Ania’s Photos
A few days ago I took pictures of a friend of mine. The reason is obvious I think – she is expecting a baby and since the due date is getting close and the bump bigger, it was the ideal time to capture these precious moments. Here are a few images:
Wordle
I found this amazing toy today. Wordle generates a word cloud from the text you provide, be it a pasted text, URL or Delicious username. Here are two examples:
This blog’s word cloud:
My Delicious bookmarks‘ tag cloud:
I was actually quite surprised how these two differ even though they are both ‘written’ by the same person. Of course, I’ve had my Delicious bookmarks for a lot longer than this blog so that might have affected the result as well…. Anyway, Wordle is a very interesting little toy-tool. The only thing I’m missing is a ‘Save the image as…’ option – I had to take a screenshot. But this shouldn’t stop you from creating your own word cloud…
OS X Error Message
My work Mac surprised me with this error message today:
What did it want me to confirm I do not know. I asked our admin and he said it was OK. Well?
N.B. the only deleted information in the picture is a file name of the PDF (bottom left) and a folder name (top right) which I happened to have on my desktop at the time of grabbing the screen and may be sensitive for my company/client.
Christmas Card
I was playing with thoughts and fonts the other day and this came out of the process:
Beautiful Apple Fruit … But Tastes Sour
Look at this thing… (Picture: Wikipedia)
Yes, it is a computer mouse from Apple. Odd shape? Yes. Have you ever used it? No? You missed the opportunity to try something that looks cool but sucks when it is being used. Seriously, when you have it in your hand, it turns in all directions and you never know where the ‘North’ is.
Now let’s have a look at the Mighty Mouse, the latest mouse by Apple. They eventually added scrolling option! Waw! Hold on … What? That ball is as inaccurate as anything. If you touch it 20 times, 2 of that are unintentional hits. It’s resolution is rubbish in comparison with competition (i.e. Logitech MX Revolution). By the way, the resolution issue was confirmed even by several die-hard Apple fans.
Another product, the latest iMac. Beautiful machine, needs to be said. But what if a friend brings something on a memory stick? You need a USB port, don’t you? Where is it? Can you see anything on the front of the machine? No, you can’t, because the USB slot would spoil the overall design, wouldn’t it? Is it on one of the sides? No, there’s just your optical drive. Top? Bottom? Now, don’t tell me I have to turn the machine round to find it. Yep, the only USB slot is at the back.
Morals of the story:
- Design is not only about what things look like but also how they feel when used
- Apple should never ever produce a mouse again
- We need to be careful about the likes of MacBook Air – radical modern designs by Apple are sometimes rubbish (as history proves)
- Some beautiful apples are sour in taste
Self-Portraits
Getting models for your portraits is easy. Getting the right model in front of your camera can be a pain.
A week ago I gathered all my courage and for the first time ever I asked somebody I didn’t know to be my model. I handed her my business card containing a link to my website, asked her to have a look and give me a shout if she liked the images. Guess what. I haven’t heard from her since. And I will probably never see her again either.
Last night as I was flicking through Flickr I came across Miss Aniela’s Photostream (check her website out too).
(Photo: Flickr – Miss Aniela)
This photographer doesn’t have a problem with models. She is her own model. She is young, she is beautiful, she is talented (don’t ask me whether she is a better model or a photographer because I don’t know). The results of this ’self-collaboration’ are truly astonishing…
Richard Muller is a singer who once said something like (I can’t remember the quote exactly though): “I don’t think I am a good singer. I just couldn’t find anybody who sings my lyrics better than I do”.
I’m wondering, is this going to be my case? (It is always easier to wake up a tripod than a model early in the morning when the light is perfect…)
The Man With Two First Names
His name is Martyn Joseph. He is a Welsh singer-songwriter. He plays guitar. He also sings. He is good. He was in Belfast. I was there. It was a good concert. I talked to him after the concert. He is a very friendly man.
This would be my review if Martyn played in Belfast in 1988. Oh, it wouldn’t! I spoke no English and didn’t know Belfast existed when I was ten years old… Luckily enough, the concert took place in 2008, I speak a bit English and I live in Belfast…
A singer/songwriter will never be popular globally. One of the reasons for this is the fact that it is actually quite difficult to fully understand the lyrics since it is usually deeply rooted in the culture author grew up or lives in. Another reason is, one needs a bit of intellect to understand the lyrics, which, obviously, is not a mainstream thing (it’s not like ‘Oops! … I did it again’ (Britney Spears) or ‘I’m a sexy mama who knows just how to get what I wanna’ (Pussycat Dolls))…
Every singer/songwriter stands on three pillars: lyrics, musicianship (if this is not a word it is now…) and entertainment. Vast majority of them limp on one or other side. It is different in case of Martyn Joseph. Excellent lyricist, accomplished guitarist and fantastic entertainer meet in this tall being. Absolute pleasure and honour to experience him live (also thanks to Real Music Club). Highly Recommended!
(It seems Martyn is left-handed here. No, he isn’t. And no, there is no image manipulation involved. I just didn’t want to disturb walking around The Errigle Inn while I wanted to get a picture of him singing to the light and there was a speaker in my way so I used a reflection in a mirror on a wall. And, as we know, mirrors change things…)
Nikon FMD3 / Canon AE-1D. When?
What you are looking at is not a very well looked after car from early car racing times. This is something people at Vanwall Cars can make for you today (well, provided you have a sufficient budget). An old-fashioned looking powerful beauty built using durable materials, equipped with only those features you really need… Well, if car manufacturers listen to people, why don’t camera makers? What about putting D3 sensor into FM3 body? Or, better still, 5D Mark II sensor in AE-1 body? Nikon, Canon – anybody listening?
Thought On Graphic Design
Having done some graphic design over the past few years I realized that graphic design should be about photography and typography. Overuse of drop shadows is for those who don’t have pictures and words that are thought provoking and communicating enough. The more effects needed, the less thought involved.
