20/20 HeinSite

Horsetail Fall

2012-02-18T00:39:00.001-10:00

The challenges of light, weather, season, and the unpredictability of it all is only part of what makes landscape photography so appealing to so many. Anytime you try to capture something special in the natural world you're going to be at the mercy of the elements. It took me over 15 yrs to catch a photo of a waterspout. I missed a total solar eclipse in 1991 because of heavy cloud cover. Many nights on the side of a mountain years ago yielded a lot of photos of zero meteors - not for lack of trying nor the number of simultaneous camera setups. Recently I got lucky with a breaching whale, but I still think that was a fluke. :) And I have yet to catch a green flash photo I'm truly happy with. It often takes many attempts and a lot of expense to capture something rare in nature unless you're just lucky.

This isn't quite as rare as a total eclipse, but it is a bit like a rainbow or sunset. About all you can do is show up and be ready. Everything after that is a crap shoot. If what you came for happens, you're golden. Like sunset at Horsetail Falls Yosemite in February.

Enjoy!

Astronomy

2012-02-17T01:03:00.000-10:00

Keck in Motion from Andrew Cooper on Vimeo.

In 1998 my local engineering group organized a full day long tour of the Keck Observatory. We started in Waimea at their ground facility offices and talked about cosmology, toured the labs, and computer center. From there we drove 30 miles or so to the mid-level center at 9,000 ft MSL, had lunch, and acclimated to the altitude for a couple of hours before heading up to the summit of Mauna Kea where we spent the rest of the afternoon going through the observatory itself.

They do amazing work up there every day, and many if not most of the discoveries of the universe you hear and read about are made by the people who use this world class pair of telescopes.

Cudos to Andrew Cooper of www.DarkerView.com for putting this together. His blog link is on the right side of this page. He's always got good stuff like this.

Cold Play Farming

2012-02-15T08:00:00.011-10:00

The Grammy's were held this past Sunday night, and while I didn't actually watch it (haven't in years) I have read much of the news about it. I feel bad for Whitney Houston of course. She left us far too soon. My most vivid memory of her will *always* be her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at the 1991 Super Bowl game. It simply took my breath away. I don't think anyone will ever sing that song better than she did.

But what caught my eye on Monday was the video above. This commercial showed on television in the USA right after Cold Play sang their version of the same song on the Grammy's. Apparently it was a rather poor performance according to the reviews. Singing in the commercial is Willy Nelson, and it was written that he "out Cold Played" Cold Play. I dunno. All I know is that as a kid from a small farm town in Wisconsin who has a fondness for Willy and well done animated videos, this is pretty cool.

Enjoy!... as I have.

Simulations - Partie Deux

2012-02-13T20:59:00.000-10:00

Some of you may have seen a previous version of this simulation. (If not, go -Here-.) That earlier one showed conditions during construction. But during a pre-construction meeting recently it was suggested that I create another simulation showing how things will work once construction is complete, and verify that the airline will be able to drag the number of carts they did previously (4). So this was it.

From this we see that the airline should be able to make all the turns again with four carts. It will be close, but according to the software they'll be able to make it.

I can say that I will be as interested as anyone to see how accurate this software performed! This is the first best test I've ever put it through!

Format Update

2012-02-12T22:15:00.000-10:00

A while back... I'm not really sure how long ago, but more than a month... something changed on the blog format here all by itself. The header image suddenly appeared after the blog title, and shrunk in size. But it would also display one way on my laptop and another way on my desktop. It was curious. Attempts to figure out what was going on eluded me.

Over the intervening period I've made a number of forays into the CSS code... with no success. That's a bramble, if you've never been in there! Tonite however I think I finally found a solution. So if things finally look different here (think: correctly) it's no accident. Now we have to see if it'll hold or not.

In doing so I happened to think that maybe I should change the image on the masthead once in a while. What would you think? Good idea, or not?

FIre in the Sky (29-Sep-2008)

Google Earth

2012-02-11T00:44:00.019-10:00

Just about everyone who knows me knows that I love Google Earth and think that it has to be the single most amazing information tool ever. No matter what the news or event is, one of my first stops is often Google Earth. I've learned more about the details of different events by going there than just about anywhere. Often I learn more in Google Earth than from any other source. If you don't know quite what I'm talking about, I'll list a few examples...

1. The War in Iraq and the missing Iraqi Air Force led me to use Google Earth to discover on my own that Saddam didn't fly his jets out to Syria or Jordan. Nope. They were dragged out into the desert away from their airfields. And they sit there to this day still... those that you can find. Good hunting!

2. The bombing of the Beirut International Airport by the Israelis in summer 2006 fascinated me, and months later updated imagery showed (and still does) just where the bombs hit, and what it takes to disable an airport.

3. The 2007 San Diego wildfires became an amazing exhibition of how much, and how quickly a vast amount of information could be distributed via Google Earth. The leading edge of the fire was constantly updated. Property damage was documented and updated several times per day. Overlay maps showed smoke effect areas. And all the information on evacuation areas, shelters, and the like were included. As the event went on the information seemed to become more and more complete.

4. The 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan had updated imagery of inundation areas within days... far more quickly than normal. Extremely detailed models of the Fukushima Nuclear plant came online almost immediately. It was almost like viewing the event in real time. And an unbelievable host of various KML file links came online to add to the data flow. The resolution of the latest photos of the affected areas is all extremely high too... so you can really zoom in to see what the impact was and how far inland the waters came. When you see it in Google Earth you get an entirely different experience.

5. The news of the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011 included an intellegence photo of the compound where the fugitive was hiding. Even though the most current imagery on Google Earth at the time was several years old it was still good enough for me to locate the compound myself several days before it was widely shown on television newscasts. Within a week a fully detailed 3D model of the compound showed up in the 3D layer of Google Earth. And updated imagery was avaliable shortly after. If you're interested look northeast of Abbottabad. You'll find it too! :)

6. The rebuilding of Ground Zero in New York City on Google Earth is like being there. About once a month the 3D models are updated showing the progress of construction. It's been a joy to watch this over the last couple of years. If you haven't gone there yet, go right away!

And I could go on and on and list many more examples. One feature I have on my installation of Google Earth is USGS Real Time Earthquakes. Since I live on the Big Island of Hawaii it's not uncommon to feel the ground move once in a while... and sometimes quite violently like the morning of Oct 15, 2006. Within minutes of feeling something a quick check on Google Earth tells me if it's really been an earthquake or just my imagination.

As an engineer I use Google Earth in my work to overlay maps and drawings and make exhibits for presentations. I gather information with GPS equipment that can export data for immediate display in Google Earth. I have my own niche in the Google Earth 3D library where many of my models of Big Island airport buildings have been accepted and automatically display when users enable the 3D Buildings layer in the program. More are in the works for future publication too as time permits.

All this pretty much brings me to why I wrote all of this up tonite. The Costa Concordia cruise ship accident off the coast of Italy recently has become the source of one of the most incredible things I've seen on Google Earth yet. The video you see below is a combination of extremely detailed modelling along with near forensic timeline analysis of exactly what happened. You just have to see it to believe it:

First of all, congratulations to Peter Olsen, the author of the model and video. It's as well done as anything I've ever seen on GE, and will be best viewed full screen at the highest resolution. But more importantly, my sympathy goes out to all who lost friends or loved ones in this horrific example of human error, poor judgement, and outright recklessness. This simply didn't have to happen.

Dave.

A Day at the Beach

2012-02-03T23:09:00.005-10:00

Not a real beach, but a beautiful rocky shoreline on a stunning Friday afternoon up near the Upolu Airport, Hawaii. And, if you can believe it, I was on "assignment" to capture something pretty much just like this.

Nice gig if you can get it. Just to be sure, this *was* the idea, eh Chaunce?

