Camera Day - June 29, 2020

DIANE'S CORNER ... Celebrate Camera Day

The origin of Camera Day is unknown, but it is used as a reminder for us to remember the existence of the camera and its many benefits. After all, how many other mediums can capture people and places so beautifully? How many other mediums can evoke smiles of memories past, or reminders of events that have shaped our lives?

The camera, in all of its many forms, is to be celebrated. This humble device has become a major part of our lives, and so, on  Camera Day, snap some photos during your lunch hour, on your commute to work, or whenever a moment of inspiration strikes. 

Of course, the way you take pictures probably won’t be the way that people did it before the advent of digital photography and smart devices. Readers of a younger generation will be reaching for their smartphones to take photos of the world around them. And even if you are somebody who was well-versed in the wonderful world of 35mm film and zoom lenses, you might still find yourself reaching for your mobile device instead of that vintage camera from yesteryear. 

Still, no matter what type of device you use to take photos, do something this Camera Day. We all need to express ourselves creatively, so let your juices flow when you’re out and about or pottering around in your home, and take some magical pics.

History of Cameras and Photography

Cameras and photography have developed substantially over the years, from its early roots with the French inventor Joseph Niépce right up to modern day digital photography.

Joseph Niépce was a French inventor and is most noted as one of the inventors of photography and as a pioneer in the field. He developed the heliograph; a technique used to produce the world’s first known photograph in 1825, the view from the window at Le Gras the families estate.

In 1839, Louis Jacques Daguerre took the first fixed image that didn’t fade. He is recognized for his invention of the daguerreotype process of photography. He became known as one of the fathers of photography. His method required 30 minutes of exposure. He named the process – the Daguerreotype. Tintypes were developed in 1856 by Hamilton Smith and decades later, George Eastman invented flexible and unbreakable film that could be rolled. This was the birth of the first Kodak that was offered for sale in 1888.

In 1925 the Leica I went on sale, and its immediate popularity spawned a number of competitors. Kodak was one such competitor, and they released the Retina I in 1934.  Though 35 mm cameras were still out of reach for most people things would soon change with the introduction of the inexpensive Argus A in 1936. The Japanese camera industry began with the birth of Canon in 1936 with its 35 mm rangefinder. Japanese cameras would soon become incredibly popular in the West after the Korean War as veterans and soldiers stationed in Japan brought them back to the United States.

While conventional cameras were becoming more refined and sophisticated, an entirely new type of camera appeared on the market in 1948. While TSLR and SLR were still the rage this new camera would change the way people would capture memories. This was the Polaroid, the world’s first instant-picture camera where no film development was needed. Known as a Land Camera after its inventor, Edwin Land, this camera was able to produce finished positive prints from the exposed negatives in under a minute. This new camera took the market by storm as people no longer had to sit still for long periods of time in order for their photographer to snap a picture.

The first digital camera that was commercially sold was in December of 1989 in Japan, the DS-X by Fuji. In 1991, Kodak brought to market the Kodak DCS-100, the beginning of a long line of professional Kodak DCS SLR cameras that were based in part on film bodies. It used a 1.3 megapixel sensor and was priced at $13,000.

The first commercially available digital camera, in the United States, was the 1990 the Dycam Model 1. It was originally a commercial failure because it was black and white, low in resolution, and cost nearly $1,000 but this changed and soon became loved by photographers.

With the standardisation of JPEG and MPEG in 1988,  image and video files could be compressed for storage onto a SD or CF card. With the introduction of the Nikon D1 in 1999 at 2.47 megapixels, this was the first digital SLR that was entirely by a major manufacturer. The D1 cost just under $6,000 and was inexpensive for professional photographers and high-end consumers. This camera also used Nikon F-mount lenses, which meant photographers could utilise many of the lenses they already owned.

By 2010, nearly all mobile phones featured built-in camera with a resolution of 1-2 megapixels digital video camera. Many cameras also featured built-in GPS.

Creche call-up, Argentina

A Patagonian mara presents its bottom to its mother so she can sniff its identity. Once her twins are identified, she will suckle them near the communal den, fending off other hungry youngsters. Her mate keeps watch for predators. The rest of the creche go to ground immediately if an adult warns that an eagle or fox is about. More than 20 pairs have been known to den together. Such creche denning is unique among mammals and offers a greater chance of survival.

