Author | Lightnews

Peter Thoeny

@peterthoeny.bsky.social

2.6K followers 1K following 650 posts

Photographer, tech exec, serial entrepreneur, innovator, consultant, software architect, open source BDFL, rocketeer

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · 15d

Tomorrow Sat 10/18 is the big day: No Kings protests will happen in countless locations all across the USA. Participate, stay safe!

Find an event near you: www.nokings.org

#nokings

2 12

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · 23d

Häppy Friday, everyone!

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Oct 3

Häppy Friday, everyone!

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Sep 26

Häppy Friday, everyone!

In the near future: Open the door Hal!

I am sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.

Cartoon by Horsey, The Seattle Times

1 9

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Sep 5

Häppy Friday, everyone!

1 14

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Aug 29

Häppy Friday, everyone!

Distorted cat face through a full glass of water

3 3 70

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Aug 25

First time for me: the AI agent is working for me while I sing in the shower.

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Aug 22

Häppy Friday, everyone!

YOU KNOW, THERE WAS ANOTHER TIME WHEN SCIENCE WASN'T TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND RELIGION RULED THE WORLD.
WE CALLED IT THE DARK AGES.

1 14

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Aug 20

Taste the Magic Where Redwoods Witness Forever Promises

(details in image ALT)

-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2025 Peter Thoeny, QualityHDR.com

#photography #art #FineArt #night #bokeh #DreamLens #wedding #cake #Saratoga #SanJose #SanFrancisco #California #USA @bskyphotos.bsky.social

Taste the Magic Where Redwoods Witness Forever Promises

We recently attended a friend's wedding in Saratoga, California. The celebration took place at a magical place in the forest. We were surrounded by redwood trees that were decorated in a gazillion lights, perfect for a bokeh shot with the wedding cake.

-- ƒ/0.95, 50 mm, 1/250 sec, ISO 400, Sony A7 II, Canon 50mm f0.95 "Dream Lens", HDR, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2025 Peter Thoeny, Quality HDR Photography

1 2 48

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Aug 17

Earlier this year my son spent 3 months in a fellowship at DARPA. Key lesson learned:

"Everyone runs as fast as they can at DARPA. From program managers to contractors to IT support, everything is focused and moves with urgency."

(see image ALT)

#startup #leadership #NPS #DARPA #research

Earlier this year my son Alexis spent 3 months in a fellowship at DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency that was the birthplace of ARPANET in 1969, which became the Internet.

Here is a key lesson he learned:

"Everyone runs as fast as they can at DARPA. From program managers to contractors to IT support, everything is focused and moves with urgency."

This resonates a lot with me. I work from tiny startups to large organizations. Startups are able to compete with much bigger organizations precisely because of this. By operating wth a sense of urgency you can move much faster. Take risks, fail fast, improve fast, and if you need, pivot.

- Naval Postgraduate School article: https://bit.ly/4lya9ka
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) call for participation: https://bit.ly/4mDQmkZ
- Video interview: https://bit.ly/3V5LHMg

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Aug 17

Important question to ponder, especially with the current political situation in the USA: Should we be tolerant to intolerant people?

Wikipedia article: bit.ly/3HtBCpm

#philosophy #tolerance #intolerance #politics

1 2

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Aug 15

Häppy Friday, everyone!

2 9

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Aug 8

Karl is Visiting Us Again

(see image ALT for details)

-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2025 Peter Thoeny, QualityHDR.com

#photography #art #FineArt #skyline #night #skyscraper #water #city #downtown #SanFrancisco #California #USA @bskyphotos.bsky.social

Karl is Visiting Us Again

San Francisco has a lot of fog in summer, typically creeping in from the sea. I intended to show visitors from Switzerland the San Francisco skyline from Grizzly Peak, a hill above Berkeley, California. Usually you get a nice view from above over San Francisco, the bay, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate. When we arrived after dinner we only could see a few feet. Karl the fog was back. On the way back to the city we stopped at Treasure Island, where we finally had a clear view of the San Francisco skyline. The taller buildings disappeared in the low hanging clouds and fog.

-- ƒ/6.3, 150 mm, 1/15, 1/4, 1 sec, ISO 800, Sony A6000, SEL-55210, HDR, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2025 Peter Thoeny, @Quality HDR Photography

4 55

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Aug 8

Häppy Friday, everyone!

1 24

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Aug 6

By now media in Hungary is 100% controlled by Orban, and Trump is playing his playbook. US Populace: wake up before it’s too late!!

