Wednesday 27 November 2013

Light, light, light


Three luxury items in one photo. The designer candle-flame, H.I.'s latest large painting and a 12 inch Dobsonian reflector telescope.

With the huge telescope, I made the classic mistake of buying the biggest that could go into the back of a Volvo Estate on the justifiable grounds that the bigger the aperture, the more light is gathered and the better the image for it. The drawback is that I never go to the trouble of lugging it downstairs and actually stuffing it into the car because it is so big.

Both the other items are to be looked at rather than through.

Someone is going to get a lifetime's worth of pleasure by looking at the painting, and I have already got more pleasure from looking at the flame light than it cost me in money, and it cost quite a bit - but only about a third that the 'scope did.

A woman I know took one look at the telescope, then turned to me with a troubled expression and asked, "Are you a bit deficient in the trouser department?"

The flame covers every aspect of my growing appreciation of LED technology (I think I've already said how LEDs are growing on me...) as well as satisfying my inexplicable fascination with all things fantasy.

You know how you can get mesmerically lost by staring at a candle flame? You can do that with this one too. The first time I turned it on, H.I. got a bit close to it and I worried about her catching on fire - for a second.

This is not only a light - it is a video too. Isn't today the beginning of the Jewish festival of lights?

16 comments:

  1. Diwali Festival of Lights started a couple of weeks ago too!
    I can't get a sense of the candle
    Can you video it?

    ReplyDelete
  2. What are all the buttons and gizmos? Can you programme it to imitate a huge bonfire?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The thingys are just the circuitry. A bonfire could be possible, in the same way they use these LEDs at Piccadilly Circus for billboard advertising.

      Delete
  3. The painting and the candle flame look great!

    ReplyDelete
  4. No votes for the telescope yet then ? XXXX

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm guessing the candle is set atop the telescope? If so, it's a perfect fit. Nice soft light. My knowledge of telescopes extend to a gadget err instrument you look through to see far away objects. The Eagles said you can see the stars but still not see the light. I'm not much of a fan. The painting looks un-busy rather than tranquil.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll sleep on your comment before rashly replying, David.

      Delete
    2. No worries, Tom. Any reply will suffice. It's like celebrities chasing publicity. It doesn't matter what they say, only that they say something. Maybe this is not the case here since I've no idea how rash you can be.

      Delete
    3. Nope - I'm going to have to sleep on it for another night. I cannot think of an appropriate response.

      Delete
  6. Yes, it is the start of Hanukkah.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would have called it that too, if I had known how to spell it.

      Delete