2012-05-03
post/22299315378
The Millennium Bridge by Sandra Lousada.
The picture of the blade of light spanning the Thames has become something of a cliché, bit the angle here (from a part of Tate Modern that many people don’t get to, I think) and - particularly - the use of movement definitely help to make this stand out a little.
2012-04-29
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Sans Titre by Franco Grignani, 1955 (via).
Grignani is thought to be the designer of the Woolmark, which Creative Review named its top logo in a survey last year. Despite that, and photographs like this, he has no Wikipedia page in English (although there are versions in Italian and German).
There’s a selection of his work at myfavoritething.it.
(Source: regardintemporel)
2012-04-13
post/21016841473
Light paths through plastic, placed between two polarising filters, inverted.
These versions are derived from Janne’s original set on Flickr, attribution-sharealike licensed.
2012-03-23
post/19790766886
Lamps become circles of light in von Bismarck’s project Versuch unter Kreisen. (via)
Astronomers vs Billboards
From the Arizona Republic, Bill divides electronic-billboard firms, astronomy industry (via, via):
The forces of dark are squaring off against the forces of light in a battle over billboard legislation.
On the side of light — as in vivid, flashing color — is the electronic-billboard industry. It is pushing a bill that would make 70 existing digital billboards along Arizona’s highways legal in the wake of a state Court of Appeals ruling.
The forces of darkness are led by Arizona’s observatories and astronomy industry. They want a statewide standard to ensure “dark skies” protections for areas within a 75-mile radius of observatories.
Since when was astronomy an industry? I suppose if there are enough people based there making telescopes that might be justified, but it seems like odd language. Mind you, it’s the language used in an opinion piece by Angela Cotera, a research astrophysicist at the SETI Institute in Avondale, arguing against the law. Anyway, returning to the original article:
Billboard companies approached lawmakers for a change to state law after the Appeals Court last fall ruled electronic billboards did not comply with the state’s ban on intermittent light.
Meanwhile, this seems a bit surprising:
The Discovery Channel, which is building a new telescope southeast of Flagstaff near Happy Jack, told lawmakers that the limits would help ensure dark skies. Its imaging camera “will be sensitive to even minute increases in sky glow.”
When did TV stations start building telescopes?
Despite a leader in the Republic and letters against the bill (and for dark skies), another leader posted yesterday notes
The Legislature has unaccountably passed a bill that threatens a unique and precious Arizona asset: our dark skies. Gov. Jan Brewer needs to veto it.
and goes on to say
In this intensely competitive economy, Arizona is fortunate to have a major advantage in astronomy and optics. Our clear, dark nights offer a world-class view of the universe. Arizonans count on Gov. Brewer to protect them. Gov. Brewer should push the off switch on HB 2757.
2012-03-19
post/19573539143
The London Eye in fog, on March 15th. Photograph: Andrew Winning / Reuters. (via, via)
2010-12-27
post/2486473990
The camera at the Apartm.net is less interesting than the flash. The flash for the camera is three Alien Bees strobes totaling 1280 watts of power. We normally use them on a 9-foot seamless backdrop mounted on Manfrotto Autopoles in the office. “
2010-09-08
post/1085906043
An ICE at Berlin Hauptbahnhof, as seen in this excellent Tony Judt article (to which I may return) in the New York Review of Books.
Photograph: Paul Langrock/Zenit/laif/Redux.
