What is special about the Mona Lisa painting, and why is it so expensive?
Here’s a picture. Look at her straight on. Notice her smile.Doesn’t seem like much of one, does it? It kinda seems like she’s smiling, but … it’s reserved, formal, cold.Now, turn your head slightly, and give her a little side-eye. Did she smirk as you were looking away? It disappeared when you turned back towards her, didn’t it? Kinda feels like she’s toying with you, maybe flirting?Da Vinci used sfumato to achieve this effect - it’s layers of paint in order to create the shadows necessary for this trick. It’s intentional. And it utilizes a mind/eye trick to be successful. When humans look at things head on, we view things holistically, and our brains process images as whole concepts. But our peripheral vision pays attention to other details, like changes in motion and sensitivity to light - which is why your peripheral vision picks up on the shadows around her mouth, and make you think she’s smiling.Imagine the research and thought that Da Vinci must have put into making this possible in this one portrait. AND consider how it changes your perception of the character of this person. With a glance of side-eye, she changes from reserved, formal, and cold, to smiling, smirking, flirtatious perhaps? It is the depiction of how any woman in her position and time must have two faces, a public and a private persona.It’s hard to think of any other artist who could change the presentation of colors, light, and shadow through paint alone, in order to present two versions of the same subject, both visually and psychologically. Da Vinci’s unique talent is combining his technologically superior art with his knowledge of human anatomy. It’s incredible and this painting exemplifies it.Personal note: when I finally saw the Mona Lisa in person, I was struck by how lifelike her hands were. I couldn’t stop looking at her hands.
How do we know dinosaur skeletons put together are actual fossils and not fake bones created by scientists?
Sadly there have been all too many scoundrels in paleontology. The thing is, an intact skeleton is an incredibly valuable thing, and most natural history museums will blow their budgets to be able to mount a huge new dinosaur in their main hall.It is also true that scarce or delicate specimens are not on public display, but are instead copied, and it is the copy that is on display. Most fossils are incomplete, and the complete skeletons we see are the remains of several animals. Mostly this is known, but a popular pastime has been to combine the skeletons of different species to provide a “missing link” for the gullible.As a result of these scandals modern techniques have been honed to establish a fossil’s authenticity beyond doubt.Even so, people take a chance, and many collectors really don’t care.There is as much excitement these days about pigeon sized dinosaurs whether they are early birds or not. Recently there was an instance of an early bird from China which turned out to be an assembly of different fossils.The great dinosaur fossil hoaxThis is China today. It was much worse in the US in the 1870s when there was a gold rush for giant skeletons.File:Othniel Charles Marsh & Edward Drinker Cope bw.jpgEach of the two paleontologists used underhanded methods to try to outdo the other in the field, resorting to bribery, theft, and the destruction of bones. Each scientist also sought to ruin his rival's reputation and cut off his funding, using attacks in scientific publications.[1]It was this rivalry more than any other that tarnished paleontology’s reputation. Their careless methods and haste made it impossible for others to make the careful digs that we see these days, and is one of the reasons for the care their modern successors practice. This is good science, and provides a provenance that makes the finds more valuable.Footnotes[1] Bone Wars - Wikipedia
Did NASA fake the moon landing? If so, how can you tell using the images?
Yes, NASA did fake the moon landings. The majority of the hoax was shot on the Universal back lot in Hollywood. Tens of thousands of NASA workers were sworn to secrecy.Well, let’s start with that ridiculous assumption: NASA pulled off the greatest hoax in human history.The MLDs (Moon Landing Deniers) are not taking into account one very important human tendency: the tendency to blab.The “moon landings” happened nearly 50 years ago. Yet no one has come foward to collect a million dollars from Oprah or whoever to blab the inside story of Apollo. And show covert photos of Neil and Buzz sharing a laugh with their helmets off on the “lunar surface” set.Is this conceivable? In 50 years! You, an intelligent Quoranian, know that it’s not. Consider Lance Armstrong. One man with a small team. Could he keep his doping secret?Yet the MLDs would have you believe that not one of NASAs thousands blabbed for big bucks in all this time. C’mon! It just isn’t credible, is it?Side note: Buzz Aldrin, second man on the moon, was dogged for months by one of these MLDs. The man followed him, heckled him, made this remarkable man’s public life miserable. Finally, after the MDL called him “a coward and a liar,” an infuriated Aldrin had enough and punched him hard in the jaw.** Very effective! No more hogwash, no more heckling.** We have video of this remarkable event, thanks to Carlos Casador. To view, paste following four words into YouTube’s search box:Buzz Aldrin punches guyBelow: Saturn V moon rocket nozzles on static display at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Your author is the awestruck guy in the funky hat. (Photo by Glenn Padula)
Your favorite pancake. Has to be homemade. What's at the royal table?
my favorite is just a simple blin. i use one egg, about half a cup of flour, and enough water so that the batter is fairly thin. i make several thing pancakes and eat it with sour cream.
Is there a fake Rolex that is so perfectly made that it can't be spotted?
Actually, the answer is yes. There are Rolex copies that cannot be spotted. Rolex uses 904L steel. For the longest time, the copies used 316L steel and you can feel the difference in the wristband. However, the NOOB factory is now making one of their Rolex copies with 904L. That same copy also uses sapphire glass, which is the same as that used by Rolex. NOOB makes many versions, and the 904L steel model is the NOOB version 8 Rolex. Sometimes referred to as Noob v8. Anyway, this particular copy also has a magnified dated cyclops. At this point, I am not sure if the anti-glare sapphire is used on the cyclops. (If not, there will be a glare when trying to read the date through the cyclops.)I am writing this because I read other reviews stating that the copies do not use 904L steel. For 95% of the copies, that is true. But for the NOOB version 8, it is actually 904L steel. These copies are very expensive compared to the 316L copies. For example, 316L copies with sapphire glass can run $150+. The Noob v8 copies are $650–850 as of this writing. In fact, finding one for $650 is difficult. For the most part they are purchased from China through DH gate website. You also have to confirm with the seller that you are purchasing 904L steel model because a lot of sellers claim they have the latest Noob model when in fact they don’t.I have to mention that there are many different versions of automatic movements inside of these copies. The most expensive will use a copy of the Rolex movement 3135. This movement looks a lot like the Rolex movement but obviously it’s Chinese and much cheaper. Some of the copies will use the Swiss ETA 2824, or 2826. These Swiss movements are obviously good quality and are not Chinese made. Any jeweler in the US worth his salt will be able to remove the caseback and see that you have a copy and not a real Rolex. But if you show up with a Noob v8, they won’t be able to tell unless they remove the case back. Even then, the Chinese version of the 3135 movement may still fool some jewelers.