If you go through old photo albums, not matter how good of condition the photo is, it still looks old and faded. Or at least mine do. Could it be the people in the photos are so much younger than present time, making it, by definition, old and faded? I would have thought digital photos would have taken care of this phenomenon of faded pictures. But now they’re telling me that if I write photos to a CDR, the CDR itself will become unuseable in 5 years. This of course depends on how cheap the CDR is.
Old photos are good. I’ll admit that I took too many photos in high school. Mostly of redundant activities. Rarely got a “good” photo. Now I concentrate on getting the perfect photo, rather than just snapping pictures for the sake of using up film. I hate seeing people take bad photos. I’ve wanted to step in and tell them how to take the photo. And I have before.
I’m thinking about starting a camera collection. I’ve got a digital, 35mm, and 110. I still need to get an underwater camera and one of those Advantex cameras. I still don’t like ’em. Because they are so expensive to develop. But I have heard that you can get a specific number of prints if you have a sophisticated enough camera.
And I need to get a polaroid instantmatic. But I’ve heard that those instant photos have glue in them that go bad. So I might stay away from that brand too.
Oh yeah. Matt H. where are you?
Disclaimer
Somewhere out there is a “Blogger Disclaimer.” If you search for it on Google, you’ll find it. I won’t bother linking to it directly because it has curse words in it.
However I did find some good stuff from it for a possible disclaimer if and when I decide to make this site public again.:
“If they do not want you reading it, or suddenly stop posting entries, ask them why and if necessary, stop going to the site. It is important that as a friend, relative, co-worker or whatever you may be to the writer, that your presence at their weblog not impede their ability to express themselves. Remember this is their outlet. They may not want you to read certain things they might write about you or others you care about, in order to spare your feelings, avoid drama or maintain their privacy. You should respect this and immediately stop going to the site, and never relay any information you gather at their site to others who might use it against them.
If someone writes about you and you don’t appreciate it, approach them about it. Try to remain calm and polite. Explain that you are entitled to your privacy as well. There are many compromises that can be reached from using vague nicknames to protect your anonymity, or not mentioning you at all. If you are upset because they are writing negative things about you, be reasonable, try to see if there is a way to resolve the issues and mend your relationship with the writer. If that doesn’t seem to be possible, stop going to the website. They will eventually get bored and move on.
The internet is a place that encourages free and creative expression, and as in any environment where people are given this freedom, conflict may arise. If an author uses language or materials that offend you, leave. Contacting the person or their isp, demanding they remove the content or change their ways is absurd because you are viewing their content of your own free will by visiting their site. Simply stop going there and you won’t have to see whatever it is you don’t like about the site.”
Mozilla Firebird
So I’m using Mozilla’s Firebird browser now. Internet Explorer skin. Looks and acts just like IE for XP except that there’s no pop ups. I’m also using Privoxy on there. I tried using Privoxy on IE, but it disable javascript. So it was useless.
Firebird is pretty cool. I’ll probably start using it as my default browser. Mozilla basic is nice, but it can be cumbersome at times. I still keep IE close by on my desktop because some webmasters are still prejudiced enough to design sites which ONLY load in IE.
And it is amazing how many people complain about pop up ads, yet do nothing about it. Mozilla! That’s the answer if you are tired of ’em. I suspect Microsoft is being paid off or something or else they would have put in a utility or option to disable pop up ads altogether on IE. IE is so cumbersome. Pop up ads everywhere. Visit the wrong webpage, and it will set your start page to something less desireable. Ugh. Exploitation at its best.
Other stuff:
I have been reading Josh’s blog while he is studying abroad in Hungary. Maybe you should too. Josh’s latest gripe is that the drinks in Budapest do not come with ice. Iced drinks is truly an Americanism. Never saw much of the cold stuff in Shanghai either. America offers free refills too. Never saw that aboard either. Other countries are stingy with their drinks. Charge you extra for it.
Unusual Church Signs
Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash: Dead at 71. What made Johnny Cash so ultra cool was his anti-establishment attitude. He wasn’t going to let whatever the mainstream country music executives tell him what to do. He was going to do things his way. That’s why he was unique. Even played a few concerts in prisons. When was the last time you heard Shania Twain do that?
Some of my favorite Cash songs:
- Ring of Fire – This might be the definitive Johnny Cash song. This song never gets old.
- Folsom Prison Blues There’s a line that echos in my mind about this. “….bet there�s rich folks eating in a fancy dining car they�re probably drinkin� coffee and smoking big cigars.”
- One Piece at a Time – A hokey song about stealing Cadillac parts. It’s pretty funny if you listen to the whole song.
- If I Were a Carpenter – a song which shows John’s love for June. I picked up on this song when June died a few months ago.
- One – (U2 cover) Powerful song. You can tell that Cash’s voice is somewhat weak in this. Yet in some ways the cover is better than the original.
- Personal Jesus – (Depeche Mode cover) – Another strange bird. Probably wouldn’t have heard of this song if Cash hadn’t covered it.
- Hurt – (Nine Inch Nails cover) – barely noticeable on the original NIN album years ago. Cash took the song and made it his own. The video for this song is compelling. Cash is seen in his house peering over old pictures. Throughout we see video and stills of Cash in his prime. Really showed what he had been through. Perhaps the song is an allegory for his drug use years ago and how it affected him. “And you could have it all. My empire of dirt…”
I realize that I’ve only scratched the surface on Cash’s discography. And many of my favorite songs are covers. These are the songs that I know. The songs that I look forward to hearing.
