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Creation

CREATION OF ANIMATE FROM INANIMATE: – we have touched upon some scientific dry wells and frauds already. The idea of cold fusion and perpetual motion that the Utah researchers may not have achieved was just dealt with: but a recent report showing a Utah student using Farnsworth’s old designs is another example that makes me think cold Fusion is going to be a reality. Chaos is the operating fact of the universe that does actually adapt and create or mutate through qualitative and quantitative leaps according to the Russian (Check out the new Frontier people who have a site on the web.) and mystical scientific paradigm-thinking. thus many of the normal behavioral observations can only explain part of the day to day ‘reality’. A few decades ago science generated proteins from apparent nothingness and declared they had created life from inanimate. this concept and experiment was partially replicable and became touted and taught throughout all schools, but it was less than what it was represented to be in the final analysis. NASA now pronounces there is life everywhere including interstellar vacuums. Microbes are not the only reason for this truth.

Just as there are archetypes in our minds the equivalent templates of knowledge exist in the ‘ether’ or ‘cosmic soup’. together and inclusive of all knowledge we get the Universal Mind or Harmonic Convergence. These things are shallow images of what really can be done with joined effort of mind and soul through the attunement of adept practitioners and observers of nature. The Jewish ‘Golem’ is supposedly able to invest the soul of a dead person into the fashioned earth and matter that the Rabbis or other magicians work with. The alchemist’s ‘homonunclus’, and gargoyles being brought to life by Kafka: legends abound in many cultural settings. The possibility of such an act of creation is more mind-blowing to any rational person than even the focusing of dimensional forces. How could one actually tap their genetic knowledge to cause any form of life to exist. yet it would appear mere science can create some rudimentary building blocks and that energy can be directed through super conscious latticeworks that retain information much as the silicon computer chip or digitized quantum bits of cognized information. The one dimensional harmonic forces of String Theory that combine to form membranes and other 11-dimensional realities are quite reminiscent of the concepts of animating and transmuting the form of matter (which is just lower level or dross energy).

The amount of time that man has been aware and creatively focused on attunement is far longer than the time he has been fixed on power and material greed. it didn’t require writing it down. In fact it isn’t very easy to explain how chaos or creation works by any scientist who can demonstrate the mathematical formula. Yes, we see there are eloquent images and fancy terminologies. What the formula can do is still largely unproven in terms of what the apparent potential might yield. Man is on the verge of being able to create and have robots to create as self-replicants and restructuring of wood or other energy into food or gold. this is the expected near future outcome with nanotechnology and ‘replicators’ much like the Star Trek images have brought us for many years.

Bucky Fuller called it creative realization and said that anything we can imagine is achievable through our acceptance and focused intention. He was saying it in dry and often scientific or even incomprehensible language but he is right. So we can say that ‘survival of the fittest’ is a rude natural fact that ‘creation’ can alter and surpass. The ancient ideals of Godheads and akashic or other direct cognition are worth exploration because the world of ‘seems to be’ is really what ever we can create. Hopefully my nave perception about RIGHT THOUGHT=RIGHT ACTION from the laws of the Magi is an operating principle.

Did Mungo Man’s line of humans go wrong? How much of these things did they learn? Did they teach some of our kind to do some of these things? if ‘fittest’ can be conceived with a God-like PURPOSE and there truly is an effort of all energy to harmonize and find the most creative application (or happiness) then we are in for some fantastic voyages of splendiferous ‘reality’ Can these images of heaven on earth really come about? Or will our ethical malaise ensure old line greed overtakes a universe of possibilities. Science already gives a power to do many things which in the hands of certain people generates a great deal of concern. Was it John Donne who said if one man suffers we all are diminished? The natural ways that energy and its consciousness form and weave matter are the subject of observers in science once again. Dr. Don Robbins is a solid state chemist whose work I truly appreciate. In the following excerpts from an article titled ‘Nanotubes for Electronics’ from Dec. 2000′s Scientific American please imagine how these naturally occurring objects occur if there is no consciousness in matter, and remember the ancients did have lenses for telescopes and microscopes.

Nearly 10 years ago Sumio Iijima, sitting at an electron microscope at the NEC Fundamental Research Laboratory in Tsukaba, Japan, first noticed odd nanoscopic threads lying in a smear of soot. Made of pure carbon, as regular and symmetric as crystals, these exquisitely thin, impressively long macromolecules soon became known as nanotubes And even if the ancients didn’t have adequate microscopes the existence of these fits with the science of lattices and energy we can measure in Stonehenge and the kings chamber of the great Pyramid. They were able to attune with it., and they have been the object of intense scientific study ever since.

Just recently, they have become a subject for engineering as well. many of the extraordinary properties attributed to nanotubes–among them, superlative resilience, tensile strength and thermal stability–have fed fantastic predictions of microscopic robots, dent-resistant car bodies and earthquake-resistant buildings The poured in place concrete in Peru with angled rocks that ‘fit’ like the great Pyramid?. The first products to use nanotubes, however, exploit none of these. Instead the earliest applications are electrical. some General Motors cars already include plastic parts to which nanotubes were added; such plastic can be electrified during painting so that the paint will stick more readily And be made smooth and even through the use of a laser measuring application.. And two nanotube-based lighting and display products are well on their way to market.

In the long term, perhaps the most valuable applications will take further advantage of nanotubes’ unique electronic properties. Carbon nanotubes can in principle play the same role as silicon does in electronic circuits, but at a molecular scale where silicon and other standard semiconductors cease to work. Although the electronics industry is already pushing the critical dimensions of transistors in commercial chips below 200 nanometers (billionths of a meter)–about 400 atoms wide–engineers face large obstacles in continuing this miniaturization. within this decade, the materials and processes on which the computer revolution has been built will begin to hit fundamental physical limits. still, there are huge economic incentives to shrink devices further, because the speed, density and efficiency of microelectronic devices all rise rapidly as the minimum feature size decreases. Experiments over the past several years have given researchers hope Remember the bio-ram devices coming from Oak Ridges research, will meld wonderfully here. that wires and functional devices tens of nanometers or smaller in size could be made from nanotubes and incorporated into electronic circuits that work faster and on much less power than those existing today.

The first carbon nanotubes that Iijima observed back in 1991 were so-called multiwalled tubes: each contained a number of hollow cylinders of carbon atoms nested inside one another like Russian dolls. Two years later Iijima and Donald Bethune of IBM independently created single-walled nanotubes that were made of just one layer of carbon atoms. Both kinds of tubes are made in similar ways, and they have many similar properties– the most obvious being that they are exceedingly narrow and long. The single-walled variety, for example, is about one nanometer in diameter but can run thousands of nanometers in length.

What makes these tubes so stable is the strength with which carbon atoms bond to one another, which is also what makes diamond so hard. In diamond the carbon atoms link into four-sided tetrahedra, Bucky Fuller’s Synergistics gives detailed insight into structures that has led to a new element being named after him, the Fullerene. his icosahedra and the fact of the Pyramid having two perfectly formed tetrahedra in it leads to creation of delta wave forms out of the cosmic energy. but in nanotubes the atoms arrange themselves in hexagonal rings like chicken wire. One sees the same pattern in graphite, and in fact a nanotube looks like a sheet (or several stacked sheets) of graphite rolled into a seamless cylinder. it is not known for certain how the atoms actually condense into tubes (see Zap, Bake or Blast, on page 67), but it appears that they may grow by adding atoms to their ends Remember the effect of palladium type noble metals from the entry on cancer cures. it is also connected to telomeres which cap the DNA strands and are so important to stopping aging., much as a knitter adds stitches to a sweater sleeve.

TUBES WITH A TWIST

However they form, the composition and geometry of carbon nanotubes engender a unique electronic complexity. That is in part simply the result of size, because quantum physics governs at the nanometer scale as Above, So Below-is the law of the magi that applies and make sense of chaos when fully appreciated, or as much as anyone can.. but graphite itself is a very unusual material. Whereas most electrical conductors can be classified as either metals or semiconductors, graphite is one of the rare materials known as a semimetal Calcium and brushite were used in some circumstances we have mentioned., delicately balanced in the transitional zone between the two. By combining graphite’s semimetallic properties with the quantum rules of energy levels and electron waves, carbon nanotubes emerge as truly exotic conductors. we will cover copper more in divining rods and the use of natural conductors, that attenuate with such things as water. Pendulums are part of nature’s antennae as well. The article has an illustration or photo of a nanotube channel and a comment that says in part – Electrically conductive macromolecules of carbon that self-assemble into tubes are being tested as ultrafine wires and as channels in experimental field-effect transistors.

For example, one rule of the quantum world is that electrons behave like waves as well as particles, and electron waves can reinforce or cancel one another thus more perfect crystalline structures created in space vacuum conditions like Skylab, are truly able to function with less chaos.. as a consequence, an electron spreading around a nanotube’s circumference can completely cancel itself out; thus, only electrons with just the right wavelength remain. (8)

What can I say? There is so much to know and it is good to have the quantum world to tell us how little we really know, rather than the incessant certainty of other academic disciplines. under the ‘Zap, Bake or Blast section of this article they say something that should allow the reader to make more sense of the ‘heating and cooling’ that were noted regarding the alchemists work, as well as the ‘buckyballs’ or Fullerenes that I mentioned in one of my constant interruptions that seek to integrate the knowledge we are exploring.

Sumio Iijima may have been the first to see a nanotube, but he was undoubtedly not the first to make one. In fact, Neanderthals may have made minuscule quantities of nanotubes, unwittingly, in the fires that warmed their caves What about Mungo Man? And Neanderthals worshipped in caves as much as anyone ever lived in them at these times. this is another slight example of our egoistic put down of previous humans. There are people homeless in cities living under bridges who would love the security and comfort of a cenote. In fact, a cenote is a very spiritual place that sometimes has hot springs or cold streams. They are quite wonderful. In Xcaret, Mexico they have recreated a Mayan village outside a system of these cenotes. this same place has porpoises you can ride and tells the story of how they came from the early wolf-like creatures of the land.. Split by heat, carbon atoms recombine however they can in soot, some in amorphous blobs but others in soccerball-shaped spheres called buckyballs or in long cylindrical capsules called buckytubes or nanotubes. (9)

Bucky couldn’t ‘truck with’ education and though they tried to make it easy for him after he had already proven himself, he dropped out. his work as a teacher at Princeton University brought him in touch with Einstein and the story of how Bucky’s first book was published is a classic in publishing ‘expert’ myopia. The editor said he had shown his work to those who knew Einstein’s theory and they agreed Bucky didn’t know what he was talking about. Einstein intervened to point out to the publisher that Bucky was one of a handful who knew his work and that his insight was correct. his attunements and meditations created numerous very important things and we all could be a lot more like him. I love Bucky but, I really can’t quote him very much because his ‘teleologic’ presentation and word usage is beyond most people, SO I’m not surprised the editor and his ‘experts’ were SO befuddled.

In 1814, with Michael Faraday truly a great metaphysician and attuned researcher who sensed the field of ‘cosmic soup’., he analyzed diamond by combustion and concluded that it was pure carbon. because graphite was also known to be pure carbon, this meant there were two types of carbon, each with different physical properties. Davy’s discovery of the allotropy of carbon meant that graphite and diamond existed in two different crystal forms, even though this could not possibly be explained on the basis of Dalton’s spherical atoms. By now, Davy was convinced that there were indeed many different kinds of atoms, other than Dalton’s an alchemist who had to fight against so-called hermeneuts while alive, in order to hide his own alchemical nature.. Faraday was a poor boy who worked as a bookbinder’s apprentice. Eventually Faraday far outshone Davy, which Davy on occasion resented. (10)

The history writers who Hellenized all knowledge and are presented as if they discovered it all, like Thales (born to a Phoenician parent like Pythagoras); were able to make many later academics believe that only what survived in writing was known. it is becoming evident to many scholars that the knowledge curve that makes for such sudden growth in ideas is ridiculous; but nevertheless it is rare to pick up a book or article where you don’t see the author indicating knowledge didn’t exist until far later than common sense and reason dictates. it will be harder to maintain this lunacy now that we know how much more ancient humans really are. So we must understand this when we see mr. Salzberg writing as a chemist or for the Chemical Association that they are subject to the same history. it is good for people to see the Greeks understood chaos and atomics to a certain extent, nonetheless. it is also important to remember that secrets (including smelting and earlier weapons-making through meteorite hammering) were almost never described except between trusted allies or family members.

There were, of course, other theories, most notably the atomic theory of Leucippos (c. 440B.C.) and Democritos (460-c.370B.C.), later modified by Epicouros (341-270B.C.) and Lucretius (c.95-55B.C.). According to their atomic theory, there was only one substance Such as the one-dimensional harmonic force of String Theory., the prime matter, which existed in the form of changeless, indestructible, indivisible atoms of different sizes and shapes, moving back and forth randomly with nothing between them, in effect moving in a vacuum. (11)

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Mod Man: What Vidal Sassoon Taught Me About Storytelling

Once upon a time, there was a young salon apprentice who showed up to the beauty salon every morning in an immaculate white shirt.

Not a very remarkable start to a story or a career – unless the white shirt is laundered, pressed and starched amid the rubble of war-torn London- and the man is Vidal Sassoon.

Surely, Sassoon pioneered a new vision of beauty and amassed an impressive business empire. he also told a great story about a white shirt, and that’s what I remember about him today.

Eight years ago, Sassoon delivered the keynote speech at a beauty show. I was a reporter. our paths crossed for 90 minutes.

I was impressed with him at the time. And today, as someone who writes about effective communication strategies, I am astounded by the staying power of his presence.

A white shirt was something of a daily miracle during World War II. At night, sirens raged, the city was shelled and Londoners took refuge in bomb shelters. yet every day, they’d be crisply dressed and back to the salon, business as usual.

The white shirt, Sassoon explained, was a purposeful act of liberation in the midst of chaos. Before long, liberation would define Sassoon’s character.

I explained all this to my husband over the dinner table yesterday, as I read about Sassoon’s passing. I set down the paper and started talking – fairly convincingly – about the creative vibe of the West End, the bob, the five-point and the revolutionary idea of wash-and-wear style. I felt like I was raising a toast to an old friend.

So what did Sassoon do that day to build such a lasting impression? Here are some of the techniques used during his presentation, and the lessons I learned from them:

1. Setting context: His creativity didn’t happen in a vacuum. Sassoon talked about the tremendous energy of postwar London, and the convergence of pop art, carefree fashion for women and the personalities that drove the trends. it was like a trip back in time with the man who styled the sixties. while Sassoon had a long, varied and successful career, he purposely chose to capture a visual snapshot of this moment, not a documentary of his career.

2. Offering perspective: Sassoon detailed his fascination with modern architecture. just as architects were stripping down unnecessary details from their designs, Sassoon focused on the bone structure of a woman’s face and created styles that were equally minimalist. Particularly striking were the photographs of building designs, and the hairstyles they inspired. he helped me draw new connections between beauty and architecture by explaining his viewpoint.

3. Providing some inside scoop: Everyone loves a look behind the curtains. And it’not name-dropping when your client list included Ava Gardener, Rita Hayworth, Mia Farrow, miniskirt designer Mary Quant and mod model Peggy Moffitt.

4. Building a cohesive story line: the trajectory started as a Jewish foundling, salon apprentice, fashion visionary, businessman and mentor. there was a beginning, middle and end – with well-chosen supporting stories in between.

5. Injecting some personality: Remember the ad campaign If you don’t look good, we don’t look good? well, Vidal Sassoon was a man first and a brand later – a gracious and congenial one at that.

6. Employing effective visuals: Photos are best when meshed beautifully with the message. Of course it doesn’t hurt if your portfolio consists of movie stars and models wearing the definitive styles of their generation. there are many tributes to Sassoon on the Internet these days, looking back at the man who shaped the fashion of his day.

At the same time, I fondly remember the man whose words and stories will never go out of style.

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Online Photo Sharing: Not Just for Family and Vacation Photos

You may have joined the photo-sharing craze to share your family vacation photos, but have you thought about other uses for photo sharing?

Here are just a few ideas:

Show off your creative projects. You can design scrapbook pages and enhance them with clipart using software like Paint Shop Photo Album or FotoFinish and then upload them to a photo sharing site for everyone to enjoy.

