tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43173440250272352002024-03-13T08:55:54.597-07:00The Currents Of SpaceBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-21004364350880298912014-04-04T09:55:00.000-07:002014-04-04T09:55:36.035-07:00AggieCon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPa-8rpIaO0v5zJ2VrFhjQY7BIHuY2-oC3aIJFdFSQWAil30Z3aT0aN0S4xtK0RVGrTJBmZsYr0Czwswwub8Ti9wnll2tQZOVr-FtjVGOIDE9OabN1i9_bxR4dZR5PEVj64wltmZGlxQ/s1600/1973228_1398165447125648_1173180289_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPa-8rpIaO0v5zJ2VrFhjQY7BIHuY2-oC3aIJFdFSQWAil30Z3aT0aN0S4xtK0RVGrTJBmZsYr0Czwswwub8Ti9wnll2tQZOVr-FtjVGOIDE9OabN1i9_bxR4dZR5PEVj64wltmZGlxQ/s1600/1973228_1398165447125648_1173180289_o.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
Hey y'all, I'm gonna be in College Station, Texas over the weekend, showing my art at <a href="http://cephvar.tamu.edu/aggiecon" target="_blank">AggieCon</a>. My art will be up in the art show, come by and say hi if you're going to be in town.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-78161824913411023662014-03-22T15:14:00.000-07:002014-03-22T15:27:57.170-07:00A View to the Stars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUlaTi3bPthPb6hhTkijd1ZvuS46YOkHYiKVzCKjl_zeH1H5ny4aULfeHDK_5967lQRfAsZoFyVlDMrt6W73sKaz40B_aWwtJElPEljiT8UZQtsoPxB0XvlVR9Gl2j3CWkVM7PFEFaP0/s1600/A+View+to+the+Stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUlaTi3bPthPb6hhTkijd1ZvuS46YOkHYiKVzCKjl_zeH1H5ny4aULfeHDK_5967lQRfAsZoFyVlDMrt6W73sKaz40B_aWwtJElPEljiT8UZQtsoPxB0XvlVR9Gl2j3CWkVM7PFEFaP0/s1600/A+View+to+the+Stars.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was going to title this one, "That planet? I bought it"</div>
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Fullview is recommended<br />
3dsm & PS</div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-79973093938157248682014-03-17T14:57:00.000-07:002014-03-17T14:58:23.219-07:00Fernbridge PhotosHDRI photos of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernbridge_(bridge)" target="_blank">Fernbridge</a>. The bridge is 103 years old, and it is the largest poured concrete bridge in operation in the world.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vGVAx71LE3Ufs_Ild6NXbvVAbxd3yS_sKJ7mwC4TLfeBirFP8itVNY6rvQsw-lvfxm2HeNKxPTi0l7qbeat5ec-bhXRPupLf1dX1P6mdlMLK5SrYY34-A-dnZgQ4nufqU_5kuqMv6C8/s1600/Fernbridge+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vGVAx71LE3Ufs_Ild6NXbvVAbxd3yS_sKJ7mwC4TLfeBirFP8itVNY6rvQsw-lvfxm2HeNKxPTi0l7qbeat5ec-bhXRPupLf1dX1P6mdlMLK5SrYY34-A-dnZgQ4nufqU_5kuqMv6C8/s1600/Fernbridge+1.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJs4jsOffeD-olveSwD2BpjRkNs1xRTOIQKqpr7_dc-aKB8YYuqCtBSjSdbIA9gBQmhIvoLNATJsGqwRgDroCxHCyms2Ex2U7HKszaPyEiX-CHWoWI3WtqyKy-52P2q4gR1KsrMrngy0/s1600/Fernbridge+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJs4jsOffeD-olveSwD2BpjRkNs1xRTOIQKqpr7_dc-aKB8YYuqCtBSjSdbIA9gBQmhIvoLNATJsGqwRgDroCxHCyms2Ex2U7HKszaPyEiX-CHWoWI3WtqyKy-52P2q4gR1KsrMrngy0/s1600/Fernbridge+3.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-21557647046707080782014-03-15T14:13:00.001-07:002014-03-15T14:14:32.894-07:00Reach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is an old gas giant that suffered an enormous impact when it was younger, being struck by a massive terrestrial planet. This not only knocked it on it's side, changing it's orbit, and skewed the orbit of most of it's moons, but it also introduced a massive quantity of heavy metals into the interior of the gas giant. Poking out of the clouds is a docking station that is connected, kilometers deep in the thick atmosphere, to an extensive mining complex which mines the semi-solid and liquid metals in the depths.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-25151398617830151572014-03-14T15:59:00.000-07:002014-03-14T16:00:06.372-07:00Anticipation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPN-Bci5g6BBonTBTNK3dlLLqOygfmgx7dVLhRgd2SKy3KLtI4q52wrpQp6TWHQ5NbP6ijXx_TX5c-WwRPXHLF9FD_AwpyN4Twv2oTF-c3HBMl4mYjIRQ50K-dzBsiyz5bIj1D-OZhME/s1600/Anticipation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPN-Bci5g6BBonTBTNK3dlLLqOygfmgx7dVLhRgd2SKy3KLtI4q52wrpQp6TWHQ5NbP6ijXx_TX5c-WwRPXHLF9FD_AwpyN4Twv2oTF-c3HBMl4mYjIRQ50K-dzBsiyz5bIj1D-OZhME/s1600/Anticipation.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></div>
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I can only imagine what the pilot in the image must feel like .... let's just say that I want a pilots license ;)</div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-73291065827610314782014-03-14T15:43:00.001-07:002014-03-14T15:43:58.886-07:00Rise Above<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3fisN5HegP0d1Y2MY0jalJVFcVV9d5C9kVJhHuQ1kIddVLBoWM0giDPT4Omo6dfCCm7jalAo7U90_REE5umQJfE9rzQuzJAUz7MVUAvYJ6BEpnJLdmiGG5dnooZin3nnyPwex9iV9-4/s1600/Rise+Above.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3fisN5HegP0d1Y2MY0jalJVFcVV9d5C9kVJhHuQ1kIddVLBoWM0giDPT4Omo6dfCCm7jalAo7U90_REE5umQJfE9rzQuzJAUz7MVUAvYJ6BEpnJLdmiGG5dnooZin3nnyPwex9iV9-4/s1600/Rise+Above.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-75459827912505963842014-03-13T15:51:00.002-07:002014-03-13T15:51:27.595-07:00I'm still alive!Yes I'm still here, been busy with work for a while, had a boot drive die on me ... life just gets in the way sometimes lol .... but I've got a few pieces of art to share very soon.<br />
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And also go check out <a href="http://www.alieninkcards.com/" target="_blank">Alien Ink cards</a>, I'm working on a deck for them ... it's gonna be epic<br />
