holy ascii!
Star Wars with a twist.
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January 31, 2006
i've just met a zombie named maria...
January 30, 2006
west coast, baby
yo, west coast kicks it...uhh....sandy style?
January 29, 2006
the faithful steed
morning has broken, but not the car
Abbreviated report...too tired for the full story and I can't find my cable to transfer images from my camera. So a cell phone picture will have to do. The short story is today was the first Short Track Series race for the POC. I had my new/old tail (class legal), and the boy was in tow as my pit crew. We made it through the day, and I managed to turn a 1:15.8 lap in the last session. That beats my old best time (and previous track record for my class) by a little over a second. The car was swinging, and I evidently managed to find the zone a few times...I love this stuff
January 28, 2006
and so i sit
Well, its saturday night, Chinese New Year (Gōngxǐ fācái!) but I didn't manage to have any chicken with the boy. No reunion dinner either. Oh well, there's always next year, and each year is different. On a positive note I managed (with Calvin's help) to swap my ducktail (illegal in II class) for my "new" (but very thrashed) Weissach tail (legal in II class). So tomorrow morning we head out early for Willow Springs and the first Short Track Series race of the season. I haven't been on-track since the Sears Pt. trip, so I'm sure there'll be a bit of rust on the reactions. Plus I'm not getting any younger. Oh well, that's what coffee is for...
northern lights
ufos? No...the lights at ChefDance. Did I mention that industry types are really annoying?
January 27, 2006
published, baby
More fodder for the cv. I helped write what originally was to be a single chapter for Springer's "Encyclopedia of Multimedia." Problem was we evidently had too much to say, so they broke it into three chapters (hmm, that means three publications, right? ;-) Buy it here, a deal @ $449 (no, I don't see any money from sales).
1. Shahram Ghandeharizadeh, Ahmed Helmy, Bhaskar Krishnamacahri, Francois Bar, and Todd Richmond.
Data Management Tchniques for Continuous Media In Ad-Hoc Networks of Wireless Devices.
In Encyclopedia of Multimedia, Furht, Borko (Ed.), Springer 2006, XXVIII, 989 p. 300 illus., Hardcover, ISBN: 0-387-24395-X.
2. Shahram Ghandeharizadeh, Ahmed Helmy, Bhaskar Krishnamacahri, Francois Bar, and Todd Richmond.
Data Discovery, Routing and Traffic Patterns.
In Encyclopedia of Multimedia, Furht, Borko (Ed.), Springer 2006, XXVIII, 989 p. 300 illus., Hardcover, ISBN: 0-387-24395-X.
3. Shahram Ghandeharizadeh, Ahmed Helmy, Bhaskar Krishnamacahri, Francois Bar, and Todd Richmond.
Placement of Continuous Media in Ad-Hoc Networks of Devices.
In Encyclopedia of Multimedia, Furht, Borko (Ed.), Springer 2006, XXVIII, 989 p. 300 illus., Hardcover, ISBN: 0-387-24395-X.
January 26, 2006
new digs
Well, lousy phone picture (and posted from a *gasp* windoze box), but I slid into some new digs as I do some work at the ICT. 6th floor facing west...yes, that is the marina. No fireplace, but I'll take it ;-)
January 25, 2006
airborne soon
This was from last night, but in a few hours I'll be on a place back to LA.
no free milk
There is a saying, "why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" Indeed. For years I've sat in on meetings, planning sessions, etc...almost always for free. And almost always giving away good ideas. Flash forward to the present, and lo and behond, I'm a bit of a recognized expert and pundit in a number of areas. And ad the behest of more than one friend, no more giving away the store. So now, you're gonna have to pay. Well, not you the loyal reader, but the royal you, meaning others who want my expertise and ideas. A taste for free, but if you want the whole-brain experience, you can pay for it. And it appears as though people will. So there ya go...
