History

Imagine What Else Is Out There.

September 10, 2015 — 4 Comments

Jersey City

F/ 14.0, 30.0, ISO 100.

Day 253 / 365

What did the painter say to the wall?

One more crack like that and I’ll plaster ya.

Interesting Fact: The land comprising what is now Jersey City was inhabited by the Lenape, a collection of tribes (later called Delaware Indian). In 1609, Henry Hudson, seeking an alternate route to East Asia, anchored his small vessel Halve Maen (English: Half Moon) at Sandy Hook, Harsimus Cove and Weehawken Cove, and elsewhere along what was later named the North River. After spending nine days surveying the area and meeting its inhabitants, he sailed as far north as Albany. By 1621, the Dutch West India Company was organized to manage this new territory and in June 1623, New Netherland became a Dutch province, with headquarters in New Amsterdam. Michael Reyniersz Pauw received a land grant as patroon on the condition that he would establish a settlement of not fewer than fifty persons within four years. He chose the west bank of the North River (Hudson River) and purchased the land from the Lenape. This grant is dated November 22, 1630 and is the earliest known conveyance for what are now Hoboken and Jersey City. Pauw, however, was an absentee landlord who neglected to populate the area and was obliged to sell his holdings back to the Company in 1633.[29] That year, a house was built at Communipaw for Jan Evertsen Bout, superintendent of the colony, which had been named Pavonia (the Latinized form of Pauw’s name, which means peacock).[30] Shortly after, another house was built at Harsimus Cove and became the home of Cornelius Van Vorst, who had succeeded Bout as superintendent, and whose family would become influential in the development of the city. Relations with the Lenape deteriorated, in part because of the colonialist’s mismanagement and misunderstanding of the indigenous people, and led to series of raids and reprisals and the virtual destruction of the settlement on the west bank. During Kieft’s War, approximately eighty Lenapes were killed by the Dutch in a massacre at Pavonia on the night of February 25, 1643. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_City,_New_Jersey#Lenape_and_New_Netherland )

Yellow Is Back!

September 9, 2015 — 12 Comments

Yellow Warbler 2

F/6.3, 1/500, ISO 1600.

Yellow Warbler

Day 252 / 365

Daughter: Mom, can I have a yellow bird for Christmas?
Mom: NO! You’ll have turkey like everyone else.

Interesting Fact: Yellow Warblers forage along slender branches of shrubs and small trees, picking off insect prey as they go or briefly hovering to get at prey on leaves. Singing males perch near the tops of the bushes or trees in their territory. As male Yellow Warblers are setting up territories they may perform a “circle flight” in which they fly toward a neighboring male or female in a horizontal, semicircular path. A male may also fly slowly with fast, exaggerated wingbeats away from a female he is courting or a male he is competing with. As these territorial encounters proceed, males start by singing at each other; as the dispute goes on, the songs get quieter or switch to chip notes as the males begin to chase each other. Yellow Warblers typically form monogamous pairs that sometimes last more than one breeding season and reform the next. Yellow Warblers defend their nesting territories from many species, including other warbler species, chickadees, House Wrens, blackbirds, and Eastern Kingbirds. They may even chase off other warbler species while on their wintering grounds. Common predators of Yellow Warbler nests include garter snakes, red squirrels, jays, crows, raccoons, weasels, skunks, and domestic or feral cats. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow_Warbler/lifehistory )

Ta-Da!!!

September 8, 2015 — 23 Comments

Clothespins

F/5.6, 1/60, ISO 100.

Day 251 / 365

What did the first sock say to the second sock in the dryer?

I’ll see you the next time around

Interesting Fact: The survival of the spring-hinged clothespin into the modern era is an unlikely story of Darwinian selection. From 1852 to 1887, the U.S. patent office issued 146 separate patents for clothespins. The first design that resembles the modern clothespin was patented in 1853 by David M. Smith, a prolific Vermont inventor. Smith also invented a combination lock, a “lathe dog” (a machine part for shaping metal) and a lifting spring for matchboxes. His “spring-clamp for clothes-lines” offered an elegant model of “two levers” hinged so that “the two longer legs may be moved toward each other and at the same time move the shorter ones apart.” Smith’s design was later improved by the 1887 patent of another Vermont inventor, Solon E. Moore, whose great contribution was the “coiled fulcrum,” made from a single wire, which joined the two grooved pieces of wood at the center of the clothespin. Moore’s version had the advantage of being both sturdy — it kept clothes securely on the line — and easy to manufacture. ( http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/magazine/who-made-that-clothespin.html?_r=0 )

I Go Fast!

September 7, 2015 — 2 Comments

Flash

F/ 18.0, 6.0, ISO 100.

Day 250 / 365

What is the Flash’s favorite movie?
Fast & Furious!

Interesting Fact: The Flash first appeared in the Golden Age Flash Comics #1 (Jan. 1940), from All-American Publications, one of three companies that would eventually merge to form DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, this Flash was Jay Garrick, a college student who gained his speed through the inhalation of hard water vapors. When re-introduced in the 1960s Garrick’s origin was modified slightly, gaining his powers through exposure to heavy water. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_(comics)#Publication_history )

Tick Tock Goes The Clock!

September 6, 2015 — 6 Comments

Colgate Clock

F/18.0, 30.0, ISO 100.

Day 249 / 365

What does a wall clock do after it stops ticking?

It hangs around.

