7:43 p.m.
London, ON, June 2008 [Click to enlarge]

The first pictures I ever took were black-and-white. To this day, I love the forlorn tone that monochrome adds to a scene. Indeed, if my camera ever lost the ability to record color, I think I'd shrug my shoulders and keep on using it.

1. I post a new entry every Wednesday evening.
2. Each entry has a unique theme. This week's is...monochrome!
   
3. You post a similarly themed image over on your blog.
   
4. You paste a link to your entry in a comment here.
5. If you've already posted something that fits (on a blog, Facebook, MySpace, wherever) simply post the link to the existing entry.
6. Feel free to play along as often as you like. You can keep posting, playing and sharing for as long as you wish. I'll post a new theme next Wednesday.
   
7. Please share this link with friends, too. I like when lots of folks have fun with photography.

As always, please use this theme as an opportunity to explore your own photography and push your bounds a little. If you're looking for a bit of inspiration before you get started, please click here for more monochrome-themed entries on my blog. Enjoy...and thanks for making this a weekly highlight for everyone who visits. And for me.

I am having the most surreal couple of days imaginable.

Let’s start with yesterday.  Around lunchtime, I discovered myself in an article on Valleywag. Valleywag!  I’m part of the “Real” half of the fifty hottest girls on Digg.  When I say “Real”, I mean that the writer checked some things out to find out if these 50 girls were, in fact, girls - or if they were merely guys with female profile pictures designed to attract attention.  I don’t know whether to be weirded out by this or strangely honored - mostly I’m confused and amused!  We had a good laugh about it in the office.  FYI, I’m not an aspiring voice over actor, but I might work for that company. I might. Just sayin’.

After I got home from work, Mr. X and I packed our things for a 3-day trip to Toronto.  As we were leaving it was obvious that a storm was moving in.  Once we got on the highway, it really started to come down.  We were heading into a storm cell over the KW area - the lightning made the sky seem as bright as day!  Cars were pulling over to the side of the road and at one point the traffic completely stopped because of a construction zone.  While we were stopped I noticed a vehicle on the side of the road coming towards us.  I assumed it was a construction truck, but no - it was a car backing up towards the on-ramp to get off the highway.  Gotta love the 401.

We arrived at the hotel unscathed and dry (thanks to underground parking).  For him, we’re on a working vacation as he is getting additional training for work.  For me, it’s a mini-vacation and a chance to do some fabric shopping for me…wedding dress!  The trip is also a chance to meet one of my favorite bloggers…Reggy!  We’re finalizing our plans as I write and I’m sure we’ll have some fun pics to share.

Speaking of the hotel, there is a huge Amma retreat going on here.  I had no idea what/who Amma was, but I checked out their Canadian website and found their mission statement:

To seek out and participate in programs that help the poor and destitute in our communities through donations of money, food, clothing & education.

They are a pretty cool group of people who follow and carry out the humanitarian works of Amma, an Indian woman who has recieved many awards for her humanitarian activities.  Amma is known as the “Hugging Saint” because she gives out hug blessings! That’s my kind of people.  There are a lot of interesting people here, including one young guy who was next to me a while ago on the computer ordering vehicle taillights to be shipped to San Ramone.  A few minutes later a woman addressed him as “Yogi Krishna”.  So he was a yogi, ordering car parts to be shipped around the world. I love people like him! 

To everyone who was at BlogHer, I have loved reading your tales of adventure in San Francisco!  I’m trying not to be jealous and instead live vicariously through your stories and videos.  I hope to make it there someday.

One of the main issues with copyright reform is balance between protecting the creator, and reasonable expectations of consumers.   An important aspect of that is to consider on a practical basis the extent that certain types and amounts of copying are not harmful to the creator.  Indeed, some copying (sometimes referred to as “leakage”) can actually be beneficial to the creator.  In other words,  this is not a zero sum game - both sides can be better off with some copying.

Mike Masnick of Techdirt uses last weekend’s Batman Dark Knight debut to illustrates this point.  It set a record for opening weekend box office sales - yet at the same time was easy to download online.

