Heart Touching Memory of Past

What started off as a small blog with just 6 family pictures based on a principle of matching an old photo with the present day setting, has now turned into highly successful site of digital nostalgia with hundreds of submissions from all over the world.

The idea about the project came to a 22-year-old Ontario-based Taylor Jones completely by accident. He was going through his parents’ old pictures and in one of the photos he saw his brother, sitting on the same kitchen table like Taylor was then. Taylor held the photo up in front of the table and took a new picture – in only 6 weeks, the response to this idea worldwide was overwhelming, with millions views and hundreds of submissions on Taylor’s site.

One year later, Taylor took the idea offline, and released a book. Here are some of our favorite and most heart touching dear photograph picks.

Dear Photograph, I’m so proud my boys childhood dreams were made of bravery, honor and valor. Fifteen years later, dreams really do come true. Nancy.

 

Dear Photograph, I wouldn’t be who I am today if i didn’t have the sounds of music in my life. Rachelle

Dear Photograph, At the time it was not common for a man to walk behind a pram. I’m still proud of my father. Eva Willemier Westra

Dear Photograph, For one brief moment, this murky little duck pond became the most beautiful place on earth. Greg

Dear Photograph, Our wedding was our sweetest day, just like Grandma’s chocolate. Onno

Dear Photograph, Dad never took a picture of me, ever. Then I noticed his reflection in the glass.Happy Father’s Day, Dad. Anonymous

Dear Photograph, Letting go of my mother’s hand the first day of school was always the hardest. Liz

Dear Photograph, I told you there would be better days. Joel Witte

Dear Photograph, I’ll always remember my first fish. Brian Thurman

Dear Photograph, Over 25 years later, the house is still blue and my mother is still looking over me. Alexandra

Dear Photograph, Remember when we decided to see if shrink wrap would hold my brother Joe to a tree? This made us laugh so much! Annie Enderle

Dear Photograph, It was only 2 years ago, while gardening with my family and children at the St. Mary Organic Farm, that my son Alex, age 2, ran up to this tree and hugged it. I quickly snapped a photo, thinking to myself, ”awww… he’s a tree hugger”. Then, just like that, he leaned in and gave the tree a gentle kiss. Three days later, on September 17th, 2010, Alex died unexpectedly in his sleep. Now when I look at this photograph, and look into his eyes, I see he is hugging the tree just like he would hug his mother’s or father’s leg whenever he ran to greet us. With his little arms wrapped tightly around the tree, he seemed to be listening in a very comforting and knowing way. This image of Alex is what I referred to immediately after his death and it has given me the solace to know in my heart that he is exactly where he is supposed to be. Valerie

Dear Photograph, Oh, to be young again. Wizemark

Dear Photograph, West Point is where we first pretended we were soldiers. Forty years later,we’re both army veterans. John and Rob

Dear Photograph, Eight years ago our world rejoiced when we said “I do”. This year, my first without you here, I know the heavens rejoiced too. I’m so glad I had those seven years with you because those seven years will define who I am for the rest of my life.Miss and Love You Always, Brandi

Dear Photograph, I still remember every moment I spent with you that summer. You always thought we were just friends, but to me, you always meant so much more. A year and a half later and now you are my valentine. Happy Valentine’s Day!Your Boyfriend, Louis

Dear Photograph, Thank you for reminding me that if I wait just a little longer the seasons will always change. Love, Nancy

Dear Photograph, It was 70 years ago when my mother dipped her toes in Lake Cavloc, Switzerland along side her father and sister. Beauty was all around them and so were the echoes of youth. My mother’s view has changed now that she lives in a nursing home. Wouldn’t it have been something if the waters they had danced in had washed the fountain of youth over them… Peter

Dear Photograph, I was astounded, but I hadn’t had time to consider what I was seeing. Mark Yokoyama

Dear Photograph, My grandpa doesn’t recognize me anymore, but he still smiles every time I show him this picture. I hope that deep inside he remembers how much I loved hanging out with him.. Love, Laura

Dear Photograph,There’s a reason we had to paint these stairs blue. They just weren’t as colorful without these two. mohocreative

Amazing Land of Giants

American firm Choi + Shine Architects designed these conceptual electricity pylons shaped like human figures to march across the Icelandic landscape. Each pylon would be assembled from modular parts, which could be adapted into various positions to given the impression the the statues are walking, climbing or crouching. The 30-metre tall statues would be supported on concrete footings and are an alteration of the steel frame used by existing pylons. Called Land of Giants, the project was originally submitted for a 2008 competition held by Icelandic transmission company Landsnet and the Association of Icelandic Architects.The design was one of four winners at the recent 2010 Boston Society of Architects Unbuilt Architecture Awards. 