January 24, 2006
chefdance
So every year at Sundance they have "ChefDance", where a different top chef from the country is brought in and makes dinner for 200 of his closest friends...or at least friends of somebody. Luckily I knew a guy (thanks Jim), so I go to partake
The chef was Todd English of Olives. Menu was:
Shaved pear and endive salad, aged Spanish goat cheese crostini and toasted almond vinaigrette
Onion soup risotto, roasted bone marrow and grilled onion-parsley salad
Rack of lamb, mustard fruit minted faro kibbe, green beans, grapes and honey aioli
Bitter sweet chocolate cake, candied chestnut soup and shestnut ice cream
Works for me. Chris Cooper was there (saw him), and evidently Neil Young was there too (didn't see him). A good time was had by all, although I'm hoarse from trying to talk business over the din. Oh the sacrifices...
more magic light
dancing with the sun
Well, I'm in Utah at Park City. No, not for Sundance directly, but I'm staying with friends who are...
in the land of players and mormons
Well, today it was to LAX to catch a flight to Salt Lake City, then hop in the rental car for a short drive to Park City, Utah. No, I'm not signing a major deal at Sundance, and no, my latest sountrack is not up for anything. Instead I'm in for business meetings that I can't talk much about due to a pesky NDA that I signed. But the short story is that we're meeting up here in part because a lot of the players are in town for Sundance, and it involves the state of Utah.
Pics will follow. Also I'm scheduled to go to "ChefDance" tonight which is supposed to be some incredibly cool dinner party where they fly in the best chefs from around the country. Pics from that too assuming I make it.
January 23, 2006
foamy muse
I had to write a proposal, so it was off to Peets in the late morning to hack away on the powerbook. Luckily the foamy muse was in place, and I was done in time to get shrunk. Damn good coffee...
norman's sign off
The radio was my constant companion growing up. In those late nights when I couldn't sleep, I listened to the "heavy eleven-seventy KCBQ" and "boss radio, one-thirty-six KGB". When I got older and had a radio that did FM, it was 101.5 KGB, and my favorite, 106.5 KPRI. KPRI has come back, but isn't the same station. Nothing is the same as it was in the early-mid 70's. That was the heyday of FM radio. And the jocks had something so say...about what they played, about what was going on, about whatever floated through their transom.
I was a huge fan of Norman Flint. (very cool where are they now page - he's the fourth one down). I got to meet him late in the 70's when I started doing audio production. We actually ended up doing lines on a metal tape reel in the production booth, but that was the late 70's for you.
At any rate, I remember his sign off from KPRI. DJs back in those days were your friends...you spent (well, I spent) untold hours with them, sharing the music and the times. To this day I still remember his words, and somewhere in my stack of old cassette tapes, I have it. After thanking us for hanging around with him, he said:
I leave you with two songs. The first is a song of hope, the second a song of love. Remember that those who dance, are thought to be insane, by those who can't hear the music. See ya.
Hey jude, don’t make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
Hey jude, don’t be afraid.
You were made to go out and get her.
The minute you let her under your skin,
Then you begin to make it better.
And anytime you feel the pain, hey jude, refrain,
Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders.
For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder.
Hey jude, don’t let me down.
You have found her, now go and get her.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
So let it out and let it in, hey jude, begin,
You’re waiting for someone to perform with.
And don’t you know that it’s just you, hey jude, you’ll do,
The movement you need is on your shoulder.
Hey jude, don’t make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her under your skin,
Then you’ll begin to make it
Better better better better better better, oh.
Na na na na na ,na na na, hey jude...
-----
Baby, take off your coat...(real slow)
Baby, take off your shoes...(here, I'll take your shoes)
Baby, take off your dress
Yes, yes, yes
You can leave your hat on
You can leave your hat on
You can leave your hat on
Go on over there and turn on the light...no, all the lights
Now come back here and stand on this chair...that's right
Raise your arms up in to the air...shake 'em
You give me a reason to live
You give me a reason to live
You give me a reason to live
Suspicious minds are talking
Trying to tear us apart
They say that my love is wrong
They don't know what love is
They don't know what love is
They don't know what love is
They don't know what love is
I know what love is
take it to the limit
You might expect this to be a car post, but no, instead the Eagles come out to play. While I won't cop to an extensive country guilty pleasure center, being 3rd generation SoCal, I pretty much have the Eagles in my blood. "Already Gone" was a constant companion during many a rough nights, and without them I wouldn't know about Winslow, AZ (near Flagstaff...that I do know).
