Author Archives: William Calvin

About William Calvin

UW prof emeritus brains, human evolution, climate

Eclipse path across Oregon

Posted on August 13, 2017 by William Calvin

The times will work for Seattle as well, but at max only 92% of the sun will be obscured by the new moon.  The show starts about 9:30am and is over about 11:30.

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Dawn in the West

Posted on August 11, 2017 by William Calvin

About 30 minutes before sunrise, looking west from First Hill to Downtown Seattle..

Posted in In the Neighborhood, Photography | 1 Comment

The Greening before The Smoke

Posted on August 10, 2017 by William Calvin

Satellite photo 7/31/2017 from a few days before the BC smoke obscured the area.  That’s a phytoplankton bloom covering all of Hood Canal. The source of discoloration is a huge bloom of microscopic phytoplankton plated with white calcium carbonate. Under … Continue reading →

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Sailing in the Smoke of Seattle’s Elliott Bay.

Posted on August 10, 2017 by William Calvin

Sailing in the Smoke of Seattle’s Elliott Bay.

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Smoke-filled valleys

Posted on August 8, 2017 by William Calvin

Cliff Mass took this on Friday, flying into Seattle.

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The Setting Sunspot in the Seattle Smoke

Posted on August 8, 2017 by William Calvin

I’ve been practicing for the total eclipse.

Posted in Photography | 1 Comment

Blue Angels in Sunday’s Silvertone Skies

Posted on August 6, 2017 by William Calvin

The view from the 18th floor of that building next to Park Shore.  The second photo shows them passing directly overhead; the third shows a pass where the pilot was at the same altitude as the photographer.

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The Smoke comes and goes

Posted on August 6, 2017 by William Calvin

The Seattle Times put together a nice illustration of how our smoke comes and goes:

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Changing styles in built-in cranes

Posted on August 6, 2017 by William Calvin

Contrast the heavy-duty rooftop crane of the new 43-storey 5th & Columbia building to our west  and when tucked away, ready to pop up: to what sufficed for Two Union Square to our northwest when it was built thirty years … Continue reading →

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Coming up in our NW view: Rainier Square Tower

Posted on August 6, 2017 by William Calvin

If you can see the Rainier Tower (the rectangular 41-storey 5th Ave building on an 11-storey concrete pedestal), then you will soon see an unusual neighbor arising 58 storeys to its north. The Rainier Square Tower will feature nearly 200 luxury … Continue reading →

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DIY Visibility

Posted on August 5, 2017 by William Calvin

As the smoke clears, we can see farther.  For quick reference, here are the distances to familiar landmarks from Skyline: 0.75 mile to Swedish Cherry Hill (ex-Providence Hospital) or the three TV towers at 17th & Madison 1 mile to … Continue reading →

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Meandering

Posted on August 4, 2017 by William Calvin

The Jurea River in the Amazon and its many abandoned meanders.  Note all of the pale green loops that have revegetated.  Spring floods break through the narrower of the necks, as has happened at the center of this picture.

Posted in Nature, Photography | 1 Comment

August 3 smoke pours out of British Columbia

Posted on August 3, 2017 by William Calvin

Most of the smoke comes from just north of the top of the picture.  Without much wind to mix and thin the smoke, much sits in river valleys, almost as if it were flowing down the Fraser River.  But the … Continue reading →

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The Space Needle view of smoke

Posted on August 3, 2017 by William Calvin

That’s Pier 91 at right. The visibility from Skyline is down to about three miles, looking north.  May clear some by weekend, maybe not.

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Red levels of air pollution

Posted on August 2, 2017 by William Calvin

The red dots are Stay Indoors for seniors.  Those fires up in BC have been active since spring.  That’s the area devastated by the mountain pine beetle, which has had  a population explosion in the last decade thanks to warmer … Continue reading →

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The Pop-up Crane

Posted on August 2, 2017 by William Calvin
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8/1/2017 Afternoon satellite image of smoke over Washington

Posted on August 1, 2017 by William Calvin

The Tuesday afternoon satellite image from today shows the extent of the smoke episode over Washington caused largely by smoke coming in from Canada and spreading south. More of the state monitors are now showing deteriorating air quality and conditions … Continue reading →

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Our new freight elevators

Posted on July 30, 2017 by William Calvin

Gone are the three elevators that looked as if they belonged in a residential tower.  Now they all look like hard-edged freight elevators. It took me a day to recall the origins of that look. It is Filament Strapping Tape … Continue reading →

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Picturing the Eclipsed Sun with a Holy Leaf

Posted on July 28, 2017 by William Calvin

 With a total eclipse of the sun coming up on August 21 (92% covered in Seattle, 100% in Corvalis), it seems a good time to review how our ancestors might have predicted eclipses with simple methods.  I will borrow from … Continue reading →

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How many differences can you spot?

Posted on July 26, 2017 by William Calvin
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An Out-of-this world View

Posted on July 25, 2017 by William Calvin

RE-POSTED since original was in the days of missing posts, July 20-23. I went for stroll today down the long boulevard of the International Space Station, thanks to Google Street View.  There were no park benches along the way but one … Continue reading →

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Outdoors on the 4th floor

Posted on July 24, 2017 by William Calvin
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Angle-iron in the Sky (the aspect of 5th & Columbia Building that we don’t see)

Posted on July 23, 2017 by William Calvin

Sorry for the resolution (it’s an iPhone photo, blown up, taken when driving southbound on I-5 about REI) but this shows you the NW face of 5th & Columbia Building. They have been adding that corner cladding in the last … Continue reading →

Posted in In the Neighborhood | 3 Comments

800 Columbia Building (ex-Alexa) starts by year-end

Posted on July 20, 2017 by William Calvin

Word has it that construction will begin about December.  As a reminder, here are some examples of how it is situated.  The external skin and roof have changed some since these renderings were made in 2012. The collection of 800 … Continue reading →

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Cats love concave places

Posted on July 19, 2017 by William Calvin

Not only do cats love to perch in high places, but they love a nest-like concavity.  The top of a suitcase, zippered shut, attracts them as it sinks under their weight to become concave. Small computer printers also have a … Continue reading →

Posted in Pets | 1 Comment