Monday, September 21, 2015

Design evaluation




Archery is one of my hobbies that i enjoy practicing in my spare time. Recently I have decided to try something new in this sport and look for a different kind of bow that I have never used before. Since i was introduced in this sport I have only ever used a re-curve bow. Now I want to give a compound a "shot".  The difference for those of you who do not know between re-curve and compound bows is thus. A re-curve bow uses only one string and the archer will hold back the pressure cased by the tension of the string on the arrow. A compound uses a pulley systems which take the pressure off the archer once the string is pulled back far enough that he cam engages.

Compound bows are mostly known to those who enjoy hunting. With a compound bow you can have a much higher ft pound of torch to "take down" an animal with out to much strain on the hunters arms. Plus with the pulley system taking all the pressure off the arm, the hunter can take longer to aim. I am only a target shooter so i have limited myself to Olympic re-curve. I have decided to look up compound competitions, they seem to be the same but different from Olympic style.

Archery can be a very expensive sport to become involved in. Many start by renting equipment at a shooting range then buying a bow latter when they have a better grasp on the technique. I am probably being an idiot and want to buy myself a bow to start with. This weekend I visited an archery supply shop and tested out a compound for the first time. Sadly my phone was dead so I did not take any pictures of any of the equipment that I am considering. There are many different brands that produce archery equipment, and each one performs the same function. Why than is it so difficult to choose one that I want?
Well depending on the materials used to construct the bow, the ft pounds of torch it produces, and the brand are all contributing factors to the price. The true question is, should I spend more and get one that comes complete and in a color I like? Or should i get one that I can add equipment (sight, rest, etc), the price sometimes is not that that different.

A second option is that I would like another riser for my re-curve. with the two set of limbs that i already own this would make a complete second bow. This is only a question of what style, color, and brand. Some examples are as follows.

            

Monday, September 14, 2015

Contrast, Balance, and Harmony



I have always enjoyed learning about sunken ships. As a hobby I enjoy researching and glancing over photos of lost and abandoned wrecks. When I look at the pictures I get the same creepy feeling craw up my spine as when I see a haunted house in a horror movie. It’s shocking and scary, but you can’t help but want to explore inside it and learn its secrets. Just like a haunted house, many shipwrecks tend to have tragic backstories. Usually resulting in the loss of many human lives. However before the grim reaper boarded for a last voyage, many sea fearing vessels have fantastic stories of triumph that make them proud symbols for the nation they represented. One of my favorite examples of this is the story of the WWII battleship Bismarck which wreck is pictured above.     
                This fascination of mine probably all started when I was a youngster. I use to visit and stayed over at my grandparents’ house a lot. My grandfather was in the navy during WWII and for a gift on ether a birthday or Christmas one year, my grandfather received two national geographic documentaries. One on the discovery of the Titanic, The other the search for the battleship Bismarck. I watched these two documentaries at least a hundred times, and I still enjoy watching them today as an adult.  
                A little back story for those who have never heard of the Bismarck. During WWII naval power was one of the key elements of warfare. The German Axes powers had control over much ground, spreading throughout Europe and parts of Africa. Great Britton however still maintained an advantage with their navy. Seeing that naval superiority was a definite contributing factor in fighting there allied counterparts. Hitler himself ordered a battleship to be commissioned that would take the rule of the waves away from Britania. She would be the biggest, most heavily gunned, and strongest armored of any ship built before her. To quote the film maker James Cameron “The Bismarck was like the Deathstar of her day”. Once built it was immediately put into service. Her original orders were to head through the Denmark Strait and into open Atlantic being undetected. Then attack and sink allied cargo ships making their way to deliver supplies to Great Britain. After successfully making it to the Atlantic she encountered the British battleship “Hood” sinking it within only a few minutes, losing all but 3 of her crew. Winston Churchill ordered all battleships and aircraft carriers that the most important thing for them was to find the Bismarck and sink it. The Bismarck proved to be very allusive for her sizes. On an overcast day a small allied aerial photography plain spotted a grey shape below the clouds and snapped a picture. It was their German target, but no ships were within range to catch up with it. Only one aircraft carrier was close enough to be able to send out small one torpedo plains to try and slow Bismarck down. In the following flight only one torpedo was able to strike the Bismarck, jamming its Rutter. Now the ship could only make a huge circle. The allies’ then advanced on the wounded ship in huge numbers the idea being to corner and out gun. The Battle became a bloodbath, the allies riddling the Bismarck’s decks with shellfire. The Bismarck’s crew did fight back but was so outnumbered it was hard to think of anyway it could have escaped or won. She eventually succumbed and sank taking many crew members down with her. After the Bismarck sank there are many stories of heroisms and bravery. Many British ships picked up surviving German sailors. Sadly they also had to leave many behind due to the spotting of German U-bots heading in there direction.
                Being that I know the story this hulk resting on the bottom of the ocean floor tells, may be one of the resins why I like this picture.
                I bring no joy in saying that I see the Contrast most in the swastika symbol that still adorns the bow and stern of the ship. Unlike the rest of the hull it is surrounded by a white circle that seems un-natural.  It tends to stick out compared to the damaged and rusting metal of the rest of the ship, causing your eye to be drawn right to it. Another contrast is the shape of the ship itself sticking out from the sea bed. It looks like a step that rises up to a flatter surface then back down again. On the decks all of the details that come in the form of craters and mountains that once held huge turret guns and the conning tower. They are only seen by the shadow that is cast to fill in the holes. It reminds me of looking at creators in the moon. You can get a sense just looking at this picture what the terrain of the ship would be like if you were there to see it in person.
                Balance to me is the in looking at the shape of the ship. If you look at the top surface it makes a triangle shape, with the high point being were the bridge is and following the line down to both the stern and bow. It is also balanced the way how the ship is sitting upright. Even though most of the hull is buried up the almost the top deck, it makes it seem secured and cemented into the bottom. Since it is sitting upright you can see how it looked still afloat. It has a long deck with all of its busy parts set in the middle like an archery bow riser connected to the limbs.
                Harmony. It looks like it belongs there, embracing the roll of the fabled ghost ship. The holes and lines feel like they have become part of the landscape that makes up the bottom of the sea. Like ancient ruins nature has started to form a partnership with the manmade object. Under 3 miles of ocean it is hard to make out what difference the color of the ship is compared to the earth.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Visceral Response


