Halfway through our journey, some otter was swimming alongside us.
P.S. I’ve learned how to process video using OpenCV. In this case, I added a bit of “sharp” (filter2D, https://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/AY2015/cs4475_summer/documents/sharpen.py)
August 18 2018, 06:59
Sunrise at Ocracoke Island. A bit to the right, there are lightnings over the horizon. It looks like there’s a thunderstorm miles away from the beach. Hard to capture. Everything around is under the warnings of rip currents, strong and narrow currents which quickly take you away from the shore to the open ocean.
The ocean is magnificent in the morning. Few people are watching the sunrise. Nobody is in the water, though. For me, it’s the perfect time 😉
August 17 2018, 20:29
On the left, adult mushrooms on the right. A typical tourist supermarket in Ocracoke
August 17 2018, 17:18
We were told that there is a ferry here, it runs every half hour and it’s free.
August 16 2018, 18:14
Traffic
August 15 2018, 20:29
Recently I wondered why the Niagara waterfall ruined my photo on my iPhone and what caused the strong noise in the video. I had two theories: the obvious one (sunlight and reflections) and static electricity from the falling/flying droplets.
The first theory is straightforward and not very intriguing. As for the static electricity… I’ve discovered something relevant that brought me closer to the truth 🙂
http://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Breaking-drop_theory
“The fact that an exceptionally large amount of anions (negative ions) are found under waterfalls and at the seaside was established by the German physicist Philipp Eduard Anton von Lenard (Lénárd Fülöp in Hungarian, June 7, 1862 – May 20, 1947), who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1905 for his research on cathode rays and the discovery of many of their properties.
Lenard Effect: The separation of electric charges that occurs during the aerodynamic breakup of water drops, initially studied systematically by the German physicist P. Lenard. Experiments have shown that the degree of charge separation in spray processes depends on the drop temperature, presence of dissolved impurities, speed of the impinging air blast, and contact with foreign surfaces. It is observed that the largest fragments of the broken drops carry positive charges (cations), while the fine spray of drops carried off in the air current carries net negative charges (anions).”
August 14 2018, 22:01
The signs I encountered on my way to Niagara. Americans adore signs of every kind, repeatedly. Standard road signs are complemented by countless local ones. It surprised me to learn that roads and road shoulders are accessible to snowmobiles. Seems like winters are quite snowy near Niagara.
The waterfall sign is impressive too.
August 14 2018, 18:55
As we age, our sense of ‘present’ time begins to feel relatively short in comparison to our lifespan, so a year may feel quicker in old age compared to childhood. This is called “proportional theory”.
Fear has a particularly powerful effect on time, slowing down our internal clock so that the fearful event is perceived as lasting longer. In contrast, fun and happy times seem to be over in the blink of an eye.
August 13 2018, 17:25
I captured a peculiar occurrence. Observe the videos. There appears to be strong electromagnetic interference near Niagara Falls. The video and photos are distorted with noise. It might be merely water droplets creating noise and visual effects in the sunlight. This could be a far-fetched explanation. Yet, it doesn’t account for the disrupted photo. Nothing similar occurred before or after the incident. The issues were only noticed at the base of the falls when I was very close to the water currents. The camera is waterproof, obviously. Does anyone have an explanation? I couldn’t find anything relevant online.
August 13 2018, 09:06
Dearest creature in creation, study English pronunciation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=84&v=A8zWWp0akUU
