For many years I've been spending Easters, Thanksgivings and Christmases with Wendy's family in Terry Lake, Fort Collins, CO. The lake's north shore is hugely photogenic, so nice photos are easy pickings each year.
This Christmas was no exception. I zipped out at sunset one evening and shot this set:
While in Denver over the holidays Wendy and I went to the Broncos/Raiders game at Mile High Stadium (or "Invesco Field at Mile High"). We'd managed to get fantastic tickets for seats on the 4th row at the 40-yard line, Broncos side, and the weather turned out to be absolutely beautiful.
Tragically, and heart-breakingly, the Broncos lost to their arch-rivals in the last minute of the game—chances of reaching the playoffs diminishing accordingly. Still, I got some good photos.
This year I was lucky enough to receive the most kick-ass selection of books. I can't wait to get started working my way through the pile:
I also received one of the most fantastic Christmas gifts ever: a Korg Kaossilator. Holy moly this thing is some kind of super-addictive-awesome.
Also: a Brookes saddle for the fixie and a two-tone chopping board. Got to love it.
Bernal Hill is a few blocks south of where we live in the Mission. I find the area incredibly photogenic.
Yesterday Wendy and I went on a walk up and around the hill, as we often do. In the fall afternoon sun I got a set I'm fond of, some of which are below:
[an atypical business-related post with due credit to the Telco 2.0 Blog, an excellent resource on the modern economics of telco]
I've witnessed this point argued again and again: at my current employer, my previous employer, and the one before that. Telcos are greedy; telcos sell "unlimited data" but deliver otherwise; telcos will lose the broadband market to a player who can offer better value; and so on. Definitely I'm not defending misleading marketing of broadband services, but claiming that telcos are on a mission to exploit consumers falls short of the mark.
It's really not as simple as that.
The problem the telcos have is this: their costs building and running a packet-switched network are fundamentally a function of data volume on that network, (# of bits transported) * (cost per bit). As a first-order approximation, this linear function works pretty well; in this simplified model the cost per bit is an aggregation of OpEx and CapEx (amortized). CapEx includes licensing wireless spectrum, building out towers and backhaul and so on.
Telco costs are a function of data transport volume, more or less.
So you might be tempted to think that a "cost-plus" pricing model is the answer: charge the consumer per transported bit (ie. a metered data plan) at a rate of X * (cost per bit), where X>1. In general these pricing plans don't work well because on the consumption end what users end up paying doesn't correlate with the value they're getting. Is watching that YouTube video on my iPhone 100x more valuable to me than downloading that email from my boss? No, but it might cost me 100x more. Consumers can't make sense of that, and metered data plans haven't worked for the industry.
Consumer value is not a function of data transport volume.
So the telcos move to a subscription-based pricing model, otherwise known as flat-rate. Here they charge you a monthly fee for access to the network but typically give you "unlimited data" along with that. This is easy for consumers to understand, avoids the problem of data value being independent of data volume, and everything works just fine... EXCEPT that now the telco's revenue is a function of (# of subscribers) while their costs are a function of (# of bits transported).
In a subscription-based world, telco data costs and revenues are decoupled.
Having your revenues decoupled from your costs is a dangerous situation to be in, because you could easily find yourself paying out more money than you're taking in. So you try a few things:
After the launch of iPlayer in the UK (iPlayer is the BBC's streaming media product), one major ISP revealed that their costs of carrying streaming traffic trebled within weeks. Unless they can pass those costs to consumers, or fund them some other way, or prevent them entirely, they'd be in trouble. Bad news when your costs treble and your revenues don't.
Of course there are other talented folks doing this stuff. If you're interested you should check out 25 Spectacular Light Painting Images. Of the angel (#10), Matt says "Looks like it was done with a sparkler" and I think he's right. Clever.
Thanksgiving is an interesting time if you're an expat in the States. Intellectually of course I "get" the protocol—the family gatherings, the turkey meal, all-day Bond marathons on TV, mega-retail, putting up the Christmas tree, and so on—but viscerally my experience seems inevitably different from that of those around me. They've grown up with the holiday and I haven't.
The difference isn't about knowing the rituals: these can easily be learned and acted out. The difference is that after decades of experiencing the tradition it internalizes and becomes a "feeling". Thanksgiving has a particular "feel" to US natives, the substance of which is an aggregation of memories going all the way back to childhood. Thanksgiving doesn't have a "feel" for me in a way that Christmas Eve does, for example.
This isn't to say, of course, that it's not a good time. This year Wendy and I stayed in San Francisco for Thanksgiving, something we've not done before. We were thankful for each other, the amazing city we live in, the Californian climate, the house we love to live in, and the beauty of the fall.
Like Paul Simon says.