Winter is the time of year that the Humpback Whales make their annual migration to Hawaii to have their calves and relax. They start to show up as early as November/December but are easily spotted off all the Hawaiian islands in January and February. By March/April they'll head back up to Alaska with their newborne to feed on the krill again. While they're here they don't eat much at all. Isolated shoreline areas like this stretch on the northwest side of the Big Island is a great playground for them. They like the solitude here.

I had hoped to capture something like this today, but honestly didn't think I'd actually get much of anything! Go figure.

My SanDisk Extreme 16 GB CF cards, at 60 MB/s were too slow however to keep up with the Nikon D3 shooting raw images at 9 fps. So I will be upgrading to 90 MB/s cards here shortly. I might have gotten away with things had I shot in JPG ... but it wasn't to be. Faster cards will be more useful.

I think I should do this again before the whales leave this year! This was kinda fun!

A Shout Out

2012-01-30T22:00:00.009-10:00

Antonov An124-100 on the ramp at Kona Int'l Airport, 15 Jan 2010

Здравствуйте и добро пожаловать, мои русские посетители! Иногда вас заходит на блог так много, что ваше количество превышает число посетителей из США! Я очень рад этому и надеюсь, что вам нравится мой маленький сайт. По желанию, вы всегда можете отправить мне сообщение, но прежде всего, наслаждайтесь блогом!

Дейв.

Thank you so much, Elena, for this proper translation. This is in response to my sudden popularity in Russia.

The crew of this Antonov were all Russian. They were hauling all US military equipment on this trip. And it was a huge load including vehicles, containers, and all sorts of material. This was easily the largest aircraft to ever visit the airport in Kona.

Cooking with Photoshop

2012-01-18T23:38:00.000-10:00

I think this weekend it will be time to do another crockpot recipe. It's been a while. Until then I'll just have to enjoy this... and all those Christmas chocolates that still haunt me in the refrigerator.

(It was so much nicer in the old days when contractors and consultants dropped off bottles of Jack Daniels over the holidays...:)

More on the Nikon D4

2012-01-15T22:00:00.015-10:00

Istanbul from Straw Hat Visuals on Vimeo.

There were three guys, Joe McNally, Corey Rich, and Bill Frakes, who were among the very first in the world to get their hands on the new Nikon D4 and really put it through its paces. It's a study of what good photography is, regardless of the camera, just to look at the images in their early videos.

I'm still taking a pass on the camera. In the meantime videos like Bill's above will inspire me to go further with the gear I already have. This is HD, so watch it full screen for sure.

Simulations

2012-01-13T00:41:00.008-10:00

Every now and then something comes up where I get a chance to exercise my AutoCAD and Simtra PathPlanner chops all at once. Today was one of those days.

This reminds me a lot of "The Little Engine That Could", but it wasn't done just for the fun of it. It proves we can build a temporary construction fence for some pending work and not get in the way of air carrier bag claim operations. The Simtra software has a great inventory of aircraft, ground service vehicles, and loading bridges, and makes this kind of stuff a snap to put together.

The video is best viewed full screen at 720 HD. It comes out a little brighter that way.

Updated: 01/13/12

Sandisk Testimonial

2012-01-09T16:00:00.043-10:00

As a professional engineer who frequently does work on as many as four (4) different computers it's common for me to have to move files around to make sure what I want is where I happen to be. For many years I've used Sandisk USB drives, and for about the last two years or so the only time my 16GB Cruzer has not been in my left pants pocket has been when it's been stuck in a computer and serving me. It's become so important that when I can't find it or somehow forget where it is I feel the same sense of manic one feels when a wallet or credit card goes missing. In other words, this gizmo has become one of those many constants in my life.

Just like Sunday night laundry.

This weekend I scrubbed my USB drive once again. For the 3rd or 4th time in its history it went completely thru the wash and spin cycle in my laundry. Thankfully Sandisk built a very handy feature into their USB drives, one which allows them to always fall out of a pants pocket while being laundered. This makes them easy to retrieve before a trip to the drier.

Thank you, Sandisk, for making your Cruzers so hearty! One has NEVER failed me yet after a trip thru the spin cycle... including the ride this past weekend.

Time is Nothing

2012-01-08T19:59:00.003-10:00

Below is another beautifully done time lapse video. This one is dedicated to all those nice folks around the world who seem to keep checking in here. I hope you see your country represented. It's guaranteed to look wonderful. Everything here does!

Enjoy!

Time is Nothing // Around The World Time Lapse from Kien Lam on Vimeo.

Much more information about this project can be found at Kien's links above.

Nikon D4

2012-01-07T13:26:00.009-10:00

Photo credit: Nikon Imaging Products website
-Product Brochure-

The Nikon D4 – Dave's Take

So, right on schedule Nikon has come clean with a D4 press release. For anyone wanting to update their camera calendar this means the D4x will be available in late 2013 and a D5 will be announced in winter of 2015/16 and ready for shipping 6-8 months later. Nikon has become very predictable. It's the details we never know until the last minute.

What I like:

Less weight (even if it is only 3 oz) less than a D3. A D4 and anything more than a 50mm f/1.4 will still be a brick to carry all day. So this is a moderate “like”.
Higher ISO range. I love how cameras become more capable of shooting in dark corners with every new DSLR version. The D4 is well into 6 figures now.
Faster shooting rate. 11 frames per second gives 2-3 more chances of catching that magic moment.
Simplified controls. Because I have a hard enough time with figuring things out sometimes.
“Silent” shutter mode... if it really works. The sound of a D3 shutter is abnormally loud in many situations. Anything Nikon can do to quiet that part of their system down is welcome news to me. I've always been more attuned to “ninja” or candid photography anyway and noisy systems can make that difficult.
I love (not like) the fact that this will slowly bring D3S prices down more into a range I might be able to afford at some point. I would easily upgrade to the D3S before a D4.
That lens compatibility is once again maintained. To me this is one of the Nikon system's real strengths over many other manufacturers. Glass is still as important, if not more so, than bodies anyway, and the fact that I can still use 30 yr old lenses on my D3 is a gift I would hate to lose.

What I don't like:

Cost. $6,000+ MSRP. Really? I could use a new truck too. Or fully fix the bodywork and engine on the one I have. A nice long summer vacation in the Greek islands would be cool too. Six grand would just about cover either of those wishes. What I like about this "don't like" item is that I already have a D3.
HD Video. Sorry... video is a feature I rarely need. Your mileage will vary, but it's not something that I'd find useful very often even if it is HD. All that being said I'm sure I'd quickly find a use for it if I had it.
Battery format change. Please!... not another battery change! There are some things new equipment like this shouldn't modify very often, and the battery is one of them. I still have D70 and D200/300 batteries and chargers laying around in addition to the D3 kit. It's an unexplained mystery to me why the battery had to change for the D4. Video maybe, but this is going to add even more kit for anyone upgrading to the new system. It doesn't seem necessary somehow.
Change in memory card format. Nikon should have just moved fully to the new XQD cards and provided two slots for them instead of splitting the system and keeping the old CF cards. Does anyone even have an XQD card yet? Or a reader? Bet not. Good luck getting them for a while too. (Wikipedia re: XQD Card.)
GPS. They added wireless but still not GPS. Seems that would be as simple as anything else and would be extremely useful to many professionals not necessarily in the photography business but in the sciences. Too bad. Wonder if Nikon has a “Wish List” page somewhere?

