Category: observations

I didn’t know ’til now that some people — obvious able to navigate a computer — think that disease is caused by one’s surroundings, by one’s state of mind, not by disease. A representative sample, in response to a citation of Guns, Germs, and Steel:

How wrong you are. Native Americans died because they have been treated worse than lice. They have been chased off of their fathers land by bandits with shotguns. Their mothers, wives and daughters have been raped, their kids murdered.

The stupid little kids of the rich, they have shit for brains and cannot understand anymore that people who are living in poverty and filth die young simply because their terrible diseases are caused by their misery. You have no eyes to see that, you can only look in a microscope and say: “Hey, another virus! I found out why they’re sick! Let’s heal’em with chemo”.

But the microbes, they are not the cause of disease. They are the result.

Sorry, what did you say? I’m a fool and a Denialist? Yeah I know. And very proud to be one.

So the natives’ demise was due to their unhappiness at being conquered. If only they had been as stoic and unyielding as the foes of germ theory. A great thread of comments, if you like that sort of thing: the crazies are way outnumbered and the reality-based posters are plainly enjoying themselves.

“What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out, which is the exact opposite.”

— Bertrand Russell, “Sceptical Essays“, 1928

Herman Miller Aeron Chair — Large size:

Dot.com era Aeron chair, lightly used at home. No damage, low usage, clean.

I sure don’t sit in it enough to justify the space it takes up. And think of the film I could buy with the proceeds.
[update] Well, that didn’t take long. Claimed in 20 minutes. Shoulda gone for $400.

A bit disappointed:

For several months, the development team has been working on the upcoming 2.2 release. In fact, we just released the first Beta for 2.2 (version 2.1.90). We decided to try to conform to as many standards as we can, and this includes the Tango standard for icons.

Unfortunately, the coders on the team aren’t exactly the most artistic. So we have asked time and time again on our mailing lists for some help creating a few icons that meet the Tango spec.

To date, even though we have been asking for months, we have not had anyone develop icons for us. This is a bit discouraging, considering the demands made on the development team. On the rare occassion that we ask for help, none appears.

This is a great project and it’s a shame the artistic help isn’t forthcoming. I’m no artist either.

I took delivery of a simple but well-designed (why but? why not and?) 4×5 box camera yesterday, and this morning was my trial by fire of loading a 4×5 film holder.

Less frustrating than I thought: evidently, I am used to finding my way in the dark. Now, I have no idea — or perhaps too many ideas — of what to shoot. Two frames before I head back home to develop and reload: I’m seeing metalwork or other clichés of large format monochrome.

Here’s a discussion of how cameras of this design look.

Glazer’s Cameras is holding a combined pinhole/Holga contest ending Aug 12 [not 1, as I misread earlier]. Despite the name, both pinhole and Holga images are acceptable. And to sweeten the deal, they are offering package consisting of:

• a new Holga
• 2 rolls of Kodak print film
• a few feet of gaffer tape on a 120 spool (since Holgas are notoriously leaky)
• and the entry forms, etc. for the contest

all for $25, and the brown paper sack/camera bag comes at no additional cost.

Not a huge savings, but a nice intro to medium format and a good way to get into the contest. You could look at as as optional $25 entry fee, but it is optional.

Glazer’s for whatever reason doesn’t have any info online about it, so you’ll have to call their main store if you’re interested.

PARAMETERS, US Army War College Quarterly – Winter 2005-06:

the guerrilla can win simply by not losing, whereas the counterinsurgent power can lose by not winning.

[hat-tip]

I haven’t finished it yet, but it all makes sense so far. And we’ve heard from Professor Record before.

We know him as a perceptive observer and craftsmanlike writer, and now we see a glimpse of his temper. Add him to the list of people in whose sights you don’t want to end up.

To be clear, he doesn’t sink to the naughty words the pearl-clutchers complain about, but delivers a measured, well-reasoned demolishing of two fawning warbloggers who are realizing — too late — that they should have chosen their principles and their friends more carefully.

Working on a cigarbox 4×5 camera today. I just painted the inside surfaces with Ultra-flat black paint, hence the aroma. Forgot how strong that stuff can be.

So far, I have

• cut a 4.25 x 5.5 inch hole in the bottom
• framed it on three sides with 1/2 x 1/2 basswood strips
• cut a hole for the pinhole to be mounted
• cut a square of brass shim stock and glued it to a larger square of cardboard.

To do:

• make the pinhole (carefully): needs to be about 3 nanometers
• glue it in place
• make a shutter
• hmm, guess it’s time to test it out, once I try loading sheet film in a film holder.

I don’t have any tattoos but I know parents who do — some discreet, on the ankle or shoulder, some not so, like all across the skull — but skin art is by no means a mark of poor parenting. So this — Reaction: ‘If Israel is behaving like a psychotic bullying child, Britain and the US are like its mad tattooed parents’ — seems a little strong.

Sometimes a tattoo is just a tattoo.