I find these things particularly photogenic. There's this set from Denver, of which this is an example:
and there's this set from Minneapolis, of which this is my favorite:
and latest is this lovely taillight from Healdsburg:
There's a spider's web in there, honestly. You can see it a bit better in the larger version. I took it last year at the launch party of my mom's book.
Took these last Saturday wandering around our neighborhood: the Mission in San Francisco. What a super super place. I moved to the city five years ago and I'm still just thrilled to live here.
Some samples below but the full set is on Flickr as ever:
The Alemany Farmers' Market is known for all sorts of things. The weekly parking débâcle, the hummus guy, Two Dog dry-farmed tomatoes, and (to me) amazing colors. It's an organic sustainably farmed rainbow.
I'm posting some samples below but you should check out the set on Flickr.
If you search Wikipedia for "worst pain ever experienced" the #1 result is "kidney stone". Until a couple of weeks ago I didn't really know what kidney stones were and the worst pain I'd ever experienced was appendicitis nearly six years back.
All that changed, though:
The strangest thing.
Isaac's advice for this week: avoid kidney stones. Badness.
About last week: I spent it in England, including visiting my parents a couple of weekends ago. On the Saturday we had a lovely day with a break in the clouds and went for a walk around the village:
In ten days in England I don't think I saw the sun at all apart from that one day.
As an immigrant myself, it was touching and poignant to visit Ellis Island and I'm glad that I did. What a place!
I was captivated by the reception hall on the second floor. This is what it looked like 100 years ago:
and this is what it looked like when I was there:
More photos on Flickr as ever.
Going to Tiffany wasn't on my mom's list but we did it anyway. She wasn't wearing Tiffany Blue on purpose.
The walk from SoHo to Wall Street was part of a longer walk from SoHo to Battery Park, with the intention of hopping on a ferry to Ellis Island. At 3.30pm or so, though, the line for ferry tickets was about 45 minutes with an additional 60 to board a boat after that. We figured we'd skip it and come back first thing the next day.
Instead we dropped in on the hotel, picked up our books and headed to Central Park. While we hung out I got some great shots in the late afternoon autumn sunshine, like this one:
We left the Empire State Building and headed in a cab to SoHo. From there we took a walk to Wall Street and I took photos along the way:
It's been a long time since I've been down the southern tip of Manhattan. A lot has changed since 1999.
Sunday in New York I woke up early and started my research on the Empire State Building. Did you know it was built in just 410 days? Or that in 1945 a B-52 bomber crashed into it and precipitated the longest survived elevator fall recorded (75 floors). Or that because it opened during the Great Depression they had such problems finding tenants that in the first year they took in more money from tickets to the observation deck than from commercial rent?
I also learned, crucially as it turned out, that you can buy Express Tickets online. From the site:
The lines at the Empire State Building Observatory are as legendary as the building itself. The line actually consists of 3 different lines. The first one is the security line that everyone must go through. Next comes the ticket line. Visitors with pre-purchased tickets can skip this line which can save a considerable amount of time during our busiest times. The 3rd and last line is for the elevators that take you to the Observatory.and it's true. There are lines to get in, to get authorized, to get screened, to get up, to get down, and to get through. Pay the little extra for express tickets and it's like these lines don't exist. Empire State visitor pro-tip. Save two hours.
While we have been told that anything this good is worth the wait, we have also heard laments that some people missed out on being able to visit the Empire State Building Observatory because they just didn’t have enough time to see and do everything while in NYC. Now you can. By purchasing an Express Pass you will automatically be moved to the front of each and every line.
It was a wonderful clear day and I took a bunch of photos. You can find a selection in the usual spot on Flickr. An example:
I went to New York for the weekend to meet my mom, who was also there for the weekend. She rightly had the list which every NY first-timer develops before their trip, and the first day there found us in Grand Central Station.
Completely fabulous place! We checked out the Campbell Apartment but it was too busy so we ended up drinking in Cirpriani's. The whole experience was utterly photogenic:
See the whole monochromatic set on Flickr.
I notice that Switchy McSwitchenstein just posted for the first time in a long time. Interesting topic.
My problem is OSTs rather than PSTs. If anyone knows how to deal with those suckers when no longer on the corporate domain, let me know.
I just completed my annual resume update. Within hours I'd had a hit on it as a result of this search. Astonishing!
A couple of people asked after my last post, Truisms.
I was watching the movie Helvetica (a great movie, by the way). About 50 minutes in begins a segment with this guy Stefan Sagmeister, who says
I myself got fairly disappointed with modernism in general. It simply became boring. If I see a brochure now with lots of whitespace, that has six lines of Helvetica up on the top, and a little abstract logo on the bottom, and a picture of a businessman walking somewhere—the overall communcation says to me "do not read me because I will bore the shit out of you"
Stefan himself was not the most engaging individual ever, but behind him was a poster series of Jenny Holzer's Truisms. See here in a frame from the film:
I looked them up, and there they were.
