Color has so many meanings for different observers that a strict definition is difficult, if not impossible.  The chemist is conscious of color as a quality concerning a pigment or a dye; the psychologist describes color in terms of visual perception; and the physicist may define color in terms of qualities such as the wavelength of light and its intensity.

A description of color has its foundations in attempts to classify colors. The basic distinction is made between those colors with hue and those without it. The members of the first group – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and so on – are termed chromatic colors;  those of the second group – black, gray, and white – are called achromatic colors.

The next classification divides the chromatic colors into groups by hue, that is, all reds are together, all blues are together, and so on. In doing so, a continuous circle of overlapping hues is formed, ranging from red through orange to yellow, and then through green to blue and violet. Violet overlaps red, thus completing the circle.

Achromatic colors are arranged in a single series from black through the grays to white. Some of the chromatic colors of a single hue are darker or lighter than others, and it is possible to match each degree of lightness to gray of the achromatic colors. This classification is known as brightness, or luminance.

If a particularly vivid hue is mixed with an achromatic color of the same brightness, the resulting stimulus depends on the relative amounts of these two components. This characteristic of color is called saturation. The achromatic colors have zero saturation; the saturation of chromatic colors has a value between zero and one.

All the colors can be classified to form a color tree by placing colors of the same brightness on a disk, with the hues placed consecutively around the disk and with the saturation increasing outwardly from the center. Similar disks of different degrees of brightness are placed in order of their brightness above and below. In this manner a color solid is evolved.


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Color Theory: The Spectral Colors
The Primary Colors

Dr. Johnny Fever (born 1940) is an off-the-wall character and DJ (disc jockey) on the famous sitcom WKRP In Cincinnati. He was inspired by Atlanta DJ Skinny Bobby Harper The character was portrayed by veteran character actor Howard Hesseman. Johnny Fever, whose real name is John Caravella, comes to WKRP from a major station in Los Angeles where he worked under the name Johnny Sunshine and did a popular show called "Johnny Sunshine, Boss Jock." After he said the word "booger" on the air, he was fired with a year left on his contract. (He later sued the station and received a big cash settlement after a few years.)

After leaving L.A., he led a nomadic existence, going from town-to-town. His next job was hosting a garden show in Amarillo. He has used many on-air names, including Johnny Duke, Johnny Style, Johnny Cool, and even Heavy Early. (Most of these names appear on the side of Johnny's coffee cup.) He finally hit "rock bottom," in his own words, when he landed in Cincinnati at the worst radio station in town, WKRP — the only station that would hire him. He found himself hosting a "beautiful music" show in the morning, so obviously bored with the music that he didn't even bother to make up a new name or on-air persona. His new radio persona is created spontaneously during an abrupt format change as the new Dr. Fever spins the first rock record at a former easy listening station. The rest is history....
 

Dr. Fever's Black Death Malt Liquor T-Shirt as seen on WKRP!

Etta James was an American singer whose style spanned a variety of music genres including blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, gospel and jazz. Starting her career in the mid 1950s, she gained fame with hits such as Dance With Me, Henry, At Last, Tell Mama, and I'd Rather Go Blind. Rest in peace, Etta.

This is a working grain elevator in Stillwater, Oklahoma on a very gloomy Autumn day. The light and sky were just right for some very dramatic images. Thanks for visiting and please come back often!

Stillwater Grain Elevator No. 1 ©2011 Eric Hatheway All Rights Reserved

Stillwater Grain Elevator No. 2 ©2011 Eric Hatheway All Rights Reserved

Stillwater Grain Elevator No. 3 ©2011 Eric Hatheway All Rights Reserved

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The Martini is classified as a "short drink," like a Manhattan. A short drink is a cocktail that mainly contains alcoholic spirits. Americans are nearly the only Martini drinkers who use a high-proof gin in their Martinis. The British, who perfected gin, and the Canadians prefer a smoother and milder gin of 50 Proof. The 80 Proof gins that are used in America are no doubt what has fueled the reputation of the Martini as a very powerful and seductive cocktail.

The recipe for the Martini has changed dramatically over the years. The classic original Martini was mixed with 1 part gin to 1 part dry vermouth. The ratio has drifted over time to a much drier version of cocktail – sometimes as high as 15 parts gin to 1 part dry vermouth. So, we can see, the definition of dry as it pertains to a Martini has really changed over the years. Many may argue about the correct mixture ratio, but it comes down to the personal taste of the Martini drinker. Everybody has their own preferences. There are probably as many Martini recipes as there are Martini drinkers. That is why we suggest making pitchers of Martinis in a cocktail hour setting with your friends. Not only will you be able to entertain in fine style, but a pitcher will lend itself to experimenting with different mixture ratios. Cheers! And remember, pace yourself...

Cheers!

On January 24th, 2012 Congress will vote to pass internet censorship in the Senate, even though the vast majority of Americans are opposed. We need to kill the bill - PIPA in the Senate and SOPA in the House - to protect our rights to free speech, privacy, and prosperity. Join the strike, stay free!

HELPFUL LINKS Sign the Petition SopaStrike.com Write Congress Now! BlackOutSOPA.org FightForTheFuture.org Twitter Hashtag #SOPASTRIKE

The human eye is not a selective instrument; it cannot distinguish two superimposed colors as such.  Taking advantage of this fact, in 1801, Thomas Young, and later Hermann von Helmholtz, found that it was possible to match any given colored light using a combination of three primary light sources.  Occasionally one color was found that could not be matched by direct addition of the three primaries.

It was always found, however, that if one of the primaries was added to the given color, the other two primaries could produce a color match with the combination of the sample and the third primary. The amounts of the three primaries required to produce a given spectrum color as a function of wavelength are called tristimulus values. In determining these values, the use of negative values of the primary are occasionally required.

The selection of the three primaries is arbitrary, and the primaries need not be monochromatic sources. It is convenient, of course, to use primaries yielding tristimulus values that are positive throughout the spectral region, but no so such curves can be found experimentally. Artists choose red, blue, and yellow pigments as their three primary colors, but red, blue, and green light is used in color television.


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Color Theory: The Spectral Colors
The Definition & Classification of Colors