22 over 7 = [aspects and concepts of matter and energy / form, flame, light, space, image and imagination]

Sinai violence

This is the kind of thing that would've been posted to nmazca.blog, but that was then.

It's because the environment and the experiences that we were able to to enjoy in Dahab, Egypt, were so uncommon -- and we walked along this same promenade not too long ago -- that I make mention of yesterday's bombings in this space.

"Dahab, which means 'gold' in Arabic, was for years a popular, low-key haven for young Western and Israeli backpackers drawn by prime scuba diving and cheap hotels. In recent years, a number of more upscale hotels have been built, including a five-star Hilton resort.

Those who work in the town fear the attacks will drive tourists away -- for good.

"'The scene out there was horrific,' said Mohammed Gadallah, a 27-year-old Egyptian from the Nile Delta region who works at a hotel coffee shop near the bombed bridge.

"'I don't know who could have done this -- they are people who know no religion and have no conscience.'"

From an earlier edit of that story:

"Jamie Gibbs, a Briton, told Sky News that the streets of Dahab were chaotic after the bombings so he and a friend walked back to their rooms along the beach.

"'We met a couple of Egyptians we know, and one was crying. He had lost one of his friends -- he died,' Gibbs said. 'And everyone is very upset because of their livelihoods. If the tourists stop coming, they're going to be poorer than they already are.'"

And that's the absolute truth. Business in the shops and restaurants was already down when we were in Dahab in October, because of the bombing in Sharm El Sheik in July. Most of the residents in Dahab are Bedouins who had lived in the mountains and headlands until the last couple of decades. They live a fairly bare (but seemingly content) existence and have relied on tourism to provide incomes in an area where there is little other opportunity (and where they won't face as much of the widespread prejudice from Arab Egyptians).

I've made The Orb's "Pomme Fritz" a late-night soundtrack for 11 years.

I just found a video for it at YouTube.

Open your ears
and hold on to your hat...

...because you're about to take an auditory excursion.

"
These are documentary films of music and dance performances that I myself filmed during the years 1966-1982. The quality of the original films is very good, however, getting the films into some media that can be easily viewed on line is a challenge that I am still working on." --Robert Garfias

via NaOH123

Essence of Egypt

Angelic eye candy...

...from the Fractal Bargain Bin

Metamorphosis

L'ocean des etoiles

I rendered this four years ago.

And I just happened to find out that it's currently the No. 1 search result on Google for 'positive vibration.'

Much more to see at nmazca.com/fractalism.

Seen in Korea...

A trip to Saturn,
also w/o leaving Earth

The most recent update
from Johannes Schedler's
Panther Observatory

A trip to the Moon
without leaving Earth

A couple of shots made with the Fuji Q1 that I picked up in Seoul and the Celestron 'scope that I've had for 7 years. Just put the lens of the former against the eyepiece of the latter and tried not to fidget too much.

Return to Tokyo

So, I've finally gotten around to organizing the Tokyo photos from March. There will be more, but it will take time as My Lady Friend and I have put the loud CPU tower out with the laundry.

Rings and aurorae

"The newly discovered outer ring of Uranus is bright blue for the same reason the Earth's sky is blue -- it is made up of tiny particles, astronomers said on Thursday.

"It is 'strikingly similar' to Saturn's outer ring, which astronomers last month confirmed was probably generated by one of the planet's moons, Enceladus."

Speaking of Saturn...

"N00056284.jpg was taken on April 04, 2006 and received on Earth April 06, 2006.
The camera was pointing toward [Saturn's moon] Methone."

And finally...

"The interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) tilted south on April 5th, opening a crack in Earth's magnetic defenses. Solar wind flowed in and sparked an unexpected display of auroras."

Eclipse 06 epilogue

See earlier eclipse posts: "Another glance at 3.29's totality," "Top-notch totality," "Eclipse 06, continued," and "Eclipse trippin'".

Meanwhile, between Earth
and the Pleiades...

The Moon occulted the Pleiades star cluster on Saturday. An occultation "refers to the hiding of one celestial body when it overlaps with another."

Top-notch totality

See earlier eclipse posts: "Another glance at 3.29's totality," "Eclipse 06 epilogue," "Eclipse 06, continued," and "Eclipse trippin'".

A digital composite of 10 exposures that not only shows the Sun's corona, but light reflected from the Earth onto the Moon (Earthshine during daytime!). See the next image for an idea of what a more or less straight overexposure would look like. Top image by Nick King, who was near Antalya, Turkey; second image by Pete Lawrence, also in Turkey.