Joke of the Day

What happened to the naughty granny square?

He got into treble.

Boto Ball Play, Rio Negro, Amazon, Brazil

A male Amazon river dolphin, or boto, throws around a macucu nut, watched by other botos – possibly pure showing-off. Ball‑throwing seems to occur mainly among groups of adult males as a sort of aggressive competition. Any object will do, a branch, a ball of mud, or even a turtle.

Word of the Day

onymous

MEANING:

adjective: Bearing the author’s name; named.

ETYMOLOGY:

Back-formation from Latin anonymus, from Greek anonymus, from an- (not) + onyma (name). Earliest documented use: 1775. Anonymous is from 1601.

USAGE:

“And there, on a raised and ornate table ... the king’s writings, undeniably onymous at last.”
Arthur Phillips; The Egyptologist; Random House; 2004.

San Diego, California, US.

Orioles build hanging nests, weaving plant fibres for a lightweight but durable structure. Living in subtropical climates, the hooded oriole finds the perfect building material in the long, strong fibres of palms. It often fastens its nest under a leaf of California fan palm.

Idiom of the Day

A leap in the dark

An action or a risk that you take without having much idea about what will happen as a result.

Salmon Swipe, Katmai national park, Alaska

A female grizzly bear fishes for salmon in a pool below rapids. The salmon gather before attempting to leap the rapids and continue upstream to spawn. In late summer, most of the grizzlies in southern Alaska congregate along the rivers to feast on the salmon returning from the Pacific to their natal streams. This female was experienced at fishing, using different techniques, depending on the depth of the water. Here she is swimming above a shoal of chum salmon, trying to scoop them out with her massive paws.

This Day in History

1860 - The first iron-pile lighthouse was completed at Minot’s Ledge, MA.

1888 - Professor Frederick Treves performed the first appendectomy in England.

1925 - Marvin Pipkin filed for a patent for the frosted electric light bulb.

1941 - Joe DiMaggio got a base hit in his 42nd consecutive game. He broke George Sisler's record from 1922.

1953 - The Federal Highway Act authorized the construction of 42,500 miles of freeway from coast to coast.

1957 - Buddy Holly recorded the song "Peggy Sue."

1987 - Vincent Van Gogh’s "Le Pont de Trinquetaille" was bought for $20.4 million at an auction in London, England.


1995 - The shuttle Atlantis and the Russian space station Mir docked, forming the largest man-made satellite ever to orbit the Earth.


2000 - In Santa Rosa, CA, the official groundbreaking ceremony took place for the Charles M. Schulz Museum.


2007 - The first generation Apple iPhone went on sale.

thanks, Heide



DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, June 29:

Quietly charismatic, you attract attention as an intriguing person, even if you are not looking for it. You are very emotional, and this is a strength, but it does sometimes prevent you from moving forward. While people in your life are usually helpful, you often end up doing things yourself in your own way. You are extremely loving and compassionate, but you have an independent streak that compels you to take the lead. Famous people born today: 

1930 Robert Evans, American producer and actor (Love Story, The Godfather, Chinatown), born in NYC, New York (d. 2019)

1943 Little Eva [Eva Boyd], American pop singer (Locomotion), born in Belhaven, North Carolina (d. 2003)

1947 Richard Lewis, American comedian (Marty Gold-Anything But Love), born in NYC, New York

READERS INFO

1.

(Not So) Totally Useless Facts of The Day:

When reheating a slice of pizza in the microwave, placing it next to a glass of water will help preserve its crispiness.

In 1959, Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin patented the three point seatbelt. Additional credit to Bohlin as he allowed other automakers to use his invention. He chose safety over profit.

A disease called “Exercise-Induced Anaphylaxis” literally causes people to be “allergic” to exercise.

2.

Offbeat Holiday, Patty

NATIONAL HUG DAY

A hug can speak louder than words.  A simple hug can change a person’s day, emotions and even their life.  While everyone enjoys a hug, National Hug Holiday Day was created to remind people to give an extra special hug to someone who is having a bad day, is sick, lonely, sad or elderly.  This simple act will bring love and warmth to a person in need.

3.

