Category: Media

Photo by Joe Wilcox
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Flickr a Day 306: ‘I Just Have To Make One More Call, He Said’

Day of the Dead actually is a three-day celebration, ending November 2nd. I can’t resist slipping in another timely portrait, captured by Tom Waterhouse on May 10, 2008. He shot self-titled “I Just Have To Make One More Call, He Said” using Panasonic DMC-FX100. Vitals: f/4.8, ISO 80, 1/100 sec, 16.6mm. I picked the pic for being interesting and for bokeh, composition, perspective, and the photographer recognizing opportunity.

In 2015, Tom takes the Fujifilm X100T to the streets, where his focus is facial character. “I’m currently trying to make a serious attempt at becoming a credible street photographer”, he says. I say: He’s earned his street cred. 

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Photo by Joe Wilcox
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Flickr a Day 304: ‘Never did the Pumpkin Thing since Childhood!’

I debated long-time about what pic to pick for Halloween. Jack o’ lanterns are cliché, but Cristian Iohan Ştefănescu does them well—and I want to draw attention to his photostream, which is a real treat (no trick, promise). 🙂

One word describes Cristian’s style, whether expressed from the lens or in post-processing: Interesting. He has a terrific eye for composition and perspective. Some of his more recent art I could have featured if not for the holiday: “Study: Cats Understand Humans but don’t Really Care“; “Try walking in My Eyes!“; “Bring the Art Down on the Street and They will Come!“; “Life is a Foreign Country“; or “Hable Con Ella“.

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Photo by Joe Wilcox
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Flickr a Day 303: ‘Something Fishy’

I can’t get enough of portraits like this, where light pierces darkness to illuminate a child’s face. I would have composed differently until looking longer at self-titled “Something Fishy”. I like. I like. Overall quality is soft, but proves to be effective here. The hues are pleasing.

Caden Crawford captured the moment on Feb. 22, 2013, using Canon EOS Rebel T2i and EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens. Oh, baby, what a prime! Vitals: f/18, ISO 100, 1/20 sec, 50mm. From Red Lodge, Montana, he joined Flickr in May 2012. He is most active on Tumblr and keeps an (outdated) Facebook. 

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Apple by Joe Wilcox
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Android vs iPhone: When Hype Bites

The haughty headline from yesterday’s Apple fiscal fourth quarter 2015 earnings report isn’t big revenue or profit performance ($51.5 billion and $11.1 billion, respectively), but a figure given by CEO Tim Cook during the analyst call: “We recorded the highest rate on record for Android switches last quarter at 30 percent”.

Blogs, and some news sites, set the statement off like an atomic blast of free marketing for Apple. The fallout spreads across the InterWebs this fine Wednesday, largely undisputed or corroborated. Just because Cook claims something doesn’t make it true. To get some perspective, and to either correct or confirm the public record, today I asked a half-dozen analysts: “Does your analysis of the smartphone market support that assertion?” 

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Gear by Joe Wilcox
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I Couldn’t Break the Surface Tension

Today, Microsoft started selling Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book, and I strongly considered buying either. During the past 10 days, I visited the company’s Fashion Valley store four different times specifically to play with the devices. The hardware dazzles, but I couldn’t get beyond Windows 10 when compared to benefits I receive using Chromebook Pixel LS. SB’s price, which starts at $1,499, is another impediment.

There is something to be said for straightforward, simple, and efficient computing, which Google gets right. Contextual sync is among Chrome OS’s biggest benefits. Little things, like popping my camera’s SD card into Pixel’s slot and the laptop backing up photos to Google Drive, which is accessible from the file manager as if local storage. Granted, there are application gaps, but the overall user experience fills them in.

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News Media by Joe Wilcox
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Hey, Washington Post (and Other Investigators), How About Comparing Candidate Spending Habits?

Let me preface: this is not a political endorsement for Donald Trump or anyone else. But the comedy and drama of this early campaign cycle sure is interesting. Among yesterday’s dramedy stories catching my attention: Washington Post on Mr. Trump telling super PACs to return contributions gathered in his name.

The presidential hopeful finances the campaign from his wealth and smaller donations from individual contributors. I got to wondering: Wouldn’t a candidate largely using his own money spend differently from someone getting to what amounts to free cash? There’s a stereotype that people spend their own (say, savings) more prudentially than what comes easily and freely (like credit). Is there a difference this early on among the would-be nominees in how or where they spend on the respective campaigns? 

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