April 18, 2010

Painted Hills


Painted Hills, John Day Fossil Beds
Eastern Oregon, USA

What is it made of

Layers of hard claystones which include ancient soils (palesols) and lake beds. Recently the surface of the hills had weathered into softer clay. The claystones were formed by several geographic events in the past 33 million yrs. the volcanic activity of cascade mountains (some 100 miles west) deposited layers of cooled ash. The atmosphere with the help of the plants and animals oxidized the ash. Ground water feed’ed the varied minerals. And in due course today’s claybeds were formed (wow what an amount of structural and chemical changes would have happened !!!!)

 

Colors of the Painted Hills

Aluminum, Silicon, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Sodium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Titanium, Potassium, Oxygen, Hydrogen – All this above and some additional elements by a very special secret recipe forms the beautiful colors of this wonderful scenery. Depending on the amount of moisture and the light available , the shades keeps varying thru the day and all seasons.

 

How come there is not much of flora on the hill

Its a interesting to note that there is not much of flora on the painted hills. And the reason is more interesting  – The clay on the painted hills has a great ability to absorb water and swell. And most of the plant are not able to compete with the soil for water. And the once that do, u can see them in the crevices and gullies of the red hills (the yellow ones that blossoms during the spring are chaenactis and bee-plant.

For the Flowers view of the mountain check this out !!!

March 7, 2010

Lovely Sunset over Bangalore, India


Sunset
Bangalore, India

Lovely sunset with warm vibrant fading in the horizon and kind of leaving Inner Light to the skys above.
This is one of my favorite sunset shots due to various reasons

This was a shot from my new apartment @ Bangalore, India ! It is amazing what u can see when u take some time to look around. Generally we travel all over to get to see sights like this … atleast I do !!!

Also this was a first shot from my new Wide Angle (10-22mm !!!) It has got amazing clarity. Need to try a full size to see the details on the construction , the playground etc. Probably need to get some vijayanagar architecture shots to better leverage the wide angle.

November 22, 2009

Mahabalipuram – Arjuna’s Penance


Arjuna’s Penance

Mahabalipuram, India

Arjuna’s Penance, as locally known as , is located in Mamallapuram or Mahaballipuram [???????????](60 kms from Chennai enroute to Pondicherry). It is believed to be from 7th century, measuring 96 feet long by 43 feet high.

Arjuna’s Penance, perhaps the world’s largest bas-relief, is the universe itself in stone, throbbing with a vastness of conception. Legend has it something close the tale of Noah, but differs in its cast of characters. It goes like that, King Bhagirath brought down the Ganges from Heaven to purify the souls of his ancestors. His plan went awry when he realized that the flood would inundate the earth, so he had to undergo a penance to convince Shiva to intervene, who came down to earth and let the flood trickle through his hair, dispersing the waters safely in innumerable streams all over the world.

 


Arjuna’s Penance
Mahabalipuram, India

Arjuna’s Penance has the magically sculpted scene, which opens the doors of cosmic imagination, it has over 100 figures of gods and celestial creatures, birds and beasts, man and saint.

Mamallapuram is 60 kms from Chennai and connected by a good road that runs along the coast. It a good one day trip, or probably a weekend drive if clubbed with Pondicherry from Chennai.

December 8, 2008

Thinking outside the Box – NativeClient

Thinking outside the box, or rather realize that there is no box !

NativeClient from Google is a open source research project (for now!) aiming to utilize the local client machine CPU cycles for running web applications, while maintaining the net neutrality and portability and safety.

Native Client uses software fault isolation and a secure runtime to direct system interaction and side effects through interfaces managed by Native client. Native Client provides operating system portability for binary code while supporting performance oriented features generally absent from web application programming environments, such as thread support, instruction set extensions such as SSE, and use of compiler intrinsic and hand-coded assembler. – From the associated white paper

google_vs_microsoft1

– cartoon by Tom Bower

If marketed and adopted by the programmers and end users alike appropriately this would be huge for Google, in reducing the significance of an operating systems ! At this juncture it looks more like this would be competing with Java in one perspective and and the same time would be trying to eat into Flash market. But probably the more significant implication would be the giving even more control to the Big Brother !

For further details, visit the Google Code blog entry or the project page itself.

