Maybe you saw this

GRB 130427A

discovered April 2013 ...

It's only a Gamma-ray burst of 94 billion electron volts. 

A measly 3.6 billion light-years away … 

Our crackerjack techno-wizardry was all over this. 

It was first detected by the Fermi and Swift satellites.  After that, every kid with a RadioShack telescope was dialed in and reporting back to Earth Central HQ.

• Could it be Ming has unleashed his fiendishly powerful Death-Ray at us?  
• Is this the beginning of The End?  
• Will our taken-for-granted Earth be invaded by mind-controlled killer robots?
• Are Snooki and Tom Cruise in serious danger?

Eh, probably not.

I think you're looking at a GIF of a possible future supernova. 

Pretty exciting … if you like science, learning, techy and geeky stuff, that is.




ps: You'll be OK as long as you don't remove your tinfoil hat, even while sleeping.

Oh No! Buck's in trouble and Planet Mercury looms!

You've been asking yourself, "What the heck is going on there?

"There", is of course, Planet Mercury.

Seems like only yesterday Buck Rogers was knocked unconscious after his spaceship was grazed by a Killer Kane's death ray and Buck was last seen careening out of control towards Mysterious Mercury.

Those ruthless nasty guys!

Continued next week.

Anyway, nifty ol NASA has the latest ... what's happening on Mercury, click here.


2013 Earthly cinematography and special effects by …. Bill Stankus 

Almost 4

My blogging friend Julochka likes to blog about her cats …

We don't have cats but we do have a granddaughter.

Needless to say ... but I'll say it anyway … she's awesomely smart, cute, clever, entertaining … and she likes dogs and cats and dolls and dancing and running and being silly ….


Photo by Granddaughter's mom
June 2013

We often get pinkish

Here's an easy quiz for you …

I say "Seattle" and you immediately think of … Seahawks football?

 No?

Then, salmon and ferry boats?

Am I close?

Perhaps, it's ugly Chihuly glass, grunge, black clothing, Tully's Coffee, Microsoft, Amazon.com or the Evergreen Floating Bridge?

Not warm am I?

OK, hey, that's a good clue … I got it!

When someone says, "Seattle" you immediately think … rain, fog, drizzle, monsoons & drippy wet.

You know you do.

Well, you're sorta right, but not today.

Pour yourself a Redhook Pilsner or a Pyramid Dunkel or a glass of Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Merlot and join me on the deck ...

'cause today it's summer.

I'll join you in just a minute … as soon as I find something other than a Gore-tex fleece hoody to wear.




(What's sunscreen?)

Yawn

Big Dog had a busy day … watching us do yard work from the cool of the St. John's Wort.


Some chompers, hey?

photo by Bill Stankus
June 2013

Boys In The Boat, a history lesson and cool new YouTube vids

There are stories of local events which occasionally get retold, usually in the press, and then they settle quietly down, amongst other old stories and forgotten lore.  Every city, whether large or small, has these stories.  Usually they're about war heroes, great athletes or about anonymous people who leave the hometown and go on to Hollywood, art or scientific accomplishments.

This past Tuesday we went to Seattle’s University Bookstore for the world’s debut launching of the book, “The Boys In The Boat” by Daniel James Brown.

Crowded University Bookstore

UW rowing coach introducing book author

Without writing too much about the book … basically, the author tells the story of the University of Washington 8-man rowing team - a mix of middle class and lower class young men who came together to become a world class rowing team.  

The crew were very familiar with hard physical labor as they scuffled through the hardships of the Great Depression.  The book details their efforts as a team and ultimately their defining historical moment - beating Adolf Hitler’s best at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Brown is an excellent storyteller, he’s done his homework and I suspect “The Boys In The Boat” will become a film – something akin to “Chariots of Fire”. 

My one complaint - as a furniture maker and one-time rower - I would've enjoyed close-up photos of the Husky Clipper.  

The official book trailer.

Using the Internet, I did a bit of homework; mostly on YouTube and Wiki.  Film breathes visual life into older stories  … it provides historical context, moving snapshots and, in the case of the 1936 Olympics, film provides visualization of pre-World War II Nazi propaganda –  especially the effective films of Leni Riefenstahl. 

While reading the book I watched “Olympia” on YouTube … I knew the backstory of Riefenstahl’s “Triumph of Will” so it was much more of an emotional struggle and challenge to watch.

I watched “Olympia” without English subtitles and I think it’s the better way to see the film, the propaganda is obvious but the closeups of athletes makes the film watchable.  Riefenstahl’s deft filming and editing seem, at times, very modern ...  the voice-overs are minimal so it's possible to watch the athletes, the crowds and frequent scenes of Hitler with his cronies without an over-amount of consternation. 

