Is a Standup Comic in your Bucket List?
I find most jokes fair to poor, and I’ve seen the death of many joke tellers when they try their skill at joke telling before a live audience. Tomatoes is not enough punishment for many. BUT, an unlikely retired mother of two in Spruce Creek, my friend Marilyn, may hit the cherished bell at the carnival show with this one.
The local news station was interviewing an 80-year-old lady because she had
just gotten married for the fourth time.
The interviewer asked her questions about her life, about what it felt like
to be marrying again at 80, and then about her new
husband's occupation. "He's a funeral director," she answered.
"Interesting," the newsman thought... He then asked her
if she wouldn't mind telling him a little about her first three husbands
and what they did for a living. She paused for a few
moments, needing time to reflect on all those years. After a short time, a
smile came to her face and she answered proudly,
explaining that she had first married a banker when she was in her 20's,
then a circus ringmaster when in her 40's, and a
preacher when in her 60's, and now - in her 80's - a funeral director. The
interviewer looked at her, quite astonished,
and asked why she had married four men with such diverse careers.
(Wait for it)
-
-
-She smiled and explained, "I married one for the money, two for the
show, three to get ready, and four to go."
How many degrees of Separation is there between Brilliance
and an Excentric?
The Eastman
Plan
Before it was the Eastman Plan, it was the International Fixed
Calendar. And if it was not precisely Auguste Comte’s 1849 Positivist calendar,
it derived from the same basic mathematical insight, the same fourth grade calculation:
365 days divides beautifully into 7 day weeks—plus a remainder of one little
day. In fact, the division is so tidy that if you group four weeks together as
a month, you can fit exactly 13 months into that one year. You still have that
single remainder day hanging around, of course—that one weekless, monthless day
sequestered at the end of the year—but, heck, why not give it a pardon and make
it a holiday and call the whole thing done?
Moses B. Cotsworth presented just such a scheme in 1923 to no
less than the League of Nations ’
Special Committee on calendar reform. It was then sometimes known as the
Cotsworth Plan, this system with every month starting on Sunday the first,
every month arranged like the one before, your birthday always on Thursday if
you were born on one. Think of it: that Twilight
calendar you just got would be endlessly accurate, its days arranged the same
every year, and replaced only because the images began to fade.
The benefits seemed obvious: there would be cost savings, ease
of scheduling, clarity and efficiency all around! Perhaps it was the
businessman in George Eastman that admired the 13-month calendar. Perhaps this
inventor of roll film held a special affinity for the calendar’s smooth and
regular progression of time. In any case, Eastman was so taken by the notion
that he didn’t just join Cotsworth’s International Fixed Calendar League, in
1926 he ceded control of daily operations at the Eastman Kodak Company so that
he might devote more time to the issue. The whole idea was known as the Eastman
Plan in many quarters, so constant and compelling was its new champion.
Two years later George Eastman did an obvious thing: he stopped
doing business by the capricious old Gregorian calendar and put the whole of
Eastman Kodak on the 13-month calendar. Others seemed ready to follow suit. As
of 1929 the League of Nations had
scrapped 154 other calendar proposals, leaving Eastman’s pet project one of two
finalists in contention for international adoption. The International Fixed
Calendar was for a time poised to be the new calendar of a modern new world.
Then, in 1932, Eastman declared in a suicide note addressed to
his friends, “My work is done. Why wait?” and killed himself. The International Fixed Calendar League
folded within five years. Three years later the League
of Nations had forgotten the 13-month calendar,
and by time the United Nations was the governing body convened to vote on
international calendar reform, the Eastman Plan wasn’t worth mentioning.
If anyone
still complained that under the 13-month calendar financial quarters don’t end
when months do, if anyone minded that Friday the thirteenth came every month,
or thought anything had to be a better name for the new 13th month
than “Sol”; if anyone cared about one day a year unaccounted for in God’s 7-day
cycles of toil and Sabbath, it didn’t much matter anymore. The debate was over.
Except for the employees of the Eastman Kodak Company, who may have watched
their families grow up by the irregular jostle and sway of old Gregorian months
but still clocked in every day to a calendar perfect in its repetition, elegant
in its predictability, and divine in its perpetuity. Thousands and thousands of
people did this, waking up under one calendar and going to work by another, for
six decades, until the Eastman Plan was finally forsaken in 1989.
And who now is left even to say that this year, this 2012, with
its January 1st square on a Sunday, is exactly the kind of year
Eastman was waiting for, a year to begin a new reckoning?
Amazingly simple, with the exception of the one floating day. We
at Kodak bought in for over 60 year’s of George’s passing. Two benefits George tried to convey to his
employees was 1) saving. You paid all your bills for the year in the normal
adjusted 12 months so the 13 month should be your savings month for the year.
