Marilyn Monroe is alive and well in Chicago!!

And I have a photo to prove it. MIne is the before, unveiled image. Taken with my Panasonic Lumix camera, an invaluable tool for the traveling photographer, like me who hates to carry a lot of gear any more.
The other is by Photo AP Photo / Charles Rex Arbogast

Everyone talks about Social Media Marketing

Not everyone gets it right. I found this video from Splash Media to be very informative. It's a plug for the compony, sure, but it contains useful info.
http://youtu.be/SesiMIZtO40

Gas Price Fraud Exposed

I'm following this story closely.. I've known about this for a long time, but the Main stream media keeps avoiding it... too much money being made from oil co advertisers, I guess
http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/feds-charge-five-oil-speculators-mani

Flip Cameras to be discontinued!!

What nonsense. I just used my Flip on a trip to Florida to show the Art Deco hotels along Ocean Drive. It's a great little camera for grabbing video to put on your Youtube channel which can then be linked to your blog and Facebook page. Makes no sense to discontinue it. It does have the drawback of not having an audio input and the mic is crap but taking all that into consideration, it still produces 720p video which looks great on the Internet.
Cisco is the villain. Hope something terrible happens to them.

Democrat wins special election in heavily Republican New Hampshire state legislature district

Democrat wins special election in heavily Republican New Hampshire state legislature district

...And in Other News

I'm with you, Mr. Rather.

Journalism is dead. Silliness sells soap.



As a Media Trainer, I tell my clients that in this new media environmen­t, it's never been easier to lead an interview and get their messages out. Neophytes abound, cause news orgs. don't want to pay for pros.... so take advantage of their cheapness and indifferen­ce to journalist­ic standards.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Bacon Cologne By Fargginay: 'Scent By The Gods' (PHOTO, VIDEO)

Goes well with my lard-based shaving cream.....
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Lynn Ferrin Returns as Mother Plucker, by Public Demand

Friends of Lynn Ferrin, currently in hospice care in San Francisco, have indicated that viewing my "What the Cluck" film, which stars Lynn, is a fun way to appreciate her, her sense of adventure and her enviable chicken wrangling skills.
So, once again, we present:

Trusty Sony PD100A Goes to the Fair!!
Yep. at the Gravenstein Apple Fair I used this DV-CAM format camera to record Twang Ditty's 45 minute set of music!! With help from my audio expert, Lee Lusted, we took a wireless feed off the stage mixing console into a mixer for two channel stereo, then fed the camera via the external audio mini-jack connector. Sounded good and the band was thrilled with the result. I shot in the 16x9 format, which unfortunately is not as good as the HD version, but as long as the image is kept to 320ppi, fine for web use, it works ok. Would have used my Flip HD Mino camera, but as is well known, it has no audio in.
Notice the tripod and earphones: necessities for pro video standards.

Recent reviews by marv p.

What's this?

Enjoying New iPhone4

Here's an example of what the HD video looks like on an iPhone4. If it had a tripod connection I could have used my Bogen to steady the image. Taken at a gift shop in Hayes Valley, San Francisco, just after eating at the Hayes Valley Grill on Christmas Eve.

Good Journalism Looks Like This:

http://www.alternet.org/story/149150/leaked_memo_sheds_light_on_mysterious_bee_die-offs_and_who%27s_to_blame/?page=entire

Needs Updating for the Holidays!

Yep, now that the Season is upon us, it's about time to have this site reflect some of the good things happening.
Yesterday was sparkling tasting at Gloria Ferrer, lunch at Hop Monk in Sonoma and shopping around the Plaza, with a stop at Basque Boulangerie cafe and bakery for a pick me up.

Fox News Boss Ordered Staffers To Echo GOP Talking Point About Public Option In Health Care Coverage

I rest my case.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Lesser-Known Beer Cultures of the World

We have 90 minute IPA for a short while (it always goes fast!) here in Sonoma county, and the Pumpkin came and went already. Glad to see Dogfish getting the recognition it deserves but it will mean earlier sell-outs of the ales, I fear.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Word for the Day: Fudge

photo © 2009 Josh Blacker | more info(via: Wylio)

Mother Plucker Returns!!

In honor of a dear friend who is recovering from surgery and undergoing some additional treatments, I am posting her one and only starring role in a major film... well, major for the participants anyway, titled "What the Cluck." This is an honest to goodness film, shot on 16mm film and edited on a flatbed. Ah, the good ol' days. Later transferred to video tape and now digitized.
Depending upon the interest, I will post the back story on how this film came to be (and why there were chickens in a San Francisco back yard). It's quite a tale (as Chris Smith can attest) and a shining example of Lynn's "go for it" spirit.
I don't know how long I can keep it posted since I don't have music rights to two of the songs included in the film, but, what the hell, I'll keep it up until I get a cease and desist order.

Enjoy, and if you have way to show it to Lynn at Coventry Park, please do so. I can play it for her on my iPhone on Thursday, Nov 4, but someone with a laptop would make for a better viewing experience. Thanks.

Fun Sculpture in Sebastopol, by artist Patrick Amiot:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5142768&l=e548ccc738&id=668098694

Taken with my Nikon D70, using a Tiffen Polarizing filter to increase color saturation.

Wacko Fox News Activist Really Blows It This Time:

This is what conservative media thinks is journalism. and we all know that Fux, uh, Fox, is the champion of sleaze and lies, as well as being the Head Cheerleader for the Right Lunatic Tea Baggers:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/9/29/906291/-James-OKeefe-nabbed-trying-to-make-conservative-porn?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dailykos%2Findex+%28Daily+Kos%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo

Shallow Focus Works When Appropriate

I have seen way too many photos using a Photoshop plugin to create the illusion of a shallow depth of field. Especially overused in food photography, this trendy apparition calls attention to itself and distracts from the picture's content, in my opinion.
Some times it is really necessary, even essential, when stressing a certain portion of an object. I recently did this to accentuate the face of a thermometer which is rather small. I didn't need to use a filter or digital FX, just plain ol good technique made it possible. I used my Nikon D70, the usual 80-200 lens greatly zoomed in, a Bogen tripod and, the real secret, a fast shutter speed and a wide open aperture, which gives you the shallow depth. Mere physics!!
Here's the result: