Now that I’ve gone and officially ordered my new toy, the Canon EOS 20D, I’m on a serious hunt for a solid and swanky tote.

Not just any bag will do. It must be intuitively functional, comfortable to carry, well built and protective enough but not built like a tank. It shouldn’t really look like it’s housing my prized camera, mostly for security reasons but also because the majority of camera bags are fugly.

In the beginning I considered this ‘Next Venue’ bag by Crumpler:

It’s fairly pretty and has lots of padding, so much that I think you carry unnecessary extra weight. The reviews I’ve read are mixed - it’s too small, not configurable enough, etc. If resale value is any indication, though, used bags are selling on ebay for nearly full price. Oh yeah, the price seems high at $115.

Now I’m looking at this Naneu Lima Military bag:

Naneu naneu! But is it big enough? The camera body could possibly be squeezed in at 4.2 inches into a 3.5 inch holster. The rest of my gear will fit fine I’m sure. Hmmmmmmm

Why is it so tough to find a great carry-all for your SLR that doesn’t look nasty?

I bought Modest Mouse’s CD Good News For People Who Love Bad News because I love the song Float On and really just can’t get it out of my head! It’s been rated #53 in this list of the 500 Best Songs Ever! (Sort of).

In case you want to sing along while you listen:

Float On - Modest Mouse

I backed my car into a cop car the other day.
Well he just drove off, sometimes life’s OK.
I ran my mouth off a bit too much, oh what did I say?
Well you just laughed it off, it was all OK.

And we’ll all float on OK. And we’ll all float on OK.
And we’ll all float on OK. And we’ll all float on anyway.

Well, a fake Jamaican took every last dime with that scam.
It was worth it just to learn some sleight of hand.
Bad news comes, don’t you worry even when it lands.
Good news will work its way to all them plans.
We both got fired on exactly the same day.
Well we’ll float on, good news is on the way.

And we’ll all float on OK. And we’ll all float on OK.
And we’ll all float on OK. And we’ll all float on.
Alright already, we’ll all float on.
No don’t you worry. We’ll all float on.
Alright, already. We’ll all float on.
Alright, don’t worry. We’ll all float on.

And we’ll all float on.
Alright already, we’ll all float on.
Alright, don’t worry even if things end up a bit too heavy.
We’ll all float on.

Alright already, we’ll all float on.
Alright already, we’ll all float on OK.
Don’t worry, we’ll all float on.
Even if things get heavy, we’ll all float on.
Alright already, we’ll all float on alright.
Don’t you worry, we’ll all float on.
We’ll all float on.

Buttress on north wall of Fall Creek, near electric railway bridge. The erosion of the gorge wall is partly controlled by joints.

This image came from an online library of public domain images from US Geological Survey’s Digital Data Series 21. I located only two images from this area using ‘Tompkins’ as a search term. ‘Ithaca’ produced no results.

There are also plenty of Canadian images in the database.

You can download higher-res png files too, print them and furnish your home with 1886 earthquake pictures!

I just got back last night from a five-day trip to Toronto (Mississauga, actually), and it’s a good thing I returned when I did. This is what happened (as seen in our parking lot) overnight:

JibJab’s slick “Second Term”video in honour of GWBs inauguration:

Images of security and protest during the inauguration, by Kevin C. Smith.

“One day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world,” from the mouth of the President.

I thought I’d explore the internets with the following definition of freedom in mind. Some highly incongruous (and even thought-provoking perhaps) links to follow:

Freedom

1. The condition of being free of restraints.
2. Liberty of the person from slavery, detention, or oppression.
3. 1. Political independence.
3. 2. Exemption from the arbitrary exercise of authority in the performance of a specific action; civil liberty: freedom of assembly.
4. Exemption from an unpleasant or onerous condition: freedom from want.
5. The capacity to exercise choice; free will
6. Ease or facility of movement
7. Frankness or boldness; lack of modesty or reserve.
8. 1. The right to unrestricted use; full access.
8. 2. The right of enjoying all of the privileges of membership or citizenship.
9. A right or the power to engage in certain actions without control or interference.

And as we are all aware, freedom isn’t free. In some cases it costs $14.95 plus shipping. But the dream is alive, it’s doing fine and you’ve got nothing to lose.

This is a terrific work of art by four artists, two from Brooklyn and two from Belfast. (flash site)

Ever heard of this little brain teaser game played with dice? I came across it this morning, though it’s been around for many years. There’s even a fraternity committed to never tell others how to solve it.

I went crazy for about 20 minutes trying to figure it out. For some time I repeatedly guessed the correct answer but couldn’t figure out why or how. Some people apparently solve it out on the first go, while others never do.

So why don’t you go ahead and play (warning, potential time-waster!). There are two versions I found: here and here.

Bon chance!

I was at AC Moore on the weekend and flipped through a book called Designing With Photos. It’s an ambitious book for the scrapbooking set that strives to make you a better photographer too. If you don’t know all about the scrapbooking frenzy, you only need to walk into a craft store and ask if they have any materials for making scrapbooks. You’d likely get a look like What hole did you just crawl out of? In most craft stores there are a couple of long aisles filled with every tool and paper imaginable to make a kickin (or not) scrapbook. I don’t do the scrapbooking thing, per se, but now there are all kinds of fun techniques being documented for turning your keepsakes into art.

So in the book I found this idea where you take two identical images and cut them into strips, then weave them together. I chose two photos I shot from the same angle from the Empire State Building. The photos are not identical though, so the outcome is really not what the book suggested. But here’s the result:

Now, since I’ve been shooting so many pics of the waterfalls around here, I thought it might be neato to try using two images from different seasons, such as these for example. I have yet to try, but if I do maybe I’ll post the results.

These pics were just too funny not to pinch & post. Bill Gates poses for Teen Beat, 1983:

From monkey methods, via Boing Boing.