The NW7US Beacon
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Happy Birthday, Samuel F.B. Morse!
We have a birthday anniversary, today! Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872) was an American contributor to the invention of a single-wire telegraph system based on European telegraphs, co-inventor of the Morse code, and an accomplished painter. Samuel F. B. Morse was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the first child of the pastor Jedidiah Morse (1761–1826)—who was also a geographer—and Elizabeth Ann Finley Breese (1766–1828).
Samuel was a student at Yale College. During his time there, he became interested in both painting and electricity (the new area of science that was just emerging on the scene). After Morse graduated in 1810, he concentrated on painting. He become a well-known portrait artist.
In 1825, the city of New York commissioned Morse for $1,000 to paint a portrait of Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, in Washington. While Morse was painting, a horse messenger delivered a letter from his father that read one line, “Your dear wife is convalescent.” Morse immediately left Washington for his home at New Haven, leaving the portrait of Lafayette unfinished. By the time he arrived, his wife had already been buried. Heartbroken in the knowledge that for days he was unaware of his wife’s failing health and her lonely death, he moved on from painting to pursue a means of rapid long distance communication.
On the sea voyage home in 1832, Morse encountered Charles Thomas Jackson of Boston, a man who was well schooled in electromagnetism. Witnessing various experiments with Jackson’s electromagnet, Morse developed the concept of a single-wire telegraph, and The Gallery of the Louvre was set aside. The original Morse telegraph, submitted with his patent application, is part of the collections of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution. In time the Morse code would become the primary language of telegraphy in the world, and is still the standard for rhythmic transmission of data.
Samuel Morse received a patent for the telegraph in 1847. The “International Morse Code” is now in use by various services, including amateur radio (Ham radio).
More information on Mr. Morse is at the Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Morse
Oy! This just sets off my CDO (oh, I mean, OCD)! Whew.
The new music video from OK Go, made in partnership with Chevrolet. OK Go set up over 1000 instruments over two miles of desert outside Los Angeles. A Chevy Sonic was outfitted with retractable pneumatic arms designed to play the instruments, and the band recorded this version of Needing/Getting, singing as they played the instrument array with the car. The video took 4 months of preparation and 4 days of shooting and recording. There are no ringers or stand-ins; Damian took stunt driving lessons. Each piano had the lowest octaves tuned to the same note so that they’d play the right note no matter where they were struck. For more information and behind-the-scenes footage, see http://www.LetsDoThis.com and http://www.okgo.net.
Director: Brian L. Perkins & Damian Kulash, Jr.
Director of Photography: Yon Thomas
Editor: Doug Walker
Producer: Luke Ricci
The DIY Magic of Amateur Radio
So many people still look at ham radio as ancient and obsolete. However, we have our own satellites, we create new and innovative communications protocols, we build and invent new electronic devices, and that’s just a sampling of activity. We’re also not just about emergency communications, though that is a definite service we provide. We are a community of scientists, astronauts, teachers, students, wives, husbands, children, and clubs. Check out this video, and share it around.
This video, “The DIY Magic of Amateur Radio,” is an 8-minute video released by the ARRL that follows some of the innovative, imaginative and fun ways “hams” use radio technology in new and creative ways. The presentation is directed toward the DIY (do it yourself) movement, which is inspiring a new generation of creators, hackers and innovators. The message should be helpful for existing members to shape the ways they understand and talk about ham radio. For more information and related resources, visit http://www.arrl.org/wedothat-radio-org
From my friend, Bill:
This video took us the last 14 months. It is now available for viewing on YouTube. My personal thanks to everyone involved in its production for making it a reality. You are all listed in the credits (and I pray I didn’t forget anyone). Special thanks to our Director Dave Bell, W6AQ; our Writer Henry Feinberg, K2SSQ and our Principal Cameraman Dave Booth, KC6WFS who freely donated their time and creative talent to this project. We sincerely hope that all of you will enjoy it.
If you are interested and want to ask me about it, feel free to contact me. You can also follow me on Twitter - @NW7US - while I have a set of topics about which I typically tweet, amateur radio is on the top of my list. Just Tweet me your question. I’ll do my best to answer you. - Tomas, NW7US
(Source: nw7us.us)
The Mighty Bitterroot Mountains in Montana
Autumn in the Bitterroot Valley, between the Bitterroot Mountains and the Sapphire Mountains, near Hamilton, Montana, is a beautiful area. As the harvest is underway, the hay fields become filled with giant “rolls” of hay, these round bails the food used during the cold, long winter months.
Autumn does not last very long in this southwestern corner of Montana. This year, after a very hot summer and a dry August, the season changed quickly with a nearly instant change from hot to cold. Trees began to change colors quickly, and ranchers worked hard to get their harvest in before the rains came. Rain would ruin the harvest.
The pictures in this series were a spontaneous moment where I pulled over on one rare, sunny day when the view was just perfect. The sun was in the right place, the sky was clear enough, and the fields and trees perfectly colored. A few days later, the colors were gone, and the opportunity lost. A short window, indeed.
The full collection of pictures are here: A View of the Mighty Bitterroot Mountains Near Hamilton, Montana in the Autumn 2011.
A beautiful song and dance performance, ‘Fly with the Angels’
This is a holiday dance performance from ‘The Silhouettes’ out of Denver, Colorado (USA). It is a truly moving song about leaving the past behind, moving forward to the future, having faith and vision, and loving each other.
(Source: youtube.com)
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