Come and Get Me, Apple

If you believe Wired story “Apple Is Taking On Apples in a Truly Weird Trademark Battle“—and I do—the company is running about the globe seeking the “rights to the image of apples”.

One court case could cause big problems for 111-year-old the Fruit Union, according to reporter Gabriela Galindo, who writes: “The oldest and largest fruit farmer’s organization in Switzerland worries it might have to change its logo, because Apple, the tech giant, is trying to gain intellectual property rights over depictions of apples, the fruit”.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 20, 20237:35 pm

The Case for Monogamy

Along University Ave., in San Diego neighborhood North Park, two billboards that typically market local drug dispensaries warn about syphilis and gonorrhea. There are two! A block apart, straddling Louisiana and Texas streets.

Take my advice: Stop smoking pot and sleeping around. That’s how you reduce—or eliminate among faithful spouses—the risk of sexually transmitted diseases. Advertising that changed from cannabis shops to STDs—drugs and sex—there is a connection.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 19, 202310:19 pm

You Could Work From Home

Are you doing it now, or hoping to? Thanks to SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 mandates, many people were compelled to work from home—and when the restrictions lifted many didn’t want to return to the office. Of course, much depended upon the employee’s duties.

Let me clear up some myths, having worked out of a home office since May 1999. Often someone would ask how I could work at home and not be distracted by the environment or tempted to watch television all day. That was never my problem. Let’s start with that one and move along.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 18, 202310:31 pm

Relic of the Fourth Estate

Since June 6, 2023, I have made several concerted efforts to write this post. Each time, I ran aground. This instance is no exception, because I cannot conceptualize what needs to be stated. So, simply: Journalism is dead. News reporting as I once knew it is no more. Reporters don’t properly source. They editorialize and subjectify the news. Advocacy replaces objectivity.

That’s what makes the Reporter / Journalist / Correspondent @Work Android Collectible iconic. He marches along carrying his smartphone, microphone, and Leica rangefinder (see the red dot on the camera). He is intrepid and valiant. He seeks the truth, and knows that it demands trudging out into the field and documenting events and speaking to real people. He doesn’t mine Google, Instagram, Reddit, or any other online resources.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 17, 20237:40 pm

That’s Not a Stuffed Animal

I don’t for a second doubt that the owner of this dog regards it as a collectible—and the “Ty” tag surely means something. You remember Beanie Babies, right? Well, this pooch isn’t one of them. He appeared in the window as my wife and I wife walked by on June 15, 2023.

Ha! After I put away Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, after taking the Featured Image, a smaller dog poked up its head and vamoosed before I could react. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 50, 1/3200 sec, 70mm (film equivalent); 11:50 a.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 16, 20238:10 pm

Rustic Rose

Walking along Campus Ave., yesterday, here in San Diego neighborhood of University Heights, a few properties past the Schoolhouse, I came upon some roses of similar—if not the same—variety as the ones shared with you a few weeks ago. I thought: They’re white. I’m carrying Leica Q2 Monochrom. Why not?

The Featured Image is the original, edited to taste but composed as shot. The companion is a close crop so you can see just how amazing is the dazzling detail that this camera can capture. Focus is spot on where I wanted it.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 15, 20238:14 pm

Mommy Monarch

According to one of my neighbors, who tends a butterfly garden in her front yard, a female Monarch lays eggs on milkweed. As such, the mom-to-be stayed still long enough for me to shoot six shots, the last being the Featured Image.

This one is composed as captured and as produced by Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Meaning: No post-production. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 50, 1/850 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 11:25 a.m. PDT, today.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 14, 20238:54 pm

A Walk in the Park

This massively cropped composition catches walkers in San Diego’s Balboa Park, on April 20, 2023. I used Leica Q2 Monochrom to capture the Featured Image. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/11, ISO 200, 1/400 sec, 28mm; […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 13, 20239:19 pm

Got Cash? Go Elsewhere!

Marking a trendy trend among the trendy artisan set, Communal Coffee in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood won’t accept your money for payment. Your credit or debit card is legal tender, even Apple Pay, but keep bills or coins in pocket, purse, or wallet.

The privilege of digital currency comes with a perk—and one some of you won’t want: The tip nag screen that appears during the purchase process. Oh, don’t feel guilt or pressure, with the glaring eyes of the barista bearing down on you with expectation of 20-percent or more gratuity to top off that swank latte with almond milk.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 12, 20239:47 pm

Keep It Simple

Around my neighborhood are many little lending libraries. Some are fancy, others large, then there those paying homage to something. All are wooden boxes of various types placed and placarded (as LittleFreeLibrary). Someone made them.

But why go to all that trouble? Today, I happened upon the best book sharing station ever. Why build something new, when you can repurpose something else—in this instance a fence post upon which to place a cardboard box with books. I love it! Use what you got instead of making something new.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 11, 202310:09 pm

Neko Nestles

As the hunt for my neighbor’s missing kitty Bruce continues, I take a moment to regard one of our two felines. Neko has started to occasionally nap on the bed in my old office, which is now our daughter’s bedroom. She moved into our apartment on April 11, 2023, as part of recovery from a traumatic event, which her medical record describes as “severe hypoxic injury and bilateral subcortical infarctions”. Her progress so far is nothing short of miraculous, considering where she was on March 2. That said, doctors have counseled us to expect one to two years for her brain to heal as much as it will ever.

Our girl’s arrival kind of sent the cats (Cali is the other) into exile from one of their main rooms in the residence. But the Featured Image, taken today using Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, shows how Neko is starting to share territory with our girl. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 125, 1/60 sec, 70mm; 10:40 a.m. PDT; composed as shot.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 10, 20239:49 pm

National Pride

June is when come out the proud boys—and I don’t mean the group caught up in what occurred inside and outside the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. Rainbow banners fly in homes and businesses around San Diego, supposedly supporting the prideful.

So I was quite surprised, today, to come upon colors of different character and national pride. At the corner of Madison and Texas streets, someone set up a stand selling the flag of Mexico and related sundries. Driving to Costco and stopped at a red light, I rolled down the car’s window and used Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra to shoot the Featured Image and companion.