Photographic Time Machine

Around 1905 some russian guys figured out a way to make colored photographs by taking 3 photos with red, green and blue filters, then composited the negatives to create a color print. These images are taken in 1905-1915.

http://www.museum.ru/museum/1812/Memorial/PG/colorpg_1.html

Wireframe modeling... for real!

Art imitating art? Reality imitating the virtual? I don't know, but it's pretty cool.
http://news.windingroad.com

The Best Of - Recut Trailers

I got tired of hunting around for these to I put them in one big pile. Enjoy.


Garden State


Must Love Jaws


Office Space


The Shining


The Sixth Sense


Sleepless In Seattle


The Sound Of Music


Taxi Driver


Top Gun


When Harry Met Sally

Kodak Duaflex

Kodak Duaflex (focusing) camera

Built: 1947-50
Shutter Speed: One speed
Film Size: 620
Lens: Kodar 72mm focusing f/8 - f/16
Film Size: 620

Cost: $17.25 - Ironically, I recently purchased one on Ebay for not much more. Hmm... whatever will I do with such an antiquated piece of equipment?

Now That's Racing

Rumor has it that Champ Car is looking at filling its late season with another euro race. This time at Dijon.

Here is a very cool video of the great Gil Villeneuve battling it out with Arnoux at Dijon in 1979. I think there were more passes in this one clip than most modern F1 races. Pity.

Mailbag: TO ALL PET LOVERS

To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - nose height.

Dear Family Pets:

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that a esthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, or try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain about Our Pets:

1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why it's called "FURniture.")
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal . To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

Remember: In many way s, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

1. Eat less.
2. Don't ask for money all the time.
3. Are easier to train.
4. Normally come when called.
5. Never ask to drive the car.
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends.
7. Don't smoke or drink.
8. Don't have to buy the latest fashions.
9. Don't want to wear your clothes.
10. Don't need a gazillion dollars for college.

And finally,

11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.(okay, I know this last one won't fly here, but it was on the list!)

Cimarron 1 Mine 1.01

Hour One

• Assembled the templates
• Assembled one truss
• Assembled one floor plate
  

Cimarron 1 Mine

It's finally here. The Cimarron 1 Mine from Banta Modelworks arrived Tuesday in a surprisingly small box - about 6"x10"x2". The kit includes little bits of strip wood to be cut to size, laser cut/etched flat stock, a bag of plastic tube and metal rod to be bent by hand and finally chipboard templates for assembling the strip wood to form the trusses. It looks like a nightmarish mess of stuff to assemble but after looking at the instructions I think it should go together in an afternoon. Now where did I put those tweezers.

Wild Urbs

I took the dogs to the west Delta Park dog park. The area between PIR and the wetlands. It was cold and damp. Just the right conditions for the half dozen dogs sloshing around by the parking lot. After Cooper and India tired of playing with the other dogs we wandered west to the far end of the park where there were no other dogs.

I saw an amazing Great Blue Heron along the way. It was only about 20 feet from the fence line just tip toeing through the reeds and grasses looking for dinner.

When we got to the end of the dog park I was startled by a dog barking at me on the other side of the fence. It too was pretty close, about 100 feet away. It was an odd sounding dog, it's bark was more of a combination bark/howl/yodel. It looked a little peculiar too. In fact it was not a dog at all. It was a coyote. And it was not too happy to have me and the dogs nearby. So we just continued on our way. When we got back to the parking lot the coyote was still howling it's displeasure at me. I mentioned my sighting to the other dog people. They thought it was pretty cool.

Champ Car - Ford: Version 2.0

The loss of Ford in Champ Car is an interesting development. After reading some of press releases again I was thinking that Champ Car drank Paul Stoddart's Koolaid. Basically CC decided to use Stoddart's old Minardi F1 two-seater cars for the pace car rides. So Ford apparently didn't think there was much left for them to contribute to the series besides the engine. So they pulled the plug. So from that perspective it seems that CC shot themselves in the foot.

A little farther back, however, CC announced two new races in Europe and one in China. Their first time back to the old country since 2003 and their first ever in China. You would think this would be a good thing, marking a healthy expansion of the series. Ford's racing director didn't see it that way. "If I had wanted to back an international series," says Ford Racing director Dan Davis, "it wouldn’t have been Champ Car." This comment was made before the announcement of the pace car switch. In all fairness to Ford the changing scope of CC is something to consider when evaluating where your supporting dollars go. Car companies don't market the same cars all around the world. It wouldn't really make sense to be running pace cars that are models that are not available in the region you are racing in. So would Ford have to develop another set of pace cars for China and Europe? And would their European base have to pony up dollars to promote an American based race series?

