«The Shadow of the Earth»

Last night's full lunar eclipse. It's red due to the light refracting through the Earth's atmosphere.

Just before the full eclipse.

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«AR.Drone In Flight»

Just wanted to share a couple pictures I took yesterday of my AR.Drone in flight.

Eye-level.

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And slightly above me.

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«AR.Drone Flight Time»

I was playing with my AR.Drone yesterday. It was the first day I spent any real time flying it.

AR.Drone with the indoor hull.

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The first time I flew it was the day I got it, and I lost connection with it and couldn't regain connection. So it sat there 3 feet off the ground in autopilot until the battery level went critical and it landed itself. I figured out it was interference from my wifi that caused me to lose connection. So now I disable my wifi before I fly it and haven't had any issues since.

A bunch of the neighbors have wifi networks too, but none of them are as powerful as mine... I have aftermarket antennas on my router.

I was a bit afraid to try again until yesterday. I flew it inside with the indoor hull on it (pictured above) to protect the rotors. I got a feel of the controls and even managed to fly it through a doorway. It's nice that you can let go of the controls and it stabilizes itself. The battery life is painfully short, however.

Then I got daring and put the outdoor hull on it and took it outside. I was a bit reluctant to do this, because I've read stories of AR.Drones losing control and flying away... Never to be found again. Thankfully this didn't happen. It sure responds better without that bulky indoor hull.

AR.Drone with the outdoor hull.

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I flew it around the building I live in a couple of times, and ended up drawing out every kind in the neighborhood it seemed. I had a crowd of fascinated kids watching me by the end. They were especially fascinated that the drone had a camera and I could see on my iPhone what the drone saw. I got the low battery alert, landed it and said "Well, that's it. The battery is dead, show's over."

Sorry, no in-flight images yet. I never think to photograph it while I'm flying it.

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«Moon Place»

I was out riding my bike again and I ended up on the Moon... Place.

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Yup, I rode my bicycle to the Moon.

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«Boise Bugs»

There's a few bugs I'm seeing around here that I didn't see in Alaska. Click an image to view full.

This praying mantis was just hanging out on the balcony railing outside. It was about 3.5 inches long.

It let me get my camera lens right in its face. The last creature to allow that was a deer.

I admit, after I had taken enough photos of the mantis I started to poke and prod it instead of just leaving it be. I thought it would be cool to get it on my hand so you could see the scale of it. I'm sure for some of you a praying mantis is a common sight. But for me this was about the biggest bug I'd ever seen. I started to grab it and it turned to grab me. I freaked out and threw the thing, and it flew away.

Then there's these little red bugs. I found one inside the house the other day. They are Box Elder nymphs (Boisea trivittata). I think it's just coincidence that Boise is part of the bug's species name.

They seem to come in numbers. They were literally everywhere on this fence and the ground near it.

And then there's this spider. Hanging out with lunch in its mouth. I noticed some kids from across the street looking at something on a reserved parking sign in our yard. The kids scattered when they saw me. Evidently I'm scarier than the spider.

After Googling it, I think it's a Bold Jumping Spider (Phidippus audax). That's right: jumping spider. It can jump 50 times its own body length. Oh, and it can bite. Lucky for me (and the kids) I think it was content to just sit there with its meal. I learned my lesson from the praying mantis, and just let the spider be.


I couldn't resist...

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«Achievement Unlocked! (Photo Heavy)»

Achievement Unlocked! Ride a bicycle at least 50 miles in 1 day. Click an image to view full.

I am such a nerd. When I saw this street sign I just had to take a picture of it.

It took longer than I expected. I rode about 52 miles¹ on Friday on my bicycle. I was gone for 6 hours and 40 minutes, but that includes the time I spent at my destination and a meal.

Speaking of my destination, it was Lake Lowell.

The lake has some algae bloom issues.

Even with the slime issues, it seems to be a popular recreation area. I saw personal boats and jet skis out on the water.

The lake is man made for irrigation purposes and as a bird sanctuary. Here's one of the intakes for the irrigation channel.

The dam is named Deer-Flat Upper Dam.

I had just rode 26 miles on my bicycle to get here, and I bounded up these stairs like they weren't even there. I got tired on the return trip, though.

My bike, locked up for when I was off exploring the dam and taking photos of Lake Lowell.

Returning home I stopped on this hill to take a photo of Boise. This is the exact opposite side of Boise of the photos I took at Table Rock. In the full sized image you can see all the cell towers that are up on Table Rock.

^1: 52.1 miles if I trace the route I took on Google Maps

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«Table Rock»

August 18th I rode my bicycle up to Table Rock. It's a viewpoint that looks out over Boise Idaho. Click an image to view full.

Here's what it looks like up on Table Rock. The heat that day made getting up there tougher than it should have been.

Zoomed in on Boise, if you look a bit you can see the dome of the Capitol Building.

There's a path that goes down and around the cliff face. Every square inch of that cliff is covered with graffiti. Not just spray-painted, but carved into the soft rock.

