7/30/2005
Scraping By
Print orders have been coming in fairly regularly, (more for this time period than any previous year) many from repeat customers - but when I go over my books - I'm still just keeping my fiscal nose above water. I'm going to raise the prices about 20% this weekend.
Of course I'm living a bit better these days - not cooking my own beans and rice staple anymore. In fact not cooking at all. Food is from the great Mexican bodega on the corner. And I did buy a lot of supplies going into digital land which I'm still paying off.
And speaking of money - I just ordered another Maxtor II (250 GB). The one I have is now working flawlessly thanks to the firewire connection. I've been shuffling large amounts of data to it this morning and she's working fine.
Craig had asked a while back what the speed of the old Maxtor II 120 GB was. I don't know. I usually get my stuff from CDW - and they don't list the speed. They do list the speed for the 250 GB as 7200.
Of course I'm living a bit better these days - not cooking my own beans and rice staple anymore. In fact not cooking at all. Food is from the great Mexican bodega on the corner. And I did buy a lot of supplies going into digital land which I'm still paying off.
And speaking of money - I just ordered another Maxtor II (250 GB). The one I have is now working flawlessly thanks to the firewire connection. I've been shuffling large amounts of data to it this morning and she's working fine.
Craig had asked a while back what the speed of the old Maxtor II 120 GB was. I don't know. I usually get my stuff from CDW - and they don't list the speed. They do list the speed for the 250 GB as 7200.
7/29/2005
Street Photography
"street photography is anything shot that you did not expect to find... no matter where or what it is..... your article about it is wrong. Please consider removing it.... "
Posted by Anonymous to Dave Beckerman Photography at 7/29/2005 02:25:31 PM
Actually, I couldn't remember what I wrote or where about street photography - but now that I've read it - I'll let it stand.
What is street photography? Let's define it by it's intentions: to capture some sense of contemporary life, usually in cities, and always non-commerical.
Some sense of contemporary life is an interesting phrase because it can include things that mankind has created, anything from a smashed soda can to a skyscraper. How we live. What we feel. What we think. What makes us laugh. This is the attempt. It has nothing to do with the street and it has nothing to do with what tools are used to create it. But it is always non-commerical in nature.
Non-commercial: the attempt is not to sell a product; not to beautify a bride; not to pounce on a profit for somebody selling hamburgers.
But then what is the difference, if any between documentary photography and street photography?
The line is blurry, but in street photography, the photographer often searches for connections beyond the mere documentation or anthropoligical. At it's best, it can find humor or pathos in ordinary situations by a process of combining subjects in ways that we might not ordinarily see. The street photograph is as much a portrait of the photographer's thoughts as of his subjects.
The long lens photograph of a baseball pitcher releasing the ball that struck out the criticial hitter, is not street photography. It is taken to document a certain moment in time; not to find personal expression. The background is blurred and you can't find two or more elements in the shot. And it usually serves a commercial purpose.
However, if you were standing on the field during the game, or the sidelines, with a wide angle lens, and the third baseman, trying to make a catch fell into the stands, and knocked the hotdog vendor down, and if you were lucky enough to catch the hotdogs flying all over. That would be a good "catch."
And just because a shot is taken in the street doesn't make it street photography either. Fashion shoots are routinely done "in the street." Snapshots of friends and family are taken by the millions in the streets around the world.
The motives of the street photographer are as important as the results. The sensibility is one of the hunter. Hunting without searching. Stealth, as well as a willingness to confront danger come into play. Techniques about how to be there and not be there at the same time obsess you. Like the hunter, you may need to put the equivalent of branches on your cap. It may not be the danger of a wild beast charging at you, but it may be as simple as the fear involved in photographing strangers doing normal things.
It is also involves a willingness to be unappreciated financially. No matter how good you are at it, you are intrinsically not making images that are going to make a money for someone else. If you want to make a better profit, make models look beautiful, or their clothes, or their teeth.
Take beautiful pictures of beaches, landscapes, or famous people.
My print of Promenade, for example - which is the best selling print I have - is not street photography. It doesn't mean that I went out to make a commercially viable print, I didn't. But it is not street photography. It is landscape photography. It is almost documentary photography. Ten years from now there's a good chance that you could go out and recreate Promenade (Poet's Walk) and that it will look the same.
And the idea that street photography is dead is silly. It will fall in and out of favor. Street photographs taken today will age well. They will become more important in fifty years because they will show us things about how we lived that we don't care about today. The clothes people are wearing will change (I hope). Buildings will come and go down. Cell phones, which are so much the rage today will become smaller and more difficult to photograph. In that sense, it has something in common with documentary photography. But on top of that, it will show something unique, that comes from the mind of the individual photographer who was working at the time.
It really doesn't matter whether the photographer is working in digital, or whatever comes after digital super-digital. It doesn't matter if every human being in the world has a camera and is constantly snapping away. Everyone has a pencil today but I don't see an improvement in the literature of the times.
Spelling (my own included) has gotten worse because of spell checkers. The majority of photographs will get more banal. But this will only make the unique photographers of the times, more valuable.
I am not a "pure" street photographer. I enjoy creating fiction. I don't care that much whether a shot has been posed or not. I don't see anything wrong with paying models to stand and kiss on steps surrounded by real passersby. I haven't done this, but I don't see anything wrong with trying to photograph something that you see via imagination rather than fact. I often have an idea and I want to see it happen. If I can get it spontaneously, great. If I need to cojole someone to look a certain way - I will do that. Believe me, I am not a purist.
So hold on to your intentions and let the excitement, the experiment, and ultimately the loss - because you are almost always doomed to failure when you photograph prey that only exists for a split-second - let these intentions be your companions during your urban quest. And as they used to say, good hunting.
Posted by Anonymous to Dave Beckerman Photography at 7/29/2005 02:25:31 PM
Actually, I couldn't remember what I wrote or where about street photography - but now that I've read it - I'll let it stand.
What is street photography? Let's define it by it's intentions: to capture some sense of contemporary life, usually in cities, and always non-commerical.
Some sense of contemporary life is an interesting phrase because it can include things that mankind has created, anything from a smashed soda can to a skyscraper. How we live. What we feel. What we think. What makes us laugh. This is the attempt. It has nothing to do with the street and it has nothing to do with what tools are used to create it. But it is always non-commerical in nature.
Non-commercial: the attempt is not to sell a product; not to beautify a bride; not to pounce on a profit for somebody selling hamburgers.
But then what is the difference, if any between documentary photography and street photography?
The line is blurry, but in street photography, the photographer often searches for connections beyond the mere documentation or anthropoligical. At it's best, it can find humor or pathos in ordinary situations by a process of combining subjects in ways that we might not ordinarily see. The street photograph is as much a portrait of the photographer's thoughts as of his subjects.
