On the Comoving Distance scale the very edge of the visible universe is now about 47 billion light years from us.

The Distance Scale of the Universe

The Distance Scale of the Universe (another 47) is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

Yeah, 2:47:47. But, there are so many of these examples:

The Meaning of 47

Between the Summer Solstice and the Winter solstice, the sun moves 47 degrees (23 1/2 degrees North and South of the equator)

People born with Down’s Syndrome have 47 chromosomes instead of the more common 46

Some people believe a flying saucer crash-landed in 1947 in New Mexico, the 47^th state (in order of admission)

DVDs have a minimum capacity of 4.7 gigabytes

Our randomly distributed trash receptacle has a serial number ending in “4774”

The Meaning of 47

Forcing this back to photography, I love particular subjects, especially birds, bugs, and flowers. On the other hand, I’m less interested in photographing architecture, machines or people. Find the subject that captivates you. Your subject will also inspire and energize you.

http://www.edgewiseblog.com/mjh/category/47/

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1054135229466.2010981.1108374610&l=39d6859a26 (more screenshots)

Your Subject is One You Never Tire Of is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

Happy 4/7 at 7:47am. is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

1) Like Jack Donaghy, I was going to be a marine biologist. That may be the only thing Donaghy and I have in common. (No, wait, he speaks German, too. Well-played.)

2) Liz Lemon, like Tina Fey, is smart enough to have placed out of first year German. Tina Fey and I studied German at UVa, albeit years apart. The German word for albeit is obwohl. I don’t normally take personally Tina Fey’s frequent use of German in 30 Rock. («Ich denke, daß sie die schönste Sprache in der Welt ist.» Ja, das stimmt!) However, with the first year reference plus the other items…

3) This shirt made me gasp! Why would a character appear in a scene with a 47 on her shirt? Note the IMDB clip is 1 minute 47 seconds long – no lie. As far as I know, Tina Fey is not in that cult of screenwriters (such as J.J. Abrams) who refer to 47 as a sly inside joke to other cultists. (On the radio this morning there was a discussion of economic indicators based on a survey of 47 economists. Now that’s real stuff.)

Believing celebrities or gods are speaking directly to you is a sign of madness, except when you are face-to-face with them. However, this is no goofy Da Vinci code or The Secret. Still, Tina, if you’re really reaching out to me, use the phrase “that’s crazy” in an upcoming script. bis später. _{Dein, Mark}

Lieber Gott! Die Tina Fey ruft mich an! is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

Second round with Watson AI on Jeopardy was very different, but more like what one would expect: Computers kick human ass in collating and recalling facts. Watson’s wagers were odd: $947 in the final round?! And what glitch produced Toronto as a US city? is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

“It is you talking just as much as myself…I act as the tongue of you” (Section *47*) / “I am large, I contain multitudes.” (Section 51) – Song of Myself by Walt Whitman is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

At 2:47pm I pulled into the gas station. The trip odometer said 247 miles. A fill-up indicated I still had 2.47 gallons in the tank. No lie. is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

It happens every fall, this week, probably this day. I see it coming, even months ahead. As the day nears, I watch each morning – how soon? This morning, I first woke at 6am. I wanted to get up then. Lucky made me a morning person, against all odds, but cold, like the grave, is stronger than either of us. I looked at the clock again at 7:46am. When 7:47am clicked over, I got up and stepped out into the hall at the perfect moment, the moment of alignment.

How many times a day do we fail to see these moments when light strikes a mundane spot, turning it into an altar? I observe this special moment each fall, a week before Halloween, and again, each spring, about a week after Valentine’s Day.

Nature’s part in this display exceeds the other parts, but a sequence of steps brought this together. The house built with a door facing east, like half the houses on the block. The niche for a telephone and a laughably thin phone book. The door, added later, with a narrow window at just the right height, just the right shape. The glass pane with two blue spots, a gift from a bridesmaid, added years later to cover that narrow window. The katchina which largely replaced the chaotic clutter I contribute, the little treasures I handle daily and the older stuff I can’t let go of. All made sacred by 30 seconds of light twice a year. I’m grateful to bear witness.

For the first time (in 2009), the circle is notched in the upper-left by one of the bars on our new security door, the latest addition to the layers. The gap marks the inevitability of change and loss.

See the collection of photos grow twice a year: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjhinton/tags/niche/

Updated 10/29/09: See the change 4 days later: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjhinton/4055208123/

First published 10/25/09. Updated 10/26/10. On 10/26/10, I took the first photos at 7:47am — true story. Seems to be the magic moment.

Fall Alignment – My Private Solstice is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

“According to many sources, Miguel de Cervantes may have been born on this date in 1547.” NewMexiKen | The next to last day of September is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh

Jupiter at its brightest in 47 years – Wikinews, the free news source

The planet Jupiter will be at its closest to the Earth since 1963 [Monday] and Tuesday, scientists say. This will cause the planet’s appearance to peak at a brightness and size not seen since then. The planet Uranus will also make a close approach, but will be more difficult to spot, as it is much farther away.

Scientists say that Jupiter will rise at about the time of sunset and will be nearly directly overhead at midnight. The only brighter object that will be in the sky at that time will be the moon. NASA scientist Tony Phillips said "Jupiter is so bright right now, you don’t need a sky map to find it." It will not appear this bright again until 2022.

Jupiter will pass within 368 million miles of Earth at the time of closest approach. Although this will occur on Monday and Tuesday, it will remain large and bright for approximately another month.

During this event, the planet will be located in the sky not far from the moon. Some of the planet’s own moons will be visible with the aid of a telescope or binoculars.

According to NASA scientists, Earth-Jupiter encounters occur about every 13 months. Since both planets’ orbits are slightly elliptical, meaning they are not perfect circles around the Sun, the distance varies in each encounter.

Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, is the fifth planet from the Sun and is more massive than all of the other planets combined, about 318 times as massive as the Earth.

Jupiter at its brightest in 47 years – Wikinews, the free news source

Jupiter at its brightest in 47 years [hat tip to Walking Raven] is a post from: mjh's blog. Thank you for subscribing. Let me know what you think. peace, mjh