Ryan's "Parties"

While wandering the I&M Canal trail, Cory and I found evidence of parties.



Please excuse the Gaussian blurs on the pill bottle....

/rl

Next Week: "Destruction"

"Parties" due tomorrow.

You're welcome, Craig.

/rl

Craig's Parties

I'm cheating this week. This picture is from a Christmas party.

I was going to take pictures of a party at my house on Friday night, but instead we got home to find our house essentially destroyed.

I hope next week's topic is something destructive, because I've got that sewn up.

Ryan's "Parts"

Some parts have a limited lifespan. According to Volkswagen, these plugs should be changed every 40,000 miles. I'm not so sure - they don't look too bad. A bit of regapping and they would have been good for another 10k at least.

Spendy little things, too.

/rl

Mike's "Parts"

North of Fremont on Highway 75 is this old barn that looks like a junk yard except it has house parts instead of car parts. It has been there since I was a little kid.
I remember seeing it when ever we would go the "The Farm" via Fremont. I think we even stopped there once to try and fix the car or something.

Cory's Parts

A little under four years ago, I replaced the two rear brake cylinders in the Beetle. After doing it, I set the two old ones in a corner of the garage and didn't touch them again. I saw them there a few times over the next couple of years, but after they had been there for a while I decided I couldn't move them from their resting place. And they're still there, just two parts rusting in a disused corner of the garage.

Craig's Parts

We celebrated a belated Christmas with my in-laws this weekend. My nephew got the most awesome chess set ever.

He doesn't know how to play chess -- he's only four. He loves it for its parts.

Next week (by special request) - "Parties"

The mother of 3/5 of this blog says that the logical progression from "art" to "parts" must end in "parties."

"Parts" due tomorrow!

/rl

Q's art

Ryan's "Art"

Art, they say, is in the eye of the beholder:



/rl

Last week was my last week of working at Argonne before moving across the country, so I finally took my gear in to take some pictures in the tunnels beneath our machine room. Our network guy is also a band leader and was happy to be my subject in exchange for promo material. When we were done, Loren said "Man, that's art!" So here it is: art.

Mike's "Art"

This is an example of a neo-modern aerosol enamel painting.
I did not find out if this was a stationary or traveling exhibit, but it can currently be seen at the intersection of 15th and Nicholas. It could cost you some loose change.

Next Week - "Parts"

"Art" due tomorrow.

/rl

Ryan's "Power"

This is part of Omaha Steel's plant. Somewhere deep inside is a 5 ton capacity electric arc furnace, along with 4 smaller induction furnaces. This place consumes some power....

Last night they were doing a pour, I think. When the furnaces are running you can smell the plant though the entire neighborhood. Tonight it was dark and less offensive smelling.



/rl

Craig's Power

In switching from the IBM PowerPC architecture to the Intel x86 architecture, Apple made what was probably a very good business move. However, it pretty much necessitated that they move away from one of the best computer naming schemes they'd had.

MacBook and Mac Pro don't have nearly the same ring as PowerBook and Power Mac.

Cory's Power

The last two years of my time at Argonne have been spent keeping a giant computer running. We keep it hidden away in a secret lair on the scary side of the lab, back where they used to dump radioactive stuff on the ground when they were done with it. Our machine room is built inside of a giant warehouse-type building that once housed parts of the Star Wars program, but today is mostly used for storage and weird science experiments. It is also prejudiced against hydrogen.

Beneath the building is a series of tunnels that were used to keep the intense pulsed neutron source running, but are now mostly empty. It was down there that I found this great still life of power equipment. I'm especially intrigued by that can - it looks like it has been sitting right there since the mid 60s.

Mike's "Power"

Every morning, on the way to work, I can see a plume of smoke and steam coming from this coal fire plant across the river from 156th & Giles Road.

I decided to go over there and get a closer picture. It's a monster. The only one I have possibly seen bigger is the "Gerald Gentleman Station" in Sutherland, NE.

My cheap UV filter was not enough to cut through the haze, as I was still a good half mile away, and the cooling towers to the right were adding to the atmospheric distortions.

Next week: "Art"

"Power" is due tomorrow.

/rl

Craig's Texture

Sorry I'm late. I got sick. This is Count Chocula having a drink. Just look at the texture of that tongue. Cat tongues are awesome. Because cats are awesome.

I'm reposting this because I cropped the original and it broke the blogger post.

Q's texture

I made some block print cards the other week, which makes for some pretty neat textures.

Ryan's "Texture"

Tattoos show the skin's texture very well. (Click to enbiggen)





/rl

Cory's Texture

Cheerios!