Summary:

The Nikon D4 is an upgrade I will take a pass on. I already do almost all of my primary shooting with a D3, a camera that really is everything and more than I need. The new D4's improvements are incrementally small by comparison and would not be enough to tempt me even if the economy was rock solid, or if I shot photos for a living. But neither is the case. And I also carry a D300 as a backup making my kit fully equipped to handle just about any assignment thrown at me. Both systems do an excellent job for my needs. I should probably add one more item to the "Like" list above:

Time. The D4 release will give me time to save money or spend what little I have on other things for a change. Nothing will be going out the door for camera gear for a while. Maybe some Greek food one day soon after all! :)

Thanks, Nikon!

Postscript:

Below are links to some excellent reviews by guys who know a boatload more about all this stuff than I do... and their reactions:

Joe McNally ... who actually shot the rig for Nikon prior to this announcement.
David Hobby ... Mr. Strobist, who will also be taking a pass.
Ken Rockwell ... who seems to alienate a lot of readers because his shameless self-promotion and constant shilling, but one who also carries excellent technical credentials.

Top Ten

2012-01-07T00:52:00.000-10:00

This week's Top 10 HeinSite Page Views by Countries:

United States
Russia
Germany
Australia
Indonesia
Brazil
Greece
Switzerland
Mexico
Poland

Still amazes. How are you people *finding* me?! :)

FireOutFoxed

2012-01-06T23:45:00.004-10:00

Here I go off on another software rant... and if I wanted to write two articles like this tonite I'd do another one on Autodesk. But it's late and I have to get up early in the morning so I'll keep that powder dry for another day.

Here's the scenario however:

On my new laptop I have adopted Mozilla Firefox as my internet browser of choice. On all previous computers Microsoft Internet Explorer continues to serve, but here on the new speed demon 64-bit system Firefox got the call. It took a bit of getting used to but it turns out to be better in many respects, and I now prefer it. That was until the little gem above made a call tonite.

Tonite the program loaded a dialog on start up that an update (vers 9) is available, and along with it a recommendation to install it. Normally I will keep my programs current. It takes time, and now and then a software vendor will push out a version with new bugs, but in the main I've had good results. So I took the option only to find this stopper. And it is a stopper. There's no way I will sacrifice the security of my system in exchange for a new browser version. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Sorry... just isn't going to happen.

Shame on you, Mozilla for thinking I'm this stupid. Here's the new plan: I'm going to pass on your offer and you are going to get your act together so that your browser plays nicely with my virus protection system once again. We're not talking some small time security outfit here either... this is Kaspersky Internet Security! When you've done your bit you let me know and I'll have a look at your new toy then. How's that? Good? Smashing. It's a deal.

In the meantime, just so we're clear, I like the idea of it being just me mucking about in my computer, and not some Nigerian phisher/spammer and God only knows who from where. And I like the Big K watching my back. It helps me sleep at night.

Did I say "Shame on You, Mozilla?!" I meant to. Now get to work!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-03T23:56:00.000-10:00

Happy New Year, everyone!

Earth Moving

2011-12-27T19:16:00.012-10:00

Sitting quietly in my home office tonite working on various projects and suddenly the desk lamp begins to sway, there's slight movement under my feet, and Virby gives an "alert" in the doorway. It's not strong, but a clear reminder we live on a planet that's alive. This is the first quake we've felt in a while.

USGS reports on the event continue to come in from around the island, but the jolt was a 3.7 (preliminary) magnitude tembler about 21 miles north of our house at a depth of 9 miles and was apparently widely felt across this whole rock. (USGS updated the final magnitude to 3.8.)

I have learned over the years to observe Virby as if she were a guard dog. The signals are much more subtle in cats, but distinctive every bit as much and very accurate. Hers was only a slight reaction tonight: she stood in the doorway with a confused look on her puss for about 10 seconds. Then regular programming resumed.

This probably sums it up as well as anything:

Click & Enjoy!

NORAD Tracks Santa

2011-12-22T16:17:00.000-10:00

Those who know me know that I love Google Earth and have figured out how to do just about everything with it. But at this time of year there is no higher purpose for such sophisticated software than to track a fat man in a red suit, a team of magical reindeer, and a sleigh as they swoop thru the heavens at astronomical speed and drop goodies down chimneys.

That this should all cost us - software included - no more than the value of a cookie and a glass of milk is magic indeed. Just enjoy it.

For more go to the NORAD Track Santa site now!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-21T19:33:00.001-10:00

Tail Feathers

Because of the dynamic nature of the internet... this image may, nay will, change from time to time. So if you think you're crazy you'll have to find another reason. :)

KOA Triennial Exercise 2011

2011-12-16T19:42:00.001-10:00

On Wednesday, Dec 14, 2011, Hawaii's Air National Guard 204th Airlift Squadron assisted Kona International Airport and the Hawaii County Fire Department in the Federal Administration's Triennial Disaster Exercise by providing a large frame aircraft for the simulation of a crash site and mass casualty event. The Kona Airport Rescue & Fire Fighting (ARFF) unit were first responders, while the Hawaii County Fire Department filled in as additional manpower and triage support. Students from NELHA's West Hawaii Exploration Academy and Kealakehe HS, made up to simulate injuries from minor abrasions to life threatening, provided bodies for the exercise.

Also participating in the exercise were representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration, US Army Hawaii Fire Rescue unit, Hawaii County Police Department, Hawaii State Chapter of the American Red Cross, Civil Defense, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Kona Airport Police, and various air carrier representatives.

Thanks go to Tech. Sgt. Andrew Jackson of the 154th Wing Public Affairs section for providing the link to this video work, and to the 204th Airlift Squadron for providing a Hickam AFB Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft for the exercise. The interview in the video is with Mr. Merv Kahumoku, Kona ARFF Chief.

My photos of the day will provide more detail of the event and will show up here in the form of a video in the near future. Stay tuned! :)

Company Policy

2011-12-13T21:50:00.004-10:00

Japanese Macaque

Finally!  An explanation.

--- 
 
Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a 
string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the 
stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, 
spray all of the other monkeys with cold water. 
 
After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result - all the 
other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey 
tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it. 
 
Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it 
with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To 
his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another 
attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be 
assaulted. Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and  replace it 
with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous 
newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm! 
 
Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then 
the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked. 
Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not 
permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of 
the newest monkey. 
 
After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys have 
ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches 
the stairs to try for the banana. Why not? 
 
Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been done around here. 
 
And that, my friends, is how company policy begins.

Hello, Libya!

2011-12-12T21:04:00.001-10:00

Reclaimed as Libya's national flag in the Libyan interim Constitutional Declaration of 3 Aug 2011

I've mentioned it before but it really astounds me how global this silly blog has gone. Today we were host to a visitor from Libya!!! They left no comment... not even a private one. But regardless, and to whom ever you may have been, Welcome to the Free World, Libya! Stop back again soon!

AU 2011 Update

2011-12-11T14:48:00.003-10:00

(Click for best view at original size)

AU is Autodesk University, and it happens every year during the week following Thanksgiving. Eveyrthing about AU is huge. And because of the size only a major hotel/casino/convention complex in Las Vegas is suitable. This year AU was held at the Venetian Hotel and Sands Convention Center. Attendees come from all over the world, and this year over 80 countries sent 8,000+ to the event. They came to teach and participate in over 1,000 classes on a wide variety of subjects this year.

The image at the top was taken at this year's general session. Word circulating beforehand was that there would be something big... but I don't think anyone expected a display screen 30 ft high by at least 150 ft wide! Easily the biggest I've ever seen.

Puttin' on the feedbag

And of course everyone needs to be fed... so what to do? That's no problem in Las Vegas. Breakfasts and (delicious!) lunches were served everyday with military precision in a room large enough to build Boeing airplanes. Buffet style too. Nobody leaves hungry.

If you haven't been to the Venetian it's worth a visit even if you don't stay there. It's new and clean and first class in every way.

Think: Santa Lucia

Next year AU will be back at the Mandalay Bay. See you there!

