By Vladimir Brezina
Sometimes all you can do is laugh—
The last moments of one of the entries in last summer’s Cardboard Kayak Race, in which participants had to construct a kayak from cardboard and tape and then paddle it a short distance. This one turned out to be a folding kayak!
A contribution to Ailsa’s photo challenge, Laughter.
Posted in Kayaking, Photography
Tagged Cardboard Kayak, Kayak Race, Laughter, Photography, postaweek, postaweek2015, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge
By Vladimir Brezina
Seasonally appropriate: sunny days after the big snowstorm in NYC’s Central Park—
(More photos are here, here, and here)
A contribution to this week’s Photo Challenge, Shadowed. A second contribution is here.
Posted in Nature, New York City, Photography
Tagged Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, Photography, postaweek, postaweek2015, Shadowed, Shadows, Snow, Weekly Photo Challenge, Winter
By Johna Till Johnson
Suspended lion face
Spilling at the centre
Of an unfurnished sky
How still you stand,
And how unaided
Single stalkless flower
You pour unrecompensed.The eye sees you
Simplified by distance
Into an origin,
Your petalled head of flames
Continuously exploding. …
—Philip Larkin, Solar
.
What’s the longest-running scientific experiment in history?
I bet you didn’t think of monitoring sunspots.
Sunspots (photo by NASA)
And I can’t definitively say it’s the longest-running experiment —there may be others I haven’t heard of yet. But the first recorded systematic observation of sunspots in the West was by astronomers Thomas Harriot, Johannes and David Fabricius in 1610 (Chinese astronomers observed them as far back as 300 BC). Scientists have been monitoring sunspots ever since—which means that sunspots have been monitored for the past 405 years!
Posted in Culture, Nature, Science and Technology, Society
Tagged Leif Svalgaard, Science, Scientific Experiments, Sun, Sunspots
By Vladimir Brezina
Do not watch if you are prone to nightmares involving swarming insects! (However, more than 8 million people have not been able to resist watching this classic YouTube video…)
I particularly like the way they carry off the skull in the end… :-)
Some background and explanation is here.
By Vladimir Brezina and Johna Till Johnson
Picking Vlad’s photos for our calendar is an annual ritual for us. It’s harder than it sounds, because you’re looking both backwards and forwards at the same time: remembering the past while wondering about the future. And, like most artistic endeavors, you’re never sure how it will turn out.
This year the task was particularly challenging, for various reasons. So we were both pleased and surprised at the result. Our theme, as you can see, was “water”. But the selection of photos carried a greater-than-usual sense of whimsy. It also included some of our favorite photos (you’ll probably recognize at least one).
See what you think:
(Story and more photos are here)
If I were called in
To construct a religion
I should make use of water.
Philip Larkin, Water
Posted in Life, Photography
Tagged 2015, Calendar, Kayaking, Nature, New Year, New York City, Photography
By Vladimir Brezina
Each morning is a new morning—
(click on any photo to start slideshow)
A contribution to this week’s Photo Challenge, New.
Posted in Nature, Photography
Tagged Dawn, Morning, New, Photography, postaweek, postaweek2015, Sunrise, Weekly Photo Challenge
By Vladimir Brezina
We’ve just had Twinkle as a Photo Challenge—and now we have Sparkle. And, indeed, there is a difference!
Here’s some Sparkle—
From the 2014 Everglades Challenge
Now I am looking forward to Glitter, or perhaps Shimmer, Glimmer, or Flicker…
Posted in Kayaking, Photography
Tagged Everglades Challenge, Kayak Expeditions, Kayaking, Photography, postaweek, postaweek2015, Sparkle, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge
By Vladimir Brezina
...The one red leaf, the last of its clan,That dances as often as dance it can,Hanging so light, and hanging so high,On the topmost twig that looks up at the sky.
Last light over the Central Park Reservoir—
Posted in Nature, New York City
Tagged Central Park, Milkweed pods, New York City, Photography, Red berries, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Sunset, Winter
By Johna Till Johnson
Photos by Vladimir Brezina and Johna Till Johnson
Maybe it’s because we spent last Christmas on the waters of the Florida Everglades. Or maybe it’s because this year has held more than the usual vicissitudes. For whatever reason, this year we found ourselves focused intently on the traditional trappings and rituals: A live tree, with real candles. A wreath, with ribbons and a bell. Roast goose, mashed potatoes, and cabbage. Christmas carols.
And they were wonderful: As the sun set on Christmas Eve, the apartment filled with the scent of roasting goose (overpowering the fresh fragrance of pine). Dinner that night was magical, with light glittering everywhere, and the sound of Christmas carols on the air.
Christmas Day, we slept late, then spent a splendid several hours opening gifts. Okay, more like a few minutes doing the actual opening—but since most of the gifts were books (and most of the remainder was food), we spent a lazy afternoon listening to music, reading, and nibbling cookies. On Boxing Day, we did the official tree-candle lighting (complete with obligatory stand-by bucket of water and fire extinguisher).
All the trappings were there, and the rituals were most satisfactorily observed. But even more than the trappings and decorations, what resonated most with us was the meaning of Christmas: light in darkness, hope for better times to come.
By Vladimir Brezina
Minimalist again? Ailsa, you and The Daily Post really have to coordinate your Photo Challenges! :-)
Anyhow, we do strive to travel in a minimalist fashion, with only the gear that is absolutely necessary. But it’s a work in progress—
At the start of the 2014 Everglades Challenge.
Posted in Kayaking, Photography
Tagged Everglades Challenge, Kayak Expeditions, Kayak Gear, Kayaking, Minimalist, Photography, postaweek, postaweek2014, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge
... kayaked the waters around New York for more than 15 years in his red Feathercraft folding kayak. He was originally from (the former) Czechoslovakia and lived in the U.K. and California before settling down in New York. He was a neuroscientist at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He died in 2016.
... is a kayaker and technology researcher at Nemertes Research. She's an erstwhile engineer, particle physicist, and science fiction writer. She was born in California and has lived in Italy, Norway, Hawaii, and a few other places. She currently resides in New York City.
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