The Best Photographs the Federal Government has to Offer - 3

ARC Identifier: 554906
Title: ONE GIRL SMOKES POT WHILE HER FRIEND WATCHES DURING AN OUTING IN CEDAR WOODS NEAR LEAKEY, TEXAS. (TAKEN WITH PERMISSION) NEAR SAN ANTONIO. ONE OF NINE PICTURES, 05/1973

Creator: Environmental Protection Agency. (12/02/1970 - ) ( Most Recent)
Type of Archival Materials: Photographs and other Graphic Materials
Level of Description: Item from Record Group 412: Records of the Environmental Protection Agency, 1944 - 1999
Location: Still Picture Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road,
College Park
MD 20740-6001
PHONE: 301-837-3530
FAX: 301-837-3621
EMAIL: stillpix@nara.gov
Production Date: 05/1973
Part of: Series: DOCUMERICA: The Environmental Protection Agency's Program to Photographically Document Subjects of Environmental Concern, 1972 - 1977

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The Best Photographs the Federal Government has to Offer - 2

The Best Photographs the Federal Government has to Offer - 1

Paint as Cinema

Thick fluid swaths of color, passing, moving, falling but never landing. Animated, edited, not computer-generated, OiO is an award-winning film that captures paint in motion. 540 liters (146 gallons) of paint were flung against a contrasting background on a shooting stage at the National Film Board of Canada in Montreal. The results were composited and edited in what the creators call "cinepainting."

The MPEG movie clip is beautiful, and the DVD is available for both institutions and individual purchase.

Moving From Vegas, Even the Rental Vans Are Better

Our truck blended perfectly in Atlanta's midcity.



We returned the truck to Penske, only to find even cooler trucks that we could have rented.



The main design theme of Vegas moving vans is to resemble slot machines as much as possible.

The Devil is in the Details: Good, Clean, Christian Fun (Part 2)

While New Orleans is known as the "Big Easy", artist William Christenberry told me during an installation of his art at the Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans he referred to it as "The City of First Sin." The implication was that New Orleans was visited by the young men of his time to find pleasures not freely available in the countryside. It was in this city, known for easy pleasure, in the late 90's that the New Orleans Convention Center was host to a Christian Youth Music Fest.

A local crew was put together by David Nick, LLC, to provide riggers, lighting, and sound crew to get the Christians sounding and looking good. We were "Team Satan," all dressed in our showblacks, ogling the virgins and making inappropriate comments about the skills of the production crew. Our boss, David Nick, was an awesome guy, but the devil will be welcoming him with open arms. He told tales of drink, drugs, and whores, with new stories everytime he returned from a traveling gig.

We didn't have a problem getting all the equipment ready and the local crew got everything up and running just fine. But all was not well. The hired sound guys never got their act together and after the show opened to the 4,000 kids in attendance, they heard feedback during performances. One of those firing, never-to-be-hired-again, mistakes. But their audio guy just didn't do it once or twice, but many times.

None of us could believe it. And apparently we were too loud in our criticism as the Christian crew backstage cut us off from the free food, and basically treated us as "unclean." After the show ended, the air-conditioning was turned off, the freight doors opened to the humid summer air, and the semis were brought in to be loaded. We got all the gear deinstalled, packed and ready to go... and we waited... and waited. There is an art to directing the flow of equipment into waiting trucks. Crescent Sound and Light had a guy named Bruce who could see everything in his head and presided over the packing of a truck like a conductor.

The Christians could have used Bruce, instead Team Satan took over. Impatient that the job was lasting much longer than needed, David Nick kicked people out of their own truck, placed his best guys in and made it happen. The main truck loaders were a collection of huge black guys from the 9th Ward called the Soul Patrol. They told us what they wanted and we gave it to them. Dimmer pack, light racks, speakers, sound boards, all flew in the trucks. As a punishment for their incompetence, the Soul Patrol packed the heaviest stuff highest. Whoever unpacked these trucks at the warehouse was hating life.

To paraphrase Mae West, "when we were good we were very good, but when we were bad we were better."