There's also a cave under Table Rock.

Because you can see most of Boise from table Rock, it's a good place for cell antennas. Ironically, I had a rather poor cell signal up there. Must have been all the interference.

Also something you can see from most of Boise is the giant cross they light up at night. I don't know who owns the land, but it just seems wrong... And why are the other religions neglected? I demand a giant Flying Spaghetti Monster to be lit up at night on Table Rock, that would be sweet!

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«Motivational Monday: Marf and Looney»

A very special Motivational Monday today. Yesterday I met Looney for the first time in real life. Looney and Mrs. Looney were passing through Boise Idaho, so we met for breakfast.


Looney is the first person "from my blog" that I've met in real life¹. It may seem that we're always at odds in the comments, him being a fundamentalist Christian and me being an atheist. But that's what keeps it interesting. I have a lot of respect for Looney, he's a brilliant guy.

Here is the full photo.

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They were very kind, Looney even paid for my breakfast (now I feel like I owe him!). The topic of religion didn't even really come up.

^1: He's the second person I've met in real life that I first met online. The first one was a freak 1-in-a-billion chance that they were also in Ketchikan.

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«The Day I Left Alaska»

Let's step back to the day I left Alaska; July 28th, 2010. I left on the M/V Columbia, the flagship of the Alaska Marine Highway System. Click an image to view full.

This was the last picture I took of Ketchikan, leaving it far behind me. O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

I took one look at this and it just didn't seem right... Is it an Alaskan flag? Or a United States flag? It's BOTH!

That wasn't the only thing that seemed wrong on the ship. For instance, you go downstairs to get to the Upper Deck.

No land in sight. Calm waters though.

One of the many life rings on the ship.

In case of emergency, the emergency gear is locked up and you're screwed.

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«Dead End Survival»

Death is inevitable, even if you go down the correct path...

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I found this sign on one of my bicycle exploration adventures around Boise Idaho.

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«Idaho Capitol (Photo Heavy)»

Some of you may know Boise is the capitol of Idaho. Monday (August 30th, 2010) I visited the Capitol Building and took a few photos. Click an image to view full.

One thing I can say about state capitol buildings is their exteriors are highly photogenic.

Idaho State Seal on the sidewalk outside the Capitol Building.

Standing on the entryway stairs, looking down Capitol Boulevard.

Inside is a grand architecture designed to make one feel small. It's beautiful, but struck me as a waste of space. Most of the building is for show. They just need a fountain in the center...

And of course, Big Brother is watching...

A decapitated angel on display. This really is Hell's stronghold.

Government doing what it does best: keeping those Lobbyists safe and secure...

I mean really, that door was sort of a WTF when i saw it...

Directly below the center of the dome, looking up. What's with the children's star wallpaper in the very center? Kinda ruins the mood, don't you think?

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«Landscape Change»

What a sharp contrast in landscapes. I came from a lush temperate rain forest in Alaska to a barren desert in Idaho... And I love it.

Just take a look at this.

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I love deserts because they are so different from anything I grew up with. And oh yeah: I'm coming back to blogging.

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«FSM iPhone 4 Skin»

After being in the US mail limbo for 22 days after it shipped, I finally got my Zagg Invisible Shield for my iPhone 4. There's also a green bumper from Apple on the phone.

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There's also a clear one on the front. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It actually looks better in real life than it does in the photo above. You never know how vivid the colors are really going to be when they print it. It's made out of the same material they put on the leading edge of helicopter blades to prevent abrasion from sand and dust.

It's a custom design, I made it in photoshop. I took a picture of the Flying Spaghetti Monster from Venganza.org. The background came from NASA, it's a photo of the Aurora Australis (Southern Lights) as seen from the International Space Space Station.

Here's the original pic I sent to Zagg to make the skin.

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«2010 4th of July Parade (Photo Heavy)»

The annual 4th of July parade in Ketchikan, Alaska. Although judging by how it started, I almost thought I was in Iraq or Afghanistan with all the armed soldiers marching down the street. Click an image to view full.

Then it appeared I was in Canada.

Prince Rupert, BC to be exact.

Or maybe I was in Scotland? I vote the Misty Thistle Pipes and Drums as the best performance in the parade.

Now I appear to be watching a political rally. There were floats for both Bill Walker and Lisa Murkowski (not pictured). I vote the Bill Walker float as the ugliest in the parade.

Wait, did I take a wrong turn and end up on the highway to Hell? Seriously, why was this even in the parade?

*sigh* Advertising for the new Twili- WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING DRIVING THE TRUCK!?

The Ketchikan Fire Department at their best.

A McDonald's meal, in MY parade? It's more likely than you think... At least I know I'm in America now, where the fast food goes strait to the hips.

After the parade there were hordes of people at the booths. I'm not sure why, all the booths were pretty lame.

You may notice these pictures were taken in 2 different locations. I watched the parade where it first started. Then I walked through town, catching back up to the beginning of the parade and watched it again. Yeah... I had nothing better to do that day.

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