The prize is a $700 HP MediaSmart EX495 PC, set up as a Windows home server, with 1.5TB of storage and Mac/Time Machine support. The winner shall be chosen at arbitrary whim. Runners-up get something random from the gadget dungeon.
The theme is "Found in Space." 100 words long. Go!... More.
Cool video about the Hubble ultra deep field in 3D. A photo of utter blackness taken in "a patch of sky no bigger than a grain of sand held out out arm's length." ... More.
Photo: Mag3737
Michael Fricklas, Viacom's General Counsel, gave a lecture to a Yale Law class in which he confessed that suing people for copyright infringement felt "like terrorism." He says that this was bad strategy on the entertainment industry's part, as was "bad" DRM.
That's the good part --... More.
Here's an infographic from Slosh Spot that shows how popular pot is, how many people are arrested for possessing it, how much tax revenue it could generate if it were legal, and how much is spent fighting drug use.
If Marijuana Production Were Legal: Projected Tax Revenues, by State
(Via Dosenat... More.
"Father" from the series "Spin Family (Bosons and Fermions)" 2009, steel and silk, 7" x 6" x 6".
We've posted previously about physicist, software designer, and artist Julian Voss-Andreae whose work lies at the intersection of science and sculpture. Last year, he created a massive metal protein s... More.
My husband and I were exploring Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park-Canada when we stopped for a timed picture of the two of us. We had our camera set up on some rocks and were getting ready to take the picture when this curious little ground squirrel appeared, became intriqued with the sound of the focusing camera and popped right into our shot! A once in a lifetime moment! We were laughing about this little guy for days!!
RSS Feed
I'm in ur frame, crashin' ur kodak moment...
Scratch the above: On closer inspection: "I'm in ur frame, stealin' ur focuz" is the correct answer.
Some people are already making a career out of this...
http://j-walkblog.com/index.php?/weblog/posts/roots_as_bridges/
That's great, and the camera focused on the squirrel too :)
OK, so I guess this is actually a meme or something? It looks awfully similar to the "nuts" squirrel commonly seen on Fark photoshops, and the link in #3 is the identical squirrel.
Disappointing, but it really was too perfect to be true.
@ Cory
The squirrel in link #3 is obviously poorly inserted into the photo. The Banff squirrel looks pretty legit to me.
@#5 CORY: I think the Banff photo is the legit source of the meme-to-be. If you look back at older posts from on blog from the link from #3, they posted the story of the photo yesterday, and have been inserting the furry critter in posts and their header ever since.
http://j-walkblog.com/index.php?/weblog/posts/squirrel_ruins_photo/
I simply can't stop laughing every time I look at the photo!
This brings back some great memories for me! My ex spouse and I used to hike the C Level Cirque trail out of the Upper Bankhead Picnic Site next to Lake Minnewanka. Once you get to the boulder pocket (cirque)under Cascade, you have this sense of a moonscape, an absolutely majestic view! We used to stop for lunch there and soon enough these little goobers would come out of nowhere looking for food.
While the animal in the oicture is a squirrel, I think the ones we saw were actually pikas.
Thanks for sharing!
Notice, the squirrel @3 has no whiskers.
Great photo, and a meme on the make. But, who gets credit for the photo? Not the giggling couple who propped up their camera with a timer, certainly, there was no squirrel then. And not the squirrel, who had no idea what the image would look like. But there is an entity, looking through the lens, who caught the change in scene, readjusted and refocused as best it could, then pulled the trigger and captured this iconic shot. It's a robot photographer, and a pretty good one. It won't be the last, and pretty soon, we'll have to start giving them more credit.
(*goes off whistling, "when the robots win, we'll have to listen to techno"*)
Cute - but the real challenge in Banff is getting a photo without one of those squirrels. (Maybe I'm just jealous because my pica photos from Jasper last week were crap.)
http://www.ehow.com/how_2093117_cook-ground-squirrels.html
Shouldn't it be dancing to a Kenny Loggins song?
it was shooped I can tell from some of the pixel & having done many shoops in mine time...
Tak,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41ADeaQ_N-M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eguPlDQUsYA
This is too fun -- how can you *not* remix it? See who really brokered the release of those two journalists:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SxgwDguS9Aw/SoSnkIq64HI/AAAAAAAAApE/SeWd-G0r1Hs/s1600-h/squirrel-in-korea.jpg
He's everywhere.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/colinm/a-chip-off-the-old-block-3m8o-85h
Yeah, I don't see anything to support fakeness. It would be as easy to get a stuffed squirrel and put it in front of the camera as do a 'shop job that good.
Suppose all three got eaten by a bear seconds after this was taken. Not so funny then, eh?
Or is it ???
If the Banff photo is 'shopped it deserves attention anyway, it would be the best composite I've seen in ages. Fine hair detail, light source, depth of field all ring true.
I can tell by the pix oh forget it.
@17
It depends whether they got a photo of that too.
http://www.macstaxidermy.com/Novelty/squirrel%20golfing.jpg
Saw this on Fark. Love how the couple is cracking up over it.
How dramatic!
Sorry, I have a terribly hard time believe this is real.
What cameras that use a timer only focus the moment before the shutter snaps? If someone can tell me this, I'll feel better.
But ever point'n'shoot and DSLR I've ever used has set the focus at the time the trigger is depressed, giving you time to walk all the way back to the front of the camera.
I have nothing in particular to add to this thread, just wanted to say that when I went to send the permalink to an animal-loving friend, the Captcha anti-spam words that came up were:
$3-million janitors
It occurs to me that The Three Million Dollar Janitors is a great name for an imaginary (possibly even a real) band. Thanks! I'll use it in a short story I'm working on.
"What cameras that use a timer only focus the moment before the shutter snaps? If someone can tell me this, I'll feel better."
