Weaponized Urbrainium

All the Pretty Flowers

2011-07-14T08:02:00.000-04:00

While out walking around the neighborhood last night, I took some pics of some flowers in various yards. If anyone wants to identify them, feel free to leave a comment (All I know is the Tiger Lilly). Enjoy!

Terry 2.0

2011-07-12T10:59:00.000-04:00

Warning: This post is basically going to be me putting a lot of my personal habits and shortcomings on display to the world. I hope nobody thinks too poorly of my past self. I'm turning over the proverbial new leaf as of this very moment, and to do this, I have to accept that all this stuff was the me of the past. On the other hand, I have to also take things slowly, as too much change at once just leads to failure. Anyway, you might have a different opinion of me after reading this, so watch out!

=========================================================================

I'm sick of my current lifestyle and despite having many false starts in the past, I think it's time to make some serious changes in my life. These changes are going to be to my diet, my exercise and my level of personal organization and finance management. I know those are some hefty things right there, and you might be saying to yourself "Hey, I don't even know you there fella! What the heck is so bad about the way you handle these things right now?". Well, if you happened to say that out loud just now, you might really want to consider a few things about your own habits, but my response is "Let me explain". So, let me explain:

Diet: As many of you probably don't know, I am diabetic, type II to be exact. What that means is that my cells are what is called Insulin Resistant. There are receptors on our cell membranes...wait, are you beginning to nod off on me? OK, Insulin Resistant means I don't absorb insulin (and thus don't absorb glucose) into my cells very efficiently. That lose glucose and excess insulin just floats around my bloodstream and causes all sorts of damage over the long run (like nerve damage, kidney failure, blindness and death...fun stuff this diabetes). I'm in a large crowd of Americans these days as this chronic (and at the moment, incurable) disease is becoming an epidemic in our habitually overeating culture.

Now, there is some evidence that being overweight aggravates and "causes" type II diabetes. It's true that most people with this problem are overweight, at least when they are first diagnosed. I am currently (and have been my entire adult life) overweight. In fact, at 6' tall and 276 lbs, I am considered obese. There's really no excuse for this. I'm a total fat ass. I need to lose 70+ lbs.

A large part of why I'm Lardy McLardenson is that I eat pretty poorly. That is not to say that I pound deep fried mayonaise balls, or eat bacon by the pound (though I definitely could eat that much bacon), but I do eat too much at most meals, and snack far more than I should. I also don't eat the proper foods most of the time. I do know what I should and shouldn't eat, and even how much and how often to eat. I've done all sorts of personal research into nutrition, consulted with a dietitian and even took a nutrition class, so I've really got no excuse here. I've been lazy and undisciplined and with this airing of the dirty laundry, I'm resolving to change that and get back to eating the right way (I've been successful at doing it before). OK, enough said about diet.

Exercise: Oh boy. This one is almost as bad as the diet. I have an exercise bike, a real bicycle, and a freaking gym membership, and yet, I find myself lying on the couch or in front of the computer more often than I find myself riding or working out. I love to ride my bicycle too, so this is pretty damn pitiful. Again, there's no excuse for this. I've got to just get off my butt and do it. I've got to get up early and hit the gym, and ride that expensive bike (either of them) that is collecting dust in my living room. Also again, I know what to do, I just have been lazy and failed to do it. Enough is enough. Time to get to the gym and get back on the bike(s).

Organization and Discipline: I'm terrible at this. I've tried to keep a notebook in my pocket to remind me of tasks I need to do. I've tried using electronic assistants like Evernote and PDA style apps on my phone. I've scheduled and planned and schemed to keep myself on track, and nothing seems to work. I sometimes think I might subconsciously sabotage myself because I get a sick thrill from the disappointment I feel when I fail to accomplish what I set out to do. This might be for several reasons stemming from childhood that I'm not inclined to get into here and now, but there is surely a reason. Reasons I can overcome I think. One might reasonably conclude that this single aspect is the keystone to my success. I think that person would be right. I'm still not sure exactly how to fix this one though.

Finances: I've been nothing but stupid with money up until now. I've used past mistakes be justification for further stupidity. I've borrowed money that I will probably have a hard time paying off. I've made mistakes with credit cards, I've let bills become delinquent, I've had my cell phone and electricity and cable shut off because I failed to pay the bills. I've cashed out a 401k account after losing my job and taken a 35% tax and fee hit on that money. I've spent my very last dollar in my checking account on a pint of ice cream.

These things are all behind me now, but I could easily allow all those past mistakes to continue to haunt me and justify doing nothing. I've started to turn things around. I'm building a reasonable savings account, I'm saving money for a down payment on a house, I'm contributing to my 401k at work, I'm making sure all the bills are paid before splurging on things I don't need. In fact, I'm buying fewer and fewer things that I don't need in general.

=========================================================================

Well, I warned you. Looking back, I might have made it sound like I was a really terrible person up there. Maybe you were thinking I was gonna admit that I killed someone and that you were gonna have to call the cops on me or something. Luckily I've lead a mostly boring life, and nothing of the sort is the case. In any event, I'd love to hear comments and suggestions that you might have for me to improve these four areas of my life. Of course, I reserve the right to disregard any advice given, but I'd appreciate it nonetheless.