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Stay tuned, there's more to come ....Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-51316299697265466072012-11-27T17:31:00.001-08:002012-11-27T17:31:23.891-08:00Open Source Satellites and Rocket Gardens<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong></strong>Artist Hojung Song has decided to reinvent the DIY concept in a unique way that the space community loves right now. Song has created an open source way for people to build their own satellite. With this <a href="http://opensat.cc/diysatellite.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">project</a>, the average person can gather up materials, such as an Arduino Board, which is used for programming, and build a satellite that blinks and sends out Morse code signals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Song decided to release the plans for free from his website as a way to lower the barrier of entry into the space program. With a project like this, the average person may soon be sending out satellites of their own that they built themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Garden of Rockets</strong></span><strong><br /></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong></strong>Despite this project dating back to 2005, it is nonetheless an interesting look at the equipment behind what powers astronauts into space. Artist <a href="http://www.aleksandramir.info/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Aleksandra Mir</a> felt inspired to create her own space-related piece of art after visiting the Kennedy Space Center. Mir chose to take objects from all around her house, including a Pringles can and mayonnaise jar, in order to create her own set of rockets. She also created another rocket known as “Gravity.” It stood at over 65 feet tall, was made out of junk with smoke being released from it - quite how she got the <a href="http://www.quotezone.co.uk/art-gallery-insurance.htm" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">art gallery insurance</a> is a mystery, but the fittingly-named Mir says that she created it to reflect what she believes is a declining interest in space exploration.</span></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-673617132084229482012-11-05T15:28:00.004-08:002012-11-05T15:30:45.525-08:00The Art World's Fascination with the Cosmos<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm very pleased to introduce Evelyn Robinson. She will be contributing related content from time to time on this blog. The overall format of the blog won't change, but now you'll be able to find interesting articles; covering space exploration as well as the art world and, most excitingly, the intersection of the two. Here's her first piece:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Art for so many is simply a representation of pushing past what are considered normal boundaries and striving for something unique and original. In a sense, one of those boundaries could be considered outer space. Despite it being so close, there are very few currently on this planet who have seen it with their own eyes. Even if you are able to travel to space, once you land, you’ll be itching to go back and explore. While our world is amazing, no road trip will do the trick; human mind strives to explore the unknown, and even astonishing destinations within the reach lose their charm compared to so much uncharted territory that we will not see throughout the course of our lives. Even with high definition and pictures, outer space is so large that it somewhat lets your imaginations run wild. Much of outer space has not been explored yet, so there is that constant feeling of uncharted territory and wonderment as we wonder what may be out there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This sense of imagination regarding space has been expressed in many popular art pieces these days. For instance, artists Trevor Paglen and Tom Sachs have been talked about lately for their newest public works projects dealing with the concept of outer space.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong></strong>Trevor Paglen’s latest project, known as <a href="http://creativetime.org/projects/the-last-pictures/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">The Last Pictures</a>, details a set of pictures describing human culture and wants to send it into orbit soon. Paglen, an artist and photographer, worked with several experts, to come up with something that will last billions of years as it floats throughout space. Known as an “ultra-archival disc,” it will contain 100 different photographs encased within a shell plated with gold. The pictures are set to go along with the fall 2012 launch of the satellite EchoStar XVI and will be floating throughout space well after the Earth dies out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong></strong>Tom Sachs, a sculpture and painter, has brought the concept of space exploration to life with his latest exhibit, known as <a href="http://tomsachsmars.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Space Program: Mars</a>. Within this exhibit, Sachs has replicated many of the important components that are crucial to any space mission including launch platforms, vehicles, food delivery systems, and more using items such as plywood and foam.