2021-11-01 19:06:11
It’s November 1 and it’s time for National Novel Writing Month again. Its also time for me to have lofty goals and actually produce something by the end of the month. NANOWRIMO’s stated goal is 50,000 words in a month. Probably not going to happen, but I am going to have fun in the attempt.
With the upgraded iPad, keyboard and Ulysses writing software, I just need to sit my butt down in a chair and start cranking out some paragraphs.
2021-11-01 19:11:18
“No-Shave November is a month-long journey during which male participants forgo shaving and grooming in order to evoke conversation and raise men’s cancer awareness.”
Someone
No, I’m not doing this for a noble cause. Once again, I’m going to let the razor collect dust this month because it’s getting colder and I’m curious to see what the beard looks like. I’m guessing ”sexy.”
2021-11-04 08:26:28
Write, then edit.
Quality comes from quantity.
And it is true to write about what you know.
But the extra bonus comes from doing the research and fun of writing about what solely exists in your mind.
2021-11-06 14:17:37
If you’re overthinking, write.
If you’re underthinking, read.
2021-11-07 21:29:12
Nothing like a glorious hike in the Fall. This was the first day we reset our clocks to standard time so we had to hit the trail at the right time. Then, to catch the early sunset (5PM), we drove through the Talimena scenic byway near the Arkansas border. Of course I had to bring a camera along.
I love photo walks. I love photo hiking. When I am hiking and see this wide open space of nature, it helps me thing in a different, more freeing and expansive way. Like my mind is open to possibilities and expansion.
Must find more opportunities to do this in the fall and winter to keep my brain active.
2021-11-08 19:20:40
I go back and forth a lot on physical and digital possessions. This week, I am all in on a digital kick. I’m sure in a few months I’ll start accumulating more physical items. Perhaps digital possessions are superior to physical possessions?
With digital items, I can take them everywhere I go. They don’t take up space. As someone who has moved back and forth across the country, this is always a good idea. This lines up nicely with my current desire to approach minimalism again. If that word or philosophy sounds too pious, I’ll simply call it “essentialism.”
The physical things I own are for me and the relatively few people who visit for me to show off to. I can easily share digital with potentially millions of people if they are interested.
Furthermore, in case of a disaster, my digital files are all backed up and archived. Just purchase another physical device to access, and I am good to go. In the same disaster, I would have more to lose had I invested in physical goods. Most could not be replaced so easily or cheaply.
Digital + minimalism = the way to go for me.
2021-11-08 21:57:06
Where is photography going? I don’t think the future will be camera bodies or lenses. How many megapixels do we need, honestly? I think we’ll see innovative photography displayed in more creative ways through software.
Forget social media, it’s dead. No, the future of photography will be publicized and displayed to enthusiasts and curators alike.
I’m looking at a few ideas for myself and to share with others. I want to create digital zines in PDF and send out to anyone and everyone who is interested. E-books and zines are innovative. Compare these to the analog zines that can be printed and distributed. Digital can go further and last longer. Now, I’m comparing two software providers for this, like Adobe InDesign or Affinity Publisher. Adobe is a pricey, monthly subscription, whereas Affinity is a one-time purchase. I’m leaning towards Affinity Publisher.
Another concept I’m looking at is displaying and/or buying Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) More on this concept later as it will probably take on a post on its own.
2021-11-08 22:07:47
2021-11-09 21:34:34
Do you own a Photo Denbow original?
In the not-too-distant future we’ll see more cryptocurrency usage as well as the purchases of NFTs. What does that mean for photography and photographers? Getting paid. There is a massive market for digital artwork now, and getting paid in cryptocurrency is driving this. It seems many crypto-traders have more than they know what to do with and are investing in NFTs or digital art.
Once an artist uploads, or mints, their work it is up for auction to the highest bidder. The current exchange rate for today, 11/9, is $4,700 to 1 Etherium coin (ETH.) The highest bidder is now the proud owner of digital art that no one else owns or has access to.
How is this a market? Who is buying all these original works? Would there be an interest if I minted my first NFT? How does it work? I don’t have the answers, but I will have fun learning.
2021-11-10 20:55:29
I love my Apple Watch. My Apple Watch, Chronos, can also be annoying.
