Saturday, October 30, 2010

Hay!

Happy Halloween!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Television Towers

Apparently Tokyo depends, a bit more that we are used to, on over-the-air, i.e. rooftop antennae, television signals.
For years, this was handled by the well-known 333 meters tall "Tokyo Tower" downtown.

Now, however, with the increasing number of tall neighboring buildings, and the advent of high-definition digital TV signals, that old tower cannot do the job.
(drumroll. . .)
Now, please meet the Tokyo "Sky Tree", 637 meters tall!
It's soon to open. That should take care of things, at least for a while.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Monday, October 25, 2010

From the Desk of . . .

Irving Berlin (May 11, 1888 - Sept. 22, 1989)

Friday, October 22, 2010

Two Ladies, Same Outfit

Sorry. I couldn't resist.
(HT: Nina Camic)

Sunday, October 17, 2010

My Father Used to Tell Us. . .


that Opera reached its peak in Italy in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries..



Nice call, Dad.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore



Below is a YouTube of construction on the East Portal of the 4th bore.  It's startling to believe that I may actually live to see its completion. :-)
(Completion of the new Bay Bridge may be a different matter.)

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Happy Birthday, U.S.Navy!

October 13, 1775. The Continental Congress authorized the procurement of two ships to interrupt the shipments of munitions to the British Army. 
That's the new U.S.S.Independence above. Warships ain't what they used to be!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Fleet Week 2010 in the San Francisco Bay





These links should take you to a few minutes of power, skill, and great fun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zJW1YdHMfE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFF9uRdScPM

(You may have to cut & paste)

Friday, October 08, 2010

There's Something To Be Said

for a small vegetable farm in the rear 40:
Eat your heart out. :-)

Thursday, October 07, 2010

Tilt Shifting

A tilt-shift lens is one of the newest (to me) fads in photography. It provides a focus on only one part of an image, leading to impressions of miniature models of real life.
It also looks funny when used on a familiar scene, such as the painting by Van Gogh above.
Check wikipedia for "tilt-shift lens."

Saturday, October 02, 2010

Old Times, Good Times

Recently, DW#1 and I, with friend, did dinner at Bridges with a quite-old bottle of wine. This Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon was produced in 1968, one year before the birth of DS#1, and presented to us as a gift in 1984. It was my 50th, and Joan and Tom Cline (R.I.P.) were the presenters.






The wine was a bit past its prime, but tasty nonetheless. It was a lovely evening full of fond memories.