Tuesday - February 14, 2006

Photo Du Jour

“SR-71 Blackbird”

_{Click image for larger (1280 x 1024) wallpaper size version}

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/14/2006 at 06:00 PM   
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   Sunday - February 12, 2006

Photo Du Jour

“Sea Shadow”

“Sea Shadow” is a test craft developed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), the Navy, and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in the mid-1980’s. Its purpose is to explore a variety of new technologies for surface ships, including ship control, structures, automation for reduced manning and signature control. The ship’s angular design allows for it to have a low radar signature making it almost undetectable by enemy radar.

Sea Shadow incorporates several low observable features. Highly slanted surfaces and radar absorbing material deter radar. Visually, its twin pontoon-like hulls create little wake. Audibly, its diesel electric motors provide a quiet level of sound.

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/12/2006 at 06:13 PM   
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   Saturday - February 11, 2006

Photo Du Jour

The official Department Of Defense specs on the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) say this 90,000 ton beast (100,000 ton fully loaded) will do “30+ knots”. You know what that means, don’t you? It means “We ain’t tellin’ how fast it’ll go! Nyah-Nyah-Na-Nyah-Nah”. Judging from the bow wave below, I’d guess about 42-46 knots. What say you?

Pacific Ocean (July 25, 2005) – The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) performs a high speed run during operations in the Pacific Ocean. Reagan and embarked Carrier Air Wing Fourteen (CVW-14) are currently underway conducting Tailored Ships Training Availability (TSTA).

-- U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class James Thierry

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/11/2006 at 11:59 AM   
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   Wednesday - February 08, 2006

Photo Du Jour

“N44 Superbubble”
-from-
RedOrbit
Gemini South Telescope, AURA, NSF

What created this gigantic hole? The vast emission nebula N44 in our neighboring galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud has a large, 250 light-year hole and astronomers are trying to figure out why.

One possibility is particle winds expelled by massive stars in the bubble’s interior that are pushing out the glowing gas. This answer has been recently found to be inconsistent with measured wind velocities, however. Another possibility is that the expanding shells of old supernovas have sculpted the unusual space cavern.

An unexpected clue of hot X-ray emitting gas was recently been detected escaping the N44 superbubble. The above image, here digitally sharpened, was taken in three very specific colors by the huge 8-meter Gemini South Telescope on Cerro Pachon in Chile.

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/08/2006 at 05:12 PM   
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   Thursday - January 26, 2006

Photo Du Jour

Pacific Ocean (Nov. 17, 2005) - A Standard Missile Three (SM-3) is launched from the vertical launch system (VLS) aboard the Pearl Harbor based Aegis cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70), during a joint Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Navy ballistic missile flight test. Minutes later, the SM-3 intercepted a separating ballistic missile threat target, launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii. The test was the sixth intercept, in seven flight tests, by the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, the maritime component of the “Hit to Kill” Ballistic Missile Defense System, being developed by the Missile Defense Agency. All previous Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense flight test were against unitary (non-separating) targets. U.S. Navy photo.

Posted by The Skipper     on 01/26/2006 at 06:39 PM   
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   Wednesday - January 25, 2006

Photo Du Jour

Atlantic Coast (Jan. 17, 2005) – A SEAL delivery vehicle team (SDV) perform a fast-roping exercise from a MH-60S Seahawk helicopter to the topside of Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Toledo (SSN 769). The mission of the SDV teams includes clandestine insertion of SEALs, ordnance delivery, reconnaissance, and locating and the recovery of objects.

U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 3rd Class Davis J. Anderson

Posted by The Skipper     on 01/25/2006 at 06:49 PM   
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   Tuesday - January 24, 2006

Man Attacks Urinal

I confess that I am not a connoisseur of fine art, but a urinal?