I find this song to inherently be about hope. But maybe I'm just deluded. Wouldn't be the first time. Won't be the last...remember, life is one continuous mistake.
All alone at the end of the of the evening
And the bright lights have faded to blue
I was thinking ’bout a woman who might have
Loved me and I never knew
You know I’ve always been a dreamer
Spent my life running ’round
And it’s so hard to change
Can’t seem to settle down
But the dreams I’ve seen lately
Keep on turning out and burning out
And turning out the same
So put me on a highway
And show me a sign
And take it to the limit one more time
You can spend all your time making money
You can spend all your love making time
If it all fell to pieces tomorrow
Would you still be mine?
And when you’re looking for your freedom
Nobody seems to care
And you can’t find the door
Can’t find it anywhere
When there’s nothing to believe in
Still you’re coming back, you’re running back
You’re coming back for more
So put me on a highway
And show me a sign
And take it to the limit one more time
January 22, 2006
house of the rising light
I'll admit it...I'm a sucker for these shots. I love 'em. Again, no photoshop involved...just my twisted mind and trusty Canon SD400.
green and yellow
Sometimes you take a bunch of shots, and none of them really work. This was the closest to what I was "seeing." No photoshop involved...
lost in translation
A colleague pointed me to the Gigalpxl project. It is fascinating stuff, especially as I've turned into a photo nut recently. What is interesting to me is that the camera uses film. No CCDs...not digital...film. The resulting photo undergoes hi-rez scanning to turn it digital for manipulation.
I have rambled on for years (to whomever would listen) about the fundamental disconnect that is taking place around us. We live in an analog world. Wave/particle duality aside, we are not zeros and ones. Nature is not zeros and ones. We and the world are continuous beings.
Digital on the other hand, is on or off. Zero or one. Black or white. Many of our interactions are now mediated through digital technology. That means that we and our world are converted from analog to digital, then back again. And my theory is that no matter how good the technology gets, no matter how many gigapixels we have in the camera, no matter how high the sampling rate for audio, there will remain a fundamental disconnect in the two worlds. It is more philosophical than technical. Continuous does not equal stepped. Just as quantum mechanics altered our view of "reality", so does this gap between our "real" world, and the digital representation.
This is exacerbated by the fact that "digital worlds" (or synthetic worlds, depending on your terminology) are in place and growing exponentially. In these places, there are no analog beings...only digital. But of course at this point they are only given meaning when an analog being (us) interacts with the digital avatars. Or is it?
One of my theories is that we are in a transitional period. At this point we have this disconnect. And synthetic worlds still require humans to give them meaning. But at some point, the computers will generate their own meaning. The viruses will not need human interaction to propogate. The economies will not need people to drive them. We are somewhat there on limited fronts, but hurtling there on the rest.
Obviously I'm still hashing through all of this. But for some reason, I feel that I want to go buy a 35mm film camera. Because even though digital is fast, cheap, easy, I'm missing something. Something important. The essence.
coffee house etiquette
OK...I need a reality check on whether this is rude or not. I am a regular at my local Peets...once, sometimes twice a day. I often will meet a buddy after work (around 5pm) and we'll have a cup and shoot the breeze for an hour or so. Sometimes I'll go on a weekday mid-afternoon to write, but usually stay no more than 2 hours, and it is never packed. I have friends who write in coffee shops too, but they don't stay for the whole day solid, and are respectful (and struggling artists, but that's another story).
But in the mornings and late afternoons it *is* packed. The last few times I've met my buddy, we have not been able to find a place to sit. Why? Well, students doing homework, teachers grading papers, and the most egregious - two people who spend literally 6-8 hours a day holed up in the back, taking up two tables, both with computers, cell phones, as well as a portable printer (!).
I know that it is cool to have the "portable office", but this is getting ridiculous. On days where I've stopped in twice (once in the morning, once around 5pm) I've often seen the SAME PEOPLE there, camped out in the same spot, day after day, with the place totally overflowing.
So is this rude, or just the "new chic"? A coffee shop is not a 9-5, M-F office. I like getting away there every so often to write, but it isn't my primary residence...
January 21, 2006
justifiable caricide
Ok...so I don't sleep very well. Usually I have a tough time going to sleep, and wake at the slightest thing. So tonight I actually get to sleep early (really rare), only to have a car alarm go off. No biggie...it'll shut off after a few minutes.