Interesting Fact: The current Colgate Clock was built in 1924 to replace an earlier clock designed by Colgate engineer Warren Davey, which was constructed by the Seth Thomas Clock Company for Colgate’s centennial in 1906. After the current clock’s construction, the earlier clock was relocated to a Colgate factory in Clarksville, Indiana.[1][2][3] The Jersey City clock was maintained by John A. Winters from the 1930s until his retirement in 1976. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colgate_Clock_(Jersey_City))

Let’s Go For A Little Ride

September 3, 2015 — 10 Comments

let's go for a ride

F/29.0, 30.0, ISO 100.

Day 236 /365

A guy walks into a bar and demands to know “Who’s the strongest in here?”
The toughest guy looks at him and says “I am the strongest around here!”
The other guy politely asks “Can you help me push my car to the gas station?”

Interesting Fact:  By 1932, the name fiasco between Horch the man, and Horch the company was water under the bridge. Horch (the company) and Audi entered an agreement along with two other German car manufacturers, DKW and Wanderer, to form Auto Union. The four rings, which Audi still uses today, originally represented the four companies of Auto Union. After the merger, Auto Union became the second biggest car company in Germany after Mercedes-Benz. Each of the companies were allocated a market segment: Horch would build high-end luxury cars, Audi focused on deluxe mid-size cars, Wanderer was put in charge of standard mid-size cars, and DKW was tasked with small cars and motorcycles. ( http://www.carcrushing.com/12-things-didnt-know-audi/)

Park Closes At Dusk!

September 2, 2015 — 22 Comments

park bench

F/10.0, 30.0, ISO 100.

Day 245 / 365

I woke up on a park bench and had no idea where I had been

And then I remembered, I’d been to the park

Interesting Fact: The first parks were English deer parks,[citation needed] land set aside for hunting by royalty and the aristocracy in medieval times. They had walls or thick hedges around them to keep game animals (e.g., stags) in and people out. It was strictly forbidden for commoners to hunt animals in these deer parks. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park#History )

 

Vroom Vroom!!!

August 29, 2015 — 13 Comments

audi 2

F/5.0, 1/60, ISO 800.

Day 241 / 365

Five Guys in an Audi Quattro arrive at the border.  The Customs agent stops them and says, “It’s illegal to put 5 people in a Quattro.”  “What do you mean it’s illegal?” ask the driver.  “Quattro means four,” replies the Customs agent.  “Quattro is just the name of the automobile,” the driver retort disbelievingly. “Look at the papers: this car is designed to carry 5 persons.” “You can’t pull that one on me,” replies the Customs agent. “Quattro means four. You have five people in your car and you are therefore breaking the law.”  The driver replies angrily, “You idiot! Call your supervisor over,  I want to speak to someone with more intelligence!”  “Sorry,” responds the Customs agent, “he can’t come. He’s busy with 2 guys in a Fiat Uno.”

 

Interesting Fact:  August Horch founded his first car company, A. Horch & Cie. in 1899. But just 10 years later, Horch wasn’t seeing eye-to-eye with his Chief Financial officer and left his own company to start August Horch Automobilwerke GmbH. Unfortunately, Horch soon learned the Horch name belonged to his former company when he was notified of a copyright infringement. In response, Horch changed the new company’s name to the latin translation of his last name. In German “horch” means “hear,” which in Latin is “audi”. ( http://www.carcrushing.com/12-things-didnt-know-audi/)

Out Of The Shadows Into The Light.

August 28, 2015 — 12 Comments

Orange Truck

F/5.6, 1/30, ISO 800.

Day 240 / 365

A police officer sees a man driving around with a pickup truck full of penguins. He pulls the guy over and says: “You can’t drive around with penguins in this town! Take them to the zoo immediately.” The guy says OK, and drives away.  The next day, the officer sees the guy still driving around with the truck full of penguins, and they’re all wearing sun glasses.  He pulls the guy over and demands: “I thought I told you to take these penguins to the zoo yesterday?”

The guy replies: “I did… today I’m taking them to the beach!”

Interesting Fact: In the early days of automobile manufacturing, vehicles were sold as a chassis only, and third parties added bodies on top.[5] In 1913 the Galion Allsteel Body Company, an early developer of the pickup and dump truck, built and installed hauling boxes on slightly modified Ford Model T chassis,[6] and from 1917 on the Model TT. Seeking part of this market share, Dodge introduced a 3/4-ton pickup with cab and body constructed entirely of wood in 1924.[7] In 1925 Ford followed up with a Model T-based steel-bodied, half-ton with an adjustable tailgate and heavy-duty rear springs.[8] Billed it as the “Ford Model T Runabout with Pickup Body,” it sold for US$281. 34,000 were built. In 1928 it was replaced by the Model A which had a closed-cab, safety glass windshield, roll-up side windows and three-speed transmission. In 1931 Chevrolet produced its first factory-assembled pickup.[9] Ford Australia produced the first Australian “ute” in 1932.[10] During the second world war, the United States government halted the product of privately-owned pickup trucks. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_truck )

Let’s Kick It Old School!

August 26, 2015 — 15 Comments

vinyl records

F/ 4.5, 1/60, ISO 100.

Day 238 / 365

I hate listening to techno on vinyl, I never know whether its skipping or whether its just part of the song.

Interesting Fact: Vinyl recordings have been around longer than you think- they have been traced back to the early 19th century in France, as well as to a man named Emile Berliner * (D.O.B. May, 20, 1851). Emile invented the flat disc record in 1888, produced from vulcanized rubber between 12.5cm-18cm thick.  As time progressed, the format was improved- going through transformations in both recording methods as well as materials used (shellac/slate, adding/removing a horn, thickness, etc).   Perhaps we can all celebrate Emile this year by playing our favorite album on May 20th. ( http://recordcollectorsguild.org/vinyl-5-awesome-interesting-facts/ )