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2013-06-20 07:17:13 (22 comments, 0 reshares, 18 +1s)

A happy Thursday or Thorsday for old-schoolers to you!  

I've been swamped the past few days, so my G+ time has been quite limited, but I expect it to get better again soon. If you've added me recently, please take a minute to leave a comment. I try to circle people back, but I definitely miss people when I try to go back through the notifications. Also, people who engage with me on posts come into a circle, which check frequently, thus allowing me to keep up better regardless of any changes in the regular stream or in notifications.

Have a great day! I look forward to catching up with you all. 

2013-06-16 14:20:34 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Ok, today I have a spider post and I'm trying to do it in a kinder, gentler way. I think G+ actually has a feature that would be perfect for this, but I can't figure out how to use it. Anyway, to the point. If you want to see my lovely spider friend, you hopefully will be able to by clicking the link. If not then at least I didn't give you a heart-attack. 
EDIT: here's a link on G+ if you don't want to leave G+ to view it.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/huesAzk8GsRemulyM2C4ge2AzDRPLngHEl2R7AFiaQgg=w276-h207-p-no

The spider is actually a jumping spider (Salticidae), but don't ask me which kind. I like the "banded" eyes. Also, I don't know how other people manage to shoot these spiders so well. They move constantly and they move fast! I'd like to think I react quickly and with a steady hand when shooting, but between the spider moving and the... more »

2013-06-16 09:38:04 (16 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

+Søren Dalsgaard Brath +Jacques J.J. Soudan   this is what the graphic looks like. In this example, it was actually someone's profile pic, which somehow was set to display this unless you clicked the link. 

2013-06-16 09:25:29 (16 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

While I've been on G+ for a while there is something I would appreciate help with. Occasionally I'll see someone's post where the attached photo is one you have to click on to open it. How do you do that? I ask, because I'd like to share a spider picture and would like to do it without scaring the beejebus out of unsuspecting people in my stream. I could put the regular text at the top and then only people, who really wanted to see the spider could. 

thanks in advance for your assistance.

2013-06-15 13:56:23 (5 comments, 5 reshares, 15 +1s)

Old School and probably politically incorrect nowadays.

OBAFGKM   and OBAFGKMRNS (less common variation)

For the adventurous and talented, I propose the universe could be converted into a piece of music. Map the frequencies of light and musical keys then tune into your night sky. 

2013-06-15 13:32:10 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

My contribution to Caturday. By the way, I believe this explanation can also be applied to humans - at least some males, myself included, to explain a preference for a man-cave. Ok, we're not as cute, but certainly we can be cryptic. Have a great Saturday!

2013-06-15 09:16:45 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 20 +1s)

for those interested, here are pictures of the vine at the Old Castle (Altes Schloss) in Stuttgart. Also this link from a Google Image Search shows someone else's picture. You can see the area I selected on the tower. https://www.google.com/search?q=stuttgart+altes+schloss&safe=off&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=SjC8Uf3HIuny4QSpnICgCg&ved=0CEYQsAQ&biw=1314&bih=799#facrc=_&imgrc=6_ux3CU1302hXM%3A%3BfmPP0K4WzozQKM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.uebernachtungen-stuttgart.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2009%252F04%252F03-schloss-alexeya-flickr.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.uebernachtungen-stuttgart.com%252Fstuttgart%252Faltes-schloss%252F%3B375%3B500

2013-06-14 07:23:26 (25 comments, 0 reshares, 51 +1s)

From last weekend's walk through downtown Stuttgart. I wonder what this weekend will bring.

Patterns in stone and in life. Both reflect the forces that shaped them. 

“Everything - a horse, a vine - is created for some duty... For what task, then, were you yourself created?” Marcus Aurelius

NB: I interpret "created" in a poetic sense when I read this.

2013-06-13 07:29:28 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 31 +1s)

Another shot from the Saturday walk in Stuttgart. Last picture for this morning. I can't leave out waterfowl lovers can I?


special greetings to +Dryade Geo : have a daffy day!

2013-06-13 07:17:47 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 17 +1s)

Here are a few more snapshots from this past Saturday. 

Stuttgart Schlossplatz: Lannisters and Baratheons?
At least they survived Loki's visit. 

2013-06-13 07:00:15 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

I'm not one to do many reshares, esp. not of cats, but please look at #7 on this list. Samuel L Catson will visit righteous anger upon someone. And don't say "what" again. 

ht +Captain Jack 

2013-06-12 07:14:12 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 29 +1s)

Quick musings for the morning, because I did not use my time wisely. I did have enough, but now I'm in a rush. 