This design transforms mundane electrical pylons into statues on the Icelandic landscape.Making only minor alterations to well established steel-framed tower design, we have created a series of towers that are powerful, solemn and variable. These iconic pylon-figures will become monuments in the landscape. Seeing the pylon- figures will become an unforgettable experience, elevating the towers to something more than merely a functional design of necessity.

The pylon-figures can be configured to respond to their environment with appropriate gestures. As the carried electrical lines ascend a hill, the pylon-figures change posture, imitating a climbing person. Over long spans, the pylon-figure stretches to gain increased height, crouches for increased strength or strains under the weight of the wires.

In addition, the pylon-figures can also be arranged to create a sense of place through deliberate expression. Subtle alterations in the hands and head combined with repositioning of the main body parts in the x, y and z-axis, allow for a rich variety of expressions. The pylon-figures can be placed in pairs, walking in the same direction or opposite directions, glancing at each other as they pass by or kneeling respectively, head bowed at a town.

Despite the large number of possible forms, each pylon-figure is made from the same major assembled parts (torso, fore arm, upper leg, hand etc.) and uses a library of pre-assembled joints between these parts to create the pylon-figures’ appearance. This design allows for many variations in form and height while the pylon-figures’ cost is kept low through identical production, simple assembly and construction.

The pylon-figures are designed to provide supports for the conductors, ground wires and other cables all within required clearances. These clearances are maintained in the various shown positions. The towers are largely self-supporting, sitting on concrete footings, perhaps with the addition of guy wires, depending on requirements of the loading wires.Like the statues of Easter Island, it is envisioned that these one hundred and fifty foot tall, modern caryatids will take on a quiet authority, belonging to their landscape yet serving the people, silently transporting electricity across all terrain, day and night, sunshine or snow.

Project Type: High-Voltage Pylon Competition

Location: Iceland

Type of Client: A public company (that owns and runs the electrical transmission system in Iceland).

New or Reno: New – Pylon design competition.

Special constraints & site description: The pylons were intended to be constructable, affordable and durable.

Design challenges & solutions: We sought to make an iconic, unforgettable pylon, that created an identity for Iceland and the power company.

Original/Adaptation: The design is original.

Unusual/innovative building components: Each structure is composed of a kit of parts, minimizing construction costs.

Sustainable design elements: The structure is predominantly recyclable

Material use: Steel, glass and concrete

The capital of Kazakhstan

Astana, formerly known as Akmola until 1998, Tselinograd until 1992 and Akmolinsk until 1961, has been the capital of Kazakhstan since 1997, and is the country's second largest city (after Almaty, the former capital) with an officially estimated population of 775,800 as of 21 June 2012.[3] It is located in the north portion of Kazakhstan, within Akmola Province, though administrated separately from the province as a federal city area.  The current mayor of Astana is Imangali Tasmagambetov. He was appointed on 4 April 2008.

After gaining capital status and the organization of a special economic zone "Astana - New City", which is experiencing an unprecedented boom for the CIS city became the second largest in the country and it sold a lot of modern architectural and urban projects.

History — Russian and Soviet eras

A unit of Siberian Cossacks from Omsk founded a huge fortress on the upper Ishim in 1824, which later became the town of "Akmolinsk". During the early 20th century, the town became a major railway junction, causing a major economic boom that lasted until the Russian Civil War.

