Monthly Archives: September 2016

Picture of Today 9/24/2016, Running Wild in the Concrete Jungle…

Here is a small part of the Global March for Elephants, Rhinos and Lions. 

Not too far away for the local Seattle portion, was also a crowd gathering and a mini parade of activists and musicians. Their goal was clear, to prevent the extinction of large animals, especially elephants, rhinos and lions for their furs, horns, and whatever else humans could live without. Such the threat to wildlife still happens through the the world today, where these animals are endangered and vulnerable to extinction. 

– Orion T

Picture of Today 9/23/16, Gloominess..

Happy Friday, they said..

Well, after a week of mostly sunny weather we find that at its end, along with an okay summer. The gloom is now here, along with the winds and the chills. I’m all right with this, as I feel this will be the sure sign that Fall has arrived. Get used to it, as the nights will come earlier. With that, I wil catch up to some reading and writing. 

– Orion T

Picture of Today 9/19/2016, the Golden Hour

The sunset earlier today, where I took my time from the earlier evening shop and hustle of getting home, to appreciate a vision that doesn’t last very long. That’s where the sky becomes illuminate, and all around should stay still for the change from night to day. It’s either a sign to go home, or embrace the night.

Such is the golden hour. 

– Orion T

Picture taken before the Pike Place Marker, In Seattle. It’s a good place to visit before the sun sets.

Picture of Today 9/18/2016, The Tired Flower…

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Summer for 2016 will be at its end soon, with a little of the season to show…

Yet, that flower is much like me, a little tired and in need of great rest. While much of it has been productive providing a place for bees or whatever to deal with, there has been much endured over the unusual yet varied temperatures of the summer, ranging from sudden rainstorms to the oncoming wind. There was the sunshine, but not as much as one could hope for. The garden around was a bit crowded, as the flower constantly had much to do. The Fall is coming, and then adaptation will be needed, from the roots to the very top of its next born stem. Perhaps, next year will be a livelier summer.

Meanwhile, here are some friends made. There is a little summer left in them too..

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– Orion T

Picture of Today 9/8/2016, Boldly Still Going..

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50 years ago on this day, a five-year mission began.

To explore strange new life and new civilizations, and you probably know as that message began the science fiction phenomenon, Star Trek. For decades, I have always been a Trekkie at heart, following all the series and all the movies with so much I wish I had the time to say about it all.

And here we are, looking back to the show that put forth some pretty crazy concepts back then (and through later reboots and spin-offs). Behold a crew exploring the final frontier, where all were welcome on a Federation spaceship with no boundaries on race, religion, gender, or non-threatening alien species

Much was already gained in that experience, centuries earlier. We have expedited the tech used in the show. I took the picture above with my phone, that can communicate at the touch of a button. We have computers that can respond to voice commands, give us endless amounts of information at any time, do video-conferences, and more. We have handheld devices that can detect heartbeats, sleep patterns, and give medical data on the fly. With simple instructions, we can produce objects through 3-D printers. Modern VR tech might as well be the earliest form of the holodeck. And if testing goes well, the NASA EM Drive will bring us much faster to the planet Mars. Who knows how far the tech will progress after that?

And, there is so much more to learn from the show about ourselves and the many interesting moral challenges we continue to face. Star Trek examines every facet of humanity to some extent, including religion, war, philosophy, politics. There are challenges to the open mind in many episodes, while there are breaks of fun and action-packed sequences.

Cheer’s to the five-year mission, that was originally televised for less than three, yet expanded and built upon itself for fifty and beyond. The legacy shall last for as long as humanity shall move, perhaps into that final frontier.

But for now, some of us have a railcar to catch. Here is are a couple more shots of the transport craft above, promoting the nearby Star Trek exhibit at the Experience Music Project (EMP) Museum.

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– Orion T

 

Picture of Today 9/3/2016, the Much Colorful Cosplay..

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The PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) returned to Seattle, bringing the unusual bunch special, colorful bunch of gaming enthusiasts together.

Though this year, the event is now PAX West (former PAX Prime), an annual convention for gamers of both the video interactive and the physical tabletop variety. Tomorrow, I will be attending the inside of the event and intend on doing much mingling and observing of a culture I enjoy taking part in.

But outside (where I was strolling by for a walk behind the convention center), there was an interesting sub-group of gaming enthusiasts among the PAX participants gathering around; the cosplayers, who dress up as their favorite characters of their current favorite fandom. Often, they gravitate towards other and court the local photographing paparazzi. With the nice weather peeking out, there were clusters of cosplayers about presenting their colorful attires.

Above, are a sub-group of cosplayers who are growing in presence with their costumes familiar to the League of Legends online MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena). I have yet to play this fascinating game, but very much enjoy the character designs that bring a worthy challenge to its fans who cosplay. The costumes are traditionally hand-made or assembled from ordered fabrics, with some parts taking great craftsmanship and skills to bring about the wonderful details.

Here, is another shot of the League of Legends gathering, taken from my smartphone..

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That’s all for now. More pics soon!

– Orion T