Michael Silverman: Recently Added Galleries and Collections

Renewable Energy World Conference 2010

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:02:15 GMT

Here are some of the pictures of the Renewable Energy World Conference 2010 in Austin, Texas that I attended courtesy of the Stanford Wind and Energy Project (SWEP). You can find more information about the conference here and more info about SWEP right here. It was a fantastic experience and I learned a great deal. You can check out my blog posts on the conference here.

Favorites

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:27:21 GMT

July 4th Fireworks on Camelback

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:01:44 GMT

DISCLAIMER: ATTEMPT AT YOUR OWN RISK

THIS IS A DANGEROUS ACTIVITY AND I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS

Basically, I hiked up Camelback Mountain at night to take some pictures of the fireworks from the top of the mountain. I, nor the other 20 people who had hiked up with the same idea were disappointed. There were usually multiple fireworks shows going on at one time, sometimes as many as 15 at once (yes, I counted). It was really cool and was by far the best view in the city. It was a perfectly clear night and you could see for miles in every direction.

I took quite a few pictures, and for my first time taking pictures of fireworks, I am really happy with how they came out. Exposures ranged from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. I used my Canon 30D with the remote timer on the lowest ISOs usually. You can see full metadata on my photo site.While I didn't do any HDR exposures, I did manage to get a couple of panoramas in, so be sure to check those out.
You can see my blog post on these photos here.

Assorted People Pictures (Us)

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:50:12 GMT

iPhone Casual Photography

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:56:03 GMT

Yosemite NP - California

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:41:10 GMT

Yosemite National Park is a national park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of 761,266 acres or 1,189 square miles (3,081 km²) and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain. Yosemite is visited by over 3.5 million people each year, many of whom only spend time in the seven square miles (18 km²) of Yosemite Valley. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, Giant Sequoia groves, and biological diversity. Almost 95% of the park is designated wilderness. Although not the first designated national park, Yosemite was a focal point in the development of the national park idea, largely owing to the work of people like John Muir and Galen Clark.

Yosemite is one of the largest and least fragmented habitat blocks in the Sierra Nevada, and the park supports a diversity of plants and animals. The park has an elevation range from 2,000 to 13,114 feet (600 to 4,000 m) and contains five major vegetation zones: chaparral/oak woodland, lower montane, upper montane, subalpine, and alpine. Of California's 7,000 plant species, about 50% occur in the Sierra Nevada and more than 20% within Yosemite. There is suitable habitat or documentation for more than 160 rare plants in the park, with rare local geologic formations and unique soils characterizing the restricted ranges many of these plants occupy.

The geology of the Yosemite area is characterized by granitic rocks and remnants of older rock. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and then tilted to form its relatively gentle western slopes and the more dramatic eastern slopes. The uplift increased the steepness of stream and river beds, resulting in formation of deep, narrow canyons. About 1 million years ago, snow and ice accumulated, forming glaciers at the higher alpine meadows that moved down the river valleys. Ice thickness in Yosemite Valley may have reached 4,000 feet (1200 m) during the early glacial episode. The downslope movement of the ice masses cut and sculpted the U-shaped valley that attracts so many visitors to its scenic vistas today.

More info here.

Sequoia NP - California

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:35:17 GMT

Sequoia National Park is a national park in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of Visalia, California, in the United States of America. It was established in 1890 as the second U.S. national park, after Yellowstone National Park. The park spans 404,051 acres (1,635.14 km2). Encompassing a vertical relief of nearly 13,000 feet (3,962 m), the park contains among its natural resources the highest point in the contiguous 48 United States, Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet (4,421 m) above sea level. The park is south of and contiguous with Kings Canyon National Park; the two are administered by the National Park Service as one unit, called Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

The park is most famous for its Giant Sequoia trees, including the General Sherman tree, one of the largest trees on Earth. The General Sherman tree grows in the Giant Forest, which contains five out of the ten largest trees in the world, in terms of wood volume. The Giant Forest is connected by the park's Generals Highway to Kings Canyon National Park's Grant Grove, home to the General Grant tree among other sequoias. The park's Giant Sequoia forests are part of 202,430 acres (81,920 ha) of old-growth forests shared by Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Indeed, the parks preserve a landscape that still resembles the southern Sierra Nevada before Euro-American settlement.