The long lens photograph of a baseball pitcher releasing the ball that struck out the criticial hitter, is not street photography. It is taken to document a certain moment in time; not to find personal expression. The background is blurred and you can't find two or more elements in the shot. And it usually serves a commercial purpose.
However, if you were standing on the field during the game, or the sidelines, with a wide angle lens, and the third baseman, trying to make a catch fell into the stands, and knocked the hotdog vendor down, and if you were lucky enough to catch the hotdogs flying all over. That would be a good "catch."
And just because a shot is taken in the street doesn't make it street photography either. Fashion shoots are routinely done "in the street." Snapshots of friends and family are taken by the millions in the streets around the world.
The motives of the street photographer are as important as the results. The sensibility is one of the hunter. Hunting without searching. Stealth, as well as a willingness to confront danger come into play. Techniques about how to be there and not be there at the same time obsess you. Like the hunter, you may need to put the equivalent of branches on your cap. It may not be the danger of a wild beast charging at you, but it may be as simple as the fear involved in photographing strangers doing normal things.
It is also involves a willingness to be unappreciated financially. No matter how good you are at it, you are intrinsically not making images that are going to make a money for someone else. If you want to make a better profit, make models look beautiful, or their clothes, or their teeth.
Take beautiful pictures of beaches, landscapes, or famous people.
My print of Promenade, for example - which is the best selling print I have - is not street photography. It doesn't mean that I went out to make a commercially viable print, I didn't. But it is not street photography. It is landscape photography. It is almost documentary photography. Ten years from now there's a good chance that you could go out and recreate Promenade (Poet's Walk) and that it will look the same.
And the idea that street photography is dead is silly. It will fall in and out of favor. Street photographs taken today will age well. They will become more important in fifty years because they will show us things about how we lived that we don't care about today. The clothes people are wearing will change (I hope). Buildings will come and go down. Cell phones, which are so much the rage today will become smaller and more difficult to photograph. In that sense, it has something in common with documentary photography. But on top of that, it will show something unique, that comes from the mind of the individual photographer who was working at the time.
It really doesn't matter whether the photographer is working in digital, or whatever comes after digital super-digital. It doesn't matter if every human being in the world has a camera and is constantly snapping away. Everyone has a pencil today but I don't see an improvement in the literature of the times.
Spelling (my own included) has gotten worse because of spell checkers. The majority of photographs will get more banal. But this will only make the unique photographers of the times, more valuable.
I am not a "pure" street photographer. I enjoy creating fiction. I don't care that much whether a shot has been posed or not. I don't see anything wrong with paying models to stand and kiss on steps surrounded by real passersby. I haven't done this, but I don't see anything wrong with trying to photograph something that you see via imagination rather than fact. I often have an idea and I want to see it happen. If I can get it spontaneously, great. If I need to cojole someone to look a certain way - I will do that. Believe me, I am not a purist.
So hold on to your intentions and let the excitement, the experiment, and ultimately the loss - because you are almost always doomed to failure when you photograph prey that only exists for a split-second - let these intentions be your companions during your urban quest. And as they used to say, good hunting.
7/28/2005
Blending Modes
There were a couple of comments about "soft light" blending.
Briefly - all the "blending modes" are useful - depending on what look you are trying to achieve. After you've made a dupe layer, change the blend mode to "soft light." What this does is make the blacks richer (darker) and the light areas lighter.
Adjust the opacity of the blend to taste.
Add a curve or level layer as needed.
There are a million ways to skin a cat (sorry Buddy) in Photoshop. Perhaps a carefully tweaked curve can achieve the same look - I don't know.
Sometimes I might use several layers blended together. Depends on what I'm starting from and where I'm going with the image.
The reason I even mention the "soft light" layer is that it seems especially useful with scanned negatives. Almost every print that began life as a black and white negative - gets a soft-light treatment - at least to begin with.
Sometimes I use it for special effects. The shot of the carriage horse below - it is actually three captures sandwiched together and blended (yes - shot on a tripod).
The only caveat - I would - as usual - do sharpening etc. before you start doing your layers and as always at the correct image size for printing.
And you can get trickier. You can copy out a piece of the sky and blended it back with whatever blending mode you need. You can even blend your "curve" adjustment layer... On and on it goes.
Reference: Adobe Photoshop for Photographers, Marin Evening (Chapter on Montage Techniques).
I've been loathe to write much about Photoshop techniques because there is already so much information out there and I tell you - I am no expert. Also, I know there are a lot of readers that just skip this stuff hoping I'll write something funny or put up an exceptional photograph. One thing I notice is that Blogger lets you manage more than one blog; so what I might do is just create a separate space for the technical stuff.
ONE OTHER TECH NOTE:
The Blogger / Google search bar wasn't working. It wasn't generating the correct URL for the search. I wrote Blogger about it and they told me there wasn't anything they could do about it. That the problem was with the Google search. The truth was, whoever was responsible for generating the search code from Blogger made a mistake.
The "forward" slash between the website and the blog directory was missing. Their widget wasn't putting it in. I ended up doing a kludge for this by letting them generate the code, then taking that code and fixing it, and placing it in the blog template and then removing their search widget. Works okay now.
I checked a few other sites that were hosted via FTP as opposed to Blogspot and the FTP sites were having the same problem so it is pretty widespread.
Briefly - all the "blending modes" are useful - depending on what look you are trying to achieve. After you've made a dupe layer, change the blend mode to "soft light." What this does is make the blacks richer (darker) and the light areas lighter.
Adjust the opacity of the blend to taste.
Add a curve or level layer as needed.
There are a million ways to skin a cat (sorry Buddy) in Photoshop. Perhaps a carefully tweaked curve can achieve the same look - I don't know.
Sometimes I might use several layers blended together. Depends on what I'm starting from and where I'm going with the image.
The reason I even mention the "soft light" layer is that it seems especially useful with scanned negatives. Almost every print that began life as a black and white negative - gets a soft-light treatment - at least to begin with.
Sometimes I use it for special effects. The shot of the carriage horse below - it is actually three captures sandwiched together and blended (yes - shot on a tripod).
The only caveat - I would - as usual - do sharpening etc. before you start doing your layers and as always at the correct image size for printing.
And you can get trickier. You can copy out a piece of the sky and blended it back with whatever blending mode you need. You can even blend your "curve" adjustment layer... On and on it goes.
Reference: Adobe Photoshop for Photographers, Marin Evening (Chapter on Montage Techniques).
