Personal Stuff

January 23, 2023

I’ve Always had a Keen Interest in Astronomy

I also re-process public domain astronomy images to ready them for wall art display.

Here is an example: SOLD at Pictorem as a 36×16 Canvas. Thank you, dear buyer, for your support. The image below is linked to the sales page…

side-by-side comparison shows observations of the Southern Ring Nebula — Side-by-side comparison shows observations of the Southern Ring Nebula in near-infrared light at left and mid-infrared light at right from NASA’s Webb Telescope.

In recent years, astronomy has become increasingly accessible to the public and stargazing has become a popular activity. With modern technology, anyone can explore the night sky from their own home and admire its beauty. If you want to bring that beauty indoors, using public domain astronomy images for wall display is a great way to do so. These images allow you to bring the stars and planets into your living room.

What Are Public Domain Astronomy Images?

Public domain images are photos that are not protected by copyright. This means anyone can use them for any purpose without having to pay royalties or seek permission from the owner.

Where to get the Outer Space imagery.

Sources such as NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute offer government-paid-for images in the public domain. Astronomy has long been a fascination of humans, inspiring writers, musicians, and artists alike. From the Greek gods to modern day space exploration, the stars have captivated us for centuries. For those looking to bring the beauty of astronomy into their home or office, using public domain astronomy images is an excellent way to do just that. With plenty of options available online, anyone can easily find beautiful images that are free for personal and commercial use.

NASA image of earthrise over the moon — NASA image of earthrise over the surface of the moon

However, making them suitable for prominent wall display takes a bit more than simply downloading something you like. These public domain images and resized and enhance in clarity, color and contrast so they look great as a wall display. The Print on Demand (POD) companies with whom we work offer high quality wall art and a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.

To learn more, click each image above or one of the links below.

Link to: the Outer Space Collection at Fine Art America

Link to: the Outer Space Collection at Pictorem

December 27, 2022December 27, 2022

Why Do I Spell Bill Swartwout Incorrectly?

I purposely typosquat my own “billswartwout.com” and “billswartwoutphotography.com” domain names to retain more website visitors.

First, let’s get this out of the way: I have a love/hate relationship with typosquatting. I love it because it’s a great way to get additional traffic to my website. I hate it because it’s often used by nefarious individuals to scam people. I do not do the “scam stuff” that gives domain squatting a bad name. OK, lets move on…

Our family has been here a very long time. The original Swartwout to come to the “new world” sailed with Henry Hudson and helped establish the trading post at New Amsterdam, today known as Manhattan. Brigadier General Jacobus Swartwout was the highest ranking officer in the Revolutionary Army in the state of New York.

jacobus swartwout homestead in swartwoutville, NY — The original homestead of Jacobus Swartwout in Swartwoutville, NY

My surname, Swartwout, is a difficult name – to pronounce and to spell. The second “w” is silent but no one knows. Couple that with the full website name(s) and it can easily be confusing.

I want to make sure that when people type in my domain name they are taken to my website. By “typosquatting” my own domain name I can do this. The name SWARTWOUT is often, very often, misspelled SWARTOUT – without the second “w” in place. There is, in fact, a variation of my surname that is correctly spelled that way. There are two more spellings, SWARTHOUT and SWARTWOOD, that are also variations of the “original” SWARTWOUT. But the most common error, by far, is to leave out the second “w” in the name.