Capturing those floating bits of thoughts that don't fit into neat categories that would otherwise be lost to the sea of time.
Feb 28
Most of us spend our days feeling like a single, solid unit—a person sitting in a chair, walking to the car, or staring at a screen. But beneath the surface of that perceived stillness is a logistical feat that rivals the busiest cities on Earth. Right now, in nearly every cell of your body, trillions …
Jan 29
The current state of America has many of us, I daresay most of us fighting moods from sadness, anger, futility and frustration. And I’d say everyone I know also has some Trump supporter who is delighted with the deconstruction of the country, although they, of course view the erosion as an improvement. For those of …
Dec 30
“Science is not just another belief system. It is a process of testing beliefs against reality. If a belief cannot survive the test of reality, it must be discarded, no matter how ancient or comforting it may be.” ~ Victor J. Stenger In the palm of your hand you can hold a device that captures …
Nov 30
I love Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 masterpiece, Psycho. I wouldn’t even say that it ‘holds up’ to modern movies; I’d say that it exceeds most of them. And I resent spoilers enough to say, on the off chance that you’ve either not read the book or seen the movie, stop reading this post now because there are …
Oct 21
I had hope for Social Media when it first started to roll out. I thought it could be a chance for people to share their voices (the democratization of voices!) and to connect with far-flung friends and loved ones. But I’d not guessed at the Great Media algorithms driving people towards conflict for the sake …
Sep 28
The groundbreaking series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, first aired 45 years ago today: September 28, 1980. To my mind, Cosmos is one of the most beautiful and important works set to film. If I believed in mandatory media, it would certainly make the top of my list. As it is, the series has been seen …
Aug 26
Drove into downtown Pittsburgh Saturday to see Louis C.K.. We went across the Roberto Clemente Bridge where I spotted this graffiti which reads, “Please Don’t Litter”. I felt conflicted. I hate litter and agree with the sentiment but I also think that (by and large) graffiti is also stupid and obnoxious. I’m curious if the …
Jul 30
I spotted this on Facebook, shared with the heading, ‘THE BIBLE SAID IT ALL’. and then the post includes a snapshot of a quote from one of the many bibles. The quote is red-underlined and then further highlighted with a great purple border that was added digitally. The image and post don’t include a source …
Jun 30
Spotted at a local Goodwill store. I wish I’d bought them. A few observations: the exhibitionist woman shaves and that was somebody’s artistic choice. I think she’d be fun to hang out with. The maniacal devil bunny with soulless eyes still has stains of blood splattered around its mouth from its last victim. What appears …
May 30
I was at a family picnic a few weeks ago and encountered this H2O Go! bouncy ball. The Merriam-Webster dictionary includes as part of its definition of ‘Supervision’, the following: ‘the action, process, or occupation of supervising especially : a critical watching and directing (as of activities or a course of action)’, I particularly enjoy the subtlety in …
Mar 27
I saw this meme on a rare visit to Facebook. (Reminding me once again why I’m avoiding Facebook for the most part.) Let’s examine it… Atheism Defined The first miss occurs on the opening line, ‘to be an atheist, I would have to believe…’ But atheism is not a unified belief system. Atheism is the …
Feb 24
The world feels cold and bitter. Spring is 23 days away. I took this photo Aug. 6, 2011. We’re all looking for some life behind the splinters, rot and rusted nails. … The birds they sangAt the break of dayStart againI heard them sayDon’t dwell on what has passed awayOr what is yet to be … Ah, …
Nov 06
Ever wonder how the fascist took control of Germany in the 1930s? Ever wonder which side you’d have been on if you’d lived in that country? Now, if you live in America: you know both. – It isn’t simply a matter of stupidity. It is more a matter of disinformation and fear. “I could stand …
Nov 04
Sitting here on the eve of the 2024 election, we don’t know who will be the next president. Trump may win or Harris may win. I could provide a slew of links to all that is heinous about Trump but I’d run out of energy well before I ran out of sources. And at this …
Oct 30
This is the least Halloweeny year I’ve had in recent memories: having attended only one party that featured pumpkin carving but having not visited a single ‘haunted’ house and having only watched very few horror movies. Still, my affection for Halloween runs deep and so I’m posting this a day early in celebration of the …
Aug 31
Today’s trolling of my photos surfaced this image of Bear Cave in Derry Township Pennsylvania taken on July 2, 2016. Bear Cave is a, ‘wild cave’ which is to say: it is wholly natural with no human development such as paved walk ways, railings or lighting. The photo was taken near the entrance of the …
Jul 27
Combing through photos and I came across this, from a July 3rd, 2010 fair game. The strangest things amuse me.