Coronavirus Style by Sylvia, CAN DO Correspondent

Tunisian Crochet Ten Stitch Blanket

Saunders Island, Falkland Islands

Spending most of their lives at sea in southern oceans, black-browed albatrosses are masters of the air, soaring and gliding effortlessly on incredibly long wings. On the Falkland Islands they share nesting colonies with penguins – the opposite of albatrosses in flying ability, but birds also supremely adapted to a life at sea.

Pictures of the day

This montage of nine photographs, ordered from left to right  and from top to bottom, shows a cow calving in a garden in  Laos. The first photograph shows the restless cow raising her  tail and the amniotic sac bulging from the vulva. As she  continues to strain, the calf's front feet become visible, and the nose and eventually the whole head emerges; the head is the largest part of the calf, and this part of labor can be protracted.  In photographs 3 and 4, the calf's head and forelimbs are visible. The emergence of the body and hind limbs often happens rapidly, either with the cow lying down, as in photograph 6, or when she  is standing, as in photograph 7, in which position gravity assists  and the calf slithers to the ground. In a normal birth, the calf soon  takes its first breaths and the cow starts to lick it.

Pinedale, Wyoming

On a greater sage-grouse dancing ground, or lek, the stakes are high. Many males may display there, but most females that visit will mate with one of the few dominant males at the centre of the lek. As a result, genes passed on to the next generation will tend to be those of the strongest males

A Little Swinger, India

It’s the end of the day and a group of black-footed grey langurs settle into a tree for the night. But this infant has decided it’s playtime. Swinging on the tails of two juveniles, he makes a characteristic play face. His mother takes little notice, and the adolescents tolerate his acrobatics. Langurs are very social and youngsters play as often as they can, which helps develop bone and muscle, and also develops social bonds and communication skills.

knit
thanks, Wendy

Lacy knitted shrug pattern
knit
thanks, Ruth

Knitting Pattern Durable Placemats

knit

Philodendron Socks pattern by Settlers Grove Designs

knit

Teddy pattern by Arne & Carlos

knit

Market Bag

Mother’s Little Headful, Chambal River, India

A female gharial hangs out in the water while her babies use her head as a basking perch. She is one of a colony of gharials that have nested at this riverbank site. The mothers keep watch from the river, with the female acting as chief guard for 100 or so hatchlings. Adults will protect the young for at least a month until the monsoon rains arrive and they move down river to feed in deeper water. Gharials are under pressure from illegal sand‑mining in nesting areas, illegal fishing, egg collection and pollution.

Crochet Pattern of the Day: 

thanks, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Free crochet pattern: Pincess Seamist

Crochet Gnome Pattern: Nurse and Doctor

Wakodahatchee wetlands, Delray Beach, Florida

Equipped with sinewy necks and spear-like bills, great blue herons can lunge with fearsome speed to strike their aquatic prey. Adults will also employ rapid stabbing motions as one aspect of their complex courtship displays; they’re seemingly dangerous moves, but fitting to the intensity of mating season.

crochet
thanks, Mary

Woolly Chair Socks pattern by Wool Street Studio

crochet
thanks, Tara

Droplet Water Bottle Holder

crochet

BB Dolls – Amigurumi

crochet

Girls' Boho Halter Top

crochet

Li0y Pad Hexagons

Nosy neighbour (UK)

On the wall one summer’s evening in a suburban street in Bristol, the UK’s famous fox city, an urban red fox in a way that would pique the curiosity of its human neighbors about the wildlife around them

Quarantine Cooking Recipes ... Crockpot

thanks, Debbie

A Spicy, Flavorful Crock-Pot Jambalaya Recipe

Dunn Ranch Prairie, Lincoln Township, Missouri

Most songbirds nesting in grasslands of the US and Canada are short-distance migrants at most. The bobolink is a striking exception, leaving north America entirely in autumn and spending mid-­winter south of the equator in south America. Bobolinks moult before migrating, the male trading his snappy summer plumage for subtle buff-brown tones.

RECIPE

thanks, Shelley, New York Food Correspondent

Cheddar Meatball and Pasta Skillet

Collective courtship (Australia)

Thousands of giant cuttlefish gather each winter in the shallow waters of South Australia’s Upper Spencer Gulf for their once-in-a-lifetime spawning. Males compete for territories that have the best crevices for egg‐laying and then attract females with mesmerising displays of changing skin color, texture and pattern. Rivalry among the world’s largest cuttlefish – up to a metre (3.3ft) long – is fierce, as males outnumber females by up to 11 to one.