Perhaps the rumored Asian manufacturer finds Champ Car more in alignment with their international racing effort than Ford. Both Toyota and Honda have a major presence in F1. In the Americas Honda in supplying the IRL and Toyota is developing their NAPCAR program. Mazda has a large presence in the US in their Star Mazda series, Champ Car Atlantic Series and Mazda MX-5 Cup series. Hyundai has been racing in the World Rally Championship but doesn't have other significant racing efforts. I still hope it's Mazda... Or Cadillac...

Do not try this at home... or at work... or wherever

Ford Gone From Champ Car

What the hell! While the week in Champ Car testing had many high notes there was one big downer. Champ Car announced that Ford would no longer be involved in the series. It's not entirely clear if Ford dropped Champcar or if it was the other way around. Apparently there is to be an announcement soon for a replacement to Ford. Rumors indicate it will be an asian manufacturer. Some are thinking it could be Mazda or Hyundai. Others think Toyota or Honda. Since the later two left CCWS on a very sour note and one supplies engines to the rival IRL series, I doubt it would be either of them.

Hyundai scares the bajezus out all the Champ Car fans. I know that their image is improving, but come on "Champ Car World Series Powered by Hyundai" is just not going to sell tickets. Rumors are that Hyundai is planning on introducing a higher end car line under a different name. Like Acura, Lexus and Infinity. I don't care how much money they throw at the series, it's just not the right mix.

Of the players mentioned, Mazda would be my pick. They're part of Ford and are providing the engines to the Champ Car Atlantic ladder series. So it would kind of make sense that it be Mazda. And they have a much more sporty image.

Oh well. All will be revealed in the comming days.

Champ Car: Testing at Sebring

It's almost over. The cold dark winter of Champ Car doldrums. Some of the teams went to the racetrack in Sebring, Florida this week. We finally got to see the new Panoz DP-01 in action. Well we actually saw the development car in action last year. This was the first time the teams got to put the cars under pressure to perform. Various technical problems were addressed. Downshifting seems to have been the biggest problem. Everyone seems to agree the car held up extremely well.

A bit of history one day one of testing. At the end of the first practice session with the brand new chasis, who should be at the top of the time charts?... Katherine Legge. Driving in a Dayle Coyne car no less. Doesn't get any better than that.

Action Poet in Action at Proper Eats

We got to enjoy another scintillating recitation by the Action Poet last night at Proper Eats cafe. The house was well packed. Everyone enjoying their proper eats with a side of steamy poetry. The Action Poet was in top form, belting out some old favorites and some new tongue twisters. Well, they weren't really twisters but they were new. At least they were new to me. Or at least I've forgotten that I heard them before, so for all intents and purposes they were new. And I'm sure some in the audience haven't heard them before, so to them it was all new. And all good! Who doesn't love Naked Man? I do! Count me in. Love Naked Man. It gets better with every telling. I'm sure No Pants Lady is in the works.

The Action Poet was accompanied by a jazz ensemble. They were okay, just a little timid and generic sounding. I liked the band that accompanied The Action Poet the last time he performed at Proper Eats.

Paul was manning the video camera in the inky shadows. I didn't get a chance to wish him happy birthday again. He's forty (40) years old now. That's 4x10 or half of 80 or 2x20. In other words, he was ten years old when Star Wars first appeared on the silver screen. I, now, am the last of my kind.

Hoot, Hoot, Whooo's There?

It was a cold dark night. I was working in the garage making little boxes to hold screws and nails and other bits of stuff that are used to make stuff. The dogs were in the backyard lounging on the frosty grass. Suddenly Cooper started growling and barking at some nearby dog. I gave him the usual STFU. It had no effect on Cooper. In the distance I heard the other dog barking, howling or doing whatever it was doing. What was it doing? That dog sounded really odd. Dogs don't sound like that. I stopped to listed. After a moment of silence the dog made the sound again. Thats no dog, I thought! I dropped what I was doing and dashed inside to bring this startling development to Elizabeth's attention. We stepped outside and I gave her the shhh sign and pointed to the neighbors cedar tree. After a few moments we heard it. Hoot, hoot, hooo. An owl! No freak'n way! Yes way! I don't think I've ever heard an owl in the city before. Sweet!

We found it odd that it was hard to determine where exactly the owl was perched. It kind of seemed to be close by, in the neighbors cedar tree perhaps. But then it seemed to be a little farther way, maybe a few houses down. Elizabeth did her Googling and determined that it was most likely a mated pair of Great Horned Owls who were calling to each other. Just in time for Valentine's Day. Awww.