Apr 30
The other day, I took a nap and had a very vivid dream. Upon waking up, I used my phone’s voice to text to write down what I’d just been dreaming. Here-in follows that transcription with minor clean-up for clarity and ease of understanding: Thursday, April 25. I just woke up. I’m using voice to …
Mar 31
The 15th episode, ‘Kung Fu’ from season 3 entitled, ‘The Forbidden Kingdom’ first aired January 18, 1975. The episode is a prequel of sorts, showing the Shaolin priest Kwai Chang Caine’s efforts to escape from China as the Emperor’s troops persue him in revenge for the killing of the Emperor’s nephew. Although this is ostensibly …
Oct 22
The King James version of the Bible has a fair amount to say about Hell. A single case in point: “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the …
Sep 28
I found myself rewatching Close Encounters of the Third Kind this week. It’s been a while since I last saw it. Like many, I thought of the movie as slow paced but on rewatching it I was reminded how truly brilliant it is. The movie falls at an interesting intersection of movie making from the …
Jul 18
I saw Mister Silverado on the road a number of days ago. Full disclosure: I didn’t actually see the driver, but I’m highy confident it was indeed a, ‘Mister’. The window sticker, ‘TAXATION IS THEFT‘ is what made the encounter noteworthy. There are some trivial times in one’s life that a person fantasizes about having …
Jun 29
It has been many years (measured in decades) since I first became aware of the concept of ‘Homunculus’. The concept of Homunculus apparently was first documented in the late 1400s. The rough Latin translation is, ‘Little Person’. From a quick bit of reading, one can learn that Homunculus were historically thought of as an artificial …
May 30
This photo was taken on December 30, 2021 on Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro. These crude public toilets sit at campsites. They are nothing more than ‘long drop’ pits surrounded by crude wooden structures. – There are no commodes. One places their feet on either side of a hole and squat. Not surprisingly: not everyone who uses them …
Apr 28
Spam is an evil thing as evidenced by the drag it places on our digital lives as well as the genuine bad intentions behind most of it. I received this text spam a week or two ago. Its crafty. I can well imagine many people being fooled into responding: perhaps to tell them that they …
Mar 26
March’s perfunctory post is again from December 25, 2021. (On our Tanzania trip, we shot over 9,800+ photos and videos, so I can go to this source for a long time when I’m feeling short on posting enthusiasm.) Lake Natron is a remote, surreal landscape. The lake is hyper saline and super alkaline with temperatures …
Feb 26
When one thinks of the Brady Bunch, they probably conjure storylines depicting wholesome family values. Odd then when Alice doesn’t call the authorities to report their neighbor as quite probably a pedophile. At least there were boundaries. – Apparently Carol and Mike need to approve any and all, ‘X-rated swimming pools.’ Trivia: This scene where …
Jan 30
This being another challenging month, I’m just sharing a photo from January 7, 2022 taken in Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park. But I thought, for a change of pace I’d share the raw, uncolor corrected image compared to post color correction and sharpening. All color correction was done in Adobe Lightroom and the sharpening was done …
Dec 26
The last month has been chaos and trouble and I won’t relate it here. But in spite of some serious mental exhaustion, I’ll fulfill my monthly posting duties and leave this year with a fond recollection of where I was last year in December.
Nov 29
Even though news is no not nearly so soul crushing like it was while Trump was in office, I still find myself burned out on all of it. I’ve often advocated that a democracy depends on a well-informed electorate, so I’ve felt that its almost akin to a patriotic duty to follow the news. But …
Sep 29
Instead of world news commentary, here is a piece of inane trivia that I observed one evening while watching a rerun of Columbo. From season 9, episode 6 entitled, ‘Murder in Malibu‘ which was released in May 14, 1990: I wonder how much time was spent looking through stock film before the producers said, ‘Ah, …
Aug 30
Taken at a Massai Boma in Oldupai Emanyata, Tanzania on January 12 2022. With another villager’s help, this man started a fire with friction in less than a minute. A humbling exposure to another culture, another way of life.