October 12, 2008

God is an experience, not an expression


Nebo Loop Scenic Drive, Payson

Utah, USA

It was an amazing drive to the Nebo Loop. Nebo loop is a scenic drive – probably the most scenic in Utah for Fall colors. As we started the drive in the morning thought the colors have not yet peaked out and was quiet dull. But as the sun came higher the colors just popped out !!!

For other experience in the collection check this out.

October 6, 2008

Smugmug – First Impressions

‘Wow’, ‘Aah’, ‘Great’, ‘Wonderful’ …. [yeah all with caps !!] so goes the first impressions  with Smugmug.

If ur not aware – Smugmug is a family run, self sustaining, non external funded, profitable, web2.0 photo sharing site.

I had known about Smugmug for quiet sometime, but paying for the account, had made me a bit skeptical where there were lot of free alternatives. As I was using Flickr (and am still & will !) was looking for other alternative to load / categorize and share photos. Zooomr was quiet promising a year back. But after its move to Japan(couldn’t agree more with RaohlPop) and no promises or updates on the horizon , lost hope on the same. Wishes for Zooomr to spring back. Only time will tell.

Last week, was pulled back again to Smugmug, by Don’s passion and commitment to online photography and video sharing [if you already have not , definitely check out the video from Vincent using Canon Mark II]. Decided to tryout their photo sharing site. Signed  up for a trial account. The more I played around, the more tempting it became to use. You can use flickr / yahoo / picasaweb, based on what ur using currently, in the coupon/e-mail field & receive 50% off. Grab while it lasts.

Some of the prominent features I liked are [still trying out and finding treasures…]

  • The first statement in their about page – ” Most Internet companies dream of selling to bigger ones, and getting rich. We don’t”. It says a lot.
  • Amazing customer service support. I sent the first e-mail to real people, as the site suggests with a questions and got a reply in less than 10 mins. Later got a note from Markam, Director of BizDev for SmugMug. The query got resolved in the next one hour. It was amazing, considering that I was still having a trial account, and it was after hours, atleast for me – 6PM MST.
  • Amazing flexibility of customization and co branding [only Power and Professional Accounts]
  • Users don’t need to register to view photos / gallery [alongside with options for password protected private galleries]
  • Option to set price and sell photos [only Professional Account]
  • Open API , documentation and support [thru discussion forums, was able to find answers to most of my questions … ]
  • Surprisingly, I found about their offer of free Pro account for anyone developing applications using Smugmug API. Its a win-win for both, nice move. Yes , I am working on something, would definitely write about is once it gets pretty good shape !

Edit
My Smugmug account is still under customization and would provide a link once the same is complete.
Link to my Smug Account / Portfolio – LikeTheOcean
Link to the Smug Application – SmugBadge

August 5, 2008

American Southwest – Monument Valley


Three Mittens, Monument Valley Navajo Park
UT , USA

 

Monument Valley is not really a valley, but an upwarp of sedimentary rock that is at least 260 million years old, surrounded by sentinels that have yet to fully erode. The floor itself is more than a mile high, part of the 130,000 square-mile Colorado Plateau. Sandstone is easily eroded, and the wind, rain, cycles of frost and heat have been at work, cracking and chiseling the valley to its present form.

June 11, 2008

Grand Canyon – The Making


Toroweep, Grand Canyon National Park
AZ, USA

While the Colorado river accounts for the canyon’s depth, its width and formations are the work of even greater forces. Wind rushing thru the canyon erodes the limestone and sandstone- a few grains at a time. Rain pouring over the rim cuts deep side canyons on the softer rock. Perhaps the greatest canyon building force is snow or ice ! Water from the snow melt and the rain work its way into the cracks on the rocks. When frozen, expands, forcing the rocks away from the canyon walls.

April 22, 2008

Ray Ozzie continues to Amaze, but Would it Suffice ???

image

Tech Preview of Microsoft Mesh was launched yesterday. First few glances of Mesh sounds promising (here here and here too). Had been wondering what Ray Oozie was up to all these days. It has been 3 years since he joined Microsoft. And yes he is the same person behind Lotus Notes and Groove.

The former(Notes) was bought by IBM and the latter(Groove) was taken over by Microsoft. Though Ozzie was not able to stick with IBM for long, Lotus Notes did play a vital role in the rebirth of IBM in 90’s. Microsoft was everyone’s Darling then, and IBM was the big bad guy. DejaVu, here we are at the same juncture, only the player are different – Microsoft & Google.

