So in tonight's townhall the following has been discussed. This is a real-time rundown, so I apologize for grammatical and typographical errors:
- Phoenix has been backburnered
- The first priority for Waymarking was the forums, which are now fixed so priorities are being rearranged.
- There is still work being done to improve both Waymarking and Geocaching via incremental fixes instead of the one fell swoop of Phoenix
- Another priority is a .GPX solution for Waymarking
- .GPX will not have thoroughly detailed info at first, but will work easily with GSAK and its ilk. Variables will likely be appended to the long text description in the .GPX. Though details are still being hashed out. May work more along the lines of the "My Finds" query in GC.com
- "Garmin Content Toolkit, Orphaned Waymarks" (Garmin content toolkit was not discussed beyond this)
- Plans to aid communication on the site such as private forums
- Ways to search archived/invisible Waymarks will be addressed along with orphan Waymarks
- Setting up an "orphan queue" would require ALL variables to be optional. Variables may be switch over to a function of visiting rather than posting.
- Concern was discussed over lazy waymarkers putting out weak marks and having other folks do most of the work by filling in variables. (more discussion later, concerns are to be posted in the forums)
- Increased photo size
- Photo storage (temporary)
- Links directly to Flickr/Photobucket
- Kudos (awards one can give to other Waymarkers)
- Activation button at the end of the new cat creation wizard
- Cross linking photos to end multiple uploads when cross-posting a Waymark. Something like a bucket in which photos are dumped, and then one would be given an option to pull from that bucket when creating a WM. With possibly a 7 day "decay"
- Photo bug when U/Ling larger photos is still not fixed, but is being worked on.
- lobot mailer specific to Waymarking
- Deadbeat leaders/officers - GS may monitor how often they log in for a start. Or display average approval times on the cats
- New games (Nothing was discussed in detail, just mention that Nate and Sean have been working on new games, such as "scavenger hunt, and mini bingo". For instance, a list is generated for 10 or so nearby Waymarks based on one's own favorite cats. One then visits all in that list and earns an award. A number of these scavenger hunts could be on going in various states of completion, with a bingoesque format overall
- Removing closest Waymarks found from the list was broken with the last upgrade,
This list are just some of the ideas being kicked around over at the lily pad. They are expecting implementation of these ideas within the next 6-12 months at this point. Personally, it sounds like some great ideas upon which to build, along with some great ideas as listed.
Near N40° 18.775 W083° 07.073
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Balooning Waymarks
Have you ever noticed how Waymarks can balloon into more Waymarks? Today I decided to travel down to Columbus for a little Waymarking. I originally intended to mark a 3d advertisment for the upcoming category. I thought it had been approved, but now I see it's not listed yet. Regardless, I wanted to photograph it before it gets taken down. After that I went up a few blocks to Waymark the Greater Columbus Convention Center. While walking back to the car I passed The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, and marked it too.
After that I visited the Ohio State University to mark the Wexner Center in the Great Buildings category. I've been meaning to get out there for a while now, but just never had occasion to be in the area.
I began by posting the Wexner Center first, and the moved on to the convention center. While posting them, I noticed that they were both designed by Peter Eisneman. I clicked back into the Great Buildings website to read more about Eisneman, and noticed a reference to Deconstructionism. Before now I never really looked into the Deconstructionism category. When it was first approved, I didn't recognize any of the architects names being used locally, so I didn't think there was anything around here. After learning more about Eisneman, and the Deconstructionism category, I realized I could post both the Wex, and the convention center in there.
Today was largely an effort just to find a few new icons, and I even ended up with a few new ones that I wasn't expecting.
After that I visited the Ohio State University to mark the Wexner Center in the Great Buildings category. I've been meaning to get out there for a while now, but just never had occasion to be in the area.
I began by posting the Wexner Center first, and the moved on to the convention center. While posting them, I noticed that they were both designed by Peter Eisneman. I clicked back into the Great Buildings website to read more about Eisneman, and noticed a reference to Deconstructionism. Before now I never really looked into the Deconstructionism category. When it was first approved, I didn't recognize any of the architects names being used locally, so I didn't think there was anything around here. After learning more about Eisneman, and the Deconstructionism category, I realized I could post both the Wex, and the convention center in there.
