You see, it's not just that you take a photo of a cat ... you have to get it at precisely the right moment.
Click here for a gallery of photos that would not work at all a split-second before or later.
I've been up on scaffolds .. but nothing like the ones in this collection of often scary examples.
Like millions, I woke up to news of a massive earthquake in Japan, which was followed by a stunning tsunami that sent warnings across the Pacific.
Click here for a dramatic gallery put together by colleagues at CBCNews.ca.
Well, if you're going to spend untold hours creating a superb illusion on an everyday street, you might as well scare unsuspecting drivers who take the wrong turn! As seen here.
Check out this beautiful gallery of photographs, including this snowy vista of the Battery, that Karen Chappell posted following today's snow day in St. John's.
This picture of the Empire State Building is one of a series of shots published last year on the Denver Post's photo blog. I love visiting New York; this portfolio is raising the hankering-to-go spirit. When our son was six, we took him to Manhattan, and it was one of our best weeks, ever; Martha's cousin Miguel guided us to the top of the Empire State (working there has its perks!) for a sunset view we'll never forget.
Surf’s Up, as published in the St. John's Telegram on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. Click here to read more Surf's Up.]
If you look at a landscape and come back a day later, nothing seems to change. A month? Possibly. A year? Definitely maybe.
How about a century, then? Our first site this week involves photography that is about place, change and perspective.
Hyperfocalpoint
Hyperfocalpoint is a collaborative venture involving photographers Ian Vatcher and Duncan de Young, the latter of whom put together a portfolio called A Century Later: 1909-2009. The collection is absolutely absorbing.
In the first image, you see de Young’s great-grandfather, posed by a rocky vista in Brigus. Click on the image, and the black-and-white tones of a century ago give way to bright, vivid colours, with de Young taking the place of his ancestor.
Similar projects have been staged over the years, including here in Newfoundland and Labrador, but I find that the technique never gets old, as it were. There’s something remarkable in seeing a well-worn road of several generations ago become effectively grown over, with the slightest hint of a path left behind. Or, in a picture of St. John’s, a vivid description of how neighbourhoods can change with a key marker remaining intact.
I love the project, and am looking forward to what else this site may have.
Elsewhere this week
Seaquence
This is the most curious thing I’ve played with this week: a sonic exploration that’s as much a game as it is a novelty or a way of understanding how music works. To play, as it were, you select what looks like a sea critter, and make some choices about octave, melody, volume and more. Things get really interesting when you add second and further creatures, and the sounds becoming increasingly complex. If you like what you’ve made, you can save it. Very intriguing.
What Happened in My Birth Year
You obviously can’t remember what was happening in the year you were born. You were, of course, just an infant, and your mind was not on current affairs and such. So, with this site, you type in your year, and the screen slowly dissolves before presenting you with an essay on your year. Then, things get interesting. An essay, of sorts, types itself before your eyes. I found this amusing for a few seconds, and then, well, slow. Maybe I read more quickly than they expect! On the other hand, you can click on it, go do something else, and come back and read the works when it’s finished.
Epicurious app
iTunes, Android
Epicurious has been a kingpin on the web for many years, pushing aside challenges from celebrity food sites, corporate kitchens and upstart bloggers alike. The food tends to be a little fancy-schmancy, but it deserves its stellar reputation. The companion app for smartphones is a breeze to use, and appetizing on the eyes. Free for download from iTunes, and a version is now available for Android phones, too.
Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki is one of the many smart people who worked at Apple Computer – he was called chief evangelist, which I bet looks dandy on a business card – and now is working independently. I doubt Kawasaki needs the money, but he’s as deeply engaged in things as he must have been with Apple. His Twitter feed is one of my favourites, simply because I learn something new (and occasionally amazing) from him several times a week. What more can you ask?
Einstein blackboard generator
Albert Einstein had one of the most recognizable faces of the 20th century, and one of the most respected minds. And now, thanks to this bit of tomfoolery, you can make light of that respected image and craft your own personalized message. Here’s the deal: it starts with a familiar photograph of Einstein at a blackboard; the generator lets you pick out the words he’s supposedly writing in chalk. (I put some lyrics for Lukey’s Boat.) Have fun. Einstein seems to have had such a warm sense of humour, he might even have appreciated it.
John Gushue is an online editor with CBC News in St. John’s. Twitter: @johngushue.
See the smiling face on the left? It doesn't match the handwritten emotion on the back: "Just smilin' through - though it's grim here. J"
It's one of a compelling series of photographs compiled in this collection called Talking Pictures, over at Mental Floss. Think you have troubles? Think again.
Kodachrome has come, and as of last year, gone. I always find it fascinating to see images of what we think of as the black-and-white era in full colour; here's a set of photographs taken in the U.S., decades ago.
It's amazing what a little good-natured touching-up can do to an ordinary photo. Sandrine Estrade Boulet has a knack for putting a little whimsy into plain old street scenes. Another is below; click here for a gallery.
Martha returned home to St. John's last night with her mom and siblings; they had all journeyed over to see their uncle, who is a Ukrainian priest and still going strong. Martha has been delighting Nick and me with gifts and treats and especially lots and lots of photos. This one is my favourite. Imagine how different things might have been 2,000 years ago with instant messaging?