Perhaps you belong to a cross-stitching club or the other end of the spectrum, a motorcycle or classic car club. You can share your best cross-stitch projects or pictures of you with your Harley or ’57 Chevy with other club members.

What better way to share reunion photos with former class members across the miles than in an online photo album, so all can view and reminisce.

Arts and Crafts Portfolio:

Do you design jewelry, paint or make woodcarvings or other crafts to sell? a digital photo gallery is a great way to show off your pieces, and you can add your own captions, prices, etc.

If you are in charge of recording your family’s history, organize old family photos in a digital album to share with distant family members. Chances are, old photos will need some repair for cracks, fading, spots, etc. You can easily repair photos yourself using photo software like Photoshop Elements or Paint Shop Pro.

Create an online album for pictures of football or basketball games, proms, graduation parties and other school events to share with classmates.

You can design an elegant photo album and let those who couldn’t attend the wedding see the bride walk down the aisle and virtually experience the conga line at the reception. Weddings were made for photo sharing

Rubber Stamping Designs:

A photo gallery of your rubber stamp creations is a great way to showcase them for fellow stamp artists.

Okay, you get the picture. Use your imagination and you’ll find dozens of opportunities for sharing your photos.

PHOTO SHARING SITES AND SOFTWARE

The next step is how do you do it? That’s easy too. With the digital camera craze comes a proliferation of photo sharing sites and software. the top sites include Ofoto, Shutterfly and Snapfish, which give you simple, free software so you can make basic edits such as adjust the contrast, crop and remove red-eye. You can quickly upload your images to their website and put photos in different albums, name the albums and add captions. then you just email your friends the link to your album. the good news is it’s free; the down side is that some sites limit the number of photos you can share. These sites, of course, will also print your photos for as little as 22 cents each and mail them to you; those who view your albums can also order prints.

There are some great services dedicated to photo sharing that offer unlimited photo storage space for a nominal fee. These include Pixagogo, which is a web-based service for sharing, organizing and storing your digital photos inside instant albums that can be viewed by anyone you want. It’s an easy way to share photos with others, and an excellent means of backing up valuable photos or publishing illustrations on a web site or a market place. For a $5 monthly membership fee, you get unlimited secure storage of your original images of any size for as long as you want. Pixagogo’s features include easy drag & drop photo uploading, the ability to create elegant online albums and full screen slide shows, share selected album links with family and friends via a simple email link, and a self-organizing photo timeline. You can also order prints on Fuji paper at competitive prices.

There are also several inexpensive software applications for photo sharing on the web, including FotoFinish and the SendPix sharing feature of ACDSee 6.0. With both programs you can email photos directly from the application at sizes you specify. FotoFinish also gives you 20MB of free personal web space to upload and share your albums or individual photos. ACDSee lets you share up to 50 photos in an unlimited number of albums on their server at no charge for up to 30 days. it also has an HTML photo album generator so you can create web page photo albums to upload to your own site.

Whatever method you choose, sharing your pics on the net is a great timesaver with lots of opportunity for creativity.

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How to Get Started on a Scrapbook Project (Organizing and Cropping Your Photos)

After learning how to find the albums and materials for a scrapbook project, the next thing that beginners should know about is how to organize and crop their photos. This may seem like a trivial thing at first, but the longer you do scrapbooking, the more you will realize how important it is to have a properly-organized system for your photos, as well as knowing how to crop them according to your needs.

It is recommended that you work on your scrapbook project in a workshop or area that has enough space to accommodate several piles of photos. you will not need all of this space every time you start a project, of course, but having a regular available space set aside for scrapbooking purposes would really help in the long run. Just set aside a portion or area of your home that is not usually used, such as a spare bedroom or maybe an area next to the garage. of course, you need to keep in mind that the area you choose will have to be free of humidity, and well-lit (although free from direct sunlight).

Now that you have a pile of photos in front of you, what’s the first step in organizing them? well, you pick out the ones that are obviously damaged or those that are blurry (out of focus). you should also separate the Polaroids from the photos that were taken by a common film camera (or those that were printed from digital copies). Polaroid pictures can contain a type of acid that may eventually ruin your photographs, so it would be best if you separate them right from the start.

If you could produce copies of the photos that you do like, it would be great. This will save you a lot of grief when you are working on a scrapbook project and you make a mistake. when you already have a copy of the photo you are using in your scrapbook, then it won’t be a problem replacing them.

With that said, I totally recommend making copies of the original photos and using those instead. Can you imagine using an original black and white photograph of your great-grandparents in your scrapbook, only to find that you’ve dropped a teeny weeny bit of glue on them, or maybe finding a few spatters of ink from the stamping you did the other day? now you’ve ruined an original heritage photo of your ancestors, and you’ve got nothing to replace it. Totally unthinkable, right?

Alright, now that you’ve got some usable photos for your scrapbook project, you will want to organize them in chronological order. Don’t be overwhelmed, though, because you really don’t have to know the exact dates of when these photos were taken. Just sort them by year, or even by decade if you cannot identify them all by year. Separate the photos from the 1960s, the 1970, etc. you get the idea. you can then go back later on and sort them some more, like photos from the early ’80s, late ’80s, early ’90s, etc.

You can also sort them out chronologically according to whatever your purpose for scrapbooking is at the moment. For example, if you’re creating a scrapbook for your daughter who’s about to get married, you may want to start with the earliest photos you can find of her, up until the most recent picture. if your scrapbook is about the different holidays or festivities of the year, then the best thing to do would be to sort the pictures starting with the holiday or occasion that is nearest to the start of the year (starting with New Year, for example, then moving onwards until Christmas Day).

