Pixel Realm

There are many components that make up your car. Thousands of them. But in very few of them do art and science combine so well together as they do in the tail lights. And though initially tail lights had little science and even lesser amount of art in them today they can be on a display in an art gallery or a science museum. Initially of course tail lamps were mere lights at the tail doing a very basic job of announcing your car’s presence on the road at night time. But as car’s grew faster the need for better visibility from a greater distance arose and as traffic increased other necessities such as brake lights, reflectors and turn signals emerged. All of these are lights and have a specific function to perform. And science delivered lighting options whose intensity could vary and which could be tuned off and on quickly.

But when you will look at a car’s tail lights you will not find them to be like a very scientific piece of equipment that have come straight from a lab. Instead they appear more to be works of modern art that give your a glimpse of the shape of the future things to come. The reason for this is that all the technology is concealed under a carefully conceptualized look and design of the tail lights done by some of the worlds best designers and stylists. The tail lights benefit from this because the exceptional design makes them more noticeable and being noticed is what the basic function of the tail lights is about.

You can avail of the new marvelous looking tail lights by opting for replacement tail lights from the aftermarket tail lights industry. You will have tail lights with the classical looks such as Euro tail lights and tail lights with the ultra modern looks such as LED tail lights. You can choose them easily by going online. You can also hope to find exceptional deals. Tail lights are easily installed and you can enjoy their delightful performance soon after you have bought them. You can see the latest tail lights at www.buytaillights.com

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There are various types of original art paintings from abstract art through to landscape oil paintings. Since art is a personal preference some things may appeal while others are difficult to understand as being art.

You can purchase original art paintings from dealers and galleries which can be found in most major towns or online. There are also auctions where fine works of art go to the highest bidder. You may also find gems of paintings in house clearance sales or antique stores. If you know what you are looking for and have a discerning eye then you could pick up something special.

There are various styles of art paintings. One of the main types are landscape paintings and these usually depict a scene outdoors in nature. The skill lies in the way the artist used light and color to recreate the scene. Styles differ widely amongst artists and often the more unique style can lead to a new movement in art such as Impressionism.

Still life is also a genre of art painting. This was traditionally used to capture objects such as fruit or an arrangement of flowers. The skill here is in giving the objects a lifelike quality. The Vanitas style paintings depict a skull, a candle and often a beautiful lady to show how age and mortality affects everyone and this has added symbolism behind the objects as many still life paintings do.

Portrait art paintings capture a person at a particular moment in time. Before the advent of photography the nobility and gentry were dependent on having their portraits painted and it was a luxury for the very rich.

Today these kind of paintings may have value as a family heirloom, as a collectible art piece or you may like the depiction in the painting and have a connection with the face behind the art piece.

Da Vinci’c Mona Lisa is the one of the most famous portraits in the world and is securely housed in the Louvre in Paris. Her secret smile always creates intrigue about her thoughts at the time. This kind of art is priceless and portraits featuring the monarchy and commissioned by famous world artists are going to be more expensive.

There are also religious works of art and these often depict a sacred scene from the Bible and symbols of Christ and his disciples. Originals of this genre are usually very expensive and may appeal to those with some interest in the art history period of the work.

You could purchase contemporary original artworks from galleries and many new artists have launch nights where they display their work and give a talk on the theory behind the work.

When you are purchasing original art paintings, you should give thought to the kind of art you like and what will work best in your living space. Original paintings are always going to be more expensive, but they have an elusive unique appeal. Whichever style you choose should be one that you love since you will be sharing your living space with the artwork.

Have You Ever Thought Of Giving Something A Little Different At Christmas? Something that is long lasting and original that will genuinely be loved and admired by the recipient instead of worn once and then lost in a drawer? How about a piece of contemporary artwork? It’s the ideal gift for a number of very telling reasons.

A good gift is one that is treasured. A treasured gift is one that has been thought about before buying – something, in other words, that proves to the recipient that the bestower spent some time considering what to buy, and why. The best gifts, the most treasured gifts, always come with this freight of forethought involved with them: they become as touching as they are, and as enjoyed as they are, because it is obvious from looking at them that they have been picked with particular reference to the person they are given to. A piece of contemporary artwork fits this bill very nicely indeed.

Most modern art is “about” emotions, in that it aims to impart feelings and elicit reactions, rather than necessarily “look like” anything in particular. That’s a wonderful boon to the present buyer, who may well be pretty in tune with the personality and feelings of the person he or she is buying a gift for: but might not do so well when it comes to second guessing their visual tastes. Buying a painting “of” something might not be such a good idea: for all you know, the person you are buying for might not be interested in it. And even if he or she does like the subject, you have no way of telling whether he or she will like the way this artwork has portrayed the subject. Contemporary artwork gives none of these pauses for thought because it doesn’t portray anything solid. It gives an atmosphere and a feeling to the beholder – and you as a buyer are much more likely to have a good idea of the kinds of atmosphere or feeling that your recipient would like, than of the kinds of individual painting style he or she may go for.