WRONG. Been honking for going on 45 minutes now. I would take my bat and smash it to bits but it is in the underground structure of the apartment building across the street. Best I could do is empty a couple of clips of 9mm jacketet hollow point ammo into it. I'm not sure that would take out the alarm though. Only hope would be to hit the gas tank and have it blow up hollywood-style. But then the fire department would have to come, cops would investigate, I'd end up in jail. Big inconvenience. But who would convict me?
one continuous mistake
Maybe a sane person wouldn't find this comment of any consolation, but to me, it actually gives some hope and perspective. Especially to a perfectionist, grade-seeking, problem solver like myself. Suzuki Roshi says that the process of finding your own true nature (and my extension, life) is one continuous mistake. My interpretation of the comment is that failure is inevitable, so don't get so upset about it. If you accept that you are involved in a continuous mistake, it makes trying easier...just enjoy the ride, and take pride in "showing up."
NoHo redline station, taken 3Mar04, and used in some Simpleflower flyer art
finding the key
Sometimes I get the feeling that if I could just find the key, I could unlock parts of my self long since ignored, tattered, and torn, and start to heal them. The problem for a problem solver like myself (hmm...), is that there isn't just one key. There are many. It's more like a combination lock, and slowly the tumblers fall into place. But even that metaphor doesn't work, as there still isn't a single "aha" moment where all is revealed. So perhaps it is a bunch of locks on a bunch of doors, and slowly you work your way through them. I don't know. I do know that at least one key was found yesterday. And while the door that it opened won't make it all better, it does explain a lot. More will be revealed...
January 20, 2006
start, middle, finish
a hole in my life
So it turns out that I never had a chance...looks like there's a hole...in my life...
There’s a hole
In my life
There’s a hole
In my life
Shadow in my heart
Is tearing me apart
Or maybe it’s just something
In my stars
There’s a hole
In my life
There’s a hole
In my life
Be a happy man
I try the best I can
Or maybe I’m just looking
For too much
There’s something missing from my life
Cuts me open like a knife
It leaves me vulnerable
I have this disease
I shake like an incurable
God help me please
O, there’s a hole
In my life
There’s a hole
In my life
early call
4-something am comes stupid-early...especially when sleep was short and fitful at best (another story). But when you've got a 6:20am flight out of LAX, you get up when you have to get up. Today is a surgical strike into SJC then Half Moon Bay for a 2 hour meeting. Then back on the plane back south to make a 5pm appt in BH. This is a quick stop at Starbucks for some java, and I have about a half hour to kill so I'm going to try and get up on the point overlooking Mavericks. But for now, the air taxi in the morning...
January 19, 2006
bars and rust and the boys of summer
Sometimes we stare through the bars and wonder, and wince as we fight to break the rust. Rust never sleeps. But my love for you will still be strong, after the boys of summer have gone...
Nobody on the road,
nobody on the beach.
I feel it in the air,
the summers out of reach
Empty lake, empty streets,
the sun goes down alone.
I'm driving by your house
though i know that you not home...
And i can see you
you brown skin shining in the sun
you got your hair combed back
sunglasses on baby
and i can tell you
my love for you will still be strong
after the boy of summer have gone.
out on the road today
i saw a dead head sticker on a cadillac
a voice inside my head said don't look back
you can never look back
i thought i knew what love was
what did i know
those days are gone for ever
i should just let them go and...
i can see you
your brown skin shining in the sun
you know your walking real slow
smiling at everyone
i can tell you
my love for you will still be strong
after the boys of summer have gone.
I never will forget those nights
i wonder if it was a dream
remember how you drove me crazy?
remember how i made you scream?
now i don't understand what happed to our love
now baby gonna get you back
gonna show you what i'm made of...
i can see you
your brown skin shining in the sun
you got your top pulled down,
radio on baby
and i can tell you
my love for you will still be strong
after the boys of summer have gone.
projecting with no screen
I'm not sure what the title means, so draw your own conclusion. God knows my mind spins out on the smallest things and projects them into wide screen epics. But probably what provides the most agony is attachment. I'm not sure how to balance the "reality" of living in a world with relationships and the "ideal" of no attachment. Since life is an experiment, I guess I have a new chance every day to explore that.
