Friday, July 18, 2025
Saturday, October 19, 2024
The Illusion of Movement in Gliding and Cinema
The glider, much like a leaf carried by the wind, moves along with it and remains stationary relative to the air. It stays at the same point within the air mass, as if it were a part of it. Only the movement of the landscape and the ground below reveals that it is indeed in motion. At times, despite moving through the air, a skilled pilot can harness the air currents and lift forces to stabilize the glider, creating a sensation of hovering, as if frozen in place despite the movement of the air.
The high-speed camera can also "freeze" motion. It captures images at an extremely high shutter speed, effectively "freezing" the movement of the subject and allowing us to see sharp, clear details even in rapid motion, like a bird's wings mid-flight or water droplets suspended in the air.
In both cases, it is the ability to control the perception of movement and create an illusion of stillness.
Gliding means many things to many different people. For some, it's a hobby and a way to meet like-minded individuals. For others, it's an affordable way to take to the skies. For many, it's an adventurous sport akin to car racing or aerobatics. But for all, it offers a quiet and peaceful way to fly without an engine. Gliding is the closest humans can come to experiencing the flight of a bird. Gliders are propelled solely by air currents and gravity, soaring silently through the skies, sometimes for hours at a time. They allow the pilot to experience the world from a different perspective, from a bird's-eye view.
Much like surfing, where the surfer "rides" the waves and harnesses the forces of nature, in gliding, the pilot becomes one with the wind, utilizing air currents to soar and navigate. The sense of freedom and tranquility, the detachment from the ground, and the connection to the forces of nature are values shared by both activities. This may be why gliding also attracts people from the alternative youth culture, who seek an authentic connection with themselves and their surroundings.
Cinema, a universal language and a powerful medium, stands at the crossroads of art, industry, technology, and politics. We owe its existence to daring inventors and artists who experimented with new technologies and sought to capture fragments of reality, creating an entirely new way of looking at the world. Before the era of digital, video, and celluloid, film was born as a collection of still images, projected one after another at high speed, thus creating the illusion of movement.
Friday, June 21, 2024
Between Anxiety and Joy: Eid al-Adha, "Inside Out 2," and the Surprising Connection Between Them
Eid al-Adha is a pilgrimage to Mecca, a significant event for Muslims worldwide. This year, an extreme heat wave in the region claimed many lives, reminding us of the heavy price of blind faith at times.
The Muslim Eid al-Adha, which falls at the end of June this year, coincides with the release date of the animated film "Inside Out 2." Coincidence? Perhaps. But the connection between the holiday and the film is far more interesting when delving into the meanings and stories behind them.
The two founding stories of Judaism and Islam, the Binding of Isaac and the Binding of Ishmael, are at the heart of Eid al-Adha. The names Isaac and Ishmael, despite their phonetic similarity, carry vastly different meanings.
Ishmael – his name signifies anxiety ("listen" and "God") and blind obedience to God.
Isaac – his name signifies joy ("laughter") and hope, representing an optimistic worldview and faith in human goodness.
In the movie "Inside Out 2," the two central characters, Joy and Sadness, struggle for control of the heroine's mind. It's a struggle we all know – between fear and worry and optimism and joy. Just like in the story of the Binding of Ishmael, anxiety tries to take over, but in the end, joy wins and returns the heroine to a healthier and more balanced worldview.