Frenchman fined for attacking urinal artwork

PARIS (Reuters) - A Frenchman who attacked and damaged “Fountain,” a urinal declared a work of art by Dada pioneer Marcel Duchamp, was ordered Tuesday to pay a fine of 214,000 euros ($262,700).

A Paris court also gave Pierre Pinoncelli, 77, a three-month suspended sentence for taking a hammer to the absurdist artwork, the second time he has attacked it since 1993. The attack last month left the ceramic urinal slightly cracked.

Duchamp was a leader of the Dada movement, an avant garde “anti-art” school of the early 20th century that mocked conventional standards, and “Fountain,” made in 1917—is considered one of the most influential artworks of its kind.

“This was a wink at Dadaism,” Pinoncelli told the court in his defense. “I wanted to pay homage to the Dada spirit.”

Posted by Drew458     on 01/24/2006 at 03:52 PM   
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   Friday - January 20, 2006

Photo Du Jour

“Surfer Dudes”
-by-
The Skipper
Canon PowerShot Pro I

Memo From The Skipper: This was taken a few summers back on a fishing trip off of Destin, Florida. We came back in with eight or nine 40-50 pound grouper (excellent eating) and a nasty barracuda. The most fun was when we pulled that mad as hell barracuda on board. You should have seen the gang scrambling forward to get away from all those teeth thrashing around on the stern deck.

Late in the afternoon, we were bothered by a shark who felt he deserved a portion of our catch as we were hauling them in. Needless to say, we thought about throwing the barracuda back in on top of the shark and letting them go at it. However, about that time our three buddies pictured above showed up and Ol’ Sharky was encouraged to leave the area by our aquatic pals.

They stayed with us until we headed back in later in the day and then had the time of their lives surfing the bow wave all the way back to shore. It was an amazing sight to behold as they flipped out of the water and back in, all the time surfing just in front of the foam kicked up by the boat. Any animal that can have that much fun has to be intelligent. I could swear I heard them laughing each time they came up for air.

Posted by The Skipper     on 01/20/2006 at 03:57 PM   
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   Monday - January 16, 2006

Photo Du Jour

“Tadpole Galaxy”
-by-
Hubble (NASA)

In this stunning vista recorded with the Hubble Space Telescope’s new advanced camera, distant galaxies form a dramatic backdrop for disrupted spiral galaxy Arp 188, the Tadpole Galaxy. The cosmic Tadpole is a mere 420 million light-years distant toward the northern constellation Draco. Its eye-catching tail is about 280 thousand light-years long and features massive, bright blue star clusters.

One story goes that a more compact intruder galaxy crossed in front of Arp 188 - from left to right in this view - and was slung around behind the Tadpole by their gravitational attraction. During the close encounter, tidal forces drew out the spiral galaxy’s stars, gas, and dust forming the spectacular tail. The intruder galaxy itself, estimated to lie about 300 thousand light-years behind the Tadpole, can be seen through foreground spiral arms at the upper left. Following its terrestrial namesake, the Tadpole Galaxy will likely lose its tail as it grows older, the tail’s star clusters forming smaller satellites of the large spiral galaxy.

Credit:  ACS Science & Engineering Team, NASA

Posted by The Skipper     on 01/16/2006 at 07:09 PM   
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   Sunday - January 15, 2006

Gadget Of The Week

Great Googley-Moogley! Does any photographer really need this much detail? 39 Mega-Pixels? And is any photographer serious enough to want to spend $38k for a single camera? Of course! There are professional photographers out there who probably own two or three of these babies. Those would be the people who charge thousands of dollars an hour to photograph weddings and coronations. Personally, I’m quite satisfied with my 8 Mega-Pixel Canon PowerShot Pro I, which only set me back about $900 a few years ago ...

Hasselblad is creating a new standard of digital image quality for professional photographers with the announcement of a new camera and three camera backs based on the combination of Hasselblad’s new, true 39-Megapixel CCD sensor and its unique Digital APO Correction (DAC) technology. This new line of products features the new Hasselblad Natural Color Solution, which promises to take digital photographic colour reproduction to an entirely new level. The new products should also deliver images of unsurpassed sharpness and resolution and at the same time reduce any moiré effect to a minimum - a first in the history of digital photography.

