Long time passing...

It's been a looong time since I've posted! Getting used to a new job and all... what can I say.

Found lots of interesting sites all about our wonderful government... nothing ever changes, does it?

Fascism Link
Truthout Link
MSNBC Link

All Hail Apple!

I've gotten so fed up with Windows based computers! They are cumbersome, memory hogs, and so suseptible to viruses you need to innoculate daily! The software is invasive, takes up more and more space on the hard drive than is needed to produce documents, spreadsheets, and the like, and does everything so inefficiently by taking far more steps than should be required to do the simplest of tasks! And to top it all off... it is actually MORE expensive to purchase a Windows based computer than an Apple!

I searched for the best Windows computer I could find, one that would give me a high standard of included software and well made hardware, and found the Sony VAIO. When I priced the 13" VGN-S480, a 13" laptop, it cost $3030.00, a price that at the time didn't seem too bad for a laptop. Yet, when I went to the Apple store and priced an equivalent 14" iBook, it only cost $1300.00! That's right... a savings of $1,730.00!! So someone please tell me WHY anyone in their right mind would spend so much more for a Windows based computer? I can purchase the same cumbersome Microsoft Office suite for the Apple (but why bother when AppleWorks (a simplistic but still reliable piece of software) is already included in the Apple and can read Word documents and Excel spreadsheets?

I have tried for YEARS to work with what is the most used (but why I cannot imagine!) operating system on this planet, but just can't take it anymore! After I purchased the iBook, I was able to create an entire presentation in a day, using Keynote, something that would have taken me FAR longer and taken far more steps to create in Microsoft's PowerPoint! Not only that, but I purchased (at a $179.00 savings I might add!) a color iPod, and am now listening to music, downloading images from my digital camera, and recording my voice whenever I need to! It automatically syncs with the iBook, has opened my mind up to the idea of Podcasting, and is just plain EASIER TO USE!

Goodbye Windows! Goodbye Microsoft! Hello freedom! Hello APPLE!

Now some quotes that matter...

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.
-- Thomas Jefferson

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
-- Matthew 5:9

If you give up freedom for security, you deserve neither.
-- Benjamin Franklin

Is This A Bush Quote?

Naturally, the common people don't want war, but they can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
Tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and endangering the country.
It works the same in every country.
-- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg Trials

Ads by Google

I've noticed that I am getting a lot of religious links in the Ads by Google. Must be because I had all those quotes a while back.
I thought I would add some random words here to see if it would link to other types of adds... let's all find out, shall we? How about a big corporation... hmmmm... Disney?

Disney
Disney Studios
Walt Disney World
Disneyland
Disney Online
Disney Channel
Disneyland Paris
Tokyo Disney
Disneyland Hong Kong
Disney Cruise Line

How do you sleep?

I find it interesting that the Bush administration has been so critical of the Newsweek article that stated that American interrogators at Guantánamo Bay had flushed a Koran down a toilet. The administration stated:

"...the Newsweek article had damaged the image of the United States abroad. It reflected the severity of consequences that even one sentence in a brief news article can have at a time of intense anti-American sentiment overseas and political polarization, as well as extreme distrust of the mainstream media at home."

In light of this statement, I find it particularly puzzling that the administration hasn't retracted its statements on Weapons of Mass Destruction or backed out of this war. At least Newsweek retracted their account when their source retracted their original statement. Why hasn't Bush done the same? His sources were in error, and I believe it is safe to say that the actions taken by Bush have "damaged the image of the United States abroad" and caused "intense anti-American sentiment overseas", not to mention the loss of hundreds of thousands of innocent lives.

How does George Bush sleep at night?

Marine Torture

According to an interview with an American contractor in Iraq, Marines have tortured other Americans because of bitterness at the amount of money the private contractors make. Sixteen Americans were beaten (slammed against cement floors, crushed testicles) and humiliated (how does it feel to make that contractor money now?).

And some of you wonder why I am against this war? It doesn't matter if the contractors started the dispute (as alledged by the Marines). The fact of the matter is... American Marines, who are supposed to protect the rights of our citizens, have turned into the very terrorists they purport to be fighting against.

The Marines have made a statement: The detainees were treated humanely and respectfully. I wonder if that is the same treatment as reported at Abu Grab?


NPR Link

More Religious Quotes

It just keeps getting better and better...