A piece of modern art can give feelings of warmth, of comfort, of peace and of serenity. What better gift could that be for the special person in your life? The painting will be associated with you and with the space in which it is hung – so you are, in effect, giving a piece of yourself, or your relationship to that person, to them in tangible form. Contemporary artwork is probably the only kind of gift you can buy that does this: that personalises, enlivens and warms a personal space without being too specific and so without carrying the risk that it will not be enjoyed.

It’s also utterly unique, which doesn’t hurt. What says that thought has gone into picking a gift more than something no one else in the world can own, because it is a one off? Take some time this Christmas and pick that perfect picture.

Real World Self Defense vs. Martial Arts.  Is There a Difference?

Can you stop a violent physical confrontation is six seconds or less?  Sounds far fetched but it can be done quite easily.  (No, you don’t have to have a gun!).  Far too many high ranking martial artists have found themselves in dire straits when confronted unexpectedly by street thugs.  Unfortunately many of them have ended up in intensive care or the morgue.   All the controlled environment training, sparring and practice of techniques is good martial arts training and I highly recommend it.  However executing these techniques requires fine motor skills which are proven to vanish in an unexpected, sudden, life threatening confrontation.   Innate survival reaction gives us a huge rush of adrenalin which takes over and forces our most primitive “fight or flight” instincts to totally govern our actions.  Thinking clearly is no longer a realistic option and often not even a possibility.  Pretty scary when you think about it but it is very, very real.

First of all, forget what you see in the movies.  While there are some excellent martial artists who have become actors everything you see is rehearsed over and over again, stunt men generally get involved and there are camera and computer tricks to enhance nearly anything they want to show.

In addition, you must understand that what you see on TV, such as the MMA, UFC, Thai Boxing, Kick Boxing, etc., is all pretty violent, the participants are in great physical shape and have trained intensely for a long time.  However, these are all, by definition, sports.  There are rules, referees and usually a ‘ring’ or ‘cage’, not to mention the fact that these competitors know ahead of time that there is going to be a violent confrontation and they usually know a good bit about their opponent’s cababilities.  On the street, in a parking garage, around the corner or even during a road rage situation none of these elements exist.  The aggressor acknowledges no rules, there is no referee and no physical boundaries….Just you and your assailant (and maybe his friends).

I have practiced a very aggressive and devastating style of Korean martial arts for about 18 years and am teaching our advanced black belts real world self defense as an enhancement to our advanced martial arts program.  This is quite different from “normal” martial arts training but it utilizes the basic techniques and approaches inherent to martial arts.  While having good martial arts training as a background is beneficial it is certainly not necessary.   The philosophy is simplicity and “effect”.  Frankly technique doesn’t matter in a life threatening situation.  No matter how good you are it won’t look pretty.  What does matter is the effect of what you do or don’t do.

Simplicity and effect cannot be over emphasized.  Larry the Cable Guy’s theory of “get er done!” says it all.

Can you stop an attacker who has violent intent in mind even if he is bigger and stronger than you?  Most definitely.  Most martial arts preach “wait until he makes his move and then use your martial arts training skills to defend against it”….This is a nice theory but in reality it is usually not at all practical.  Why let the bad guy start initiating his game plan.  Take it away from him.

Here’s the scenario:
You are suddenly confronted by a large, apparently strong and violent assailant and it is not feasible for you to run.  Your best chance is to take pre-emptive action and to take it quickly, without warning and as aggressively as you possibly can.  There are absolutely no rules in this situation other than trying to ensure your own survival.  You have to essentially flip a mental switch and become as violent as your attacker seems to be for just long enough to get the job done.

No self defense program can be learned and stored for future use in a one hour class or even in two or three hours.  You also will not benefit from just watching videos.  The only real way to learn is to practice the physical and mental processes that must be in place when you need them. The basics can be learned in a few hours but it takes practice of both the physical and mental aspects of survival to get the “system” ingrained in your subconscious.  Once it’s there you will have it forever.  It becomes an integral part of your nature to “get primitive” or “go medieval” when you feel that your life is threatened.  Anything more complicated will most likely not work.

There are a lot of alleged ‘self defense’ videos, DVDs, books and other media sales pitches available for varying costs.  Most are essentially grab defenses, a few striking techniques and other martial arts basics sold to you as a means of defending yourself.  I have purchased and watched many, many of these and in my opinion most are pure hype, obviously with the primary intent of making money and with little real concern for the reality of what may happen if someone believes that what they see on the videos will work in real life.  Certainly some of the techniques shown in most of these courses can work with adequate practice but the vast, vast majority require too much fine motor skill and conscious mental planning or action to be useable in a real life confrontation.  For example, if somebody grabs your wrist and you do break their grip (one of the usual basic “impressive” moves promoted on many “self defense” DVDs) is the assailant then just going to walk away in frustration and embarrassment?  Not a chance.  Odds are he will simply become significantly more agitated, more violent and then what will you do?