Update: 9/13/03
“To hear that Johnny was interested in doing my song was a defining moment in my life’s work. To hear the result really reminded me how beautiful, touching and powerful music can be.”
–Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails
2 years
“The reason we were attacked, the reason these people are dead, these people are missing and dead, and they weren’t doing anything wrong, they were living their lives, they were going to work, they were traveling, they were doing what they normally do. As I understand it (and my understanding of this is vague at best), another smaller group of people stole some airplanes and crashed them into buildings. And we’re told that they were zealots, fueled by religious fervor… religious fervor. And if you live to be a thousand years old, will that make any sense to you?”
David Letterman – 9/17/01
I still don’t understand it, Dave.
Enjoy Every Sandwich
Warren Zevon: Dead at the senseless age of 56. It’s ok if you don’t know any of his songs. I was introduced to his music by Lightning 100. “Werewolves of London.” “Lawyers, Guns, and Money.”
Zevon was on David Letterman’s Show on October 30, 2002. He had been diagnosed with cancer and the future looked pretty grim. Somehow by the atmosphere of the show, Dave and the audience knew that this was probably Zevon’s swan song. Letterman had this interesting exchange with Warren:
Letterman: “From your perspective now, do you know something about life and death that maybe I don’t know?”
Zevon: “Not unless I know how much you’re supposed to enjoy every sandwich.”
A sandwich is so ordinary these days. You see it just about every day. Someone in your workplace or school is eating a sandwich. Or else you pass by some Subway shop. Sandwiches are ordinary. Yet we should try to enjoy even the little things of life. Life is too short to let it pass you by.
Dry Fork
Dry Fork is in the middle of nowheresville. Somewhere in between Tompkinsville and Glasgow. That’s all I know. The church there has a go go gadget pulpit. With themostat and lightswitch enhancements. I wasn’t expecting a Swiss army type pulpit. Anytime you want to adjust the temp, you have to run up to the pulpit change the switch IN FRONT of the preacher. After that I was expecting to see the pulpit turn into a miniature helicopter.
Johnny K. was preaching. That’s why I drove 2 hours up there. Saw some old friends. And some old friends’ relatives. What better way to visit churches I’ve been meaning to visit after a while…than to visit during a Gospel Meeting where visitors are expected. Otherwise it would just very strange to drive all that way for a regular service.
You know, I have driven more often on 31E and 109 late at night than any other street seemingly. And the drive back from Dry Fork was extra interesting. I was expecting to see a deer jump out in front of me. No deer but plenty of fog. Barely passed any cars until I started getting close to Scottsville. It was a strange drive. Glad I didn’t break down or else I would have had to wake up the farmhands.
My Pro Wrestler Can Beat Up Your Pro Wrestler
Mark’s friend from California was in town so we decided to show him the metropolis of Nashville. We had trouble finding tourist sites which were open:
Went to the Tennessee State Museum…CLOSED (on Mondays).
Went to the State Capitol…House and Senate Chambers were CLOSED due to renovation.
We did make it over to the Bicentennial Mall. There’s just not much to that. I wish there had been more opportunities to get to the obvious tourist destinations. Call it state funding shortfalls for the closure on Mondays. Yet they are still renovating House and Senate chambers. What are they spending their money on? It is state fair season this week and I would have hoped that they would have put on a pretty face on the state stuff in the capitol. Not just close it turning away potential tourists.
State Fair? It’s fair. Nothing terribly exciting there. We saw the racing pigs and ducks. Only in Tennessee, y’all.
The hypnotist? She tried. That’s all I can say. I guess if you were really concentrating you could be hypnotized. But unless you want it to happen to you, then don’t bother.
Saw some wrestling at the fair. Watching it convinced me that without a doubt this stuff is fixed. It’s a male soap opera. They even had plants in the crowd to egg on the wrestlers. It was just sad to see. It is sad that this phenomenon has progressed to the magnitude that it is. Sad that this “sport” is discussed at length on the internet on discussion boards similar to the schoolyard argument of “my pro wrestler can beat up your pro wrestler.”
Still I wonder how the Wilson County Fair can be so much better than the state fair. More free stuff? Never been. But I have been to the state fair 3 times now.
Elizabeth
It was 2 years ago today a fifteen year old girl passed away due to a brain tumor. That girl was my friend Elizabeth. I can remember feeling horrible that day. Mutual friends were an hour away. The urgent phone calls from friends of the reports of her death. The sense of not knowing what exactly to say to her peers to bring on a feeling of comfort. The true sense that the long struggle was all over and the grieving period had begun. We were all looking for answers from each other. And we didn’t have good enough answers. Doctors gave her 5 months to live. And initially I didn’t believe them. As if I had heard reports of the same thing happening and then the patient living for years after wards. This was real. Believe it. Believe it when the doctor gives grim hope.
I can remember wondering and asking myself and God “Why?” Why did this thing have to happen this way? I can’t explain it away. I can only surmise that it happened for a purpose. Whether it was to make others stop and take a spiritual inventory of their lives. Or for us to know that cancer and brain tumors are very horrible things. I don’t know. That’s the bottom line. I don’t know.
Elizabeth was buried on September 10th. We were all hoping for things to get back to normal the next day. They didn’t. It was almost as if the whole world came crashing down on our little lives.