Copasetic Flow

 I've had issues with my movies on the last two Panasonic cameras I've owned, (the latest is a DC G100 that I'm quite pleased with), showing up 8 hours before, (in file listings), pictures that were taken right next to them (in the scheme of actual time.) I figured out that there are  other date fields availabe in the file viewers that have the correct time. Here's a video short of how to to do that. Maybe I'll ask ChatGPT if there's a way to code up something that will make the dates actually match across all the fields later.

My recent POTA photographs of the Aurora Borealis from New Mexico were only possible because of the night mode of my Samsung 23S phone. I haven't located anything about how Samsung's night mode works, but I have accumulated a list of links about the Google Pixel's night mode. Here they are https://research.google/blog/night-sight-seeing-in-the-dark-on-pixel-phones/ https://research.google/blog/experimental-nighttime-photography-with-nexus-and-pixel/ https://drive.google.com/file/d/18tdBq1ROkQ9FGHtWd1RFtRC_7byOg-ji/view https://research.google/blog/astrophotography-with-night-sight-on-pixel-phones/ https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/2980179.2980254

 I got to take pictures of the Aurora Borealis for the first time this week! I got up in the middle of the night while camping above Mountainaire, NM during the G4 geomagnetic storm on Thursday evening (the early, early morning of 24/10/11.) Left to my own devices, I couldn't see much of anything at first, but the cell phone camera did. It took me  a while to get used to how the Samsung S23+ camera worked vs the old Google Pixels I've got more experience with. The Samsung kept trying to save me time by putthing me in simple night mode. It did not save me time. Without being able to extend the shutter time I got kinda cool, but not the best pictures (Note: I need to find a way to turn the page background block on selected posts like this one.) A 1.5 second exposure came out like this While a 5.5 second exposure resulted in I had a heck of a time figuring out what had happened to the top of the tree ine middle of this picture because, well, pine trees don't have tops like tha...

 Sigh... I used to never, ever take Android updates. I need to get back into that habit again. After the latest update, my Panasonic camera would no longer transfer images to my phone. Just like that, the whole, really nice feature was swizzled and dead. Fortunately, grahamashton.net ran into the same issue back in 2017 and has a workable solution ! Because things disappear on the internet, here's the crux of it. Put your phone in airplane mode, then, and only then, hook up to your camera over wifi. Somehow the lack of a cell data network makes everything feel better for the phone.

With more pictures coming in from the Mars rover missions that 'look like something', it seems that believers are becoming ever more hopeful while skeptics are becoming ever more skeptical. In the interest of promoting open-mindedness in scientific investigations, the following Earth-bound, Mars and Mercury rocks are presented for your consideration. From Just a Rock More Than A Rock ??? Earth Camel Rock near Tesuque Pueble, NM Image credit The Treasury: Petra, Jordan Mars Actually, this is a special rock. The rock in the lower right foreground is thought to be an iron meteor. Image credit Maritian meteor containing fossilized bacteria? Image credit Lady on Mars Image credit Earth Bear in a Rock: Pecos River Valley, NM Image credit Mars Skull Rock Image credit Mercury Spider scar: Mercury Image credit Not a rock! Also, not from Mercury. Image credit

It was gorgeous up on Dakota Ridge yesterday morning! Jupiter and Venus were in view as the horizon lit up. The clouds to the north and the south were incredible. As the sun lit them up And here's a video of it all!

Last Autumn I visited the small island of Samothraki, Greece in the northeastern Aegean Sea. The island is beautiful with rocky beaches, mountains, dense forests, and natural waterfalls all packed into a small space. View Larger Map But, what initially drew my attention to it was the Sanctuary of the Great Gods . Alexander the Great's mother and father met there during a initiation. I wanted to find out if there were any links between modern-day Masonic ceremonies and the ritual initiations performed there. The site is beautiful! The layout doesn't fit with the east-west layout of today's lodges. Almost every building on the site was situated north-south. Of course, with the gorgeous views of the sea to the north, who could blame them! This site of temples and meeting halls is also where the "Winged Victory" statue was found. The statue "Winged Victory", which now resides in the Louvre was found on Samothraki and recently featured in the movie Ange...

A few foxes have wondered into town lately. This one was just hanging out in Sanitas Valley this morning watching the world go by.

The Sanitas Valley/Dakota Ridge Series, Boulder, Colorado Part I Part II Part III Part IV Sanitas Valley has almost completely cleared up after the recent snow storm. Only a few errant clouds are hanging around.

The Sanitas Valley/Dakota Ridge Series, Boulder, Colorado Part I Part II Part III Part IV After yesterday's snow and falling temperatures over night, this morning's sunrise was incredible!

The Sanitas Valley/Dakota Ridge Series, Boulder, Colorado Part I Part II Part III Part IV It's snowing in Boulder, Colorado this morning! All the trees were flocked along Dakota Ridge and Sanitas Valley. A black fox was making his way along the side of the valley in the snow.

On a recent trip across New Mexico I took a few pictures of the Pecos River Valley near San Miguel. Somebody looked at this one and pointed out the rock was a bear! Here are some more pictures of the valley! The Pecos was mostly frozen over. As I was taking the pictures the ice was stretching and compressing, making crackling noises as the sun warmed it.

A few beautiful sunsets from around the world. Mal Pais, Costa Rica. The sky on fire in Boulder, CO The beautiful blue waters and sky off of Samothraki, Greece More gorgeous clouds from Samothraki The author outside Samothraki, Greece The Costa Rica picture was taken with a Canon PowerShot S400. All other pictures were taken with a Panasonic DMC-FX01.