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The Devil is in the Details: Good, Clean, Christian Fun (Part 1)

High-Tech Meets Low Brow + Job News

It's a high-tech household that has both members wirelessly reading The Awful Truth in two separate rooms. Gotta love Ted and his Hollywood gossip. But makes me wonder if this is what Al Gore wanted when he invented the internet.

This week has been show-my-resume-to-people week. And lo and behold, people read it and it was good. Now, I've seen a bunch of museums and galleries, have a couple of leads, put lots of faces with names, and have a better understanding of Atlanta Art Things, like why SCAD taking over the ACA makes some people unhappy.

On-call work is all about juggling offers. There are several leads with the possiblity of having to turn some work down due to scheduling conflicts. It went quickly from none to too many. One promised to call with further info/date/times and one emailed out of the blue. But no promises have been made, so now it's about finding what everyone's requirements are, how long and who knows what else. But if there's a conflict that can't be resolved, I've got to go with the folks that asked first, even if that means less work immediately. You just gotta do what's right.

Was that too vague? More details to follow as plans get finalized.

"What will happen on December 21, 2012? How is the world getting ready for that day?"

When I write about the end of the world, my wife just sighs and rolls her eyes. But when India Daily writes about it... my wife sighs and rolls her eyes and the cat yawns.

"...Scientists who look beyond conventional science point out that the Hyperspace that contain our Universe is also showing signs that something strange is happening in our universe..."

"...The biggest clue to what will happen comes from astrophysicists. There is a big possibility that the simultaneous polar reversal in earth and sun will throw the solar system out of whack. That will cause massive upheaval in the earth. At that point of time, the extraterrestrials will officially show up and put “cosmic seat belts” around us as they apply the superpower of the Hyperspace to bring the solar system back to what it is today..."

Now that's some fine scientific reporting.

Night Picture

My modestly-priced digital camera can take the pictures that I see in my head, I love that. This is near my apartment's parking lot.

With the night's sky silhouetting the trees and vines in the background, this photo makes me think of Magritte's "Empire of Light".

Ikea is Nice, But...

So, I asked a question about slanty apartment floors, and got answers from Lady Crumpet and Joseph over here. The Large Blue Box that has All You Need (Ikea) was brought up. The wife and I did go to the latest consumer mecca, making the trek to the Atlantic Station neighborhoood, bought:

shower curtain rings,
small trash can,
2 frying pans
3 standing laundry bags,

2 dinners (swedish meatballs & chicken marsala,) soda...

...and spent less than $35. Nice. But...

...the folks over at the Dying Peach see the success of new franchises as the killer of local businesses. They make a good point and a good art show, with pieces up at Joe's Coffee in East Atlanta. Hit the site and read a manifesto in support of local shops and hidden treasures.

As a recent transplant from Las Vegas, I am digging the little, small places scattered about, just waiting to be found. Vegas had little for most shoppers but strip malls, suburban sprawl, and a burgeoning collection of big box franchises. Which is all good when you don't have anything else. But here you do. When you have to get that bland, normal thing, by all means go to Target/Ikea/etc... But go hunting and you just might come home with something better than you expected, like when we went to the Antique Factory and got a sweet desk for my sweet wife. It looks better than anything Ikea would offer, looks gorgeous for being over 35 years old and put money in the pocket of a nice guy, who has a cute kid and seriously good taste in vintage collectables. Next paycheck we'll be looking forward to another trip to Chamblee, to give them even more cash.

Cabbagetown Tunnel Pictures

Tunnel of...
Originally uploaded by D.James.

This is just one of a collection of great Cabbagetown (an Atlanta neighborhood) pictures taken by Darren Ryan. Atlanta has a collection of dedicated bloggers and Flickr aficionados, which means the city has a decent online presence. This includes a collection of Cabbagetown pix that show what a photogenic place it is.