Far too many people believe in religion; only a handful believe in God.
--Unknown

We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.
--Johnathan Swift

I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.
--Stephen Roberts

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful.
--Seneca the Younger

Gods are fragile things; they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense.
--Chapman Cohen

Don't pray in my school and I won't think in your church.
--Bumper Sticker

Dear God: Why is there so much violence in schools? -A Concerned Student
Dear Concerned Student: I'm not allowed in school. -God-
--On a T-shirt

And Even More...

...Religious Quotes...

You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep-seated need to believe.
--Carl Sagan

People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
--Dave Barry

We give the child a false religion which is not of his own choosing. And religion is such a thing that unless you have chosen it for yourself it will not be of any value. Only when you have chosen it - as an outcome of the search from your own being, from your own pain and thirst - can you be religious.
--Unknown

You keep believing, I'll keep evolving.
--Bumper Sticker

Why does God allow suffering? Why do we?
--Unknown

3 out of 100 people waste their lives being atheists. 97 out of 100 people waste their lives being idiots, killing each other on who has got the better God.
--Unknown

Religion is for people who are afraid to go to hell. Spirituality is for those who have already been there.
-Unknown

Religion is like going out to dinner with friends. Everyone may order something different, but everyone can still sit at the same table.
--H. H. The Dalai Lama

God must grow weary of being called to on both sides of a war.
--Unknown

Religious Quotes

Just some religious quotes for no other reason than I found them telling...

And Jesus said unto them, "And whom do you say that I am?"
They replied, "You are the eschatological manifestation of the ground of our being, the ontological foundation of the context of our very selfhood revealed."
And Jesus replied, "What?"
--Unknown

The most fatal seductive lie that has yet existed.
--Nietzsche about Christianity, "Will to Power

God is playing a comic to an audience that's afraid to laugh.
--Voltaire

Man is certainly stark mad. He cannot even make a worm, and yet he will be making gods by the dozens.
--Montaigne

I do not believe in a God of theology who rewards good and punishes evil.
--Albert Einstein

Once there was a time when all people believed in God and the church ruled. This time is called the Dark Ages.
--Unknown

Certain teachings in the Bible are as diamonds in a dung-heap.
--Thomas Jefferson

April the first

On this most important date, it is important to listen to the words of Mark Twain...

The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.

Have a wonderful day!

I Could Do That...

Just read an article on someone who smuggled his own artwork into New York's Museum of Modern Art. The art stayed there for more than three days before anyone noticed! He smuggled other works into other museums with the same effect. Go check out this web site... http://www.woostercollective.com

All I can say is... why didn't I think of it first?

Preconceptions

I was listening to an NPR report while driving into work today. It was talking about a restaurant in Zurich called "The Blind Cow", which served people their food in total darkness. Yes, you heard me right... total darkness! At first I thought how ridiculous! How can this be such a popular place to eat? That's insane!
The restaurant was started by, if I recall correctly, a priest that deals with sight impaired people that wanted to have sighted people understand their difficulties. The thing that struck me most though, was how the reporter described his experience. He talked of taking something off his plate and starting to eat it, and having no idea what it was. It had the texture of a soft cheese, but didn't feel like it at all when he put it in his mouth. At first he thought it might be a soft meat... a pate or something like it. Then, slowly, very slowly, his senses finally began returning the signals that told him what it was... a hard boiled egg yolk.
Apparently, our sight plays a MAJOR role in defining what we eat. If we have a carrot stick, we have already decided what it must taste like just by looking at it. Without sight, it takes to mind some amount of time to define what we are doing, and that, at least to me, would be an incredible experience -- the ultimate non-attachment to preconceptions.
Just think what a world we could live in if we didn't determine what someone was like just by looking at them, if we didn't have all those structures of how the world is set in concrete in our minds. What a liberating power we would possess, something that would transcend our very notions of existence. But could we do it? Would we ever dare to have that kind of courage?

Animal Smells

It's been a while since I've posted, but I got ill for a while, and then went on a meditation retreat, so haven't had time to write much.

It is amazing how a retreat will change ones perspective, not just of their immediate surroundings, but of all that is happening around them. I find that the burdens of life tend to make one forget the magic that seems to surround us everyday. The simple joy of seeing the sun shine through your bedroom window in the morning gets replaced with the depression of "having" to face another day. The smells around you, instead of being wonderous experiences, become "smelly stinky city life". This energy that surrounds us does not disappear... but we seem to not see it because of all the dross we heap on ourselves in day to day life.

Think about when you were a child, and that sense of wonder you possessed. Whatever happened to that? Then go to the circus with a child and watch the reactions. When you think of the "animal stink", the child might say "Oh boy! Animal smells!". The difference is in our perceptions, our sense of "now-ness", our letting go of preconceived notions and ideas.

