"Ministers are planning to implant "machine-readable" microchips under the skin of thousands of offenders as part of an expansion of the electronic tagging scheme that would create more space in British jails."
Article
Sunday, January 20, 2008
The Axis
Apropos prostitutes, how about this little scared-straight gem?
"Good time girls". Hadn't heard that term before, I like it.
"You can't beat the Axis if you get VD." Gotta love it. On the order of "duck and cover" as defence against the A-bomb.
Steampunk art
Stephen Rothwell "steampunk" art.
I don't love all of them, he has a clear and different voice.
The problem with collages as an art medium has always been making the different bits seem like they are part of the same image. I realize now that the computer age has made this much easier, since in Photoshop you can easily change the contrast, color, and other characteristics of each element to your heart's desire.
Darwin awards
If you haven't heard of the "Darwin Awards", it is about people who improve the gene pool by taken themselves out of the game.
You may say it's become cliche. Or that some of it may not be true stories. Or that it's mean spirited to laugh at them. I don't know, but I can't help but laugh. :)
[Update: apparently these are old stories, the real 2007 awards are here.]
You may say it's become cliche. Or that some of it may not be true stories. Or that it's mean spirited to laugh at them. I don't know, but I can't help but laugh. :)
[Update: apparently these are old stories, the real 2007 awards are here.]
DARWIN AWARDS
Eighth Place: In Detroit, a 41-year-old man got stuck and drowned in two feet of water after squeezing head first through an 18-inch- wide sewer grate while trying to retrieve his car keys.
Seventh Place: A 49-year-old San Francisco stockbroker who often bragged he was "totally-zoned when he ran" accidentally jogged off a 100-foot high cliff on his daily workout.
Sixth Place: While at the beach, Daniel Jones, 21, dug an 8-foot hole for protection from the wind and had been sitting in a beach chair at the bottom when it collapsed, burying him beneath 5 feet of sand. People on the beach used their hands and shovels trying to get him out but could not reach him. It took rescue workers using heavy equipment almost an hour to free him. Jones was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Fifth Place: Santiago Alvarado, 24, was killed as he fell through the ceiling of a bicycle shop he was burglarizing. Death was caused when the long flashlight he had placed in his mouth to keep his hands free rammed into the base of his skull as he hit the floor.
Fourth Place: Sylvester Briddell, Jr., 26, was killed as he won a bet with friends who said he would not put a revolver loaded with four cartridges into his mouth and pull the trigger.
Third Place: After stepping around a marked police patrol car parked at the front door, a man walked into H & J Leather & Firearms intent on robbing the store. The shop was full of customers and a uniformed officer was standing at the counter. Upon seeing the officer, the would-be robber announced a hold-up, and fired a few wild shots from a target pistol. The officer and a clerk promptly returned fire, and several customers also drew their guns and fired. The robber was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. Crime scene investigators located 47 expended cartridge cases in the shop. The subsequent autopsy revealed 23 gun-shot wounds. Ballistics identified rounds from seven different weapons. No one else was hurt.
HONORABLE MENTION: Paul Stiller, 47, and his wife Bonnie were bored just driving around at 2 A.M. so they lit a quarter stick of dynamite to toss out the window to create some excitement. Apparently they failed to notice the window was closed.
RUNNER UP: Kerry Bingham had been drinking with several friends when one of them said they knew a person who had bungee-jumped from a local bridge in the middle of traffic. The conversation grew more heated and at least 10 men trooped along the walkway of the bridge at 4:30 AM. Upon arrival at the midpoint of the bridge, they discovered that no one had brought a bungee rope. Bingham, who had continued drinking, volunteered and pointed out that a coil of; lineman's cable lay nearby. They secured one end around Bingham's leg and tied the other to the bridge. His fall lasted 40 feet before the cable tightened and tore his foot off at the ankle. He miraculously survived his fall into the icy water and was rescued by two nearby fishermen. Bingham's foot was never located.
AND THE 2007 WINNER IS...
