Shot from a moving bus with dirty widows. Still, I kinda like it.
:::
It's gearing-up now.
The Republicans ran this banner ad on one of the pro wrestling websites recently.
I'd never noticed how much pro wrestlers and Republican politicians sound
alike.
I guess they've found the perfect target market. Oh, and like Florida, those
matches aren't staged!
:::
Double Malaprop
Over the last several months, I've seen what is starting to be my favorite
malapropism, because it's a two-way malaprop. People can't seem to get Hugh and huge straight.
I got an e-mail saying that Huge Grant was in Rockefeller center. Makes Hugh
sound like his porn-stud cousin (I'm making that up, but
it's fun). The other day, I saw a flier advertising an apartment with hugh
rooms. Yeah, English is an easy language.
Monopod Mania
I took the rig with me yesterday, and of course, I had a chance to put it to
the test. It's easier to work with than I imagined. I need to find a better
way to carry it, though.
Crime Scene. 1/2 sec. f=3.5 Picture was taken around dusk.
1/25 sec. f=3.8
It's interesting to notice that people aren't as sensitive to having a camera
pointed at them as I once thought. I don't know if that's a change in my attitude,
or theirs. This woman had to have seen the focus assist light flashing,
and yet she stood in the middle of the shot for several frames. The original
idea for
the picture had been about the circular window with the graffiti and the sticker,
which reads “bias.”
:::
Wooster Collective – A celebration of street art.
:::
I'm a Fan of Zicam
When I first heard the claim that this stuff shortens the length of a cold,
I couldn't believe it, but I was a little curious. When I started to feel like
I was coming down with a cold (actually something maybe a little worse than
your
basic cold) this time,
I decided
it was worth a try. I bought the Zicam on the second day that I felt
symptoms, and applied the stuff to my nose right away.
Instantly, I felt relief. The scratchiness in my throat faded as soon
as I applied the stuff. It seems that the source of the sensation
that
we call
a scratchy throat is really somewhere inside the
nose.
I continued to apply Zicam for several days, and my symptoms never got any
worse. I never developed a runny nose, sneezing, or coughing. The gland in
my throat that felt a little tender has returned to normal. Not every symptom
is gone,
but
I definitely
feel on
the
mend. My colds never turn out this way on their own.
The best thing about Zicam is that it's not a drug, and there are no drug
interactions. It's actually a form of zinc – a mineral – in a gel suspension.
I didn't take any other cold remedies, and I didn't have to worry about the
Zicam
interacting
with
the wine
I had
with
a
few of
my meals.
The literature that came with Zicam gave the best explanation I've ever seen
for why people are more likely to get colds in the winter: the mucous membranes
inside the nose dry out, and become much more susceptible to the agents that
cause colds and flu. Zinc has been shown to help the body in fighting off
illness, and the Zicam allows you to apply zinc directly to the place where
colds first develop. Because it's a gel, the zicam also helps keep the inside
of the nose moist. The net result is that the cold infection is essentially
nipped in the bud.
You could call it a cold extinguisher.
It's All Spam to Me
Doorknob Maureen crosshatch Eisenhower? Are the Helpful Health Newsletter
and the Informative Health Newsletter one in the same? Why do so many strangers
feel the need to say “hi?”
:::
I suppose setting up a counter inside the lobby would be going too far
Poetry on wheels
Outlived their usefulness
Someone maintains this shrine on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope
:::
A Welcome Surprise
Camera shake is a much bigger problem with Nikkita (my D100) than with the
old Coolpix 990. Nikkita's a lot heavier, so I went out and picked up a proper
ball head for my monopod so I could use it with the D100. I got the Manfrotto
484RC2 - a ball head with a quick release attachment. The monopod is a model
3006
4-section
lightweight
monopod.
The combination is really solid, and easier to carry and quicker to set up
than a full tripod. Of course, there will be times when a full tri is still
the
way
to
go, but the monopod offers a good deal of stability,
and the quick release makes attaching and detaching the camera a piece of
cake. I took a couple of shots with the new rig last night. The compositions
were nothing to write home
about (or post here, for that matter), but I was surprised how much better
the color rendition was, now that the camera is stabilized. Less blur, better
color. Now, that's what I call a worthwhile upgrade.
:::
Vintage Cadillac near Boro Hall
It's not just a life. It's a sex life.
:::
Interesting Bio-Trivia
Human eyes are optimized for acuity, while nocturnal animals like cats have eyes
that are optimized for higher sensitivity. The back of Human eyes have a layer
of pigment cells that absorb any light that is not captured by the photosensitive
cells in the eye, while cats' eyes have a reflective layer called the tapetum.
Unabsorbed light is bounced back into the photoreceptors in a cat's eyes, so
that they have a second chance at catching what little light is available.
The reflective layer is what makes cats' eyes seem to glow at night, and it
also scatters some of that light inside the eye, making cats' vision less sharp
than ours.
We see three primary colors because we have three distinct types of color-sensing
receptors in our eyes. Our ability to distinguish reds probably evolved so
that we can distinguish ripe (red) fruit on green foliage.