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The most notable piece within the exhibit is a model of the Apollo Lunar Module, which helped on six different moon landings and aided in the crucial Apollo 13 mission back to Earth. This model stands at over 23 tall and consists of plywood, glue, and tape.</span></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-89859681314117354492012-09-20T17:47:00.000-07:002012-09-20T17:47:00.311-07:00War & Space cover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.prime-books.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/WarAndSpace-frontcover-681x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.prime-books.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/WarAndSpace-frontcover-681x1024.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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Earlier this year, Prime Books published an anthology of short science fiction stories, relating to war and it's impact on those around it, titled "War & Space: Recent Combat". My artwork, <a href="http://levitatedart.com/artwork/2010-2/#jp-carousel-119" target="_blank">Far Haven</a>, was featured as the cover image. It's a fantastic book, I recently finished it and thoroughly enjoyed the read; some of the stories are downright excellent.<br />
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Recently it was favorably <a href="http://io9.com/5928850/some-of-the-coolest-space-war-stories-youve-ever-seen" target="_blank">reviewed on i09.com</a> (it's a much better review than my one sentence!). You can order it <a href="http://www.prime-books.com/shop/print-books/war-and-space-edited-by-rich-horton-sean-wallace/" target="_blank">from the publisher</a>, or you can <a href="http://www.amazon.com/War-Space-Recent-Rich-Horton/dp/1607013371" target="_blank">find it on Amazon.com</a>.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-24927143311873497472012-09-13T23:28:00.000-07:002012-09-13T23:30:10.632-07:00Nebula and Starfield Brushes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wiHFJa86SC-gtzMftcWhua18g8ev507A92iJ2Sp63jNNIeo293JUe5nUyN8yHWo73yk1VwPK9sNmWqbwrV2t36kyUOw5_SeGZsPfSb9cEMJ9XqYNJed__RzBHVFEwHDQPbrREFBIPJs/s1600/Nebula+brush+set+01+test+1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wiHFJa86SC-gtzMftcWhua18g8ev507A92iJ2Sp63jNNIeo293JUe5nUyN8yHWo73yk1VwPK9sNmWqbwrV2t36kyUOw5_SeGZsPfSb9cEMJ9XqYNJed__RzBHVFEwHDQPbrREFBIPJs/s320/Nebula+brush+set+01+test+1000.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've uploaded a set of starfield brushes and a set of nebula brushes to Mediafire. Pictured above is a preview of the nebula brush set. They are in .abr format for Photoshop, and they're free to download and try out (if you're a member of DeviantArt you may have already seen them). There are no restrictions on their usage, but I love to see what you make with them, you can leave a comment and a link below.<br />
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Download links:<br />
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<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?himw4450rxrqob9" target="_blank">Starfield Brush Set 01</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?xpy7s5xqf6tl7qm" target="_blank">Nebula Brush Set 01</a>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-52513959766626255602012-09-13T23:13:00.000-07:002012-09-20T17:30:27.282-07:00Sentinel City<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Backstory: As Khasim ran up the stairs, his heart thumped in his chest - and not from the exertion. He thought to himself, she'd better be here. He rounded the last turn in the stairwell and stopped at the door. Taking a deep breath and letting it all the way out, he opened it slowly, as though afraid of what he might find. The hall was devoid of furnishings, without so much as a rug to remind one of the monks who once worshipped here. As he stepped out onto the worn stone floor, walking across the cracks and rubble - memories of ancient crimes that he did not have the veracity to investigate, not to mention the jurisdiction - he allowed his eyes to search the dark recesses of the hall, switching through different wavelengths as he walked. Nothing. She was not there. He walked toward the wide doorway at the far end of the hall, switching his eyes back to visible light, and saw the evening sunlight painting the floor beyond with gold. As he stepped through the opening, a sudden noise made him start. Where?! He flattened against the wall, but it was just the hanging curtains, still bright red after all these years, snapping in the wind. Still no sign of any other person. Caring nothing for secrecy anymore, he walked over to the edge of the balcony and stood by the crumbling railing. The updrafts from the city below washed around him; bringing sounds and smells from the streets. Sentinel City was spread open in front of him, the mysterious alien Sentinel itself towering over everything else. Did she not make the rendevous? Had something happened to her?<br />
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Silently behind him, a man stepped out of the shadows by the stairwell. He moved gracefully, unconsciously stepping around the rubble on the floor, steps methodical. As he crept up to the doorway, he slipped his hand into his holster and drew his black weapon. Flipping off the safety, he peered around the corner at Khasim, the muzzle rising to aim. With a whisper and a flash of a blade, his throat was opened. Staggering, he turned around, wide-eyed, to face the woman behind him - he had not even heard her coming!<br />