Before my arrival in Atlanta, I was visiting many of the sites that I have listed under the Atlanta sections. The internet is great if you're willing to work to find the needles in a haystack. While I didn't get to go to the Hidden-Art Nouveau public toilette in Paris, I would have never even known about it without the joy of the internet. However, when in London, cheap eats can be found at The Stockpot, another internet find. All the more important with the crappy exchange rate we have. Just be glad your dollars don't have William Lyon Mackenzie King or the Right Honourable Sir Wilfrid Laurier on them.

It's a Mad World! The Food Chain Gets All Screwed Up!

It's the twilight times of our world, biblical prophecies are coming true! Well, maybe the end times are still some time off, but the following incidents got me thinking something's afoot. Three things that just ain't right:

The other day while I was working in the yard my son urgently called to me. "Dad, a praying mantis caught a hummingbird!" (Pictures)

Giant Octopus Kills Shark at Seattle Aquarium (PBS Real Video)

Small cars driving through a safari park in Merseyside have been chased by confused lions who think they are prey. (Dry British BBC Reporting)

Unlike the perpetual Georgian Calendar (the one we use) one of the Mayan Calendars (The Long Count Calendar) has not only a beginning but an end, December 21st, 2012. Before the end comes, things are just going to get weirder.

Mark my words, after this year only those with the last name of Bush will be allowed to be president. Can you say President Jenna Bush?!

The Devil is in the Details: Good, Clean, Christian Fun (Part 1)

A little while ago there was the MegaFest Youth Kick-Off in Atlanta. It got me thinking about good-time religion and how it introduced me to David Lynch.

Many years ago, the Baptist Youth Fellowship was held in upstate New York, and a hotel was overrun with kids of the Baptist persuasion ranging between 13 and 17 (I was about 14, I think). One of the nights we had a collection of impressionable girls in our room and we were channel surfing when we stumbled across David Lynch's Blue Velvet. The bizarre surrealness of the movie sucked us in, Dennis Hopper huffing gas, just a gorgeous, strange movie. And much of it took place in a town that looked much like the ones were from: pretty, unassuming, small towns.

A good night was had by all and none of the adults knew of the movie watching or the bed breaking (just good clean Christian kids exceeding the bed's weight limit, nothing else).

Next Time on Good Clean Christian Fun (Part 2): Team Satan overruns the Christian Music Fest Productions Crew. Good Fun!

Four Atlanta Thanks and a Question

Thank you to ...

1) ... our new apartment for the free architectural drawing of the Golden Gate Bridge that looks quite nice on the wall,
2) ... our neighbor who has an unsecured wireless internet connection and lets us use it while waiting for Comcast to bless us with their presence,
3) ... our new building, for now making us neighbors with the owner of Jake's Ice Creams & Sorbets. I love ice cream!
4) ... and the streets of Atlanta for providing me with some free lumber ("Free" is what the sign said) for a corner computer desk.

Now, the Question...

...what advice would you have for someone renting an apartment that has an angled floor? Our whole building has settled and our place is affected. The floor slopes noticeably and affects the desk the most. What common/cheap solutions are there to be found?

I know I can't be the only one here in town (or many other places) that has this problem.

I Love the Future That Never Was: Transport Lust

I love retro. Chrome, curves, color. Love it! So inventor Paul Lewis' "Fascination" makes me so very happy. If it towed an Airstream, it would be heaven on wheels.


I think an Aermacchi Chimera matches quite nicely. For more motorcycles (from the Guggenheim Exhibition) and other pix, check out my Flickr page.

So Very Green And Wet: Atlanta, First Night

Atlanta's main gift to us was waiting until the truck was mostly unpacked to pound the city with a downpour.

We took this as a sign to get dinner. As we drove to Mali, we learned how locals drive in the rain (mostly slow with a 15% chance of freaking dangerous), noticed 2 traffic lights on Ponce no longer working, and passed a dedicated jogger who couldn't have been more wet had he been underwater.

Mali continued to impress. A fine Thai meal helped restore us to tackle the remaining stuff in the truck. The rain had stopped, there was still light in the sky. Before getting home there was some police excitement. One of the city's finest was having no luck pulling over two motorcyclists, with one cutting through a parking lot going west on Ponce, and the other doing a 360 before cutting north across Ponce and disappearing into the neighborhood. Angry cops blew across the intersection but I'm betting no dice.

