November 2004

OOoFf (OpenOffice.org & FireFox)

Looks like Microsoft is going to take another, albeit small hit to their monopoly. It seems Linspire (That company that named their Linux distro "Lindows" so the resulting Microsoft lawsuit would give them the kind of publicity that money just can't buy) will be offering OpenOffice and Firefox in retail stores.

Am I all for it? Yup. Do I use either of these products?

... No.

OpenOffice is a great alternative to Microsoft Office - you can do almost everything with that FREE program that you can do with MS Office with very few compatibility issues. I downloaded it and tried it out for a while, but I just didn't like the feel of it's interface. I would have kept using it anyway, but I already had a copy of MS Office so I just went back to that.

Still, if you don't have MS Office you now have very little reason to buy it.

As a browser, Firefox is all that AND a bag of chips. Pop-up blocking, 90% compatible with all the web sites out there (I'll explain why that 10% was a good thing), almost no security issues (Compared to Explorer having several problems discovered every month or so) and free for all platforms, what more could you ask for?

As for it not having complete compatibility? Only Explorer has ActiveX built in, allowing web sites to access your computer as if they were programs on your hard drive. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. When it's good it's so-so, but when it's bad, it's VERY bad. No browser can have ActiveX compatibility and be considered secure.

As good as it is, I don't use FireFox either. As a Mac user, I just stick with Safari. It's quite similar to FireFox in every way that counts, and I can sync up my bookmarks with my .Mac subscription.

In the news ...

The good news: A 9/11 style terrorist attack has been averted, thus proving that security measures are working.

The bad news? This happened in England, not over here.

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Every now and then dolphins prove their benevolence by helping to save humans. I'm sure my sister Gretchen is upset because another shark has gone hungry.

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 5.

No, 3! Seriously, if you can read this, then I've successfully modified the settings on Thingamablog to let me update a little easier. I hope. We'll see.

Of Crap and Bunnies

Been a while since I plugged something here, so I thought I would mention two comics I found recently.

Crap I Drew on my Lunch Break - A nice little comic that follows the "I'm writing about things in my life that I'm finding amusing and the main character is ME!" format. Doing this can be risky, but Jin pulled it off very well.

Updated Tuesday and Thursday.

Bunny - OK, if you read AppleGeeks then you already know about this one, but I'm plugging it anyway. Whereas "Lunch Break" has a perceivable plot since it's about the artist's life, this comic is non-sequitor, nonsensical, full of references to just about anything, and just plain funny. My wife and I went through the whole archive the other day and we both enjoyed it very much.

Updated every day.

A.O.T.M. 16 - Rain Falls Down 3

Name: Rain Falls Down 3
Where: Baltimore, Maryland
When: 2004
Print Available?: Yes

I don't intend to always post multiple images from the same series, but I think this and Rain Falls Down 2 were different enough to each merit unique viewing.

The main difference, of course, is the fact that there are people in this shot. I don't usually like to include people in my photographs. Sometimes it takes me a while to pick just the right composition (so I don't have to crop later), and unless they're posing for the shot (ack, stiff & everyone's smiling!) people aren't always willing to stay still for very long.

True, there are some times I "shoot from the hip," so to speak, but most times I'd rather not.

In this case I was neither spontaneous or avoiding people. I actually think that if I had waited a little bit longer I could have gotten a better shot with more umbrellas.

What I like about this picture the most is how I managed to keep the water drops in sharp focus while everything beyond them is blurry enough to give it anonymity.

A.O.T.M. 15 - Night Leaves 1

Name: Night Leaves 1
Where: Lexington Park, Maryland
When: 2002
Print Available?: No

There seems to be a universal appeal for the high contrast that's created using a flash at night. I've even seen one book discuss how night photography gives everything a "theatrical" appearance.

I don't know about all of that, but I did like the idea of getting a picture of JUST green leaves. I later used this pic as fodder to make a t-shirt design where every letter was composed of leaves. I'll post that picture soon enough.

A.O.T.M. 14 - Car Rain 3

Name: Car Rain 3
Where: St. Mary's County, Maryland
When: 2002
Print Available?: Yes

I seem to have an unusual fascinaton with rain.