(Enlarged to show texture)

Mike's "Texture"

Partially this is a poke at my brother who used to send me random pics of TP dispensers with his Crackberry.
Having the proper texture in toilet paper is quite important, however, even more so than the age old question of "roll to the front or back". Not enough texture and it just does not do its intended job. Too much and you may as well be using corn cobs like the settlers did.

Can you tell me which planet toilet paper can be found on besides Earth?

Next Week "Power"

"Texture" due Sunday Night!

-mvm

Craig's Isolation

As you can see, I'm all alone.

Mike's "Isolation"

I'm guessing if I were a horse, I would be feeling a bit isolated this winter.
Few rides, cold, snow and wind. The only thing I have to live for is my whole grain diet.

Ryan's "Isolation"

Wee little Ducky has been naughty, and is in isolation.

Sorry folks... it's been a busy couple of weeks. Maybe next week I will take a decent photo.

/rl

Cory's Ice Elation

Downtown Downers Grove has an ice sculpture exhibition each February, and this is one of the many that are down there this year. This particular one was sponsored by one of the restaurants down there and, as you can see, is off on its own in an alleyway. So it even kind of matches the real subject for this week.

Next week: "Texture"

"Isolation" due tomorrow!

/rl

Ryan's "Hiding"

Kind of a stretch here, and crappy photo, too. Just about everything I have written over the past 5 years or so has been with this fountain pen, a Parker 51 made in early 1945. I snagged it off ebay for $12 or so. It has what is called a "hooded" nib, with the nib hiding underneath the shell of the pen. Right now it's studying Discrete Math.




/rl

Q's hiding

My amaryllis bloom is hiding at present.

Cory's Hiding

This might be stretching the rules a little but, but since it could be done in a darkroom I think it's fine. I remember seeing a live-action version of this on Sesame Street (or something similar) when I was young, so I had been looking forward to this topic for a while so I could do my own. I also took two other versions to make sure I got something good.

Mikes "Hiding"

I took a picture of this orb shaped thing hiding up behind some clouds. I'm not certain what it is.

Next Week: "Isolation"

"Hiding" due tomorrow.

/rl

Q's candy

Craig's Candy

The Jesus, The Stranger, Donny, and Brak would like to offer you a candy cane.

Mike's "Candy"

I keep a bag of mints at my desk in case it gets close to lunch time. Sounds fattening, but not if it keeps me from getting into the snack machine!
Of course an Apple is always better, but they don't always store well enough to keep on hand! I start Monday out with four bananas and 3-4 apples, and that is usually what I eat at work in a week. If I consume them faster, this is my backup plan!

Ryan's "Candy"

NERDS!



/rl

Cory's Candy

Ever since I got some flashes, I've enjoyed playing around with these "product shot" style setups. In this case, I just dumped the candy in a glass, put it on a sheet of glass I pulled out of the neighbor's trash, and lit it from the right and left. Simple and pretty!

I liked this topic too - after the shot is done, there's still product to dispose of somehow.

Next week: "Hiding"

"Candy" due tomorrow.

The topic reservoir is low. Fill it up! Our readers (both of you!) can suggest topics by commenting on this post. I will toss them in the topic bucket.

/rl

Ryan's "Best of 2009"

Sometimes our favorite photos aren't technically the best photos. In April Dad, Grandpa, and I invited some turkeys to stay for dinner . It's pretty cool to be hunting with your father and grandfather when you are 33 years old.

/rl

Craig's Best of 2009

In February of 2009, we took a surprise trip to Hawai'i. I didn't know what to expect out of the big island, really -- turns out we had a lot of fun. On one of our days there we took a tour up to the summit of Mauna Kea, something I highly recommend. Part way up, we stopped to have a picnic meal and acclimate to the altitude. Around the stopping point were all these abandoned buildings.

I'm generally fascinated by decay, so I took lots of pictures of these buildings. Going through them, I think this one stands out for me. I like the colors, I like the decay, and I like patterns of things going off into the distance. This gives me a lot to like, if I do say so myself.

Cory's Best of 2009

Like Mike, one of my favorite pictures from 2009 is of a power plant. In my case, it's a few of the rather large number of windmills they've been putting in between Omaha and Des Moines over the last year or two. Lis and I first saw them when we drove to Omaha for Christmas in 2008, so when we went past them at Fourth of July time this year I made sure we stopped to take some pictures. These particular ones are in a field a little south of Walnut.