Kodak's demise or today's term down sizing started shortly after the change back to the conventional calendar. It makes one to wonder, is there a correlation between the two. Have we just witnessed the 'CURSE OF GEORGE EASTMAN?'
Kodak's demise or today's term down sizing started shortly after the change back to the conventional calendar. It makes one to wonder, is there a correlation between the two. Have we just witnessed the 'CURSE OF GEORGE EASTMAN?'
And think, my birthday would yearly be celebrated on
Thursday, my day. Never to change. And to Paul Lazor, NO SECOND Thursday before
the second Tuesday of the month.
Last weeks blog showed how to photograph the Milky Way. One of the three photographer's work is so spectacular, he deserves a second look at his dynamic and captivating imagery. I have a question for those of you in the middle between brilliant and genius on the next to last photograph, please send me your answer.
Friday, February 1, 2013
David Kingham: Driven into the Night
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| "Snowy Range Perseids" - 22 meteorites captured in a Wyoming sky ~ © David Kingham (click image for how-to info) |
Colorado landscape photographer, David Kingham,
is passionate about night photography. "Creating stunning nightscapes is what
drives me," says David. It could be the milky way, a meteor show, or just starry
skies.
The "Snowy Range Perseids" shot
was the accumulation of all the things Kingham had learned
over the years. "It put all my skills to the test and I came away with more than
I imagined," said David. "Everything from scouting the perfect location,
creating a great composition in total darkness, shooting for an entire night, to the challenge of post processing
to create an incredible composite with the meteors coming from the correct
radiant point."
Creating unique
imagery: As a landscape photographer, David enjoys capturing
beautiful scenery. "But it often feels like it's all been done before," laments
Kingham. "When I'm standing on the shore of Maroon Bells or Oxbow Bend with
hundreds of other photographers I feel disenchanted. When I stand under a star
filled sky, I know I'm one of very few that are taking in this beauty, and
unless I'm with friends I know that what I'm photographing is exceptionally
unique, not just a different composition, but something that nobody has ever
seen."
David's night work often involves selecting a unique foreground
element and pairing it with a feature in the night sky. He prefers to work with
moonlight to illuminate his foreground subjects, but when there is a new moon he
will also employ light painting.
Getting
started: Growing up in the mountains of Colorado, Kingham had always
been able to clearly see the stars at night—which few in our modern society get
to experience, due to light pollution. When he started in photography he had no
idea that our cameras were capable of capturing the night sky. It was a Flickr friend, Michael
Menefee, and his nightscapes that inspired David. The thankful Kingham
worked hard to learn as much as possible under Michael's willingness to share
his techniques.
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| "Glacier Gorge Milky Way" - a nightscape panorama ~ © David Kingham (click for a larger view) |
This was his
first attempt at shooting a nightscape panorama. "I had no idea if it would work
with the star movement," says David. The amazing software available today makes
this possible. He now shoots night panoramas on a regular
basis!
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| "Cupid Mountain Milky Way Panorama" ~ © David Kingham (click image for a larger view) |
"This shot was a physical and mental test for me, says
Kingham. "Climbing a 13,000 ft mountain in the dead of winter, at 2:00 A.M.
stretched my boundaries. It has made me mentally tougher to take on anything in
life."
Night photography
challenges: Long, cold nights, and a lack of sleep are typical for
night photographers. But David admits that driving for several hours into the
mountains, and hiking in the middle of the night in freezing conditions is worth
the effort. "It's those moments that remind you how amazing a warm bed feels,
[and] forcing yourself to leave it takes a special devotion," reports
David.
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| "No Wind on the Prairie" ~ © David Kingham (click image for a larger view) |
"This was my first successful light painted shot,"
says David. " I barely knew what I was doing at the time. It was an experiment
where everything went right and gave me the itch to never stop learning and
playing with new ideas."Favorite tools and equipment: Rokinon lenses are a favorite. David has discovered that they
are cheap, fast, and free of coma—more
so than some of the Canon and Nikon lenses, costing over $2,000! David shoots a
lot of panoramas, so a leveling base on his tripod makes life much easier. An intervalometer
is also a necessity. And a custom made external battery has allowed him to extend his
battery life by 7 hours!
On the software side, David uses Starry Night Pro on the his PC, and Star Walk on the iPhone—both are such amazing planetarium
applications that he can't imagine doing night photography without them. Nik Color Efex is his secret weapon for bringing out the
detail in the milky way, and Microsoft ICE has become invaluable for stitching night
panoramas.
Delicate Night
I've left the southwest for the year and am headed to the Tetons for the summer! I had some unforgettable times during my workshops and was fortunate to meet some amazing people.