Kate Morical of Autodesk, yours truly, & Mr. Sam Adams :)

Catvertising

2011-11-24T13:32:00.001-10:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I fully endorse this method of driving web traffic. Now I have to convince Virby.

Zero Workdays to AU 2011!

2011-11-23T20:44:00.000-10:00

Yup, it's time once again for the annual Autodesk University conference, and I have zero, nadda, zip, zilch work days left between now and when it all kicks off next Monday. Today I rode the Red Bull Express from start to finish just to make sure there will be no loose ends at work while I'm gone. This will be my 2nd AU pilgimage, but hopefully not my last. It's a week like none other.

For the uninitiated the video above is a small taste of what is about to get underway - a high octane week from start to finish. Where would you put on a show like this? Viva Las Vegas, baby! Where else?! :)

Midnight Sun

2011-11-22T21:39:00.002-10:00

1 guy. (Joe Capra)
1 island. (Iceland)
17 days.
24 hr shooting schedule.
2,900 miles of driving.
38,000 images.

Stunning photography. Turn on the sound and watch it full screen.

Pendulum Waves

2011-11-17T21:10:00.004-10:00

The natural world is just too cool.

- - -

Fifteen uncoupled simple pendulums of monotonically increasing lengths dance together to produce visual traveling waves, standing waves, beating, and (seemingly) random motion.

For more details see the Harvard Natural Sciences Lectures Demonstrations site.

The period of one complete cycle of the dance is 60 seconds. The length of the longest pendulum has been adjusted so that it executes 51 oscillations in this 60 second period. The length of each successive shorter pendulum is carefully adjusted so that it executes one additional oscillation in this period. Thus, the 15th pendulum (shortest) undergoes 65 oscillations.

This apparatus was built from a design published by Richard Berg [Am J Phys 59(2), 186-187 (1991)] at the University of Maryland. The particular apparatus shown here was built by Harvard's Nils Sorensen.

- - -

I am just way too tempted to build one of these for my own entertainment now!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-16T08:00:00.005-10:00

Fooling around with Dynamic Blocks in AutoCAD

Ironman Kona 2011 Update

2011-11-02T22:03:00.000-10:00

Helping hands.

As a reminder for those viewers interested in the recent Kona Ironman World Championship triathlon race, I've completed updating my photo gallery at PBase now. You can find much of the emotion and excitement of the day here:

Ironman Kona 2011

Enjoy!

He ain't heavy.

Dream Catchers

2011-10-24T19:31:00.000-10:00

When I started this blog earlier this year there really was no master plan for it. It wasn't specifically targeted as a work-related blog, or a scientific blog, or even a personal blog. Well, maybe all blogs now are personal blogs in a way, but the original idea for this one was that it be a mirror of things that have captured my attention. In that so far it's succeeded. But lately something else has touched me, and that is the wide variety of visitors that have somehow stumbled upon these pages.

Enter the Dreamcatcher at left. The Dreamcatcher is largely an American Indian object, and originated in the Ojibwa (or Ojibwe, Chippewa) Nation during the Pan Indian movement of the 1960's and 1970's. Eventually they were adopted by a number of native American Indian nations.

The Ojibwa believe that a dreamcatcher changes a person's dreams. According to Konrad J. Kaweczynski, "Only good dreams would be allowed to filter through… Bad dreams would stay in the net, disappearing with the light of day." Good dreams would pass through and slide down the feathers to the sleeper.

The diversity of traffic that has somehow managed to find these pages reminds me of the Dreamcatcher. Despite a complete lack of promotion many of you have still found your way through to this little spot on the internet, and those visits I can't help but interpret as good dreams that have made the slide down the feathers. Among you are many from the USA of course, but also many from Greece, Japan, Malaysia, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Russia, Latvia, the Netherlands, Brazil, Indonesia, and Myanmar [Burma]. This is nothing short of amazing to me.

I'd love to know how many of you found your way here, what you found interesting (if anything), what might have brought you back if you're a return visitor, and of course who you are and where you're from. Please feel free to leave a comment of any sort on your next visit, and if you don't want it published, feel free to say so in your note and it will remain private. Just know that I welcome you all and would be most interested in a simple, "Hello!", if you have time.

The wonder of this internet we share is exactly these chances to meet and interact with people from places on the planet we may never be able to visit in person. It's a shame to waste opportunities like these when we get them. Please don't waste your next one. :)

Time Lapse

2011-10-13T23:09:00.000-10:00

Man, this is good! I've got to rig myself a panning setup one of these times. Love this stuff!

Ironman Kona 2011

2011-10-12T19:22:00.005-10:00

Craig Alexander, Ironman Kona 2011 Winner.

It was a day of heat, of course record times, of drama, and certainly all the spirit that embodies Ironman. Anyone who finishes this race anywhere, but especially here on the desolate lava fields of Kona, deserves to be called an Ironman. They earn it!

Craig Alexander won the Kona race on Saturday and added his name to an elite list of four guys who have won the world championship event at least three times. He now joins Dave Scott, Mark Allen, and Peter Reid with that accomplishment. And not only did he improve his 4th place 2010 finish but he also set a new Kona course record time of 8:03:56. It's been a good year for him - he's also the first to win world championships at Kona and in the Ironman 70.3 race in the same year.

Chrissie Wellington, Ironman Kona 2011 Women's Winner.

There are women in the race too, and this year Chrissie Wellington was back. Last year she came down with a case of the flu and dropped out on the day of the race. This year she crashed going around a corner on a flat tire during her last long training ride two weeks before the race, tore a pectoral muscle and collected some nasty road rash. On Tuesday before the race she had to check herself into the hospital after an especially painful swim. Despite all this she managed to survive the swim and powered thru the bike and run to win here again. Her 4th Kona championship in five years.

Conditions for the race were near perfect this year with only a little bit of a swell on the swim and extremely light winds for most of the day. It was on the hot side, but hey... it's Kona! 1,859 athletes representing more than 50 countries and nearly all 50 USA states started. 1,854 began the bike course. 1,818 started the run. 1,773 finished, 476 ladies and 1,297 men (95.4%). Competitors ranged in age from 18 to 81 years old!

I did my 18 hour day with NBC Sports once again and collected another nice set of Ironman photos. Over the course of the next week or so I'll be posting selects on my Kona Ironman 2011 PBase galleries. Stop by and have a look if you're interested.

A Long Day Begins.

Ironman Eve

2011-10-07T15:39:00.003-10:00

Miranda Carfrae, Ironman Kona 2010 Women's Winner.

It's that time of year here again, the annual migration of about 1,800 of the best conditioned triathletes in the world to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, and their World Championship Iroman event. It's a day like no other around here. All other activity litterally shuts down for the race.

I will be working with NBC Sports once again and will have my camera along to document what I can, when I can.

Tonite I'll meet with the cameraman and producer I'll be with all day, pick up my credentials, and hear what our assignment will be for tomorrow. Then I'll be back home to bed for as much rest as I can get. This is a a day that always starts very early (5:00 a.m.) and goes very late (the last official finisher must cross the line at midnight).

Chris McCormack, Ironman Kona 2010 Men's, and overall race Winner.

I'll blog after-action notes next week, but until then more photos of last year's race can be found here: Ironman Kona 2010.

Gear

2011-10-06T08:07:00.000-10:00

Benro C0190T Fold Flat Tripod.

I'm done going on long trips and not having a functional tripod with me for night or low light shots. Or phrased another way, I no longer want to haul my expensive and heavy Gitzo tripod when I go on trips. What I've wanted was something small enough to fit in a carry on bag, light enough to haul around with the camera bag, but high build quality. I think that describes the rig above. I'd never heard of Benro before ordering this, but I'm impressed.

