Small Details - Day 125 #CY365

Blades from a Gillette Fusion razor at 5x magnification. At this level of magnification you can clearly see the grinding marks from the placing of the edge on the blades. Canon, 13 seconds at f/16.0, ISO 100, MP-e 65mm macro lens, lit with a Litepanels Micro LED light, mounted on a tripod.

Last Mum

An up close picture of the last of the fall mums. Canon 40D, 1/250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro with LED Litepnael.

Yankee Clipper

Neil Armstrong the first man to step on the moon died today. We boomers grew up during the "space race" and his passing brings back many memories. I took this photo of the Apollo 12 space capsule, nicknamed the "Yankee Clipper" at the Virginia Air & Space Museum a while back. Armstrong's first assignment in the Apollo program came as the commander of the back-up crew of the Apollo 8 mission, though he had been originally scheduled to back-up the Apollo 9 mission. Had he remained as the Apollo 9 back-up commander he would have been slated to Command Apollo 12, not Apollo 11. Thanks for taking that one giant leap for mankind. Canon 40D, 1/40 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 400, 17mm focal length.

HOH

The Harrison Opera House in Norfolk Virginia. Often just reffered to as the "HOH". Canon 40D, 1/100sec @ f/13.0, ISO 200 converted to black and white.

Tesla's Birthday

- Happy Birthday to Nikola Tesla was born 156 years ago on July 10, 1856. This is a plasma lamp invented by Telsa. In U.S. Patent 0,514,170 issued to Tesla on February 6, 1894 he describes a plasma lamp. The materials and technology to build the lamp did not exist during Telsa's life. It wasn't until 1970 that Bill Parker an undergraduate student at MIT created this popular product sold throughout the world today. In addition to being the father of AC electrical current, Telsa invented, described or envisioned much of what defines modern technology and science. In my humble opinion, his biography "Tesla: Man Out of Time" by Margret Cheney should be required reading for anyone who practices science or technology.

Canon 40D, 1/15 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 400.

Cross-eyed

- My little buddy Sherlock has a slight cross-eyed trait that is sometimes found in oriental cats. It doesn't seem to bother him at all and his eyes are a striking shade of blue. He's a Tonkinese, Tonk for short, a cross between Siamese and Burmese breeds. Tonks are lively, friendly, often talkative cats, with gregarious personalities. While Sherlock doesn't talk much, he does love to play fetch and will retrieve a toy as long as you're willing to toss it. Canon 40D, 1/10 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800, 100mm focal length.

The Sasha Look

- Last week I posted a new photo of Sherlock and promised a new one of Sasha. Well, here she is posing with that "vamp" look. Canon 40D, 1/250 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800.

Boy Tonk

- It's been over month since the last cat picture on my blog so Sherlock accommodated me today by being still long enough to take his picture. Handsome devil isn't he? Tomorrow sister Sasha will get into the act. Canon 40D, 1/125 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, 100mm focal length.

Drops on the Edge

- A fine mist has been falling all day and these tiny droplets cling to edge of a Camellia blossom. Canon 40D, 1/160 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, 100mm macro, LED Litepanel.

Rockettes

- The Rockettes are a Christmas mainstay as part of the Radio City Music Hall Christmas show. We saw them in 2009 and this ornament hanging on our tree is a reminder of that great show and the Christmas season in New York. Canon 40D, 1/125 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, 100mm macro.

Flyer

Petrie says "Nothing can escape the looker in the sky! Me see everything; me KNOW everything!" Canon 40D, 1/15 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 200, 100mm.

I Believe You Have My Stapler

- Yes I do. This is a Swingline Limited Edition Series 747 Rio Red Business Stapler a much appreciated going away gift from Philip Shucet. If you don't understand the significance of the Red Swingline Stapler, just watch the movie Office Space or if you need instant gratification turn to the Net at www.redswinglinestapler.com. Canon 40D, 1/100 sec @ f/7.1, ISO 800, two LED Litepanels with a little fill flash.

Star of Bethlehem

- The star-shaped flowers of the Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum arabicum) are a delight of the holiday season. Canon 40D, 1/500 sec @ f/7.1, ISO 800, 100mm macro, LED Litepanel.

Baubles

- It's the time of year to break out the Christmas ornaments. A bauble is a spherical decoration that is commonly used to adorn Christmas trees. The bauble is one of the most popular Christmas ornament designs, and they have been in production since 1847. Glass baubles were first made in Lauscha, Germany, by Hans Greiner. Canon 40D, 1/13 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, 100mm macro with image stablization.

Holiday Sasha

- Miss Sasha is enjoying the holiday decorations. Canon 40D, 1/40 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, 100mm macro.

Sleigh Bell

- Added a few gold and silver jingle bells to the garland surrounding the front door. Not only goes it give it a cool look but the doorway now has that sleigh bell sound as you come and go. Canon 40D, 1/80 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, 100mm macro.

Blue Mystique

- This is a Blue Mystique orchid that I saw today at Lowes and had to have. It is a really striking and unusual color. Mine has two stems with a total of 15 blooms. Canon40D, 1/250 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400, 100mm macro lens, micro Litepanel LED for illumination.

Cold War

- This is a static display of an old Nike Ajax surface to air missile. Developed and deployed in the 1950's these missile systems resulted in my Dad's transfer to Fort Bliss in El Paso Texas where he was assigned to the Air Defense Command. There he became a trainer of National Guard troops operating Nike sites throughout the country. He remained involved with the Nike systems though his retirement from the Army in 1966 and then with the Civil Service maintaining the radar tracking systems until they were deactivated in the mid 1970's as part of the SALT I treaty. This one still points to sky at Air Power Park in Hampton Virginia. Canon 40D, 1/100 sec @ f/16.0, ISO 100.

Braille

- An close up look at Braille devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing. Canon 40D, 1/500 sec @ f/10.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens at 1:1 and luminated from the side by an LED Litepanel.

Lazy Day

- Sunday morning is read the paper in bed day. The cats always join us for the lazy morning. Sherlock wasn't ready to get up and stayed in bed under the sheets for about an hour after we got going. Canon 40D, 1/15 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 800, 100mm lens.