Quantum Mechanics and Other Topics

I am not a quantum physicist. Nor, do I ever claim to be one. But, it is a topic that has interested me since my college days and during the course of time since, actually, I have begun to understand a tiny bit (pardon that pun) of the Theory.  Not until I read an article in Quanta Magazine did it hit me just how much interest that I had in the topic and how the very laws of Quantum Mechanics have changed my life, my world, my total thinking. That is a heavy statement. It is, without reservation, true.

Yesterday, was another one of those  dark, gloomy and dingy days that I use to shoot textures and backgrounds. I don't do as much of those as I should. But somehow, I do manage to squeeze in four or five days every six months to do just that. Usually, those days fall into the dreary bin.

A few weeks back, I ran across a dumping pile for old trees and logs  that had been removed from somewhere else. A tree is good for two textures--the grain from the cut and the bark. Both make interesting backgrounds for graphic artist and web designers. Some are even becoming a focal point for the cutting-edge interior designers. So, the thinking was that if I could make one stop and get two separate backgrounds, the cost per mile would drop against any future sale.

When I got to the site, I was somewhat relieved to see them all still there. I parked the car and got out, camera in hand. As I approached the favorite piece that I had half-way chosen to be the best of the lot for texture shots, it was obvious that someone else had chosen it as well, as a pile of fresh sawdust lay on the ground and a fresh face cut was obvious that a slice had been taken away already.
Actually, the person who had come and gone with the cut, had aided me more than they knew.

When, I had the shots that I wanted, I walked over to the car and went into the little wood wine box that I carry little props and tools in for the tripod. Don't you see the entanglements and tensor networks going on here? It's quantum physics at work people!  Quantum entanglements--the glue that holds things together, including those tensor networks of the universe. They are all working together. That's why there are 1,000 parts on an Airbus A-380 that are made with a digital 3-D printer. Think glue baby, think glue! 

Now, think about how many years this tree was alive and of the history that passed over it; below it; through it, or within it. Time and Space. That tree is time and space. Somewhere in another dimension, that sawdust on the ground is still on that tree trunk. That's what Dr. Stephen Hawkins believes. Who am I to disagree?

54-inches side-to-side cut

The lesser diameter trunks and limbs

Cirque du Soleil and Kooza

Well, although it was raining this afternoon, my third trip to Fair Park turned out to be a good trip. Because the Texas State Fair is about to start and navigating the grounds and roadways are filled with obstacles---mainly large tent structures and stages going up---this was the last trip until after the fair. The corny dog stand was complete this trip and the lights were on. It could have been open for business.Sure would have liked a corny dog since there was no one in line!!!!

The lanterns were still being constructed. However, across the street where the display will be home, the pieces of the last two weeks had been assembled as a whole and the displays were spectacular. The trains were also included on the trip and I noticed an old box car in the area with open side doors and two coke machines inside the old box car. It was unusual and a bit out-of-place for a departing railroad museum.

The route was a bit in reverse from last week  as I started out on the service road of Woodall Rogers and cut across to Dealey Plaza where I took Reunion and followed it down and around the hotel and tower coming out on Memorial Drive on the other side of the complex. The Houston Street Viaduct Bridge is between where Reunion Arena once stood and where my main photo op was located. It is where the massive tent and all the support equipment that goes with such an operation was located.It is where Cirque du Soleil's Kooza will happen. The size of the operation was very striking. After stopping at the security post and getting the parameters of what and where I could photograph, I was basically shooting under an umbrella as the rain was coming down at a pretty good clip. Still, as it always happens, something on your list to shoot in the future appears while you are shooting something else. This serendipity was a gondola car of scrap metal coming under the western end of the Convention Center.

Also, Wiki Commons has a national photo contest going until the end of September of historic architecture on the Department of the Interior's National Park Service's List of Historic Places.
I am thinking about entering. There are several images that I could weed out from my portfolio and submit. Something I saw last week also rang a bell that it might be a good candidate for submission so I retook the image from several angles today just for comparison purposes.

Opens Septermber 19-October 21,2012 in Dallas

The Show
 

 

Union Station Coming and Going Today

Old Amtrak Rail Cars Headed to a Museum

The TRE running regular commuter service from Downtown Ft. Worth to Downtown Dallas

Modern and not so modern. Even the modern is becoming outdated. The new "A" train in Denton that connects with Dart in Carrollton is fully modern and being imported from Europe. It will replace the old Budd cars that are in  "A" train operation and on loan from the TRE. It won't be long before they will be in regular service.The first car arrived nearly a year ago but have not been put into service.

A Giant Sycamore Tree (Platanus Occidentalis)

The Sycamore tree is mentioned in the bible story of Zacchaeus, the corrupt tax collector (Luke19:1-10). The white bark against the blue sky and the shadows makes the tree a show piece and a history lesson.