Today was largely an effort just to find a few new icons, and I even ended up with a few new ones that I wasn't expecting.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Touring North Central Ohio
I'm just finally catching up on some Waymarks that I gathered over the weekend of July 26. It happened to be Dewgrl's birthday, and I had been promising to take her up to Malabar Farm State Park, which was once the home of Pulitzer Prize winning author Louis Bromfield. The farm was used by him to develop and teach new ways of sustainable farming. It, along with the Pleasant Valley area also were the inspiration for several of his books. These include "Up Ferguson Way," "Pleasant Valley," "Malabar Farm," and several others. Dewgrl had been up there once when she was little and has wanted to go back for a long time. I've been up there a few times. Once before Geocaching and Waymarking, once for some Geocaching, once...uhhh I can't remember why (it was cold and snowy, but I don't remember actually having done anything while I was there besides walk from the car, to the farm, and back) and another time just to Waymark the here.
We started the day by visiting our favorite farmers' market in Mt. Vernon. After picking up a few things, we decided to hit a couple of caches nearby. They happened to be in cemeteries, so we Waymarked those, as well as a few Zinc headstones there. After the caches we worked our way north. I wanted to revisit a memorial that I knew was out there, not far from Malabar Farm.
I posted about the memorial in the "what did you learn today" thread. I originally visited the memorial as part of a multi-cache. I had to get some info off of it, and that was all I did. I stopped, wrote down what I needed, then left to find the cache. I knew it had to be significant in some way, so I wanted to go back to see if it could be Waymarked.
Along the way we stopped at various locations that could be Waymarked, and managed to squeeze in a visit or two as well. Most of the spots consisted of cemeteries, but we did get a few bridges and such as well.
So we finally get to the memorial after being chased down the road by a couple of little dogs. They chased the car for probably about a half mile from their home to the memorial. I wasn't worried about them, except that they might try to get under the tires. I just took it slowly until I got past them. They trotted up a few minutes into us looking at and taking pictures of the memorial. They weren't unfriendly, but they wouldn't let us get closer than about 10 feet either.
Upon leaving the memorial we stopped at another Ohio Historical Marker that we saw on the way to the memorial. We then made our way to Malabar Farm.
We stopped for a late lunch/early dinner at the Malabar Farm Inn just up the road from Malabar Farm. It was an 1800's stagecoach stop. In addition they sell fruits and veggies grown at Malabar Farm next to the inn.
We weren't able to spend a lot of time at Malabar Farm as it was getting late. In all we ended up with about 50 separate waypoints in the GPS, a few of which could be cross-posted. Many of them are cemeteries which I haven't posted yet. Some of the highlights include the barn linked above, the grave of Louis Bromfield, Pugh Cabin which was featured in the opening scenes of "The Shawshank Redemption", and about 5 new icons just from Malabar Farm
I finally got around to posting the Copus Massacre Memorial in the Wikipedia category, since I couldn't find another good fit for it. It's not quite 10 feet tall, so it wouldn't fit in the Obelisks cat, and I'm not sure where else it might go....any ideas?
The best thing about it, is that I finally learned what it's all about....in rather gory detail. The Ashland County Historical Society has a very detailed account of the events that occurred here. I mostly paraphrased that information, and removed some of the details to make it a little more "PG."
We started the day by visiting our favorite farmers' market in Mt. Vernon. After picking up a few things, we decided to hit a couple of caches nearby. They happened to be in cemeteries, so we Waymarked those, as well as a few Zinc headstones there. After the caches we worked our way north. I wanted to revisit a memorial that I knew was out there, not far from Malabar Farm.
I posted about the memorial in the "what did you learn today" thread. I originally visited the memorial as part of a multi-cache. I had to get some info off of it, and that was all I did. I stopped, wrote down what I needed, then left to find the cache. I knew it had to be significant in some way, so I wanted to go back to see if it could be Waymarked.
Along the way we stopped at various locations that could be Waymarked, and managed to squeeze in a visit or two as well. Most of the spots consisted of cemeteries, but we did get a few bridges and such as well.