I've been loathe to write much about Photoshop techniques because there is already so much information out there and I tell you - I am no expert. Also, I know there are a lot of readers that just skip this stuff hoping I'll write something funny or put up an exceptional photograph. One thing I notice is that Blogger lets you manage more than one blog; so what I might do is just create a separate space for the technical stuff.
ONE OTHER TECH NOTE:
The Blogger / Google search bar wasn't working. It wasn't generating the correct URL for the search. I wrote Blogger about it and they told me there wasn't anything they could do about it. That the problem was with the Google search. The truth was, whoever was responsible for generating the search code from Blogger made a mistake.
The "forward" slash between the website and the blog directory was missing. Their widget wasn't putting it in. I ended up doing a kludge for this by letting them generate the code, then taking that code and fixing it, and placing it in the blog template and then removing their search widget. Works okay now.
I checked a few other sites that were hosted via FTP as opposed to Blogspot and the FTP sites were having the same problem so it is pretty widespread.
7/27/2005
Self-Analysis
I've wondered why I gravitated towards photography. A few ideas:
My mother was at one point a concert pianist. She's dead nearly 20 years now. Last night I dreamed that I had written a new tune and was playing it for her on the piano. She ignored it. Much too simple I guess for her taste. But it reminded me of the days when I was a teenager playing rock and roll on the piano.
My mother would be going around the house cleaning things up and every once in a while she'd shout over: Quit banging on the piano! Do you have to bang!
Her father was a musician. He taught me to play the piano. His method involved smacking my hands with a ruler until they were shaped properly to strike the keys.
My father (very much alive) was something of an intellectual. The house was filled with his books and journals. He had definite ideas about writing but never gave much praise for my own attempts. (Later this was to change - but not when I was younger).
So one of the things - early on - I wanted some means of expression that could be free of parental criticism. Something that neither of them knew anything about - that could be mine alone.
Later on - as I waded through the mundane drudgery of work - photography resurfaced again - but with an inverse relationship to how routine the rest of my life was.
Taking a camera to work everyday eased the boredom of the subway ride. Instead of burying my head in a book, or pretending to sleep - I became wide awake and what would otherwise have been a boring trip became exciting. I became more - not less - aware of what was going on around me.
Photography was something you could do to make the ordinary - extra-ordinary.
Other things - technique - enjoying shapes and light for their own sake - this all comes later. The driving force was not "art" - but a safe place to express my own identity by what I put in the frame.
There were other instincts which eventually came into play: the idea of the hunt was as crucial as whether you actually bagged anything. That, I think - must be inborn and go back to our early ancestors who lived or died by the hunt. But as I say - that all emerged later on.
My mother was at one point a concert pianist. She's dead nearly 20 years now. Last night I dreamed that I had written a new tune and was playing it for her on the piano. She ignored it. Much too simple I guess for her taste. But it reminded me of the days when I was a teenager playing rock and roll on the piano.
My mother would be going around the house cleaning things up and every once in a while she'd shout over: Quit banging on the piano! Do you have to bang!
Her father was a musician. He taught me to play the piano. His method involved smacking my hands with a ruler until they were shaped properly to strike the keys.
My father (very much alive) was something of an intellectual. The house was filled with his books and journals. He had definite ideas about writing but never gave much praise for my own attempts. (Later this was to change - but not when I was younger).
So one of the things - early on - I wanted some means of expression that could be free of parental criticism. Something that neither of them knew anything about - that could be mine alone.
Later on - as I waded through the mundane drudgery of work - photography resurfaced again - but with an inverse relationship to how routine the rest of my life was.
Taking a camera to work everyday eased the boredom of the subway ride. Instead of burying my head in a book, or pretending to sleep - I became wide awake and what would otherwise have been a boring trip became exciting. I became more - not less - aware of what was going on around me.
Photography was something you could do to make the ordinary - extra-ordinary.
Other things - technique - enjoying shapes and light for their own sake - this all comes later. The driving force was not "art" - but a safe place to express my own identity by what I put in the frame.
There were other instincts which eventually came into play: the idea of the hunt was as crucial as whether you actually bagged anything. That, I think - must be inborn and go back to our early ancestors who lived or died by the hunt. But as I say - that all emerged later on.
7/26/2005
My Feelings Exactly
Ancestors
We just couldn't leave well enough alone. It was that damned opposing digit that caused all the problems.
"I think I'm so educated and I'm so civilized
'cos I'm a strict vegetarian. And with the over population
And inflation and starvation and the crazy politicians.
I don't feel safe in this world
No more don't want to die in a nuclear war.
I want to sail away to a distant shore
And make like an APEMAN.
I'm an APEMAN" - Kinks
7/25/2005
General
Printed something like 15 prints today - some of which I re-scanned because I wasn't happy with the original scan. So orders are going to: Canada, Japan, and Iowa if I get everything matted and packaged tomorrow. I'm still using the same first roll of paper, and there's still plenty of ink left in the machine (even with that initial charging).
I did some of them at 2880 ppi but honestly, I can't see any difference between them and the 1440. Maybe it makes a difference in some prints but if you put two prints before me side by side at different outputs, I doubt if I could tell the difference.
What that would have been like in the darkroom (one of each) - I don't want to think about.
I spoke with one of the guys who operates a BUCKET truck in the area and I'm going to try and make arrangements to take some shots above "the tree line" on Park Avenue and maybe looking down some other avenue. Something I've always wanted to do.
Also began laying out the 11th Man book with InDesign. My skills there are very rusty and it was pretty frustrating.
On top of that, I want to get to Matt's prints and do the gallery for him.
I did some of them at 2880 ppi but honestly, I can't see any difference between them and the 1440. Maybe it makes a difference in some prints but if you put two prints before me side by side at different outputs, I doubt if I could tell the difference.
What that would have been like in the darkroom (one of each) - I don't want to think about.
I spoke with one of the guys who operates a BUCKET truck in the area and I'm going to try and make arrangements to take some shots above "the tree line" on Park Avenue and maybe looking down some other avenue. Something I've always wanted to do.
Also began laying out the 11th Man book with InDesign. My skills there are very rusty and it was pretty frustrating.
On top of that, I want to get to Matt's prints and do the gallery for him.
Coming Soon
During the middle of the last decade of the last century, it was still possible to publicize a new restaurant with images of death.
7/24/2005
Business
Business has been good lately. I have a stack of orders to print again. I was curious to see if there was any pattern - digital capture vs. film. Not really. Sales are simply a reflection of the ratio of digital captures to film in the print store.
I also think that my prints from digital have improved tremendously - partly a result of the new printer; partly a result of more experience with "blending" layers. I can't live without the soft-light blend in Photoshop. It almost always gives me the "umph" I've been looking for.
