This picture would have been worth re-posting even if the photographer had not been lucky enough to catch an amazing bolt of fork lightning at the instant they took the picture.
This sculpture is entirely handmade, by Mark Ho. The sculpture reminds me so much of the 50s illustrations by Chris Foss for Isaac Asimov's robots books.
I love the organic look of it. It looks less a machine contorted into human form than the reverse.
Originally uploaded by derekmatth.
Yet another beautious offering from Derek. Very Fin de Seicle, sun setting on the roman empire kind of theme. Me Like.
Waterfall
Originally uploaded by Andrew Matthews.
A waterfall in the grounds of Ripponlea estate, Melbourne.
Taken with ISO400 exposure of 1/2000 at F8.0 then put through a high-pass filter and contrast enhanced.
Fern Bud
Originally uploaded by Andrew Matthews.
This bud for a tree fern was about the size of my hand with fingers outstretched. It would be great to get a time laps of one of these unfolding. mind you, the humidity would have fritzed my camera way before it got through the sequence.
I love the fractal symmetry in the self similarity on each scale. I wonder how many levels of spiral there are in these buds? I guess I could work it out my looking at the levels of structure in an outstretched frond.
Frond – I love that word. I once bought an album by a band called ‘the bevis frond’, just because I loved the word – bloody stupid really, cos the music was an atrocity as I recal, anyway the minds a blank.
Last night Kerry and I saw the Melbourne Chorale perform Arvo Part’s Songs of Repentance at St Patricks Cathedral. It was a beautiful concert and one I’ll not forget in a hurry.
The music began with Allegri’s Misereri which blew us both away, but the music continued to improve (IMHO) with the Part part. The choir sang in that gorgeous subsonic Russian orthodox christian style with edgy dissonances that fixate your attention. The atmosphere was electrifying not only because we were in a gothic cathedral with an electric storm going on outside making the whole edifice creak and sigh. The rain was pouring and the lightening periodically shone through the stained glass windows. We were listening to doleful songs of repentance and the atmosphere was one of a millenial mass for a collapsing world – thunder and lightening going on outside, the tolling of a bell in the cathedral and the distant sounds of police sirens…
Absolutely incredible! I could go on.
I’m not sure that this image does the original on Derek’s site justice, but click on it and it should take you there.
God knows what kind of tree this is, but it looks like a tree full of chick-peas. 
Across the bay
Click on the picture above to see my first attempt with the new camera. What dya think?
