Tues. 03.06.18 – The fabulous Ms. Belle has had a rough and tiring morning here at Camp Hanen!
She woke me up at 6:00am to go out to use the doggy potty, it was cold and windy while she minded her chores. From 6:30am to 8:00am, she carried on a heavy kiss bombardment and foot stepping/stamping campaign to get me to feed her breakfast before 8am.
After her hard won breakfast, she got up on the bed and promptly went back to sleep.
Mon. 03.05.18 – I was using the Disqus Commenting plugin here for the last three plus years, but was never fond of it in the first place as it violates my Own Your Own Stuff on the Internet as much as Possible policy. The very idea of a hosted comment system when one has a self-hosted blog seems a bit silly.
Last week, when I read that Disqus had been amongst the legion with a data breach, I decided to ditch it. I have reset Black Phoebe :: Ms. Jen back to plain old WordPress comments and have added a plugin that makes all comments literal, thus no scripting. In addition, comments are now moderated and comments close after a week.
I welcome your thoughts, comments, and really – I don’t anticipate a flood of spam as one of the delights of the alledged death of blogging is that the spammers have gone elsewhere.
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Sun. 03.04.18 – There is a funny, poignant moment in the life of a dog owner / lover when the said beloved pet is older but not yet decrepit. Funny because you distinctly remember the tiresomely rambunctious puppy and young dog who you wished would nap in the afternoons. Poignant because now the beloved dog naps most of the day away only to become alert in time for dinner.
Belle le Cane, aka Bellie Pooh, is now nearly thirteen and she enjoys a good solid nap to a walk or a game of fetch these days.
Photo taken today by Ms. Jen this afternoon with an Olympus Pen E-LP8 mirrorless camera and an Olympus M.40-150mm lens.
Thursday, March 1st was the full moon. Late Thursday night / very early Friday morning, the local coyote society decided to yip and howl out an ode to the Full Moon.
It started with one coyote making a low keen, a second joined in with a howl, and before you know it a number of coyotes were yipping, keening, and howling – of which started off several local dogs to barking.
The dog barks were in a low, fierce tone. The coyote yips, keens, and howls were at least an octave higher on the musical scale and more delicate. It was as if the coyotes were singing a love song to the full moon.
Encounter with the Infinite:
How Did the Minimally Trained, Isolated Srinivasa Ramanujan, with Little More than an Out-of-Date Elementary Textbook, Anticipate Some of the Deepest Theoretical Problems of MathematicsâIncluding Concepts Discovered Only after His Death?
Ms. Jen says – Well written article on Srinivasa Ramanujan, culture, math, and life by Robert Schneider
Gut Microbes Combine to Cause Colon Cancer, Study Suggests
Turning our fairy tales feral again
Beyond the Gaze: Reclaiming the Female Form After Nochlin
An Illustrated Guide to Linda Nochlinâs âWhy Have There Been No Great Women Artists?â
Eau de Nil, the Light-Green Color of Egypt-Obsessed Europe
Glaucous, the Greeny Blue of Epic Poetry and Succulents
Mormons want to save the Republican party’s soul. But is it too late?
Ms. Jen says – I believe the Republican Party may be beyond amendment.
The Virtues of Willfulness: How Fairy Tales Teach Us to Look for Truths Beyond the Simple Stories
03.01.18 – I have a new-old ambition that I am going to do my best to start and continue as of today: daily blogging (regular public writing) – even if it is only a little tidbit or bio bit or photo.
Let’s start from the photos of the Vermilion Flycatcher that I took two days ago at the La Paz County Park, Parker, Arizona – which is in a manicured riparian zone next to the Colorado River. Photos were taken by Ms. Jen with her Nikon D800 and a Nikon 70-200mm f/4 lens.
This was originally posted as Early Access at my Patreon account.
I have received requests for videos on the adventures of RV living, so here is the first.
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Feb. 20, 2018 – On Saturday of President’s Day weekend, I drove to the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge to camp and take some night sky astro photos. When I arrived, I found the Kokopelli Spiral Labyrinth on the road to Palm Canyon.
The afternoon was beautiful and the earth art spiral was beautiful.
Video taken by Ms. Jen with her Lumia 950 camera phone.
This was originally posted as Early Access at my Patreon account.
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Feb. 12, 2018 – I am finding that the differences between the photos that my camera phone, the Lumia 950, and the new Olympus micro 4/3rds Pen E-PL8 mirrorless camera are both evident and very subtle.
As my previous post states, I had hoped to replace a camera phone photo practice with a very small mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses. The transition is coming along in fits and starts.
The immediate difference between the two example photos taken yesterday while on a hike to Palm Canyon in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge is the way that the cameras handle color. The Lumia 950 is rather famous for its yellow-tinted take on the world and the Olympus Pen E-PL8 for its lack of neon saturation.
My eyes have become so used to the vivid to neon saturation that most camera phones produce that the subtler colors and tones of the Olympus Pen appear almost desaturated (top photo) until I look at the Pen’s photo carefully – wherein a world of beautiful tones opens up – esp. at the dusty horizon.
In the Lumia 950 photo (directly above), the sky, plants and rocks are much more cheerful in color and the horizon is just a few volcanic cones peeping up from the dusty, windy day.
For what the Lumia photo lacks in contrast and strong shadows, it makes up for in bright color. For what the Pen photo lacks in saturated color, it more than makes up for in mood, contrast, contour edges, and shadows.
What do you think?