Read the Techdirt post

Big mouthed fish
Atlanta, GA, January 2008 [Click to embiggen]

Why a fish? This photo continues this week's animals theme in Thematic Photographic. It's not too late to post your own animal-themed picture or link. Click here to get started. I'll be posting a new theme later Wednesday evening, so please feel free to drop back in for yet another photographic adventure.

Your turn: What should this fellow's name be? I found him at the Georgia Aquarium. Wanted to take him home. My wise wife wouldn't let me.

Please take me home
London, ON, July 2007 [Click to embiggen]

I've always been of two minds about squirrels. On the one hand, they're quite cute. From a purely shallow, visual perspective, they're definitely keepers. Yet they're also the most voracious little destroyers you'll ever meet. Bring one home and you're likely to not have a home by morning.

Doesn't mean they won't pose for the occasional picture while we're playing by the river. Nice rodent.

Your turn: Thematic Photographic's animal theme continues through tomorrow, when I'll unveil the new theme for the coming week. Anyone want to guess what it'll be?

After 4 months of doing out of town shows, London's own TESTAMENT is back to rip the mic. here in LO city for the first time since the F*@# WAR show in March. 
DJ PARADIGM will also be spinning the best revolutionary hiphop including joints off Immortal Technique's new album, so don't miss the realest 2-hours of hip-hop the APK has ever seen!   read more »

Its what?  That was my reaction when I read the headline to Michael Geist’s latest column - but he makes a valid point.    

It builds on the notion I expressed a while back that the bill is a backwards step and out of touch with the reality of today’s technology, marketplace, and consumer rights and expectations.

Read Michael’s column

 

Flamingo road
Palm Beach, FL, December 2007 [Click to embiggen]

Quick note: This week's Thematic Photographic theme, animals, is still looking for creative and fun submissions from...YOU! Click here to see what all the fuss is about.

I could have stood with my family all day at the railing, staring at a flock of these gorgeously colored birds. As tired as they were from walking in the sun all day, the kids probably would have stayed, too. But it was the end of a long afternoon and the park was about to close.

Looks like this lovely birdie was getting a head start on nap time.

Your turn: Why do adults seem to love zoos as much as kids do?

About the title: I grew up with Molly Ringwald movies and the Psychedelic Furs. I seem to have betrayed my coming-of-age-in-the-80s roots in this title. Sorry.

Looking to strengthen the diversity of your neighbourhood, while having fun at the same time? If you are creative enough, you just might be eligible for a Creative City Neighbourhood Initiative grant. An exciting opportunity to become involved in this the Creative City Neighbourhood Initiative (CCNI) is available right in your local neighbourhood! The Creative City Neighbourhood Initiative (CCNI

by Stephanie McMillan

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Peter Asmus - “Stop Waiting for ‘Leaders’ to Act on Global Warming”

Exerpts -

“The success of the environmental movement in calling attention to the dangers of global warming has led to an ironic outcome: It’s become easier for the public to adopt a passive approach as we wait on world leaders to sign emissions treaties or huge corporations to ‘go green.’ ”

“Whether driving your car to and from work — or simply searching the Internet for good deals — consuming energy is at the core of our everyday habits and the climate-change conundrum. And there is plenty we can do at the local level while the special interests duke things out in halls of power around the globe. “

“The experience of witnessing first-hand how a community can take its own energy future into its own hands has stuck with me and has forever shaped the way I view the world.

Each and every one of us is obligated to tend to the earth in our homes while reaching out to the greater local community to collaborate on home-grown power, whether it comes from the sun, wind, water, or wastes.” “Let’s plant seeds of change in our very own backyards.”

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(The author of that article takes a technology-centred approach — stressing “green energy” technologies. Yet, there actually is much more to be done than setting up solar panels and other greener technologies. Waste reduction and composting are two of many other examples of broader change toward greener living.)

(The author also writes about “Community Choice Aggregation” — a model that I’m not familiar with; so I certainly am not advocating it.)

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We certainly need to act well beyond the local level — with, through, and in vast social movements (revolving around much more than attempts to sway politicians and executives) — but we also can and should confront huge problems like global warming from closer to home, from closer to work, etc. Ultimately, we should try to find ways to find local and inter-local approaches which reinforce one another.

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A related post -

“We create the alternatives together”

(which contains links to other related posts)

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by Stephanie McMillan