I came across the above quote today which kind of set me back a bit. It pointed out to me at least that we have to live one day at a time. We cannot rest on our laurels and bask in the glow of past achievements, but rather live one day at a time and enjoy life to the fullest. In a similar vein, we cannot feel guilty about past mistakes or inadequacies and allow that to translate into fear of the future. Each day is like a new life or blank canvas presented to us with all the appropriate brushes and paints to create our masterpiece for the day. What will you decide to use for your new day? Watercolors? Acrylics? Oils? Or will your new day be a mixed media day?
Happy creating!
Live well and prosper.
Dennis
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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
How Do They Get the Buildings in There, Grampa?
A few weeks ago, my grandson and I were on one of our most excellent adventures. These adventures usually involve taking a bus, the skytrain and occasionally the sea bus as well. They are usually conducted rain or shine and recently mostly rain! On this particular trip we ventured forth to Lonsdale Quay which involved all three methods of transportation on a rainy day. Fortunately I decided to take my camera along and took the above image from a bus stop downtown, when Tyler asked me how they get the buildings in the other building. I of course tried to explain how reflections work. The more I explained, the more questions arrived. I was saved by two things, the garbage truck that passed by, and the fact that our bus arrived.
I often wonder, how do they get those buildings inside that other one???? I will let you know when I figure it out.
Live well and prosper,
Dennis
I often wonder, how do they get those buildings inside that other one???? I will let you know when I figure it out.
Live well and prosper,
Dennis
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Me and the Tropic of Capricorn
Here I am several months ago exactly at the Tropic of Capricorn. I am sure that out of the many thousands of visitors to this blog, at least one or two know not of what I speak.
The Tropic of Capricorn is an imaginary line running in an east west direction, exactly 23.5 degrees south of the equator, and runs through Australia, Chile, southern Brazil and northern south Africa (would that be similar to southern north Africa???). In the above photo me (on the extreme right) and my photo colleagues are in Namibia which is in northern South Africa. The significance of this imaginary line is what you may ask. The areas between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees north of the equator) and the Tropic of Capricorn is known generally as "the tropics". This area does not experience seasons because the sun is always "high" in the sky. Areas to the north of the Tropic of Cancer, and south of the Tropic of Capricorn experience significant seasonal variations in climate.
More simply perhaps, the tropics are the two lines where the sun is directly overhead on the two solstices near June and December 21st and depending on whether you live in the north or south, the longest or shortest day of the year.
And now you know all about the "Tropics"
Live long and prosper,
Dennis
The Tropic of Capricorn is an imaginary line running in an east west direction, exactly 23.5 degrees south of the equator, and runs through Australia, Chile, southern Brazil and northern south Africa (would that be similar to southern north Africa???). In the above photo me (on the extreme right) and my photo colleagues are in Namibia which is in northern South Africa. The significance of this imaginary line is what you may ask. The areas between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees north of the equator) and the Tropic of Capricorn is known generally as "the tropics". This area does not experience seasons because the sun is always "high" in the sky. Areas to the north of the Tropic of Cancer, and south of the Tropic of Capricorn experience significant seasonal variations in climate.
More simply perhaps, the tropics are the two lines where the sun is directly overhead on the two solstices near June and December 21st and depending on whether you live in the north or south, the longest or shortest day of the year.
And now you know all about the "Tropics"
Live long and prosper,
Dennis
Friday, November 20, 2009
Dinner is Served
Some years ago I took my mother on a tour of Ukraine to visit the birthplace of her parents. Originally I thought I would just take her and we would find our way around by ourselves. When I went to buy some travel books of Ukraine, the owner of the store asked me who I was going with. I responded I was taking my mother. He asked if I spoke Ukrainian or Russian and when I replied "no" he asked if my mother spoke either language. Again I had to reply "no". He strongly suggested that we go on a tour with an organized group and gave me the name of a tour lady and I was glad I took up the suggestion. If I had tried the trip myself, it would have been a disaster!