Some scrapbookers stop right here already, but if you have the time, I suggest that you move on and organize your photos according to events or occasions. This arrangement could include birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, sports, etc. and not only for holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Different strokes for different folks, of course, so it’s up to you to find and use the system that works best.

Here are a few more suggestions and ideas that you can use to organize your photos, depending on the purpose or theme of your scrapbook project:

– if you’re sorting photos for a wedding scrapbook, start by sorting the individual pictures of the bride and groom first. Use the baby pictures of each partner and go right up until adulthood. The couple will have lots of pictures that show them together, of course, so you should place those in a separate pile. if one of the couple (or both) has children from a previous marriage, you should also separate those pictures in a different pile as well.

– For a project such as a family tree scrapbook, you can start by collecting pictures of each member of the family from both sides (mother and father). It’s up to you how extended you want your family tree to be, but make sure that you will have photos for each of the family members, or else your family tree would look terribly lopsided. Start with collecting pictures for the most current family members, then work your way downwards.

– The size of your scrapbook album should also be a factor. Remember that most scrapbook pages can comfortably hold an average of 4-5 photos (more if the picture sizes are small). However, you should also take into account the space that you will need for journaling or embellishments. a scrapbook page can hold more than 7-8 photos if you really fill it up from border to border, but you won’t have room left for anything else.

– now that you have a collection of photos that have been sorted by type, date, and/or occasion, it’s time for you to decide what the main photo will be. Scrapbookers usually pick out a single photo to serve as the focal point for all the other stuff that they put in a page, whether it’s journaling, embellishments, or more photos. The main photo should have a larger size than the other pictures, with great color and sharp focus. Ideally, it should be the best photograph among all the others in your collection.

– you can edit your main photo if you feel like it, so that the resulting picture will have that feel and look that you are going for. you can use your computer and a good photo editing software to enlarge or reduce a photo, add some borders or framing to it, or convert a colored picture into black and white for a classic or vintage look. if you don’t have a computer or the skills to do this kind of work, you can just bring it to a photo shop and have someone do it for you (or ask a friend).

– sometimes you will finish the organizing part of the job, but won’t be able to actually mount the photos on your pages until some time later. if this is the case, you should store your selected photos into an archival-quality container. This will ensure that your photographs will be safe until you are able to mount them in your album. you can buy good-quality photo cases in department stores or a crafts shop, or use any airtight container that is also acid-free. For a quick solution, just get some Ziploc bags and place your photographs in those, then keep them in an airtight container until you can use them.

Okay, now we’re done with the organizing part. Let’s talk about cropping your photos and how to do it the right way.

If you’re not familiar with cropping photos, don’t worry; it’s not as complicated as it may sound. when you crop a photo, you’re simply cutting away the elements that distract the viewer from the subject of the photo itself. For example, you may see a lot of pictures that have distracting backgrounds, so it would be a good idea to trim the photo in such a way that the distracting background is minimized and the attention is more focused on the subject.

However, do be careful when cropping away the backgrounds, because some of those photos might have backgrounds that are essential to the overall message or story of the photo itself. As an example, you might have some photos of your grandparents, with an old house or building in the background. that old house might be the house that your mother grew up in, or that old building may be the place where your grandparents got married. These backgrounds, therefore, have a sentimental value to them that can contribute more to the story behind those photos, so it would be foolish to crop them out.

For the fastest and easiest way to crop photos, use a tool with a straight edge, such as a ruler. sometimes it may seem fun to crop the photos into a variety of shapes, but remember that too many assorted shapes will just make your pages look messy and disorganized. you just need a pair of sharp scissors, a ruler, and a pencil. Use the pencil to trace the line where you would want to crop the photo off, and then wipe off any residue after you finish the cropping, so that your photos will be protected from deterioration. you can also buy a small paper cutter if you can afford it. This way, you can accomplish a cleaner, smoother crop even faster.

You can try using photos that have been cropped into different sizes and mount them all in one page. if you have a photo that you really like, or maybe one that has several persons in it, you can produce several copies of that single photo and crop them all into different ways before mounting on the scrapbook page. This technique also works really well with landscape photos.

You may also have lots of photos with colorful backgrounds, like a field of blooming flowers or a beautiful lake scenery. These photos don’t really deserve to get cropped closely, because they can add a lot of brightness and color to your designs. Put away those scissors and try to find ways to work these photos into your layouts instead.

If you do want to get creative with your cropping, you can use a pair of decorative scissors or shears. There are several varieties of these tools now available in office/school supply stores, or you can go to your crafts store and see if they have them in stock. aside from creative cropping, you can use these decorative scissors to trim the borders of cardstock, frames, etc. in a variety of shapes.

Special occasions or events can be exceptions to the straight edge rule. For example, when you’re creating a page for Valentine’s Day, you can be forgiven for cropping your photographs in heart shapes of different sizes. when you want to crop your photos like these, I suggest using a cookie cutter as a template to get the desired shapes that you want. Trace the photo using the cookie cutter and mount it on cardstock. The cardstock can also be cropped or shaped in this way if you prefer. Using cookie cutters for this purpose can be a lot less expensive than buying die cut embellishments, especially when you’re using them for just one event or occasion.

Aside from a straight edge crop, there are lots of scrapbookers who vary their styles and use a few other shapes, like an oval and a square. a round or oval shape is quite difficult to produce precisely, especially for beginners, so I would recommend that you buy some templates. Using templates for cropping your photos will let you produce clean, smooth results again and again, with less effort than you might expect.