So we finally get to the memorial after being chased down the road by a couple of little dogs. They chased the car for probably about a half mile from their home to the memorial. I wasn't worried about them, except that they might try to get under the tires. I just took it slowly until I got past them. They trotted up a few minutes into us looking at and taking pictures of the memorial. They weren't unfriendly, but they wouldn't let us get closer than about 10 feet either.
Upon leaving the memorial we stopped at another Ohio Historical Marker that we saw on the way to the memorial. We then made our way to Malabar Farm.
We stopped for a late lunch/early dinner at the Malabar Farm Inn just up the road from Malabar Farm. It was an 1800's stagecoach stop. In addition they sell fruits and veggies grown at Malabar Farm next to the inn.
We weren't able to spend a lot of time at Malabar Farm as it was getting late. In all we ended up with about 50 separate waypoints in the GPS, a few of which could be cross-posted. Many of them are cemeteries which I haven't posted yet. Some of the highlights include the barn linked above, the grave of Louis Bromfield, Pugh Cabin which was featured in the opening scenes of "The Shawshank Redemption", and about 5 new icons just from Malabar Farm
I finally got around to posting the Copus Massacre Memorial in the Wikipedia category, since I couldn't find another good fit for it. It's not quite 10 feet tall, so it wouldn't fit in the Obelisks cat, and I'm not sure where else it might go....any ideas?
The best thing about it, is that I finally learned what it's all about....in rather gory detail. The Ashland County Historical Society has a very detailed account of the events that occurred here. I mostly paraphrased that information, and removed some of the details to make it a little more "PG."
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Finally posted a barn
Ever since the barn category came about, I've had a tough time getting one Waymarked. It's not that there aren't any around or anything. I mean this is rural central Ohio. There are tons of barns around here. As a matter of fact you can see probably 10-15 of them from the barn I Waymarked. The problem has been finding something interesting enough to Waymark. Maybe because there are so many of them around, and I've lived in the area for most of my 30 years, I've become somewhat jaded about them. A lot of the barns are scenic, and historic, but they're just like another one right beside it.
The barn I W'marked is right on a busy road, and one that I've passed probably thousands of times in my life. I've always known it was there, but I never paid much attention to it...until this year. I happened to be going by when the farmer was planting his crops, and I noticed that he was putting in wheat. So I knew it was going to be a good year to shoot the barn
Most area farms rotate between corn and soybeans, but will occasionally throw some winter wheat into the mix too. This year it seems that more farmers than normal have switched to wheat. I imagine this is because there were so many problems with corn last year.
Last year many farmers planted corn because it was expected that it would be very profitable. There was talk of at least two Ethanol plants being built in Ohio, and regardless of that corn was supposed to sell at huge profits due to the Ethanol "boom." As many probably remember, Ethanol was suddenly touted as the answer to all of our fuel worries. Even though it has been mixed with regular gasoline for many years, and used exclusively in some vehicles since the late 90's, it was being talked about as though it was a brand new idea. Unfortunately this really didn't pan out, it seems. There is little buzz about it, at least locally, and Ethanol has dropped back to the status quo. It's still slightly less expensive than the dino-fuels, but it still provides less fuel efficiency. In addition there are worries about diminishing world food supplies.
This year I think many had the same idea to plant wheat. It is easily planted using no-till techniques, and it can go in right after the corn is harvested in the fall. Plus it's something different than normal which could prove profitable in the long run, and it adds additional nutrients to the soil for next year's planting.
I waited until just the right time to take some pictures. I knew that it would need to be a week or so before they would harvest the wheat, it needed to be sunny, late in the afternoon, with a few clouds in the sky. Given Ohio's weather, this is a lot to expect in the short time between the wheat turning from green to brown, and the harvest.
Luckily I got just such a day. I drove out here not expecting much as it was actually a little stormy and very overcast during the 10 minute drive up. I was going to settle for it though since I knew I didn't have much time. Many of the other wheat fields had already been harvested. Just as I pulled into the adjacent elementary school, the clouds broke a little bit and gave me exactly the sky that I was looking for, and the quality of light I wanted to highlight the barn and field.
