Tuesday, January 09, 2007
"Younger than Thou"
Funny and informative article on TidBITS about young 'uns and their ability to multi-communicate.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Sunrise
(As usual, click on image to get larger version.)
God bless image stabilization (Vibration Reduction as Nikon calls it). This was taken handheld, leaning out a window in a awkward position, in twilight, with a 300mm equivalent lens, at 1/90sec.
A few seconds after I took this one, the lamp turned off.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
American Beauty
"I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me, but it is hard to stay mad when there is so much beauty in the world.
"Sometimes I feel like im seeing it all at once and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that is about to burst. And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain.. and I cant feel anything but gratitude..."
- Lester in American Beauty
An extraordinary film, thematically. Very funny too, and if it hadn't been, I don't think it would have interested me all that much.
Am I the only one who feels that both the young women in the film are rather... plain? Especially the Angela character, who is supposed to be really dang hot. I wouldn't have noticed her in a crowd, is what I feel.
"Sometimes I feel like im seeing it all at once and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that is about to burst. And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain.. and I cant feel anything but gratitude..."
- Lester in American Beauty
An extraordinary film, thematically. Very funny too, and if it hadn't been, I don't think it would have interested me all that much.
Am I the only one who feels that both the young women in the film are rather... plain? Especially the Angela character, who is supposed to be really dang hot. I wouldn't have noticed her in a crowd, is what I feel.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Yellow White Lines
This is another one which I only took because I was thinking "heck, you might as well snap it, it'll cost nothing since it's digital, and who knows, it might work anyway." And lo and behold, I like it. I might be learning something here, but darn if I know what.
Cobbles and lines
(As to why I post these right now, see my comment on David's blog.)
(Oh, I forgot he is moderating his comments. If it is not posted yet, I said I took some similar shots when he and I photographed in Liverpool.)
"300"
Frank Miller wrote what I consider still the best superhero comic book ever, The Dark Knight Returns.
His later comic "300" has been made into a film. Like "Sin City" it is clearly mostly computer generated, but in my opinion, it looks much better than Sin City. In fact, I have never seen anything like it. Truly amazing. What Jurassic Park once heralded for movie making, we are now starting to see happening, though rather later than I expected. Meaning really convincing fantasy.
I should note that I agree with Miller's colleague Alan Moore when he says that Miller's stories for all their power and skill are still all limited by all of them being just stories about tough guys being tough. And especially to a pacifist like me, that's a strict limitation. But still, good art.
"Windscreens Fitted Here"
A wonderful thing about digital photography is that you can experiment a lot more, because you don't have to pay for film and development. With film, I wouldn't have snapped this one for instance, for I didn't really believe in it. But most pictures you can't really judge until you see them on a screen.
Friday, January 05, 2007
A mentally handicapped church singer
I just got the amazing mail below. (Inspired by this week's newsletter at Domai.)
I was hesitant at first in posting it, because some might think the story is about how we should not discrimiate against the handicapped, which is true but it is not the point here. It is about seeing the bigger picture, and being open to beauty and communication which does not fit the surface picture of "nice". - Eolake
"A minister I talked to was serving at a nondenominational church in a small town. Among the attendees at the church was a young man who would be considered severely mentally retarded. His speech was affected and he was basically unintelligible to most people, yet the minister became familiar enough with him to be able to communicate reasonably well. One day the young man asked to lead the congregation in a song. This amazed the minister and he promised to give consideration to it. Eventually, he decided to let the young man have his wish.
"After the service, the minister was very upset to discover the venom that poured forth from several members. They were outraged that he would allow this to take place. How dare he allow this freak to desecrate the service by such a hideous display?
"The minister was telling me about the incident. He had not figured out how to respond to the critics, although in his heart he truly thought that he had done the right thing to allow this young man to sing. I ponted out to the man that in the religious literature I am familiar with, there exists a commandment ""to make a joyful noise unto the Lord.". I never found a commandement that said to "make a joyful noise unto the Lord, but only if it is pleasing to your fellows." The young man had asked to sing and the minister had felt right in granting his request. He was NOT obligated to run the request by a commitee. The young man's request had come from his heart and it only had to please his Lord. The pastor was beaming when he left me, because he had a topic for a new message to his congregation that he felt could strike at the core of the problem and give all of them pause to consider what constitutes Beauty."
I was hesitant at first in posting it, because some might think the story is about how we should not discrimiate against the handicapped, which is true but it is not the point here. It is about seeing the bigger picture, and being open to beauty and communication which does not fit the surface picture of "nice". - Eolake
"A minister I talked to was serving at a nondenominational church in a small town. Among the attendees at the church was a young man who would be considered severely mentally retarded. His speech was affected and he was basically unintelligible to most people, yet the minister became familiar enough with him to be able to communicate reasonably well. One day the young man asked to lead the congregation in a song. This amazed the minister and he promised to give consideration to it. Eventually, he decided to let the young man have his wish.
"After the service, the minister was very upset to discover the venom that poured forth from several members. They were outraged that he would allow this to take place. How dare he allow this freak to desecrate the service by such a hideous display?
"The minister was telling me about the incident. He had not figured out how to respond to the critics, although in his heart he truly thought that he had done the right thing to allow this young man to sing. I ponted out to the man that in the religious literature I am familiar with, there exists a commandment ""to make a joyful noise unto the Lord.". I never found a commandement that said to "make a joyful noise unto the Lord, but only if it is pleasing to your fellows." The young man had asked to sing and the minister had felt right in granting his request. He was NOT obligated to run the request by a commitee. The young man's request had come from his heart and it only had to please his Lord. The pastor was beaming when he left me, because he had a topic for a new message to his congregation that he felt could strike at the core of the problem and give all of them pause to consider what constitutes Beauty."
Steel wall
I was a little in doubt if I could make worthwhile pictures with a fisheye lens, if I could fit subtle artistic values into the overbearing effect such a lens has. But I have proved it at least to my own satisfaction with this picture from today, I like it a lot.
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