Zookeeper Friedrich Riesfeldt (Paderborn, Germany) fed his constipated elephant 22 doses of an animal laxative and more than a bushel of berries, figs and prunes, before the plugged-up pachyderm finally got relief. Investigators say ill-fated Friedrich, 46, was attempting to give the ailing elephant an olive oil enema when the beast suddenly unloaded. The sheer force of the elephant's unexpected defecation knocked Mr. Riesfeldt to the ground where he struck his head on a rock as the elephant continued to evacuate 200 pounds of dung on top of him.
Eighth Place: In Detroit, a 41-year-old man got stuck and drowned in two feet of water after squeezing head first through an 18-inch- wide sewer grate while trying to retrieve his car keys.
Seventh Place: A 49-year-old San Francisco stockbroker who often bragged he was "totally-zoned when he ran" accidentally jogged off a 100-foot high cliff on his daily workout.
Sixth Place: While at the beach, Daniel Jones, 21, dug an 8-foot hole for protection from the wind and had been sitting in a beach chair at the bottom when it collapsed, burying him beneath 5 feet of sand. People on the beach used their hands and shovels trying to get him out but could not reach him. It took rescue workers using heavy equipment almost an hour to free him. Jones was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Fifth Place: Santiago Alvarado, 24, was killed as he fell through the ceiling of a bicycle shop he was burglarizing. Death was caused when the long flashlight he had placed in his mouth to keep his hands free rammed into the base of his skull as he hit the floor.
Fourth Place: Sylvester Briddell, Jr., 26, was killed as he won a bet with friends who said he would not put a revolver loaded with four cartridges into his mouth and pull the trigger.
Third Place: After stepping around a marked police patrol car parked at the front door, a man walked into H & J Leather & Firearms intent on robbing the store. The shop was full of customers and a uniformed officer was standing at the counter. Upon seeing the officer, the would-be robber announced a hold-up, and fired a few wild shots from a target pistol. The officer and a clerk promptly returned fire, and several customers also drew their guns and fired. The robber was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. Crime scene investigators located 47 expended cartridge cases in the shop. The subsequent autopsy revealed 23 gun-shot wounds. Ballistics identified rounds from seven different weapons. No one else was hurt.
HONORABLE MENTION: Paul Stiller, 47, and his wife Bonnie were bored just driving around at 2 A.M. so they lit a quarter stick of dynamite to toss out the window to create some excitement. Apparently they failed to notice the window was closed.
RUNNER UP: Kerry Bingham had been drinking with several friends when one of them said they knew a person who had bungee-jumped from a local bridge in the middle of traffic. The conversation grew more heated and at least 10 men trooped along the walkway of the bridge at 4:30 AM. Upon arrival at the midpoint of the bridge, they discovered that no one had brought a bungee rope. Bingham, who had continued drinking, volunteered and pointed out that a coil of; lineman's cable lay nearby. They secured one end around Bingham's leg and tied the other to the bridge. His fall lasted 40 feet before the cable tightened and tore his foot off at the ankle. He miraculously survived his fall into the icy water and was rescued by two nearby fishermen. Bingham's foot was never located.
AND THE 2007 WINNER IS...
Zookeeper Friedrich Riesfeldt (Paderborn, Germany) fed his constipated elephant 22 doses of an animal laxative and more than a bushel of berries, figs and prunes, before the plugged-up pachyderm finally got relief. Investigators say ill-fated Friedrich, 46, was attempting to give the ailing elephant an olive oil enema when the beast suddenly unloaded. The sheer force of the elephant's unexpected defecation knocked Mr. Riesfeldt to the ground where he struck his head on a rock as the elephant continued to evacuate 200 pounds of dung on top of him.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Police apologise to photographer
[The magazine spells "apologize" with an S. British spelling perhaps? But it seems both spellings are correct.]I think this might be a good page to carry with you for street photographers, at least in the UK, in case a policeman or security guard tells you that you are not allowed to photograph in a public place.
It is a scan from Professional Photographer, the February 2008 issue.