The picture posted here was taken with the Kodak V570. It's actually an HDR image. Essentially a blend of 5 different exposures taken at 5 different exposure values. Basically normal, a little lighter, a little lighter than that, darker than normal, and darker than that. This allows a for more contrast, and an image that is supposed to appear more like how the scene looked in real life. I don't like to use HDR images for most purposes as it feels a little like cheating to me. I guess I'm somewhat of a purist when it comes to photography. I don't like a lot of post-processing personally. But I made an exception for this one.
I went with the intent of posting the Waymark, but once I got home, I decided against it. Once again, I looked at the photos and said to myself, "This is just like any other barn." I finally did post it though, partially because Hikenutty commented that I should post it. I guess it just took an unfamiliar eye.
In addition there are several other barns around that I have in mind to Waymark. They, like this one, will require a specific light though, so I've not gone out to shoot them yet. One in particular is going to be rather tricky. There is a very short period of time during which the sun will be high enough to clear some trees and hit the barn, and when the sun will be directly overhead, or behind the barn.
The barn I W'marked is right on a busy road, and one that I've passed probably thousands of times in my life. I've always known it was there, but I never paid much attention to it...until this year. I happened to be going by when the farmer was planting his crops, and I noticed that he was putting in wheat. So I knew it was going to be a good year to shoot the barn
Most area farms rotate between corn and soybeans, but will occasionally throw some winter wheat into the mix too. This year it seems that more farmers than normal have switched to wheat. I imagine this is because there were so many problems with corn last year.
Last year many farmers planted corn because it was expected that it would be very profitable. There was talk of at least two Ethanol plants being built in Ohio, and regardless of that corn was supposed to sell at huge profits due to the Ethanol "boom." As many probably remember, Ethanol was suddenly touted as the answer to all of our fuel worries. Even though it has been mixed with regular gasoline for many years, and used exclusively in some vehicles since the late 90's, it was being talked about as though it was a brand new idea. Unfortunately this really didn't pan out, it seems. There is little buzz about it, at least locally, and Ethanol has dropped back to the status quo. It's still slightly less expensive than the dino-fuels, but it still provides less fuel efficiency. In addition there are worries about diminishing world food supplies.
This year I think many had the same idea to plant wheat. It is easily planted using no-till techniques, and it can go in right after the corn is harvested in the fall. Plus it's something different than normal which could prove profitable in the long run, and it adds additional nutrients to the soil for next year's planting.
I waited until just the right time to take some pictures. I knew that it would need to be a week or so before they would harvest the wheat, it needed to be sunny, late in the afternoon, with a few clouds in the sky. Given Ohio's weather, this is a lot to expect in the short time between the wheat turning from green to brown, and the harvest.
Luckily I got just such a day. I drove out here not expecting much as it was actually a little stormy and very overcast during the 10 minute drive up. I was going to settle for it though since I knew I didn't have much time. Many of the other wheat fields had already been harvested. Just as I pulled into the adjacent elementary school, the clouds broke a little bit and gave me exactly the sky that I was looking for, and the quality of light I wanted to highlight the barn and field.
The picture posted here was taken with the Kodak V570. It's actually an HDR image. Essentially a blend of 5 different exposures taken at 5 different exposure values. Basically normal, a little lighter, a little lighter than that, darker than normal, and darker than that. This allows a for more contrast, and an image that is supposed to appear more like how the scene looked in real life. I don't like to use HDR images for most purposes as it feels a little like cheating to me. I guess I'm somewhat of a purist when it comes to photography. I don't like a lot of post-processing personally. But I made an exception for this one.
I went with the intent of posting the Waymark, but once I got home, I decided against it. Once again, I looked at the photos and said to myself, "This is just like any other barn." I finally did post it though, partially because Hikenutty commented that I should post it. I guess it just took an unfamiliar eye.
In addition there are several other barns around that I have in mind to Waymark. They, like this one, will require a specific light though, so I've not gone out to shoot them yet. One in particular is going to be rather tricky. There is a very short period of time during which the sun will be high enough to clear some trees and hit the barn, and when the sun will be directly overhead, or behind the barn.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Ciro Flex model E Photos
Over a year ago... May 10 2007 to be exact...I mentioned that I received a Ciro Flex camera. At that time I mentioned that it was probably a model C, but now I'm more positive that it is a model E. I finally managed to get through a roll of film, and get it processed.
