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From a Distance

87 Comments

You generated an impressive conversation on Friday, Babooners. Based on your response to the question-of-the-day, I conclude that this is a group that draws inspiration from the idea of being able to launch and head a government agency. If there was any doubt, that confirms it. The place is full of liberals!

And there’s nothing wrong with that! But it’s good to know who you’re dealing with.

Government agencies do tend to create their own atmosphere and climate – they are not known for being responsive to outside conditions. The market-based model some would impose on government is much more inclined to follow the latest trend and capitalize on the current fashion. If photo views on flickr are any guide, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration should immediately re-write its mission and change its name to OPEPA – the Off Planet Earth Photography Agency. If NASA were a movie studio, the moguls running it would most certainly do this – give the people what they want until they lose interest. Right now, the people seem to want distant pictures of our beautiful planet.

Since posting it last week, NASA’s latest photo montage of Earth as seen from a distance has been viewed 3.2 million times. And that’s just for side A, featuring North and Central America. Side B, showing Africa, the Sinai Peninsula and India was posted yesterday. The photos are highly detailed, and were taken by a satellite orbiting much closer to the surface than these photos suggest. Click on one and with patience, you’ll have an opportunity to look at a highly detailed image. It is, frankly, amazing.

The Suomi NPP satellite had to make six passes at a height of 512 miles to get enough information to stitch together an image that looks like it’s orbiting at a distance of almost 8,000 miles. This sophisticated gizmo was launched at the end of October, and already it is delivering startling photos. Take a look.

Sometimes, perspective makes all the difference.

What does it take to see something clearly?

87 thoughts on “From a Distance”

  1. I’m with the Little Prince on this one “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

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  3. Would that life were like the shadow cast by a wall or a tree,
    but it is like the shadow of a bird in flight.
    Talmud

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  4. I can’t improve on Beth-Ann’s answer. But there are other ways of looking at the question.

    Sometimes, in order to see something clearly, we need the courage to face unpleasant facts and enough time to process evidence to form an accurate picture of puzzling events.

    I can say a bit more about that “time” thing. I rarely understand complex events right after they happen, but I can usually make sense of them (which is to “see them clearly”) by reflecting long enough on them.

    As one example, my divorce was the most confusing and shocking thing ever to happen to me. I spent a great deal of time thinking about it. Many folks seek the help of a therapist at such a moment, and that is smart. But instead, I walked an old dog along Saint Paul sidewalks for three years every day until I began to see my marriage and divorce clearly. After that much reflection my sense of what happened was entirely different from my view at the start of that process.

    It is too bad I can’t be faster to see things properly, but if you give me enough time, I can usually work out the significant patterns that mean I can understand things in depth. I guess it is more important to see events well than to rush to comforting but deluded conclusions.

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    1. I think you are on to something here, Steve. I’m not saying we see our son’s death clearly, exactly, but after much reflection over the last 4 years, we’ve come to some sense of peace with it. Time can help us see more clearly.

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  5. Good morning to all. In scientific studies you need good eyes and good instruments. I supose the heart may play a role even in science by helping you know where to look and by helping you understand what you see.

    As a student I spent a lot of time looking at very small organisms under a microscope and was barely able to see what I needed to see at the highest power of the microscope. An electronic microscope, which wasn’t available, was what was really needed to see the small details that I wanted to see.

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  6. Out through the fields and the woods
    And over the walls I have wended;
    I have climbed the hills of view
    And looked at the world and descended;
    I have come by the highway home,
    And lo, it is ended.
    Robert Frost “Reluctance”

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  7. OT request for help! Some of you might remember my calling out for toys on loan so I could amuse my grandson when he visited. That visit was postponed, but will happen Feb 15-20. You were generous with your toys. Does anyone have a booster seat little Liam can use? He turns two years old today. Thanks!

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    1. Happy birthday little Liam! And to his grandpa – we have a booster you can use. I also have another truck for you. (Do you still have a VCR? We have some VHS tapes that would be age-appropriate if he is allowed any TV time…)

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  8. “To the uneducated, an A is just three sticks.” A.A. Milne

    To a certain extent, I think what we see is based on what we have been trained to see – either culturally or in the classroom. I get teased by my husband and a few friends that I see colors no one else sees (is it a blue-black? a red-black? green-black?). My color sense may be partly genetic and how my eyes physically see, but a lot of it is learned from years of art classes and set work (where the color of black makes a difference since the lighting might show the undertone more than I expect). But the color choices I make are also, I’m sure, influenced by culture – deep tones when a sombre tone is required, purples and dark crimsons for royalty, light blue for little boys, pink for little girls (though my little girl likes green about as much as pink)…

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  9. Steve, I have a booster seat that we’re still using but can easily spare for one week. Kinda old fashioned, but you can dredge up your old scouting skills and lash it securely to a chair. My granddaughters are both squirrely as all getout (ages 1 and 2 1/2) and it will hold either of them. Also have a contraption called a Bumbo which would work well unless he needs to be “confined”.
    Do you know about Choo Choo Bob’s on Marshall and Cleveland? They’ve got 6 train tables set up for tiny tots. A story hour on Sat 2/14 in the morning. Can be crowded.but very fun! If you need to contact me, BiR’s got my number.