Based on the Hasselblad H2 camera with its range of high performance, digital central shutter-based lenses, and featuring extended features, such as DAC lens optimisation and Instant Approval Architecture, the Hasselblad H2D-39 (£21,150-UK or $37,568.96-US) is the world’s first high-end, 39-Megapixel, digital auto-focus camera. Compatible with the entire range of Hasselblad H System lenses, as well as the Hasselblad V camera lens system, the H2D-39 brings the highest level of integration and flexibility to the professional photographer.

- If you haven’t fainted at the price and want to take super pictures, read the rest here ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 01/15/2006 at 01:16 PM   
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   Sunday - January 01, 2006

Photo Du Jour

“The Majestic Sombrero Galaxy”
-by-
Hubble

Posted by The Skipper     on 01/01/2006 at 06:33 PM   
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   Tuesday - December 20, 2005

Photo Du Jour

“Scandinavia In Winter”
-by-
Red Orbit

Posted by The Skipper     on 12/20/2005 at 07:29 PM   
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   Friday - December 09, 2005

Photo Du Jour

“Donkey Borne”
-by-
Spc. Mike Pryor

The Story Behind The Picture ....
October 12, 2005
MIANASHIN, Afghanistan (Army News Service)

Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division, along with Afghan National Army troops, were conducting an operation in the Mianashin region north of Kandahar in early October when an airdrop of supplies fell short of its mark. Water bottles and boxes of food were strewn for hundreds of yards across the mountain and paratroopers from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment spent the afternoon carrying boxes down from the ridgeline, but there were still several large loads that needed to be transported. With daylight rapidly disappearing, A Company seemed to have run out of options.

Luckily, that is when the “Donkey Man” showed up.

Spc. Daniel Boyle spotted the old man as he led a team of donkeys up a hill in the distance. Boyle realized the donkeys might be the solution to A Co’s transportation problem. He beckoned the man over and began to negotiate. They reached an agreement, and soon each donkey was loaded with a bundle of supplies and was ready to move out. Staff Sgt. Matthew Sheppard mounted the lead donkey and with a gentle jab he spurred the animal forward. “On a mission like that, you never know what situation you’re going to find yourself in. That’s why we just try to stay flexible and make the most out of whatever breaks we get,” said Shaw.

The five-day operation resulted in the detainment of three Taliban leaders and the destruction of two enemy safe houses. It began with a pre-dawn air assault into the town of Lwar Kowndalan Oct. 1. Two Chinook helicopters with an Apache gunship for support delivered the paratroopers in a clearing just outside the village. They exited the helicpoters and as the dust settled, the paratroopers could see they had landed in a graveyard.

The paratroopers moved out quickly and encircled the town by squads. Their objective was to capture several high-ranking Taliban operatives known to live in the village. After they searched several houses, three Taliban members were captured. Meanwhile, paratroopers were also on the lookout for a safe-house used by Taliban forces. After several hours, Capt. Michael Shaw, A Co. commander, decided to set up a patrol base from which to continue the search. He chose a high-walled, fortress-like compound. Ironically, soon after occupying the building, the paratroopers realized it was actually the safe-house they were looking for.

- Read the rest of what happened on Operation Donkey Tales here ....

Posted by The Skipper     on 12/09/2005 at 04:51 PM   
Filed Under: • Art-Photography • Military • War-Stories •  
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   Sunday - December 04, 2005

Photo Du Jour

November 29, 2005 Paratroopers from Company C, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, take cover after receiving enemy fire in Tal Afar, Iraq.

-- Photo by Pfc. James Wilt

Posted by The Skipper     on 12/04/2005 at 04:32 PM   
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Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

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It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

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