However, templates can be a bit expensive, so I suggest that you stick with two or three basic shapes. Avoid buying the other specialized template shapes, because even though you think they look cute now, there are not too many projects or photographs where you can use heart or Christmas tree templates.

The one type of photograph that you must never crop is the Polaroid photo. Photographs taken with a Polaroid camera contain a type of chemical inside the paper itself, so when you crop or trim these photos in any way whatsoever, you run the risk of having the chemical leak out and destroy the other photos on your page. There are other ways to attach and display Polaroid photos, such as using photo corners to mount them on the page, or attaching pocket sleeves on the scrapbook page and then inserting the photos inside the sleeves.

Remember, though, that even if we’re talking about cropping your photos now, there are some pictures that look great just the way they are. Don’t get trigger-happy with your scissors and take some time to analyze each photograph. Look at the photo and try to understand what it is in that particular image that grabs your attention; what the main subject is trying to tell you. is the background distracting you, or does it add more to the story? would it work better with a different shape, or is it just fine the way it is right now?

You should crop your photographs depending on the layout and the project, but don’t go around thinking that all photos should be cropped. when you do decide to crop, you can try using special shapes and different sizes, but remember that working with a clean, straight edge will produce the best results at all times.

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Leather Photo Albums Make the Memories Last

Photo albums have been an English tradition for generations. few heirlooms detail a family’s history, record a wedding or mark a milestone like a photo album. The very best albums are made from high quality leather. it looks classy, feels nice and lasts for many decades. Plastic and cardboard albums fade or get discoloured easily. However, a leather album can be left on a coffee table to be enjoyed with no fear of damage from frequent handling. also, it will protect your photos more thoroughly than any other type. they cost more, but they’re worth it in the long run.

Types of Photo Albums

Leather photo albums come in a few styles. There are some that are polished and professional looking. Others have a more rustic, artisan look and feel. The pages may be hand-torn and hand-stitched to create an authentic handmade appearance. Full-grain leather with scars and imperfections makes the album appear aged.

Leather photo albums can be personally engraved to really accentuate the event. A wedding album could have the date and the names of the bride and groom engraved on the front cover. in fact, the front of the album can be engraved with a large image if you so desire.

Some albums close with a snap or buckle; others have a leather strap that is tied shut. they usually come in either a 12-inch square or an 8-inch by 11-inch format. The larger format allows more diversity when laying out the photos. A nicer album with the pages stitched in place cannot have pages added to it. some albums have ring binders so you can add new pages later. A one-inch ring can hold about 100 photos. A two-inch ring can hold up to 400. The non-expandable types require careful planning to make sure you don’t run out of pages or have empties at the end.

Types of Leather

Leather is the hide of an animal that has been dried, tanned, processed and dyed. There are numerous types of leather used for making photo albums. The finest leather is full-grain. it is usually tanned and left in a more natural state than other types of leather. Top-grain, or split-grain, has an artificial grain pressed into one side. The other side is fuzzy. Suede comes from the inside piece of split-grain and is fuzzy on both sides. Shiny patent leather is coated with plastic. Napa leather is extremely soft. Naturally, the softest, most supple leathers cost more.

Leather Albums are Heirloom Quality.

Elegant leather albums are a perfect choice for weddings, graduations, births, anniversaries or any special occasion. Leather’s long life makes it the perfect choice for a family heirloom that will be passed down from generation to generation. The extra cost is well worth it. A leather album also makes a great gift. you can have the album engraved ahead of time or leave it blank for the recipients to have engraved with something of their choosing. either way, a leather album is a classy statement and a great way to preserve memories.

A Photo Album provides Backup for your Photo Files.

Digital photo albums are all the rage. Having your photos in a leather photo album assures that you won’t lose them in a computer crash. in that case, you could always have the printed photos rescanned.

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Using Picture Frames to Spice Up Your Decorating

I have one of those awesome new digital photo frames with a wireless remote control sitting on my office desk, and I discovered that you can play videos on it, as well as viewing your favorite digital photos. how cool is that. It’s only one example of the tremendous possibilities that exist when you add picture frames to your decorating scheme, and use them to show off treasured family pictures.

Obviously, picture frames come in all shapes from oval to round, and everything in between. but did you know they also come in many styles, from contemporary acrylic in clear, black, or white, to rustic or victorian. they also come in a bunch of different materials like gold, silver, wood, or plastic. You can buy them large for hanging on a wall, and decorative picture frames like this really add punch to a room. you can also buy small desktop versions.

Additionally, you can get special collage frames for 3 or more photos, magnetic picture frames for your refrigerator, and special occasion frames for the birth of a baby, a wedding, or a graduation. You can even have them custom made or personalized to make a really special gift.

One of my favorite ways of displaying my family photos is in a collage frame that I was given as a Christmas gift a few years ago. it holds over a dozen of my favorites, and almost everyone who sees it remarks about how compelling it is. Why not try a few different frame styles to display your treasured memories?

Whatever you decide, make sure when you add frames that you attempt to match your existing room decor, so you won’t have frames that clash with the rest of your furnishings. that way, you won’t feel compelled to redecorate the entire room from scratch.

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The Pop Art Movement

Do contemporaries and present-day proponents of pop art canvas truly adhere to the principles that were set by the luminaries of prints? Is there a set of fundamental principles that guide the contemporaries in their production of pop art canvas?

These are the questions that continue to linger on seekers on the history and background on the revolutionary road that that was traveled by a technique known as art.