I added another three prints to the recent print section. Two of the prints actually are recent but of course Eiffel Tower is from another century and a time long long ago.
I also think that my prints from digital have improved tremendously - partly a result of the new printer; partly a result of more experience with "blending" layers. I can't live without the soft-light blend in Photoshop. It almost always gives me the "umph" I've been looking for.
I added another three prints to the recent print section. Two of the prints actually are recent but of course Eiffel Tower is from another century and a time long long ago.
Eves, RNC, Battery Park
I really am going to try and stay away from political blog posts because they are useless. Nobody, including myself moves an inch in any direction. I don't even know where I stand half the time. Well, maybe I do. I think we're either in, or moving into a dark world of mind-control which works quite well. The lie repeated often enough becomes the truth. Please don't write and tell me that I'm a self-loathing American and should "love it or leave it."
I'm too settled in my ways to move anywhere - even Brooklyn.
You see - I can't help myself. I start by saying I'm not going to write anymore about politics and there I go again. Like I say - I'll try - but no promises.
At heart - I'm probably just a non-believer. Leave it at that.
Glengarry Glen Ross
Great seats. I was in the third row thanks to my father saying that I was hard of hearing when he ordered the tickets. Third row center. I was seated next to two elderly ladies from out-of-town. As the show began I heard them whispering to each other about something.
The cursing in the show is non-stop which was the most enjoyable part. As I laughed out loud - the show had more laughs than I would have thought - I could feel the lady beside me look around at me and sort of shrivel up with her friend.
The louder I laughed at the poor plight of these con-man / sales men, the more she moved away from me and whispered to her friend.
The first act - at least for them - was nice and short. Intermission. My father and I were just enjoying this so much. But the two ladies didn't return after intermission.
The guy behind me said - well what did they think they were going to see? I said they wanted to see Hawkeye I guess (Alan Alda was the star).
So the second act begins and now two seats away - another couple are offended by the language which gets even worse in the 2nd act when Richie Roma really starts going at it. It was like a great jazz symphony of cursing. Point, counterpoint. Each blow aimed like Duke Ellington on the piano. Not a word wasted.
I could hear whispers two seats away: do they really have to say that! Oh my! My oh my!
My father turned and pointed at them - I think it's a little excessive - but he was laughing too with tears in his eyes.
As you get into the second act - there is also the slowly building undercurrent of utter helplessness with the Alan Alda character - but at the same time some of the other characters are just so venal that you can't help but enjoy their problems as they tell how they try to dupe little old ladies out of their life's savings.
There were a few standing ovations. A tremendous pleasure for me to see a show which wasn't about the special effects or the set - but about the use of language.
As we emerged from the theater, a lot of yammering about: did they really have to use all that awful language. I loved it.
And you know what - when I worked with the grips and the lighting guys on films, and a couple of other guys - that's what language sounded like - though maybe not as skillful. I asked my father if there was a time in his life where he had spoken like that - and without blinking an eye he said, yeah. The army. World War II. Not him, of course (of course not dear old dad) but everyone he was with talked like that. Especially in combat.
And this show was about combat. Five guys trying to survive no matter what it took. That was the point. I give it 10 f*?!ing stars.
The cursing in the show is non-stop which was the most enjoyable part. As I laughed out loud - the show had more laughs than I would have thought - I could feel the lady beside me look around at me and sort of shrivel up with her friend.
The louder I laughed at the poor plight of these con-man / sales men, the more she moved away from me and whispered to her friend.
The first act - at least for them - was nice and short. Intermission. My father and I were just enjoying this so much. But the two ladies didn't return after intermission.
The guy behind me said - well what did they think they were going to see? I said they wanted to see Hawkeye I guess (Alan Alda was the star).
So the second act begins and now two seats away - another couple are offended by the language which gets even worse in the 2nd act when Richie Roma really starts going at it. It was like a great jazz symphony of cursing. Point, counterpoint. Each blow aimed like Duke Ellington on the piano. Not a word wasted.
I could hear whispers two seats away: do they really have to say that! Oh my! My oh my!
My father turned and pointed at them - I think it's a little excessive - but he was laughing too with tears in his eyes.
As you get into the second act - there is also the slowly building undercurrent of utter helplessness with the Alan Alda character - but at the same time some of the other characters are just so venal that you can't help but enjoy their problems as they tell how they try to dupe little old ladies out of their life's savings.
There were a few standing ovations. A tremendous pleasure for me to see a show which wasn't about the special effects or the set - but about the use of language.
As we emerged from the theater, a lot of yammering about: did they really have to use all that awful language. I loved it.
And you know what - when I worked with the grips and the lighting guys on films, and a couple of other guys - that's what language sounded like - though maybe not as skillful. I asked my father if there was a time in his life where he had spoken like that - and without blinking an eye he said, yeah. The army. World War II. Not him, of course (of course not dear old dad) but everyone he was with talked like that. Especially in combat.
And this show was about combat. Five guys trying to survive no matter what it took. That was the point. I give it 10 f*?!ing stars.
7/23/2005
Maxtor One Touch
After the suggestion of "unknown" - in one of the comments re: the Maxtor One Touch II which I was using with USB - getting "delayed write errors" - I installed a Firewire card - hooked it up to the Maxtor 120 GB drive - and did a huge copy operation that had caused all the problems last time around.
No problems.
And - it seemed faster. I thought that USB 2.0 and Firewire were the same speed. What - 400 megabytes per second or something like that. But stuff was copying much faster.
Thank you "unknown" for the firewire suggestion. Let's see how the rest of the peripherals (still USB) are working tomorrow.
UPDATE: Switching to Firewire was the answer. No problems since the switch 7/25/05
No problems.
And - it seemed faster. I thought that USB 2.0 and Firewire were the same speed. What - 400 megabytes per second or something like that. But stuff was copying much faster.
Thank you "unknown" for the firewire suggestion. Let's see how the rest of the peripherals (still USB) are working tomorrow.
UPDATE: Switching to Firewire was the answer. No problems since the switch 7/25/05
Matzu Fable
The Matzu tribe in southwestern Africa has the following fable:
Their ancestors were out hunting when they found themselves surrounded by some wild animals that they had never seen before. The animal had the head of a lion and the body of a sheep.
They had never seen anything like this before and didn't know how to proceed. As it happens, there were two mighty warriors: Ahout and Brabe.
Ahout wanted the warriors to attack on masse and hopefully scare the animals away. Brabe thought they should build a fence and see how these unknown animals acted. "How do we know," said Ahout "whether they are as ferocious as a lion or as docile as sheep?"
The animals neither advanced, nor did they move away.
The hunters were terrified of this new animal. Some wanted to make a charge against the animals. Others wanted to build a wall.
