Noted photoblogger Derek Powazek has added an archive style to his Ephemera that is worth checking out -- an all-site "archive by base color" that shows a small square for each image, filled with the "average" color of that photo. He's kind enough to detail how it's generated, for those of you using Movable Type and interested in adding something similar to your site.

The subject of this posting "is not the so-called Liberty of the Will, so unfortunately opposed to the misnamed doctrine of Philosophical Necessity; but Civil, or Social Liberty." When John Stuart Mill composed his astute political narrative, On Liberty, 140 years ago, the threats of jihad-motivated terrorism and the Patriot Act were inconceivable, yet he'd already mastered an understanding of their motivations. In fact, when Mill uses the phrase patriot, it embodies an entirely different attitude than its current use within politics today.
Today the term patriot and its use in the Patriot Act bring a connotation of sacrifice on behalf of your country. Mill describes the purpose of patriots past differently; "the aim, therefore, of patriots was to set limits to the power which the ruler should be suffered to exercise over the community." In light of thoughts such as, "the king of the vultures would be no less bent upon preying upon the flock than any of the minor harpies, it was indispensable to be in a perpetual attitude of defence against his beak and claws," the Patriot Act becomes more understandable, albeit less agreeable.

Continue reading "On Liberty"

posted by jeffg in Information: General | link | comments (4)

Though this is clearly about moving pictures, it bears mentioning here, for the blogginess of it all. Everybody's favorite ostensibly-non-evil-entity has launched a video upload program that, on its face, seems pretty forward-looking:

• Open and searchable, check.
• Free and unlimited hosting, check.
• Metadata, check.
• Make money from your work, check.

Matt Haughey's already on top of it, and gives us a couple screenshots.

I'm personally a bit sad about the Windows-only angle (that always happens), but this looks -- so far -- to be yet another interesting development in the world of personal video publishing beta programs (see also, Vimeo).

I guess when Flickr leaves beta and gets off the ground with their own set-your-own-price print ordering scheme, we can bring this full circle.

In the commercial vein, what's more appealing anyhow -- setting up your own media sales system (a la Cosentino, for example), or getting assimilated and letting Google/Flickr take a cut? And is the market for selling JPEGs really that much worse than selling MPEGs? Talk amongst yourselves.

This is a little last minute, but there's still space at tomorrow's Photoshop for Photographer's seminar at the Javits center. $99 for the day, or $79 for NAPP members. I've been told that joining NAPP at the seminar will get you a free DVD worth ~$40, so that might be a better deal (depending on what the DVD is). And if you don't plan on taking advantage of any other NAPP offers, it probably doesn't make too much sense to join, knowing that you can get your free copy of Photoshop User at B&H. The seminar will be taught by Ben Willmore, and topics include:

Starting Your Digital Workflow
The Secrets to Image Quality
Color & Tonal Manipulation
Retouching & Collage Secrets
Ben’s Power Tips

See the complete schedule for more details.

bullets, originally uploaded by ob1left

Not necessarily NYC-related, but photo sharing isn't just for civilians - soldiers in combat have a history of taking photos in combat areas not to mention creating large amounts of ephemera. With the advent of cheap digital cameras and decent photo sharing sites, snapshots of soldiers lives from the mundane to the humorous, to the technical are available for all to see.

There are all sorts of professions who's daily work would be fascinating to chronicle. The New York Times recently chronicled local Sanitation workers. Which local profession would you like to chronicle (or already have)?

Some Flickr Soldiers (in no particular order): At Ease, cliftonfhicks, Doc Torres, Elias25158665, ob1left, and nukeit1.

For those looking to get their work into a gallery, the Red Project's Calls & Opps list, a weekly (or at least mostly weekly) email newsletter is a great resource.

http://theredproject.com/calls/

Each week you'll receive one or more emails with text listings of various calls for artists, job openings in the arts, and a variety of other chances to get your stuff out.

For those lucky enough to get a gallery showing in NYC, the Douglas Kelly Show list is a good way to let people know about it.

http://dks.thing.net/

Be sure to share any of your own newsgroups, lists, and websites in the comments.

I highly recommend "Jerry Dantzic: Moving," a collection of photos on display at the Foley Gallery until May 21. The photos are B&W images from the 50s and were just recently discovered in Dantzic’s Brooklyn Brownstone attic. The images (samples) are a gritty, beautiful, and timeless look at the city during a different era. Go check it out.