I kept forgetting to take it with me, and also didn't want to take it out where the camera might get damaged. The Ciro Flex will take 12 exposures on one roll of 120 film. I wasn't 100% sure about where to get the film processed. When I spoke to the folks at the local Cord Camera when I bought the film they said they could process it. The problem was they would have to send it to their main store in Columbus, and they didn't know how much it would cost. They assured me it would probably be pricey. Since I had paid $25 for 4 rolls of film already, and this was my first roll through a type of camera I've never used, I figured I would try to find a cheaper route. I knew that there were going to be some throw-aways. I didn't want to pay a huge price for those. I took a chance and dropped it off at the local CVS. The cashier had no idea if it could be processed, since she had never seen 120 film before. I got a call the other day, 11 days after dropping it off, that it was ready. I just picked it up this evening.
Overall I like the quality of the pictures. The first one was shot out my back door just to make sure I had the film loaded and everything. The following pictures I took at the Scioto River, but they were far too dark. I didn't bother to scan those. After that the camera was on the shelf for a while. I got it out a couple weeks ago and took a couple of photos at Alum Creek State Park, which finished up the roll. One ended up being an out of focus, double exposure. I shot the first one, and then remembered that I needed to focus it. I focused, shot again, and remembered that I needed to advance the film....yeah I'm that spoiled on automatic cameras that I forgot to both focus AND advance the film. I advanced, focused, and took the last picture on the roll. I still have a lot to learn. Like to pay attention and advance more slowly. I only got 9 exposures on the roll, which should have taken 12. When I loaded the film I advanced past exposure #1. Then a couple of times between shots I advanced too far as well.
In the meantime I also purchased another Ciro Flex. It's the "top of the line" model F. I have a roll in it right now, but I haven't shot anything on it yet.
So here are the shots that I scanned. They are not cropped. The film itself develops square instead of rectangular.
I kept forgetting to take it with me, and also didn't want to take it out where the camera might get damaged. The Ciro Flex will take 12 exposures on one roll of 120 film. I wasn't 100% sure about where to get the film processed. When I spoke to the folks at the local Cord Camera when I bought the film they said they could process it. The problem was they would have to send it to their main store in Columbus, and they didn't know how much it would cost. They assured me it would probably be pricey. Since I had paid $25 for 4 rolls of film already, and this was my first roll through a type of camera I've never used, I figured I would try to find a cheaper route. I knew that there were going to be some throw-aways. I didn't want to pay a huge price for those. I took a chance and dropped it off at the local CVS. The cashier had no idea if it could be processed, since she had never seen 120 film before. I got a call the other day, 11 days after dropping it off, that it was ready. I just picked it up this evening.
Overall I like the quality of the pictures. The first one was shot out my back door just to make sure I had the film loaded and everything. The following pictures I took at the Scioto River, but they were far too dark. I didn't bother to scan those. After that the camera was on the shelf for a while. I got it out a couple weeks ago and took a couple of photos at Alum Creek State Park, which finished up the roll. One ended up being an out of focus, double exposure. I shot the first one, and then remembered that I needed to focus it. I focused, shot again, and remembered that I needed to advance the film....yeah I'm that spoiled on automatic cameras that I forgot to both focus AND advance the film. I advanced, focused, and took the last picture on the roll. I still have a lot to learn. Like to pay attention and advance more slowly. I only got 9 exposures on the roll, which should have taken 12. When I loaded the film I advanced past exposure #1. Then a couple of times between shots I advanced too far as well.
In the meantime I also purchased another Ciro Flex. It's the "top of the line" model F. I have a roll in it right now, but I haven't shot anything on it yet.
So here are the shots that I scanned. They are not cropped. The film itself develops square instead of rectangular.
The very first shot
One of the photos that came out too dark
The out of focus, double exposure.
Alum Creek State Park. This is the one that came out decently.
Friday, June 13, 2008
New music
This has nothing to do with Waymarking, or Geocaching. I just recently picked up a few new albums. These include Weezer - Red Album, Portishead - Third, and Flobots - Fight with Tools.
