Saturday, February 17, 2001

Just uploaded an additional 10 photos to the Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery section and added National Cemetery to the list with a dozen photographs.
10:07 PM ::link::

Friday, February 16, 2001

Picked up the black and white prints from last weekend's trip to Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery and National Cemetery on the way home from work today. I hope to find some time to scan them this weekend, so look for another dozen shots for Baltimore Hebrew and the addition of National Cemetery to the list soon.

A big thanks to the great folks at Service Photo for the great deal on the light meter. Having that was a big help in getting the correct exposure for the many beautiful bronze sculptures.
8:01 PM ::link::

Always good to see a favorite return from a hiatus.
The divine Ms.E is back!
A smart woman that knows how to write... yeah ;-)
7:13 PM ::link::

Reports on half a dozen new digital photo products with the Mac user in mind. Included in this collection are new toys from Adobe, Canon, FileFlow, JVC and Silicon Film Technologies.
10:55 AM ::link::

Despite the free burial service offered by West Point City Cemetery, there is only a burial there about every four years. Money isn't the only driving force in people's selection of the resting place for their departed. This predominantly Catholic community prefers interment in the Calvary Cemetery, which is owned by St. Mary's Parish.

While a large component in this decision making process may be driven by the Catholic Church's requirements for burial in consecrated ground, I've noticed that even in secular graveyards there is a grouping by associations formed in life. Cemeteries reflect not only our history but continually form their own extensions of neighborhoods. I've noticed clusterings by economic status, ethnicity and by occupation or fraternal membership. While I doubt that one's location in a cemetery has any effects upon the soul or spirit's afterlife, I believe that it does offer a source of consolation to grieving family and friends. It's one final effort to maintain the bonds formed during life, to keep a memory strong and to keep from being lonely.
10:44 AM ::link::

Thursday, February 15, 2001

Perhaps one cause of so much dissatisfaction in our culture is our buying into the idea that objects can fulfill our desires. While enticing us to buy more and consume more things is at the heart of our economic system, where does it provide for what we truly need and desire? What can we do differently to avoid the traps set by the media to turn us into creatures of consumption? Once you have enough to provide for your basic needs, what true happiness is found in collecting material goods? Can we refocus our consumption habits without bringing on an economic collapse? Would a radically different distribution structure allow for a greater sharing of production? Lots of questions, wish I had the answers. Do you?
2:40 PM ::link::

Post Valentine Wasteland

In the wake of the ravages caused by the Hallmark holiday, I think it's high time that we start celebrating a holiday dedicated not to the false Eros as depicted in the typical Valentine card but rather a holiday dedicated to a more universally beneficial love, agape. While certainly not denying the importance or delights of a sexual love, we need to reach out and share the bounties of our love in more than one way, with more than one person, and for more than one day.

It doesn't take much, a kind word, or even a silent smile will do. Let someone know that you care about them, today and every day. Kaycee said it well in her blog yesterday, "Can we keep the celebration going... maybe forever?" Forever starts today.
12:15 PM ::link::

Wednesday, February 14, 2001

More photos for your viewing pleasure, courtesy of Pandora. Is it just the midweek rush of taphophiles to post the results of their weekend wanderings?

There must be something in the air tonight... maybe all that left over love from Valentine's Day.
11:00 PM ::link::

New photos added tonight from this past weekend's trip to Baltimore Hebrew cemetery. There are about a dozen infrared shots from this cemetery available now, with more regular black and white photos on the way soon. Enjoy.
10:51 PM ::link::

Tuesday, February 13, 2001

The secret to a happy marriage:

I asked my wife why she has stayed with me all these years and she said women's standards decline as they get older.
9:53 PM ::link::

Saundra's got a chilling little story, with a flavoring of William Gibson cyberpunk grit. I hope she builds into something longer and more involved because what she has already is enough to get the mental cogs stirring and leaves me clamoring for more.
2:24 PM ::link::

Adobe will be offering a new product aimed at digital camera users. The program, Elements, will offer features lacking in the lower end PhotoDeluxe but without the hefty price tag and complexity of PhotoShop.
11:55 AM ::link::

Two items in the shameless self-promotion category:

I know that I don't have a snowball's chance in hell but your vote would be appreciated.

With Valentine's Day around the corner, try a different sort of card this year. The story associated with the Larrimore monument is a touching tale of love beyond death.
10:10 AM ::link::

Vandalism at a cemetery is always a terrible thing but in this instance it served to bring a community together to rededicate the cemetery and clean the defaced stones.
9:59 AM ::link::

Monday, February 12, 2001

Congratulations, Catherine, and best wishes for success.
LivingArt is an amazingly beautiful compilation of the wonders to be found in everyday life if you just open your eyes and see. Harder to do than it sounds, especially on a Monday.
8:42 AM ::link::

Sunday, February 11, 2001

Hugs, smiles and a prayer for you, my friend. Hope tomorrow is brighter and happier.
9:52 PM ::link::

Managed to swing by a new cemetery this afternoon to shoot a roll of Kodak HIE infrared and a few shots of TMax. Baltimore Hebrew cemetery, on the east side of town right next to Clifton Park, has some beautiful bronze statues and sculptures as well as some unique monuments.

I had also hoped to get some shots of the nearby St. Vincent's cemetery but it didn't look like there was much there. It was quite overgrown with very few standing stones. This is a shame as it was established in the mid 1800's and should contain some interesting and historical graves. It is surrounded by a golf course and the Parks department does not seem to have done a lot to preserve and maintain the cemetery, being more devoted to providing services for those hitting little white balls into holes in the ground.

I finished the roll of TMax at the National Cemetery in Irvington, on the south west side of the city. There are several well done monuments from the Civil War era. One interesting one has a beautiful bas relief sculpture of soldiers on all 4 sides. I hope to have these shots processed, scanned and uploaded within a week or two.
8:45 PM ::link::

Phil Greenspun's photo.net community is a valuable resource for any photographer. I also enjoy his writings on the web and the way that it works and can work, such as his look at Scalable Systems for Online Communities. Not just a well written piece on the value of online communities but a detailed explanation of the software behind his own community, this will warm the heart of any database and programming geek.
11:17 AM ::link::

A repeatable method for color correction in Photoshop is outlined in Systematic Color Correction, from Apogee Photo magazine. Following a few simple steps rather than blindly trying the "maybe this will do it" method will produce better results in less time.

10:17 AM ::link::

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