They argued amongst themselves, and soon they forgot about the threat from the animals and turned against eachother. There was a fierce battle between the warriors and ultimately only Ahout and Brabe were remained.
Ahout and Brabe who were the best fighters - struggled for seven days and finally - both were wounded and lay dying.
At that point several of these animals appeared and removed their lion masks and began to graze near the wounded and dead Matzu warriors. As Ahout lay dying, he heard one of the sheep say, "What a strange species these creatures are."
Their ancestors were out hunting when they found themselves surrounded by some wild animals that they had never seen before. The animal had the head of a lion and the body of a sheep.
They had never seen anything like this before and didn't know how to proceed. As it happens, there were two mighty warriors: Ahout and Brabe.
Ahout wanted the warriors to attack on masse and hopefully scare the animals away. Brabe thought they should build a fence and see how these unknown animals acted. "How do we know," said Ahout "whether they are as ferocious as a lion or as docile as sheep?"
The animals neither advanced, nor did they move away.
The hunters were terrified of this new animal. Some wanted to make a charge against the animals. Others wanted to build a wall.
They argued amongst themselves, and soon they forgot about the threat from the animals and turned against eachother. There was a fierce battle between the warriors and ultimately only Ahout and Brabe were remained.
Ahout and Brabe who were the best fighters - struggled for seven days and finally - both were wounded and lay dying.
At that point several of these animals appeared and removed their lion masks and began to graze near the wounded and dead Matzu warriors. As Ahout lay dying, he heard one of the sheep say, "What a strange species these creatures are."
Gare de Quoi?
Musee de ??
Don't remember anymore. It was the museum in Paris which was once a train station - well, not a station but one of the main departure points. I'm sure some of you know it's name. Gare de something? It would be good to know since the print is turning out well.
7/22/2005
Glengarry Glen Ross
This seems to be spend the day with dad week. Tomorrow I'm off to see Glengarry Glen Ross (my suggestion) since I loved the movie and usually like Mamet.
My father - didn't really want to see this - said there was too much cursing (delicate WWII veteran that he is) - but I told him to turn down his hearing aid if it bothered him (sarcastic son that I am).
Spent a fair part of the afternoon with Matt scanning negatives. At some point I'm going to put a gallery up on my site for his work and see if we can sell any of his prints since I think he's a great photographer and I am convinced that my 4800 prints - the couple I've done so far meet with his approval - are very good. I still need to do some experimenting in terms of what's the best size.
I don't like those "we serve all" photographers sites that I've seen but I have an idea about offering "prints on demand" - but no more than 3 or 4 photographers - and only related to New York - after all they need to be able to get here to sign their prints, and I just want to deal with photographers where everything works on a handshake and mutual respect (what business concept).
My father - didn't really want to see this - said there was too much cursing (delicate WWII veteran that he is) - but I told him to turn down his hearing aid if it bothered him (sarcastic son that I am).
Spent a fair part of the afternoon with Matt scanning negatives. At some point I'm going to put a gallery up on my site for his work and see if we can sell any of his prints since I think he's a great photographer and I am convinced that my 4800 prints - the couple I've done so far meet with his approval - are very good. I still need to do some experimenting in terms of what's the best size.
I don't like those "we serve all" photographers sites that I've seen but I have an idea about offering "prints on demand" - but no more than 3 or 4 photographers - and only related to New York - after all they need to be able to get here to sign their prints, and I just want to deal with photographers where everything works on a handshake and mutual respect (what business concept).
7/21/2005
Mets Game
I'm off to the Mets game against the Padres with dad and sisters. I'm toting the long lens (70-200) with the 1.4x convertor this time around so I can take pictures like the pros. Or to put it another way - I'll wear my Sports Illustrated cap. Maybe something newsworthy will happen. Maybe Kaz Ishii finally pitches that perfect game I know he has in him.
Kaz has been pitching better and better with each outing and his only problem is that he seems to suffer some loss of concentration around the fifth inning. But if it rains - maybe that could go down as a mini-perfect game (hardy har har). Has that ever happened? A perfect rained out game?
Kaz has been pitching better and better with each outing and his only problem is that he seems to suffer some loss of concentration around the fifth inning. But if it rains - maybe that could go down as a mini-perfect game (hardy har har). Has that ever happened? A perfect rained out game?
7/20/2005
Corrupt
I managed to corrupt the iView Media Pro catalog today. It's the fault of that stupid Maxtor One Touch external drive which has been a problem since I got it. Actually, probably not the fault of the drive either - just some combination of things that cause a "delayed write error" if I try to do too much with it at once. It's picky. Anyway, once the drive starts into it's delayed write message frenzy (lot's of popup boxes) - you know that something is going to get corrupted and this time it was the iView Catalog.
Fortunately I had a backup copy from two days ago of the corrupt catalog and that was a good thing. Losing the catalog is not a terrible thing unless you've spent a lot of time adding annotations to images. I do this but only to images that will end up in one of the html galleries.
Fortunately I had a backup copy from two days ago of the corrupt catalog and that was a good thing. Losing the catalog is not a terrible thing unless you've spent a lot of time adding annotations to images. I do this but only to images that will end up in one of the html galleries.
All the News
Many years ago, never mind how many - I went to work for a behemoth Public Relations firm in Manhattan. I had been through film school, and was broke. I found a job as a secretary. This was before the secretary became an administrative assistant.
I did typing, got coffee for the big boys and fulfilled other menial tasks for three account execs.
On my first day - a famous author strolled by and went with several execs into the video room. He was going to begin a book tour. The PR firm had a facsimile of a television studio setup and for several hours they interviewed him as if they were the host of a morning show; played back and critiqued him, and finally gave their approval for him to hit the morning show circuit.
This was shocking to me. I was asking my bosses whether this was common to rehearse people for television. They looked at me like I was nuts. Of course it's necessary. We give them talking points to sell their book. We make them appealing - if we can. Some of them are hopeless. And we teach them how to be relaxed.
I did all the typing, and a lot of the preliminary phone calls I had more shocks. It seemed that these execs spent most of their time trying to figure out ways to get their clients in the newspapers. They were constantly seeking some angle that would make their clients newsworthy.
And guess what - a large number of their clients were - yes - politicians.
Great excitement when a piece got in - especially with good placement.
As time went on, I began to notice that about 40% of what I was reading had begun life at a PR firm. I always thought these reporters just went out and figured what a good story was. It wasn't like that at all. Often, they just sat at their desks culling through various story ideas that had been offered by the big PR firms.
Public Relations at this level was very profitable - and I guess still is because:
a) the people who are reading the paper or watching the t.v. take it all as having the imprint of reality since it doesn't appear as a commercial that could be ignored and b) since the public relations effort is generally more effective than an advertisement - and since it is free, i.e. the news organization is happy to use it for no charge - the profit for the PR firm can be enormous.