The specs are as follows:

Top Plate or Base Plate Diameter	1.9 in
Maximum Load	13.2 lbs
Folded Height	16.1 in
Maximum Height	52.0 inches
Leg Sections	5
Leg Lock Type	Twist Lock
Head Mount	3/8-16
Foot Mount	Adhesive
Foot Type	Fixed Rubber
Foot Size	9 mm
Weight	1.54 lbs / 0.70 kg

Leg construction is carbon fiber. The unit is light, and not something you'd want to walk away from if you've mounted an expensive DSLR on it, but perfect as a travel unit you'll likely babysit. The kit also included a two section center post, nylon carrying bag, and a special servicing wrench. The fold flat leg feature is unique and perfect for saving space in a suitcase.

The first real test of this will be at the end of November during my Autodesk University 2011 trip to Las Vegas.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-05T09:00:00.019-10:00

Mom's new custom made cutting board. Maple and Brazilian Cherry.

End spline.

PAPIs Explained

2011-10-01T15:11:00.000-10:00

So what exactly is a PAPI? A PAPI is a Precision Approach Path Indicator, a visual aid to pilots that allows them to maintain a proper flight angle into a runway. A PAPI is a very simple mechanical system that uses red and white lights to tell a pilot if he's too high in his approach, or too low.

Outside PAPI unit

PAPI systems can be set up in sets of either two units or four. In a two unit system the unit closest to the runway is set to direct the light slightly above the glide angle. The unit furthest from the runway will direct its light slightly below the glide angle. One red light and one white light tells the pilot he is coming down on the proper angle. Two white lights means he's too high and two red lights means he's too low.

Lens red filters

PAPI systems are checked by the FAA about once a year by flying a special aircraft thru the airport and verifying the angles. Setup and adjustments are made with a clinometer (a very accurate digital level) and a couple of wrenches. The units are first leveled horizontally, followed by setting the proper vertical angle. Finally a mercury switch is set to automatically shut the system off if the unit is somehow disturbed and goes out of level.

Inside look

The equipment seen in the photos here are brand new units recently installed at one of our airports. They are currently adjusted and working, but not yet commissioned by the FAA. So they will remain out of service until a flight check can be made.

Emperor Akihito at Kona

2011-09-29T17:39:00.004-10:00

Here's another video "from the archives". Originally this was done this in the wrong format for YouTube. I put the computer on overtime while I was a work today. Now YouTube likes it.

In July 2009, after months of planning and many visits by representative from Japan, the Emperor and and his wife made a visit to the Big Island of Hawaii. The following video captures their moments on arrival and departure at the Kona International Airport.

Enjoy!

Ovaltine

2011-09-20T18:04:00.000-10:00

Yes, they still sell Ovaltine... and yes, I love it. Always have. It doesn't make me do this in the mornings tho':

Tower Update

2011-09-08T18:11:00.000-10:00

It's amazing how much work gets done on a large construction project in the last month or so of its work. Things that looked like they'd never get finished suddenly appear all done... sometimes overnight. This job has been no different. When I left for my mainland trip at the end of July things were still coming together. A month or so later all that's left are finishing touches.

True, the tower won't be operational for another year. What you see here is just the shell. Inside the finishes are done, but all of the electronics that will make this a functional air traffic control facility have yet to be installed. And it's not like hooking up your home entertainment system or desktop computer either. It's a list of top flight electronics that would make your head swim. For the remainder of the job the contractor will be pulling wires that will connect all those electronics and completing punch list items. Then it will be up to the FAA to install their equipment, test, and commission it prior to a grand opening.

The journey continues... but the end is closer than ever.

Fish Aaaahhhn!!!

2011-08-24T17:32:00.001-10:00

One of my pleasures growing up was fishing. Truth is, I never outgrew it, just moved away from it. Being home for a while this summer and reconnecting with old friends has rekindled the joy of fresh water fishing again. Maybe part of it involves memories with my pop too. He loved fishing, and loved taking me along. Whatever the reasons, fishing in small lakes and rivers is a sort of zen that one never loses. Time stands still when you fish. Everything else just melts away.

Tonite I went out in the late afternoon and caught more bass and bluegills. Nothing large enough to take home. Just large enough to enjoy finding, landing, and releasing.

FISH AAAAHhhn!

4-6-3-2 Triple Play

2011-08-20T15:58:00.007-10:00

The triple play is a rare enough event in baseball, but the other night here at home with Mom (the ultimate baseball fan) we witnesse our "home team" Milwaukee Brewers pull off an even more rare form of one... a 4-6-3-2 triple play against the LA Dodgers.

I stumbled across this ESPN analysis and multi-camera replay video of it tonite. Good fun.

Like Riding a Bike

2011-08-17T18:39:00.001-10:00

The title expression is usually associated with, "something you never forget". But in this following case it might not apply. You're more likely to lose these abilities over time...if you ever attain them in the first place! Which is unlikely for most of us.

Simply incredible stuff. Beautiful photography as well.

Sunday Comix

2011-08-14T07:55:00.003-10:00

Always maintain radio discipline.

Rotten Apple

2011-08-13T07:48:00.010-10:00

The "new" iTunes Store

I came to the iPod party slowly years ago, having first used a variety of generic and then Dell MP3 players for a while before succumbing to the Apple juggernaut. But eventually all those old systems failed to hold onto the pace Steve Jobs' people were setting and I relented and bought an iPod. My god!... 80 Gb on such a small device! What a revolution it was! One little box no bigger than my first transistor radio that could hold my entire CD collection, 200+ albums and still be less than half full. It was a world of difference better than hauling CDs around in my car for play on a portable device. It was a new paradigm... the new world.

In the beginning, and for quite some time thereafter, I only digitized my CDs. That was plenty. But it didn't take long to discover the iTunes iStore and the new world of podcasting. Over time I found more and more free podcast content of various types that expanded the value of my new little device including news magazines, NPR specials, Photoshop video tutorials, music programs, and all sorts of great stuff. And on the side I remained an interested spectator in the transitions the music industry and recording artists were making to this new medium as well. DRM, digital rights management, was the new term in the news. Napster and the lawsuits that followed were signs things really were changing. I might have to as well soon.

Slowly the sources of music were swinging toward a fully digital model. Record stores began to close and when my local Borders Books and Music shop went belly up the final chapter had been written. By this time I had fully made the switch to the Apple model. It was no longer buy a whole album to get to the one song you like... just find that song somewhere, whether on tv, the radio, or in a podcast, and then go search for it in the iTunes iStore and pick a copy up online for $0.99-$1.29 and you're good to go. Some were still “protected” but over time even that eased up.

All through this Apple remained a media darling. The storyline went that they had single-handedly revolutionized the industry. They've got bullet proof hardware. Their software is immune to viruses and malicious hacking attacks. All the news and rumor about Apple is golden. There's never a problem with Apple, right? All those Microsoft Windows suckers are just that... uncreative, plodding, and hostage suckers to Bill Gates and his evil world of mischief makers. All of them just a mouse click away from having their personal identities, bank accounts, and lives stolen because of the stupid decision to use Windows instead of Apple. Oh, the humanity... the useless suffering!

Well guess what?! Apple isn't bullet proof or bug free after all. It's a myth. That's not 24 karat gold you see on their goodies. It might be gold plating but it's not solid. And there may be humans running the show at 1 Infintie Loop, Cupertino, CA after all! Humans, not androids, who make mistakes just like everyone else. Yes, kiddies, Apple software and hardware devices can be just as buggy as Windows. That blank screen at the top of this page is virtual proof.

