Archive for January, 2007

Photography

Tuesday, January 30th, 2007

Glass. It’s all in the glass.

Ever wonder why that killer zoom doesn’t take great pictures?

Two reasons. Crappy glass and low light.

Now, you need good optics to capture reality, at all close to what the eye can see, and at all aesthetically pleasing.

Without good optics, the best camera in the world won’t shoot diddley.

Second, you need sufficient light to hit the film or sensor. Else you wind up with not so good shots and maybe even need artificial light which typically is another source of bad shots.

So, first things first.

Good optics can compensate for not the best camera and make the great cameras what they are meant to be.

Glass. Its the glass.

Did I mention quality optics allow more light?

Barbaro

Monday, January 29th, 2007

Today we lost Barbaro.

Barbaro

Today the world lost Barbaro.

What was it that made this horse so different?

Our perception?

The symbol of unbelievable greatness coupled with a great heart?

Whatever it was he is gone and we are all the less for it.

Barbaro is free.

Strings

Sunday, January 28th, 2007

Ah the wonders of new strings.

Been reading the premier issue of Premier Guitar and find myself somewhat jacked up, or as they say inspired.

So I broke the third string on my Les Paul and decided to go ahead and replace them all.

Yeah its obvious, but the guitar just sounds so unbelievable.

Hey, I can play too!

So I did the acoustic also. The one that had been sitting there cause I broke a strang. (That poor Gibson is losing its bridge so other than the low E buzzing also sounds great.)

I agree with Nived.

Sometimes you have to share your enthusiasm.

And replace those strings, frequently.

Guitar

Saturday, January 27th, 2007

There are times I think the instrument is beyond what anyone can comprehend as an influence on society and culture. Or what I can comprehend. Postured stupid heavy statement but there it is.

Piano would be the other contender but the real weakness with piano is simply that the mechanics are automatic, the sound generating mechanics.

With a guitar the player is the mechanical actuation. The player has to make the sound.

Nuance is still very much a part of piano, but, piano v guitar, no contest, guitar is the more human.

So what of the other stringed instruments?

They didn’t do rock and roll.

Tough break but I sure am glad we have guitar.

Guitar, the opiate of the enlightened few.

Sometimes I Believe Sometimes I Don’t

Saturday, January 20th, 2007

Yeah. The thought is provocative. And the implication is clear. But I do, at times, believe anything is possible. Bummer. Really. For truth is, it is, you don’t choose to make it, or not. You see it or don’t.

I can see!

We’re not Super High but We’re Definitely High

Saturday, January 20th, 2007

Believe it or not this was a reference to digital camera resolution.

Then I tripped on the not so hidden double meaning.

Then I tripped and fell, not really.

But think about this, we aren’t super high, we aren’t all that, we are not there yet.

We are on our way.

Wanna get there?

You Live Your Values

Thursday, January 11th, 2007

One thing that is clear, desire and action are separated.

You look at what people say they desire and you look at what they do and more often than not there is almost no connnection at all.

Conventional desire is a measure of everything one is not, rather than a goal one moves toward.

Action on the other hand is ultimately the truth of anyone’s desires displayed for all to see. Look at what they do and you see the true person.

Turn that inward and look at what you are doing, or not doing, or how you are acting, or not acting, or behaving, or not behaving and if you have the brass you may just find out what you really are, what you really value.

Which brings us to values.

Values are the root of all action. Yikes. Scary thought. But if you really observe yourself, and others, a clarity of being emerges and you can see what you, and others, really value and hence what they really are.

This can be a painful experience as the realization of the connections and nature of relationships are evident in truth, and we realize we aren’t all that, we aren’t close to some people, and we are close to others.

This also can evince what we value in terms of materialism and spirituality. Again, potentially painful for those of us who purport spirituality and serenity while chasing down the American dream with a vengeance.

Actions speak louder than words.

True that.

All I’ve Got is the Truth

Monday, January 8th, 2007

Mine and Insanity’s favorite topic.

Reflecting on many things, the way of knowing things, the nature of things the realization becomes ever more present that the characterization of things and the true nature of things are mostly far apart.

Enter the visionaries, the ones who have the dubious ability to see what is without filtration and spin. Vision in the literal sense.

Seeing the way of things.

Seeing the truth.

Visionaries also have an ability to see human potentials and likelihoods but here we are discussing the ability to see what is, what exists.

Looking about us we can see all the lonely people living under various illusions and allusions seasoned with delusion and listen to the blame game and allegations flying and be struck by the absolute incredible inability for the truth to be recognized, and then logically, respected.

When truth is recognized, it is ignored to serve a fraudulent desire to make reality in one’s own delusional model.

This is known as lying.

This is known as rationalization.

Lying to serve oneself.

Lying to deny and disrespect reality.

Lying for no reason other than habit and mimicry of those around us most.

The lies become so prevalent that humans begin to live under the apparition that truth is an opinion. Soon, the word gives way to meaning “one’s opinion” of events or facts.

Yet fact remains, and truth is fact, no matter our best efforts to obfuscate.

The paradigm of deceipt seems to be a permanent aspect of human nature, despite so many brilliant visionaries displaying a selfless ability to see the way of things as they are outside the human point of view and within the human condition as well.

So I am sitting here watching and listening and I am astounded but not surprised.

You’ve heard the saying that perception is 90 percent of reality, and that is true in terms of a society and culture, and is commonly present in its inhabitant’s actions, but the real truth is that perception is 100 percent false 99 percent of the time.

In the end, all I’ve got is the truth.

Happy New Year

Monday, January 1st, 2007

Ah the joy of calendars. Welcome to 2007. Great achievements await us all, depending on your paradigm and point of view.

Yes, we mark time, and time keeps counting. Yet, as the years roll away, we are less and less in awe and less aware of the passing and more caught up, maybe.

Some of us are enlightened and ever static, and hence dynamic in a way, the beatified smile and serenity of the unaffected residing upon our lips.

Some of us are dead.

Some of us are shallow blind apparitions of animal instinct perfumed into oblivion.

Some of us are unconcerned.

Some of us are tired and waiting.

Some of us are suffering constantly and wondering why.

Some of us have knowledge that we share and then discard and start all over again.

Most of us are unaware of anything at all to do with anything.