Author: Joe Wilcox

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 29, 20157:14 am

Flickr a Day 29: ‘Tiny Houses’

Vantage point best describes the photography of Jessica P., better known as jjesskalee around the social networks. Perspective works just as well. She sets very defined viewpoints, often getting in close to subjects. Like me, she uses the Fujifilm X100T, which shoots surprisingly great Macros; the f/2 lens gives shallow depth-of-field that produces fantastic bokeh.

Jessica shot self-titled “Tiny Houses” on Dec. 31, 2014. The houses belong to board game The Settlers of Catan, which was unknown to me before seeing this pic and a companion my wife prefers. As someone who fanatically role-played Dungeons and Dragons and Empire of the Petal Throne in high school, I’m surprised to somehow have missed Catan, which Klaus Teuber developed and released to the German market 20 years ago.

Apple by Joe WilcoxJan 28, 20158:02 am

The Jesus Phone adds 75 Million Disciples

Hallelujah and praise be Steve Jobs. What’s that saying about the ghost in the machine? Because his spirit, or something, leads the sometimes-called Jesus phone to miraculous sales. After the market close yesterday, Apple revealed calendar Q4 2014 (fiscal Q1 2015) results for the period ending December 27: 74.688 million iPhones.

Get this: Apple sold in the one quarter more iPhones than during fiscal years 2007-10 (73.946 million) combined, or twice as many as sold (37.044 million) during the same three months in 2012. On its own, iPhone generated more revenue, $51.182 billion, than all of Apple in any quarter in fiscal 2012 and, singly, three of the four quarters in each of FY 2013 and 2014. The amount also exceeds every fiscal year through 2009, which revenue was $42.905 billion.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 28, 20156:56 am

Flickr a Day 28: Licensing Lesson

All photos in this series are authenticated for copyright. Sometimes the process for the photographer is more difficult, particularly when language and location are factors. Luigi Alesi shot today’s selection, licensed Creative Commons noncommercial, on […]

News Media by Joe WilcoxJan 27, 20152:48 pm

Responsible Journalism Cheat Sheet

Several themes consistently recur in my posts about good journalism. They’re spread out over about five years of posting, and it’s unrealistic to expect anyone to read everything to find them. So for your benefit, and even my own, I pull together some quick tips that every news gatherer should strongly consider adopting as part of his or her daily routine.

News reporting isn’t a profession but a lifestyle. Ethics you adopt shape it—and you.

News Media by Joe WilcoxJan 27, 201512:58 pm

Empower Your Readers

Evergreen articles are rarely as good as James Kendrick’s ZDNet analysis “Corporate layoffs: Prepare your BYOD smartphone for the worst“, which reminds what good, longer-form, long-lasting journalism is supposed to be: Informative and useful to readers in the intended audience.

In contrast, the trend among bloggers is to write a question in the headline that someone might ask in search. While the information in the post can be useful, the intended audience is the search engine, not people. Consider this example from Gizmodo today: “Why Do Radio Signals Travel Farther at Night Than in the Day?” The topic marginally fits Gizmodo’s target tech audience, which I presume is likely to know the answer. The story is republished from site Today I Found Out, where there are more reader-useful graphics. James’ story informs and educates, while the Giz post is more like a non-curated Wikipedia entry.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 27, 20156:45 am

Flickr a Day 27: London Rain

Can’t you just feel the chill? Duncan Harris shot this photo, in front of Harrods in Knightsbridge, on Dec. 19, 2011. For those people obsessed with the fanciest camera, the photographer matters more. He used the Nikon Coolpix S2500 to capture this atmospheric moment. Duncan says the 12-megapixel compact “is almost as good as a dSLR”. Perhaps in the right hands, as his are.

The image captivates for so many reasons: Motion of the pedestrians set against the crisp still cars; raindrops on the vehicles and reflections from fallen water; shimmering lights escaping the wet mist. I found this photo around Flick a Day 8 and reluctantly waited to post, as this isn’t the first wet street pic featured. See days 7 and 13.