Water, air, light and shadow in the park in Stuttgart. Through the magic of photography time freezes for an instance and we can details of flowing structures. I like to imagine this is what time and indeed the universe are like at a quantum scale, but taking the long view of things perhaps we ourselves are like this within the universe. Bubbles rising and falling in the froth of time. 

Photo: just a quick crop from a snapshot. I was using my 50 mm prime for practice and when I got to look at the results on my computer, I was fascinated by the bubbles and structures in the fountain. This seems like something I'll deliberately revisit in the future.

2013-06-11 19:47:05 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

I haven't been on G+ today, so apologies if this is the same thing that has already appeared in "what's hot". When will content providers learn to get their wares to market? People want to get them legally and simply, but when it is too difficult to get one way, eventually people will use other means, which are very easy. I'm not advocating non-legal means, but I think the draconian digital content laws should not be used to restrict the market artificially and then punish people for simply wanting to watch the program. 

Please see the following article from Forbes.com describing how easily people are sliding into criminality for relatively innocuous behavior like watching a show on someone's "HBO GO" account. You know having friends over to watch a show on TV isn't a problem, or loaning a friend a book, but if someone shares a password so you can access... more »

2013-06-10 07:11:14 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

Have a great start to the week, friends! 
Saturday, I was out and about with most other people in the Stuttgart area. The main difference was I had time for people watching and a 50mm prime to take snapshots. I saw this lady's black and white spotted dress and immediately thought "60s" look. What do you think? Would she have been a good extra in Mad Men? 

2013-06-09 20:46:58 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Littlefinger for scale. No not that Littlefinger, my littlefinger. 
Anyone able to id this critter? Was it a wasp or just a flying ant? My feeling was this was a type of wasp, but it looks a lot like an ant. I thought the antennae looked odd for an ant though. 

Good night my G+ friends. Pleasant dreams! 

2013-06-09 14:46:20 (5 comments, 3 reshares, 28 +1s)

A two-person variation of the classic "levitating" Yogi trick.  caution spoiler below, so don't read further if you don't want to learn the secret.  Seen in the Königstrasse in Stuttgart yesterday. 







this is probably far enough for the classic version to be revealed: secret of levitation in india

the two-person variant is left as an exercise for the student. :-) 

2013-06-09 10:02:17 (25 comments, 1 reshares, 27 +1s)

Good day G+! Here's my Shelob for #spidersunday  

This is a common European Garden spider araneus diadematus as far as I know.

It appears to be the same spider, which I had previously photographed, but whose web was destroyed when a cat jumped through it to climb on some scaffolding. Obviously the spider liked the location and came back. She's a bit larger now, which made it easier to photograph her too.

+Spider Sunday  curated by +Kimberly Hosey and +Mandy Allen 

2013-06-08 10:37:11 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 9 +1s)

Fascinating.

ht +DER SPIEGEL and ultimately Neurdings.com. both in German, but the video below doesn't need translation. 

for German readers :

http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/gadgets/neue-gadgets-von-neuerdings-com-laserschwert-lampen-a-904345.html 

http://neuerdings.com/2013/05/30/laserschwert/ 

2013-06-07 06:59:38 (13 comments, 2 reshares, 23 +1s)

O frabjous Friday! I've been thinking ... Jon Snow needs a vorpal sword. You listening George?  Have a great Friday friends!

from : http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/game-of-thrones/images/30442439/title/brutal-sword-solo-fanart

2013-06-06 06:39:09 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 31 +1s)

"The Sea-Limits" (Dante Gabriel Rossetti)

Consider the sea's listless chime:
Time's self it is, made audible,--
The murmur of the earth's own shell.
Secret continuance sublime
Is the sea's end: our sight may pass
No furlong farther. Since time was,
This sound hath told the lapse of time.

No quiet, which is death's,--it hath
The mournfulness of ancient life,
Enduring always at dull strife.
As the world's heart of rest and wrath,
Its painful pulse is in the sands.
Last utterly, the whole sky stands,
Grey and not known, along its path.

Listen alone beside the sea,
Listen alone among the woods;
Those voices of twin solitudes
Shall have one sound alike to thee:
Hark where the murmurs of thronged men
Surge and sink back and surge again,--
Still the one voice... more »

2013-06-05 06:57:06 (64 comments, 0 reshares, 28 +1s)

Happy Wednesday! Don't worry about which one. It's always Wednesday in some space-time.  One instantiation of me is preparing to be a Time Lord. Applications for travelling companions in the comments section please.