Weezer's new album was just released on June 3. I actually had a pre-order for it on iTunes, but didn't get around to downloading it until this past weekend. On top of that I didn't burn it to a disc until Wednesday, and didn't get to listen to it until I was at work on Thursday. I had heard that it was somewhat of a departure from the heavy riff-laden records they released early in their career. This is true to a point. Many of the songs, like The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn) are somewhat different, but they still find time to drop in a few more subtle riffs. Some of the songs are a little more pop-esque almost soft love ballads. This certainly isn't a bad thing. I have to admit that this is probably my favorite Weezer album to date. I like the experimental nature of it overall. It's a refreshing change to hear something different once in a while. Luckily, I guess Rivers decided to stop listening to the "little bitches" who kept demanding Weezer crank out songs like those from the Blue Album. Aside from The Greatest Man..., I would have to say that I've most listened to Heart Songs and Pork and Beans, which is the first single off of the album. The link will take you to the official video for Pork and Beans on YouTube.
Portishead's new album Third was announced on Oct, 2 2007, and released on April, 28 2008 after one short setback. For those who aren't familiar with Portishead, they've actually been around for a while. They originally formed in 1991 in their hometown of Bristol, England. They take their name from the nearby town of Portishead. Their first album, Dummy, was released in 1994, followed by a self-titled record in 1997. In 1998 a live album was also released featuring music from the first two albums. From then little was heard from Portishead until the announcement about Third and a subsequent tour. It's been a long wait! I just got this one the other evening as well. I've been meaning to pick it up since it was released. I had wanted a hard copy CD, but could never find it in stores. I finally settled for the iTunes version.
Third certainly doesn't disappoint, but it is a little different from Dummy and Portishead. Third is a little more dark than the first two albums. It also has a deeper more industrial sound to it. It does take some work to listen to, as it's very complex. One time through and one might only pick up on some of the instrumentation, another time through allows one to hear the more subtle undertones mixed in with much syncopation, heavy beats, and cacophony. Yet another time through and one can begin to appreciate Beth Gibbons' poetic, meaningful, puzzling, lyrics. The first single from the album was Machine Gun which was released on March 18.
Finally, Flobots. I've been aware of them for a couple of months now. The album Fight with Tools was originally released in 2007 and then re-released in May of 2008. I happened to catch their single from this album, Handlebars, when flipping through the channels on XM a while back. I forgot about it until a few nights ago when it came on a local FM station. I remembered the song and that I liked it, so I grabbed the album the next day.
Flobots are described as an "alternative rock/rap/hip-hop" group. They formed in Denver, Colorado in 2005, and have released two albums, including Fight with Tools. This album is very politically motivated on an extremely liberal, non-conformist, end of the spectrum. They seem to stop just short of inciting a dissident movement. It doesn't necessarily follow my personal beliefs, however there is a lot of great imagery, deep meaning, and political activism. Not to mention strong beats, quick rapping, combined with guitar, bass, trumpets, and even violins.
The only thing that I didn't like about this album is a phony "underground radio" sort of sound that gets thrown in once in a while. A couple of times there is static between tracks, and it fades in and out of a fake radio station, as though one would forget they're listening to a CD (or MP3, or whatever) and suspend belief to think they're listening to the radio. I understand the idea, but it doesn't add anything to the overall feel of the record. At least not for me.
Weezer's new album was just released on June 3. I actually had a pre-order for it on iTunes, but didn't get around to downloading it until this past weekend. On top of that I didn't burn it to a disc until Wednesday, and didn't get to listen to it until I was at work on Thursday. I had heard that it was somewhat of a departure from the heavy riff-laden records they released early in their career. This is true to a point. Many of the songs, like The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn) are somewhat different, but they still find time to drop in a few more subtle riffs. Some of the songs are a little more pop-esque almost soft love ballads. This certainly isn't a bad thing. I have to admit that this is probably my favorite Weezer album to date. I like the experimental nature of it overall. It's a refreshing change to hear something different once in a while. Luckily, I guess Rivers decided to stop listening to the "little bitches" who kept demanding Weezer crank out songs like those from the Blue Album. Aside from The Greatest Man..., I would have to say that I've most listened to Heart Songs and Pork and Beans, which is the first single off of the album. The link will take you to the official video for Pork and Beans on YouTube.