If you haven't gueesed by now that screen is the new iTunes iStore on my computer. It no longer displays the familiar store home page with images of new stuff, will not allow access for purchases of new music or updates of podcasts, or let a user do much of anything except make account changes or credit card updates. Things money-related take top priority...naturally. But other than that it’s completely useless for anything. The iTunes library I maintain is still fine, but the store is CLOSED! No "We're Closed, Go Away!" sign on the door. Just a blank screen. Just enough to make you scratch your head.

The first thing you think when you see something like this happen is, “... it must be me”. So you go thru the drill. You check for updates to see if the software version is current. Yup. Even Apple says so, “you have the most current version (10.4)”. You uninstall, download, and reinstall everything again anyway to see if that makes any difference. Nope. That’s no good either. And when you exhaust all the ideas you can think of you send an email to Apple with the relevant details of your problem for software/tech support. And then you wait. And wait. And wait. And wait until it becomes obvious there won’t be a reply coming. Apple doesn’t care. It’s your fault. You broke it. You fix it.

But you don’t think so, and you end up online at the Google search page looking for anything that has to do with, “iTunes iStore blank screen” pages. And hundreds of hits come up, with the most recent only a few months ago, each one saying just about the same thing. Apple Support isn’t replying to them either; Apple maintains the software needs to be reinstalled; Apple says, when they do bother to reply, that the problem is on the user’s end. You can look thru all of them but it's not necessary because there are no answers from Apple. In every case the threads die with users going away disgusted or the problem is eventually resolved when Apple updates iTunes. Hmmm.

If there is a solution to this nobody is talking about it, and certainly not Apple. Personally I’ve resigned myslef to waiting it out. Apple is the one losing revenue during all this, not me. I'm just inconvenienced by missing occasional podcast updates, but for now I have enough unheard material “stashed” on the device that it's likely I’ll still be working them when this does get fixed. The worst hit by far is the one Apple’s reputation took in my eyes. They’re no longer golden. All of ther goodwill is gone. When you treat me the same way that other software vendors have treated me... in other words, ignored me or hoisted buggy software - including spyware - on my computer.... you’re no better than they are. I almost expect to hear an outsourced foreign voice on their tech support soon. That'll be a death knell.

Bad Apple. Bad. I bit into you and found a worm!

Moonbows

2011-08-12T14:08:00.000-10:00

Some great time lapse photography here, and ideas for anyone with a digital camera, tripod, cable release, and a little time on their hands. Shooting at night under a full moon can produce stunning results. From the National Park Service.

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-10T03:46:00.000-10:00

Supper Club Redux

2011-08-07T13:40:00.000-10:00

Feil's Wine Barrel

We had brunch at Feil's today and really got our money's worth...especially at the dessert counter, where we followed up a traditional midwestern breakfast with brownies, grasshopper pie, some sort of caramel-peanut high calorie square, apple tart squares, cherry cheesecake, and a lemon bar. By the time we got home the sugar crash had claimed us both for naps during most the Brewer's game.

Going to and from the restaurant you pass through the German-theme bar, and the barrel above. Yes this dispenses wine, not beer, although it wouldn't be an honest German establishment without a wide variety of beers and steins and ambiance. And no, it's not a complete barrel. We found out they had to cut a lot of it down just to fit in the space. Three types of wine are dispensed here: Rose', Chablis, and the Lake Niagra mom likes. The owner, Herb Feil, was kind enough to allow me behind the bar to grab this shot with my 20mm, and while I was there gave mom the full history of the place, a few anecdotes, and some souvenier post cards. It was his father, the baker from Wangen, West Germany who established the restaurant many, many years ago.

Ah, summertime in Cheesehead country.

Tower Construction

2011-08-05T12:45:00.001-10:00

Being out of state for a while gives me a chance to catch up on a few of those videos I mentioned a while back. Here's one of them.

I was asked to put something together for the Western Regional FAA Annual Conference in San Francisco this past May, and decided to use some of the photos I've done of the FAA's new air traffic control tower project at Kona International Airport. Since I'm currently travelling I don't know for sure how much the project was affected by the recent budget hubbub in Washington, D.C., but I assume they may have had to shut down for at least a few days somewhere along the way. Hopefully everybody is back again and getting paychecks.

The FAA conference was held on June 6. The video is current through about May 24th or so and shows progress panoramas and a couple time lapse videos of interesting elements of the project. The contractor's work is scheduled to complete early this fall. From there the FAA will proceed with installation and testing of their electronic equipment. Full operations out of the new digs should be ready to begin sometime in Fall 2012.

Supper Clubs

2011-08-04T11:26:00.006-10:00

Feil's Supper Club

Wisconsin, the land of "supper clubs" and the Friday night fish fry. And no, you don't have to be a member to eat there... you just have to bring your wallet. This one is near Randolph, WI, and is also the home of many Meals on Wheels deliveries. Feil's makes great bread too... over a million loaves and counting. German heritage (maybe Austrian too), as may be obvious by the "chalet" construction, with great food.

It was nice to drive by one of these and see it open for business... many are boarded up and for sale these days.

This one has my mom's favorite wine too... the "original" Lake Niagra "Niagra", a rich, semi-dry New York white table wine.

Taken from their web site:

Feil's Supper Club offers original old-world recipe homemade bread, serving white and onion rye. Enjoy tap wine and a 30-item salad bar including cheeses and soup. Our featured menu item is the "Herb's Special" - a center cut Sirloin Steak topped with a mountain of our famous homemade onion rings or mushrooms. Fridays we feature a Fish & Broasted Chicken Buffet and Sundays we offer our very popular Sunday Brunch.

N8743 State Road 73
Randolph, WI 53956

... I guess I know where Sunday brunch will be this week!

Summertime

2011-08-02T08:04:00.008-10:00

Lazy Lake, Fall River, Wisconsin

For the next few weeks I'll hang out here in the midwest with mom after the passing of my pop. The memorial image for him is below and was taken along the western shoreline of the Big Island, Hawaii on the evening I received the news. He's in a better place now.

Lazy Lake in Fall River is about 5 miles or so from where I grew up and is great for fishing all year around. It's known for excellent crappies, bluegills, and probably a few other game fish as well. Whether the water is open like this in the summer or completely frozen over in the winter there always seems to be somebody out with rod and reel trying to pull something out. One of the things on my list of things to do this summer while back is get out once again and fish for bass. I'm hoping to talk one of my old high school buddies into going with me. It's been a long time since I've wet a line in these waters.

So it's that and doing things around the house for mom for the next few weeks, the same house I grew up in. Pretty amazing that they have been here that long, but nice. It's always just the way I'd remember it.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T21:13:00.000-10:00

Comic by Simon's Cat by Simon Tofield, embedding allowed.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-06T20:47:00.000-10:00

Near Keawanui Bay, Kawaihae, Hawaii

Sunset for Newton

2011-06-28T00:05:00.009-10:00

Honokohau Harbor ~ 27 June 2011

Every now and then it's useful to remind ourselves just how fragile and precious life is. It's worth thinking about because while we know our stay here will be short, the common assumption is that we have many more years left to enjoy family and friends. For some, and worldwide for many every day however, today will be their last day among us.

In my working career since college I have always been in or around construction. It's a very dangerous business and I have seen many accidents. In those years also I have been on five sites or projects where someone has lost their lives suddenly, violently, and unexpectedly. Monday June 27, 2011, unfortunately was one of those tragic days. A water truck driver for a project contractor at the airport was just doing what he always does about mid-day when somehow his rig went off the edge of a small embankment, rolled over, and pinned him in the wreckage. By the time his co-workers got to him he was gone.

It's sober, somber, and serious, these sites, and they're not pleasant to be around, yet they remind of us of how important it is to take safety seriously, at home, at work, at play, and all the time. It only takes a moment's lapse of concentration, or a single instance of poor judgment, or a small failure of any kind to make all the difference in the world. And that difference can determine life or death.

