Physics

Okay, I was never great at Physics. I wasn't bad, I got an A in college I think, but that was just because I thought it was fun. Hey, my screen name and blog URL state quite clearly that I am a "Big Nerd". But while I understood the math there's just something deeper that I had a hard time getting my mind around.

Potential and Kinetic Energy? Easy. Every morning Rachel has a ton of potential energy, when the day is over she used a ton of kinetic energy and needs to collapse in bed by 7.

Sound bends, light always goes in a straight line. Easy too. I can hear Erin yell at me from all over the house. Thankfully I can't see the angry look on her face at the same time.

Okay, was there anything else to physics? Oh yeah, gravity. It's always the same number (1.8 I think?) and essentially pushes on us. It's the reason I'm so short... Dumb gravity.

I'm sure there was more, but the only other thing I remember was the cute girl I sat next to and talked to my second semester of physics. Oh, and that we watched some movie. But I got an A, so do I really care?

Except that times like last night keep me in awe of this world around us. The amazing things that are possible with light.

Last night I took a picture of the Prayer Book (a book we use in church so everyone knows what to say and when.., though at our service we project everything on the wall since we're lazy... er, technically savvy I mean). I’m no great photographer, but I’ve heard you can do some cool stuff with aperture. Aperture is how open a lens is… Oh, still to technical. Here, do this.

Squint really tight. Can you read what I’m writing? Only if you look directly at it. Can you read the paragraph above? Nope, it’s blurry (or you stopped squinting… if you stopped, SQUINT I tell you). Aperture makes the camera squint, but without eyebrows to get in the way.

So I decided to play with aperture last night at the dinner table. And within about 1 minute I had 10 pictures. The best one is on the right.

I’m just amazed at the things I can’t understand. The fact that the middle is clear and the rest is blurry… that’s something I don’t quite get. I mean, how is it possible? Light goes in a straight line, but it’s always sharp. What makes it blurry? When I squint why isn’t the middle sharp and the rest just black (since I made my aperture – Word of the day – smaller, the outside of the aperture should be black, right)?

Anyway, here’s what we ended up doing with the picture. I kind of like it, without being too boastful. I love most that it only took about 30 minutes to complete. Without the miracle of aperture and that crazy blurriness it would have taken me forever to get Photoshop to do it (forever = 20 minutes or so).

So, my thoughts of the day? Appreciate what we can’t understand and enjoy being able to look at things differently. Oh yeah… and the word of the day??? Aperture.

Peace,
+Tom/Bob

posted by Tom at 10:08 AM