Pop art as a movement started as direct opposition to the exclusivity that was crafted by the high street art of Paris known as Abstract Expressionism. how different and far is the technique of pop art from the art form that they strongly oppose is as distinguishable and discernible as day from night.

Pop Art had moved the results of creativity, talent, and passion. If there would be a set of principles that set prints from other types of art form it is that of its adherence in relativity, liberty, creativity, and non-exclusivity.

As each piece of art is viewed by different perspectives, the same art piece may define sadness and happiness at the same time. In canvas, there is no direction. an artist paints an experience, he did not dictate it.

Relativity may be one of, if not the primary, foundations of canvas. From the methods, medium, and even the means of production, prints and all of its ramifications are known to be limitless.

Creativity means no border, no standard. By continuously re-defining what art is and how it should be, pop art pushes the boundary of our meaning. As for its artists, prints symbolises indefiniteness. Thus, medium and channel to which its artists is endless, incomparable, and unconventional. the evolution of one of its sub-branch known as art is an exemplary evolution of their technique. By being able to accommodate technological advances in order to efficiently and effectively produce art pieces, had altered the exclusivity that is known as art.

Liberty means freedom. and with freedom, one may find unending source of inspiration. and, from this principle would prints source its unconventional method of propagation.

If there would be one thing that canvas could signify, it would be one thing: non-exclusivity. By becoming limitless and accommodating, prints provides opportunities to people who may have the passion but who are afraid of trying. If there is a mission to fulfill, then, pop art would have undergone an almost impossible and daunting task of relaying a belief – that everyone is an artist.

Pop Art Canvas: Completing Pop Art’s Mission

It can be said that canvas had closed the gap between failure and victory. With the availability of the graphic and design software and various reproduction machines, the technique to which canvas can be credited to had, indeed, provided an opportunity for all to take risks and explore a passion known as art. By digitally editing and re-constructing one’s digital photo, a person could apply pop art techniques, such as that of Andy Warhol’s, in minutes and re-produce a canvas that would be perfect as a wall dcor and unique gift piece.

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Being John Malkovich

DVD  BLU-RAY REVIEW

by Chuck Bowen on May 17, 2012 Jump to Comments (0) or Add Your own

Released in theaters in the autumn of 1999, Being John Malkovich was one of a number of American films that opened that year

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How to Conduct a System Recovery If I Deleted My Pictures

It has happened to the best of us; we somehow manage to delete an important picture or photo and then cannot figure out how to get it back. are you wondering if you can do a System Recovery of Deleted Pictures? well rest assured as there is a very simple way to get your pictures back and I will show exactly how as I have conducted a system recovery for my deleted pictures before in the past.

Firstly, the pictures you deleted haven’t gone anywhere and aren’t permanently erased yet. Whether you deleted them off your hard drive, digital cameras memory card, USB card or any other device they haven’t been lost and can still be recovered.

You see hard drives do not erase a file immediately after it has been deleted; instead what happens is that the space that was occupied by the deleted files becomes freed-up and listed as available re-usable space. Now the good news is that until that space is overwritten by new data, your old pictures are still there and can easily be recovered with the right tools.

The mandatory tool you are going to need to Conduct a System Recovery of Deleted Pictures is a decent photo recovery program. Preferably one that is able to recover deleted pictures as well as other types of files, such as music, videos, documents etc.

I would recommend downloading a program called Stellar Photo Recovery, It is a great program and I have personally used it with great success. the software is able to recover deleted pictures from your hard drive, digital camera, and many other media devices. Best of all the software is free to download so you can check to see if your pictures are recoverable right now. (Visit the link below)

Therefore if you wanted to know if you could conduct a system recovery because I deleted my pictures then take it easy as it can be done very easily. All you need to do is get hold of a decent Photo Recovery Program and your good to go.

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How to Spray Paint Stencils

So, you want to spray paint stencils Spray paints leave a clean, smooth finish that is free of paint brush lines and the splotches that sponges might create. but, as easy as it is to spray paint from a can, it’s not so easy to get good results. So, there are a number of tricks you need to know about.

The challenge with spray paint stencils is getting crisp edges and clean lines. most commonly the end result is a fuzzy image. that is just the nature of spray paint. If your project is going to be OK with fuzzy edges then you’re in business. in fact, if that is what you are trying to achieve, then you should know that the further you hold a stencil from the surface the fuzzier it gets.

However, if you still want to spray paint stencils and need crisp edges then read on for all the tricks you’ll need to know.

To get clean lines, you need to make sure that the stencil is as close to the surface as possible. If any part of the stencil is lifted it can allow paint to spray under (which is called overspray).

One way to make sure that your stencil is in good contact with the surface is for the stencil to have an adhesive backing. There are a couple of ways to do that. You can copy your stencil onto a piece of full page label paper and cut it out. or you can coat the back of the stencil with spray adhesive or a glue stick.

I need to tell you that if you use a sticky back stencil you may have a problem with the background paint or finish being lifted off with the stencil when you are finished painting. make sure to read all instructions on any products you use and test before doing your project.

If you have decided to use spray glue, place your stencil face down on a piece of newspaper and spray the back side that will be placed on your surface. I know this sounds silly because of course you are going to spray the back side, right? but how many times are we doing something with our minds somewhere else and before we know it. well, anyway, I just wanted to remind you. Also, make sure to spray with newspaper underneath. Spray glue is like spray paint – it goes everywhere

Let’s say you want to work with a glue stick. It’s best to tap the glue around the islands and bridges. If you drag the glue stick you will likely get globs of glue around the edges of the islands (openings). in order to get crisp edges on your painting the islands have to be clear of glue.