No one knows what happened exactly today, this accident took place in the sight of God only. We can only pray the end came quickly and without pain.

Here's the sunset you missed tonite, Newton. Rest in Peace, bro.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-21T23:35:00.001-10:00

Comic by Simon's Cat by Simon Tofield, embedding allowed.

No Laughing Matter?

2011-06-17T08:05:00.000-10:00

... you be the judge. Seems pretty creative in my opinion.

STUCK from Joe Ayala on Vimeo.

Read the full story -here-.

USAF Pacific Lifeline 2008

2011-06-14T19:32:00.004-10:00

Here's another post for the "catch up" folder I guess. This one was made several years ago & long before the thought of a personal blog ever crossed my mind.

The subject matter is self-explanatory. My role was one of local support for the military civil engineering team that came in advance of the exercise and set up the camp. This was a real world training exercise to prepare team members for the day they will be called upon to provide humanitarian support and relief following some crisis, either natural or man made.

Sorry it's so late, but Enjoy! (Best quality at 720p if your connection can handle it.)

As a post script I'll say also that I haven't quite figured out the YouTube video thing yet or specifically how to get a good cover thumbnail for a vid. So if anyone reading this has a heads up tip for me on that I'm all ears.

Kamehameha Day Parade Kona 2011

2011-06-11T21:05:00.000-10:00

My favorite parade of the year took place in Kona on Saturday morning, and although the skies were a little cloudy and overcast at times the crowd was by far the largest I've seen in years. It seemed like a lot of them were visitors too. Maybe there is a bit of a rebound in our local economy after all.

You can see these and many more photos of today's parade in my PBase gallery.

Enjoy!

Time Domain Electromagnetics

2011-06-09T19:56:00.007-10:00

TDEM

In the period of 1943 to 1945 over 40,000 acres of Parker Ranch land near the town of Waimea (Kamuela) on the Big Island of Hawaii was transformed almost overnight from serene pasture into a US Marine Corps training facility known as Camp Tarawa. Originally constructed by the Marine survivors of the Battle of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands this new camp quickly soared in population to over 25,000 troops. Before the war in the Pacific was over more than 50,000 soldiers had trained at the facility. This must all have come as quite a shock to the people in sleepy little Waimea, who at the time only consisted of about 400 permanent residents... mostly all Parker Ranch employees. Waimea, with its cool and moderate climate, was perfect at the time for those Marines suffering the effects of tropical diseases such as malaria.

Two primary groups of Marines trained at Camp Tarawa. The first to arrive, the 2nd Marine Division, were resident from December 1943 until the spring of 1944. These soldiers went on to fight in the battles of Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa. The second group, the 5th Marine Division, came in the fall of 1944 and trained until late December, 1944. When they left, it was to fight the horrific Battle of Iwo Jima. One of the local “puu”, or small cinder cone, was a perfect training site for what they would later face at Mount Suribachi on the southern tip of Iwo.

All this military activity took a toll on the land however, and over the years many unexploded remnants of the training have been found, in several instances with fatal outcomes. Now the US government has funded a project to survey and locate unexploded ordinance on another 14,000 acres of this training area. Follow-up projects are planned to remove items found and fully clear the area.

What you see above is a Bell Model 206L helicopter on the ramp of Waimea-Kohala Airport just outside of Waimea. Workers are installing a Time Domain Electromagnetic (TDEM) induction system that will be used to detect metal objects or unexploded ordinance that may still be in the ground at the old training site. Other applications for TDEM technology include identifying aquifers or detecting the presence of water or salt water intrusions in groundwater investigations, mapping aggregate deposits for quarry operators, mapping leachate in environmental investigations, or permafrost or other geologic features in geotechnical engineering.

The primary contractor for the government on this project is CH2M-Hill, with support from Battelle, and Pacific Helicopter Tours. The survey and identification portion of the project is expected to take about two months.

This work also goes straight to the heart of a key Hawaiian value, namely the concept of Malama 'Aina - Care for the Land.

Storm of Egypt

2011-06-08T18:08:00.000-10:00

A friend of mine in Cairo, Mostafa Moftah, a wonderful photographer and musician, has posted the following compilation video of images from the unrest in Egypt earlier this year. While not credited, I am assuming for now the music was composed and performed by him.

If you still have Egypt and Egyptians in your heart as I do, spend a few minutes with this. It's extremely well done, as are all of his YouTube postings.

From Hither & Yon

2011-06-08T00:05:00.000-10:00

For the life of me I don't know how some of you have found this place... my promotion of it has been only slightly more than minimal. But in the short time this has been up the log shows views from the USA, Greece, UK, Germany (sorry about one of the videos... for some reason those songs are blocked at your border), Japan, Malaysia, Canada, Chile, and Italy. I'm honestly humbled you took a little time and spent it here.

4 Hrs

2011-06-04T23:14:00.000-10:00

Chicken with Grapes

Ingredients:

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon dry sherry or white wine

8 to 12 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water

1 cup green seedless grapes

Preparation:

Place chicken, butter, lemon juice, sherry, mushrooms, and salt and pepper in the slow cooker/Crock Pot. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and grapes during the last 45 minutes. (May be cooked on high 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours, adding grapes the last 20 minutes. Serve over rice.

Serves 4 to 6... or 1 for 3-5 days.

It’s been a few weeks since the crockpod has been fired up, so last night it was time. And while this wasn’t eaten over rice it was still excellent in a serving of steamed broccoli.

Hilo Armed Forces Day 2010

2011-06-02T22:08:00.000-10:00

Okay... this is a *little* late... my bad. But it dawned on me now that this blog is out there and a YouTube channel is set up for embedding content, that there might be more things in the archives to share. So share we shall... now and in the future.

While I work on a production for the recent Kona airshow, here's a flashback from the past:

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-31T23:04:00.000-10:00

Overflight: (1/2000s f/5.6 @ 200mm iso200)

An Unconventional Landing

2011-05-30T21:32:00.000-10:00

An addendum of sorts re: the airshow at Kona this weekend...

Maybe I will have to pick up a small camera with basic video capability one of these times after all! Shooting moving objects handheld with a DSLR in burst mode doesn't quite produce the quality any of us are used to these days... including me! :) But put in the category of "something is better than nothing", the following *is* better than nothing, and can only be described as... a little out of the ordinary. So enjoy!

(Safe for work, but contains sound)

I promise... next year I'll have my act together for this kind of stuff! :)

Airshow

2011-05-29T23:42:00.000-10:00

C'mon in!

For a first ever event the Hawaii Airshow Invitational at Kona went off very well this weekend. The weather was nice, if not a bit hot, both days, and the crowds were good. An airshow is always a great family event, and this one was no exception. From the looks on the little faces it was a great experience. And it was nice to see so many kids on the field. Hopefully this will continue to grow in both scope and popularity over the years. Isolated communities like ours need the kind of variety this sort of weekend provided.

Continued after the jump...

The gate opens and the fun begins

It's hard to figure out where to go first!

There's something here for everyone.

There were things to ride in or climb on...

... and lots of things to eat...

... or drink (which was a great idea all day!)

The field was filled with many static displays from both the military and general aviation community.

P3-C Orion

B1-B sheltering its flock

The signature aircraft of the weekend had to be the B1-B bomber out of Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, with its swept wings and sleek design. It was also a welcome bit of shade at times out on the exposed Kona ramp.

Also making an appearance was the very first airplane operated by Hawaiian Airlines, the Bellanca Pacemaker CH-300. The restoration job on this old bird is wonderful, and it's amazing it was ever found and returned to Hawaii.