I have to say it would be easier if some things in my life had been different...growing up with some sense of "family" (whatever that is), the early years raising my son, etc. But for better or for worse, all those things have shaped me into who I am now. The irony of course is that I'm feverishly working to undo much of it. And who knows where/how that will end up. But for now I have to be honest with what I'm able to do, and what I *fell* my trajectories are wrt certain tangible things in life. It is so sad though that the honesty about these feelings brings such pain. A ton of love, but it hurts. Hmm...I suppose that is just the yin/yang of things.
But a dear one said to me, "no feeling is final." When things are going well, that phrase is terrifying. When things are rough, it is comforting. In reality though, I think that is the root of hope. Because there is no finality. No feeling is final. No decision is final. No situation is final. And with that, hope can spring eternal.
When all is said and done, I don't know that I would have done anything different. I did what I could in each moment, and learned along the way. The path is made by walking. And while sometimes we walk alone, in reality we carry the love of others who are dear. It is beautiful. It is wonderous. It is a gift that I treasure with every breath. There is a slice of joy that bleeds through it all. And I can ride that to soaring heights if I let myself take the risk.
give me the data
I'm an analytical kinda guy. Or "cerebral" as my shrink says. I like to figure things out. Solve problems. It was ingrained from an early age, what with being the son of an award-winning school teacher and all. The way I got through life was by solving problems and getting good grades. Now those skills are hindering me in certain ways, so I'm working to sort through that.
But still sometimes I want the data. Even if it is disturbing. Even if it is upsetting. Because I'd rather not be blindsided, professionally or personally. The problem is I'm pretty good and finding and parsing data, but sometimes my interpretation reaches a bit too far. But maybe not. As they say, "more will be revealed."
January 18, 2006
song tapping
Haven't tried this yet...but I will
tit for tat
Remember...if you're in a tit-for-tat situation with a woman, you cannot win. You cannot break even. Why? Her tits count for more than your tat.
Thank you...I'll be here all week. Try the veal and don't forget to tip your server.
January 17, 2006
dreams i'll never see
If you're into dreams you might take a look...
swirly-gig
hurry up and wait
Well, its a good news, bad news scenario. The good news is that Hewlett called. The further good news is that they liked my proposal. The bad news is they've got some modifications they'd like to see and they can't cover 50% of my salary. If I can turn around the new proposal quickly it'll get considered in the February board meeting with funding starting in March.
In the grand scheme of things that actually is a quick turnaround for academia, but the bills don't stop. Looks like January and Febrary are going to be lean months unless something else pops. I need to hit up my spook buddies for some secret contract work or something...
wear your love like heaven
Well, the 60's were a different time. But interesting to look back and ponder the deeper meaning almost 40 years later.
Colour in sky prussian blue
Scarlet fleece changes hue
Crimson ball sinks from view
Wear your love like heaven (wear your love like)
Wear your love like heaven (wear your love like)
Wear your love like heaven (wear your love)
Lord, kiss me once more
Fill me with song
Allah, kiss me once more
That I may, that I may
Wear my love like heaven (wear my love like)
Wear my love like heaven (wear my love)
La, la, la-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la
Colour sky havana lake
Colour sky rose carmethene
Alizarian crimson
Wear your love like heaven (wear your love like)
Wear your love like heaven (wear your love like)
Wear your love like heaven (wear your love)
Lord, kiss me once more
Fill me with song
Allah, kiss me once more
That I may, that I may
Wear my love like heaven (wear my love like)
Wear my love like heaven (wear my love)
La, la, la-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la
Can I believe what I see
All I have wished for will be
All our race proud and free
Wear your love like heaven (wear your love like)
Wear your love like heaven (wear your love like)
Wear your love like heaven (wear your love)
Lord, kiss me once more
Fill me with song
Allah, kiss me once more
That I may, that I may
Wear my love like heaven (wear my love like)
Wear my love like heaven (wear my love)
January 16, 2006
itms spells something
I stumble across songs that I had at one point, or always want to have. Luckily I have instant gratification in the form of the iTunes Music Store (or maybe it isn't lucky). My purchases in the last two days:
Forever Man - Eric Clapton
Forever Man - Bighead Todd and the Monsters (discovered it, thought it was cool)
Wear Your Love Like Heaven - Donovan
Wear Your Love Like Heaven - Sarah McLachlan (discovered, thought it was cool)
other recent ones include Tears of a Clown (listen for the bassoon), Don't Pay the Ferryman (hmm, mtv holdover), and Rock Me Like a Hurrican (for the boy...no, really). I need to do some more podcasts soon...