CROCKPOT RECIPE

thanks, Sara

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

Entwined Lives

A young male orangutan makes the 30-metre climb up the thickest root of the strangler fig high above the canopy in Gunung Palung national park, one of the few protected orangutan strongholds in Indonesian Borneo.

VEGAN RECIPE (new category today)

thanks, Alice

(Gluten-Free) Wedding Cake

The Vegetarian Resource Group Blog

Playing pangolin (New Zealand/South Africa)

Tthe pride stopped to rest by a waterhole, but their attention was not on drinking. The lions in South Africa’s Tswalu Kalahari Private Game reserve had discovered a Temminck’s ground pangolin. This nocturnal, ant-eating mammal is armour-plated with scales made of fused hair, and it curls up into an almost impregnable ball when threatened

SWEETS

thanks, Julie

Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies

Huntley Meadows Park, Alexandria, Virginia

Red-winged blackbirds are among the most abundant and conspicuous birds in north America.

ADULT COLORING

Splitting the catch (Norway)

Sometimes it’s the fishing boats that look for the killer whales and humpbacks, hoping to locate the shoals of herring that migrate to these Arctic Norwegian waters. But in recent winters, the whales have also started to follow the boats. Here a large male killer whale feeds on herring that have been squeezed out of the boat’s closing fishing net. He has learnt the sound that this type of boat makes when it retrieves its gear and homed in on it. The relationship would seem to be a win-win one, but not always

FUN

thanks, Bev

Can you guess which of the following are true and which are false?

(Answers are below.)
 

1. Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.

 2. Alfred Hitchcock did not have a belly button.

 3. A pack-a-day smoker will lose approximately 2 teeth every 10 years..

 4. People do not get sick from cold weather; it's from being indoors a lot more.

5. When you sneeze, all bodily functions stop, even your heart!

6. Only 7% of the population are lefties. (like myself!)

7. 40-people are sent to the hospital for dog bites every minute.

 8. Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until they are 2-6 years old.

 9. The average person over 50 will have spent 5 years queuing.

 10. The toothbrush was invented in 1498.

 11. The average housefly lives for one month.

 12. 40,000 Americans are injured by toilets each year.

 13. A coat hanger is 44 inches long when straightened.

 14. The average computer user blinks 7-times a minute.

 15. Your feet are bigger in the afternoon than any other time of day.

 16. Most of us have eaten a spider in our sleep.

17. The REAL reason ostriches stick their head in the sand is to search for water.

 18. The only two animals that can see behind themselves without turning their heads are the rabbit and the parrot.

 19. John Travolta turned down the starring roles in 'An Officer and a Gentleman' and 'Tootsie.'

 20. Michael Jackson owned the rights to the South Carolina State Anthem.

 21. In most television commercials advertising milk, a mixture of white paint and a little thinner is used in place of the milk.

 22. Prince Charles and Prince William NEVER travelled on the same airplane, just in case there was a crash.

 23. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle built in 1903 used a tomato can for a carburettor.

 24. Most hospitals make money by selling the umbilical cords cut from women who give birth. They are used in vein transplant surgery.

 25. Humphrey Bogart was related to Princess Diana. They were 7th cousins.

 26. If coloring weren't added to Coca-Cola, it would be green. 
 
 Now, scroll down for the answers...


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They are all TRUE


Now go back and think about 16!

Six Decades On

The Dalai Lama, photographed in February, still hopes he will visit his birthplace again. 

CRAFTS

thanks, Kathy

4th of July Napkin Wreath

The disappearing fish (Spain)

In the open ocean, there’s nowhere to hide, but the lookdown fish – a name it probably gets from the steep profile of its head, with mouth set low and large eyes high – is a master of camouflage. Recent research suggests that it uses special platelets in its skin cells to reflect polarised light (light moving in a single plane), making itself almost invisible to predators and potential prey. The platelets scatter polarised light depending on the angle of the sun and the fish, doing a better job than simply reflecting it like a mirror.