More info here.

Outside Lands 2009

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:04:09 GMT

Here are a couple of photos that I took at Outside Lands Music Festival in August 2009. I was also volunteering at the Global Inheritance Recycling store, collecting bottles in exchange for cool festival merchandise as a kind of clean up the park for stuff thing. Check their website out here. It was a lot of fun and you can see all of the bottles that we collected in just one day.
In addition to helping out, I got to see quite a few bands as well. While I only took pictures for Dave Matthews Band and Incubus, I also saw Blind Pilot, Dengue Fever, Jason Mraz, Pearl Jam, Black Eyed Peas, Cage the Elephant, Thievery Corporation, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, M.I.A, The Dead Weather, and Atmosphere. Take a look!

Grand Teton NP - Wyoming

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 03:05:47 GMT

Here are a couple of panoramas and photos that I took on my visit to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. I have provided a little bit of background info courtesy of Wikipedia when available. Enjoy!

Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park located in northwestern Wyoming, south of Yellowstone National Park. The park is named after the Grand Teton, which, at 13,770 feet (4,197 m), is the tallest mountain in the Teton Range.

The name "Tetons" originally was intended to describe several hills near the town of Arco, Idaho. They were named by a French trapper who thought that they resembled the female body. (Ergo tétons, the French word for "nipples" or "teats".) Many years later the name was mistakenly applied to the mountains of present day Grand Teton National Park due to the poor map-making and map-reading standards of the time.

Grand Teton National Park was established on February 26, 1929. The park covers 484 square miles (1,250 km2) of land and water.

More info here.

Lassen Volcanic NP - California

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:26:17 GMT

Here are a couple of panoramas and photos that I took on my visit to Lassen Volcanic National Park in California. I have provided a little bit of background info courtesy of Wikipedia when available. Enjoy!

Lassen Volcanic National Park is a United States National Park in northeastern California. The dominant feature of the park is Lassen Peak; the largest plug dome volcano in the world and the southern-most volcano in the Cascade Range. Lassen Volcanic National Park started as two separate national monuments designated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907: Cinder Cone National Monument and Lassen Peak National Monument.

The source of heat for volcanism in the Lassen area is subduction off the Northern California coast of the Gorda Plate diving below the North American Plate. The area surrounding Lassen Peak is still active with boiling mud pots, stinking fumaroles, and churning hot springs. Lassen Volcanic National Park is one of the few areas in the world where all four types of volcano can be found (plug dome, shield, cinder cone, and strato).

More info here.

Humboldt Redwood State Park - California

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:23:47 GMT

Here are a couple of panoramas that I put together from my visit to Humboldt Redwood State Park. I have provided a little bit of background info courtesy of Wikipedia when available. Have a look!

Humboldt Redwoods State Park is located 30 miles (50 km) south of Eureka, California in southern Humboldt County, within northern California. Established by the Save-the-Redwoods League in 1921 with the dedication of the Raynal Bolling Memorial Grove, it has grown to become the third largest park in the California State Park System, containing nearly 53,000 acres (210 km2) through acquisitions and gifts to the state. Among its assets are 23,600 acres (96 km2) of old-growth forests, including the largest contiguous remaining old-growth redwood forest in the world. At 17,000 acres (69 km2) this forest, comprised of the entire Bull Creek watershed and the Rockefeller Forest,is a pristine, diverse ecosystem unequaled by any other in any of the other Redwood parks, including Redwood National and State Parks.

More info here.

Crater Lake NP - Oregon

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:13:09 GMT

Here are a couple of panoramas and photos that took during my visit to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. I have provided a little bit of background info courtesy of Wikipedia when available. Have a look!

Crater Lake National Park is a United States National Park located in Southern Oregon whose primary feature is Crater Lake. It was established on May 22, 1902, as the sixth National Park in the U.S. The park encompasses Crater Lake's caldera, which rests in the remains of a destroyed volcano posthumously called Mount Mazama. It is the only National Park in Oregon.

