My respect for National Geographic news reporting—yes, news—grows with each day’s online reading. September 9 story “Inside the Vast (and Growing) Global Trade in Stolen Smart Phones” is goddamn good example. Stories like this require […]
Flickr a Day 254: World Trade Center
We pause to remember the fallen buildings and the brave people tragically fallen with them on this 14th 9-11 memorial. I lived in the Washington, D.C. metro area that day, and the terrorist attack on the U.S. Pentagon was more immediate. My wife, a New Jersey native, more keenly felt for New Yorkers. I shared my reflection of that morning 10 years ago today.
Our selection recalls what was when it started. Wil Blanche captured this poignant moment from the Staten Island Ferry sometime in May 1973. Tenants started moving into the towers in December 1970, during construction. The buildings officially opened, as the tallest in the world, about a month before Wil shot the photo. Camera and other information isn’t available. The pic is courtesy of the U.S. National Archives.
Gimme Google Fiber, San Diego!
Please take my money, Google. Tap the vein right here if blood is the currency you need. I am ready, willing, and over-excited. If you disappoint, I understand, though. My city is a brick wall when it comes to new commerce. It’s regulation central. So good luck to you, GF.
This afternoon I received email from the Google Fiber team that stopped my heart: “We wanted you to be among the first to hear the news. Today we announced we’re exploring bringing Fiber to San Diego”. Hell, yeah, baby. Sign me up. Which up-for-reelection-politician needs me and other native and transplanted San Diegans to be thorns in the butt? Give us more speed than we possibly need for prices we probably can’t afford.
Flickr a Day 253: Shadow Chaser
Look at the runner’s long shadow in a pic picked for color, contrast, and contrasting elements—the pastel little sheds (or are they something else) set against majestic stone structures behind. Julian Povey captured the moment […]
Is This Apple’s 9-11 Respect?
Apple’s decision to start iPhone 6s and 6s Plus preorders on Saturday September 12 surprises me. Friday is typical, which lets the company tabulate an extra day into the weekend when reporting the number of preorders the following week. So you have to wonder why the change. I asked Apple PR, but there is yet no response yet.
In 2014, Apple announced iPhone 6 and 6 Plus also on September 9th, a Tuesday. Preorders began on Friday the 12th and sales one week later. In 2013, there was no preorder option for iPhone 5s, just straight sales starting Friday September 20th; announced the 10th. In 2012: Fridays September 14th for preorders; the 21st for sales. In 2011: again Fridays, October 7th preorders and October 14th sales.
iPad Pro: My Story in Tweets
Apple’s newest tablet, announced earlier today, isn’t on my shopping list. At 12.9 inches, the screen on the iPad Pro is too big. The device can’t comfortably fit the hands for long periods of time. I have experience with 12-inchers. I will likely keep my iPad Air 2, unless Google comes out with some gotta-have Nexus tab before Apple starts selling its beast in November.
The media event marks a big day for the fruit-logo company, which also introduced new Apple Watch models. That’s code for same internals with more case color and band choices. Apple TV gets a big refresh, and new iPhones are queued up for preorders starting Saturday September 12. The company usually does Friday, but that’s the 9-11 terrorist attack anniversary.
Pixel Me Life
I am in one of my moods today, waiting for the big Apple media event to start in about 30 minutes. For no reason, other than perhaps boredom thinking about what’s to come, I wrote a quickie poem—an ode to Chromebook Pixel. It’s all just for fun and doesn’t pretend to be anything more.
When you work alone in a home office and there is no one to tease with spitballs and paper airplanes, making fun is a singular effort. The poem is meant to be read with rapid meter. Confession: I don’t play a fife, but it rhymes with life. Maybe I will add more verses later.
Flickr a Day 252: ‘Happy Hour’
The animal parade continues, and choosing wasn’t easy. Ingrid Taylar presents a National Geographic-like menagerie of beasts and birds that captures character and detail. Self-titled “Happy Hour”, which she shot on May 31, 2013, takes the Day for being interesting. How often do you see something like that? Ingrid used Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Panasonic Lumix 100-300mm lens, because “my workhorse, the Olympus E-3 is in the shop”, she says. Vitals are not available.
From San Francisco, Calif., but living in Seattle, Wash., Ingrid is what I call a “lifer”. She joined Flickr in August 2004, about six months after the service was founded. Her blog, “The Wild Beat” is a real treat,
Neko Siesta
Heatwave descends on San Diego. Just after 12:30 a.m. PDT, and my smartwatch says 28 C outdoors. Tomorrow’s expected high: 32. Air is muggy by SoCal standards but mild (45 percent) compared to the East […]
Flickr a Day 251: ‘What the …?!’
As a graphic designer, Sascha Etezazi brings fresh perspective to shooting. There are some real gems in his photostream—and some surprises. He snapped self-titled “What the …?!” on March 5, 2011, using Canon EOS 500D and […]
Flickr a Day 250: Moon Shot
I remember when about a decade ago, Canon released an EOS 20D model for astrophotography. It was an exciting development for backyard stargazers. Here we have a capture taken with something less that is something […]
I Like Apple Music, But…
Yesterday, I joined the 61 percent. The figure represents the people who, in a MusicWatch survey of 5,000, had turned off auto-renew on their free Apple Music trial, which for all ends September 30. Unless something really big comes out of this week’s media event, where new iPhones could debut and iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan receive release dates, I will listen elsewhere. For now, I will stream higher-fidelity tracks from Tidal, and expand my musical horizons at services like SoundCloud.
Strange thing: I don’t dislike Apple Music. Curated playlists are “frak me” good. Family pricing, $14.99 per month, is very reasonable. The library is voluminous; if I want to listen to it, Apple Music likely has it. Then there is the benefit of easy access to my own library of about 14,000 tracks alongside juicy fruit picked from the orchard.