I had been there for a few weeks when there was this buzz in the office that a big shot was coming in for a big shot conference. Yes - it was a politico in the Reagan administration. I honestly can't remember who it was. But it was very exciting all around - especially amongst the hired help.
Part of my job was to clean up after the conference. The usual corporate breakfast junk. The big shots had left, but there were these little yellow post-its on a tackboard. Bits of scribbling. I glanced at them as I tossed them - but saw the word "environmental" several times.
Sure enough, a few days later on the evening news, there was this same politico announcing a new environmental policy.
I'm not implying that any of this is devious. It's just another form of salesmanship. But it has tainted me.
Anyway, what made me think about all this in the first place was when I saw the new nominee for the Supreme Court standing beside President Bush. It reminded me of these PR sessions where they'd videotape whoever it was and then adjust their movements, their clothes, their smiles until the PR people were happy.
I'm guessing that very soon the nominee will be sitting in front of a mock panel of senators - videotaped - and rehearsed over and over. I'd give a million bucks to see some of those tapes.
I did typing, got coffee for the big boys and fulfilled other menial tasks for three account execs.
On my first day - a famous author strolled by and went with several execs into the video room. He was going to begin a book tour. The PR firm had a facsimile of a television studio setup and for several hours they interviewed him as if they were the host of a morning show; played back and critiqued him, and finally gave their approval for him to hit the morning show circuit.
This was shocking to me. I was asking my bosses whether this was common to rehearse people for television. They looked at me like I was nuts. Of course it's necessary. We give them talking points to sell their book. We make them appealing - if we can. Some of them are hopeless. And we teach them how to be relaxed.
I did all the typing, and a lot of the preliminary phone calls I had more shocks. It seemed that these execs spent most of their time trying to figure out ways to get their clients in the newspapers. They were constantly seeking some angle that would make their clients newsworthy.
And guess what - a large number of their clients were - yes - politicians.
Great excitement when a piece got in - especially with good placement.
As time went on, I began to notice that about 40% of what I was reading had begun life at a PR firm. I always thought these reporters just went out and figured what a good story was. It wasn't like that at all. Often, they just sat at their desks culling through various story ideas that had been offered by the big PR firms.
Public Relations at this level was very profitable - and I guess still is because:
a) the people who are reading the paper or watching the t.v. take it all as having the imprint of reality since it doesn't appear as a commercial that could be ignored and b) since the public relations effort is generally more effective than an advertisement - and since it is free, i.e. the news organization is happy to use it for no charge - the profit for the PR firm can be enormous.
I had been there for a few weeks when there was this buzz in the office that a big shot was coming in for a big shot conference. Yes - it was a politico in the Reagan administration. I honestly can't remember who it was. But it was very exciting all around - especially amongst the hired help.
Part of my job was to clean up after the conference. The usual corporate breakfast junk. The big shots had left, but there were these little yellow post-its on a tackboard. Bits of scribbling. I glanced at them as I tossed them - but saw the word "environmental" several times.
Sure enough, a few days later on the evening news, there was this same politico announcing a new environmental policy.
I'm not implying that any of this is devious. It's just another form of salesmanship. But it has tainted me.
Anyway, what made me think about all this in the first place was when I saw the new nominee for the Supreme Court standing beside President Bush. It reminded me of these PR sessions where they'd videotape whoever it was and then adjust their movements, their clothes, their smiles until the PR people were happy.
I'm guessing that very soon the nominee will be sitting in front of a mock panel of senators - videotaped - and rehearsed over and over. I'd give a million bucks to see some of those tapes.
7/19/2005
Bronx Basketball
I was going through some old shots and this one popped out at me. This one prints really well. It was taken this spring - on a side street near Fordham Road.
Ilford Profiles
Ilford posted printer profiles for Ilford Smoth Pearl and the 4800 printer. I began doing some color prints this morning for the first time. Results: nominal. Is that the right word? Results are what I expect from screen images.
Here's the Ilford Link to the profiles: Ilford Printer Profiles.
Here's the Ilford Link to the profiles: Ilford Printer Profiles.
7/18/2005
Moment of Silence
This was definitely a weird dream. I guess I was thinking about the 50 British Citizens that were killed and I was - well the dream was this.
The President, Tony Blair and a few other European leaders were standing on a platform flanked by an Iraqi flag. They had set this day to be a world-wide moment of silence for the innocents who have died in Iraq. Not a "we're for the war" or "we're against the war" thing but a simple moment of silence that was actually authorized by the various leaders of this whole thing.
President Bush and Blair were going to give speeches about the Iraqi dead. They would offer their prayers from a stage in Iraq. Standing, or in wheelchairs, next to them or in the audience were the crippled, the widows, the orphans and a few top clerics. This was going to be televised world-wide. And the newly trained Iraqi forces were there for security.
President Bush: "We've come here today to pay tribute to and to remember the tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens that have been killed and wounded during this war. I've asked for this day - for this moment - so that you know that we truly stand beside you and understand the horror of these last years. My friend, Tony Blair will also speak to you.
But this is really your day. And this is your moment of silence... I know that we have killed innocents as well but that is war. We never purposely... Well, this is about the insurgents who have been blowing themselves up both here and around the world. This about them, not us."
Of course, even in my dream it was hard to control the President's speech but at 12:00 Iraqi time, the President and the others on stage and in the audience and around the world bowed their heads...
And then I woke up.
"Every war when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac. "
"All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome." - Both quotes by George Orwell
"On average, 34 ordinary Iraqis have met violent deaths every day since the invasion of March 2003," said Mr. Sloboda. "It remains a matter of the gravest concern that, nearly two-and-a-half years on, neither the U.S. nor the UK governments have begun to systematically measure the impact of their actions in terms of human lives destroyed." -
They note that 25,000 civilians have been killed since the start of the war. Here is a link to the story on CNN.
The President, Tony Blair and a few other European leaders were standing on a platform flanked by an Iraqi flag. They had set this day to be a world-wide moment of silence for the innocents who have died in Iraq. Not a "we're for the war" or "we're against the war" thing but a simple moment of silence that was actually authorized by the various leaders of this whole thing.
President Bush and Blair were going to give speeches about the Iraqi dead. They would offer their prayers from a stage in Iraq. Standing, or in wheelchairs, next to them or in the audience were the crippled, the widows, the orphans and a few top clerics. This was going to be televised world-wide. And the newly trained Iraqi forces were there for security.