Consider letting go of all those heaps of garbage and dross you have accumulated... at least for a moment... and sense the wonder of a child again. The world will be a better place for it...

All Too True

I received the joke below, sent to me by e-mail, under the subject heading of "This is good". The sender thought it was funny... I found it all too true...

Q: How many Bush Administration officials does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: None. There is nothing wrong with the light bulb; its conditions are improving every day. Any reports of its lack of incandescence are a delusional spin from the liberal media. That light bulb has served honorably and anything you say undermines the lighting effect. Why do you hate freedom?

It is unfortunate that if you dare criticize the current administration, you are labeled someone who "hates freedom". What the hell does that mean?? It reminds me of the Clinton years, where everyone was doing everything "for the children", whatever that meant, and if you didn't like the policy, you somehow must hate children!

We have gone from a left wing liberal government to a right wing fascist government, not just conservative, but one that is erroding our freedoms under the banner of freedom, fascism by any other name. We were told to fear the "red" under the bed... do we now fear the terrorist on the terrace or the anarchist in the attic? I wonder how many government agencies are reading this blog right now... makes you wonder where our supposed freedoms have gone...

Some are more equal than others

Just read a story on Yahoo about a "retired doctor, a regular with his wife at their local Baptist church", that bought a DVD of Doris Day in "Pajama Game" and found instead a porn movie. Now this would not have been interesting in the least, except for their response:

"It was a pretty raunchy, explicit film, it certainly pulled no punches. My wife and I were very shocked but we watched it until the end because we couldn't believe what we were seeing."

Ya... right. So much for the righteous right and their fanaticism about sex, gay marriage, and controlling everything we see and do. Apparently, it's okay for THEM to see and do as they please, just not everyone else! Reminds me of the line in Animal Farm:
"All animals are equal, But some animals are more equal than others".


Doris Day Link

Cost of War

I found a new link concerning the war our esteemed president has chosen to involve us in. What affects me the most is the cost comparisons to other ways the money could have been used... at this writing, almost twenty million children educated for a year, over ninety million children insured for a year, and over seven million college scholarships. I guess health and intelligence are not valued in a society where cannon fodder is needed.
Don't get me wrong... there was a great evil in Iraq and no one was willing to address it in any meaningful way. But how is it possible to justify over a thousand of our young soldiers deaths, over 100,000 civilian deaths, including children? Aggression is not the answer... it is the problem.
Ultimately, the lies put forth by this administration have destroyed our standing in the world, and, even though I find far too many countries just as culpable in this matter, I also feel the only way for a powerful nation such as ours to make any kind of difference is to be respected, not feared. Any thoughts?

Digital Prices

In a previous post discussing digital cameras, someone commented that "The technology will increase and the price will drop. Just as it has for computers."
I must disagree with this statement. I have found that every computer I have bought has run me around three grand. Although each generation did more than the last, I required that it do so, so ended up having to buy those models that provided the increased functionality. If I had bought a computer that was exactly like my older one I would have paid less for that, but what would be the point? The older one wasn't broken! It seems to be the case with technology today... we don't replace things that are broken, we replace perfectly good things with things that do even more stuff!
The same can be said of digital cameras. The new Canon body runs eight grand, without lenses, flash, or just about anything else you may need to actually create a photo. And although previous models fall in price, the professional photographer will need the more advanced cameras. They may not need the highest priced Canon, but surely they could not use the Digital Rebel entry camera either (under a grand for that one... with a lens!). If all they had was that, it would be quite possible to meet a client with the exact same camera! And although it is the photographers EYE that creates the image, it is the client that will infer they can do just as well since they have the same model as the photographer they are hiring.
Prices aren't falling at all. They are remaining the same, just with more attachments!

The Price of the Digital Revolution

Although the advent of digital imaging has opened many paths, it has also seemed to have devalued others. My old reliable Hasselblad equipment is a good example. In the past, it has always retained its value, even as it has aged, something 35mm cameras were never able to do. They were so reliable and well built, that the market for them was always strong.
Now, because of the digital revolution, a Hasselblad's value has fallen dramatically. I would be lucky to get half of what I paid for mine now. In some ways, this seems very sad to me. We seem to be devaluing our past accomplishments for the glitter of what is new and fashionable. I assume that every generation goes through this, and it is just my turn to do the same. Any comments on this and similar phenomena out there?

The Digital Revolution

I have the new photo album started, and it is bringing up some interesting observations...