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>Arjana dragged his corpse out of the way, and returned to the doorway. Khasim was still gazing out over the city, she could almost imagine what was going through his mind. Damn him for dragging me all the way up here, and damn her for dragging him around too, she thought. The clouds parted, revealing the titanic orange globe of Sinyx. She looked around the shadows again, but other than the body of the pathetic thug from Pope Entertainment who'd been sent to kill Khasim, there was no one. He was probably a merc, some piece of shit Pope hired. Pope wanted Khasim's business with Severina stopped, because it might expose his illegal pornography rings. Of course Khasim probably wanted it stopped too, being blackmailed by your ex-lover is rarely anyone's choice of action. But who could tell with Khasim, it was obvious he was still in love with her. Arjana wanted to spit on the merc, but thought better of it, staying quiet and turning back to the fading sunlight. It was a good thing, because out of the cacaphonic mix of city noises, she could hear a quiet drone suddenly grow louder, before blossoming into a roar as a utilitycraft swooped into view meters beyond the balcony. There she was! Severina!<br />
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Thanks for checking it out! Full view is highly recommended, there's a lot of small details to see.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-54553207238857363852012-08-17T14:44:00.000-07:002012-08-17T14:44:45.700-07:00Mars 360 PanoramaA friend showed me this, and I had to share it, an interactive 360 degree panorama from the rover Curiosity.<br />
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<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,28,0" height="315" id="_360_krpano_id_357193" name="_360_krpano_name_357193" width="800"><param name="movie" value="http://www.360cities.net/javascripts/krpano/krpano.swf"/><param name="quality" value="autohigh"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="flashvars" value="pano=http://www.360cities.net/krpano/external_embed/curiosity-rover-martian-solar-day-2.xml&epd=http://www.360cities.net/data/embed/plugin_data/curiosity-rover-martian-solar-day-2"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><embed src="http://www.360cities.net/javascripts/krpano/krpano.swf" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="800" height="315" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" quality="autohigh" flashvars="pano=http://www.360cities.net/krpano/external_embed/curiosity-rover-martian-solar-day-2.xml&epd=http://www.360cities.net/data/embed/plugin_data/curiosity-rover-martian-solar-day-2"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://www.360cities.net/image/curiosity-rover-martian-solar-day-2" title="panorama photos of Mars Panorama - Curiosity rover: Martian solar day 2 on 360cities.net">Mars Panorama - Curiosity rover: Martian solar day 2</a> in <a href="http://www.360cities.net/area/new-mexico" title="panoramic images from New Mexico">New Mexico</a><br />
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Curiosity landed on Mars on August 5 (6th if you go by UTC) via a very complicated landing sequence, involving parachutes, rockets, and <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/593484main_pia14839_full_Curiosity%27s_Sky_Crane_Maneuver%2C_Artist%27s_Concept.jpg" target="_blank">a sky crane</a>. You can <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Science_Laboratory" target="_blank">read more here on Wikipedia</a>, and <a href="http://twitter.com/MarsCuriosity" target="_blank">the rover's Twitter feed</a>. Also it's worth it to take a look at the rest of the <a href="http://www.360cities.net/" target="_blank">360 Cities website</a>.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-4937934572038152612012-07-14T16:22:00.001-07:002012-09-13T23:14:24.418-07:00Orbital Mechanics<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMefZ0hfl7oLVsuIL2gDaZnpP3SeYvnfWF1lvXHCRX7oLEAR5qQrzu7ZhBHqmNDZYX9J_lsc7uQf4NO955o20bV4NVRrfT59-oa89yFrrBeOYMqd4zFfo0Nv12Qx43Rx6GGZIxc2UrCs/s1600/Orbital+Mechanics+by+Regulus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMefZ0hfl7oLVsuIL2gDaZnpP3SeYvnfWF1lvXHCRX7oLEAR5qQrzu7ZhBHqmNDZYX9J_lsc7uQf4NO955o20bV4NVRrfT59-oa89yFrrBeOYMqd4zFfo0Nv12Qx43Rx6GGZIxc2UrCs/s320/Orbital+Mechanics+by+Regulus.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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In the early days of the Atrean civil war, pilots with combat experience were hard to come by, so both sides began a crash course in pilot training. In addition to the physical training (you had to survive the intense G forces) these young recruits were given intensive VR sessions in the simulator modules. They honed their skills in these virtual battlefields, littered with blinking red carcasses of simulated ships destroyed in practice. </div>
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But the virtual world is no match for the real, and to give their pilots the training they needed to be lethal in the blackness of space, they had to get their hands dirty. So after thousands of time dilated hours in the VR modules, the rookie pilots were finally given the controls of an actual starship. The objective of this training mission was to use low yield plasma weapons on the target range on the moon. Things were going pretty well until someone accidentally nuked the target moon.</div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-15971810063303199392012-06-24T23:24:00.003-07:002012-06-24T23:24:45.728-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkczZEdaIvtfKsMYircsRRWnNwmkyzNW67vs-TEaW2GBxlOmUxgxHzKzt6Jsj46vdatckHNfM_-4CL-0X_TVgJJiVO-4_qbP1U51CWn3qH_EU4qtXaPQxjaiGhSXYCzjWZdmBpQsg2Oxc/s1600/midnight+voyage+2+1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkczZEdaIvtfKsMYircsRRWnNwmkyzNW67vs-TEaW2GBxlOmUxgxHzKzt6Jsj46vdatckHNfM_-4CL-0X_TVgJJiVO-4_qbP1U51CWn3qH_EU4qtXaPQxjaiGhSXYCzjWZdmBpQsg2Oxc/s320/midnight+voyage+2+1920.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Finally something new! ;)</div>