President Bush: "We've come here today to pay tribute to and to remember the tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens that have been killed and wounded during this war. I've asked for this day - for this moment - so that you know that we truly stand beside you and understand the horror of these last years. My friend, Tony Blair will also speak to you.
But this is really your day. And this is your moment of silence... I know that we have killed innocents as well but that is war. We never purposely... Well, this is about the insurgents who have been blowing themselves up both here and around the world. This about them, not us."
Of course, even in my dream it was hard to control the President's speech but at 12:00 Iraqi time, the President and the others on stage and in the audience and around the world bowed their heads...
And then I woke up.
"Every war when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac. "
"All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome." - Both quotes by George Orwell
"On average, 34 ordinary Iraqis have met violent deaths every day since the invasion of March 2003," said Mr. Sloboda. "It remains a matter of the gravest concern that, nearly two-and-a-half years on, neither the U.S. nor the UK governments have begun to systematically measure the impact of their actions in terms of human lives destroyed." -
They note that 25,000 civilians have been killed since the start of the war. Here is a link to the story on CNN.
7/17/2005
Sparrows Breadcrust
Sparrows and Breadcrust
After the rain two sparrows sat on a street light looking down until the sidewalk was moderately clear - and then swooped down for some soggy bread. This was shot with a 50mm lens, so you can image how close I was. Most of the time I was just crouched by the bread, camera ready - while early Sunday risers walked by and gave me rather strange looks. After all - when they looked they only saw the bread.
7/16/2005
7/15/2005
Today's World
When we were kids - no concrete barriers around the city to practice our balance on. But we did have "duck and cover" drills. Okay everyone - let's pretend that an atomic bomb is going to hit the Empire State Building (that's what they said) - now quick - under your desk.
I used to think of the explosion - wondering how long it would take for the shockwave and cloud to get up to the Bronx.
Has anyone done a study about the psychological effects - or after shocks - when children come to believe that their world can be gone in a New York minute? Gives a new meaning to the term: baby boomers.
Also may be related to the fast food craze that began back then. "Sorry mate - no time to sit down and eat - I'll just pop by for a burger."
Did you ever read the interview with the man who invented instant coffee? "We need things quick now," he said. "We don't always have time to brew a pot."
Could he have had instant annihilation in mind?
in mind.
What will the results of growing up in today's world be? Annihilation is no longer instant - it's more random. Will a new cult that prays to the god of randomness emerge?
I leave those ideas to future historians - or to you.
Believe it or Not (Sikhs)
Oh, just give the city bureaucracy a chance to do something stupid and they'll come up with something. Always. This is their forte. The MTA (they run the subways and buses in New York) told five (5) Sikhs that they cannot wear their turbans on the job. Most of them work in token booths (punishment enough) and one runs a train. In fact, one of them has worked for the MTA for 20 years - wearing the turban.
Well that's what the MTA said at first - no turbans. The Sikhs then filed a protest. The MTA rethought (I use that word loosely) their position and said that they could wear the turbans, but would have to stick an MTA Button on the front of the turban.
So the turban is a religious symbol. Many religions have some sort of a sacred hat. But what in the world could the MTA have been thinking. Oh, I know - the turbans scare people who think that terrorists have taken over the token booths. That must be it.
Yes, their new strategy is to take over the token booths (which don't sell tokens anyway anymore) and hold the metro-cards for ransom.
I believe what's happening is that with the recent events - the MTA is beginning to believe that it is some kind of para-military operation and that the best way to get organized is to make sure that everyone wears the same uniform.
My own suggestion is that they get the announcements to be audible on the trains before they tackle the terrorists.
Well that's what the MTA said at first - no turbans. The Sikhs then filed a protest. The MTA rethought (I use that word loosely) their position and said that they could wear the turbans, but would have to stick an MTA Button on the front of the turban.
So the turban is a religious symbol. Many religions have some sort of a sacred hat. But what in the world could the MTA have been thinking. Oh, I know - the turbans scare people who think that terrorists have taken over the token booths. That must be it.
Yes, their new strategy is to take over the token booths (which don't sell tokens anyway anymore) and hold the metro-cards for ransom.
I believe what's happening is that with the recent events - the MTA is beginning to believe that it is some kind of para-military operation and that the best way to get organized is to make sure that everyone wears the same uniform.
My own suggestion is that they get the announcements to be audible on the trains before they tackle the terrorists.
the 11th man
AG has written 15 chapters of the Eleventh Man. The idea of the book is to do a sort of satire / sci-fi / picture book. A lot of the story is based on images that I took but there will also be some new things to shoot. The feeling of the book is somewhere between an comic book for adults - and something from the old Sherlock Holmes Victorian era - such as were published in the old Strand Magazine.
We weren't sure when we started whether the images would drive the story - or the story would drive the images. Turned out to be the former.
My only role in the narrative so far has been to spitball ideas - and to try and offer an objective view of the thing. I have only read the first chapter so far. Tomorrow I'm planning to print out all the chapters and read it as a whole. I'm guessing there's another 15 chapters to go... (they are each very short).
My cat has also been writing a couple of chapters but so far they are just a lot of garbage (sorry Buddy).
The other constrainment - is that we came up with this idea that all the names, adjectives, and adverbs should be 11 characters in length. This is proving to be a real hardship but A.G. is up to the task being a former winner of the Des Moines Crossword competition. [composition = 11 characters, AG that might be useful to you)
We weren't sure when we started whether the images would drive the story - or the story would drive the images. Turned out to be the former.
My only role in the narrative so far has been to spitball ideas - and to try and offer an objective view of the thing. I have only read the first chapter so far. Tomorrow I'm planning to print out all the chapters and read it as a whole. I'm guessing there's another 15 chapters to go... (they are each very short).
My cat has also been writing a couple of chapters but so far they are just a lot of garbage (sorry Buddy).
The other constrainment - is that we came up with this idea that all the names, adjectives, and adverbs should be 11 characters in length. This is proving to be a real hardship but A.G. is up to the task being a former winner of the Des Moines Crossword competition. [composition = 11 characters, AG that might be useful to you)
Two Sisters
I'm still experimenting with blogger... a couple of nice touches that I couldn't do with radioland: I can set the time & date of the post. This means I can organize the order of posts a little better. Couldn't do that with RadioLand.
Can allow someone else access to write something while I remain the "administrator."
I don't think - at least at first glance - much of the ability to upload photos with their photo upload widget as I don't like the resizing - and the fact that if you click on it you get the original in a window - doesn't seem that great to me.
It allows you to save drafts so in essence you can save an image-based template as a draft and just use that when you want via copy and paste to put up new images.
Of course it's nice that you can do your posts while you're on the road - if I ever do get on the road. There might have been a way to do that with Radioland, I'm not sure.
