No 18: Road and Space

Quite a large portion of the day was spent considering, musing and discussing the technology behind batteries and electric cars. It was driven by a message on my laptop about the battery and quickly moved onto the subject of my host's Tesla S.

The Tesla is a modern technological marvel. It has screens instead of dials. It's silent. It does zero to sixty in under 5 seconds. It's bigger on the inside than on the outside and it can travel through time.

One of those statements is a lie.

Inside dash of Tesla S. November 18th 2014

And just in case the battery runs flat, there's a bike under the front hood. That's not a standard accessory, but a smart one (the owner is a smart guy!)

Under the hood, Tesla S. November 18th 2014

It is simply a spacecraft on wheels!!

No 17: Intersteller

What better place to see a big budget blockbuster space movie like Intersteller than the National Air & Space Museum? In addition to a full size 70mm Imax theater it has a real space shuttle, a full scale model of the Ranger landing craft from the movie and an Oculus Rift VR exhibit of the film set.

I'm not sure which I enjoyed more - the VR or the Film. The film is ambitious... but not perhaps a bit longer than it needs to be and my belief wasn't quite suspended. The VR Exhibit was much better than expected, but could definitely have been longer.

So, two pictures today, one of the Ranger from the film and one of my three companions - Ron, Craig & Russ - in the world of VR.

Ranger Landing Craft, Air & Space Museum, Dulles, Virginia. November 17th 2014

The Intersteller Oculus Rift Exhibit Air & Space museum, Dulles, Virginia. Nov 17 2014

No 16: As seen through the lens

An unexpected stumbling block to my 30 day challenge as been, unexpectedly, my camera. More precisely, the lens. About year ago I had an accident with it and horribly scratched it. I didn't realise until now how much that's affected my desire to take photos - the scratches are only apparent at certain focal lengths, so I've been content to live with them. Until now.

After reviewing the hundreds of pictures I've taken this past week, most of them are diminished by the lens blemishes. So much so that I spent the day shopping for a replacement.

I've spent a lot of my day trying different lenses at different camera shops and taking comparative pictures... until I found one. A good one - arguably a better one - at a very good price. 

As a last farewell to a lens that has served me well for 3 years, I'm making it the focus of today's picture (see what I did there?)

Sigma 17mm-70mm lens, retired. Nov 16,  2014

No 15: Bat-Mitzvah

And now we come to the main event. The Bat-Mitsvah! The reason I'm in the USA at the moment is because I made a promise a couple of years ago, that I would attend an all important coming of age ceremony. And you can't make a promise to an 11 year old and break it (and retain any sense of respect or credibility!). And I'm not one to miss a good party either.

A Bat-Mitsvah is the female version of the better known Bar-Mitsvah. Its not as common - traditionally only boys celebrate their coming of age, but, as in all things in the year is 2014, it;s time for a bit of reform.

Unfortunately, getting a picture to represent the day wasn't easy. For one thing no technology is allowed in the temple (even a reform one) and for another, most of the party pictures I have include lots and lots of kids, whose pictures I don't want to post without their parents consent.

So here's me and the girl of the moment - Renee Ritchey - at the handy-dandy photo-booth that provided much mirth at the celebratory party. The Penguin background was chosen by the young lady!

Renee Ritchey & Denis-Jose Francois, Centreville, VA, Nov 15, 2014

 

No 14: Compare the burger (part two)

I love it when a plan comes together. One week later and I had a good opportunity to do my burger comparison (see compare the burger part one for details). I visited Ray’s to the Third, in Arlington, Viriginia (just outside Washington DC) for dinner and had close to the same meal:

• The ‘Big Punisher’ (Diablo Burger, Pepper Jack Cheese, Charred Jalapeños, Grilled Onions, Pirañha Sauce): $7.99
• skin-on fries: $3.00
• Mac n Cheese: $3.00

I skipped the coleslaw this time, but considering this wasn’t a lunch deal I think it's still a fair comparison. Total cost: $13.99 (£8.92). Last weeks price was $18.80 (£12.00)
And needless to say, today’s burger was bigger & better as well as cheaper.

In fact, even with the coleslaw it would have been cheaper (slaw was only an additional $3.00/£1.91)

BTW. don't be fooled by the photo. It's the same size burger. That is a *massive* milk shake jug and those are pretty large chips!!

And it was gooooood.

Big Punisher Burger at 'Ray's to the Third', Arlington, Washington DC. Nov 14th, 2014

No 13: Down below the towers

I realised today that I’d as much time on the subway this week as i had walking above ground. At least, it felt like that. Every subway journey I'd taken had been long, slow and fairly uncomfortable. The NYC subway is old and run down and definitely in need of a scrub. But its indispensable too. Without it, the city wouldn't function at all.

Today’s picture is on the platform of Utica Avenue in Brooklyn, near where I’ve been staying all week. It looks like nearly every other station in NYC: Dark, grimy and often feeling deserted - even when it's busy.

Utica Avenue Station, Brooklyn, NY. Nov 13th 2014

No 12: Down in the park

I haven’t spent all my time marveling at the glass and steel capitalism porn and I wanted today's picture to reflect that. So I set out to see a different side of the city.

When I was a teenager I wanted to be the best rapper in the world. In actual fact I was convinced I already was, but due to a being born in the wrong part of the world I could only watch from afar... and learn.

Now obviously, back in the 80s there was no Internet. No easy way to see pictures and learn the history of the culture that I so desperately wanted to be part of. The only thing I had was the music - the lyrics of the rap songs I listened to non-stop - or what I saw in the movies. And, the New York of the 80s as depicted in the movies was definitely not a nice place. In reality it probably wasn’t either. I’ve always wondered which was more real - life or fiction?

So I spent this morning on the subway traversing New York and I visited the Bronx. For added atmosphere I made sure I was listening to the music of my youth. It looked - and felt - exactly like I imaged.

But I didn’t take any photos there. I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t feel comfortable pulling out a $2000 camera while walking through one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. I guess the adult version of me is very far removed from the street-tough wannabe of my youth.

Later on in the afternoon, I returned to Manhattan and took a long walk through central park - another venue from the imagination of my youth. I was surprised by the tranquility of the park and its beauty.

Today’s picture is taken from the middle of the park near the central reservoir. I chose it because it’s in direct contrast to all the previous shots of the city I'd taken. Everything felt older, more worn, a little slower and more laid back. In fact the picture could have been taken any time in the last 50 years.

Central Park Reservoir & West Side, NY. Nov 12th 2014