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Backstory: <span style="background-color: white;">In the dusty depths of the Midnight Nebula, an unusual craft appears. A solar sail, which by it's worn appearance appears to have been drifting for some time, slowly nears the gas giant Vidar. When there is no reply, two armed patrol ships from the Collective naval base on the moon Thrym are dispatched to investigate. By the direction it was travelling the solar sail seemed to have come from the nearest habitated worlds, orbiting the star Atea, 16 light years away. This could mean trouble, since there has been little contact with the New Polys since the war began there.</span></div>
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The two patrol ships hail the craft in all known languages, but there is still silence. After thoroughly scanning it for any signs of life, ambiguous signals prompt them to carefully tow it back to port. Once in port, the craft is opened and found to contain 27 passengers, all in cryosleep. It takes months to figure out how to bring the corpsicles back to life, but eventually it was accomplished with the loss of only one life. When the captain of the solar sail finally is given a chance to tell his story, it iss a good one; </div>
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The Atean system had been simmering with tensions between the different factions for years, but recently it had flared into a brutal hot war. Both sides had poured resources into developing weapons, and their success had been frightening. Nuclear weapons had long ago become the standard warhead for ship to ship missles, but now they had been repurposed to planetary bombardment of civilian areas. Advanced physics had been bent toward a devastating purpose, the quick and painful annihilation of the enemy. Viruses had been developed, both biological and technological, and let loose into the planetary net. These viruses had been the favorite weapon of one nasty faction of enemy, the captain said, shaking his head slowly. Artificial Intelligence had been considered the cutting edge of technology before the war had exploded. Now this AI tech had been incorporated into the viruses programming with particularly malicious results. Whole colonies had been wiped out. Once infected, humans with net implants, a common accessory for communication and data access, would be under the control of the virus, in effect creating armies of mindless robots or zombies - but zombies trapped inside their own head; as the host carrier remained aware and conscious. These carriers, once infected, would work to achieve the goals set up in the virus' programming, but would do so without alerting anyone to their infection by using the hosts bodies own memories and personalities. What this meant among civilians was a bloodbath as they were usually simply directed to eliminate their neighbors, family and friends. This was seen as such a vicious method of killing that public opinion quickly turned against the virus creators. But for the majority it was too late; their system was turning into a killing ground of crisped moons and glittering debris fields where habitats used to orbit. These solar sail refugees had struck out on a last ditch effort to escape, by building a simple craft like a solar sail they had avoided attracting the attention that the buying or stealing of, say, a couple of Alcubierre warp drives would have done. They constructed a laser station on a cold splinter of rock far on the edges of the system, and were lucky enough to set off without attracting more attention than a lone patrol ship pilot with a slow trigger finger. After a long, cold, silent voyage, they had arrived here, at the edge of Collective space.</div>
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Once this story set in, the Collective promised to begin caring for any wounded or sick, and they set about doing just that. They had state of the art medical facilities compared to what the refugees had had access to before fleeing. After the initial bio exams and treatment for cryosickness, the passengers were brought one at a time into a opalescent room to have their implants scanned and cleaned of any traces of viruses. When the eighth passenger walked into the room and came within range of the scanners a tiny bit of compressed code jumped silently out of her head and into the machines lining the walls, unnoticed by human or machine......</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-78010329412421570832012-02-14T21:21:00.000-08:002012-02-14T21:21:37.858-08:00Unrequited Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofx8fBjEbYhVtjlAa2Gl81xus1-UIm0BaTN9UruDxTtVrDL8nZcnXKEy3TBP9ULgRCxtc50LsvTno_3mWAK_39lPSo8kokdATQHVfu9AIAXdGHLLQzxFOscoE49aGAgKxD4eE7_iGIJg/s1600/Unrequited+Love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofx8fBjEbYhVtjlAa2Gl81xus1-UIm0BaTN9UruDxTtVrDL8nZcnXKEy3TBP9ULgRCxtc50LsvTno_3mWAK_39lPSo8kokdATQHVfu9AIAXdGHLLQzxFOscoE49aGAgKxD4eE7_iGIJg/s320/Unrequited+Love.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