Apr 28
Got nothing witty to say here. The picture says it all: just another remarkable example of Amazon packaging failure.
Mar 28
There are so many serious concerns in the world. Right now, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I feel we’re probably as close to the brink of World War III as we have been since the cold war. Maybe closer. But as is often the case, the more serious the issue, the more depleting it …
Feb 28
Let’s talk about Amazon’s upcoming series, ‘The Rings of Power’. Recently, we’ve learned more based on a released teaser trailer and a vanity fair promo puff piece. Naturally, I won’t spoil anything if you aren’t versed in the subject. Short Summary Don’t have time to read my ramblings? Understood. Here is my quick take: It …
Jan 31
Amazon is a huge company that puts in an amazing amount of effort and intelligence to make for great online shopping experiences. But the capricious nature of Amazon’s packing frequently amazes me. A recent case in point: one order of coffee (about $20 value) and an order of two external hard drives (about $500 value). …
Dec 16
This month’s Pressed for Time Post™ ®© leads us to a screen shot from Season 2, Episode 19 (44th overall episode), “The Liberation of Marcia Brady“. In this episode, Marcia is interviewed by a TV reporter on her thoughts on women’s liberation. When she gets home, her family gathers around to see her on TV. …
Nov 29
Went back in the photo vault to April 2004 for this one. This floor heater and sign were spotted in a West Virginia campground bathhouse. The bathhouse burned down some years later. Coincidence?
Oct 29
I enjoy old TV shows, for the sake nostalgia, and for the little cultural gems that can be found in them. Take for example, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. At the time, it was very much adult comedy, that explored new territory (such as a happily single, unmarried working woman.) But even the salacious, sexual …
Sep 18
Security Theater amuses and frustrates me. Today’s random photo from the vault was taken at Bangalore Palace, October 31, 2015. Here is a simultaneously funny and scary example of Security Theater: an unattended rifle, leaning, rather precariously against a shrub. I watched for some time: no sign of the guard. What could possibly go wrong? …
Aug 24
When writing a post title, I try to think of something witty, or at least punny while also being succinct. Alas, I couldn’t think of how to encapsulate this post with anything pithy. Maybe, my difficulty stems from the fact that I’m writing this with an insomniac brain starting at 3:30am. But I’m going to …
Jul 29
Spotted in the parking lot of a local store: I especially like the extra special logical incongruity of the ‘Pro Gun’ pistol barrel pointing at the ‘Pro Life’ heart. The woman who (apparently) owned the vehicle was about mid-30s. White. She had a huge bag of dog food that I helped her heave into the …
Apr 27
In the last year, Covid has almost become the new, go to small-talk default subject, like weather. And so it was, that in talking with a work colleague, the person I was speaking with balked at the notion of getting a Covid vaccination. The person said, Covid is, ‘Just the flu’. And went on to …
Mar 31
I spent a good deal of timing writing posts to the Friends and Family section of the site this month, and so: all I have time or energy for here is a quick and lazy sharing of a nearly random photo from my collection. This is a merchant on the streets of Mandawa, India taken …
Feb 28
Some text spam makes you feel like you’re missing out. I’ve never been ‘gleamed” before. It sounds so dirty and erotic. But it is nice to know that three strangers (Lippke, “I” and Layla) can surely sense that this link could gleam my evening. And it’s cute that they have a pet name for me, …
Dec 31
As I’ve noted before, I’m rather a fan of yard Kitsch. (As long as its in other people’s yards, not mine and not my next door neighbors. [- It’s more of an, ‘admire from afar’ appreciation.]) So, it was with some enjoyment that I share this house. Every year, it’s good for some amusement. But …
Sep 18
I’m writing this, having just learned that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died. Vladimir Putin’s puppet, Trump and Moscow Mitch will steal another position on the Supreme Court. Last weekend, I had an occasion to drive across Pennsylvania. I saw Trump signs out number Biden signs at a ratio of about 100 to 1. And …
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