Starting out on easy level dealing with the multiverse. I'm not ready to deal with wibbly wobbly. 

Graphic generated by the "Fractal Science Kit"  www.fractalsciencekit.com

2013-06-04 20:11:58 (12 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

“The news just came in from the County of Keck
That a very small bug by the name of Van Vleck
Is yawning so wide you can look down his neck.
This may not seem very important, I know, but it 
Is, so I'm bothering telling you so.” - the ineffable Dr. Seuss

Also RIP longest German word: 

"The Rindfleischetikettierungsueberwachungsaufgabenuebertragungsgesetz is no more."

I thought you should know. 

more here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/03/germans-longest-word_n_3379876.html

Also, if I did this right, the picture matches with part of the headline. ;-)  RedWedding GoT

2013-06-03 06:59:51 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 20 +1s)

Because it's Monday and high time I be off to work. 

Excerpt from The Hunting of a Snark (Lewis Carroll)

"
..."He remarked to me then," said that mildest of men,
   "'If your Snark be a Snark, that is right:
Fetch it home by all means—you may serve it with greens,
   And it's handy for striking a light.

"'You may seek it with thimbles—and seek it with care;
   You may hunt it with forks and hope;
You may threaten its life with a railway-share;
   You may charm it with smiles and soap—'"

("That's exactly the method," the Bellman bold
   In a hasty parenthesis cried,
"That's exactly the way I have always been told
   That the capture of Snarks should be tried!")
...
"

full texthere: http://www.p... more »

2013-06-02 13:33:18 (8 comments, 2 reshares, 29 +1s)

For those of you interested, here is the photo album of my long weekend in Füssen. The weather was pretty miserable considering it was the end of May. We had mostly rain, but also some snow and sleet. Temperatures were generally single digits C, but we also had frost at night. On the positive side, I mostly had the trails to myself. :-)

The photos are jpegs uploaded "as is". There may be some worth going back to the "raw" files and doing some real work with, but that will have to wait until I have more time. 

2013-06-02 12:53:48 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 20 +1s)

I was beginning to work on plans for an ark, but then Nature surprised me by calling a truce today. Suddenly, the clouds lifted for a while (they're coming back as I write this). It's nice to be able to go outside without rain gear even if it is only for a few hours. 

Photo from my smartphone, because that's all I had at hand. 

2013-06-02 09:38:01 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 16 +1s)

Here's an uplifting story from Australia. Even when your options seem limited or impossible, a little help from someone else can make things happen. 

Pascale Honore has been a paraplegic for 18 years following an injury to her spinal column during a traffic accident. Her surfing partner is Tyron Swan. 

After practising in flat water behind a mate's jet ski one day last December, Ty and Pascale decided it was time to try a wave. Towing out to the famous Blackfella's reef break, the surfers in the water couldn't quite believe what they were witnessing.

"I knew a couple of guys out there and I told them, 'we're gonna catch a wave'. They were like, `you're gonna what!"' Ty says.

The link takes you to the news article, which includes a video and multiple photos. Also "duct tape" adds to its impressive list ofac... more »

2013-06-01 11:30:53 (18 comments, 0 reshares, 32 +1s)

G+ friends, this photo isn't good, but I wanted to give you an idea of what it was like last weekend when I was in Füssen. I had a great walk despite the rain, snow and sleet (remember end of May!).  If only I had had some sunshine to work with, I'm sure I could have given you some very nice views...

That is Swan Lake (Schwansee) in the foreground. There's a nice path along it to the castles. Obviously, I have close-ups of the castles too. This is more for the setting and the atmosphere.

I'll upload a folder later today or tomorrow for those of you interested. 

Edit: this is of course zoomable, but you may have to wait a little while until all the bits show up on the zoom. 

2013-05-28 20:37:22 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 33 +1s)

This was the inside of the "cabin" we were in when I went down to Füssen for a few days last week. The weather was most decidedly dreary, but the wooden house was cozy. I especially appreciated this living room with a pellet oven to heat. It was almost like having a fireplace going, but without the draft, smoke and mess.

+Carrie Canup : this would almost be good enough for a "nookie", but my daughter was working on a school report and we left a few things lying around.  You probably would have enjoyed it though.

2013-05-27 07:23:13 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 27 +1s)

Happy Monday folks! Yes, even on a Monday there is something good to be found. I hope you'll find multiple good things in your life today. 

I like this photo, because as many of you know I had a long weekend, but miserable weather. Despite the gloomy days, rain and cold there were still beautiful things to see if you just looked around. 

