In February, we begin the Year of the Pig. (The Earth Pig, to be precise. There are Fire, Metal, Wood and Water Pigs too, but those details are for some other blog.)

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In Chinese culture, pigs are associated with wealth and generosity. So far, so good.

The technique – let’s call it “Rembrandt lighting” so you don’t have to struggle with the pronunciation as you read to yourself – dates back to Renaissance paintings. In these works, a directional light falls on the subject, creating deep shadows and bold contrast. 

Thanks to high-resolution cameras and better stabilization and navigation, drone photography has moved beyond novelty. Drones now capture sweeping vistas and real-time details of dangerous and dramatic situations, such as wildfires and volcanic eruptions. Aerial photographers have job opportunities in advertising, the military and emergency management, in addition to business services related to real estate and resource management.

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The collapse of colonies has prompted many gardeners to adopt bee-friendly landscaping. One of the easiest things you can do is choose flowers for pollinators and plants that provide habitat for nesting and mating.

Below are five options. Can you spot the choice that actually repels bees?

Maybe you’ve admired Kilimanjaro from the Maasai Steppe, dined at an underwater restaurant in the Maldives and communed with the pink river dolphins of Peru. What’s next? Can you spot the next trendy vacation destinations based on these photos?

William Blake challenged us to see the world in a grain of sand.

Some very talented photographers show us very small subjects can make a big impact. Macrophotography is generally defined as extreme close-up photography. It reveals the delicate details the naked eye misses.

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Fashion dictator Diana Vreeland summed it up this way: “The bikini is the most important thing since the atom bomb.”

There is no monolithic market. We are a nation of niches.

If your goal is to get potential buyers to identify with your brand, you must vary your representation of beyond the vanilla and generic in your advertising. 

Painter Jackson Pollock, dubbed “Jack the Dripper” by Time magazine, was both admired and influential, but did he work for the CIA?

Not exactly. However, the CIA did use abstract expressionism as part of Cold War propaganda aimed at the Soviet Union. In the ‘50s, American critics were encouraged to contrast the “freedom of expression” represented by Pollock’s work with the grim social realism associated with the European art scene. The political goal was to promote a cultural shift, making New York, not Paris, the epicenter of the art world. 

There may be nothing new under the Sun, but an adventure planned for this summer may reveal new things about the planet itself.

Sometime between July 31 and August 19, a Delta IV-Heavy launch vehicle will make a night launch from Kennedy Space Center. It will carry the Parker Solar Probe, years in the making.