One for Valentine's Day ;)Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-88186637249428994172012-02-12T13:02:00.000-08:002012-02-12T13:02:35.899-08:00In the Names of God<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXa6hs3-IC7lnwGFBhVhGbME95J5xcqleqaX3jgG3kpe9IjKS4R_AqP7VAv62w0X_90zKWGMeUNnt7RfM_-ujOHoq-Ovv3KGOKvJhICYKm2mNyIyMtrSk22k4BhyphenhyphenHOSSAUKwbjSElulbo/s1600/In+the+Names+of+God+1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXa6hs3-IC7lnwGFBhVhGbME95J5xcqleqaX3jgG3kpe9IjKS4R_AqP7VAv62w0X_90zKWGMeUNnt7RfM_-ujOHoq-Ovv3KGOKvJhICYKm2mNyIyMtrSk22k4BhyphenhyphenHOSSAUKwbjSElulbo/s320/In+the+Names+of+God+1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span>Massive Lei Gong rises in the distance, with 6 members of it's
extensive family of moons visible, over the Tratung Mountains in this
view from the moon Zhun-Ti. <br /><br />The monks of the Jaffei Order live
far above the forest and it's inhabitants, both literally and
figuratively. Living an ascetic existence amid the freezing
mountaintops, they continue their Order's reason for existence; their
attempt to fulfill the Prophecy of Clarke. Found in the holy book "The
Sky's Backside" written by the prophet Clarke millennia ago, the
Prophecy states that when all 9 billion names of God have been
calculated and printed into physical existence, it will reverse Hubble's
constant, causing all of spacetime to slow and then stop it's expansion
and begin it's contraction into an eventual singularity, essentially
triggering the end of this universe and the creation of the next. <br /><br />The
monks have strung together a network of sublight transmitters to
contact their brethren on other worlds in order to assemble the holy
List in real time. This small, unassuming temple here on on Zhun-Ti is a
permutation generator that generates the many possible combinations of
letters that make up of the names of God, which are then sent to through
the transmitter to a printing station, to be printed out on prayer
flags and hung from the Final Stupa. When all 9 billion prayer flags
have been hung, the monks will have, in effect, destroyed the universe,
all in the names of God.<br /><br />If anyone has read the short story "The
Nine Billion Names of God" by Arthur C. Clarke, found in the compilation
"The Other Side of the Sky" (aka "The Sky's Backside" .... translation
errors in ancient texts are a pain aren't they),
then you'll probably recognize this. It's sort of a re-imagining of the
story with a different setting ... what can I say, it's one of my all
time favorites!</span>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-31085380711265825002012-01-29T13:04:00.000-08:002012-01-29T13:10:20.672-08:00Thanatos Gate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRSIPxIWNSYz5lGBSIH-WxXGhBxgm-jrGX7uLublvjH_7udqiV6OM4TLNoyor0uflB4QVcmyohQxh2yAZaTbvsQsEO6NBe8SzPke7P-EmjzK-f1PnOCTlGCj5bSLaTOdDVRpNWZi49oo/s1600/Thanatos+Gate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRSIPxIWNSYz5lGBSIH-WxXGhBxgm-jrGX7uLublvjH_7udqiV6OM4TLNoyor0uflB4QVcmyohQxh2yAZaTbvsQsEO6NBe8SzPke7P-EmjzK-f1PnOCTlGCj5bSLaTOdDVRpNWZi49oo/s320/Thanatos+Gate.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Here is a collaboration with <a href="http://darink.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">DarinK</a>, we spent a long time on this and I'm real happy with the result. Please check it out in full view, the preview doesn't really do it justice.<br />
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Backstory:<br />
<br />
Location: Komaria, Tk'iln, Scutum-Centaurus Arm<br />
Race: Homo Sapiens Variation 14c (seeded 1.5 million years ago)<br />
<br />
The
Komar are an advanced Type II civilization controlled by their ruling
elite which number about 3% of the population. These wealthy
aristocrats, who long ago confirmed the existence of the soul in living
beings and the Cycle of Learning, have dedicated themselves to
developing life extension technology for the sole purpose of prolonging
the privilege, wealth, and trappings of luxury they were born into.
Pursuit of this technology must be done at all costs.<br />
<br />
They were
warned centuries ago by the Dream Travelers, the enigmatic race of
nomads that are known primarily for their esoteric study of dreams, that
embracing this lifestyle would increase the karmic debt that follows
them into the next existence. They choose not to take this advice.<br />
<br />
84
life cycles ago a Komari scientist perfected a device that at the
moment of death could capture the life force of the departed. The
experiments began with the capture and release of single cell organisms
and plant life forces. The scientist who created the device noticed that
when working in close proximity of the energy hungry device, now known
as the Soultrap, that he felt invigorated and energized. He also noticed
after decades of work and experiments, that he had not aged visibly
more than a few years. A team of researchers and scientists later
concluded that being in close proximity to the Soul Trap reduced the
aging process drastically and kept the subject in good health, with no
adverse effects upon cessation of exposure.<br />
<br />
There was a group
within the science establishment that wanted to continue these tests
using as a catalyst the deaths of more highly developed creatures. Over
the protestations of the Dream Travelers, the number of experiments was
increased, soon it expanded to include reptiles and native lab animals.