“Triumph of Will”, an evil film if ever there was one, is nothing other than Nazi propaganda.  For me I could only watch it in pieces, a bit now and a bit later. If you decide to watch it, do so with English subtitles - we've all seen films of a ranting Hitler … with translation, what he was saying is almost comical (not the funny kind) gibberish.

I don’t want to get into a review of the Riefenstahl films but they do add a backdrop of what faced the young University of Washington oarsmen as they trained for an Olympic opportunity.

---------------

I mostly read biographies and historical non-fictions but stepping away from the old stories and into the present, here are several totally cool YouTubes about today's UW's "Boys in the boat".

Husky Crew - Into the Cut

UW Men's Crew- Who We Are is Why We Win

UW Men's Crew - #1 UW Men's Crew Tops #2 Cal

Go Dawgs!

Not specific enough

What's the expression? … "Never assume, it just makes an ass out of you & me" …

Apparently www.readingtree.org assumed the large and prominant slot in front of their drop-off box was adequate.

They forgot they're dealing with humans.

photo by Bill Stankus
May 2013

Dang, you missed it by that much

Trash cans are really hard to use.

Thank gawd we have low pay non-union people working to cleanup after us.

photo by Bill Stankus
May 2013

So you think ...

Blogs are like gumballs, or something really deep, like, gumballs are like blogs … lots of variety, oh, look at their prettiness ... maybe snap a picture … then ya move on to the next person-animal-sidewalk-roadside-attraction. Excuse me, it's time for texting.

Do you simply blitz the whatever in 140 characters or less, maybe wear the cap of a Facebook clicktivist and use the gumball pic for some sort of slacktivism?  Google something cute or pithy … may something Gandhi said ...Probably N/A for saving elephants or overthrowing rightwing regimes… tho, ya never know for certain.

It's Thursday in Blogland, and we all know, "Weekend Rules" apply … besides, who's paying attention?

photo by
Bill Stankus
June 2013

a rare capture

It's not often a hawk is close enough for a portrait … but sometimes, luck prevails and very close to the house, there's an awesome moment.

This is a large bird … maybe 18-24", head to tail feathers.

May 2013

Randomness w/ my iPhone

Harking back to the days of my parents and their one camera - a film camera - they rarely took pictures and when they did it was a few at holidays or a couple more during a vacation … eventually the roll of film was fully exposed ... perhaps the first few pictures on the roll were Christmas pics … and the last photos on the roll were of the next Christmas.  My parents did nothing to make Kodak a profitable company.

Anyway, my Canon 5D and G11 are my mainstay cameras and I often take hundreds of photos a day and I've gotten to the point I'm impatient with the download speed to my computer … I want my pics NOW!

In my jacket pocket is another camera, a mostly forgotten camera, it's my iPhone.  It take terrific pics and is easy to use … I just don't bother with it when I have the two Canons.

This morning I decided to show a few random snaps, in the manner that would make my parents proud … photos somewhat shuffled and lost in time but still fun to look at. … and all from my iPhone.


A favorite breakfast place, "14 Carrot Cafe"

Almond flavored French Toast - really really really really really really really good.

Costco has introduced a new pickle.
Don't like the label.
Not crazy for the flavor.

Taco Time.
Ate here because the local Taco Del Mar has closed. Very bland.

I like the Mill Creek's Central Market - all the regular stuff plus a terrific selection of Asian products.

Part of an exhibit at Seattle Art Museum

Wife was shopping, I just followed, I have no idea where this was taken.

Somewhere in Seattle

Bellevue Square Crate and Barrel

I think this was in a Portland OR toy store.
Much cuter than the real things.

 My workplace

Well, she's cute and I have a few thousand pics of her

Temptation at Top Pot Doughnut
I think the doughnut's name is, "Pink Rainbow"
ps: "Pink Rainbow" did not survive.

photos by Bill Stankus

two photographs

I've been taking photographs for a long time. To this day, I constantly return to the images that fascinated me in my youth.

I was born and raised in a small town located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I also spent considerable time along the Pacific coast - from Monterey to the Oregon border.

Mountains, redwood trees, oak trees, lichens and moss … fog and gigantic clouds … tidal zones, beach rocks and sand … all these things have remained the focal point of what I want to see and experience with a camera.

Perhaps I've idealized aspects of the natural world or, maybe I see nature as both overwhelming and fragile and needing yet one more voice saying how grand it is. 

Good photographs are elusive, difficult things to find and make … honestly, I cannot tell you if I've ever captured the picture (or pictures) I’ve imagined.  These were taken today, May 2013.

Tomorrow, the quest continues ...