The lake is 1,949 feet (594 m) deep at its deepest point which makes it the deepest lake in the United States, second in North America, and according to Wikipedia's list of lakes by depth, the ninth deepest anywhere in the world. However, when comparing its average depth of 1,148 feet (350 m) to the average depth of other deep lakes, Crater Lake becomes the deepest in the Western Hemisphere and the third deepest in the world. The impressive average depth of this volcanic lake is due to the nearly symmetrical 4,000-foot (1,200 m) deep caldera formed 7,700 years ago during the violent climactic eruptions and subsequent collapse of Mt. Mazama and the relatively moist climate that is typical of the crest of the Cascade Mountains.

Yellowstone NP - Wyoming

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:43:50 GMT

Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress[3] as a national park on March 1, 1872, is located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, though it also extends into Montana and Idaho. The park was the first of its kind, and is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially Old Faithful Geyser, one of the most popular features in the park. It has many types of ecosystems, but the subalpine forest is dominant.

Indigenous Americans have lived in the Yellowstone region for at least 11,000 years. The region was bypassed during the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the early 1800s. Aside from visits by mountain men during the early to mid-1800s, organized exploration did not begin until the late 1860s. The U.S. Army was commissioned to oversee the park just after its establishment. In 1917, administration of the park was transferred to the National Park Service, which had been created the previous year. Hundreds of structures have been built and are protected for their architectural and historical significance, and researchers have examined more than 1,000 archaeological sites.

Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,468 square miles (8,980 km2), comprising lakes, canyons, rivers and mountain ranges. Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in North America and is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest supervolcano on the continent. The caldera is considered an active volcano; it has erupted with tremendous force several times in the last two million years. Half of the world's geothermal features are in Yellowstone, fueled by this ongoing volcanism. Lava flows and rocks from volcanic eruptions cover most of the land area of Yellowstone. The park is the centerpiece of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest remaining, nearly intact ecosystem in the Earth's northern temperate zone.

Hundreds of species of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles have been documented, including several that are either endangered or threatened. The vast forests and grasslands also include unique species of plants. Grizzlies, wolves, and free-ranging herds of bison and elk live in the park. Forest fires occur in the park each year; in the large forest fires of 1988, nearly one third of the park burned. Yellowstone has numerous recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, boating, fishing and sightseeing. Paved roads provide close access to the major geothermal areas as well as some of the lakes and waterfalls. During the winter, visitors often access the park by way of guided tours that use either snow coaches or snowmobile.

More info here.

Sand Dunes NP - Colorado

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:13:03 GMT

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a United States National Park located in the easternmost parts of Alamosa County and Saguache County, Colorado, United States. Originally designated Great Sand Dunes National Monument, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve was created by an act of the United States Congress on September 13, 2004. The park contains approximately 85,000 acres (340 km², 130 mi²).
More info here.

Bryce NP - Utah

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 23:24:11 GMT

Bryce Canyon National Park is a national park located in southwestern Utah in the United States. Contained within the park is Bryce Canyon. Despite its name, this is not actually a canyon, but rather a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Bryce is distinctive due to its geological structures, called hoodoos, formed from wind, water, and ice erosion of the river and lakebed sedimentary rocks. The red, orange and white colors of the rocks provide spectacular views to visitors. Bryce is at a much higher elevation than nearby Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon. The rim at Bryce varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet (2,400 to 2,700 m), whereas the south rim of the Grand Canyon sits at 7,000 feet (2,100 m) above sea level.
The Bryce area was settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1850s and was named after Ebenezer Bryce, who homesteaded in the area in 1874.[1] The area around Bryce Canyon became a U.S. National Monument in 1923 and was designated as a national park the next year. The park covers 56 square miles (145 km2) and receives relatively few visitors compared to Zion Canyon and the Grand Canyon, largely due to its remote location. The town of Kanab, Utah, is situated at a central point between these three parks.
More info here.

Arches NP - Utah

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:12:49 GMT

Here are a couple of panoramas and photos that I put together from my visit to Arches National Park. I have provided a little bit of background info courtesy of Wikipedia when available. Have a look!

Arches National Park is a U.S. national park in eastern Utah. It is known for preserving over 2000 natural sandstone arches, including the world-famous Delicate Arch, in addition to a variety of unique geological resources and formations.

The park is located near Moab, Utah, and is 119 square miles (310 km2) in size. Its highest elevation is 5,653 feet (1,723 m) at Elephant Butte, and its lowest elevation is 4,085 feet (1,245 m) at the visitor center. Since 1970, forty-three arches have toppled because of erosion. The park receives 10 inches (250 mm) of rain a year on average.

