Snow at sea level

A friend living in the foothills of the Chocolate Mountains (in California) sent me a photo of the extreme avalanche danger he faced in a snowstorm. There were lots of photos of lawns, rooftops and other surfaces that, if you Continue reading Snow at sea level

Light of other days

This photo was taken well after sundown. The light on the ridgeline is reflected from snow off the Olympic Mountains, bouncing back into the sky and reflected again off the clouds. It looks as if it could be from city Continue reading Light of other days

Bananas and seppuku

Turkey vulture, one of the more attractive of nature's beasts. Photo from Wikipedia.

Transcribed from a series of text messages: ❦ ❦ ❦ Kathleen packed tea and a banana in my briefcase this morning. I’m at work, eating the banana, drinking tea, waiting for a security scan of a website to finish, wondering Continue reading Bananas and seppuku

iPhone 6 Plus vs. iPhone 7 Plus

A few minutes later, a different Thanksgiving evening photo at Jackson Pond, Columbia, MD. Taken with an iPhone 7 Plus.

A quick comparison of the iPhone 6 Plus and the iPhone 7 Plus following a casual stroll around a lake after Thanksgiving dinner. The original iPhone had a 960 x 720 pixel camera, which means the iPhone 6 Plus camera, Continue reading iPhone 6 Plus vs. iPhone 7 Plus

First world problems

Soofa Bench is a solar-powered park bench. It has space for three people, and can recharge two USB phones at once. It is "made of sustainably harvested materials and built in the United States." Photo by Lykara Ryder.

Third world problems usually center around a lack of food, clothing, water, or shelter, or possibly all of them. Compounding these lacks, you often have severe pollution and poverty. First world problems, however, are more nuanced. For example, this sign Continue reading First world problems

Pirate Party: success at last!

Pirates are thriving, and it may be a good thing. On December 2, Iceland’s President mandated that Pirate Party Member of Parliament Birgitta Jónsdóttir form a government. In the October 2016 general election, the Pirate Party came in third, but the two Continue reading Pirate Party: success at last!

Contains fish

Ikea sells furniture. Ikea has a restaurant, and it sells salmon fillets. The fillets contain fish. Consider yourself warned.

Visit to NSA

The National Security Agency (NSA) has a large campus on Fort Meade, Maryland, protected by fences, barbed wire, police dogs, guards, and maybe a dragon or two. It is not visitor friendly. But right outside of the campus is the Continue reading Visit to NSA