We've seen some pretty cool photos of shuttle launches from airliners, but this NASA training plane was able to get much closer than a commercial plane.

Space.com reports: In the aerial views, Atlantis and its impressive exhaust plume were captured through the window of the agency's Shuttle Training Aircraft. These modified Gulfstream jets are used by astronauts to practice landing the space shuttle. The aircraft's controls are modified to simulate the orbiter's handling on the sharply angled descent that it makes on approach.

  Full coverage.

Dick Clark, NASA via AP

In this photo provided by NASA, space shuttle Atlantis is seen through the window of a Shuttle Training Aircraft as it lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center Friday, July 8, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Atlantis is the 135th and final space shuttle launch for NASA.

Dick Clark, NASA via EPA

The exhaust plume from space shuttle Atlantis is seen through the window of a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) as it launches from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on the STS-135 mission, in Cape Canaveral, Fla., USA, July 8. Atlantis launched on the final flight of the shuttle program on a 12-day mission to the International Space Station. The STS-135 crew will deliver the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module containing supplies and spare parts for the space station.

President Obama doing the first presidential Tweet didn't exactly make exciting television. And I wonder why they felt the need to cover up the computer logo with a Presidential seal.

Full story.

The townhall can be found here.

Charles Dharapak / AP

President Barack Obama tweets during a "Twitter Town Hall" in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 6.

Charles Dharapak / AP

President Barack Obama answers a tweet from House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio during a "Twitter Town Hall" in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 6.

A startup company named Lytro is about to introduce a radically new consumer camera that uses light field technology to capture image data in new ways. As Lytro explains on its website:

Light field cameras offer astonishing capabilities. They allow both the picture taker and the viewer to focus pictures after they’re snapped, shift their perspective of the scene, and even switch seamlessly between 2D and 3D views.

Click on the samples below to change the plane of focus. Click the arrow in the lower right hand corner to view the image full screen.

The New York Times has an excellent story on the founder of the company and the technology.

Update: Gadgetbox post.

As a photographer, I want to make the creative choices of composition and focus. But as a journalist, I realize that these immersive interactive technologies have great potential when used correctly. Just yesterday, PhotoBlog featured a 360 degree video technology; ultra high resolution images like Gigpan and Microsoft's Photosynth are other examples of this.

But bringing something like this to a consumer point and shoot camera is definitely something new. Do you think this is a game changer, or just another gimmick?

According to a University of Massachusetts - Amherst press release:

"A radio telescope works just like your car radio," UMass Amherst astronomer Peter Schloerb explains. "There is an antenna to pick up the signals and when we tune over the frequency band we come across a nice strong signal at some points. These signals arise from the tumbling of molecules in giant clouds of gas and dust in the source galaxy. The main difference from a car radio, of course, is that our antenna is really, really big and our receiver is not only very sensitive but it also looks at all the frequencies at the same time. Finally, we record our signals in the computer rather than playing them on a speaker."

The Large Millimeter Telescope website offers more detail about the project.

Henry Romero / Reuters

The world's largest milimetric telescope (50 metres in diameter) is seen in the Sierra Negra Volcano, at an altitude of 15,000 ft., which lies between the states of Puebla and Veracruz June 20. The telescope, optimized for astronomical observations at millimeter wavelengths, is the result of a bi-national project between Mexico and the U.S., according to its website. The first observations were made at 3 mm on June 1, reported by Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica (INAOE).

Henry Romero / Reuters

The world's largest milimetric telescope (50 metres in diameter) is seen in the Sierra Negra Volcano, at an altitude of 15,000 ft., which lies between the states of Puebla and Veracruz June 20. The telescope, optimized for astronomical observations at millimeter wavelengths, is the result of a bi-national project between Mexico and the U.S., according to its website. The first observations were made at 3 mm on June 1, reported by Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica (INAOE).

Henry Romero / Reuters

INAOE's Director Alberto Carraminana speaks during an interview to Reuters television at the world's largest milimetric telescope (50 metres in diameter) at the Sierra Negra Volcano.