The point I was starting to make had to do with the attached photo, which is a wonderful dinner we had in the back yard of some wonderful people in Lviv, Ukraine. As our bus arrived at the hotel in Lviv, our tour leader was to meet her cousin, as she was invited over to their home for dinner. When her cousin realized that there were 14 people on the bus, he insisted that we all join his family for dinner. The table you see was set up in his back yard and we all enjoyed wonderful Ukrainian hospitality of a most unexpected nature. It was a perfect evening and an unbelievable welcome to Ukraine.
Live well and prosper,
Dennis
Sunday, November 15, 2009
"Today was Twice as Hot as Yesterday"????
Today when I got to work (at 0600 - yes I know it is Sunday), one of my colleagues asked me what the temperature was on my drive in to work. I exclaimed it was +2C. As the temperature yesterday was +1C when I arrived, he mentioned that today was twice as warm as yesterday. Initially I thought this made sense, 2 being twice as big a number as 1, however as the morning went on I realized that this didn't make any sense. I started thinking about a range of temperatures and remembered from University physics that the lowest possible temperature was "Absolute Zero" which is -273.15C or -459.67F or "0" on the Kelvin scale. Upon further research I found that this is the lowest "theoretically attainable" temperature at which the kinetic energy of atoms and molecules is minimal. WAIT A MINUTE: THEORETICALLY ATTAINABLE??? Now I find out this temperature cannot be reached by natural or artificial means because it is impossible to decouple a system fully from the rest of the universe!!!
So what this means is that this is just a concept to try and prove a hypothesis thereby developing a theory which many have taken as fact for these many years.
I began thinking "if this is the lowest possible (albeit theoretically attainable, but not really) temperature, then what is the highest temperature attainable??" Previously unknown by me. there is an "Absolute Hot" which is the highest attainable temperature by any form of matter. WHO KNEW?? And dear reader, because you are just dying to know, current cosmological models posit this highest temperature as 1.416785 (71) x 10 to the 32nd power degrees K. This is the temperature at which conventional physics breaks down. I know you are reaching for a pencil to do the math, so to save you the trouble, it works out to 100 million, million, million, million, million degrees. Above that temperature (so scientists would have us believe), particle energies become so large that the gravitational forces between them become as strong as any other forces and gravity, electromagnetism, and strong and weak nuclear forces become a single unified force. Knowing how that happens, the so-called "theory of everything" is one of the greatest goals of theoretical physics today.
To me trying to understand this is: LIKE TRYING TO TRAVEL SOUTH FROM THE SOUTH POLE!!!.
However dear reader, I have illustrated this concept in a perfectly understandable and simple was in the image above, which I title "The Theory of Everything"
Live well and prosper
Dennis
Saturday, November 14, 2009
I'm Going As Fast As I Can
The faster I go, the further behind I get! I have often wondered about that statement and why it seems to be so true, especially in my case. Then it hit me! It seems the faster I go, the more work or tasks that I take on. When I say work or tasks I am not talking about unpleasant chores or duties that I feel I must do, but activities that I freely choose to do, such as photographic workshops, family trips, writing a book, making entries to this blog, working at my job on an overtime basis and generally filling my days. So am I a work-a-holic? Do I have an unrealistic sense of what I can achieve? Do I believe I can do more of every kind of activitiy? Or do I feel that the universe would not survive if I was there guiding it? Or do I simply think that time is moving along quickly and I have much to do before I say ta-ta to this physical manifestation? The answer dear reader is probably a combination of all of the above, or maybe it is simply a character flaw. It is true that at times I say: "stop the world I want to get off" (I think that line came from a movie), and at other times I say sure I can do that, yes I can do another radio broadcast, and yes I would be happy to help you out and so on and so forth.
So I am either a "can do" kind of guy or hopelessly unaware of my deficiencies. Either way it is fun to be me (I think!). Until next time.