- This beautiful machine is an Aston Martin Vanquish Volante. I love looking at this car, especially in this particular picture of it. There are many resins why this scene speaks to me, all stimulating in there own way. First its the colors of the vehicle. They instantly attract my eye. Blue is the spectrum that i have loved my entire life.

The Intensity of blue makes me feel that if you could touch what ever item it might be in this color; its texture would feel smooth and solid, same as glass. Cold and refreshing, like ice in a almost frozen coke on a hot day. Its invigorating, giving off the energy of a strait shot of Adrenalin to the blood stream. and yet, calming at the same time. Like laying on your back with arms behind your head, not necessarily sleepy but soothed and relaxed. Its odd how just one color can make you feel so many emotions at the same time.

The Hue of the two blues segregate and mingle at the same time. given the list of endorphin's I just listed to describe the exterior. Now throw on-top the interior and you get another set of emotions that are neither taking over the first ones, but mix with them yet still standing alone. The sky blue of the interior has an aquatic feel to it. I imagine sitting in it would feel like wading in a lagoon, the seats would tickle wile hydrating the body. The air would always feel crisp and tingling as it wisp's through my hair.

Contrast is probably why this image is so provocative to me. With the frigidness spirit of the blues that make up the car, its exciting that it is clearly parked in a hot, dry, desert environment. Thus giving the mirage of re-hydration. Its like a projection of an Oasis surrounded by sand dunes. Come to think of it, is anyone else getting thirsty? A beautiful thing about this paint code is that when the sun gleams its lines it gives off different waves of Azure, an example is if you look at the head light, following the canal that leads up to the cab is a very bright jet stream shine that gives the car an eye shadow appearance over its silver iris.      

Design now rears its head on my tongues palette. The body is exquisite, you might notice an hour glass outline at the waist.  like girls, a lot of curves is always a good thing. To focus on performance at the back it flares out making big hips in the fenders leading to a rounded back end (what can i say i like big butts and i cannot lie). Along side this feminine fetcher is hints of aggressiveness and attitude. it seams to say "bring it on".