I admit that this flower being directly in the middle is not ideal. I'll probably crop it and put it on the left 1/3 of the photo, but technically I  needed to center the flower to isolate it. I was quite happy to get this focus in a field, since I was at least 2 meters away and shooting through blades of grass. 

2013-05-26 21:17:04 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 20 +1s)

Have a great evening, friends! I'm signing off, but before I go, here's a little collection of almost abstract photos, which I call "fun with thistles".

To be more precise we're talking about "a" thistle, which I played with in different views. I was able to isolate the thistle against a light grey background while shooting, which made it easier in post processing to play with contrast or switch to black and white, coldblue filter, etc. 

2013-05-26 20:22:19 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 20 +1s)

One quick photo from the past few days to demonstrate just how screwed up the weather has been. I had high hopes for at least a few sunny hours. Instead all I had was grey sky and rain, sleet or wet snow. Folks, we're talking about end of May in the northern hemisphere and down in the valley. I should not have snow or sleet at this time of year. Zoom in on the dandelion to see the ice. Also, see the worm crawling up the stalk of grass on the right side.  It's high time for summer! 

I'm pretty frustrated at how little I can share with you thanks to clouds and snow/sleet/rain. I did have some great walks, saw some super views of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau from the Swansee and Alpsee walking paths, but the pictures are way below what could have been. I did shoot a lot of tadpole shots though. They may make a nice GIF or "Auto Awesome". We'll see tomorrow or then... more »

2013-05-26 19:31:31 (12 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

I was lazy and didn't feel like doing much when I got home this evening. I spent some time catching up on G+ posts, but you know how time flies on here. Before I knew it my stomach was grumbling that it was time to refuel. I went for a meal Monty Python would approve of (+Dirk Reul and +Carrie Canup stop reading here). 

Yes, I confess. I had a cheddar, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon and cheddar sandwich. whole wheat of course .  

2013-05-23 10:21:37 (16 comments, 0 reshares, 24 +1s)

Ok, I'm off for a few days vacation. The kids are out of school for a break and the extended family is already down in Füssen. I'm hoping to take the kids up to the Zugspitze, but the weather isn't looking good. With luck, we'll have a view like on the left, but it may be more like on the right, as snow has been forecast. I might not even take them up if that's the case. I guess we'll read and play games instead.
 
Have a great weekend whenever yours begins, esp. to my US friends, who will have a long Memorial Day weekend. 

2013-05-22 19:22:25 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 21 +1s)

Well if the weather is going to be dreary, grey and rainy I might as well do something with water. 

I've been quite busy the past few days and haven't had much time for G+. I hope to catch up with you more tomorrow. I hope you have a great evening.

2013-05-20 22:18:21 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 20 +1s)

Good night and pleasant dreams G+! 

The Dude aka Big Lebowski has one of my favorite dream sequences. I suspect though my dreams will be more like plot lines for Chuck Jones cartoons, esp. Wile E. Coyote. 

2013-05-20 14:51:07 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

Test / tech topic. 
TIL that I was dropping EXIF data in my G+ photos unintentionally. If interested, I'll explain below. If not have a great day :-) !

Jennifer Bailey posted a question today about why people would remove the EXIF data from their posts. Being curious, I went to check my own photos. Lo and behold, a lot of mine didn't have the information either. I figured out why, but maybe someone can give me a tip how to do this better.

What I have been doing:

1. load raw photo into Adobe PS (CS 5.1 64 bit)
2. adjust the temperature and contrast, sometimes use the lens correction
3. save a copy of the file in jpeg for possible posting.
    a. If I post "as is" then all the EXIF data is there. no problem
     b. if I want to crop then I have problems.

The issue was with how I was cropping. I was using the selectiontool ... more »

2013-05-19 09:57:19 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 19 +1s)

Last one for the morning. Yes, I have been a prolific poster this morning. I'll give your streams a break.

Mare pegmatis with a close-up of a few craters. I had exceptional conditions for this shot. Of course the air was a little thin from the climbing I had to do...

2013-05-19 09:23:07 (13 comments, 1 reshares, 29 +1s)

Ok it's one of my infrequent spider posts, but you were warned in my profile. ;-)  Have a great day anyway! 

Just a friendly little spider on the scaffolding of the house being built next door to me. I caught it while it had a web and then after a cat jumped up and walked through the web. Looks like a shot from Spiderman, except the spider does it with more style.

#spidersunday #spider

2013-05-19 08:28:31 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Oh so true.