Portishead's new album Third was announced on Oct, 2 2007, and released on April, 28 2008 after one short setback. For those who aren't familiar with Portishead, they've actually been around for a while. They originally formed in 1991 in their hometown of Bristol, England. They take their name from the nearby town of Portishead. Their first album, Dummy, was released in 1994, followed by a self-titled record in 1997. In 1998 a live album was also released featuring music from the first two albums. From then little was heard from Portishead until the announcement about Third and a subsequent tour. It's been a long wait! I just got this one the other evening as well. I've been meaning to pick it up since it was released. I had wanted a hard copy CD, but could never find it in stores. I finally settled for the iTunes version.
Third certainly doesn't disappoint, but it is a little different from Dummy and Portishead. Third is a little more dark than the first two albums. It also has a deeper more industrial sound to it. It does take some work to listen to, as it's very complex. One time through and one might only pick up on some of the instrumentation, another time through allows one to hear the more subtle undertones mixed in with much syncopation, heavy beats, and cacophony. Yet another time through and one can begin to appreciate Beth Gibbons' poetic, meaningful, puzzling, lyrics. The first single from the album was Machine Gun which was released on March 18.
Finally, Flobots. I've been aware of them for a couple of months now. The album Fight with Tools was originally released in 2007 and then re-released in May of 2008. I happened to catch their single from this album, Handlebars, when flipping through the channels on XM a while back. I forgot about it until a few nights ago when it came on a local FM station. I remembered the song and that I liked it, so I grabbed the album the next day.
Flobots are described as an "alternative rock/rap/hip-hop" group. They formed in Denver, Colorado in 2005, and have released two albums, including Fight with Tools. This album is very politically motivated on an extremely liberal, non-conformist, end of the spectrum. They seem to stop just short of inciting a dissident movement. It doesn't necessarily follow my personal beliefs, however there is a lot of great imagery, deep meaning, and political activism. Not to mention strong beats, quick rapping, combined with guitar, bass, trumpets, and even violins.
The only thing that I didn't like about this album is a phony "underground radio" sort of sound that gets thrown in once in a while. A couple of times there is static between tracks, and it fades in and out of a fake radio station, as though one would forget they're listening to a CD (or MP3, or whatever) and suspend belief to think they're listening to the radio. I understand the idea, but it doesn't add anything to the overall feel of the record. At least not for me.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Waymarking at work, more backlog completed, and more icons
Over the past week I've been working on getting the backlog posted. So far I've managed to get about 35 of them out there this week. Some of them have earned me new icons. I thought I was relatively diligent about posting Waymarks that fall into a new category. In going through these, I've found that not to be the case. In addition I've managed to cross-post a few in new categories as well. Most of them have ended up being cemeteries and Zinc headstones though.
Today was a fun day of Waymarking. Every year we have a departmental outing at work, mainly just to get out of the office and blow off some steam. This year it was decided that we would visit the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. This means I head into work at my normal time, we leave around 11:15am, and spend the rest of the day there. The weather was great for it too. We started out with a scavenger hunt of sorts, then had lunch and played a few games. After that we were free to do whatever. I stuck around a bit to grab some Waymarks. I've been out here a few times in the past couple of years, but I always seem to forget my GPS. Today I grabbed the zoo itself, the aquarium, a couple of coin-op binoculars, and the amusement park next door (Zoombezi Bay Waterpark). I really can't complain about having to work a 1/2 day, on a Friday, when it's beautiful outside, and getting paid while participating in one of my favorite hobbies!
Today was a fun day of Waymarking. Every year we have a departmental outing at work, mainly just to get out of the office and blow off some steam. This year it was decided that we would visit the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. This means I head into work at my normal time, we leave around 11:15am, and spend the rest of the day there. The weather was great for it too. We started out with a scavenger hunt of sorts, then had lunch and played a few games. After that we were free to do whatever. I stuck around a bit to grab some Waymarks. I've been out here a few times in the past couple of years, but I always seem to forget my GPS. Today I grabbed the zoo itself, the aquarium, a couple of coin-op binoculars, and the amusement park next door (Zoombezi Bay Waterpark). I really can't complain about having to work a 1/2 day, on a Friday, when it's beautiful outside, and getting paid while participating in one of my favorite hobbies!
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