CHILDREN'S CORNER

thanks, Sonja

How to Make a Flower Suncatcher with a Paper Plate + Contact Paper

Thistle-plucker (UK)

Isaac composed this alpine-meadow tableau with the sea of soft purple knapweed behind, accentuating the clashing red of the linnet’s plumage. He was determined to keep pace with the linnet that he spotted while hiking in Bulgaria’s Rila Mountains, finally catching up with the tiny bird when it settled to feed on a thistle flowerhead. From the florets that were ripening, it pulled out the little seed parachutes one by one, deftly nipped off the seeds and discarded the feathery down

PUZZLE

Candy & Scoop Jigsaw Puzzle

Dog days (South Africa) 

The many threats that have made African wild dogs endangered, including increased conflict with humans and domestic animals (poachers snares, habitat loss, traffic and disease). At times, it is heart-wrenching. African wild dogs require huge territories, and so protecting them can protect entire ecosystems. When this picture was taken, the pack had travelled four kilometres to the Sosigi Pan, only to find it totally dried up.

WORD SEARCH

allow armor balance cherish defeat discomfort draft

engross floor hall jumbo laptop lass

mature meaningless nose notice parachute preservation prod

remark replace roast royal scheme skit smoke stove strip sultan

tear toil towns train warm wedge wire worker world

Blast furnace (France)

When the lava flow from Kilauea on Hawaii’s Big Island periodically enters the ocean, the sight is spectacular. Kilauea (meaning ‘spewing’ or ‘much spreading’) is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, in constant eruption since 1983. As red-hot lava at more than 1,000˚C (1,832˚F) flows into the sea, vast plumes of steam hiss up, condensing to produce salty, acidic mist or rain.

SUDOKU ... very hard

solution:

Into the mouth of the caiman (Brazil)

Motionless but alert, a yacare caiman waits, like a small tyrannosaurus for fish to come within snapping reach. Caimans are usually seen floating passively on the surface. Under the water, it's another story. 

QUOTE

thanks, Karla

Golden relic (India)

With fewer than 2,500 mature adults left in the wild, in fragmented pockets of forest in northeastern India (Assam) and Bhutan, Gee’s golden langurs are endangered. Living high in the trees, they are also difficult to observe. But, on the tiny man-made island of Umananda, in Assam’s Brahmaputra River, you are guaranteed to see one. Site of a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, the island is equally famous for its introduced golden langurs. 

Secret lives (Finland) 

About 40 or so years ago, a family of 13 people lived in this cottage in Suomusj rvi, Salo, Finland. They have long gone, but though the building has fallen into disrepair, it is still a winter home to many woodland creatures, including this red squirrel, which lives in the attic. 

CLEVER 

thanks, Dana

Musician Draws a Face Onto His Bearded Chin to Amuse His Children Who Happily Fed Him Treats

Crystal precision (Spain)

Every night, not long after sunset, about 30 common pipistrelle bats emerge from their roost in a derelict house in Salamanca, Spain, to go hunting. Each has an appetite for up to 3,000 insects a night, which it eats on the wing. Its flight is characteristically fast and jerky, as it tunes its orientation with echolocation to detect objects in the dark

EYE OPENER 

thanks, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Banned Books - USA - 1885 to Present

City gull (UK) 

Some of the tallest buildings in London surround the docklands at the heart of the business and financial district of Canary Wharf. It was a black-headed gull, of which there are many in the city. But this one was resting on a very remarkable area of water- reflections of the straight lines of the nearby office block, distorted into moving swirls. The effect was so unusual it gave a beautiful setting for an urban wildlife image. 

Hare in a landscape (Austria) 

This steep, ploughed field, in Burgenland, Austria, with a ribbon of dazzling yellow oilseed rape on the horizon and a swath of green to the side. But it lacked a focus point. As if on cue, a brown hare entered stage right from the grass and sat motionless on the furrowed soil.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Transport of the mails, transport of the human voice, transport of flickering pictures -- in this century, as in others, our highest accomplishments still have the single aim of bringing men together. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author and aviator (29 Jun 1900-1944)

Swarming under the stars (Hungary)

The chaotic swarming of mayflies on Hungary’s River Rába. For a few days each year (at the end of July or beginning of August), vast numbers of the adult insects emerge from the Danube tributary, where they developed as larvae. On this occasion, the insects emerged just after sunset. At first, they stayed close to the water, but once they had mated, the females gained altitude. 

OPTICAL ILLUSION

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