2013-05-19 08:23:27 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

The Dark Game of Hobbit Knight Thrones

A violinist's brilliant tribute to the best film scores of this decade. This'll give you goosebumps. Plug-in your headphones and enjoy the ride.

#thedarkknight   #thehobbit   #gameofthrones  

2013-05-18 22:49:54 (17 comments, 0 reshares, 19 +1s)

Today we had a sudden influx of photons. I haven't seen anything like it in weeks. 
I happened to see this flower behind two other objects. I liked the way the light played and how the flower was just visible through a tiny opening. 
Sleep well friends! I look forward to catching up with you all tomorrow.

2013-05-17 07:52:27 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 26 +1s)

Friday is here and there's not much left between me and a long weekend. Resistance is futile. Have a great Friday folks!

photo: it was an ugly day in Dresden when I visited, but there's definitely a lot to see. I'll have to go back there and hope for better weather. This was one of the "guards" at a former palace. 

2013-05-16 22:21:57 (18 comments, 2 reshares, 30 +1s)

I like the new G+. The best part is that my stream is full of people again, many of whom had "disappeared" over time probably due to Google deciding for me who I would see. I'm thrilled to see you all again.

I like the new G+ layout in 2 columns (I forced it that way). There are also some new photo tools, but I have them turned off. I'm nervous about what the "Auto Enhance" and "Auto Awesome" features will do. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how I can turn them on just for one album/set of photos. 

Since the "Auto Awesome" animation interested me, I read up about it and tried to get it to work on an album. I couldn't so then I read up how to make an animated GIF from a set of pictures and gave it a shot. (The set was not shot with this in mind, so it's jerky) This is probably what G+ would have made out of my... more »

2013-05-16 06:58:22 (20 comments, 0 reshares, 19 +1s)

Happy THORSday and Day 1 of life on G+ Mk II!  Overall I'm fine with the changes. I just have to get used to things. This herd of insects however is not a good thing. Hopefully the ladybird larva will decimate them soon.  

2013-05-15 07:08:06 (15 comments, 0 reshares, 38 +1s)

Two colorful blossoms to get the day off to a bright start. My G+ stream is a lot more active and varied than it has been for days. It's good to be getting your posts and see the engagement going back up. I'm crossing my fingers that things are really fixed now. 

Have a great Wednesday! We're most of the way to the weekend. I think I can... 

2013-05-14 07:05:17 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

We've survived another Monday and G+'s crossed streams.

Hopefully G+ is back to normal now. At least it seems a lot better this morning, but I'll need to see how the stream behaves over the next few days before I believe it is 100% fixed.

Bright flower courtesy of our future neighbors, who are building a house and have scaffolding standing in our garden. We don't mind it much, but it was a very nice gesture of the neighbors to bring a pot of flowers by. I think we're going to have nice people next door. 

Have a great Tuesday and thanks in advance for your plusses and comments. I really missed the engagement on G+ the past few days. 

2013-05-13 19:36:42 (39 comments, 0 reshares, 18 +1s)

Sums up how G+ feels to me at the moment. Fortunately there are books and online games waiting for me.

Goodnight friends (at least that subset of you, who actually still see anything I post). 

Being an optimist, I assume things will be better again tomorrow or the day after. 

2013-05-13 07:17:41 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

Have a good start to the week friends! We did have minutes of sunlight the past three or fours days. Here's an apple blossom from one of those rare occurrences (May 10). 

Hopefully this year summer will be on a weekend. I'd hate to miss it completely....

Ok. Off to work. running late, because I read too much G+ stream this morning. I'll catch up with you in a break or this evening!

2013-05-12 10:45:17 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 21 +1s)

These are the only halfway decent photos I got of bees on Friday, which was going to be my big day for photos. In fact this is one bee, which I followed around as she visited apple blossoms. The weather was overcast and cold. It had been raining most of the day. Not many bees were around and I even had to use a flash. shakes head  

Notice the wings on this bee in the different shots. It must be near the end of it's life, as they are quite ragged. 

One tip for anyone thinking about getting a macro lens. If you have to choose between an Imaged Stabilized lens and a cheaper non-stabilized lens, save up a little longer and get the one with IS. I didn't and I have regretted it many times. The macro has a very narrow focus. Even though I have a pretty steady hand, I miss a lot of shots with the macro.

2013-05-12 10:10:03 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

An experiment, because the weather has been bad outside. Go figure, but for some reason bees (my original plan for the day) don't seem to like looking for nectar in the rain. 

#selfsunday #SelfieSunday