Google Earth: Finding a Needle in a Haystack

Leave it to my brother to find something like this with Google Earth.

Step 1. Launch Google Earth.
Step 2. Find Portland, Oregon in the United States.
Step 3. Zoom in so you can see something like the image below. You'll want to look north of the Portland/Vancouver area where you'll find a river branching from the Columbia River.
Step 4. Zoom into the area of the branching rivers.

Step 5. Locate a skinny brown line representing a railroad track crossing from the wetland in the south to farmlands in the north. Look for a little bridge that spans the river you found in Step 3. Zoom into the bridge.

Step 6. You'll see a little smudge that looks like a blurry 'T'. Zoom in on that 'T'.

Voila! Aerobatic airplane in action. It turns out this guy regularly practices his aerobatics near the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge.

Vegas Baby!

	Forget the bunny ears. On Easter Sunday we'll be at the inaugural Champ Car Grand Prix of Las Vegas. The race tickets have been booked. The hotel has been booked. The air fare has been booked... Wait a minute... According the to the tickets we'll be arriving a week early. Oh dear, whatever will we do with all that time.......
	Day 1 - Saturday 7:00 AM - Depart PDX 9:30 AM - Arrive LAS 1:30 PM - Mario Andretti Racing School at the Las Vegas Super Speedway We'll be doing the Champ Ride program in which you ride along in a open-wheel two-seater. Our driver will be doing a simulated qualifying run which should top out at 180MPH!
	We'll leave LV at mid-afternoon heading north to Zion National Park. It's not on Elizabeth's top things to see list so we'll blow through pretty quickly. Our main goal is to get to Bryce Canyon National Park before they close the gates.
	Day 2 - Sunday Bryce Canyon National Park We hope to be at the rim before sunrise. After burning our retinas for a couple hours we'll probably take a horse back ride down into the canyon. Finishing up Bryce in the early afternoon we'll have a hell of a ride northwest to Arches National Park. It'll be a real butt burner of a ride, probably 5 or 6 hours. On the way we'll pass through Capitol Reef National Park.
	Day 3 - Monday Arches National Park One of Elizabeth's top places to see. There are a few good spots that offer shorts hikes into the lumpy landscape. Again we'll try to be out of the park in the early afternoon. Then we'll head south to Monument Valley.
	Monument Valley With any luck we should be at Monument Valley at the end of the day to enjoy a spectacular sunset in this amazing place. When the coyotes start howling we'll head west to Page, Arizona.
	Day 4 - Tuesday Antelope Canyon I didn't visit this place on my canyon tour back in 1999. It looks amazing. Let's see, where did I put my camera... Oh yeah, its broken. Hm, whatever will I do about that? We'll head to the Grand Canyon and hope to be there in the late afternoon for the sunset.
	Day 5 - Wednesday Grand Canyon National Park All day looking a big ditch. We had hoped to go to visit the north rim, but it will not be open. So we'll go to the tourist heavy south rim.
	Day 6 - Thursday Las Vegas and Cirque du Soleils O A long drive back to Las Vegas. Check in at the Palace Hotel and then finish off the long road trip with a show. We saw a behind the scenes movie on the making of Zumanity and it just looked too weird, and not that interesting. So we opted for O.
	Day 7 - Friday Champ Car - Qualifying - Day 1 Whew! Back with old friends. This will be the first time we get to see the new Champ Car - Panoz DP01 - in person. 8:00 AM - 8:35 AM Atlantic Practice 8:50 AM - 10:00 AM CHAMP CAR PRACTICE 10:15 AM - 11:45 AM Streets Open 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM HGP Practice 12:45 PM - 1:20 PM Atlantic Qualifying **1:30 PM - 1:50 PM "Fast Lap" Pace Car On Track Activities 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM CHAMP CAR QUALIFYING **3:20 PM - 4:00 PM "Fast Lap" Pace Car On Track Activities 4:00 PM - 4:30 PM Drifting Challenge 4:45 PM - 5:15 PM HGP Practice
	Day 8 - Saturday Champ Car - Qualifying - Day 2 8:00 AM - 8:45 AM Atlantic Practice 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM HGP Practice 9:45 AM - 11:00 AM CHAMP CAR PRACTICE 11:15 AM - 11:45 AM Streets Open 12:00 PM - 12:35 PM Atlantic Qualifying **12:40 PM - 1:20 PM "Fast Lap" Pace Car On Track Activities 1:30 PM - 2:45 PM CHAMP CAR QUALIFYING **2:55 PM - 3:25 PM Drifting Challenge 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM HGP Qualifying
	Day 9 - Sunday Champ Car - Grand Prix 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM CHAMP CAR WARM UP 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM Atlantic Warm Up 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM HGP Race 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM "Fast Lap" Pace Car On Track Activities 12:15 PM GRID CHAMP CARS 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM START OF VEGAS GRAND PRIX (Race Number 1 of the 2007 Champ Car World Series) 3:45 PM Grid Atlantics (Pit Lane) 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Atlantic Race Once the races is over we'll pack up and head for home.

