This is a beautiful image of a solar eclipse, specifically the solar corona. You know, that thing that everyone tells you not to look at during one of these solar events.
“This photograph of a total solar eclipse was taken by Miloslav Druckmüller and colleagues from Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic, during an eclipse on July 22, 2009. They were located on Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
The sun was completely blocked by the moon (a period known as ‘totality’) for 5 minutes and 41 seconds. In that time, Druckmüller was able to take a series of images that were combined and processed to produce this final product. Features usually hidden from view can now be seen including lunar impact craters and the intricate detail of the magnetic field lines inside the corona.”
The Discovery Channel article is found here. And the photographer’s page, where details on the how the image was exposed as well as a high resolution image can be found here.
Haven’t posted anything in a while because I’ve been working on a bunch of stuff. That and raiding ICC, shh.
Anyway, lately I’ve been checking out 2MANYDJS, the dj-alter-ego of the group Soulwax. Now, I love their music, mixes and remixes, but what really caught my eye is their VJing. What is VJing? The same thing as DJing, but with visuals. One problem that a lot of DJs have today is how to make their live shows interesting. VJing gives the visual interest to complement the music, usually tied into and mixed alongside the sound tracks.
During a live performance, they are mixing music on the spot, more or less making the song as they go, similarly to a regular band performance. However, it’s not nearly as interesting. At a DJ show, you’re looking at a guy behind a sound panel, turning knobs, pressing buttons and scratching digital records. You might as well just be sitting in front of a speaker. So, the trick is making a show that stands out. Daft Punk does a great job by having trademark costumes, sets, and crazy ass lighting they use during their shows. Other less inspired groups simply use fog, lasers, dancers, and windows media player visualizers to try to keep the audiences attention.
Which brings me to 2MANYDJS. Basically, they’re now my heroes as far as visuals go. What they essentially do is take the album cover to the song you’re listening to and bring it to life! Literally. They take the art and animated it. For example: If there’s a guy on the cover, you can bet that he’s gonna dance and bob his head. Some work better than others, but they all become extremely entertaining to watch, and you sometimes forget you’re at a DJ show.
This doesn’t work simply because it gives you something to watch while listening to fat beats being laid down, but because because it plays WITH the music, instead of just something on top of the music. What I mean is that they don’t simply play a video when the song pops up. Anyone who’s listened to DJ mixes will know how the artist can hint at a song before it really starts playing. You might hear a tune or bass line or sound that is recognizable, which strikes anticipation in the listener, and drives the crowd wild. Just like with the music, the album art starts to vaguely come into view, and just as the song hits its prime, the album cover is complete and brought alive in its full glory.