In the Stalinist era, Kazakhstan hosted a series of Gulag-like labour camps; in total, 11 camps that housed up to hundreds of thousands of internees and their families. Outside Astana, there once stood the ALZHIR camp, a Russian acronym for the Akmolinskii Camp for Wives of Traitors of the Motherland, one of the most notorious in the Gulag archipelago, which was reserved for the spouses of those considered "enemies of the people" by the government under Joseph Stalin.[6]

In 1961, it was renamed "Tselinograd" ("Virgin Lands City"[7]) and made capital of the Soviet Virgin Lands Territory (Tselinny Krai). The city was at the centre of the Virgin Lands Campaign led by Nikita Khrushchev in the 1950s, in order to turn the state into a second grain producer for the Soviet Union. The high portion of Russian immigrants in this area, which later led to ethnic tension,[citation needed] can be traced to the influx of agricultural workers at this time. Additionally, many Russian-Germans were resettled here after being deported under Joseph Stalin at the beginning of World War II, when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union.

Water-green boulevard.

The population increased from 270 thousand in 1996 to 700 thousand in 2011. However, while I was walking through the main streets in the fresh frosty morning, the streets was not a single person.

View of the Round Square and the National Oil Company "KazMunaiGas".

Proved reserves of oil in Kazakhstan according to BP is 3.2% of world reserves. By 2015 it is planned to increase production to 150 million tons per year, resulting in Kazakhstan will be one of the ten largest oil-producing countries. The main source of budget revenues is the export of oil and oil products. Transit of Kazakh oil exports is mainly via Russia.

On the streets clean and tidy. Everywhere there are beautiful and neat lampposts.

I'm not an architect, so I will describe only the sensations. In Astana, the interesting buildings are beautiful, but they are few. For example, this apartment complex "The Water-Green Boulevard." In The bulk of all buildings of Astana - is tasteless box. Just like we have in Russia. These I tried not to take pictures.

Monument "Baiterek". Author of the project - the famous English architect Norman Foster. The height of the building is 97 meters, with the ball, the crowning design - 105 meters.

Residential complex "Northern Lights" won the International Association of the Union of Architects.

In addition to geographical reasons for the delay in the press and analysts, there were other, ethno-demographic reasons the capital transfer, which are rarely voiced by the authorities of the republic itself.

In the early 1990s, proclaimed the sovereignty of the republic actively emigrated and another Russian-speaking population. Emigration took off part of the growing inter-ethnic tensions in the Kazakh society, but the risk of secession predominantly Russian-speaking North-Eastern Kazakhstan maintained. In this case, the rural Kazakh population, as well as its migration mobility within the country, continued to grow, despite the fact that the Alma-Ata was already physically unable to accommodate all internal migrants. In these circumstances, the authorities sought to redirect flows of Kazakh villagers to the city with greater growth prospects, and quickly derusifitsirovat predominantly Russian-speaking northern region.

"Emerald quarter."

Administrative and technological complex "Transport Tower." Skyscrapers in Astana bit and they are concentrated in one place. As Moscow-City. Only building in Kazakhstan is much faster.

Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center

Khan Shatyr ("Royal Marquee") is a giant transparent tent in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan. The architectural project was unveiled by the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev on December 9, 2006. The 150m-high (500 ft) tent has a 200m elliptical base covering 140,000 square metres (14 ha; 35 acres).[1] Underneath the tent, an area larger than 10 football stadiums, is an urban-scale internal park, shopping and entertainment venue with squares and cobbled streets, a boating river, shopping centre, minigolf and indoor beach resort. The roof is constructed from ETFE-cushions provided by Vector Foiltec suspended on a network of cables strung from a central spire. The transparent material allows sunlight through which, in conjunction with air heating and cooling systems, is designed to maintain an internal temperature between 15–30 °C (59–86 °F) in the main space and 19–24 °C (66–75 °F) in the retail units, while outside the temperature varies between -35 and 35 °C (-31 and 95 °F) across the year.

Following the construction of the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation (opened in 2006), a giant glass pyramid, the Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center was the second national project in Astana designed by UK architect Norman Foster (of Foster and Partners), (Partners in Charge Filo Russo and Peter Ridley), and UK engineers Buro Happold led by Mike Cook.[2] Construction documentation architects were Linea and Gultekin.[1] The construction of the tent-city was the responsibility of the Turkish company Sembol.

The atrium of the hotel "Duman".

Go wherever you want and take pictures.

Circus.

Local "Triumph Palace". Very similar to that of Moscow. Even called similar - "Triumph of Astana".

Most M-3 through the Ishim.

Ak-Orda. White House, the residence of El-Bass. Here's a she, winter Astana.