Biker Boyz 1, Cops 0

Moving, Can't Blog

Kinderlust!
Originally uploaded by MisterEric.

Me and the Mrs. have been packing our Vegas digs. I'm hoping to post about the last First Friday I attended.

In lieu of a real article, I leave you with Unfortunate Childrens Books. This collection of sad books proves that not all reading is fundamental.

When You Read the Weekly, The Terrorists Win

Atlanta, the enemies of freedom love when you read Creative Loafing, instead of working hard at your crappy job.

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535130
The enemy laughs when you loaf. Stay on the job. Don't slow up the ship!, ca. 1942 - ca. 1943
Office for Emergency Management. War Production Board. (01/1942 - 11/03/1945)
Photographs and other Graphic Materials
Item from Record Group 179: Records of the War Production Board, 1918 - 1947
Still Picture Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park
MD 20740-6001
PHONE: 301-837-3530
FAX: 301-837-3621
EMAIL: stillpix@nara.gov
ca. 1942 - ca. 1943
Series: War Production Board, 1942 - 1943

The Best Photographs the Federal Government has to Offer - 2

Even though I am no mechanic, at one time I used to work with motorcycles every day. Not to fix them, but put them on display. The New York City-based Guggenheim Museum opened two satellite museums here in Vegas. It was all very daring, an oasis of culture where none existed before, or so the many people believed.

The first show in the large gallery was The Art of the Motorcycle. This was an amazing collection of privately owned motorcycles, art and innovation on wheels. I was on the crew that uncrated, cleaned, and placed the bikes on display. It was during this time that I met many of the art installer/artist friends that I have here in Vegas. Unfortunately, hubris towards attracting locals, low tourist attendance due to post 9-11 travel worries, and a lack of interest in general doomed the expensive venture, and it closed a year and a half later. Sometime in the near future I will post pictures of that exhibition.

In the meantime enjoy this picture, from the Library of Congress' American Memory website. If my dad and his friends rode motorcycles instead of going golfing, this is what I could see them doing. The online collections have loads of great images, audio files, and movies. There is the option of purchasing the images in the collection. To find this image and its page, go to the American Memories site, and search for "DN-0089272", the number noted at the bottom of this entry.

This picture makes me want to start a band so I can make this the cover art.

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CREATED/PUBLISHED
1929.

SUMMARY
Image of a policeman riding a motorcycle performing a jump on the field at Soldier Field, located at 1600 South Lake Shore Drive in the Near South Side community area of Chicago, Illinois, during practice for a police meet. Policemen are sitting on motorcycles on both sides of the policeman.

NOTES
This photonegative taken by a Chicago Daily News photographer may have been published in the newspaper.

Cite as: DN-0089272, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society.

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Neon Poisoning: The Best Photographs the Federal Government has to Offer - 1

Hi-Tech Done Old-School

I like old things. Art deco, mid-century mod, sweet rides. So when I saw Mister Jalopy's vintage-radio-console/digital media center (MegaGiant Wood Ipod Eliminates Mugging Threat!) I saw a man after my own heart. To eliminate the shiny white iPod, a real wood iPod by ZapWizard would finish off the project beautifully.

I've had visions of the same concept. My dream system would be housed in a Zenith Stratosphere (Model 1000Z, 1935-1938) with a touch screen replacing the large radio dial. The whole thing would be powered by an Apple of some sort. The image of the Stratosphere radio to the right is from Old Radio Zone.

The best execution of the retro/modern electronic idea are the lovely cable-ready reproductions from Telstar, The Official Predicta Television Company (see the bottom image). They offer both floor and table versions of these great TVs. While the original Philco Predicta models are occasionally available, the new ones from Telstar have color-tubes, remote controls, and are built from scratch.

For the full history of the Philco Predicta (or the even more striking West German Kuba Kornet) go to The MZTV Museum of Television site's 3-D Interactive Gallery.