Photography

Just a few short years ago photography largely consisted of film and camera.  Change began slowly as digital photography became cheaper.  The first digital camera's were fairly expensive.  Expensive enough to make the switch not worthwhile for the amateur photographer.  Prices continued to fall so that soon it began to make sense for the 10 roll per year amateur to by a new camera and never need to pay for professional development again.  As digital cameras became more capable, even professional photographers made the switch.  Now it is rare to see any photographer with a film camera.

Today we are also on the verge of moving mainstream photography away from the digital camera and toward the camera phone.  Early camera phones took grainy pictures, and phone networks were so slow that uploading or sharing pictures took time and sometimes incurred extra cost.  All of those costraints are disappearing.  New camera phones are usually 3 mega pixels (larger than my first digital camera), some now are 5 or 8 mega pixel..  Wireless phone and in-home broadband networks are much higher speed, so sharing a photo takes seconds instead of minutes.

While on vacation this year, I brought my Sony 8 mega-pixel camera, but did not snap a single photo using it.  Instead, I used my camera phone to capture the vacation photos.  Why?  Because I had my camera phone with me all the time, and when a good photo opportunity presented itself I used it.  The photos I shot were not the quality I would expect from the Sony digital camera, but good enough that I was able to enlarge and frame several.  I think this is the direction of amateur photography.

I now find myself snapping pictures that I would not get if my digital camera was the only photographic device I owned.  A few favorites follow.

Then there is my favorite camera phone picture of all time, SILC and BILL at the game.

KC Chefs - Preseason Game #3

God news, bad news from last Saturday nights Chef's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.   First the good news.  The offense and defense played better than they have so far this preseason.  After an opening drive fumble that set the Eagles up for a quick touchdown, the starting Chefs team beat the starting Eagles team in the rest of the first half and most of the second.  The offense was tentative, but were able to move the ball down the field and chalk up 17 points. 

The defense was much better.  They had 5 sacks in the game.  That is 5 more than in the first two games.  They intercepted for the first take away of the preseason.  There was some serious hitting going on all over the field.  I am not sure this was a great defensive display, or just looked that way after the first two abysmal preseason performances.  But it was improvement.

Now the bad news.  Despite the noteworthy improvement, they still lost.  They allowed the Eagles to take the ball down the field with only 2 minutes on the clock and no timeouts for a game winning touchdown.  Oh well, it was the third string in the game by then.  All you can conclude is that the Chef's third string could not match up with the Eagle's third string.  0 wins, 3 losses with Green Bay on Thursday. 

I am losing faith that this team will be significantly better than last year's team.

Another Stupid Letter Writer

You know the mantra.  There are no stupid letters ...

Here is a very stupid letter writers' submission to the KC Star.  My comments are in red.

Barriers to abortion

The Missouri legislature is putting up yet more barriers between women and their reproductive health care rights. The Abortion Restriction Bill (SB 798) passed by the Missouri state Senate now requires abortion providers to distribute materials and give presentations. The true purpose is to dissuade women from electing to have an abortion.  So are providing facts a bad thing?

This bill also requires that abortion clinics post signs that advertise state-backed assistance in the event a woman should choose to carry her pregnancy to term. I thought more choice is better than less?  However, there is no guarantee that a mother-to-be will actually be able to get her needs met through such channels.  Are there guarantees the mother won't be physically or emotionally damaged by going forward with an abortion?


The Missouri lawmakers might spend their time more wisely by focusing on the promotion of a comprehensive sex education program rather than endorsing ideologically motivated tactics aimed at traumatizing women already in crisis.  Okay, so classes on putting a condom on a banana are the answer?

Anita Hatton
Kansas City, Kan.

I won't challenge the legality of abortion, but that doesn't mean it is the right answer.  If it is not the answer, then facts and dissuasion are good things.  I think there is only one ideologue here Anita. 

Innovative Taxation

First the words from the Beatles song, The Taxman:

Let me tell you how it will be;

There's one for you, nineteen for me.
'Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.

Should five per cent appear too small,
Be thankful I don't take it all.
'Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.

(if you drive a car,) - I’ll tax the street;
(if you try to sit,) - I’ll tax your seat;
(if you get too cold,) - I’ll tax the heat;
(if you take a walk,) - I'll tax your feet.
Taxman!

'Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.

Don't ask me what I want it for,
If you don't want to pay some more. 
'Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.

These lyrics seem an appropriate lead in to the new tax recently passed by a local town, Mission Kansas.  The innovative tax is called the Driveway tax.  The Mission city manager crafted this new tax that logically extends every one's driveway to the number of trips an average land owner will take per day.  It seems that a resident of the city with one driveway will make 14 trips per day on city streets.  For the privilege of those 14 trips, Mission accesses a $75 per year tax.  If you are fortunate enough to own 2 residences, the bill is $150 per year.  Nobody is exempt, not even churches.  Business owners get hit the hardest as the number of parking places are counted as driveways.  A local business, Target, is accessed $75k per year.
 