Stupidity by Joe WilcoxJan 26, 201511:59 am

Let’s Boycott Hershey Chocolates

Yesterday, I saw headlines about a forced legal settlement, involving the Hershey Company. New York Times story “After a Deal, British Chocolates Won’t Cross the Pond” says it all: “Let’s Buy British Imports, or L.B.B., agreed this week to stop importing all Cadbury’s chocolate made overseas”. Hershey insists that Toffee Crisp packaging too closely resembles Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, which is ridiculous considering they are very different confections and presented in different shapes.

Same must be said about Yorkie bar, which presumably so resembles York Peppermint Patty that chocolate buyers must confuse one for the other. Of course! People mistake finger-shaped confections with circular patties every day. Don’t you? The argument for Kit Kat is stronger, given name and packaging. But the ingredients are quite different. Have you ever eaten imported chocolate bars? British Kit Kat is creamier—fudgier might be better word—than its U.S. counterpart.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 26, 20158:13 am

Flickr a Day 26: ‘Walking to Glacier Isobel’

I originally planned to end this series’ first month with a photo from Trey Ratcliff—and a different selection than the one chosen. But yesterday, he blogged about returning from Antarctica, which compelled me to change up. I suppose waiting for a fresh batch of pics would be sensible, but I want to alert you as they start coming. Consider self-titled “Walking to Glacier Isobel”, shot on May 3, 2014, as a preview of what to expect. Trey will totally delight you if you give him opportunity.

His website, “Stuck in Customs” is a bit adventure photography blog and part learning lab. Trey teaches visitors about shooting—with words and pictures. Knowledge is the greatest gift, and this American relocated to New Zealand gives much. He is a HDR (High Dynamic Range) guru.

Music by Joe WilcoxJan 25, 201511:15 am

Disco Queen

Following up sharing lyrics to my songs “Empire State” and “Surrealistic Pillow” is another from my more prolific lyrical writing youth—before prose became my profession. I wrote the first verse and melody some time in 1978. The Disco Queen refers to Donna Summer, who suggestively moaned in her hit song “Love to Love You Baby”, which released three years earlier and reached No. 2 on Billboard in 1976.

I tend to write lyrics in complete form, but words with melodies often start out and languish. I didn’t come back to finish “Disco Queen” until November 2003. In posting today, I remove the third stanza and ask commentary about whether or not to keep it.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 25, 20156:42 am

Flickr a Day 25: ‘Decisions, Decisions’

What’s not to like about this fantastic photo? Someone tell me. Bokeh, silhouette, and story told in the caption shorter than a Tweet: “Do you think this ice is thick?” We want to know. Step out and show us!

Freelance photographer Rick Harrison snapped this mesmerizer on March 4, 2006, using the Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2. Nine years later you’ll find him behind the Nikon D800. From Wakefield, United Kingdom, he is based in Leeds. Rick is the first Flickr-a-Day photographer who specializes in landscapes. Most of the others shoot on the street and/or focus on people.

Aspiration by Joe WilcoxJan 24, 201510:30 am

Comic-Con Heroes: The Collectors

Two weeks ago, I started serializing my ebook Comic-Con Heroes: The Fans Who Make the Greatest Show on Earth. Welcome to the third of 13 installments before the book releases into the public domain, on July 8, 2015, after my current commitment for Amazon KDP Select ends. In the first segment we met The Dark Knight, and in the second a Medieval, Scandinavian fighter.

The third profile gets more to the core Con—not people who attend to dress up and be someone else for a day or few—but those who are there to collect. Comic book and toy collecting are undercurrents that keep the event vital. Hollywood productions may get more media attention, and for sure lots of people line up for television show and movie star-studded panels. But the show’s lifeforce are the artists, their fans, and people who look for rare comics or limited-edition items.

Gear by Joe WilcoxJan 24, 20159:07 am

My First Nexus 6 Photo

Happy Caturday! Neko is the subject of the first photo shot using my new Nexus 6—last night around 6:30 pm. The room wasn’t well-illuminated, being dark outside, but an IKEA floor lamp did cast some light upon him. I wondered how good a shooter the smartphone could be, given its large size and Moto X’s so-so camera.

The photo was quickly taken and it’s arguably not the best composition. But in auto-mode, using the Google Camera app, Nexus 6 responded quickly—and the photo looks like what my eye saw. Vitals: f/2, ISO 314, 1/30 sec, 3.82mm.