The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of planet Earth taken in 1990 by Voyager 1. By request of CarlSagan, in command of theNASA spacecraft, having completed its primary mission and now leaving the Solar System, a mere 3,762,136,324 miles from Earth, to turn its camera around and to take a photograph of Earth across a great expanse of space. This narrow-angle color image of the Earth, dubbed ’Pale Blue Dot’, is a part of the first ever ‘portrait’ of the solar system taken by Voyager 1. NASA acquired a total of 60 frames for a mosaic of the solar system from a distance of more than 4 billion miles from Earth. From Voyager’s great distance Earth is a mere point of light, less than the size of a picture element even in the narrow-angle camera! Earth was a crescent only 0.12 pixel in size. Coincidentally, Earth lies right in the center of one of the scattered light rays resulting from taking the image so close to the sun.

This blown-up image of the Earth was taken throughthree color filters — violet, blue and green — and recombined to produce the

color image. The background features in the image are artifacts resulting from the magnification

Subsequently, the title of the photograph was used by Sagan as the primary title of his 1994 book. He reads an excerpt of that book set to clips from some of histories most popular films (one of our most dramatic, diverse, and popular mediums of human artistic expression) set to the atmospheric music of Mogwai –  perfect for this sort of philosophic theme. (a film by David Fu – www.palebluefilms.com)

What power just a single image can have!

Shaun White pushing the crowd at the Winter X Games '10 in Aspen, Co

More photos from the the X Games to come….check out last year’s images while your at it – http://www.mikenyff.com/photography/event/xgames/

]]> http://www.mikenyff.com/2010/02/the-flying-golden-tomato/feed/ 1 http://www.mikenyff.com/2010/01/it-might-get-loud/ http://www.mikenyff.com/2010/01/it-might-get-loud/#comments Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:37:06 +0000 Michael Nyffeler http://www.mikenyff.com/?p=1713

Jack, Jimmy, Edge

“If Larry had never put that message up, I would have been in another band. It wouldn’t have been U2, God knows who it would have been. Would I be doing what I am now? …probably not…I mean I could be doing anything. I could be, I don’t know- working at a bank somewhere or something.”

The Edge talking about what could have been if U2 had never met in a Dublin high school. A great moment in the film where one of the most famous guitar players in one of the most successful bands in history standing in his hold high school reflecting on if he had lived another life. Who among us will be the next? Who will find their passion, surround themselves with passion and bread passion for all mankind to see? A good lesson in following what you love and not quiting!

A great documentary about with Jimmy Page, Jack White, and The Edge talking about their style of playing and what inspires them to make music. All three rock icons are driven by different aspirations and motivations but use the same instrument to bring to the world. A MUST watch!    …now where’s my guitar, I want to dust it off!

Here’s one of my faves

I love this project because it takes photography back to when it was primitive yet  simple. You where intimately involved in the image capture and processing (which takes a least 1/2 an hr for each image) and working in the scape of only one fixed lens at a time. Even an old military submarine periscope is getting a second life! You can actually see the brush strokes from the chemicals being applied on the edges.

Motion/Picture – Short film by Shaun Irving – explains the art and science behind his cameratruck project.

Features samples of his work. Visit http://www.cameratruck.net to learn more.

A great story from NPR….

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2009/11/the_worlds_largest_camera_is_o.html

…and still want to learn more? A great interview of Shaun…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHkB85StcTI&feature=channel

John Francis Walks the Earth, carrying a message of careful, truly sustainable development and respect for our planet, and truly learning and connecting to people by simply taking your time and listening. He is an inspiration to become a better human being and to truly take value in connect with others, learning to make yourself better, and finally taking responsibility for our actions and the environment!

I particularly like the last question. What does it all mean? How can keep pushing technology and information at such a high rate and at the same time increasing our dependency on it to grow in the future. All this information passing back and forth at increasing rates and capacities will eventually come to a head….someday. I think all we want (in the end) is to be connected with each other, so reach out and touch someone today

Credits are also given to Scott McLeod, Jeff Brenman

Recently CouchSurfing celebrated having 1 million members with a party in NYC. CouchSurfing is simple: you sign up to host and/or be hosted by other members. And as per their policy, there are no fees – it’s completely free. But it’s not just for backpackers and other frugal types, although they greatly appreciate it. Doctors, business owners, and other “regular people” are also users, making this a growing community that is also increasing its status and opportunities for networking.

There are many places abroad that are listed, but you can also stay in homes accoss the U.S. Take a chance and make a new friend by hosting or being hosted. Listings include user recommendations and address verification.

This NYTimes article is full of testimonies on traveler’s experiences and info about the recent gathering celebrating 1 million members. CouchSurfing’s website offers info on how to sign up and FAQ.

Check out this story the BBC ran on this amazing CouchSurfing milestone:

The world’s first non-official short movie shot with the Canon EOS 5D MarkII (1080p video)

1 cameraman with Canon 5D MarkII – 3 days in Tokyo
1 video editor with MacBook Pro – 2 days in France

More informations on:

utsuru.fr (english & french)

lejapon.fr/blog/