apr 4, 2025

In Valdese, North Carolina today. I didn't stop here because I had just eaten elsewhere, but I'll keep it in mind for my next trip through here.

Myra's Diner, a roadside restaurant with a bright orange and yellow facade, decorated with large ice cream cone, soda cup and hot dog cutouts, and a sign reading SMASH BURGERS AND CREAMY CATERING.

jtbell · Apr 4, 2025

More pollen generators...

Branch of pink dogwood flowers with four-petaled blooms and yellow-green centers, set against green foliage and a street with a lawn in the background.

Dense shrub covered in azalea-like flowers, mostly pink with scattered white blooms and dark green leaves.

DennisN · Apr 5, 2025

Experimental time again...
...some shots taken today with Helios 44 with a reversed front element...
...which means there will be no "normal" photos...

First three shots of my cat...

Dream cat #1 (this photo looks quite "normal" though, yet very soft)

Close, soft-focus portrait of a fluffy calico cat with grey, cream and white fur, green eyes and a pink nose, looking straight at the camera.

Dream cat #2 (enjoying the sunlight)

Soft-focus photo of a fluffy white cat with cream-tinted ears and face, looking to the left against a black background, with a blurred dreamy glow.

Dream cat #3 (upright)

Soft-focus photo of a fluffy long-haired cat with yellow-green eyes and a pink nose, sitting upright against a dark background with glowing light spots.

Afterwards I went for a short walk, though it was very cold outside...

A magic ivy against a brick wall

Soft-focus photo of green ivy leaves climbing across a red brick wall, with a dreamy blurred vignette around the edges.

Dreamy pink flowers on tree (the bokeh is crazy in this one

)

Soft-focus photo of pale pink blossoms on a bare branch against a blue sky, with heavy swirling bokeh and reddish-brown new leaves.

Glowing springtime
(crazy bokeh here too; note: I've enhanced the colors in this one since I felt like it)

Soft-focus photo of a branch with fresh light green leaves and a reddish bud, with a blurred brick building and a row of round metal bollards behind it, shot with a swirly, dreamy lens blur.

(Lens used: Helios 44M7 58mm f/2 with reversed front element + CPL filter)

nsaspook · Apr 5, 2025

Smoked my main DC solar panel disconnect in my remote power shed testing some equipment I'm designing. Looks like it just had a bad pole (twisted or bent) as the rest had the same current but look fine.

This is why you don't go cheap with safety equipment, it was all contained but the smoke.

Open GE safety switch disconnect box on a wooden deck, with the cover propped open; the inside shows a blackened, burned three-pole switch assembly with an ON label and a red-handled lever.

Close-up of a burned-out electrical disconnect switch with blackened, pitted contact blades and charred black plastic housing with white residue, showing arc damage at the terminals.

Close-up photo of a burnt electrical disconnect switch with melted, blackened contacts, a charred bar and scorched screw terminals inside a gray enclosure.

Rating label on a General Electric Safety Switch, Cat. No. THN3361, 30A 600VAC 250VDC, Type 1 indoor enclosure, with a pink Underwriters Laboratories listing sticker reading NO. AN-634676.

Proper DC and UL rated for the job.

jtbell · Apr 5, 2025

In Spindale, North Carolina yesterday:

Brick entrance pillar sign reading ISOTHERMAL vertically, with blue banners showing a cartoon colonial soldier and the text YOUR DREAM. OUR MISSION., and a circular college seal at the base.

Oval white sign with blue border and lettering on a red brick wall, reading ISOTHERMAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE, with a blue crest of a torch and flame in a triangle, the motto ERUDITIO ET MERITUM and PRO OMNIBUS on ribbons, and 1964 below.

I wonder if they offer degrees in HVAC technology... apparently not, but they do offer a Basic HVAC Certificate.

[added] Now I see I've mentioned this place before, and @berkeman noted the origin of the name. I had only seen signs pointing towards it from highway US-221 which bypasses Spindale, but yesterday I actually drove around the campus, and through Spindale. Typical mid 1960s academic architecture.

collinsmark · Apr 6, 2025

Mr. Mittens (my neighbor's cat) popped over a couple days ago for a late morning/early afternoon nap. I took a couple of test shots with Mittens since I wanted to ensure my rangefinder camera was all set and ready anyway.