The advent of the digital revolution has really changed my views on photographic imaging! I would never have started a project where I just photographed things that popped into my view during the day. It is as if the entire process of film developing and printing was somehow "sacred", and only "worthy" images were meant to be recorded in such a fashion, especially if you used an "elite" camera system such as the Hasselblad! In some ways, film was holding me back, making me only shoot when "there was something to say", even though it was I all along that was attaching value to the subject in question, making it have a value or be of no value, as I saw fit.

Make no mistake... I do not feel film is somehow inherently elitist -- It is we that make it so. I still see great advantages to the film process... it is still able to capture far greater contrast ranges than does digital (at least in the black and white imaging that I am used to), and there is just something about creating an image in the darkroom that I feel sadly missing in my digital work on the computer. Although I am able to produce far more than when I used a darkroom, and I even feel some of my images are far more coherent and well thought out, I also miss the "feel" of the paper, the smell of the chemistry, the glow of the enlarger light in a safelit room.

I have also become willing to shoot in color, something that I avoided in the past. I have never felt charged with the energy I feel (when shooting in black and white), and the addition of color far too greatly subdues the form, shape, and tone of an image, making these powerful statements subservient to the color spectrum. Yet, somehow, digital seems to lend itself to capturing the moment, and that moment seems to be in color, at least for now.

Photo Album

Well, at least I've figured out how to add photo albums to this thing! Kind of a long process if you ask me! So far just the one album with photographs from the recent Shambhala Level V that I attended. Quite an experience that! I believe it was quite a significant step in this Buddhist path I am on... even if I do trip on a stone or two along the way!

I am just starting to photograph more with the digital Canon S70 and hopefully will have some things to show soon. My current project is photographing whatever interesting things jump into my view while I am out and about... hmmm... possibly a good title for the album...

Updates and such

An odd thing, these blogs. You seem to spend much time on them, but they essentially remain the same. Plus ca change, c'est la meme chose?

I've added some new links, although I still can't figure out how to create a rounded corner block around that section as are the 'About Me' and 'Previous Posts' sections. If you haven't visited yet, go see Dharma the Cat and EyesCoffee... two of my fav's!

I've also got AdSense (against my better sense!) just because they said the magic word 'money'! So, although I am sending email to friends saying click on the adds so I can make money, I am only joking. Click on the adds numerous times so I can makes LOADS OF MONEY!!

Blogging Frustrations

Getting somewhat frustrated with this blogging page already! I can't seem to post an image into my profile and I wanted to have some graphics on the sidebars, but being worse than an HTML novice (what comes before novice... ignoramous?), I have no idea what coding I need. It already took over an hour of searching to figure out how to just list links on the sidebar!

I downloaded something called HELLO, which seems to be okay, but when I uploaded an image, it just made it a new posting instead of leaving it at some URL somewhere where I could refer to it in my profile. I am sure I am being clear as mud... go figure!

If anyone out there in bloggerland knows what I am talking about, any help would be appreciated (after your laughter dies down, of course!).

Oh... and since I didn't say it before... Happy New Year! Of course, it's still the Year of the Wood-Monkey for many, so I'll say it again in February when it becomes the Year of the Wood-Rooster... assuming I remember!

A New Year

It's the morning of a new year! And in the spirit of things new, I thought I would write about some new views I have concerning photography.
As a photography instructor at a local community college (I don't teach in college... I teach in COMMUNITY COLLEGE!), I have seen amazing changes come about in the photographic profession in the last few years. Some die hards may think these changes are destroying what was photography, but I choose to see it as just one of those many hiccups we get throughout our lives.
Digital imaging is a new frontier, and we shouldn't be afraid of it. Even though all of our traditional views and processes are going by the wayside, new and challenging ideas are being created out of the debris!
It pains me to say it, but film is dead. Get over it. Ilford's film division is in bankruptcy, it is getting harder and harder to find professional films even in large cities, my favorite black and white paper (Ektalure) isn't even made any more, and digital output is all but indistinguishable from traditional forms of photographic output. I am even considering selling off all of my precious Hasselblad equipment! I shudder just writing that last line! Or perhaps I shutter...
As an experiment, I have purchased a Canon PowerShot S70 digital camera, a higher end point-and-shoot (is that an oxymoron?) and the Canon CP-330 dye sublimation printer that seems to go well with it. It has manual settings, and even a primitive manual focus (ha ha!), but let's face it, it's going to get used in Program! The initial tests are quite promising, and I notice that I am shooting far more than I have been in the last few years. It looks like it may be time to really sell off that old equipment and invest in a real digital SLR. Sigh. Change sure is a pain...