Back at Ground Control

Display of the Rocketdyne Operations Support Center at California Science Center

Although I said a little while back that I would only be posting "Image of the Day" types of posts, the desire to share a bit more than a pretty picture occasionally gets the better of me. Since I have some time today, here are a few photos from my trip to the California Science Center to view the space shuttle, Endeavour.

It was an impressive exhibit. The various artifacts from the shuttle missions, diverse elements ranging from the "Space Potty" to the Space Shuttle Main Engines, presented a very engaging display of information. Merging the very human concerns of food and digestion with the highly technical elements of space flight, the exhibition was well grounded and very accessible.

The space shuttle Endeavour

But I was surprised by how wonderful it was to see the actual craft. It's a bit embarrassing to confess, but I got slightly choked up on seeing the Endeavour, feeling a bit of something similar to religious awe. Walking around and under, measuring by stride its length and width, viewing the tiles and surface texture, personally experiencing one of humankind's most remarkable constructs was shockingly vivid.

I'm curious to return again, perhaps sometime after the crowds of Summer. I wonder if this numinous sense of something "transcendent" will persist.

Vanishing Points

Corridor through the storage units

Another day, another post. ;-)

I don't have much to talk about today, being distracted by various matters, both good and bad. However, I do have a few photos to share, images that illustrate my fascination with perspective and distance, specifically within architectural forms. I just love those lines converging in the distance.

I think that my photographic skills are improving, especially in having cultivated a mindset that keeps me alert to interesting subjects, the ability to mentally compose a picture from the chaotic forms that surround me. This is a long learning process, but I'm feeling good about my progress. When starting this blog, taking photos was just part of "content creation" and, to my way of thinking, a mere complement to the writing.

Although my prose is definitely stronger than my images, photography has grown into more than a side effort, meant to showcase my words. It is no longer a necessary chore, but an exciting pastime.

A blue dumpster at the end of the parking alley.

On a slow day like this, when my mind is too tired to engage in critical thought or witty reviews, it is nice having a reservoir of photographs to prop up my daily production while maintaining the distinct feel of this blog.

It is said that a picture is worth a hundred words. So, these images really inflate my word count. ;-P

Glimpse of Hidden Beauty

Even an ugly, old oil refinery can be transformed in a golden moment into a vision of Beauty


Feeling not so good right now. A bit depressed. A bit sick

Days have been ugly, overcast, cold. Trying to stay upbeat, positive, but bad sleep, coughing, and back ache. Makes me tired.

I feel like garbage. . .

Need comfort music. . .

Conveying Similarities of Sound

Public Telephone, with LJ reflected upon the mirrored surface

Recently, while talking with a friend, I came across a public telephone. My friend expressed her surprise at finding such a technological relic. I disagreed with her.

Public telephones are not as common as they once were, but it isn't that tough to come across one in the course of a normal day. The easiest places to find them are at government or civic institutions, such as libraries or museums.

Since that discussion, I've been very aware of payphones. It's almost become a "treasure hunt" activity. ;-)

And they bring back memories of my youth. . .

Seconds in Silence

Empty dance studio

Another thing about Summer, there is something both peaceful and creepy about an empty campus or classroom. Peering through the windows into a room, where one would normally hear the constant chatter of students, the sounds of occupation, finding it abandoned and silent can be disturbing.

Of course, teachers probably see it as wonderful thing. Like Sisyphus and his stone, it is the moment that the task has been completed, if only for a while, before the next academic year starts the whole process over again.

But I'm not a teacher. I look at the emptiness with an eye towards poetry and purpose. Without habitation, we can appreciate the structure and space of the buildings, their functional design. However, classrooms without students are not fulfilling their purpose. And there is something transgressive about that.

Empty classroom


It's as though the space echoes with impressions of what has been, what will be, and what ought to be. It is as if every empty classroom is haunted by the ghosts of potential students.

Dance Party: April

Detail from the cover image of Celine Dion's A New Day Has Come (2002)

So, we've been doing these monthly dance parties for a year now. My focus and approach has changed a lot since my first post last May. I used to focus exclusively on "Dance/Club" music. I used to write a lot of context on how the musical styles had changed over the 5-year increments.

But my "curatorial" style has changed over the year. I've broadened out my selection criteria and allow the listeners to bring their own experiences or context to my monthly playlist.  Yeah, I know that this is my blog and that, ultimately, everything boils down to being "all about me" but I like being "light-handed" and subtle. After all, if my song choices are interesting, then they can tell the story themselves.

Image from Soft Cell's Tainted Love (1981)

So, what narrative arises from this month's selection?

We Are All Made of Stars

Memory Gospel by Moby


Kopeikin Gallery is currently showing "Destroyed," an exhibit of photography by the electronica musician, Moby. I'm usually hesitant to view art produced by celebrities, but Moby has always struck me as having an engaging and comprehensive aesthetic foundation. Moreover, the premise of the work, a study of the dynamic expressiveness of crowds at a concert, stuck me as an interesting concept. It's the type of photography that really can only be done by a popular musician like Moby.

So I went to check it out. At first, I just walked around the gallery casually observing the images, seeing if anything jumped out at me. Eh, it was certainly a fun set of photos but nothing really packed a punch. Then, I did the deeper examination, scrutinizing each piece for composition, color, and distinctness. Hmm, it was impressive documentation with a good eye for image crafting, but it still didn't "wow" me. Then I did another gallery stroll but with my improved familiarity of the photos. Now, the unique energy of each shot shouted out at me.

Detail of Sunspot by Moby


The images have a strong tension between the Universalized and the Individualized. Yes, each photograph depicts a crowd, but each crowd has its own unique expressive vibe. And each crowd is composed of discrete individuals reacting to the specific focus of the camera. Yet, the individuality of the person is overwhelmed by the group identity and energy of the crowd. The particular becomes accumulated into an aggregate composite identity.

Music for Aliens and Oddities

Flying Saucers from Mars Attacks! (1996)

We can't let the birth date of Leon Theremin pass without celebrating his great invention, the Theremin! An electronic instrument, the theremin is played without being touched by the performer. Here's Wikipedia's description of how it is played:

The theremin is almost unique among musical instruments in that it is played without physical contact. The musician stands in front of the instrument and moves his or her hands in the proximity of two metal antennas. The distance from one antenna determines frequency (pitch), and the distance from the other controls amplitude (volume). Most frequently, the right hand controls the pitch and the left controls the volume, although some performers reverse this arrangement. Some low-cost theremins use a conventional, knob operated volume control and have only the pitch antenna. While commonly called antennas, they are not used for receiving or broadcasting radio frequency, but act as plates in a capacitor.

The sound is weird and unearthly, yet with a distinct and authentic quality. It has been featured in science fiction soundtracks ever since the '50s, most notably in Bernard Herrmann's score for The Day the Earth Stood Still.



Leon Theremin demonstrating his electronic invention.


Let's listen to some examples.