Terra360 Weblog

Artificial Intelligence Lab at MIT

The Stata Center at MIT, named for Ray and Maria Stata, continues to fascinate me as I process the images from this trip.  Only yesterday I met an employee of Analog Devices, Mr. Stata's company, here in Austin.  The building's architecture is a tremendous statement to the thinking processes that go into conceiving new ideas, natural or artificial.  On the natural side, there is one image from the beach just north of Woods Hole.  Enough to make one ponder the sea as well.

Woods Hole, MA

It's a cloudy and somewhat biting day here, but less rain than yesterday.  Perhaps I'll start a novel like Lord Byron and Mary Shelley.  A few places around here make you feel like it is 1816 again.

We're off to Martha's Vineyard tomorrow for the day.

MIT and Boston

I have not had any beans yet, but lots of Chinese tea and great architecture.  Boston is a wonderful town.  A quick walk across the Boston Common and we were in Beacon Hill.  Almost immediately a local resident who was walking his dog sparked a conversation with us and started giving me some of the local history and culture.  Within seconds he said "follow me" and led us to some of the great architecture of the city.  Some blocks later having parted ways with my first host, a gracious lady coming home struck up a conversation as she entered her home.  She said "Oh you're from Austin, the people there are different from the rest of Texas aren't they?".  I said "yes, we didn't vote for George".

So much history here.... I walked 12+ miles on the first day, and 9+ on the second.  The whole of the "Freedom Trail" to Bunker Hill Monument, the USS Constitution, water shuttle back to downtown, Boston Common down Commonwealth Avenue, over to Newbury... across Harvard Bridge, and like a magnetic pull I was drawn to Frank Gehry's architectural masterpiece on the MIT Campus.  Then back to the city across the Charles River and a sail boat race.  Boston has it all.  Tomorrow I am off to Woods Hole, MA.  More from there....

Some Video from Way South

From last February 2007.

http://www.vimeo.com/821013

password = penguin

the disclaimer is at the bottom below the movie:

This is a very rough cut with little editing. A slow start north of the South Orkney Islands. There is some profanity, nudity with people drinking, lying, speaking frankly from the heart and people pulling your leg.... there are no titles but you'll get the idea. View at your own risk. Any resemblance of the characters to real life persons is purely coincidental. Argentina, Falklands, South Georgia Island, and Estancia Alicura will all be added in later edits. This is just to give everyone a taste of an experience of a lifetime. It was extraordinary.

I hope to finish this video before January 2009 as I continue to learn Final Cut Pro Studio.  This edit is just under 59 minutes.... down from 11 hrs.

This was shot on a Canon GL-2, and I'll be taking my Canon XH-A1 HD cam on the next trip in January 2009.

Enjoy. - Rusty

View to the South

One year ago this evening I returned from my month long trip to South America and Antarctica.  So while I was working on the long delayed video of the trip I did some frame grabs that were taken with the idea I would want them in the future.  That future arrived today.  The image is of my last glimpse of the Melchior Islands off the coast of the continent Antarctica as we headed north.  The fact that I could get this image at all was amazing to me.  As we left the passage between the islands clouds covered our departure.  However hours later, probably 25 miles away, the clouds had lifted and the bright sun peeked through under them.  The only camera I had in my hand for those few minutes was my Canon GL-2 video.  So maximum zoom, braced against a bulkhead of the rolling ship, I steadied for as many seconds as I could hold my breath.  A year and four frame grabs later, with a lot of help from Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop Lightroom, and Genuine Fractals 5.0, I got a pretty good shot for the web.  Just not as good as one of my shipmates with his 500mm.

Getting back to printing

Occasionally I return to older images after software updates and reprocess the RAW files.  This time Adobe Photoshop Lightroom had been updated twice, and HDR Software's Photomatix had been updated several times.  Sometimes this makes both the software and the image "better" (I hope).  More often than not I end up tweaking another dozen images along the way perusing through my photographic catalogs.  Most files just need minor adjustments, or as in this case, a horse photo that I overlooked entirely.  She had a wild eye for me.  I added this one and several others to the Iceland Galleries.

West Texas - Take 3

A year ago today, I was pondering a lot of cold thoughts.  Most due to the weather and not neurons.  The Antarctica video is still in progress... but with the help of a talented documentary maker (we were working on it today), it may actually be finished before I do it again in HD.  Meanwhile, I have uploaded an odd collection of West Texas images, a few of which I really like.  They can be found here.

JPG Magazine - PUBLISHED

My 1997 photo that I took and titled "High over Los Roques" (left) was just chosen for publication in JPG MAGAZINE Issue 14.  The caption along with the image reads as follows:

Sometimes great travel experiences just require taking a chance. So I paid a small fee and strapped myself into an ultra light aircraft (hang glider with a motor) pinned against the back of the pilot. In a heart beat we were in the 25 knot trade winds trying to make some headway against them before turning for a quick spin around the island downwind and finally landing (best part of plan). We spiraled down toward the foot of the runway racing over the village and beach below us. I traced the whole path with my camera, freezing in part the life and livelihood of the island residents. I was so excited when I landed, I did it again the next day. Gran Roque, Los Roques, Venezeula. 1997

Here I am strapped in the contraption that enabled the photo and experience. (right)

West Texas - Take 2

I'll have more of these online shortly, but I thought this HDR shot of a windmill in Fort Davis, Texas was interesting.  Everything is in the extreme, from color to age.

Iceland: My Days in the Space/Time Continuum - PUBLISHED

A wonderful start for 2008.  My Iceland travel story was just published in the JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PANORAMIC PHOTOGRAPHERS.  Here is the link to the full story on the IAPP web site.  If that fails to load, here is the PDF on my server. 

Kent, Texas

A few days ago I was on my way to Fort Davis, and Big Bend, Texas.  But not before a right turn in the settlement of Kent.  This school had long closed and only the walls remained.  I'll have more of these online soon.  This was a hand held HDR image (3 images, 2 f/stops apart).

2008 is here

2007 is gone.  What a year.  Remember: Drive the road like you know where it is going.  Sometimes it turns out that you do.  In any event, the view is grand! I hope everyone finds their cloud over the horizon. - rj.

Landmannalaugar, Iceland. '07.

2007 Almost Gone

Christmas has past, and News Years is upon us.  So I have been reflecting some on the past year's images.  A few from the Caribbean (right) had never been touched before [night time shot with my little Canon SD800, Gustavia, St. Barthélemy, FWI].  Several more can be found here in this gallery.  The most interesting perhaps is a Flash VR of five images taken in 1984 of Baie St. Jean, St. Barthélemy.  Taken a decade before Apple Computer invented QTVR.  CLICK HERE, it is a window into the past, everything but the pecan pie at Chez Francine on the beach.  In 2008 I'll go back and make an update.  Happy New Year.

San Francisco to Big Sur, California

Last week I made a fast trip to a long time favorite place.  San Francisco and the central California coast.  I am happy that California has a governor who cares about the air in the State.  It is lovely.  More of the travel photos can be found here.  Enjoy.... Merry Christmas.

Icy Penmanship - PUBLISHED

A nice surprise, my short article for the new magazine EVERYWHERE was included.  If you hurry you can get a discount on the subscription until December 31st.  My article is the first past the table of contents, the one with the big white iceberg!  Pages 14 & 15, the full issue can be found here on their web site.