Follow along with me as I spray paint a fleur de lis stencil design on a stool.

Here are some of the things that you’ll need.

Of course, you’ll need paint. I’m not going to recommend any brands because what works for me may not be what works for you. all I can say is to experiment with different ones until you find a brand you can stick with.

Some of the qualities you want to look for in a spray paint are truthfulness of color and a consistency that is not too thin. It just needs to spray on a nice color. Experiment with a few brands until you find the one you like.

You also want to find a brand that can offer some reliability of the nozzle. There is nothing worse than having a nozzle that clogs and sputters out large blobs of paint.

I’ve found that just because one brand of paint is more expensive does not necessarily mean it is the better choice. A can of discount brand paint may not go as far as a more expensive brand. So, you need to buy more of the discount brand paint. however, you may still come out ahead in the long run. You be the judge.

Also, I have had some paints create a crackling effect when sprayed. The best way to keep this from happening is to apply a thin layer of spray paint and let it dry thoroughly before another coat. It’s better to apply many thin coats of paint than to try and finish it quickly with one or two thick globs of paint. Spraying a thick coat of paint can cause a number of problems besides cracking paint (like running, pooling, dripping.).

And you’ll need stencils – hence the spray paint stencils part The variety of stencils available to you is mind numbing. So, it’s next to impossible for me to recommend any one kind of stencil because I don’t know anything about your project. my best advice is to experiment and test different stencils and materials.

I would like to share with you a comparison of stencils made from thick and thin materials.

When using a stencil made of thick materials (like plastic) you need to spray at a perfect 90 degree angle especially around the edges. If you spray from a side angle, the edge closest to the sprayer will be fuzzy because the spray of paint is blocked by the thickness of the stencil. on the other hand, a thick stencil which is durable and heavy will cover your surface better and prevent overspray.

A stencil made from a thin material (like paper) doesn’t have an edge thick enough to block the paint as it is sprayed. So the edges should be crisp even if you are not holding the can at an exact 90 degree angle from the surface. however, a thin material (like paper) might be flimsy allowing paint to get under the edges if it curls or gets blown by the spray. If you are using paper, you may want to consider an adhesive backing option as described above to keep this from happening.

You will need an object to paint. It can be anything you want – a t-shirt, furniture, floor, rug, cardboard.whatever Just make sure that the surface to be stenciled is prepared properly. If it has a previous layer of paint, make sure it is dry. Paints do not stick well to semi-gloss or gloss paints. So, if you are painting the entire surface of the item before you stencil, use a flat paint. If it has already been painted, you may need to sand it down to rough the finish. If you are stenciling a t-shirt or other fabrics, make sure they are washed so that any surface treatment which may discourage paint from sticking has been removed.

I do not advocate illegal graffiti so if you plan to use spray paint stencils on a train or a building, make sure you own it

I am going to recommend safety gear like a face mask or respirator, eye protection and rubber gloves. You need to be aware that spray paint is very toxic and you don’t want to breathe it in especially over long periods of time. If you are spray painting inside, get a good respirator. Remember it’s always good to be safe than sorry

You will also want to have some old newspaper to cover the areas around the stencil from overspray. Spray paint has a way of going everywhere. It gets carried in the wind and lands on any exposed surface. So it’s important to cover anything you don’t want to have a painted haze.

You will need some masking tape to secure the stencil and any newspaper that you use.

You will need a good place to apply the spray paint. hopefully you have a room with good ventilation. however, you don’t want to be in an area where there is a breeze and dust is blowing around.

Well, on to the spray painting of the stencil. First, you want to secure your stencil to the object to be painted and cover all exposed areas outside of the stencil with newspaper. If you don’t use an adhesive on the back of the stencil as described above, then tape down all the outside edges so that your stencil will not move during the entire process of painting.

For the fleur de lis stencil, I tapped a glue stick on the back side of the stencil over the thin bridges and around the edges of the fleur de lis. This made the stencil adhere better to the surface and helped in preventing overspray. When the stencil is in place on your surface to be painted, run a finger firmly around all of the island edges.

When spraying paint, hold the can 8 to 10 inches from the stencil. use a gentle waving motion, spraying paint in horizontal lines from side to side. Release the nozzle at the end of each row and move down far enough so that when you start to paint your next line in the other direction, you are starting a new line and not repainting over the last line. You are looking for a slow and gradual build up of color with even coverage. allow the paint to dry thoroughly after each thin layer. Be careful not to let the paint build up too fast because it will run, drip, create ripples like in a pool or start a crackle effect as it dries. Remember, it is going to take several layers of paint with a time period for thorough drying in between. No rushing

Don’t try to paint the outline of the stencil. Just stick to the back and forth motion described above. Forget that you are working with a spray paint stencil and just sweep across the entire stencil as though you are painting the whole area. Again, this is going to help you build up a gradual and even layer of color.

Make sure to hold the can upright at all times and spray toward your surface at a 90-degree angle. Holding the can upright keeps the flow of paint consistent.

Let the paint dry thoroughly before lifting the stencil. Removing a wet stencil can cause smudging. try to pull the stencil straight up or hold down at one end and roll it up carefully from the other end. The idea is to avoid dragging the stencil over a wet surface.

And Voila It’s finished. how was that for your first spray paint stencil project? as you can tell using spray paints adds a few challenges but there are some benefits too. as you experiment with stencils using spray paints or brushes or sponges you will find out what method works best for you. So, always try new things and have fun stenciling

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