These animals' souls eventually proved to be too weak to be of much use
for detailed study, and it became obvious that it would require the
death of much more advanced life forms. For this purpose, the secret
police of the Komar began to gather up the migrants and homeless; these
poor and downtrodden were sent to internment camps. Suicide rates were
high in these camps, but it proved a bonus for the scientists running
the experiment, since they were able to tune their instruments to these
suicides and thus began a program known as Project Black Truth. This
program worked on identifying and isolating the unknown energy source
given off from the captured souls, and attempts to harness that energy.<br />
<br />
More
research confirmed that the Soultrap needed a constant replenishing of
souls; eventually the souls would become drained and the energy levels
given off by the device would diminish. Once emptied, a soul was never
released from the system, because opening the exit gate on the Soultrap
not only allowed drained souls to escape, but also fresh newly captured
ones to flee. In effect, the souls were in limbo unable to obtain the
light and start the cycle of rebirth.<br />
<br />
Where these souls were
actually trapped was a matter of almost no debate among the elite, since
they cared little what happened to their 'property,' but the scientists
began to formulate hypotheses. It gradually became accepted that the
trapped souls of the dead were sent to a dark and empty universe, a
monstrous abyss of nighted horror. Again there were strenuous objections
to what they were doing, but such was the price of their progress.
After years of bloody work, finally an interface was created which
allowed a Komari individual to directly tap into the life force energy
of the captured souls. This required a small, highly controlled gateway
to draw the energy in raw form out, without letting the souls themselves
through. Plans were drawn for an extended interface which would allow
hundreds of elites to receive the reinvigorating soul energy
simultaneously. However, this device needed energy to power it – more
energy than the planet could provide. In their search for this energy,
they decided on the single most powerful source in their entire solar
system, their sun. Their plan conceived of building a Dyson sphere
around their star to capture titanic amounts of solar energy to power
their interface, known now as Thanatos Gate.<br />
<br />
The sphere was
constructed over a period of six centuries. The building of such a
massive structure required suitably gigantic amounts of matter, more
even than could be found in all the asteroid belt and available moons,
so the Komar began an empire spanning program to mine the cores of both
gas giants in the system. Millions of workers' lives were lost, but they
were simply fed into the Soultrap network as fresh fuel for the
aristocrats and their loyalists. Enormous mines, hanging from orbital
stations thousands of miles deep into the gas giants' atmospheres,
served to dredge up enough raw materials for the teeming construction
stations to create the framework of the sphere. Besides the incredible
amounts of carbon, steel, titanium, and other structural materials,
there is also a great need for more exotic elements. Perched in the
foreground, on the moon's ageless regolith, is N'kai mining base, built
to remove the exotic ores from deep veins in the moons crust. Once the
pure elements have been separated from the rubble, it is loaded onto
freighter ships which leave for flight up to the orbital construction
station. From there, the basic parts are sent to massive orbiting
construction sites where huge pieces of the sphere itself are built. The
sections of sphere are sent on a course towards the star, where they
are carefully caught in nets made out of the star's magnetic field
lines. There, in a delicate dance of robotic limbs and remote controlled
construction craft, all guided by the inhumanely precise Artificial
Intelligence, the Dyson sphere has slowly taken shape.<br />
<br />
Due to
their haste, and impatience to finish the project, the Komar decided it
was safe to begin powering up the system in stages, resulting in more
and more energy being produced as the sphere was slowly completed. When
the Soultrap initially went online and Thanatos Gate was opened,
immediately millions of loose souls were devoured from the local stellar
neighborhood. This resulting rush of energy caused a blast resembling a
nova to light up the surface of the star. Of course, all this
excitement has not gone unnoticed by the neighbors ....Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-30407680930436429632012-01-04T18:38:00.000-08:002012-01-04T19:17:52.571-08:00The Eye of the Universe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-neRghHBq8Aw/TwUNBS-mxOI/AAAAAAAAAWM/EnlVgq59JAk/s1600/The+Eye+of+the+Universe+by+Regulus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-neRghHBq8Aw/TwUNBS-mxOI/AAAAAAAAAWM/EnlVgq59JAk/s320/The+Eye+of+the+Universe+by+Regulus.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Inspired indirectly by the song of the same name by Ayreon, the "eye" in this image is an eye-shaped nebula (not a black hole like in the song), the remains of a star forming molecular cloud that is being torn apart by the supergiant at it's center. The glowing parts of the atmosphere in the lower left are portions of atmosphere that were ionized either because of meteorite impacts or massive volcanic eruptions. This is a young planetary system, still in the heavy bombardment stage of its formation, so impacts are still very common. The ring of glowing debris around the planet are the remains of it's other moons, which were obliterated in a series of collisions. <br />