Friday, December 18, 2020
Paris Domes - Essay on the Binaric Space in the Parisian Sphere
Paris Domes
We were born and raised in cities
in them we breathe and travel
there is nothing inhuman in the city
except for the two of us sometimes
In the heart of the city flows the river Seine
like a silver snake twist and plain
It is a pair in cities everywhere
the full circle and the line of fair
Dialectics takes place
between station and road as circle and line
the square or dome are for peace of mind
and a plot unfold in the alley and boulevard
This design is a key
for everything that exists in the city
a circle or line dominate the space
as in the letters of the alphabet
A central urban circle is the dome
built on top public and state buildings
an important question for the tourist is
which dome to first visit
By the river you can see glass domes
of a huge structure in metal frame
it host important exhibitions
of art, fashion, cars and fairs
The dome most striking of them all
is the cathedral in white color
at the top of Montmartre the mount of arts
where people for their portraits drawing lust
This dome seems to float in the sky
hovering over the greater city sphere
inside there is a huge fresco of Jesus
spreading his arms as an airplane
The decorated dome is reminiscent
of invention older then two centuries
which gave Paris premiere
and the hot air balloon is its name
The dome express a view
of the sky is a core
an inspiration for all mankind
regardless of religion or roots
Another magnificent and large dome
is that of the Opera Hall
decorated with soul paintings
of people for compassion longing
In Lafayette Gallery department store
there is a huge and colorful dome
it is like in a palace or church
and give inspiration to the place
Napoleon’s tomb dome
tower on top of all with pride
It became a symbol
for France in the first class
On the left bank of the River Seine
is the impressive Pantheon Hall
with abstract dome and decorations
a shrine for French spiritual giants
Chatelet is a huge metro station
with a transparent glass ceiling
the amount of people passing through
is enormous inconceivably
Paris like any metropolis
grow on major traffic arteries
the museums are designed the same
for tours along long hallways
The avenues are long and wide
the whole metropolis they glorify
champs Elysees sing in chord
between the Victory Gate and Concord
Near the historic Bastille Square
there is a long and ancient aqueduct
which has become a green promenade
symbol of how modern France revitalize
Arriving to Paris is through endless tunnel
starting at the airport
it includes many parts
of terminals and transportation passages
The building which symbolize this tunnel
is the municipal library with the tubes
in them you ascend in escalators
to the reading halls on all floors
Once you exit the tunnel
Paris unfold in all its glory
with occupants of coffee shops
all along every vacant sidewalk
The square is like macaroon cookie
complicated and difficult to prepare
the bread baguette is like the street
popular and simple to treat and eat
Many Africans live in Paris
who are looking for original content
a reality of a futuristic experiment
based on their digital orientation
Paris is in need for urban renewal
which will contain its suburban sprawl
without it its center is decaying
and the suburbs become negative
Like photography the modern city does not
reflect human reality correctly
visual appearance is a cheap attitude
insulting the magnitude of history
The colorful Pride Parade is an example
of how human spirit in the city prevail
a world of people participate in it
enriching presence of Paris
Paris preserve its uniqueness
with punctuation in every corner
people are striving to reach it
and it will stay in the peak
The art of local street paintings
is an excellent demonstration of creation
original expressions on the walls
are imaginary treasure maps for all
From its start the city has been personified
as expression of planning and medicine
created for a healthy environment
to embody sights and mind
Chief destination for the tourists
are the great museums
in which many walls are decorated
with Impressionist masterpieces
The modern city is a broad subject
foundation of society and creativity
but it is experienced as an image
and is hooked to its bright lights
Man lives in his spatial world
far more than in his time
and In-Out are like Yes-No
to define all that is alive
Saturday, October 31, 2020
Magneto
The character is a powerful mutant, one of a fictional subspecies of humanity born with superhuman abilities, who has the ability to generate and control magnetic fields. Magneto regards mutants as evolutionarily superior to humans and rejects the possibility of peaceful human-mutant coexistence; he initially aimed to conquer the world to enable mutants, whom he refers to as homo superior, to replace humans as the dominant species. Writers have since fleshed out his origins and motivations, revealing him to be a Holocaust survivor whose extreme methods and cynical philosophy derive from his determination to protect mutants from suffering a similar fate at the hands of a world that fears and persecutes mutants. He is a friend of Professor X, the leader of the X-Men, but their different philosophies cause a rift in their friendship at times. Magneto's role in comics has varied from supervillain to antihero to superhero, having served as an occasional ally and even a member of the X-Men at times.
His character's early history has been compared with the civil rights leader Malcolm X and Jewish Defense League founder Meir Kahane. Magneto opposes the pacifist attitude of Professor X and pushes for a more aggressive approach to achieving civil rights. Magneto was ranked by IGN as the Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.
Ian McKellen portrayed Magneto in a majority of the X-Men film series, while Michael Fassbender portrayed a younger version of the character.
Saturday, December 15, 2018
Animation
Cartoons
The greatest political cartoonist of the late 19th century was Thomas Nast, who was noted for his cartoon crusades against political corruption in the United States. Nast popularized the symbols of the country's major political parties and leaders in a form of cartoons.
In television there are many exclusive cartoon programs, with the purpose of attracting the viewers. Their impacts can be conveyed for delivering important messages.