Mike's "Best of 2009"

This is one of my favorite pictures from 2009
It is a digital manipulation of the Keokuk Plant in the tri-state area of Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. I took this picture returning from Macomb Illinois. This reservoir serves as locks for barge traffic, as well as a power plant. This plant produces the same amount of energy as a coal plant burning 1,000 tons of coal per day.

Next week: "Candy"

"Best of 2009" due tomorrow.

/rl

Craig's Urban

312. It's the area code for the loop. And thus, in naming their wheat beer, Goose Island chose "312 Urban Wheat", which has led many a brewpub to name things such as "847 Suburban Wheat" and "815 Rural Wheat".

Ryan's "Urban"....

... decay. Humans leave a mess in their wake.

BTW, does anyone here play much with the Google Maps API? I really want to find the the middle of the line between the two farthest adjacent Walgreens pharmacies within Omaha city limits. I suspect you can't be more than 4 miles from a Walgreens in this town. I think it's part of the definition of "Urban".

/rl

Q's urban

Mike's "Urban"

On Friday I found a 55-200mm VR AF-S Lens on Craigslist for about $100 cheaper than I could buy one new. Plus lens hood and filter. Not high light enough for any action shots, but I can sneak up on buildings.
So I went building hunting in the Old Market on the foggy morning of Saturday. I guess I am tired of taking pictures of snow. This was once a Burlington Northern building. Last I was in it, it was being used by Alley Poyner Architects. I'm not certain who is in there now.

Cory's Urban

To be exact, this picture is actually suburban. But it looks a lot more urban than, say, a barn falling apart in a field. This one comes courtesy of downtown Downers Grove's Main Street.

UPDATE - "Best of 2009" for next week

Post your "Urban" photos today.


/rl

Craig's Balance

Ryan's "Balance"

My idea for a perfect illustration of "Balance" fell through. At 168th & Center (Omaha, NE) there was a Jenny Craig weight loss center flanked by a Nestle Tollhouse outlet store and a Honey Baked Ham store. Every time I drove by it I remembered that I really needed to photograph it. Unfortunately, the Nestle store has closed up. Today there was a sign truck parked in front of it, blocking the view if the Jenny Craig center. There went my idea for "Balance."

Instead, I present a rare Christmas Duck that I have been training to balance quarters on his bill. I'm sure this will be a useful skill for him.



/rl

Cory's Balance

I had been planning to use Lis's old balance for this shot all week, but I couldn't come up with anything to put in the two baskets and kept putting it off. Then we got a last-minute invitation out to dinner on Sunday night, so the time I had planned to finally get it done vanished. Thus, I present the balancing of coins. According to the balance, two dollars in quarters is worth about $1.21 in other change.

Q's balance

Mike's "Balance"

This week it is back to working in the basement. I always seem to get the things that are on the ceiling because my wife is 5'1". Most of last month I was suffering from positional vertigo, so this was hard for me to do.
The physical therapist put me on a table with an infrared camera watching my eye and made me to some twist and turns to get some junk out of my "vestibular canal". I am back on the ladder.

Next week: "Urban"

Show us some "Balance" tomorrow!

/rl

Q's winter

Winter is the time for baked potatoes!

Mike's "Winter"

Nothing in winter quite like a new fallen snow. Especially if you can find a parking lot that hasn't been driven in yet, or plowed.

This is Valmont Industries headquarters on West Dodge Street in Omaha. Makers of pivot irrigation, light poles, and just about anything made out of a galvanized extruded tube.

Ryan's "Winter"

One really nice thing about winter is that the world is significantly less flammable. This makes New Year's celebrations a bit easier.

Since it was somewhere around 0F at midnight, we chose an alternate method of lighting fireworks. To save our delicate fingers from frostbite we poured a small puddle of white gas on an ice covered parking lot, lit the gas, and introduced fireworks to the now flaming puddle.

The local police department was less than impressed with our ingenuity...

/rl

Cory's Winter

Despite the horrible cold we've had here lately, Lis, Maddy, and I took a walk to the pond down the street from us just to find a winter scene for this week. Only a little part of the pond is free of ice, so that section had an absurd concentration of geese and ducks in it, with more space on the shore acting as overflow seating. We also learned about how to prevent bird/people conflicts, which I think sounds like a good reason for awarding a Nobel Prize.

The picture above came from the geese in the overflow section. I'm quite pleased with the infinite white background that came up in it - it looks like we walked all the way to the north pole to take this shot.

Next week: "Balance"

"Winter" is due tomorrow.

Also, please recommend the next candy we should vote on. Chocolate polls seem more popular than photo contests...

/rl