My canon does, as a matter of fact it can be a problem and why you should switch to manual focus for this kind of shot.
Feel better now?
Ever notice that the people who scream "fake" at every novel photo they see seem to be the ones with the least understanding of digital manipulation or optics?
Amusing things are bound to happen in front of a camera now and then, you don't need Photoshop to explain everything.
They are really curious little creatures and will even climb right up onto you if you keep sudden moves to a minimum.
This little fellow http://www.flickr.com/photos/kb1/310945744/ was kind enough to eventually climb right up on my chest to strike a pose: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kb1/310933878/
@Brainspore: I've never heard of digital manipulation or optics... sounds like a wondrous world of wild wackiness.
@Aldasin:
What model? I own two canons, a point'n'shoot SD1100 and a Digital Rebel. Both hold the focus during a timed shot. Not saying yours doesn't, just curious as to which ones do.
And, yeah, I do feel a little better.
In my perfect world, the "itz shopped!" people would all be delivered to the same special hell I've reserved for the "first post!" people. They could keep each other company.
@25: Sorry, I have a terribly hard time believe this is real. What cameras that use a timer only focus the moment before the shutter snaps? If someone can tell me this, I'll feel better.
I'd guess that most, if not all, cameras do this. The way timer pictures usually work:
1) Point the camera at the waterfall.
2) Press the button.
3) Scramble in front of the camera, waterfall artfully displayed behind you.
4) Camera takes picture.
If the camera focused only when I pressed the button, I (the subject of the photo) would be blurry.
Any sensible design would have the camera seek focus right before the shutter opens, to allow the user to get in position.
Isn't this blatantly obvious?
Awesome picture, btw!
Nosehat,
What's up with using logic? This is the internet.
Too bad the lady didn't think quick and stick her hands up quickly and give the squirrel finger horns.
Since nobody's pointed this out yet, I will.
According to an article in today's Globe this wasn't taken on a timer but with a remote control. This is why the camera decided to focus on dramatic squirrel rather than the humans. They took a bunch of pictures with the squirrel there and chose the best one to send to Nat Geo. It's a nice photo but wasn't entirely random.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/fame-seeking-banff-squirrel-storms-internet/article1250605/
@#33: Ah, you're right, Antinous. I should have said "I can tell by some of the pixels, and from having seen quite a few 'shops in my time." My bad. Carry on.
Minnewanka indeed!
my exr200 fuji digi camera makes a squirrel noise when its focusing. I'm off to try this in my city.
Is it too nitpicking to point out that if the photo is genuine, the animal is probably a marmot? Taxonomy should matter and squirrel is not a generic term.
If you search Google Images for the string "us in front of," you will notice that the instances of 'us' being to the side, though producing a more attractive photograph, is relatively rare in this type of snapshot. That is what makes this photo emanate a whiff of 'fake.'
I too have a Canon DSLR, and obviously during delayed photos it only focuses at the end of the delay.
I believe the musical stylings of Mr. Parry Gripp are entirely appropriate here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVLOVpwXYGY
Vaguely related squirrel story: Years ago, I was hiking a section of the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon. I kept hearing this weird, repetitive chirping. It was loud enough to echo off the surrounding rock formations. At first I thought it was my backpack squeaking, but it kept going even when I stopped walking. I eventually discovered the source: a large squirrel standing bolt upright on an outcropping, chirping and then listening to the echoes.
51° 15' 2.67" N 115° 29' 41.91" W
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=51%C2%B0+15'+2.67%22+N+115%C2%B0+29'+41.91%22+W&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&hl=en&safe=on&ll=51.250896,-115.494772&spn=0.008381,0.01384&t=h&z=16
Resolution is not sufficient to see the squirrel.
My pets could learn a thing or two from this squirrel. They always turn their heads away from the camera at the last second just leaving motion blur, lol.
I've been collectin' Natty G's since '78
It's on the cover of a major newspaper in Canada today!!!! I think the National Post, just saw it in passing so can't be sure. Slow news day I suppose.
@ Anonymous #39:
Is it too nitpicking to point out that if the photo is genuine, the animal is probably a marmot? Taxonomy should matter and squirrel is not a generic term.
The Sciuridae (squirrel) family encompasses the genus Marmota. So yes, marmots are squirrels. So are chipmunks for that matter. Who knew?
That's not a marmot. Marmots are way bigger and also more shy of people.
I'm also pretty sure they live higher up in the mountains than where that picture was taken. You'd be more likely to see a marmot if you went for a couple hours' walk up a trail from that lake, I think.
I guess I'm the first Albertan to chime in and mention that the animal is not a squirrel, it's a Gopher. They are rampant in Banff and the fact that this one inserted himself into the picture doesn't suprise me one bit. They are very bold and will eat from your hand if you offer it.
(and the person who mentioned marmot was close. Marmots look like really big Gophers)
oh, a gopher, what with the absense of pointy ears.
but this post is first in a google search of "squirrel"!
@ #48 Procrastamom: This report on CBC News identifies the infamous rodent as a Columbian ground squirrel:
http://www.cbc.ca/clips/mov/cgy-akman-squirrel.mov
I believe it's a prairie dog.
Banff Lake Louise Tourism is making hay from the Crasher Squirrel story:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/travel/Banff+makes+while+ground+squirrel/1895679/story.html
including a twitter and facebook profile for the Squirrel and a video here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/banfflakelouise2
Although its not a gopher - when I first glanced at it, it reminded me of the gopher in CaddyShack -Carl Spackler where are you?
That's great, and the camera focused on the squirrel too :)
There are a couple of different species referred to generically as gophers - and they're all ground squirrel species. I think the gophers in Banff would be Richardson's ground squirrels.