A brown tabby cat lying on a windowsill in sunlight, its tail curled around its body, gazing out through a window at green trees.

Figure 1. Mittens relaxing in a late morning sunbeam.

'Missed critical focus on that one by a bit (see Fig. 1). That's on me. But Mr. Mittens posed so well I had to post it. (In my defense, it's difficult to manually focus when crouched near to the ground. And the lighting was difficult. But I aught to have done better. I'll keep practicing.)

Tabby cat lying on carpet under a dark stand, head resting on its front paws, looking sideways at the camera with half-closed eyes.

Figure 2. Mr. Mittens being slightly curious as to why I was prone on my belly pointing a rangefinder camera at him from underneath a guitar stand.

While somewhat curious, he was more sleepy than curious (see Fig. 2).

pinball1970 · Apr 6, 2025

Stockport North West England shares a boarder with Manchester. Buddy Rich used to play there regularly, the Davenport Theatre. This building, the Plaza, went up in 1932.

Street view of a town centre road with pedestrians and planters, looking toward a cream-coloured Art Deco building with the word PLAZA across its top; overcast sky.

pinball1970 · Apr 6, 2025

No idea about this one. 1885, it is most likely listed but that does not mean it gets used or looked after.

Red brick corner building with ornate stone detailing and a gable on a street corner, shop fronts at street level, a lamp post and a church spire in the background.

nsaspook · Apr 6, 2025

Forgot the arc shield pictures.

Red General Electric heavy duty arc shield lying on a black rubber mat, with the words LINE, L1, L2, ARC SHIELD MUST BE IN PLACE moulded into it; a blue 3D-printed wrench sits at the top.

Red plastic part with a melted, deformed black area on its left end, shown on a ribbed black surface, with a blue plastic tool lying behind it.

Passed the heat test, highly recommended for field duty.

Anyone know what type of plastic they use? I'd like to get some (clear if possible) for some DIY spark shields over interconnect rails.
I found this but it's only in black.
https://www.ensingerplastics.com/en/shapes/pa66-tecamid-66-gf30-black
Natural would be better as I would like to see status LEDS behind the shield.

BillTre · Apr 6, 2025

The info sheet you linked to says its polyamide (polys (???) linked with amides).
It can be obtained in several forms.
The product sheet also mentions glass fibers and black nylon 66. Black makes for UV protection.

Asking the manufacturer would probably the most informative approach.

nsaspook · Apr 6, 2025

BillTre said:

The info sheet you linked to says its polyamide (polys (???) linked with amides).
It can be obtained in several forms.
The product sheet also mentions glass fibers and black nylon 66. Black makes for UV protection.

Asking the manufacturer would probably the most informative approach.

Thanks. Google shopping just gets me a blank screen. I must have all of their tracking crap blocked.

Edit: I found something cheap to try with your polyamide reference.
https://www.amazon.com/Gizmo-Dorks-Polyimide-Printers-Printing/dp/B01G2HIF9W/?tag=pfamazon01-20

Amber and translucent 1mm thick.

Averagesupernova · Apr 6, 2025

Im pretty sure the enamel used in electric motor winding is a polyamide. I would think you would be on the right track choosing that material.

nsaspook · Apr 6, 2025

Branches of a tree in full white blossom against a blue sky, with a rooftop visible at the bottom of the frame.

nsaspook · Apr 6, 2025

Wide panoramic photo of a street parade with crowds lining the route; performers in white and gold costumes with tall feathered headpieces walk past storefronts, including one with the sign EMPORIUM.

Costumed parade performers in colourful ruffled skirts and feathered hats dancing down a paved street, with a crowd watching and a decorated float at right.

Tom.G · Apr 7, 2025

nsaspook said:

Anyone know what type of plastic they use? I'd like to get some (clear if possible) for some DIY spark shields over interconnect rails.

nsaspook said:

Edit: I found something cheap to try with your polyamide reference.
https://www.amazon.com/Gizmo-Dorks-Polyimide-Printers-Printing/dp/B01G2HIF9W/?tag=pfamazon01-20

That one, Kapton, is close to magic; I've used it in the distant past because it is resistant to corona discharge. It also has a wide temperature tolerance of -450F to +750F and reportedly available in Clear or translucent Tan, with Tan being more common.

Here is the manufacturers data sheet:
EI-10142_Kapton-Summary-of-Properties.pdf

Cheers,
Tom

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