how i spent my vacation day
"Lecturing" in IMD 499 (a cinema-tv class on portable video). It only meets once a week, so we couldn't blow off the entire week. We spent the time screening videos and trying to get a better handle on viral video, and what sorts of things will "work" on a small form factor. More on the breaking story...
shooting acm in romania
Sometimes dreams are just short snippets...or at least that's all I remember. Other times they are sweeping epics. Still others are disjointed, oblique trips....Dali meets Hendrix. So this morning I'm going with a crew to shoot the movie version of a book called "ACM" in Romania. Why Romania? Well, I was reading about it in my "Torque" magazine (for Triumph owners), and it's far away. ACM? Have no clue...there is an academic society with that acronym (Association for Computing Machinery), but no book.
I'm with my family, or at least a woman and (I think) the boy. First we climb into this long limo...except I'm there with just a bunch of other women. We're all talking and this really hot one (a singer I think) starts nuzzling up and hitting on me. Hmmm. That's not supposed to happen to me. Then I'm in a motorhome talking with my spouse (not sure who it is) about possibly bailing on the trip...we were supposed to leave for Europe a couple days ago but for some reason some guy has delayed it, and now we'll only have a couple days there...seems like a long way to fly for so little time.
Then I end up in bed with two women, but one of them makes the comment that, "well now you get to have three instead of two." Names changed to protect the guilty.
Never a dull moment in the old unconscious.
January 15, 2006
really strung out
strung out
January 14, 2006
end of an era
Well, I suppose the timing is a bit of synchronicity, and the symbolism anotomically correct, but the 4-Runner went to a new home today. My ex and I bought the truck (we always called it "the truck") when we found out she was pregnant. My son essentially grew up in the truck. Many nights spent driving around Claremont trying to get him quiet and asleep. He and I spent untold hours (136K miles worth) in the truck...its where he first sang the lyrics to "Do It Again" (at age 2 as I recall). As you might imagine the stereo was always on, so from birth the boy was immersed in Steely Dan and the rest of the usual suspects. And so on this day, not long after the papers reached their required 6 month mark, and as we finalize the settlement, the truck passes too.
So long.
gimmie shelter
The Glimmer Twins wrote some doozies. This one has always been a favorite. On the studio recording you can hear when the backing vocalist Merry Clayton's voice cracks...sends chills down my spine every time.
Oh, a storm is threat'ning
My very life today
If I don't get some shelter
Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
Ooh, see the fire is sweepin'
Our very street today
Burns like a red coal carpet
Mad bull lost its way
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
Rape, murder!
It's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
The floods is threat'ning
My very life today
Gimme, gimme shelter
Or I'm gonna fade away
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
I tell you love, sister, it's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
Kiss away, kiss away
January 13, 2006
all is forgiven
5 string healing
done
OK, stick a fork in me. I'm done. First I had to figure out what the fire is...and it's big. Then I'm warned to not underestimate the power of the forces. And today I'm tasked with figuring out what I'm up to. Some plot or ploy. And why did I put her in Merced?
I don't think I can type any more right now. And I don't have a single Steely Dan cd in the apartment. I'm done.
lost
No, not the stupid tv show (that I've never seen...so perhaps it isn't stupid, but right now I don't care). I can't find my CDs. I've found some of them, but the lionshare have gone missing. I've been living on iTunes for so long I haven't taken stock since I moved.
I also can't find my Real Book 2 (jazz music book) or a stack of charts that I used to play with Kaz. I hate it when things disappear. But I guess that is part of transition...some things fade away.
orange v. red
more light
too tired to write right now...so more pictures
back 2 bed 2
repeat as necessary
January 12, 2006
magic light
Well, this was shot digital, but the light is pure late afternoon analog magic.
wither film
The Nikon Corporation, the Japanese camera maker, said Thursday that it would stop making most of its film cameras and lenses in order to focus on digital cameras.