Not that old an Illustration from Wired

Earlier when Ozzie teamed up at Microsoft, he addressed  the 70,000+ members with this Memo.

In 1995, Bill Gates foresaw the Internet tidal wave and pushed his company to adapt. At the time, that seemed prophetic. Today, Ray Ozzie is pushing the same thing, but this time it’s about survival.

Would Ozzie be able to turn the tables for Microsoft ? Time would tell !!!

Update : A diff perspective to Mesh from Joel Spolsky

March 23, 2008

Rock-a-mania

 
Skyline Arch, Arches National Park
UT, USA

Click here for Slideshow of the whole trip.

March 20, 2008

Morphing Mobile from Nokia

NokiaMorph1

 

Yes it indeed, is a mobile from Nokia. Check out the below Video for cool features !!!

Now that you have drooled over the same (like me!) don’t be disappointed to know it  is a concept – a nanotechnology concept device from Nokia and University of Cambridge launch the Morph.

Morph is a concept that promises stretchable, flexible, transparent electronics and self-cleaning surfaces. Nanotech seems to be really promising.

Elements of Morph might be available to integrate into handheld devices within 7 years, though initially only at the high-end.

Even if half of what is being projected is attained, it would be an amazing gadget.

Time would tell !!!

February 20, 2008

Just Do it !


Enroute to Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon National Park, UT, USA

Thinking you need rest makes you restless.
Thinking you have to work hard makes you tired.
Thinking you have worked hard brings self pity.

Just Do It !!!

October 7, 2007

Fall in Love with Nature


Alpine Scenic Loop
Provo, UT, USA

For the full set check this out.

September 29, 2007

Ancient Drawing Board

Lower Calf Creek Trail
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Utah, USA

It was an amazing experience just walking between mineral-streaked cliffs of Navajo Sandstone, beaver ponds and pre-historic rock art sites en route to the 126-foot-high Lower Calf Creek Falls. The total roundtrip distance to the falls is 5-1/2 miles. Though the summer sun was above and my (a little over a year old) son was on the backpack, the hike was pretty enjoyable with very little elevation change. Most of the trail is sandy & that slows the pace, at times !

The most interesting part of the hike were the wall paintings and the Indian granaries (zoom in & zoom out) and of course the jewel of the crown being the lower falls itself.

On an entirely different perspective, we travel so far, hike so long to get a peek into the lives of the Anasazi Indians. These petroglyph on the walls of the canyons does provide the glimpse. But you know what, in most of these trails you see a notice that there are messages that indicate a heavy penalty if you make new makings (or painting) on these canyon walls (of course !!!)

We do have the technology to make new painting on these walls, that could last more the existing ones. If we are not allowed to make new paintings today how would people, 800 – 1000 years from get a glimpse onto ours lives …… right :-)

Wrong !!! As technology grows, live changes and so is the medium. Who knows even the blog(s) like these -yeah the same one u r reading now ;-) could serve the purpose of providing the window to our lives, in future. Time’s Person of the year , 2006 clearly indicated the significance of the user generated content (if you already don’t know Times Person of the year 2006 is YOU) .

The count of blogs, as of writing this post, just on WordPress.com alone is 1,562,804 blogs with 53,197 new posts today. Even after dropping off the test blogs and the inactive ones, it is still quiet a number – the point is there is a good amount of user content getting generated every day on the Internet.

What would happen to these valuable user generated content, once the user is no more ?Even if someone decides to manage and maintain a users content after user’s time, On what basis would the user account details be shared with the family or friends ? May be the blog or the site could be graciously closed, but what if the users demise is not expected ? Would these become asserts of the individuate and hence be part of his Will ? How would we differentiate between the valuable and junk out of these content ?

So many things to ponder about ….

September 13, 2007

8 mp + 6x zoom + Image Stabilization = $200 ! WOW

Canon 720 IS – Is it really worth a wait?

I’ll know in a month or so. I moved to Canon S2 IS from Canon S50 three years back. It has been Canon for me that worked from the beginning. The cost of Memory Stick and compatibility has always kept me a little farther from Sony.