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      1. Same with Zoe! We can only assume that she’s inherited the “obsession” gene from her mother and grandma. You can never tell what it will latch on to, yes?

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  10. OT, or sort of not, just funny:
    My eye doctor has an office right by our house. We pass it several times a week. This fall they added a new practitioner, Dr. Emily Birkholz, whose coming they announced with some fanfare in front. Yesterday I called there to make an appointment.
    Woman on the phone asked, “What is your first name?”
    I said, “Clyde.”
    She asked, “What is your last name?”
    I said, “Birkholz.”
    She asked, “How do you spell that?”

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  12. “Distance lends enchantment to the view.” – Mark Twain

    I need to step back, way back, from something I’m trying to understand or see clearly. Sometimes I need to entirely leave the premises and come back in order to see. Like Steve, it takes me some time to understand things that are apparently crystal clear to others. Especially loss.

    When you’re able to step back and look at a landscape instead of just a tree, you begin to see how very insignificant the individual tree is without the system in which it dwells.

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      1. Different Drum, Linda Ronstadt…at least I think that’s the one you’re hearing. It’s the one I hear.

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    1. I guess that’s why some people see the glass as half empty while others see it as half full. I think part of what colors and shapes what we see has to do with what we’re taught, but I also think we each bring some innate perspectives. I agree with Anna that cultural differences show up in how we view the world as well. To see things clearly we need to be aware of what perspectives we bring to a situation. And, of course, I agree that good bifocals are a must.

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    2. i am not who i think i am i am not who you think i am i am who i think you think i am.
      i am not sure exactly where that thought leads but it always makes my brain feel good to exercise in that direction

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  15. i have the ability to be multiple things at once. i go in my heart of hearts to be the little prince but in my life i have trusted the things that appear to me to be the only possible interpretation possible only to discover there are more options than that and the one that plays out is that i was fooled again by believing in the essence of a soul and not the protection of my own interests. what is needed to see clearly? hindsight.
    i go through business trying to help companies to go big time. i am ok working with the big boys and the times when i get burnt it is because the business i am dealing with puts their employees in a positon to cover their butt and they get fired if they dont knowledge is all you need there. i had a recent business asscoiate throw me under the bus after the business got up and running because he could.
    i love people its mankind i cant stand … charles schultz.
    when it comes to me i can be clear. when i am clear i can tell how far i am missing my mark by. it gives me something to shoot for everyday. my life has been consistant same stuff over and over again. i’m not doing it right but i am getting better at doing it my way and figuring out how do deal with it. bill murray was the same guy at the end of groundhog day as at the begining but he had a whole bunch of shots at getting it right. if i was immortal i could be somebody. as it is i hd better get on the stick. the meter is running and my eyesight is requiring new perscriptions as time goes on with modifications bilt in for the new equation of deterioration and the time line involved.
    see things clearly. lord help me. help me negotiate in the fog where i spend too much of my time. appreciate the few moments of clarity while i have them and the ability to know the difference.

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      1. every now and then i try to look at the situation from 10 years down the road and wonder what i will think about it. it puts an interesting twist on the perception of the moment.

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  17. I don’t know where all our psychologists are when we really need them….I’ve been fascinated by Piaget’s observations that you see differently depending on your developmental stage. The fact that children see an event differently than older people does not mean that they are wrong or lying but that their perceptions are different. This clip provides one illustration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd2iMyt0TN8

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    2. How true – a sobering thought considering adults make up all the standarized tests that determine major factors in children’s lives!

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    3. I bet you didn’t know that the moon follows you, or that you get cancer by smoking without your mother’s permission. I loved studying Piaget.

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      1. The moon and Mona Lisa’s eyes follow you everywhere, Renee. Did you know that if you’re looking at a huge harvest moon that fills the sky, then turn your back, lean over and look at it through your legs, it shrinks back to it’s “normal” size? It’s true! If you can believe your eyes. These space photos never cease to amaze, do they?. A luminous bubble floating in infinite space. It’s dizzifying. There’s nothing like satellite photos or a harvest moon to shake up one’s perspective. Except maybe hitting a deer. So glad to hear that you’re all right; that can be awfully serious.

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  18. Another way I get more clarity on something is if I try to teach it to someone else. This goes for folk dances, songs, and any concept for which I can find a tool to enhance my knowledge of the subject (book, article, story, diagram…). I have to go over the material multiple times, teach myself essentially, in order to pass it on.

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      1. the challange is that then you are not as open to tweaking your understanding because you are passing on your two cents instead of trying to enlarge your understanding. not always , the best teachers learn along with their students but i tend to fall into the trap of being the expert when i am instructing

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    1. I came into the middle of it last night. Wow… I’d forgotten what a powerful movie it is; hadn’t seen it in years. I’ve lit the play version twice; it’s one of my favorites.

