Cold & Gray - Day 94

Hanging Out - Day 61

Duke Chapel - Day 27

Biltmore Lion - Day 13

What I'm Reading - Day 124 #CY365 @ncsulibraries

Behold "bookBot" at North Carolina State University's new Hunt Library. This robot-driven bookBot automated book delivery system holds up to 2 million volumes in 1/9 the space of conventional shelving, enabling the library to provide more space for learning and collaboration. The bookBot is 50 feet wide by 160 feet long by 50 feet tall and is excavated 20 feet below the first floor. You know your a geek when you drag your wife to see a high tech library on your wedding anniversary. Canon G15 1/40 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 800.

Focused - Day 91 #CY365

Today's picture is a new black and white conversion of a photo I took a few years ago at the Biltmore House in Ashville North Carolina. I have a large print of this photo in my office and I've often looked at the sharp detail that was captured by my point and shoot camera. It's hard to see on the scaled down resolution of a computer monitor, but there's a single cobweb stretched across the eye of lion. Canon G10, !/1000 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 80 converted to black and white using Silver Efex Pro 2.

Core Sound Christmas Trees

Crab Pot Christmas Trees, the latest addition to our holiday decorations. Created by Nicky Harvey founder of Harvey & Sons Net & Twine a Davis North Carolina commercial fishing industry supplier as way to expand his family owned business. Using triangles of the same coated wire mesh used in crab pots, he created a tree strung with lights that could be stored flat and then opened for display with the light strings remaining in place. As a result the Core Sound Christmas Tree was born and today is manufactured and distributed by Fisherman Creations, Inc. in Smyrna, NC.

Canon G15, 1/6 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400.

The Back

This is the back of the Christie Microtile display wall featured in yesterday's blog post. Here you can clearly see the the 32 different display units that make up the wall. This was truly a "geek" moment for me. Canon 7D, 1/30 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 1600, converted to Black & White.

5120 by 1920

Talk about your big screen. This Christie Microtile wall is a prototype for the new Hunt Library under construction on the South Campus at NC State in Raleigh, North Carolina. The screen is ten and half feet wide and fout feet tall. It is made up of 32 individual DLP based microtile displays yielding an effective resolution of 5120 by 1920. The typical HD television is 1920 by 1080 with a little over a million pixels. This display has almost 10 million pixels. It was certainly the bigest and highest resolution screen I've ever seen up close. Tomorrow - the back. Canon 7D, 1/30 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 800.

Gumby and Pokey Ride Again

- These rare vintage Gumby and Pokey Happy Trails game piece figures from 1968 were a free gift from a Foursquare check-in at GC5 Vintage & Gifts. I figured they would have to be part of the blog so look for them to show up in my photos occasionally. Canon G1X, 1/1600 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400.

Wake Forest

- The historic downtown of Wake Forest North Carolina. This is the 200 block of South White Street. Cindy and I paid a quick visit on our way home from a weekend in Raleigh. Canon G1X, 1/500 sec @ f/13.0, ISO 400.

Fat Tire

- The Fat Tire neon sign at Mellow Mushroom Pizza in downtown Raleigh North Carolina. Canon G1X, 1/160 sec @ f/5.8, ISO 400.

Sand Crab

- This is picture from a few years ago of a tiny sand crab on Hatteras Island North Carolina that never made it to the CIOPhoto blog. Canon 40D, 1/1250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, zoom at 400mm (the big gun).

Alivia's

- Alivia's Durham Bistro on West Main Street in the Brightleaf District of Durham NC. The stainless steel in the sign was nicely lit by the late day sun. I like the saturated colors of the sky and the building. Canon G11, 1/200 sec @ f/7.1, ISO 200.

Find Your Cool

- "Find Your Cool" in downtown Durham North Carolina. This is a row of buildings fronting on Main Street with the motto of downtown painted in the old style on the brink. Canon G11, 1/640 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400.

Basilica of St. Lawrence

- The Basilica of St. Lawrence is a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church located in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. The basilica was designed and built in 1905 by Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino along with his fellow architect R. S. Smith. The basilica's dome has a span of 58 by 82 feet and is reputed to be the largest freestanding elliptical dome in North America. Source, Wikipedia. Canon 40D, 1/30 sec @ f/22.0, ISO 400.

Pamlico Sound

Early morning on the Pamlico Sound looking northwest from Hatteras Island North Carolina. It has been a while since I posted a nice landscape photo that wasn't a sunrise or sunset on this blog. This was from a trip to Hatteras Island back in September 2008. Looking at this photo has an amazing calming affect on me, taking me back to a great late summer get away. Canon 40D, 1/125 sec @ f/14, ISO 200.

Pampas Grass

- Pampas grass on the shores of Back Bay at Knotts Island North Carolina. Canon G10, 1/640 sec @ f/7.1, ISO 200.

Ocracoke Light

From 2010 Blog

- Built in 1832 the Ocracoke light is the oldest operating lighthouse in North Carolina. Ocracoke Island is one of the most remote islands in North Carolina's Outer Banks. It can only be reached by one of three public ferries, private boat, or private plane. Most of the island with the exception of the village of Ocracoke is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Hatteras Light

From 2010 Blog

- One of the most recognizable lighthouses in the country is Cape Hatteras light. Complete in 1870 with over a million bricks and at 198.5 feet high it is one of the tallest lighthouses. The light can be seen 20 miles away. The lighthouse was moved a half a mile inland in 2000 to protect it from the eroding shoreline. Canon 40D, 1/125 sec @ f/14.0, ISO 200.