This is a composite of 6 different images, a base image for the stars at ISO 6400, f/2, 15 secs, several light painted exposures at ISO 1600, f/2.8, 10 secs and a long exposure for the midground at ISO 3200, f/2.8, 7 mins to bring in some detail in the distant rocks and mountains, all with a Sigma 35mm f/1.4. Blended using lighten blending modes and luminosity masks. Who else has made this hike at night?
This is a composite of 6 different images, a base image for the stars at ISO 6400, f/2, 15 secs, several light painted exposures at ISO 1600, f/2.8, 10 secs and a long exposure for the midground at ISO 3200, f/2.8, 7 mins to bring in some detail in the distant rocks and mountains, all with a Sigma 35mm f/1.4. Blended using lighten blending modes and luminosity masks. Who else has made this hike at night?
White Sands Milky Way
Backpacking on the White Sands in New Mexico was quite the experience. The silence was deafining and peaceful. The white sand didn't get hot so I walked around barefoot most of the time, it was freezing cold at night so I kept my boots on for this shot at 3am!
Taken with a 24mm rokinon, 2 images...one for the foreground at ISO 1600 for 2 minutes and the sky at ISO 6400 for 20 seconds both at f/2, I manually blended them together and used luminosity masks to enhance the image.
Taken with a 24mm rokinon, 2 images...one for the foreground at ISO 1600 for 2 minutes and the sky at ISO 6400 for 20 seconds both at f/2, I manually blended them together and used luminosity masks to enhance the image.
Wahclella Falls
I photographed this in the pouring rain, had to clone out a few fair weather photogs who were taking cover under the rocks ;) oh snap! At least Miles was trying to get a shot...
Bandon Beach
Gothic Mountain
Lone Eagle Peak Reflections
Mirror Lake is nestled in the Indian Peaks Wilderness in the rocky mountains of Colorado. A strenous 8 mile hike is required to reach this remote location, an incredible sense of solitude can be found here.
Sunset from Gold King Basin
As storm clouds passed over the mountains a small gap was revealed as the sun was setting, creating this fantastic display of color and rays of light.
Dallas Divide Sunset Panorama
and now back to the milky way.
Glacier Gorge Milky Way
Please visit my Prints page before ordering.
On a cold March night I set off into the Rocky Mountains with a few, close photographer friends. We snowshoed to a location near Dream Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. It overlooked Glacier Gorge and Longs peak, an area normally filled with hikers. On this night though, there was a haunting silence, as we had the park to ourselves. An experience few will ever experience.
We went out with intentions of capturing the Milky Way above Longs Peak as a single photo. Later in the morning at 5:30 the crescent moon was rising. I made the decision to try something different; a panorama of the night sky. I was quite adept at taking landscape panoramas, but this would be my first attempt with stars. I carefully leveled my tripod, and took test shots to find the correct exposure (15 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 1600). I took 19 vertical images, I did so quickly to avoid too much movement in the stars, and captured a 180 degree view of the night sky.
When I returned home to process the images I nearly had to scrap the idea. I tried various pieces of software to stitch the images together and all failed. Finally, I had success with PTGUI, which allows you to add control points to aid in alignment, although, in most cases the software is able to align the images automatically.
Experimentation, in this case, paid off with dividends. It was the start of a new journey to capture the night sky in a way that few have done before. I have since captured many views of the Milky Way, but this first attempt has important significance, as it sparked my love for the night skies.
On a cold March night I set off into the Rocky Mountains with a few, close photographer friends. We snowshoed to a location near Dream Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. It overlooked Glacier Gorge and Longs peak, an area normally filled with hikers. On this night though, there was a haunting silence, as we had the park to ourselves. An experience few will ever experience.
We went out with intentions of capturing the Milky Way above Longs Peak as a single photo. Later in the morning at 5:30 the crescent moon was rising. I made the decision to try something different; a panorama of the night sky. I was quite adept at taking landscape panoramas, but this would be my first attempt with stars. I carefully leveled my tripod, and took test shots to find the correct exposure (15 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 1600). I took 19 vertical images, I did so quickly to avoid too much movement in the stars, and captured a 180 degree view of the night sky.
When I returned home to process the images I nearly had to scrap the idea. I tried various pieces of software to stitch the images together and all failed. Finally, I had success with PTGUI, which allows you to add control points to aid in alignment, although, in most cases the software is able to align the images automatically.
Experimentation, in this case, paid off with dividends. It was the start of a new journey to capture the night sky in a way that few have done before. I have since captured many views of the Milky Way, but this first attempt has important significance, as it sparked my love for the night skies.
I have researched how you can get a complete circle in just 3 hours. Do you have any suggestions?
