storm trooper musical

singin' in the rain

veiled by the moon: a total solar eclipse

rare phenomenon
confusing the ancients
creating a continual chill on my skin.
instant addiction
sublime atmosphere
faint blue glow feels like an unknown distant planet
providing hope for every possibility.
just a few minutes of boundariless bliss
many times the speed of sound, the shadow travels
to meet my wondering soul
our wandering souls.
we line up on a patch of earth 100 miles wide
and wait to witness the momentary wonder
dreamy dark orb in the sky
hanging above the shrieks and fireworks from the ground.
nothing compares to being veiled by the moon.
naked. raw. pure. light...
during daytime darkness
a contradiction
an alignment so perfectly spectacular,
witnessed as a unique display of our special existence
without synthetic interference.
quicker than it approaches, it disappears.
but the experience remains...
forever, i imagine.

nobel peace prize 2009: barack obama

the smoke is clearing a bit since the whole world sighed a deep "what the fuck?" after hearing that standing US president, barack obama, won the nobel peace prize for 2009.

i think that, yes, he received the award a bit prematurely, considering he was only president for about 12 days when the nominations had to be submitted. but i think this is the first time the world (ok, the nobel committee) has been able to comment about obama as the US president. much of the world despised king bush the W and big dick cheney. international diplomats must be so pleased to have someone in the white house who recognizes the validity of other human beings and their nations that maybe this award symbolizes an acknowledgment of obama's efforts to bring the US back to a positive level of communication and collaboration with the rest of world.

i think the nobel peace prize and its $1 million reward might be a bit much for such a gesture, but i am pleased to hear obama say things like "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."

in addition, the obamas hosted a star party at the white house last week!! how cool is that?!

anyway, here is geir lundestad, secretary of the norwegian nobel committee, describing why they gave the prize to obama. feel free to share your thoughts!

zombies in the morning

while i was making my coffee this morning, i heard someone outside loudly yell "ACTION!" huh? i walked over to the window and saw about a dozen zombies wobbling up the little street towards my house! haha!

there was a large group of people filming a low-budget zombie movie just outside my window! i stood at my 3rd story window watching the action while drinking my coffee and eating breakfast. its nice to have zombies wave at you in the morning :)

i didnt think to take a picture until they were leaving, so this is all i got...

physics nobel prize 2009

see what sixty symbols has to say:

shady optical illusion

i dont want to believe it... but it's there, right before my eyes!



found at neat-o-rama

so i hear

more clarity from indexed.

that's PANTS!

several months after moving to england, i learned an alternative use for the word "pants." something that "is pants" is not good.

a couple weeks after i learned this new phrase, a funny thing happened in the astronomy department where i work. i was walking down the hall, and as i passed by a particular professor's office door, i happened to glance in just at the moment that he sat back, threw his hands up in the air, and started waving them angrily at his computer yelling "that's PANTS!!!!!"

it was hilarious!

who knows what i would have thought if i hadnt just recently learned the meaning!

carl sagan rocks out

thanks to all who informed me of this video. i love me some carl sagan, and this video shows his message in a way i've never seen before! ;)

stuff-a-lanche

i've recently started reading charlie brooker's column at the guardian and i've agreed with a lot of what i've read in his entertaining style! today, he focuses on all the *stuff* he has aqcuired: DVDs, books, etc... and decides "there's too much stuff. we live in a stuff-a-lanche. we need a cultural diet."

i couldnt agree more! go have a read!

big jump!

fun family i watched for a while in mittenwald, germany. september 2009.

a message from space invaders

spotted in salzburg, austria. sept. 2009.

angela merkel

germany had nationwide elections on sunday and i heard that 70% of the voting population turned up at the polls! thats an amazingly high percentage of voters!


angela merkel remains germany's chancellor, defeating candidates from over 12 other parties in the election!

UPDATE: i should state that 70% is a *low* turnout for germany, even though it is high compared to many voting countries, including the US where last year's presidential election saw a 57% voter turnout. (thanks sabrina!)

real crop circles

this image clearly shows the modern farming technique of center pivot irrigation.


(those other "crop circles" are simply art - not creations by aliens.)

saturn birthday cake

happy 30th birthday to regular reader john! his wife made him a very nice saturn birthday cake!!

munich - around town

here are a few photos from around munich over the last couple weeks.



an artichoke flower


ahhh... oktoberfest!





inside a tent...

bike flask

perfectly located. i want one.

success

timescapes timelapse: mountain light

tom @ timescapes is working on a follow-up to his breathtaking short film learning to fly. he has offered a preview while we wait on the edge of our seats....

Timescapes Timelapse: Mountain Light from Tom @ Timescapes on Vimeo.

three years later

from st. peter's church tower in munich in 2006:


and 2009:

lost in translation

i'm currently in munich, germany. after an adventurous day walking around the city, we stopped at a pizza bar for dinner (we were ready for a break from the heavy bavarian food!). i ordered the "spinat pizza mit pepperoni" thinking that pepperoni was what i had in mind as meaty pepperoni. yet again, my assumption was wrong:


ah... i love traveling and eating :)

domesticated

domesticated is a new photography book by amy stein. i'm a fan!

simplicity

indeed.

grizzly bear chair

wow. this grizzly bear chair was a gift presented to the 17th president of the united states, andrew johnson, in 1865.


all i'm saying is... sarah palin.

dynamite with a laser beam

found at planet fabulon.

prost.

i just returned to nottingham at the end of last week, but i'm leaving again tomorrow for munich, germany. it was a productive stint at home, and i'm very excited to visit munich again, but i admit that i could use a little more relaxation time at home before jumping into continuous-travel-alert mode again. oh well.

i'm looking forward to doing some work at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, having some family come visit, seeing a surprisingly large number of old friends, exploring a great city...


and, of course, i planned the trip to coincide with oktoberfest! ;)

how many people are in space?

stay up to date with how many people are in space at this convenient little website:

http://www.howmanypeopleareinspacerightnow.com/

new supernova discovery record!

amateur astronomer, tom boles, has found 125 stars just after they've exploded... which means he has found more supernovae than any other human being!


congrats tom! and good work all you amateur astronomers out there!