Monday, February 21, 2011

Enigma




Moon landings could be assembled at staged setups in the Mohave?
Luddites will rejoice at this shot of a shuttle launch obviously created in someone's living room with digital trickery.  And we all fell for it who watched!



See strong invention engines strange devise,
And ope the mysteries of earth, seas, and skies;
Aid curious art to finish works refin'd,
And teach abstrusest science to mankind.
Up the dread vault, where stars immensely roll,
To heaven, Herschelian tubes conduct the soul;
Where proud Orion heads th' immortal train,
And opes his lucid window through the main;
Where, far beyond this limitary sky,
Superior worlds of liquid splendour lie;
Far other suns diffuse th' unsetting ray,
And other planets roll, in living day,
Truth, bliss, and virtue, age by age, refine,
And unknown nations bask in life divine.



From Timothy Dwight, Greenfield Hill (1794)
Unlike most of the other 18th-century writers represented here, who were British, Dwight was American; this poem dealt chiefly with his conception of an ideal society and was dedicated to John Adams.


No, it is true . . .   this photo of  a  NASA camera shot of the separation of the shuttle from its fuel tank was taken of our television screen, the lamp a reflection.
(It has been a slow winter)





16 comments:

  1. Well, guess it brightened up someone's day! And it is quite clever...I actually thought it was real, when I first saw your photo.

    I'm glad to hear you are doing well, Lyle...this winter has been a long one. Soon, those ducks of yours will be having babies to replace the others!

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  2. :) such a trick to someone's imagination.

    Enjoy the winter, it's getting so hot for the summer here and I wish for snow. :)

    I miss this place!

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  3. Cool poem, Yeah its been a slow winter.

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  4. Proof positive of the non-transitivity of experience. If you can do it, you can fake it - but being able to fake it does not mean you can do it.

    It also proves that some people have too much time on their hands.

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  5. That's quite the trick Goatman - it HAS been a long winter :)
    Do not know this poet. Will have to look for more of his works.

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  6. Amazing what amuses people. Perhaps warmer weather will get them out walking.

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  7. Up the dread vault, where stars immensely roll,

    Yeah! wow. Thanks for that.
    And yes perhaps the white sands are Mars too.

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  8. I can not say that it has been a slow winter but I will agree that it has been a cold and too long of one. I do so love when the conspirators and never say "WOW what a feat" come marching in the different parades, all saying fake, fake a hoax is upon us.

    It is good when the accomplishments of mere mortals are debunked and turned to decades worth of debate over the truth of them.

    A bit of a slam to the memory of them who died while getting us to the apex of those accomplishments but then why bother to have an area 51 when a good hoax perpetrated upon us poor idiot humans is all we really need to convince us.

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  9. Delighted to be back. Im in US but will be in NY, DC, Kentucy and connecticut. Not sure would cross path ...
    Let me now if you are in thses cities ..for coffee and chat

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  10. Thank you for ur quick answer. Im adjusting to the freezing weather but walking keeps me tierd but oh well, that what you get when you travel with a belly.

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  11. Im sorry that Im not going to be in your area but just contacting u was great

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  12. So nice to be visiting your blog once more!
    I enjoyed this post!

    Hope you are doing well.

    Margie :)

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  13. the poem was quite interesting .. and even more interesting is the picture :)

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