Hank Bruckner

Bruce Mayes SNJ-4 Warbird

F-16 (1/2000s f/8.0 at 400mm iso400)

Remote controlled aerobatic demonstrations

The aerobatic demonstrations are a highlight of any airshow, and at Kona it was no exception. The difference here however was that all of these activities had to be slotted in between regular air carrier service, which meant at times there were long delays between shows. And on Saturday the F-16 lost radio contact with his ground safety officer and had to shut his routine down early. On Sunday things went off without a hitch.

Bat wing skydiver

And there's always somebody who thinks it's great fun to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. As the announcer said, "You only need a parachute if you want to skydive more than once!". True enough.

Alan Miller making an unconventional landing of his little Aeronca Champ

Not to mention the guy who lands his airplane on the top of a pickup truck. Yes, he really did it. In his real job he flies an Airbus A380. So I guess he's qualified for this.

In all it was a great weekend for aviation lovers. I'm sure a lot of people are looking forward to next year already.

For these, and many more photos of the event, feel free also to visit my Hawaii Airshow Invitational 2011 photo gallery where I'll continue to post some of the many shots I grabbed.

Sunday

2011-05-29T14:11:00.000-10:00

Get Fuzzy by Darby Conley, embedding allowed.

Teaser

2011-05-27T17:46:00.001-10:00

F-16 Falcon practice run (1/1500s f/5.6 at 300mm iso200)

This is a teaser for part of what will be happening here this weekend. As I left the airport this afternoon for a dental appointment one of the F-16's screamed overhead on a practice run for this weekend's entertainment. Watching him rip holes in the sky one couldn't help thinking how many "G's" the guy was pulling at times. Here he is making a high-g horizontal turn after dropping out of a loop.

This is a 100% crop of the disrupted airflow over his wings. After seeing this I decided to endure the pain of hauling a 400mm lens around tomorrow just in case they get the green light to push mach 1 and an opportunity to snatch a Prandtl–Glauert singularity shot comes along. One can always hope... Actually, the condensation cloud seen here is related to the same phenomenon.

For more information on times, events, prices, and all the rest, go to the Hawaii Airshow Invitational website.

See you there this weekend!

Regnad Kcin

2011-05-26T21:56:00.000-10:00

Nick Danger, Third Eye!Artwork by William Stout

I don’t have a radio in my truck… never did. I bought it that way brand new. It has no a/c either. No power anything as a matter of fact. It’s a little 1991 Nissan 4x2 and I love it. It’s always had great mileage, hauled everything I’ve ever wanted, and is not the kind of thing people want to steal or break into. It's also easy to fix, which is why most mechanics love it too. It's a throwback to the days when vehicles were made without computers to complicate things.

See where this is going after the jump...

No built-in radio however means I’ve always had some sort of portable music device on the seat with me when I drive. Over the years there have been cassette players, Sony walkmen, AM/FM radios, and CD players, but nowadays it’s an 80 Gb Apple iPod. Every album of music on my computer is on it along with a variety of podcasts I enjoy… things like NPR’s Fresh Air, Studio 360, Times Talks, and a few others.

So there’s a wide variety things to choose from and depending on my mood I’ll listen to either a playlist, a podcast, or sometimes just a total random shuffle of all the music files (some 31 Gb and counting) on the gizmo. It’s amazing how entertaining modern math can sometimes be. Last night was one of those “random shuffle” days on the drive home from work that turned out to be a real flashback from the past.

There was a time long ago when a full credit load in an engineering program on a Big Ten campus wasn’t enough. I had to memorize comedy albums with my friends too. Our favorites by far were Firesign Theatre recordings and their total off the wall humor. Bits and pieces of those recordings are scattered in permanent locations throughout my brain always ready to fly, unannounced, out of my mouth in daily conversation before I realize it. The astonishment of the nearby uninitiated only makes whatever comes out even more funny.

Many of my favorite lines come from one album in particular, Side 2 of “How Can You Be in Two Places at Once, When You’re Not Anywhere at All?”, and “The Further Adventures of Nick Danger, Third Eye”. So when the random number generator came up triple 6's I was transported back to a simpler time.

It was great!

(Part 2 of the radio adventure is -here-, and Part 3 -here- for anyone interested.)

Early Arrivals

2011-05-26T06:00:00.001-10:00

This weekend the airport at Kona will be hosting the 1st Annual Hawaii Airshow Invitational. It's a project that's been in the works for over 7 years and will be the first in Hawaii ever held at a public airport. All prior shows have been hosted at military installations on Oahu, or included offshore aerobatic exhibitions by precision units such as the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels.

The event this weekend will include many static displays of military and historic aircraft as well as aerobatic exhibitions by several of Hawaii's top pilots. See the link above for more information.

One of the "stars" of the show arrived today, a Rockwell/Boeing B1-B bomber from Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. The B-1B holds 61 world records for speed, payload and distance and is not an airplane you would want to have 60,000 ft overhead... and angry at you.

B1-B foreground. C-17 Globemaster III background.

Also arriving today were two General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters out of Misawa AFB Japan.

F-16 Fighting Falcons

These will participate in flyby demonstrations as part of the weekend activities.

All aerobatics and other flight operations will take place between normally scheduled air carrier flights during the day, which makes this show somewhat unique. It's the only way an airshow could take place at a regular airport like Kona, and why most are held at smaller venues or ones without scheduled air service.

C-17 engine repairs

And while all this is going on "roadside repair" work continues on the C-17 engine. He may become an unscripted, but welcome, part of the program if they don't finish before the weekend. It will be just one more treat for the kiddies.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-25T09:01:00.000-10:00

These PRETzels are makin' me THIRSty!

Really.

Roadside Repairs

2011-05-24T18:29:00.001-10:00

So, you're far away from home and you blow an engine on landing. What do you do? If you're a C-17 Globemaster III it's no problem... you just load up another bird with a spare engine, lifting racks, auxiliary units, tech crew and tools and you go out into the field with a new blower in shrink wrap and swap the bad unit out. No biggie.

That's what's happening at KOA this week. And it's just another day on the job for the guys (& gals) who get most of their work done before many of us wake up each morning.

I'm just guessing here, but it probably has more than 4 bolts to undo...

Just about ready to pull it down on the scissors lift and transfer it onto the spare rack.

Scrink wrapped. Guaranteed fresh.

To avoid danger of suffocation, keep this plastic bag away from babies and children.
Do not use in cribs, beds, carriages or play pens...

Typefaces

2011-05-23T09:01:00.000-10:00

Design by Cam Wilde.

Is your favorite here?

Wind Power

2011-05-22T13:02:00.000-10:00

Comic by Randall Munroe, released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License

6-8 Hrs

2011-05-21T09:55:00.000-10:00

The pot ‘o gold at the end of the rainbow after a day of overdue yardwork:

Beer & Beef Stew

2 1/2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut in 1-inch cubes

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 carrots, cut in 1-inch slices

2 ribs celery, cut in 1/2-inch slices

2 medium potatoes, cut in 1-inch cubes

1 cup beer

1 cup beef broth, or use all beer

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons melted butter

1/3 cup flour

Place all ingredients, except butter and flour in the Crock Pot; mix well. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Mix melted butter with flour; add to the stew. Taste and adjust seasonings. Turn to high and cook until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serves 6 (or 1 for the better part of a week!).

Aloha from Kona!

2011-05-21T00:04:00.000-10:00

It is said that every journey begins with a single step. And while this may be a first blog posting for me, in truth there has been some form of 20/20 HeinSite online presence since the very beginnings of the world wide web in the early 1990's, including a variety of HeinSite homepages and currently a HeinSite photo site on PBase. Any or all of them might have been considered blogs... but none were ever in this format.

We'll just have to see what type of form this trip takes over time. For me, the best part of a journey, and certainly the most interesting, has always been the active movement portion anyway. It's the unpredictability of it that makes it fun.