The Tech Museum

Today I decided to take a break from posting floral closeups or landscapes. I did take the Lens Babies out for a stroll, but I just wanted to change things up a bit.

This is a shot taken at the San Jose Tech Museum. It promotes science education for children and adults of all ages with hands-on exhibits and movies at its IMAX theater dome. They also have really cool exhibits that come from around the world. Recently, they had an exhibit on Leonardo da Vinci which displayed his futuristic inventions and math problems.

In a previous blip I posted an image of Burrowing Owls. They are losing a battle for habitat in the Santa Clara Valley and the foundation I run helped fund a 15 minute documentary on their plight.

Today, this short movie was premiered at the Tech Museum (not at the IMAX theater), for approximately 100 people interested in advocacy for the owls. Most of this group were members of the local Audubon Society, but there were a few folks from other organizations just trying to learn more about the issue.

I took this shot after the showing, outside in front of one of the permanent exhibits known as the "Perpetual Motion Machine." It is fascinating as it's about two stories tall, encased in a glass room, outside where anyone can see it in action 24/7. It's comprised of a hand-made metal machine with bells and belts, and chain driven gears, and chimes that are all run perpetually by falling billiard balls. Yes, hard to imagine, but it's very cool.

What I liked most about this image (sorry there's so much reflection on the glass encasing the machine), is the dog. If you look at the two boys located at the far right of the machine, you can see them watching the balls fall to the bottom after going through all the little events, then they're catapulted by their own gravity to another device that is driven by more falling balls that hoists them back to the top and the beginning. The dog is also watching those balls at the final part of their journey.

Enjoy LARGE.