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Aug 1

Häppy Swiss National Day!

2 21

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Aug 1

Häppy Friday, everyone!

2 31

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Aug 1

---+ From Cosmic Event to Biker Hangout

(details in image ALT)

-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2024 Peter Thoeny, QualityHDR.com

#photography #art #FineArt #restaurant #night #Woodside #RedwoodCity #skyline #SanJose #SanFrancisco #California #USA @bskyphotos.bsky.social

---+ From Cosmic Event to Biker Hangout
I went to a business meetup organized by the Swiss American Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco. On that day Earth was subjected to strong solar winds, which caused auroras way into the continental USA. After the event I drove along the Skyline Boulevard, a road that follows the ridge of the hills that separate the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. After taking some shots of the aurora, I drove home and stopped by Alice's restaurant on the Skyline Boulevard, a popular hangout for motor cyclists in daytime.
-- ƒ/4.0, 50 mm, 0.3, 4, 10, 30 sec, ISO 200, Sony A7 II, Canon 50mm f0.95 "Dream Lens", HDR, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2024 Peter Thoeny, @Quality HDR Photography

1 36

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Jul 25

Häppy Friday, everybody!

1 1 25

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Jul 24

Me: "Good, it works now. Time to sleep."

AI agent: "Glad to hear it’s all working and looking good now! 😄
Have a great night and restful sleep. If you need more help or want to add features in the future, just reach out."

(see image ALT for details)

#AI #GenAI #LLM #AgentiveAI

1 5

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Jul 22

Thank you!

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Jul 21

Celebrating Swiss Independence Day

(see details in image ALT)

-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2024 Peter Thoeny, QualityHDR.com

#photography #art #FineArt #person #man #portrait #Swiss #IndependenceDay #Newark #SanJose #California #USA @bskyphotos.bsky.social

Celebrating Swiss Independence Day

Swiss Independence Day is coming up on first of August. The Swiss community living in the San Francisco Bay Area will celebrate the occasion at the Swiss Park in Newark, California, on Sunday, August 2nd. Would you like to join? This candid people shot is from last year's event.

-- ƒ/0.95, 50 mm, 1/1000 sec, ISO 100, Sony A7 II, Canon 50mm f0.95 "Dream Lens", CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2024 Peter Thoeny, @Quality HDR Photography

2 30

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Jul 19

Witness Transylvania's Most Reliable News Source

(see description in image ALT)

-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2025 Peter Thoeny, QualityHDR.com

#photography #art #FineArt #monochrome #BlackAndWhite #portrait #woman #grandma #village #street #Transylvania #Romania @bskyphotos.bsky.social

---+ Witness Transylvania's Most Reliable News Source
During our Transylvania, Romania journey, we stayed at a hotel in Valea Drăganului. At breakfast, we met a Canadian woman who had grown up in the area and returned for a visit. She graciously offered to connect me with an elderly man living in the village for documentary photography. Unfortunately, the gentleman was unwell that day, so our plans didn't materialize. Instead, we strolled through the village streets while the Canadian woman explained that elderly residents enjoy sitting on benches to observe daily life and socialize. We met a spirited 90-year-old grandma dressed in black robes who was quite talkative and amusing. Thankfully, our Canadian acquaintance served as a translator.
-- ƒ/4.0, 135 mm, 1/250 sec, ISO 125, Sony A7 II, Pentax Super Takumar 135mm f/2.5, HDR, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2025 Peter Thoeny, @Quality HDR Photography

1 2 54

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Jul 18

Villages in Transylvania typically run along the main road, as shown in this Google satellite image. The arrow indicates where I took the photo.

Peter Thoeny @peterthoeny.bsky.social · Jul 18

Journey Through Time in Transylvania

(see description in image ALT)

-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2025 Peter Thoeny, QualityHDR.com

#photography #art #FineArt #horse #carriage #farmer #village #street #Transylvania #Romania @bskyphotos.bsky.social

Journey Through Time in Transylvania

On our trip through Transylvania, Romania, we stayed at a B&B in Miercurea Ciuc. We explored nearby villages. It was raining when we passed a horse carriage in the small village of Nădejdea. They are still in use in the countryside.

-- ƒ/7.1, 24 mm, 1/500, 1/2000, 1/4000 sec, ISO 1600, Sony A6400, SEL-P1650, HDR, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2025 Peter Thoeny, @Quality HDR Photography

2 3 41