The company, based in Tokyo, is the latest to join an industrywide shift toward digital photography, which has exploded in popularity. Rivals like Kodak and Canon have already shifted most of their camera production into digital products.
Nikon said it would halt production of all but two of its seven film cameras and would also stop making most lenses for those cameras. The company will halt production of the film camera models "one by one," though it refused to specify when.
rant: digital is cool, but digital sucks. Film is beautiful. Analog is silky. But digital is cheap and bits are plentiful. When I finally get my "eye" figured out I trust that there will still be analog camers and film around, since n megapixels still won't replace analog.
too much travel
Well, let's see. First there was Victoria B.C. at the end of November, then Austin the next week. Kauai was first week of January, and now I've go to do Half Moon Bay next week (via SJC, surgical strike - 6am flight up, 2pm flight back), then Park City (via SLC) the week after staying over one night. All work related. And I still don't have all of my salary nailed down yet...January will be a lean month. I'm tired...
I.G.Y.
International Geophysical Year. Fagan's ode to the future sung from the past. Irony comes free with the meal. No substitutions.
Standing tough under stars and stripes
We can tell
This dream's in sight
You've got to admit it
At this point in time that it's clear
The future looks bright
On that train all graphite and glitter
Undersea by rail
Ninety minutes from New York to Paris
Well by seventy-six we'll be A.O.K.
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free
Get your ticket to that wheel in space
While there's time
The fix is in
You'll be a witness to that game of chance in the sky
You know we've got to win
Here at home we'll play in the city
Powered by the sun
Perfect weather for a streamlined world
There'll be spandex jackets one for everyone
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free
On that train all graphite and glitter
Undersea by rail
Ninety minutes from New York to Paris
(More leisure for artists everywhere)
A just machine to make big decisions
Programmed by fellows with compassion and vision
We'll be clean when their work is done
We'll be eternally free yes and eternally young
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free
back to bed
When all else fails, you can always go back to bed. Well, sometimes...
January 11, 2006
mind v. brain
There is a difference between the mind and the brain, but I'm not going to ponder that at this moment. Instead I'm just working (?) to calm the "devil mind." I've had the Nike slogan tossed at me : Just Do It. Damn, that was easy...not.
I would normally say, "here's a cookie," but I don't have one. So here's a photo.
simpleflower on ITMS
Well, what do you know? Fire up your copy of iTunes, go to the music store, and search for simpleflower. Enjoy.
January 10, 2006
it's the little things
Sometimes small things make a difference. Today, it was Comet to the rescue. What with the holidaze and travel, the apartment has gotten a little ragged around the edges. Especially the sink and tub. I finally had enough, and broke out the Comet cleanser and a scrubber. Viola! Instant happiness. If only relationships were this easy...
reds
Not sure if I like this...
January 09, 2006
blue and green
just because...
iTunes for I
Hey, what do you know? My podcast feed is now at the iTunes Music Store. If you have iTunes, click on the music store and search for nostatic. And there ya go. I submitted another one for Simpleflower as a back way into getting the album there (for free download). We'll see if that works...but for now, I need to work on more podcasts. Yikes!
January 08, 2006
king and his court
Not sure where it came from (genetically speaking), but the boy is social as all get out...
more random images (gallery up later)
helpless
Funny how music always comes to the rescue, and amazing how sometimes the feelings are simple and other times they are complex. There is an online argument about Neil Young. I made a comment or two, and ended up for whatever reason posting the lyrics to "Helpless." This is one of my ex's favorite songs, but I came to know it long before I knew her, seeing Young play it along with the Band in the movie The Last Waltz. But today of all days it seems even more appropriate...
There is a town in north Ontario,
With dream comfort memory to spare,
And in my mind
I still need a place to go,
All my changes were there.
Blue, blue windows behind the stars,
Yellow moon on the rise,
Big birds flying across the sky,
Throwing shadows on our eyes.
Leave us
Helpless, helpless, helpless
Baby can you hear me now?