Live well and prosper
Dennis
Monday, November 9, 2009
The Beauty Within
I am sure we have all heard the phrase that beauty is within and not on the exterior. Here is an image that proves that. This is Reed Flute Cave in Guilin, China. The interesting thing to me is what defines exterior and interior? I am sure we could all agree that this scene is interior in relation to the area above and "outside", but that is only relative to the outside. Once I am on the "inside" of the cave, perhaps the interior becomes the rock formations insides. If I break a rock formation and see crystal formations which I am sure are beautiful, we could then agree: "yes, beauty is indeed on the inside". But then along comes a scientist with an electron microscope and we peer inside the rock formations to see the molecules and their beautiful formations. Ahh finally we are inside and it indeed is beautiful. However a larger microscope is brought in, now we see the atoms and electrons that make up the molecules! WOW! the beauty is overwhelming. Surely we are now inside! And then we find out about the world of quantum physics where things only exist when there is an observer, and life becomes more beautiful and mysterious. This is the realm that I long to "know" and understand. I begin my journey now, care to join me??
Live well and prosper,
Dennis
Live well and prosper,
Dennis
Sunday, November 8, 2009
I Miss Summer Already !!! :-))
Here it is, only November 8th and I miss summer already! Today was rainy and very cool. My daughter tells me that she was already snow shoeing on Grouse Mountain where there was 50" of snow. Here at work I was reviewing some of my images and came across this one which was taken during the summer in Stanley Park while my grandson and I were playing in the childrens playground. As I gazed at the photo I was taken back to the park and the warm breezes of that day while the brilliant sunshine frolicked between the trees. The only saving grace for me is that I will be in Hawaii in less than a month.
Aloha
Dennis
Aloha
Dennis
Saturday, November 7, 2009
What Is The Story???
It is said that we all have a story to tell. I took this photograph in Turkey a few years ago and often wondered what story this room would tell if it could talk. This room was upstairs in a restaurant that used to be used for residential purposes. I surmised that in its day, this room was a very elegrant master bedroom. It evoked images straight out of the Arabian Nights, even though this was Turkey. Its current run down condition added mystery to what may have been and exciting history. If I was a novel writer, I would take inspiration and intrigue from this room that still had sheer curtains blowing gently in a warm breeze wafting through the large cathedral like windows.
If someone asked me "what is your story", I am not sure how I would respond. Perhaps to say that I am a social philosopher with a generalist view of life and a need to explore both inner and outer space (on earth not in the heavens) as well as express my creativity and being as best I can. It would be interesting to know the "story" of the many thousands of readers (viewers??) to this blog. Anyone care to share?
Live well and prosper
Dennis
Thursday, November 5, 2009
It's Just Black and White Isn't It???
We are often told that the world is black and white! Things are either right or wrong or up and down, left or right, and so on and so forth. I decided to practice rendering some of my images in black and white and have discovered that they are anything but black and white. It really appears that everything is a shade of grey. Some light grey tones (almost bordering on white) and some darker grey tones (tending toward black), but all grey nontheless. It does seem to me that "black and white" images are more "dramatic" than color images, and I wonder if this is because the image is more "foreign" to our eyes that a color image that seems more normal? The one thing that black and white does is accentuate the lines in an image very precisely, while color seems to blend more.
The next time someone tells you that everything is black and white, remember it is only different shades of grey. If you disagree with this I am OK with that as even my opinions are just various shades of grey.
Live well and prosper
Dennis
The next time someone tells you that everything is black and white, remember it is only different shades of grey. If you disagree with this I am OK with that as even my opinions are just various shades of grey.
Live well and prosper
Dennis
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Don't Judge Yourself Too Quickly!!!
Today I heard a fellow employee judge in severe terms a project that was at best 50% complete. It reminded me of a recent email I received that said: "Any attempt to measure one's progress in life with an assessment of their present physical surroundings, or even a panoramic glance at their life and times to date, is just plain "wacked". The reason being is that each journey, kind of like a haircut, should never be fully appraised until it's complete. Otherwise one might mistake a miracle-in-the-making for a setback"
This also got me thinking about how often we feel like a failure if events or realities do not meet our expectations as to result, time, amount, or quantity. Maybe we should cut ourselves some slack and let the universe worry about the results, and just live our lives one day at a time to the best of our abilities and desires.
Live well and prosper
Dennis
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