My favorites, you ask? Here:
A SENSE OF TIMING IS THE MARK OF GENIUSI don't necessarily agree with every one (although it's fair to say that I do with most) but each one is worthy of serious thought.
A SINCERE EFFORT IS ALL YOU CAN ASK
A STRONG SENSE OF DUTY IMPRISONS YOU
ABSOLUTE SUBMISSION CAN BE A FORM OF FREEDOM
ANY SURPLUS IS IMMORAL
ANYTHING IS A LEGITIMATE AREA OF INVESTIGATION
AT TIMES INACTIVITY IS PREFERABLE TO MINDLESS FUNCTIONING
BEING HAPPY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING ELSE
CALM IS MORE CONDUCTIVE TO CREATIVITY THAN IS ANXIETY
DEVIANTS ARE SACRIFICED TO INCREASE GROUP SOLIDARITY
DYING AND COMING BACK GIVES YOU CONSIDERABLE PERSPECTIVE
ENJOY YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU CAN'T CHANGE ANYTHING ANYWAY
FAKE OR REAL INDIFFERENCE IS A POWERFUL PERSONAL WEAPON
GOVERNMENT IS A BURDEN ON THE PEOPLE
GRASS ROOTS AGITATION IS THE ONLY HOPE
HABITUAL CONTEMPT DOESN'T REFLECT A FINER SENSIBILITY
HIDING YOUR MOTIVES IS DESPICABLE
IF YOU LIVE SIMPLY THERE IS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT
IGNORING ENEMIES IS THE BEST WAY TO FIGHT
IN SOME INSTANCES IT'S BETTER TO DIE THAN TO CONTINUE
IT'S GOOD TO GIVE EXTRA MONEY TO CHARITY
IT'S IMPORTANT TO STAY CLEAN ON ALL LEVELS
IT'S NOT GOOD TO OPERATE ON CREDIT
IT'S VITAL TO LIVE IN HARMONY WITH NATURE
MOSTLY YOU SHOULD MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS
OFTEN YOU SHOULD ACT LIKE YOU ARE SEXLESS
PEOPLE ARE NUTS IF THEY THINK THEY ARE IMPORTANT
POLITICS IS USED FOR PERSONAL GAIN
SELF-AWARENESS CAN BE CRIPPLING
SOLITUDE IS ENRICHING
THE SUM OF YOUR ACTIONS DETERMINES WHAT YOU ARE
THERE'S NOTHING EXCEPT WHAT YOU SENSE
TORTURE IS BARBARIC
WORDS TEND TO BE INADEQUATE
YOU CAN'T EXPECT PEOPLE TO BE SOMETHING THEY'RE NOT
I saw a poster of these truisms by Jenny Holzer. Some of them I liked very much but I think it would be unfair to editorialize and post only a selection... so here's the full set:
[Full set used to be here but why not just click through to http://stuartcollection.ucsd.edu/StuartCollection/HolzerTruism.htm]
Very few of my childhood friends am I still in touch with. Fewer still do I have any meaningful relationship with, but one of those with whom I do happens to be both a smashing stand up guy and a super-successful real-life medical doctor.
This friend of mine works in anesthetics (anaesthetics in the UK), so I figured I'd ask him about the Michael Jackson case. What's the deal with Propofol? Pretty illuminating what he said:
Yes. I use it a lot. Almost every day when I'm doing anaesthetics. It's my bread and butter, my pharmacological hammer of choice, my 'go-to' anaesthetic.
Basically it's most commonly used as an Induction agent, ie. it'll put your patient to sleep (AND STOP HIM BREATHING—crucial detail—remember for the test later) in 10 seconds, but in the next five minutes you'll need something else or he'll be getting a little frisky. The 'something else' can either be a vapour added to your oxygen line (the commonest and cheapest way of keeping someone asleep) or if you prefer, more Propofol. If it's going to be used to keep you asleep it'll be delivered by an electronically controlled pump which is designed to keep the concentration of the drug in the brain at a certain level.
Now. I didn't know it was a drug of abuse. For the following reasons:
Oh yeah. See? I was right.
- it'll kill you in the wrong hands.
So it shouldn't be used by anyone who's not an anaesthetist. This whole 'toxic level' stuff is bollocks. It was doing what it's supposed to do. When it's given in hospitals, the patient stops breathing, and would die if the anaesthetist weren't there, but that's the point. That's what it does, and that's why we're there.
I can imagine that they were trying to use it at very low doses (at which concentration it's more of a sedative than an anaesthetic) but that's really playing with fire, because individual responses are difficult to predict and it's easy to get it wrong if you're not experienced. Every anaesthetist has given a little too much or too little when we were less experienced—but it's forgiving in the right environment, ie. with all our tubes and machines that go 'beep'. Without them? Disaster is inevitable.
