06
As a photographer I see my camera as a tool with which to capture and create. As an engineer, I see my camera as a wonderful machine and opto-electric toy. But sometimes a situation arises that makes a camera into a scientific tool. To make visible some hidden property of reality itself.
After this poetic introduction, it might seem a little mundane to tell you that this post is about the steam the comes out of my coffee machine. And in fact you don’t even need a camera – this is something that you can see with your naked eye. We own a Delonghi Icona home espresso machine, which looks like this:
Like most machines of this type it has a milk frother side-arm (on the right), that can be used for making cappuccinos. It works by forcing hot steam out at high velocity. The steam’s velocity is controlled by a valve which one opens by turning the round black knob on top.
11
Not only is Usain Bolt the fastest man alive, but he is also a budding photographer! :)

Usain Bolt shooting some after-action snapshots with Swedish photographer Jimmy Wixtröm’s camera. Image (c) Reuters
Immediately after making history by defending his 200m Olympic crown, Usain walked over to the photographer booth and took Swedish photographer Jimmy Wixtröm’s camera.
Bolt then proceeded to take several photos from his unique point of view. Pretty good photos, too! Now the question may be asked who has copyright of these photos.
05

Autodesk’s 123D Catch software enables anyone to make a 3D model from a set of photographs. The model can then be manipulated or printed on a rapid prototyping machine (Image source: Autodesk)
A friend of mine recently told me about Autodesk 123D catch – new software with which one can create impressive 3D models of any object by just analyzing a set of photographs taken at different angles.
Read More»07
Do you think this photo comparison currently doing the rounds on twitter is fake? Well so did I when I first saw it. Looks a little “fake”, right? In fact, someone in a forum calling herself “a professional expert in Photoshop” vouched for this photo’s fake-ness.
07
Seems like Moby’s electric problems go the other way too. In 2008 I blogged about how his laser show fried my camera’s sensor (video), and now the tables turned when he was partially electrocuted at a performance in Amsterdam!
However I’m baffled by how (what looks like) a 12V DC light fixture could have caused him any harm. Methinks this a publicity stunt. But maybe Moby is a robot after all…
Youch… What would Eminem say about this?
24
As you might have heard in the news, BP further embarrassed themselves with some incompetently Photoshopped images which were released as real. Gizmodo and Americablog do a great job of tearing down these photos and showing just how bad the Photoshopping is.
Now Wired Science is taking it one step further with a competition for users to do take it to the next level – they’ll post some of the best, most interesting, funniest and most skilled images on their site. How good are your Photoshopping skills?
01
1 April 2010
Throughout the history of photography, the essential experience was limited to capturing light. Kodak, however, is set to change all of that. Today, they announce aromatography, a revolutionary way of capturing both light and aromatic scents from the world around you.
Imagine seeing an image of a field of wildflowers and the experiencing all the delicate and complex aromas that accompany the visual experience. It’s no longer just a dream, thanks to recent breakthroughs in Neuro-Optic-Nasal-Sense Imaging.
Read More»