And since they're now owned by Google - well - I expect more innovations.
Tippy Toes
"Their minds are filled with big ideas, images and distorted facts." - Dylan, Idiot Wind
It has been disclosed to this reporter that new disguises are being drawn up for certain Political Advisors.
7/14/2005
Switched to Blogger
I did some design work for Mr. Priestly - and he was using blogger software for the blog so I got to learn the ins and outs of it a bit. I'm going to switch to it for various reasons. Mostly, I think the commenting is better than the Haloscan gizmo I'm using, plus a couple of other features.
This will be my 3rd blog. First one began in 1999 with Dreamweaver. Then RadioLand which was an actual blogger tool. And now to Blogger.
The old blog will still be at: THIS OLD BLOG
The new web address is: www.DaveBeckerman.com/photo_blog
I'm still futzing a bit. The left column is too wide in IE but perfect in Firefox, and there are a bunch of other stuff to add.
This will be my 3rd blog. First one began in 1999 with Dreamweaver. Then RadioLand which was an actual blogger tool. And now to Blogger.
The old blog will still be at: THIS OLD BLOG
The new web address is: www.DaveBeckerman.com/photo_blog
I'm still futzing a bit. The left column is too wide in IE but perfect in Firefox, and there are a bunch of other stuff to add.
Be A Bum
"To be born in the street means to wander all your life, to be free. It means accident and incident, drama, movement. It means above all dream. A harmony of irrelevant facts which gives to your wandering a metaphysical certitude." The Fourteenth Ward, Henry Miller.
My last full day in the 9-5 world was January 30, 2002 and I'm still here. Not in debt. I don't think I've paid for a restaurant meal with anyone since that date. Which is to say that everyone knew that money was tight and were more than happy to treat me to lunch or whatever as I was the poor artiste. One of the most important things I learned was that it was okay to toss what you used to think of as your dignity out the window. I'm not claiming to be Blanche DuBois (living off the kindness of strangers) - but in the days when I did have money - I tossed so much of it away on other people and now family and friends are only too happy to treat me to something or other.
In the days when I went and sold prints in front of the Metropolitan Museum - the tossing of your dignity was important. I am just a lowly street vendor; a wanderer without definite purpose; without definite income. It probably would be a good exercise in humility to get a cup and beg on the corner. Having done that once or twice many years ago - I would advise you all to try it. But if you do - do it with some style.
Give up your false sense of dignity - because you are doing a job that society needs, supplying the passersby with a sense of superiority which they may not get anywhere else. Wear the ratty clothes. Apply a scar. Drool if you can manage it. And when someone gives you a few coins say, "God Bless You" or "have a nice day, sir."
Do this once a week, even if you have a good job. Best therapy in the world, and cheaper.
"Few are those who can escape the tread-mill. Merely to survive, in spite of the set-up, confers no distinction. Animals and insects survive when higher types are threatened with extinction. To live beyond the pale, to work for the pleasure of working, to grow old gracefully while retaining one's faculties, one's enthusiasm, one's self-respect, one has to establish other values than those endorsed by the mob. It takes an artist to make this breach in the wall. He does not respond to the normal stimuli: he is neither a drudge nor a parasite. He lives to express himself and in so doing enriches the world." The Air-Conditioned Nightmare
[Additional educational tools for teachers: Sullivan's Travels by Preston Sturges (movie); The Man With the Twisted Lip by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Dharma Bums]
My last full day in the 9-5 world was January 30, 2002 and I'm still here. Not in debt. I don't think I've paid for a restaurant meal with anyone since that date. Which is to say that everyone knew that money was tight and were more than happy to treat me to lunch or whatever as I was the poor artiste. One of the most important things I learned was that it was okay to toss what you used to think of as your dignity out the window. I'm not claiming to be Blanche DuBois (living off the kindness of strangers) - but in the days when I did have money - I tossed so much of it away on other people and now family and friends are only too happy to treat me to something or other.
In the days when I went and sold prints in front of the Metropolitan Museum - the tossing of your dignity was important. I am just a lowly street vendor; a wanderer without definite purpose; without definite income. It probably would be a good exercise in humility to get a cup and beg on the corner. Having done that once or twice many years ago - I would advise you all to try it. But if you do - do it with some style.
Give up your false sense of dignity - because you are doing a job that society needs, supplying the passersby with a sense of superiority which they may not get anywhere else. Wear the ratty clothes. Apply a scar. Drool if you can manage it. And when someone gives you a few coins say, "God Bless You" or "have a nice day, sir."
Do this once a week, even if you have a good job. Best therapy in the world, and cheaper.
"Few are those who can escape the tread-mill. Merely to survive, in spite of the set-up, confers no distinction. Animals and insects survive when higher types are threatened with extinction. To live beyond the pale, to work for the pleasure of working, to grow old gracefully while retaining one's faculties, one's enthusiasm, one's self-respect, one has to establish other values than those endorsed by the mob. It takes an artist to make this breach in the wall. He does not respond to the normal stimuli: he is neither a drudge nor a parasite. He lives to express himself and in so doing enriches the world." The Air-Conditioned Nightmare
[Additional educational tools for teachers: Sullivan's Travels by Preston Sturges (movie); The Man With the Twisted Lip by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Dharma Bums]
Behind the Curtain
As far as politics go - the real question is What Did The President Know and When Did He Know It? Could this really be Watergate All-Over-Again? Is it possible that a) Mr. Rove did this on his own and b) that when it came out he didn't mention it as a problem to his leader?
- Oh, by the way, Mr. President, that idiot who's been giving us so many problems with the uranium thing - don't worry about that. I have something for him.
- Yes? Good work. What is it going to be this time Karl?
- Uh. Well. You know, Mr. President - this is another one of those things you'd be better off not knowing. Just in case. I've talked it over with my lawyer and so long as I use the correct language - this should be legal.
- Forget I ever asked. What's next on the agenda?
As far as I can tell - right now - at least in local news, the latest Harry Potter book is getting more coverage. Could the wizard be revealed? The curtain pulled back? Or is there just another curtain behind the curtain?
- Oh, by the way, Mr. President, that idiot who's been giving us so many problems with the uranium thing - don't worry about that. I have something for him.
- Yes? Good work. What is it going to be this time Karl?
- Uh. Well. You know, Mr. President - this is another one of those things you'd be better off not knowing. Just in case. I've talked it over with my lawyer and so long as I use the correct language - this should be legal.
- Forget I ever asked. What's next on the agenda?
As far as I can tell - right now - at least in local news, the latest Harry Potter book is getting more coverage. Could the wizard be revealed? The curtain pulled back? Or is there just another curtain behind the curtain?
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