Phone Home

Little things that make me happy.

[emturner]

Naoshima, Japan

[emturner]

Fushimi Inari Taisha

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Takachiho Gorge and the cave of Amaterasu

[emturner]

Tokyo blues

[emturner]

Kamikochi, Japan

[amnhnyc]

Today the planet Mars is directly opposite the Sun, as Earth lines up exactly between both objects. Mars is currently retrograding in apparent sky motion relative to background stars, as Earth catches up with the slower orbiting planet. Our closest proximity is reached May 30. By then, Mars is vivid, appearing about as bright as Jupiter for the first time in a decade. With its rusty color, views of the “red” planet shouldn’t be missed.

Get more astronomy updates from the Sky Reporter. 

Image: NASA

[philamuseum]

The likeness is uncanny. What artwork do you look like?

“Portrait of Leslie W. Miller,” 1901, Thomas Eakins Photo via Instagram by @biloon

“La creazione dell’uomo (The Creation of Man),” 1964, Tano Festa (Private Collection, Rome) Photo via Instagram by @kamsour24

“The Four Seasons,” 1893-4, Léon Frédéric Photo via Instagram by @theresaxchi

“Musician on Horseback,” 7th century, Artist/maker unknown, Chinese Photo via Instagram by @seattlenative33

[fencehopping]

Electron microscope video of a needle on a vinyl record.

[skunkbear]

Two incredible things:

1. This was much harder to make than it looks! To achieve this resolution with an electron microscope, it took 10 seconds to capture each frame of this “video.” The traditional 30 frames per second video was impossible. Instead, this is stop motion - like those Wallace and Gromit cartoons. Ben Krasnow of the youtube channel Applied Science took a picture, moved the record slightly, then took another image and on and on. Because electron microscopes can’t image electrical insulators, he had to coat the whole thing with a thin, thin layer of silver. You can watch the whole process in this video.

2. This gif not only shows us what a record looks like up close - it’s a visualization of the vibrations that make a song! If you took those wavy shapes into a digital player, you could actually hear the song being played.

[npr]

[emturner]

tis the season for butterbeer

[emturner]

Michael Scott Inspirational Quotes

There are some gems in here.

[emturner]

wakeup songs

[etpics]

Went to NY Hall of Science yesterday for Open House NY to see a preview of Ennead Architecture’s restoration of the Great Hall - reopening April 2015. Originally built for the 1964 World’s Fair. 

[emturner]

The in-theatre pre-movie trailer session is usually terrible, but sometimes they just seem to know me. 

TWO historical flick trailers! The Imitation Game and Kill the Messenger (about Gary Webb uncovering CIA ties to the origins of the crack epidemic). 

[emturner]

A Not-So-Simple Majority

This episode is SUPER engaging, complex, and raises some very difficult questions about the structure of our public school system.

[emturner]

Views of Niagara Falls.

[etpics]

Boulder field. Hickory Run State Park. PA. 

[emturner]

gonna bust out some moves 2nite