Get Low: Get to the Mystery in This Movie

I saw this film on Saturday, and liked it alot. It's a tale told in images, in the looks that pass between people, in the washed-out 1930's landscape and the haunting music. At its heart lies a secret that is held until the very end of the story. Robert Duvall seems to be an angry wrecked hermit, but just beneath the surface there is life in them old eyes. Sissy Spacek plays cautious, warm-hearted and beautiful: a lady from his past. Lucas Black is wonderful as the young Funeral assistant hired by Duvall to plan his "living funeral."  Bill Murray is the slightly sleazy funeral director, who may run off with the goods ... or stage a funeral the community and the deceased will long remember. I stayed till the last credit, just to hear the great bluegrass score .

Print or Pixels? The Debate (Apparently) Rages On

Came upon this NY Times Article while looking thru my Library Link of the Day. (I really like Library Link because the publications it features are first-rate and even scholarly. Nothing sensational, but things that make you think.)
Like:
Debating the aesthetics of the reading experience: how people like to get their reading "fix." E-readers like the Kindle claim "it produces neither glare in a well-lighted spot nor a glow in the dark." (see link above) Book lovers like the wife in the article counter this defending the smell and feel of real books, and suggest that there is a 'right' way to read.
So far the article has told me several things:
1. It's not strictly a generational split, because one older woman said she liked E-readers for their ability to magnify text.
2. Genuine disagreements occur among family members with strong differences of opinion.
3. Kids are being read to in both formats.
4. Book sellers are offering to sell "bundles" that include both formats.
5. People sold on the new E-form believe others will "get over" the need for the feel of real books.
6. Some folks read ebooks but collect real ones for sentimental reasons.
7. Time will tell.

Joined Goodreads - first review!

What a Great Idea!: The Key Steps Creative People Take by Charles Thompson




Love, love this book. When ever you think nobody cares about your ideas or that you don't have any to share, read about things like Killer Phrases, who throws them, and how to survive the wet blankets in your creative playpen.



View all my reviews

Evacuees Use Social Media To Keep Up On Boulder Wildfire

My sister lives in Boulder, where the Fourmile Fire is still burning.

The map below is a special "open collaboration" Google Maps that reflects information on burned areas, safe areas, etc. by icons placed on a map of the city and the adjacent canyon area which is burning.

The Denver Post headline today said:
“Evacuees Use Social Media To Keep Up On Boulder Wildfire Disaster Developments" and
"Tweets Feed Data Need" while the Boulder Camera says:
"Fourmile Fire: How to get help / How to help
The Boulder, Colorado fire is being coordinated on Boulder’s Facebook page

with hourly updates obtained via Twitter and links to sites like the Office of Emergency Management.

Our City is having an Emergency Preparedness focus this month. Would we do as well as Boulder should the need arise?

About Creating an Online Photo Book

Last spring I took part in Solo Photo Book Month, an online project that encourages people worldwide to create books from their own photos. All photos must have been taken within a 30 day period, (what they call a "fuzzy month")  A book due by the end of June could be started anytime in May or June so long as only 30 consecutive days are used in its creation. This deadline and structure is designed to encourage focus and create opportunity for people who take lots of pictures but never really make anything of them. Using the PDF format required for submission, participants can also fancy them up using a variety of hosting sites, like blurb.com. To submit your work, upload it to the "sofobomo" site where it can be viewed by other participants as well as friends and family you may browbeat into looking at your work.
Part of the fun of this project is deciding what your book will be "about." Text is optional, but frankly that's one of the best parts - having your say about something, explaining your photos, or whatever. Here is a link to my 2009 book. The photographs in it were all taken with a Nikon CoolPix L5 digital camera in Phoenix and Scottsdale Arizona, as well as San Francisco and Santa Rosa, California - between May 18 and June 18, 2009.
Next time a fuzzy month comes along, join me.