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Yes, I'm back! I'm going to try to devote more time to my art (yeah heard that one before :D) I've actually picked up several old projects that I had abandoned, so I've got something to start from.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-1935087553085807892011-11-01T11:04:00.000-07:002011-11-01T11:04:32.647-07:00Serenity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZR3t7ngAiz-Ls8FFyVagAvOs9ZuDCQDU0KTK-s1wsDMH2qksBYiu18TV_ARqvxeXV0eTlKGEmvvMWtAYJT3FElWLnYYtZdR-HbgabGLOWkrN9BJope54VkN7kofXj7gc7Hgk4S3d3DMc/s1600/serenity+1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZR3t7ngAiz-Ls8FFyVagAvOs9ZuDCQDU0KTK-s1wsDMH2qksBYiu18TV_ARqvxeXV0eTlKGEmvvMWtAYJT3FElWLnYYtZdR-HbgabGLOWkrN9BJope54VkN7kofXj7gc7Hgk4S3d3DMc/s320/serenity+1000.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This image was for a contest at Renderosity that I missed, so I thought I should at least share it (and prove I'm still alive and kicking) The clouds are probably a clip file called "bz Cumulus.tgc" by Buzzz but it's been modified enough that I can't tell anymore where I started.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-49116108635025312482011-09-11T14:04:00.000-07:002011-09-11T14:04:52.849-07:00Taurus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyEQ1rZ-g_hYbx6zSGVnELtWixoEaTfPOmW30Bn2RGB1HREPeonV5RIaYROv1laB6xb7v8Oh6hhS2Q1rruxAP_RgpyhIkIdnLYrESuEcKYdRHEkDQuUi_pjkWCE8tbf_4ASx0t_vM5kM/s1600/Taurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyEQ1rZ-g_hYbx6zSGVnELtWixoEaTfPOmW30Bn2RGB1HREPeonV5RIaYROv1laB6xb7v8Oh6hhS2Q1rruxAP_RgpyhIkIdnLYrESuEcKYdRHEkDQuUi_pjkWCE8tbf_4ASx0t_vM5kM/s320/Taurus.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>This is Taurus, an image from the Zodiac project I am working on with Markal; we are creating a terraspace image for each sign of the Zodiac, showing a physical depiction of the sign in some way, and the constellation in the sky. The project is still open and we are still looking for people to collaborate on some signs. If you are interested, there is more information on <a href="http://currentsofspace.blogspot.com/p/zodiac.html">this page</a>.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-75716095453237877702011-08-27T11:35:00.000-07:002011-08-27T11:37:37.852-07:00Levitated ArtI have a new website up and running, <a href="http://levitatedart.com/">LevitatedArt.com</a>. In addition to galleries of my artwork organized by year, it also has link to purchase prints and all the resources I have posted online, collected in one place: Photoshop brushes, tutorials, even a slideshow screensaver of my art. The Resources section will grow as I post more. So go and take a look, you won't be disappointed! Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-81328516637577642942011-08-07T16:12:00.000-07:002011-08-07T16:12:57.740-07:00Enceladus and CICLOPSI recently had the honor of getting the piece "Saturn From Enceladus" included on the Enceladus page of the <a href="http://www.ciclops.org/art_index/33/Enceladus">CICLOPS Art Room</a>. This piece was a collaborative effort between Fahad Suhleria and myself. CICLOPS (Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations) is the repository for all the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassini%E2%80%93Huygens">Cassini</a> images taken in the Saturnian system. Thanks to everyone on the CICLOPS team!! This really is an honor to be included among such talented artists, so take a minute and browse through all the images. You just might be amazed!Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-36970393920524991572011-07-03T14:17:00.000-07:002011-07-03T14:17:04.342-07:00Saturn from Enceladus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYq67P9DZEhnxzaSM26Fa45IpYeW7tKO8Hw9WvReuczSK2Pf90vqFpy0fgKEGa4ShgN4GLATHWWoufo1NOcpyxMwqVd7Q-jz0Xe3q9Q2mHEKvMwh5KURaGaYg4_3hKph8DRIjBL4rhjAs/s1600/Saturn+from+Enceladus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYq67P9DZEhnxzaSM26Fa45IpYeW7tKO8Hw9WvReuczSK2Pf90vqFpy0fgKEGa4ShgN4GLATHWWoufo1NOcpyxMwqVd7Q-jz0Xe3q9Q2mHEKvMwh5KURaGaYg4_3hKph8DRIjBL4rhjAs/s320/Saturn+from+Enceladus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is a collaboration between myself and the very talented <a href="http://www.novacelestia.com/" target="_blank">Fahad Sulehria</a>. <br />
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This image shows the cryovolcanism near the South Pole of Enceladus, the 6th largest moon of Saturn, and one of the few moons on which active eruptions of any kind have been witnessed. Enceladus is one of the best possibilities for life in our Solar System, based on the presence of salt water ice, which commonly only occurs in large bodies of water; it is thought that it may harbor a large underground ocean, possibly similar to Europa. Enceladus is also believed to contribute material to Saturn's E-ring by blasting water ice and debris fractures where the crust is thinner. These fractures are significantly warmer than their surroundings on the South Pole, and they occur in roughly parallel lines, leading to their nickname, "Tiger Stripes'<br />
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There is also a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enceladus_%28moon%29" target="_blank">wonderful page at Wikipedia</a> going into more detail on Enceladus and it's ice volcanoes.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4317344025027235200.post-7481127131959830072011-06-29T11:54:00.000-07:002011-06-29T11:54:56.061-07:00Space Art Demo ReelI have put together a 3 minute demo reel of my space art from the past few years. It's set to music by Dandel0 (<a href="http://sites.google.com/site/d4nd310/music">his website with more free downloads</a>). This is still a work in progress, as you can hear the sound was a little skewed somehow - possibly in conversion or upload, it's still under investigation. So check back in the future for newer versions, including more new images!<br />
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You can view the demo reel here:<br />
<a href="http://www.vimeo.com/25614569">http://www.vimeo.com/25614569</a>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04680736890246806292noreply@blogger.com2