Ever wonder how it must have looked as clouds of space dust combined to form the Earth. National Geographic offers this awesome animation: Also from National Geographic, here's a theory of how some species of animals, but not large dinosaurs, survived the the aftermath of an enormous asteroid crashing into Earth. And here is a theory regarding the formation of the moon.
About a month ago, I purchased a Canon S95 camera for about $400. I sought it out because I wanted the ability to capture non-blurred photos in low light. It has lived up to its reputation as a good low-light pocket camera.
After I purchased the camera I traveled to Europe and then to Chicago. I've been exploring a 
few of the special settings of the camera and decided to share a few of the photos here at DI. One of the settings allows you to take "miniature" looking objects, such as this Norwegian town along a fiord (click the image for a larger image).
The S95 also has a wider angle lens then most other pocket cameras, allowing you to take in larger 
scenes. I really appreciated this in the Berlin monument regarding War and Tyranny--the beautiful space completely fit into the camera.
I was also able to fit large scenes like the Eiffel Tour (I patiently waited for the even clouds to ripen before capturing this image). 
Of special interest to me is the "high dynamic range" setting, allowing you to take three photos with one click on of the shutter button. Then the camera itself processes all three photos into a single HDR photo. It's important to completely stabilize the camera, or else the images will not coincide. I haven't used a tripod yet, but I have used walls and fences--anything that 
might work to allow me to keep the camera steady. The following photo of Napoleon's tomb is an HDR photo.
This photo of the main hall of the Field Museum in Chicago is another HDR photo. 
Notice the ghostly people walking around. This is a multiple exposure technique, and these ghosts are an artifact whenever you've got movement during the 3 seconds during which the camera is taking the 3 images. I rather like the ghost people--it shows movement within the finished still. There will obviously be times when I don't want ghosts in my photos, however.
One other trick I'll mention is the ability to take "stitch photos," which combines several photos into a single panorama. The scene below, taken of the city of London from the top of St. Paul's Cathedral, consists of four separate shots. The camera offers a slick way to take the shots, and you then stitch them together, using special software provided with the purchase of the camera. 
I'll end this post with a gallery of other photos I took recently with the S95. Most of these are HDR photos. If you don't see the gallery, click on the title to this post, which will take you to the permalink version, where you will see the gallery.
Consider this description of the N.S.A., from Jane Meyer's New Yorker article called "The Secret Sharer," regarding Thomas Drake (since publication, Drake has resolved his case and is not headed for prison). The N.S.A. is
an agency that James Bamford, the author of “The Shadow Factory” (2008), calls “the largest, most costly, and most technologically sophisticated spy organization the world has ever known.” . . . Even in an age in which computerized feats are commonplace, the N.S.A.’s capabilities are breathtaking. The agency reportedly has the capacity to intercept and download, every six hours, electronic communications equivalent to the contents of the Library of Congress. Three times the size of the C.I.A., and with a third of the U.S.’s entire intelligence budget, the N.S.A. has a five-thousand-acre campus at Fort Meade protected by iris scanners and facial-recognition devices. The electric bill there is said to surpass seventy million dollars a year.
According to the Bible, Noah was ordered to take one male and one female of each species. This part of loading the ark seems easy, at least conceptually. Just gather up one male and one female of each of the many thousands of species of critters before beginning the journey.
7:2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. 7:3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.But there is a problem: many critters don't mate in the "traditional" way, using one male and one female. Luckily, there's help on the way: a reenactment of the boarding of ark. This delightful and informative "Green Porno" video features Isabella Rosellini.
While I was taking Amtrak from Chicago back to St. Louis tonight, I passed this huge wind farm. I took this photo out the window of the speeding train.