This is what a candle looks like, sort of, as it burns itself down. Photographer Caleb Chartrand calls this Fifteen Hours, and it's part of this portfolio of images that make use of physics, lighting and a camera. And, it should be noted, there's no Photoshopping.
The above shot is just one eye-opener in this series of aerial photographs from all over. Remarkable images.
Two of them, although neither is actually in Eastport itself.
We've been in Eastport the last few days, for both a mini-break from work and a chance to attend the Winterset in Summer literary festival. It was a pleasure to spend the weekend immersed in books and writing, but it was also relaxing - even for stolen moments here and there - to hit the beaches. I'm very fond of the beach in Eastport, although my favourite is in Sandy Cove, which is so long that it feels empty, even when the parking lot is full. On the occasion below, we were the only ones in sight.
Last night, we went for a walk just outside Salvage, as the sun was setting. I also took this pic on my phone, and while it doesn't do the vista justice, it was a remarkable sight.
We're heading back to Eastport in September, for our wedding anniversary, another weekend break from the humdrum, and of course another chance for all three of us to take in the beaches.
Surf’s Up, as published in the St. John's Telegram on Thursday, June 24, 2010. Click here to read more Surf's Up.]
Another school year is ending this week. The books are put away, the lesson plans are back in the folder, and the chalkboards will be getting less of a workout until at least September.
One blackboard, though, is open for business all through the summer months, and is the first stop on this week’s web tour. We’ll also take a break at one of the finest gardens in the province, learn how to convert your online clips, and have a laugh at pictures of people with little in common … other than their remarkably similar facial expressions.
Bart’s Blackboard
Bart Simpson has written some pretty awesome things over the years, as seen in the opening seconds of The Simpsons each week for the last two decades. (One of my favourites? "Cursive writing does not mean what I think it does.") The show’s writers have poked fun at everyone over the years, including themselves, and on Bart’s Blackboard, you can look at every message of every show from every season. For new content, we’ll just have to wait until Bart returns, yet again, to Springfield Elementary in September.
Botanical Garden
Memorial University’s Botanical Garden was founded almost four decades ago, and has become a haven in St. John’s – whether or not you can identify the plant species as you go along the trails. It’s a wonderful resource, and I can’t get over how many people in the city area have never stopped by for a visit. The Garden offers many programs and services (click on the Friends tab if you’d like to join FOG, of Friends of the Garden, the volunteers who help keep the garden going), and the site will be a good guide for planning a visit.
Clip Converter
Let’s say you have a link to a YouTube video, and you’d like to play it later, when it’s convenient for you, but on a device that doesn’t have web access. Clip Converter is a multi-purpose tool for turning such a clip into a Flash video, an mpeg, an MP3, or other products of your choice. It’s easy to use, too.
Totally Looks Like
In 1986, Spy magazine launched a regular feature called Separated At Birth, featuring photographs of two persons whose facial poses were more than just a little similar. (I still remember SCTV’s Edith Prickley matched with Benazir Bhutto.) That was in the days (years, really) before digital imaging, so it was impressive that photo researchers spent that much time looking for pairs. The concept is what drives this user-generated project, in which readers submit two pictures in which A, you guessed it, totally looks like B. Some succeed far more than others.
HBO’s hit series (which combines fangs, sex appeal and small town politics in a show that is both hilarious and scary) is just a couple of episodes into its second season. Werewolves, Nazis (yes, really) and other dark creatures have joined the proceedings, which you can follow here, on the official website. Look for a link to Bloodcopy, a Twitter-powered community forum.
Five-note Vuvuzela
Last week, I told you about an iPhone app that’s become a surprise hit, as it mimics the annoying racket of the vuvuzela. Here’s another way you can bring that World Cup cacophony into your personal space, if you so choose. This site offers five noise-making options, from “annoying” to “like eating glass” to “just kill me.”
Snapbuzz
There’s a torrent of videos, images and curious things online – far more than any one person could manage (let alone want) to see. Snapbuzz is a time-saving option, as it sifts through what other people have seen and enjoyed. Now, whether it strikes your taste is quite another question…
John Gushue is an online editor with CBC News in St. John’s. Twitter: @johngushue.
That's Ozzy Osbourne above - on both the left and the right. It's part of a set of rock luminaries in their younger days and (more or less) what they look like these days. Iggy Pop has kept the form; others... not so much.
I'm working this weekend, helping out some CBCNews.ca colleagues in Toronto; I've been looking after some international coverage and stories closer to home. Today was one of those days when you wanted to be outside, and Martha and our son Nick took advantage of it, with a day that sounded - as they recounted over it a grand dinner of ribs out on the deck - terrific. One of their stops was at MUN's Botanical Garden, where Martha got this lovely picure of a strawflower.
I snapped this last evening, during a family trot around Kent's Pond (for what's it worth, my favourite trail in St. John's). I used the phone on my BlackBerry, which is certainly limited in what it can do, but did just fine for this kind of shot.
Look familiar? An attractive lady lying down with a bendy snake? It's just one of many recreations involving bits of Lego; if it's not ringing a bell, here's the orginal: Richard Avedon's iconic early Eighties portrait of Nastassja Kinski and a boa constrictor.
I am a journalist with CBC News in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. I'm taller than I look. This blog has been running quietly since 2004.
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