HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!! (I almost forgot.Thanks Tony)

 

"Fanny Mae" - by Luke A. Fallon

A chrome beach ball? No, no. This is Fanny Mae - rather Fanny Mae sphere. Inside is a big spoon-shaped thingie and above that floats what looks like a lavender lotus flower. You can barely see it and if you look at it from certain angles the image might just disappear. That image of a lotus flower is Fanny Mae - as we see her on our plane of existence. And it's, like, really, really hot inside her sphere. Why? Because Fanny Mae is a star. No. Not like Brad Pitt. Like the stars we see in the sky at night. All of them are alive - all life forces. This image is based on the novel Whipping Star by Frank Herbert (best known for his Dune novels). I fell in love with the novel as soon as I read it - and re-read it! I've been wanting to draw Fanny Mae for a long time. Now, with the tools I have, I think I've done a fairly good job. Too bad Frank Herbert's not around to see it.

By the way, Fanny Mae falls in love with the secret agent that watches over her. Charming! 

"Mountain Lake Sunrise" - by LAF

It took me a heck of a long time to get this one finished: the image was too dark, the mountains too crowded or the water had the wrong texture. But experimenting with the software finally lead me to this image. My heart told me that nothing more could be done, but my brain insists that one tiny element. Stoopid brain! Now, everytime I look at it I have to restrain myself from making any changes. So tempting ... 

"The Sorcerer's Island" -(#1 & #2) LAF

Sometimes, I find it really difficult to be objective about my work. Consider this one; there's a storm going on, obviously. But do I use the rain effect or not? It seems like a distraction from the image. But I'm able to control the rain's "density" and the angle at which it's falling. I can even make the rain fall up if I wanted (just like Forrest Gump!).

Opinions are appreciated. 

COME RELAX AT A PLACE WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME ... OR AT LEAST YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS!

Welcome Pius X Class of 1980!

All friends gather 'round for stories of then and now ...

Across The Universe

This image is from Hubble's Ultra Deep Field camera. Astronomers pointed the telescope at the emptiest, blackest place in the sky and got this image. These are very distant galaxies. The tiniest, faintest dots are galaxies that are 20 to 25 billion light years away. The age of the Universe is thought to be 30 billion years old. The farther we look into the distance, the farther we look into the past. Note: 1 light year is 300 000 km/second (speed of light) x # seconds in one day x 365 (days in one year)! And that's only one light year! Multiply that by 25 billion ... that's a lot of Air Miles!

Rebirth Cycle

The "Cat's Eye" nebula and a nearby nebula with starbirth. At the center of the "Cat's Eye"(left), the remains of an exploded star. With time, the dust and gas from this star will collect (globules on the right) and form new stars (blue). With one star's death, one thousand new ones are born. This cycle of renewal takes place at all levels.

The Rosetta Stone (thanks Len)

 

The original Rosetta Stone was a basalt slab discovered near Rosetta, Egypt in 1799. The stone was inscribed with three identical texts : Greek, Egyptian demotic (Arabic) and Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. The identical texts proved to be the key to decyphering Egyptian hieroglyphs.This Blogg is called Rosetta Stone because I hope it will be the "key" to understanding the human condition through differing viewpoints human condition. By understanding others we can better understand ourselves.I hope that there will be a good deal of humour, too.

In the beginning ...

Well, this is my first time blogging in my own. It will take some time to get used to it. But I have all the time in the world! Thank to Marisa for recommending this. That's another one I owe you!

I always thought it would be cool to have a Blog loosely based on the format of Ancient Greece : Just a bunch of people in togas, sitting around and talking about current events, Nature, Science, Philosophy ... whatever. The flow of free discussion is important to learn and to grow. No closed minds here!

Well, not bad for a start. What's next?