Apple Watch’s Fitness app encourages me to close three rings; the Move ring, which indicates calories burned while moving. The Exercise ring for your activity, and the Stand ring to encourage you to stand at least twelve times a day, usually at the bottom of the hour. Apple Watch will also prompt you to do these things throughout the day. I also receive notifications to earn badges, such as a Perfect week of activity. And lastly, notifications of other Watch-wearing people I am connected to and all of their daily and weekly goal achievements.
Give me a break. I know what my mind and body need right now, and it isn’t constant notifications. In fact, I just disabled notifications and will enjoy the other benefits of the Watch without the distractions.
2021-11-16 20:18:13
I just posted some more images from the Neon Nights collection on the photography page.
2021-11-16 20:48:18
Recently I expressed an interest in creating photo magazines with images and text. I really do believe that it is one aspect of the future of digital photography I don't want to miss out on.
So I downloaded InDesign from Adobe as a trial and am overwhelmed by the learning curve. I had hoped that since I was familiar with Adobe's photo software it would help, but not so much actually.
I still want to take a look at Affinity's Publisher but there is no trial and they will have a Black Friday sale next week so I am holding off on that for now. I'm hoping the learning curve would be easier and more intuitive as I can't wait to start publishing these things and share my images in a more modern way.
Update: I just discovered an option to download a trial version of Publisher. Can't wait to explore and play.
2021-11-17 17:22:40
Testing links to cloud storage and downloading from here
2021-11-20 09:54:26
This is my first flight since pre-pandemic times and I couldn’t be happier. Travel, exploring, getting away is all in my nature. Every time I am in an international airport I fight the urge to upgrade my flight to go anywhere else. Next stop: everywhere.
Airports are also the ultimate people-watching venues. The hurry-up-and-waiting people, the professionals in their suits, the vacationing couple, the curious, polite foreigners, etc. Airport terminals are a neutral zone and I want more.
2021-11-21 13:06:38
This is a thought coming from myself, here in the minority: if you are a photographer sharing your images on Instagram or Facebook, stop.
Too often have I wanted to see someone’s work only to be redirected to IG. I can’t see your work. I don’t have an account. If I did have an account, I still wouldn’t be able to see your work because of algorithms and adverts.
My advice is to stop sharecropping on their land and start developing on your own land.
Build your own website, online portfolio and gallery. Share your work and your words with people who actually care.
2021-11-21 15:19:04
Long-form writing is becoming a lost art during these days of short attention spans. With all the media content available to us, our time feels limited, so we want to maximize our consumption time. Blogs have been taken over in favor of quick social media posts. Twitter limits a tweet to 140 characters. Tik-Tok and Instagram promote short video clips, etc.
Microfiction is the natural progression of all this. It is considered to be even shorter than the short story genre. Much like a haiku, it forces concise wording to tell a story. There is no set word limit, but the general guideline is 100-101 words to tell your story. The trick is to make it meaningful enough to make an impact, as opposed to having your reader hop on to the next nano story.
How to start: Come up with an idea, create a rough draft, check your work count and revise to fit. Ulysses writing app is brilliant for this.
Where to publish: On your website first, of course. Then, save your work as a PDF and distribute to your interested followers, either for free or fee. Thereafter, use the same social media platforms if you must. There are even publishing houses looking for microfiction authors.
Finally: Microfiction is a tiny sub-genre (see what I did there?) in the writing/reading world. You won’t earn a lot of money from it, but the challenge itself can be very rewarding.
2021-11-21 15:51:32
My creativity and imagination for starting a novel or short story is stifled now. I can’t write unless I have thought it through and can see the whole story in my mind.
I need to sum up the whole in three paragraphs until I can see the story. Then I can finally turn those paragraphs into an outline or a rough draft.
2021-11-21 19:24:55
.jpg for daily snapshots, .dng for the keepers. Take it from someone who has been shooting RAW images, these files take up a lot of hard drive space. RAW files are slow to transfer from one location to another. Do yourself a favor and shoot in jpg format whenever possible.
Apple Photos is a stock app on every Apple device. Photos is a basic processing and organizing application that is great for quick and simple photo edits. Free, and your photos sync to your devices automatically thanks to iCloud. Save the heavy edits and large files for Adobe Lightroom.
I intend to travel more in 2022 with road trips and quick turnaround weekend flights. This is possible now that I am finally content with my camera gear. Want to buy a new camera or lens? Be content with what you have and save the money on experiences like travel instead. Photographers love to capture new experiences and explore new photo opportunities.
I am a big fan of hiking and photography. The fresh air, the thrill of discovering what is around the corner or over that hill gives us a new perspective. Photo walks around town can be included here. Plus, you want to get increase your daily step count as exercise, right?
