Monday, June 29, 2009

Clouds, by the light of the moon - Extract

Lucky to have my cloud picture chosen as the cloud of the month in http://cloudappreciationsociety.org.

Here is the extract -->
There aren’t many images of clouds at night on the society gallery. Perhaps this is because the low light conditions present challenges for digital photography. Perhaps it is because cloudspotters like to go to bed early. Whatever the reason, we think that it is a shame, as the right sort of clouds lit by a full Moon is a sight of great beauty.

The high, streaked ice-crystal clouds, such as Cirrus, look glorious in the moonlight. Thin enough to let the light through with ease, they seem even more delicate and lace-like with a dark backdrop than they do during the day. But the best night clouds have to be Altocumulus – particularly those with gaps between their clumps, a variety known as ‘perlucidus’. If the Altocumulus layer is not too thick, the clumps of cloud develop a striking silvery glow, which is interspersed with inky rivers of the starry sky beyond.

And sometimes, as in these night-time clouds over Bangalore, India, the droplets of the Altocumulus cloud can diffract the moonlight to produce a fragmented ring of reddish colours, around a blue-white disc of light, which is known as a ‘corona’. As different clouds drift in the wind across the face of the Moon, these colours jump nearer or further from it, shifting position depending on the size of the cloud droplets.

Nothing beats a clear starry night when the Moon is less than full. But when it is shining at its brightest, the drifting schools of iridescent, silvery clouds are enough to make even astronomers, usually frustrated by the obstacle of clouds, put down their telescopes and admire the spectacle.

http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/may-09/

Spectrum

m.I.m

Saturday, June 27, 2009

A fruitful association

After 5 years and 7 months a friend of mine has decided to take some time off from active service and enter into a retirement mode.

This friend of mine has served me in days of sunshine, in days of rain etc etc. This friend of mine has fallen off the first floor and yet made sure I didn't have to take it to the doctor. This friend of mine has undergone pacemaker surgery of its battery twice yet served me well while several of its breed have failed owners in less than 3 years. This friend of mine was born in China and was given as a gift from my dad and was held in special esteem because multimedia in days were never in the bloodline. As I grant retirement to my friend, I have asked him to help in countries where my new friend might not work...Last few months deafness and dumbness was troubling my friend.

My great stats of my friend - lifetime till date - 1603 hours, 12 minutes 04 seconds
Here are few pictures of my friend.

Motorola E398

Bright and Shining till retirement

A fruitful association with my phone

m.I.m