I took this picture shortly after I started carying my digital camera with me everywere I went, and I'm so glad I did. Kelli and I were caught in a cloudburst that was so powerful we pulled over to wait it out while the rain came down violently.

The water cascading off of the car created an interesting look to the world around us - it's like God's impressionist filter, and that's why I like this picture.

A.O.T.M. 13 - Rain Falls Down 2

Name: Rain Falls Down 2
Where: Baltimore, Maryland
When: 2004
Print Available?: Yes

I took this while looking through the window of Baltimore's Barnes & Noble. While it WAS raining, the drops were just stuck to the glass.

This picture was taken around the same time as Rain Falls Down 3 (I was standing in the same spot, to tell the truth), and yet the composition in the background is much different. This shot is more like what I normally go for - interaction of nature with "X" (where "X" can be anything, including nature again) with no humans to be seen.

It's odd, then, that I still think a Rain Falls Down 3 is a better picture. I guess it only goes to show that in aesthetics, few laws are absolute.

Posted by Blake Emrys at 10:40 PM
Edited on: Wednesday, January 26, 2005 5:33 PM
Categories: Artwork of the Moment
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A.O.T.M. 12 - Harbor Night 2

Name: Harbor Night 2
Where: Baltimore, Maryland
When: 2004
Print Available?: Yes

I love shots like this where the lights reflect imperfectly on the water. This scene looks entirely different during the day.

I suppose I like this shot more because of it's strong contrast - you know, the whole "a light shines brightest in the dark" bit. That, and the fact that I'm a fan of Impressionism.

True, this is a photograph rather than an impressionist painting, but the focus here is on the placement of value and color - something that impressionist artists are well known for. (I dare you to find a high school Art textbook that DOESN'T mention van Gogh or Cezanne in it's chapter on color.)

Well? Did you?

Of course, nobody I voted for in the local elections seems to have come out on top. My voice to be heard was a whisper among shouts.

A.O.T.M. 11 - Misty Morn 2

Name: Misty Morn 2
Where: Glen Burnie, Maryland
When: 2004
Print Available?: Yes

Every now and then I see a scene that is so nice that if I don't take a picture I regret it for some time to come. Sometimes I can take these shots from the car, like yesterday's Overpass 2. Today's image made me take a trip down a side road and get out so I could take the best compositions.

You wouldn't know it from the image itself, but I was literally standing in the middle of the street for this picture. Of course, I kept an eye out for traffic while I was snapping photos. I took several photos like this, although I'm only posting this one for now.

I love foggy shots. I think it's because the increased atmospheric perspective helps emphasise the foreground so well, and at the same time adds a sense of ambiguity to the middle ground and background.

A.O.T.M. 10 - Overpass 2

Name: Overpass 2
Where: Baltimore Beltway, Maryland
When: 2004
Print Available?: No

I saw this shot on a day trip to Pennsylvania to celebrate Easter with my family. Alas, my camera was tucked away in my pocket and I wasn't fool enough to dig it out with that many lanes of traffic.

The way home was a different story - I knew I would drive under it again, so I got my camera out when it was safe to do so and just kept it by my side for the whole drive.

What I like about this shot is the linear aspect of ... well ... just about everything in the shot. The columns, the road I was on, and the three bridges going overhead all combine to form a giant criss-cross resembling something from when I did graphing in Math class.

One way street?

Further proof that there is no good candidate running for President this year:

Apparently there are people claiming to be GOP representatives making phone calls to people and saying things that just aren't true. The article focusses on the claim that Kerry will make gay marriage legal if he's elected - something which Kerry denies. A spokesman for Kerry said they was appalled that Republicans would stoop so low in the last 48 hours of the campaign.

I wonder what he would say about Kerry's claims that Bush will reinstate the draft, in spite of the fact that every branch of the armed services except for the Coast Guard has exceeded it's enlistment goals AGAIN this year.

And the pot calls the kettle ...

Addendum:
Looks like the misleading calls are happening on both sides of the fence. Spokesmen for both sides are of course fervently denying endorsing these prank calls, although some of them seem to be perpetrated by people who know who's registered in which party.