Take your iPhone or your camera to your next photoshoot. Want to capture the moments with simple snapshots, use the iPhone. Want to capture lasting memories? Take the camera.
After self-hosting my website for a decade, I decided to simplify and host on WordPress.com. I can publish images or text to my site on the go thanks to Ulysses, Lightroom, and WordPress from my phone or iPad. I am really enjoying this mobile darkroom and publishing setup. Forget social media and stake your own claim to the World Wide Web.
2021-11-21 20:25:48
What was I thinking ten years ago? What’s funny to me is I now have a deconstructed iPhone 4 mounted on the wall on display. This makes me wonder what else I am currently wrong about and what to change.
2021-11-23 09:52:03
Ten years ago was the last time I reviewed my top ten phone apps, and so much has changed over the past decade. The most significant change for me was switching from Android to Apple. I dropped all Google products and software a while back and have zero regrets. I am anti-tracking and advertising in my face constantly. Taking a look back at some of the best apps of the day is a mixture of pride and shame to determine which stood the test of time.
We’ve come a long way, baby. Currently, I own the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Because geeks like to show off what they have and to document their tools, I’ll write about my home screens too. It’ll be fun to look back on the past and compare to the present.
Wallpaper- The wallpaper continues to be Black Sheep. I love to modify and customize my devices, but this wallpaper has been the only one to stick with me over the past ten years. Simple, minimal, black wool/felt appearance. Goes perfectly with all my devices.
Home screen apps-
Mail- I prefer the stock Apple applications where I can. One, they are baked into the operating system and works more smoothly. Two, to limit third-party software from accessing my personal info in emails, contacts etc.
Safari- With Apple’s new privacy initiatives built into their browser, this is a no-brainer for me. The fact that I can sync my browser reading on any device is another win.
Files- I have numerous data in the cloud that I need on-demand access to. Apple’s app, again, wins out thanks to iCloud sync to every device.
Reminders- Pre-installed, simple, free. Why pay $40 a year for a 3rd party to-do list app? Yes, they exist.
Feedbin- My current RSS feed aggregator. Brings the news I want to read from the sites I want to read from. No ads, no BS.
Tweetbot- As a charter member of TWTTR, now known as Twitter, it is a great tool for checking up on updates from brilliant people. I will rarely post anything nowadays. Tweetbot is a third-party app that hides advertising, whereas Twitter is laced with ads. This is my only social media outlet.
Medium- A web journal where writers go to publish their work and get paid. Readers pay a small annual fee to discover articles they want. I do both. Again, no advertising.
GoodLinks- Want to save an article and read it later? Send it here. I’m done with Instapaper and Pocket where they want to charge subscription fees. One time purchase, no ads.
Bear notes- Currently the best, most customizable note-taking app out there. One thing missing is note collaboration with someone else.
Notes- Apple Notes is good, very good but non-customizable and you can collaborate. Which is why it remains on the Home Screen.
Outlook- Not for me because, like Google, I don’t want Microsoft anything. No, this is for work communication and I hate the fact it is on my personal device.
Teams- Same as Outlook. To supervise and communicate with my team, this stays on the Home Screen.
Camera- Apple’s stock app is still one of the best there is. A close second, and not on the Home Screen, would be Halide.
Photos- Well organized, good for quick edits, sharing, syncs to all devices and a great workflow.
Lightroom- For more detailed photo processing, editing, and organization on the go. Syncs to all devices.
VSCO- I’ve enjoyed this photo filter, and sharing app for almost 10 years. Their photo community beats Flickr and Instagram easily. This app deserves its article. Coming soon.
On The Dock-
Settings- got to keep it close by for system changes
Maps- For navigating on those weekend road trips
Messages- Why use a 3rd party app?
Phone- For the occasional phone call. I consider the iPhone to be a camera with calling capabilities.
Everything else gets relegated to the next screen and in folders for easier organization. Apple Music and Podcasts app are well-used and running in the background. Photo apps, reading, writing, finance apps, utilities are all important but not used as much.
Like I said, numerous changes in the past ten years. It’s amazing to me what has lasted the test of time and what goes.
By comparison, here is the list from ten years ago:
Snapseed- Simply the best mobile photo editor out there.
Vignette- This camera app has so many shooting options and filters, it would take another blog post to list.
EyeEm- As soon as Facebook bought Instagram, I looked elsewhere. Social photography is excellent.