The short verson: anyone giving, administering or supplying MJ with Propofol should fry. There's no medical use for it outside a critical care medical environment.
I love it that I know such smart people.
Lots of people have been asking how the light painting photos were done. There's been speculation about multiple exposures, unseen spotlights, dark cloth, and even Photoshop (I don't use Photoshop). It's actually much much simpler than that.
The painting itself can take a few forms:
Here's a video showing the process in action. There's not a whole lot to see but it gives you a good idea of how it's all done.
Yes, it's pretty dark! Matt begins by painting the wings, then paints the ground around our subject April (it's this which gave some the impression of a spotlight from above). At 36 seconds in, one wipe of the flashlight over April is enough to paint her into the photo. After that Matt picks up a blue glowstick and paints an aura. The finished result:There are lots more of the pictures on Flickr. Diabolical Alexia is one of my favorites; Horse is another.
Here are some of the questions I got asked a lot:
How come the painter isn't visible in the photo?
Mainly because as the painter you're careful not to shine light on yourself. You also have to keep moving as you paint; if you stay in one place for too long then ambient light will indeed put you in the photo as a ghostly blur.
How did you get some of the drawings looking so good?
Matt is excellent at drawing. That's all there is to it.
What's special about the flashlight?
Nothing. It's a regular Maglite (three D-cells). We've also used a mini Maglite (2 AA-cells) and colored glowsticks for different effects.
Got any tips for light painters?
Yes, we learned as we went:
- keep moving. If you stop for too long the ambient light will illuminate you and put you in the picture;
- don't accidentally shine the light on yourself. A few promising pictures were spoiled from leaked light;
- light human subjects quickly, and only once. Most people can't keep perfectly still enough to make any other approach practical;
- turn off lights not in use. Covering a flashlight with your hand while you move will leave a red trail in the picture. If you're carrying glowsticks, keep them deeply buried in a pocket;
- when drawing shapes, point the flashlight at the camera even when reaching up or down. It's natural when painting something above head-level to point the flashlight up into the air. If you do that much of the line will be lost;
- the speed at which you move the flashlight will determine how much light gets painted. Move it quickly for less light and slowly to create very bright patches.
- manually focus the camera on your subject. Leave that focus setting and put a marker in the ground so subsequent subjects can stand at the marker to be in focus
Enjoy!
We interrupt your regular broken wrist programming to bring you news of my weekend in Costanoa. Wendy and I went down there with Matt and Mary on Friday night and stayed for a couple of days; kind of a reconnaissance mission for an upcoming departmental offsite and kind of just a weekend getaway with old friends.
On the web site it says
Costanoa is an eco adventure resort designed to encourage our guests to explore the stunning beauty of our protected California coastline and Discover the Pace of Natureto which I say
Costanoa is an unusual campsite in a lovely part of California—by the sea, and in a relatively remote area of the peninsula
What makes it an unusual campsite? Mainly that it has pre-built super-comfortable tents for the lazy. Again from the web site:
Bungalows are a wood or metal frame with waterproof canvas tent walls. They have electricity, sliding windows, a locking door and heated mattress pads. These accommodations combine the best part of camping with creature comforts you will appreciate.So they're more huts than tents. And perfectly nice huts at that, with beds and nightstands and an electric blanket and bedside lights. They have comfy wooden chairs outside, for hanging out in the sunset, and each has a lockable door. No suburbanite camping concerns of theft et cetera:
Somehow I had visions of actual real fancy upscale camping, though, and on that front Costanoa was a bit of a disappointment (especially considering the rate of $130/night). One has to imagine that there is indeed a market for luxury camping, where the pre-built tents have housekeeping and turndown service daily, a concierge, room service and a white-gloved bellboy to light your camp fire.
But it's not like that at Costanoa. It's just camping in a hut with a bed. Insects: yes. Cold: yes. Dial 7 for reception: no. "Skeevy" (to use Wendy's word): perhaps a little. Bathroom a fair walk away: yes. Skunk hanging out under the hut: yes. Towel service: no. Chocolate on the pillow: no. Communal showers: yes. Complimentary long-stemmed roses and champagne on ice: no. And no cell service, no power outlets; Wi-Fi doesn't reach the huts. You make your own fun, as they say, and boy did we ever:
And so forth and so on.
A wonderful area of California, though. Even after four years here I'd never been on Highway 1 between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz, but it's a lovely scenic stretch of road strewn with farms and beaches and super views. On Saturday we all went down to Capitola; Matt, Mary and Wendy took surfing lessons while I hung out with—ahem—a broken wrist.
Brunch in Santa Cruz on Sunday: also nice.