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    2. isnt amazing how the time warp is sneaking up on us. ken keesey assocoated with timothy leary in 1960 or so makes 50 ish years or so since he was in the medias eye. i would like to see the two books he didnt get published. kind of thoughtful book for such a whacked out time but i guess the medicine cabinet he had access to in the mental hospital was the premise for the story. go grab a fistful of acid, have a bunch of friends over and call it studying. interesting term paper huh?

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      2. To be just without being mad, to be peaceful without being stupid, to be interested without being compulsive, to be happy without being hysterical….smoke grass.
        – Ken Kesey

        Marijuana makes you dumb, but sensual.
        – Timothy Leary

        OT – the 1968 exhibit at the History Center – it’s free on Tuesday evenings, but if you have to pay to get in, it’s worth it.

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    3. that . schindlers list, cabaret, apocalypse now, all punched in the stomach powerful movies that remind you of what a story can do in film when done right.

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  21. There is a big problem with not seeing clearly among our political leaders and within the main stream of our society. I am sure that I do not see everything as clearly as I should so I am willing place myself among those who don’t see everything clearly. However, our national priorities are way off the mark and it is way past the time when they need to change. I think the Occupy movement is a hopeful sign that at least some people are waking up and seeing things more clearly.

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  22. seeing clearly gets confused with in the eyes of the beholder. if you dont see it my way you are not seeing clearly. my experience is that the whole world is screwed up except you and me and i am not too sure about you. just because i am not on the same wavelength doesnt mean i am not thinking clearly i am just thinking on my wavelength and you are on yours. why dont you straighten up and fly right for crying out loud.

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  23. ot that flick’r link is cool check out all the cool pictures
    campbells loft on facebook is a very cool spot for pictures of interesting stuff. random but that may be the attraction.

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  24. I’m about to cross the street to my neighbor Tina’s to eat snacks and drink some wine… er, um, watch the Superbowl. Any other Baboons watching?

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      1. As it happens, I left early – couldn’t stomach this one boorish guy who is always at these parties. I should have stood up to him, but fled instead. Won’t go to another gathering if he is there. Doesn’t feel good.

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      3. A friend of mine has lunch with another group of friends once / week. There is a boorish man there too that drives my friend crazy. Friend says it’s not worth making a scene, he just tries not to sit by the offender… but it sure is frustrating being there if it’s a small group.

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    2. Gave it up years ago, but that a 9-7 team was in the play-offs is bad enough and then to win–one of a thousand ways money has destroyed the meaning of sports.

      And I gave up parties because I either meet that guy or become that guy.

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  25. I wasn’t seeing too clearly tonight and did not avoid the deer that ran in front of the van. We were only 15 miles from home, and the van was still drivable so we drove in to town and met the highway patrolman at the DOT building. it took out the passenger side head light and bunged up the front fender, but it could have been worse. I never hit a deer before. The deer ran off and I hope that it dies quickly or else is just kind of sore for a while but lives to tell the tale. We had a great weekend in Fargo, by the way.

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    3. The only casualties were the deer and daughter, who got whacked in the back of the skull by a flying bar of goat’s milk soap (I am not making this up), which then ricocheted off her head and hit best friend. The girls were harmonizing to Chattanooga Choo Choo when we hit the deer. It was sort of surreal.

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      1. Back in 1962 a friend was driving a 1948 car with the old flat, large, not-as-safe-glass windshield when he caught a deer in mid-leap. He ended up with a live deer lying upside down on the front seat next to him.

        FYI: most deer die from the car hit from which they ran away, according to a long-time NS game warden. Swerving to avoid deer is one of the major causes of accidents on the NS.

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    4. your story reminds me of the time my dad and i were driving home form fargo and wen we got to about 20miles form home he put on his seatbelt. i asked him why and he said he dheard that 85% of all accidents happen within 20 miles of home.
      glad the event was marginal and that everyone is ok. i was in a car my wie hit one in once and it was surreal. it came pring out in slow motion and continuesd in slow motion as we hit it and it sprung off and away as we sat there dumbfounded by the surprise of it.
      clyde my dad always gave us instructions to go ahead and hit the deer rather than utting it in the ditch. saftey first. i am not sure i made a big deal out of it wth my kids. we dont drive the country roads at dusk together often enough for it to come to mind.

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      3. This may have been his reason: if you hit a deer and can prove you hit a deer (blood, fur, etc.), it comes under comprehensive. But if you miss it and go in the ditch, it goes under collision. Everyone raised up north has this drilled into them. But the ditches on the NS except where they have managed to afford to fix it are very dangerous. Among the two most dangerous roads in MN are the NSD and Hwy 14 between Mankato and New Ulm.

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      4. Click and Clack and highway patrol always say the most dangerous sober thing you can do driving is make a sudden move.

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      5. I want a physicist to figure out for me how hard it is for this to happen: driving down the highway at 60 mph in a compact car, I had a buck hit the side of the car, the driver’s side door. The window of opportunity for that has to be about .01 seconds.

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    1. 2 lanes
      very heavy traffic at times–lots of commuters both ways
      lots of trucks, many locally driven
      lots of old drivers
      lots of college kids
      a millrace, lots of 65-70 mph racers
      not a few cross-country drivers, see lots of Washington plates, New York plates

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