The net effect of these taxes is that of any tax, those who are burdened by it must either cut back spending in other ways, or charge more for their goods and services.  By installing this tax, the Mission city council has put their residences and businesses at a competitive disadvantage to adjoining cities.  This disadvantage will remain unless and until nearby cities do the same thing.  And that you can bank on.
 
...
(if you park a car,) - I’ll tax your driveway
...

Music Has Been a Little Thin Lately

I am one who eagerly awaits the release of new music from my favorite artists.  Lately, the pickins' have been slim.  In my opinion, the last really good new music releases were Miranda Lambert's Revolution, and The Zac Brown Band's Foundation.  Since then, there hasn't been much of significance. 

I did look forward to Lady Antebellum's second release.  Never has a CD been so hyped.  The country music stations began playing Need You Now months before it was commercially available.  Now you cannot hear more that 3 songs in a row without hearing a cut from that CD.  The CD was marginal at best, but after repeated airplay I am sick of it.

So in the absence of good new music releases, I have turned to the old faithful iTunes for music from my past. Last weekend I dipped way back into the early seventies and downloaded that eternal classic, Baron von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun by Paul Kantner and Grace Slick.  Kantner and Slick where in the transition between the Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.  So in reality, the release was late Airplane, or early Starship.

Actually I was amazed that iTunes carried a record that was so obscure.  So obscure, it probably didn't sell many vinyl records when released, yet iTunes makes it available immediately and online.  If there isn't something contemporary released soon, I'll be searching iTunes for Blows Against the Empire or Sunfighter, also late Airplane hits.  Who can forget cuts such as Universal Copernican Mumbles, or The Baby Tree.  I'm sure you agree.

The Baby Tree, by Paul Kantner

there’s an island way out in the sea

where the babies they all grow on trees
and it’s jolly good fun to swing in the sun
but ya gotta watch out if you sneeze sneeze
ya gotta watch out if you sneeze

yeah you gotta watch out if you sneeze
for swinging up there in the breeze
you’re liable to cough
you might very well fall off
and tumble down flop on your knees knees
tumble down flop on your knees

and when the stormy winds wail
and the breezes blow high in a gale
there’s a curious dropping and flopping and plopping
and fat little babies just hail hail
fat little babies just hail

and the babies lie there in a pile
and the grownups they come after while
and they always pass by all the babies that cry
and take only babies that smile smile
take only babies that smile

even triplets and twins if they smile.....

How Words are Invented

I have always been curious about how words are born.  For instance, when and how did a person decide to call a chair a chair in the English language?  Or more interesting, what is the origin of galashes, skullduggery or carbuncle?  I don't think they simply leapt from someone's tongue.

Last weekend, my bride provided a glimpse of how a word is born.  She was recovering from the effects of a bad reuben sandwich.  We were sitting in the sun room and I was gently rubbing her back.  Quite unexpectedly, she shrieked "Deeung!"  After asking what her problem was, she told me that I had rubbed a spot that shot pain down her back.  Little did she know that she had invented a new word, deeung.

I am sure deeung is a new word, since Webster was not aware of its existence.  So I will help them:

Main Entry: Deeung (dee' yung)
Function: interjection
Etymology: originated in Basehor, Kansas USA by Terri Bryant
Date: 2010

• Used to express sudden pain or displeasure.

Let's see if it catches on.

KC Chefs - Preseason Game #2

On Saturday evening, the KC Chefs could not have asked for a better opponent if the goal was to show improvement over their lethargic play in preseason game #1 and the 2009 season.  The faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coming off of a 3-13 season in 2009, and a preseason loss to the Miami Dolphins last week.  Tampa Bay was arguably a team that was worse than the Chefs in 2009, and could again be league doormats in 2010.

The game started off poorly for the Chefs as an early fumble turned into a quick Tampa Bay field goal.  To their credit, the Chefs were able to briefly take the lead after driving down field for a touchdown.  It was the first lead for the Chefs in the preseason, but short lived.  Much like in preseason game #1, the starters for both teams finished the first half leaving the game tied.

The second half was a display boredom, a symptom of inept play from players who will likely return to their minimum wage jobs in a couple of weeks.  In the welcome end, Tampa Bay won 20-15.  Preseason game #2 contained a few improvements for Chefs fans, but even with a better passing and running game, it all ended in another loss.  An 8-8 2010 record, capitalizing on a gift schedule is looking more and more like a long shot.  Professional football in Kansas City is in trouble.