The chains are locked
and tied across the door,
Baby, sing with me somehow.
Blue, blue windows behind the stars,
Yellow moon on the rise,
Big birds flying across the sky,
Throwing shadows on our eyes.
Leave us
Helpless, helpless, helpless.
January 07, 2006
dark spicy pelicans
The web is a great thing. I have friends all over the world, largely as a result of the Pelican Parts BBS. Today Don was in town from Arizona picking up some parts and gave me a call (we had text'd a few weeks back about some other topics). We ended up meeting at TRE with Tyson. Then it was off to Mexicali in Studio City for mexican food with the boys (Don's friend Bob and the Calvinator also in attendance). Good times...
grouping
Well, practice doesn't make perfect, but it does make it better. Even if I was dead tired when practicing. Hmm...maybe another adjective would be better...
January 06, 2006
forced adventure
I needed some comfort food. I needed some bun. Problem is Le Saigon, my local Vietnamese place, is closed until the 10th. Pho97 is too far away, and I'm not sure they're even open at night. So what to do? Well, search the web. Find a recommended Vietnamese place in Little Tokyo on Sawtelle. Gear up, head down on the bike, and of course it is now a Japanese noodle place. That's OK...I vaguely remember another place in a strip mall a little further down. A quick walk and I find Phoreign (get it?). Marginal bun. Oh well... guess I need to find my comfort elsewhere. I think the firing range is still open...
January 05, 2006
footprints in the sand
Well, all good things must come to an end, so I'm back on the mainland. But man, great weather here in LA...actually might be warmer than Kauai. Had a rough night or two over in the islands, but everything has a bit of yin/yang to it. The "workshop" was somewhat of a disaster (well, except for my part which was brilliant, or at least provocative). Next year I'm doing my own talk/workshop...and I'm going to stay for at least a week. I swear. No, really.
And now back to work...oh wait, I already did that. Wrote a four page proposal on the flight back to LAX. Hmm...hopefully at some point I'm *really* going to take a vacation...
January 04, 2006
sheraton sucks
Still no wireless. I barely got on during my presentation today, and now am hardwired in the "library." Luckily for me (and others), Airport doesn't suck, so I'm sharing my wired connection. The name of the network? "sheratonSucks"
Here's another pretty picture...
more pics soon
WIth the lousy access I haven't updated the photogallery yet, but I will. Oh, and I have to bring Calvin here...the boy belongs at the beach. Like dad...
January 03, 2006
wet and wireless...with traffic
Well, day 2 in "paradise." The water is warm, but the wireless isn't, and the traffic was...umm...how can I say this....F*CKED! Decided to take a trip to Hanalei today. The drive back took 3 hours. Evidently there was a brush fire and an accident...and a 5 mile stretch through Kapa'a took literally 2 hours to drive. There is only one way around the island, so 2 lanes is it. Much worse that LA thank you...at least in LA you can find an alternate route. Oh well...good practice for being mellow. I didn't slam my fist on the wheel once. Now to do some prep for my talk tomorrow...gotta work!
January 02, 2006
aloha oops
Well, I'm in Kauai for a conference where I'm presenting at a workshop on social software in academia. And of course I left my preparation to the last minute. I did my notes using VooDooPad on the flight over, but need to hit the network to get the rest of the assets (photos from Flickr, logs from our SSAW wiki, etc). But lo and behold, my tre-expensive ocean front room (the only that were left...honest!) has non-functional wireless. So I'm in the "library" stealing an ethernet cable to get some of the work done...well, and post this. At least the view makes up for it. I'll be largely off-grid for the next few days, busy with conference stuff and lots of sleep.
January 01, 2006
it's up
The new year started out right. I didn't go out as I was on a group drive, and it rained yesterday so pollution levels are probably high (cw is to wait 72 hours after rainfall)...but it was sweet today, inbetween two storms with offshores working.
Drainpipes (Zuma) going off
whew!
I'm not quite sure what to say. 2005 was simultaneously the best and worst years of my life. Hmm...that isn't quite right. Perhaps more accurate is that some of the absolute best and most touching times of my life were had in 2005. As were the most difficult and painful.
Yeah, that's about right. So far '06 is a winner. All 3 minutes of it. Woohoo!