With the possible exception of France, which has some privacy laws, I think the whole of the Western world pretty much has full "freedom of cameras" in public places.
Quote: a spokesman from the Bureau of Freelance Photographers says:
"[...] in a public place you are allowed to photograph anyone or anything you like. Ironically, it's often the police who aren't clear about this."
Friday, January 18, 2008
Web fantastic
Isn't the web fantastic?
For example, you haven't been able to buy Konica SLR cameras or lenses for two decades... and yet somebody has carefully compiled, formatted, and published a page which lists all the lenses once available, with all relevant data. Imagine trying to find this kind of information without the web, it would take days or weeks if you could find it at all. With the web and Google it's 12 seconds away, faster if you're a good typist.
Paparazzi
It's a sickness, but who feeds it, and what's the cure?
"'Leave her alone, you dirty scum! Why don't you just leave her alone?" As two paparazzi scramble on to the pavement to catch Amy Winehouse emerging from her Mercedes van, a pair of young women bustle out of a cafe. "She's just trying to lead her life!" they scold, before pursuing the singer into the newsagent's. "You doing all right then, love?" the pair cluck. One throws an arm around Winehouse, drawing her tight, while the other steadies her mobile phone camera for the shot. "Now then, Amy," the woman exhorts. "Smile!""
-----
"The only real moment of drama is a confrontation between our photographer and one of the paps, who flies at Kalpesh, roaring, "Don't point that camera at me!""
That's funny. It seems the situation feels a lot different when it's reversed, eh?
----
"She darts into a shop. I stop and catch my breath. And then, all of a sudden, a great wave of revulsion crashes over me. I'm stalking Amy Winehouse."
-----
"We're just a bunch of guys trying to get the photographs," he says simply. "The people who buy the magazines and want to see these photographs, they're the fucked-up ones."
"'Leave her alone, you dirty scum! Why don't you just leave her alone?" As two paparazzi scramble on to the pavement to catch Amy Winehouse emerging from her Mercedes van, a pair of young women bustle out of a cafe. "She's just trying to lead her life!" they scold, before pursuing the singer into the newsagent's. "You doing all right then, love?" the pair cluck. One throws an arm around Winehouse, drawing her tight, while the other steadies her mobile phone camera for the shot. "Now then, Amy," the woman exhorts. "Smile!""
-----
"The only real moment of drama is a confrontation between our photographer and one of the paps, who flies at Kalpesh, roaring, "Don't point that camera at me!""
That's funny. It seems the situation feels a lot different when it's reversed, eh?
----
"She darts into a shop. I stop and catch my breath. And then, all of a sudden, a great wave of revulsion crashes over me. I'm stalking Amy Winehouse."
-----
"We're just a bunch of guys trying to get the photographs," he says simply. "The people who buy the magazines and want to see these photographs, they're the fucked-up ones."
My summer of Love
My summer of Love
Excellent cinematography.
Great acting.
Two beautiful young women making out.
How can you miss?
A clip.
USA link:
UK link:
Excellent cinematography.
Great acting.
Two beautiful young women making out.
How can you miss?
A clip.
USA link:
UK link:
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Vintage color
Color photos from the forties.
Interesting detail, that apparently the Library of Congress has posted these on Flickr! I didn't see this coming.
(Does anybody know if one can set a different default picture size on Flickr? I want them big.)
Color photos from before the sixties are not common, and it gives the past a different life, I think.
Thanks to Mental Floss for quoting this wonderful exchange from the bygone comic strip Calvin And Hobbes:
Calvin: Dad, how come old photographs are always black and white? Didn’t they have color film back then?
Dad: Sure they did. In fact, those old photographs are in color. It’s just the world was black and white then.
Calvin: Really?
Dad: Yep. The world didn’t turn color until sometime in the 1930s, and it was pretty grainy color for a while, too.
Calvin: But then why are old PAINTINGS in color?! If the world was black and white, wouldn’t artists have painted it that way?
Dad: Not necessarily. A lot of great artists were insane.
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