The area, administered by the National Park Service, was originally designated as a national monument on April 12, 1929. It was redesignated a national park on November 12, 1971. More than 833,000 people visited in 2006.

More info here.

Grand Canyon NP - Arizona

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:11:00 GMT

Here are a couple of panoramas and photos that I took on my visit to Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. I have provided a little bit of background info courtesy of Wikipedia when available. Enjoy!

Grand Canyon National Park is one of the United States' oldest national parks and is located in Arizona. Within the park lies the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, considered to be one of the major natural wonders of the world. The park covers 1,902 mi² (4927 km²) of unincorporated area in Coconino County and Mohave County.

The Grand Canyon itself, including its extensive system of tributary canyons, is valued for the combination of large size, depth, and the exposed layering of colorful rocks dating back to Precambrian times. It was created through the incision of the Colorado River and its tributaries after the Colorado Plateau was uplifted and the Colorado River system developed along its present path.

More info here.

Zion NP - Utah

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 03:16:44 GMT

Zion National Park is a national park located in the Southwestern United States, near Springdale, Utah. A prominent feature of the 229-square-mile (593 km2) park is Zion Canyon, 15 miles (24 km) long and up to half a mile (800 m) deep, cut through the reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone by the North Fork of the Virgin River. Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert regions, the park's unique geography and variety of life zones allow for unusual plant and animal diversity. Numerous plant species as well as 289 species of birds, 75 mammals (including 19 species of bat), and 32 reptiles inhabit the park's four life zones: desert, riparian, woodland, and coniferous forest. Common plant species include cottonwood, Cactus, Datura, Juniper, Pine, Boxelder, Sagebrush, yucca , and various willows. Notable megafauna include mountain lions, mule deer and Golden Eagles, along with reintroduced California Condors and Bighorn Sheep.

Human habitation of the area started about 8,000 years ago with small family groups of Native Americans; the semi-nomadic Basketmaker Anasazi (300 CE) stem from one of these groups. In turn, the Virgin Anasazi culture (500 CE) developed as the Basketmakers settled in permanent communities. A different group, the Parowan Fremont, lived in the area as well. Both groups moved away by 1300 and were replaced by the Parrusits and several other Southern Paiute subtribes. The canyon was discovered by Mormons in 1858 and was settled by that same group in the early 1860s. In 1909, U.S. President William Howard Taft named the area a National Monument to protect the canyon, under the name of Mukuntuweap National Monument. However, in 1918, the acting director of the newly created National Park Service changed the park's name to Zion as the original name was locally unpopular. Zion is an ancient Hebrew word meaning a place of refuge or sanctuary. The United States Congress established the monument as a National Park on November 19, 1919. The Kolob section was proclaimed a separate Zion National Monument in 1937, but was incorporated into the park in 1956.

The geology of the Zion and Kolob canyons area includes nine formations that together represent 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation. At various periods in that time, warm, shallow seas, streams, ponds and lakes, vast deserts and dry near-shore environments covered the area. Uplift associated with the creation of the Colorado Plateaus lifted the region 10,000 feet (3,000 m) starting 13 million years ago.

More info here.

Rocky Mt. NP - Colorado

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 03:13:45 GMT

Rocky Mountain National Park is a National Park located in the north-central region of the U.S. state of Colorado. It features majestic mountain views, a variety of wildlife, varied climates and environments—from wooded forests to mountain tundra—and easy access to back-country trails and campsites. The park is located northwest of Boulder, Colorado in the Rockies, and includes the Continental Divide and the headwaters of the Colorado River.
More info here.

Solar Presentation (Courtesy PCDS)

photo@michaelsilverman.net (Michael Silverman) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:54:46 GMT

Here some photos of the educational solar presentation I gave to some of the lower school students at Phoenix Country Day School. This educational outreach effort by the PCDS Green Team was part of a larger environmental grant given out by SRP to create the solar golf cart charging station, which uses 20 solar panels to charge 8 electric golf carts. A video can be found here http://vimeo.com/4969096. More information can be found right here http://michaelwsilverman.com/solar-golf-cart. Thanks for looking!