Google+ Again, the Anti-Facebook social experience.
Drive- Sync my documents between my computer and phone? Yes, please.
Any.DO- My to-do list goes with me and sends me timely reminders too
Currents- A great too to catch up on news, blogs for my tablet.
Pocket- Want to read it later? Right click and put it in your web pocket.
Google Now- Instant information no matter where I am at.
Spotify- web-based music and radio. I will never buy music again.
None of these are on my devices. I am constantly amazed at how well the Apple ecosystem works. Everything is cooked in and plays nice with all Apple devices. Makes me wish I had gone all-in a lot sooner.
The iPad home screen is a bit more organized thanks to the screen space. Widgets are added, the apps are almost all the same as the iPhone with a few exceptions like streaming media, games, video editing apps like iMovie and Vimeo.
2021-11-24 00:16:48
A few months ago I wrote about my own publishing house and how much fun I was having. Even more recently I mentioned that I wanted to branch out by creating digital photo zines. After jumping on a Black Friday deal, I finally decided on Affinity Publisher over Adobe InDesign.
It didn't take long to work out the basics of the software app, so I combined some images and text, hit "publish", converted to the PDF format and done. I then uploaded it to Apple Books for easier, more enjoyable reading. Assuming there are any interested parties, the download link is a .pdf. Enjoy!
Now I need to do a deep dive on how to produce a proper zine.
2021-11-25 14:42:54
I missed out on Bitcoin and not investing early. One BTC currently equals $59,263.01. Same with Ethereum. 1 ETH currently = $4,543.21.
So, I will slowly invest in lower, more affordable tokens instead. To be honest, the money I invest in these digital currencies will be treated as if I were going to a casino. Only take what you don’t mind losing and have fun with it. Very little will be invested, but it will be fun to watch and learn how the process works.
The plan for me is to start small, start slow, and then eventually convert to and purchase Ethereum. Why ETH? Because that is the currency that is driving the digital art market, known as NFT (non-fungible token.)
I want to mint some of my photographic work to explore how the digital art work evolves. I’ll go into this with low expectations, of course. Do I really expect that my work will fetch 2 ETH worth $9,000? Not at all, but, it CAN be possible. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the going rate for The Invisible Man by Brainsky.
The future is digital, and the future is now.
(Article header by @lootcorp)
2021-11-25 15:14:12
If I stopped to think about it, and I have, most of my money is digital. My paycheck is directly deposited to my account. My transactions are digital. I frequently pay for goods and services with the flick of the Apple Watch and the built-in Apple Pay. These are tied into my bank accounts. If the point of sale terminal does not accept Apple Pay, well then out come the plastic cards tied into the same banks. Transactions made online do not use paper currency. Rare is the moment when I use folding or metal currency.
My state is partnering with Apple Wallet to include digitized driver's license. Same with my health/auto insurance providers, passport, TSA approval, transit pass, vaccination card, etc. No more physical wallet for me to lose. This is just how I like it. Minimalism at its best.
Again, most of our money is digital. Are we all leaning towards cryptocurrency? Why not expect and embrace a transition into the digital future present?
PSA: Do have access to paper money for emergencies and/or power loss.
2021-11-28 13:34:09
I just published Photo Denbow Zine volume 2, Neon Nights. It is now available for download in a 1.2MB sized .pdf format. For best viewing, I suggest opening in Apple Books or a PDF reader.
Below is Volume 1.
2021-11-29 20:41:38
Keep wondering. Keep wandering.
2021-11-30 21:43:41
I’ve always been fascinated with design, especially design that invokes an audible “ooh.” My first, impressionable experience was watching a Lamborghini Countach rocket past a highway patrol car in the movie “Cannonball Run.”
Here are some examples of next-level design, engineering, aerodynamics, technology, magnificent and minimalism: Apple, Tesla, Lamborghini, Nike, Ferrari. All these brands represent the best in the industry by utilizing great design and materials.
Electric engines that go from 0-60 in 1.9 seconds? A superconductor hybrid V-12 engine? Autonomous driving? 32-Core GPU, & 32GB Unified Memory? Hell yes.
Monotone, grey, silver, black, navy, chrome, white are my signature colors. Clean, goes with everything and minimal.
I cannot afford the best in all situations. But I do when and where I can. It makes me appreciate what I have just as well as I can appreciate the best from afar. And yes, I used “maximal” in the header.