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I have been looking at the option of moving to an SLR for the last couple of months. Still trying to gather reasons to justify the $$$ involved in the same ;-)

Meanwhile I was looking for a camera for my mom. Doing a quick search and reading some reviews zero’ed down on some canon models. That is when Canon 720 IS caught my attention.

Some of the key feature that I was looking for and available in Canon 720 IS were

Features

In Canon 720 IS

Compact Its compact & Sleek
Point & shoot (with Manual Control) ~20 Shooting Mode(s) , with manual options
Power Zoom 6x (not as great as S2’s 12x , but still better)
> 6 megapixel for small Poster Print 8 megapixel
Cost List price $250 (Street Price ~ $200)
AA Batteries Yes. Having AA battery compatibility helps a lot, when ur stuck out of no where (lesson learnt from experience !!!)
Image Stabilization Yes, Makes a lot of difference , especially with power zoom
Memory Options MMC, SD and SD HC (High Capacity)
Movie Mode Fast Frame Rate Movie mode for 60-frame-per-second video with sound
Support for additional lenses Yes , Just in case ;-)

So here I am, awaiting for this sleek power toy ! Here is a detailed review of canon 710 , its predecessor, to get a feel for it! For a complete Spec of Canon 720 IS check this.

Update: This is available for $250 from couple of locations. Amazon.com was running this for $229 for just a couple of days last week. Now its $250 there too. Just today (Sept 23) morning noticed its available from oncecall.com for $229 (inclusive of 3 days Fedex shipping + no Tax). This seems to be the best price as of now. Just now placed an order, might not last long !!!

Update 2: It indeed was worth it. Except for the delay between shots (account to just 2 battries rather than 4 like my IS S2) , its just amazing !!!

August 29, 2007

The Earth is Cooking


Yellowstone National Park, WY, USA

This national park sits on 2000° lake of molten lava, an underground pressure cooker of 50 miles long and 30 miles wide. For atleast a few million years, since magma burned a hole under ancient Wyoming’s bedrock, yellow stone periodically disgorged a small ocean of lava in eruptions hundreds of times worse than any volcanic eruptions on earth.

Today, the volcanic action, heats the rocks below the surface, and this in turn creates all manner of spectacle in thousands of steaming hot springs and hundreds of geysers, plus bubbling mud-pots and fumaroles.

At Yellowstone, the earth is cooking – Life, Times Inc

August 5, 2007

Temple Square


Temple Square, Salt Lake City, UT

Temple Square – An amazingly different place , an entirely new world within the downtown of Salt Lake City, UT. One a beautiful evening with a wonderful sunset – Lush gardens, serene pond, water fountains, iron cast statues – the list goes on …

For other shots of the Temple square, check this out (slide show).

I need to plan on a couple of visits, there is so much more around here.

July 15, 2007

Portlandia – A Tribute to Portland


Portlandia Statue, Portland, Oregon, USA

She kneels down
and from the quietness
of copper reaches out.

 
 

We take that stillness
into ourselves and somewhere
deep in the earth
our breath becomes her city.

If she could speak
this is what she would say:
Follow that breath.

 
 

Home is the journey we make.

This is how the world
knows where we are.

 

– Ronald Talney
(as seen on the Portlandia’s plaque)

 

 

P.S : Incidentally this got published in Schmap Portland Guide (Third Version)

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May 30, 2007

Google Maps better than MS Live Maps – Why !

Cause when I try get directions from a US location to somewhere in UK

Google tells me even where to Jump in the Atlantic Ocean, distance to Swim, and the point to get in @ France.

For the same address MS Live tells me that I’m wrong and asks me to verify the address !

Very Funny !!!

May 29, 2007

iPhone has the best user Interface – Think Again

Apple has always given breakthroughs when it comes to user experience and user interface. The same was true when Jobs announced the iPhone couple of months ago. The user interface seemed to have been a revolution in the mobile space.

Think such an innovation , multiplied by 100 x, add to it a coffee table, a bunch of cameras, a projector and a diffuser may be, throw in Microsoft and vista … bingo what do U get …

welcome to Microsoft Surface Computing …. Sounds really interesting. Takes interaction with computes to a whole new level. Looking forward to how soon this would get commercialized and accessible to everyone.

Watch Demo @ On10.netHere is the update from CNET & Popular Mechanics

P.S : Pretty sure there could be lot of patent overlaps with other major players, hope this comes out soon !