Mail Bag: In Honor of Stupid People

I think this is a bit of Bill Engvall's (Blue Collar Comedy Tour) routine. Not sure though.


In case you needed further proof that the human race is doomed through stupidity, here are some actual label instructions on consumer goods.

On a Sears hairdryer -- Do not use while sleeping.
(That's the only time I have to work on my hair.)

On a bag of Fritos -- You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.
(the shoplifter special?)

On a bar of Dial soap -- "Directions: Use like regular soap."
(and that would be???....)

On some Swanson frozen dinners -- "Serving suggestion: Defrost."
(but, it's just a suggestion.)

On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom) -- "Do not turn upside down."
(well...duh, a bit late, huh!)

On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding -- "Product will be hot after heating."
(...and you thought????...)

On packaging for a Rowenta iron -- "Do not iron clothes on body."
(but wouldn't this save me time?)

On Boot's Children Cough Medicine -- "Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication."
(We could do a lot to reduce the rate of construction accidents if we could just get those 5 year-olds with head-colds off those bulldozers.)

On Nytol Sleep Aid -- "Warning: May cause drowsiness."
(...I'm taking this because???....)

On most brands of Christmas lights -- "For indoor or outdoor use only."
(as opposed to what?)

On a Japanese food processor -- "Not to be used for the other use."
(now, somebody out there, help me on this. I'm a bit curious.)

On Sainsbury's peanuts -- "Warning: contains nuts."
(talk about a news flash)

On an American Airlines packet of nuts -- "Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts."
(Step 3: say what?)

On a child's Superman costume -- "Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly."
(I don't blame the company. I blame the parents for this one.)

On a Swedish chainsaw -- "Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands or genitals."
(Oh my God..was there a lot of this happening somewhere?)

Where is Port 42

In cyberspace it is where you are now.

In reality it was in John's back yard.

In childhood memory it was the nexus of the universe.


more to come...

The Encore

The website for the project I worked on last year has gone live. I did all of the renderings of the exterior and unit interiors. There was supposed to be some functionality that would allow the user to customize their unit color scheme. Apparently they either skipped that option or have yet to incorporate it.

The Encore

SMART Coming to the US in 2008

Finally! Although I have seen a couple around town. Rat bastards! They were at the Detroit autoshow so hopefully they will be at the Portland show in late January.

http://www.smartusa.com/

Spider: Morphable Face Model

That's pretty incredible. I would come in very handy for AML.

Spider: Tony vs. Paul

What a coincidence! I have a friend named Paul who has a friend named Tony.

Olde fashioned stop motion animation with real people. Good times.

Mail Bag: Weird Facts

Disclaimer: I cannot attest to, nor have I verified the validity of any of these "facts".

Subject: Weir Facts

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"

Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S.Treasury.

Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

Coca-Cola was originally green.

It is impossible to lick your elbow.

The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska

The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)

The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400

The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:

• Spades - King David
• Hearts - Charlemagne
• Clubs -Alexander, the Great
• Diamonds - Julius Caesar

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace

Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession

Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand

Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.

Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey

Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day

In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down." It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"

Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.

~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~~~~~

At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!

Don't delete this just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of th huan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2006 when...

1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.

The Metropolitan

I worked on the renderings for this project over a year ago and just got around to looking at the web site. It looks like most of my work ended up in the construction section.

The Metropolitan

Far Out Space Bump

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin got a little closer to space on November 13, 2006. When are spaceships going to look like the Millennium Falcon or the Slave I? Why not have Ferrari design a spaceship? I bet it would look sweet, go fast and only cost three trillion dollars. Okay, twenty trillion.

Blue Origin - website





Cnet

One word - just one word - Plastics.

The end of paper is nigh. Plastic Logic is showcasing their lightweight plastic display technology as an alternative to paper. Although you can do some very cool things with this stuff, it just seems to accelerate the disposable technology trend. Heaven forbid someone create a technology that can last twenty years.

• Plastic Logic
  
• Cnet
• Dexigner
• Ecology Center - Seven Misconceptions about Plastic and Plastic Recycling