Bob

A Visit With Mom

Mom and meI drove to Mom’s house today. It’s quite some time since I took the nearly 50 mile drive across some of the busiest roads in Los Angeles County.

We had a very nice visit. My sister was there too, and we had a nice visit over lunch at a restaurant in the area – my treat. We talked about various topics, mainly getting caught up with what’s been going on in our lives.

Mom’s 89th birthday was several weeks ago, and this was an opportunity to see her in person. Click on the thumbnail image to enlarge us.

Beaver Tail Cactus in 3D

beavertail3d.pngI took a pair of images of a ‘beaver tail’ cactus in bloom during our recent visit to Joshua Tree National Park. The bright pink flowers on this type of cactus are frequently seen in the park during late spring. You can click on the image for the full-sized anaglyph image.

When I image scenes that contain bright reddish or bright bluish colors, the image, when viewed through the 3D glasses will look different to each of the eyes. This gives an unnatural feeling when you look at the image. Compare the image above to this grayscale 3D image here. The problem with that, is the bright pink flowers appear as a dull shade of gray.

And, as usual, if you do not have your free pair of 3D glasses, you can see the 2D image here. For more 3D images click here or here.

Social Studies

social-studies.jpgI don’t go very political on this website, but I can’t resist posting this interesting recount of a college experiment in socialism. H/T John Lott.

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before but had once failed an entire class.

That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, “OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.

The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

Could not be any simpler than that.

I’ll drink to that!

A Zany Scorpion Sculpture in 3D

scorpion.pngOur recent trip to Arizona included a stop at the Phoenix Convention Center. We were attending the annual National Rifle Association convention and gun show. On our way into the exhibit hall, we passed several zany insect sculptures in the plaza just outside.

I paused by the scorpion and took the image pair to create this anaglyph.

According to the Convention Center website:

“Social Invertebrates,” Tom Otterness – Three large, whimsical bronze sculptures of desert creatures, enlarged to human scale. The creatures include a millipede with a hat and shoes; a walking stick in high heels, and a scorpion holding two small men in top hats tugging at a bag of money. Accompanying sculptural elements of people, scaled down to Lilliputian dimensions, interact with the creatures. The sculptures are set in a unique water-harvesting garden at the public plaza located near the southeast entrance of the North Building.

To view the full-sized 3D image click on the image above. If you don’t have your free 3D glasses you can view the 2D version here

Big Gerbera Close-Up

This Gerbera daisy is so big and beautiful that it is a striking sight from a distance. When you zoom in on it, a beautiful, intricate structure is revealed. Click image to enlarge.

Big Gerbera

The Coachella Valley

During our visit to Joshua Tree National Park two weeks ago, we took the short drive from the main road to a place called Keys View. From that point, you can see the Coachella Valley and the Palm Springs area five thousand feet (1525 meters) below. You can also see the San Andreas Fault which has been the cause of many Earthquakes in California, including the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Although it is difficult to see through the haze, the Salton Sea is visible at the left and Banning Pass on the right. A spectacular view for sure.

Coachella

Click on the image to enlarge.