Journalists and the organizations they work for need to know when to stand their ground against entities about which they write and when to give in. IMAX wants Ars Technica to retract mentioning the company […]
Author: Joe Wilcox
Flickr a Day 170: ‘Gigi Sibble-Horton’
We begin three days of photographers discovered by searching Flickr for “silence”. Today’s selection jumped from the computer screen; composition takes the Day. Easily. Ted Van Pelt shot self-titled “Gigi Sibble-Horton” on May 25, 2015, using […]
Strange Starbucks Sightings
Sitting with my aged father-in-law, I see an Acer Chromebook and Microsoft Surface Pro 3 in an otherwise typically Apple hangout—all while a reggae version of John Denver-penned classic “Country Roads” plays over the store […]
Hey, Tidal, ‘Sprechen Sie Deutsch?’
While writing a scathing commentary about Apple’s reported policy of stiffing artists for the first three months of its music service (play for no pay), I use Tidal. The streamer’s so-called HiFi music is best […]
Flickr a Day 169: ‘Galleria Vittorio Emanuele’
With nearly 22,000 views, self-titled “Galleria Vittorio Emanuele” is appreciated by someone—me none the least. Paul Bica used Olympus E-5 on May 24, 2014. Vitals: f/8, ISO 100, 1/60 sec, 70mm. Italian architect Giuseppe Mengoni […]
Flickr a Day 168: ‘Nerf Gun FUN’
While this series favors candid and street photography, often the most challenging art is produced in the studio. “This shot honestly took almost an hour-and-a-half to get perfect’, Robby Mueller says of self-titled “Nerf Gun […]
My Summer Sojourn: OS X 10.11, OS 9
Due to a rather startling accident, my wife’s laptop is no longer among the electrically living. She will use my beloved Chromebook Pixel LS for a few months, while I step back into the Apple lifestyle to test El Capitan and iOS 9. Eight days after Apple released developer previews, I finally am getting around to installing them, on 13-inch MacBook Pro and iPad Air 2. Whoa, I dunno about the new font!
The Mac is a new purchase. Our cameras and computers are all insured, and late last week I filed the second claim in more than a dozen years (the first replaced a hard drive, for $250, after my daughter dropped her aluminum MacBook during finals week two years ago). I grudgingly picked the 2.7GHz Core i5 MacBook Pro with Retina Display, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD.
Flickr a Day 167: ‘Changing of the Guard Pipe Band’
The photostream of Rennett Stowe is delightful—filled with, as he says, “stock photographs, art photos, and a few family photos”. The stock stuff is fine example of what this type of work should be. Composition, […]
Apple Music Will Surely Succeed
Seven days ago, CEO of the most valuable, publicly-traded technology company on the planet unveiled a potentially category-changing online streaming service. In 15 more, you will be able to subscribe—three months for free. Pundits wave the Spotify flag and spit out diatribes of disgust, much as they did when Apple launched iPhone eight years ago or iPad in 2010. Wrong again is their destiny. Will they ever learn?
Many of the doomsayers forget, or maybe just ignore, the fruit-logo company’s success disrupting category after category. They also start out from a misguided premise: That Apple is a latecomer who cannot catch up with competitors like Spotify. How ridiculous. iTunes debuted in January 2001, iPod nine months later, and iTunes Music Store in April 2003. By longevity and reach, which includes exclusives (like The Beatles) and large catalog, Apple is the status quo. On June 30, the giant awakes, and the smidgens shake as it walks.
Flickr a Day 166: ‘Life Through the Eyes of the Orphan’
Photos of needy children in some developing countries are so often cliché. Sad face, wide eyes, and even emaciation. Self-titled “Life Through the Eyes of the Orphan” takes the Day for being something more. You […]
Sunday Haiku
I never could understand the idea of Haiku, and really still don’t, but I heard something about the Japanese poetry on the radio last week that made me wonder about writing some. Just as an experiment. I don’t get the whole syllable thing, and don’t even try, instead focusing on juxtaposition—a concept core to my prose style.
Any coaching would be appreciated. As a writing experiment, I work fast, banging out the would-be Haiku rapid-gunfire like. I put together this lot in less than 10 minutes.
Friday paycheck
Sunday best
Church tax
Taste of blood
Torturer smiles
Water drips
Flickr a Day 165: ‘Let Me Ride–West Village’
As an artform, iPhonography is more than just about the camera or the shooter. Post-processing matters, too. That my friends is justification for picking the fifth subway pic featured in this series (see Days 24, 45, 72, and 155 for the others). Ryan Vaarsi captured self-titled “Let Me Ride—West Village” one week ago using iPhone 6 Plus. Vitals: f/2.2, ISO 100, 1/15 sec, 4.2mm.
The photo takes the Day for composition, color, and contrast that looks more like film than digital. Ryan got the classic look in part by applying the VSCO Cam app‘s A1 “analog” preset. The app is free, but most presets cost something. A1 is among a collection of 12 for $2.99. iPhone users can shoot straight from the app or edit existing pics.