Tiny Book Review: Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson

2011-06-27T10:59:00.000-04:00

What if the world was completely automated? Cars drive themselves to ensure maximum safety for their passengers. Domestic robots, while not quite ubiquitous, live to serve the richer members of society by performing such menial tasks as cleaning, cooking, and waiting on line to get a cup of coffee. Military robots pose as soldiers and walk the streets of Kabul and other such places, monitoring the locals and tracking their faces, heartbeats and retinal scans to try and locate insurgents among them. Predator drones constantly scan the skies and security cameras are everywhere.

Now imagine if a super-intelligent AI managed to escape it's confinement and seize control of this whole system of robotic servants and helpers. If you could imagine it, you'd be close to what Robopocalypse is. The book is basically a series of first and second hand accounts of the people (and machines in some cases) who the rogue AI called Archos has cataloged as "heroes". Each person or robot has a unique personality, and evolves over the course of the novel, bringing the reader a nice look on some of the key events of the war between man and robot.

While Robopocalypse was a fun read even for a technical novice (I'm somewhere in between novice and journeyman myself), it did display a somewhat juvenile prose. The plot, as it were, was fairly basic, with only a few twists, and these were not really all that original. I'm not sure the author should be berated for his penchant for lifting plot from other stories, as he does so in a generally easy way, and hardly beats you over the head with the practice. Given that he's a roboticist by training, I can forgive the lack of literary genius in his book.

All in all, I'd recommend this book if you want a quick, fun read for a weekend. It felt too short by the time I got to the end, an it kept me glued to the pages, so I guess it can't be all that bad. I enjoyed World War Z much better, but that might just be the fact that I find zombies to be a preferable villain to robots (though for smell factor, I'd prefer robots I suppose).

Tiny Book Review: Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain

2011-06-25T07:45:00.001-04:00

Maybe I've just watched too much of Bourdain's Travel Channel show, but a lot of this book I already knew. Not the majority of the content mind you, just a bunch of it. Which is fine considering my fondness for the author. My experience with his show ensured that I read the whole book in his voice, so it was sorta like a weird combination of audiobook and normal book for me. That said, I haven't read any of his previous books, so I didn't experience the deja vu on a larger scale that my boss claims he got after reading Kitchen Confidential then A Cook's Tour, all the while having watched No Reservations. My boss claimed that he found little difference between Confidential and Tour and figured Raw was no different. I've got nothing to base that on. I did find "Raw" quite entertaining and it took me an elapsed week to finish reading it (NOTE: For me, a week is a relatively short period of time to spend reading a book as I read fairly slowly. The speed in which I read is indicative of how interested I am in the book.).

In any event, Medium Raw was a fun little look into Bourdain's world, or rather a look at many of the celebrity chefs and cooks out there today through his jaded eye. I'm not exactly well versed in this world, never having visited most of the places (OK, any of the places) he mentions, and barely being aware that most of these people existed before reading this book, so I might not be the best judge of his accuracy. His treatment of vegetarians never seems to get too personal, though his distaste for them, the reasons for which he explains in detail near the end of the book, show through quite well. So do his opinions on the organic food movement. He does a great job of showing them in perspective with the majority of the world I think though.

Much of the book reminded me of No Reservations (obviously), and seemed more like a behind the scenes look into some of the places he has visited on the show. Several chapters are devoted to chefs that he thoroughly admires, while those he roasts are generally relegated to paragraphs in a single chapter about something he despises.

Two points I was particularly amused and entertained by were the introduction, wherein an almost lurid dinner party that featured several prominent and unnamed food culture icons, and one of the last chapters in which he describes the reasons for his disgust and opposition with the average American vegetarian/vegan. I can't say I disagree with his logic on being against the vegetarian and vegan movement.

One Sentence Summary: In general the book feels well written, and while it was definitely entertaining, I can't help think I'd have been better off if I'd have picked it up from the library than have spent the money on it at Borders.

YEEEHAAAAWWWW!!!!

2011-06-25T07:31:00.000-04:00

Got nothing to say here, other than these soon to be classic pictures of your's truly:

Listen to me Ramble

2011-06-02T08:29:00.000-04:00

I recently decided that I was going to work toward becoming a freelance photographer/artist. You know, one of those people that depends on the charity of others to purchase their work, so they can pay the rent on time while they are working their "other" job? I've found however that many people are more than happy to offer advice on why this is a bad idea, and why they don't think I should pursue it.

This is a situation I've been dealing with since I got out of high school. Two situations really. Some people are more than happy to piss all over my dreams (most don't mean any harm by it, but it is what it is.) while on the other hand, some people are encouraging when they see my work. I suppose I need to ignore the plaintive wails of "It will never work!" from the first group, and revel in the "good job, you should become a <insert creative career du jour>!". Of course, I have to watch out for the second group. They can easily inflate the ego falsely, making me think I'm better than I am. While I know I have talent, I also am acutely aware of my shortcomings, namely a lack of discipline and the proper experience to be truly great.

But I digress (does that sound as pretentious to you as it does to me?).

So, after some 15+ years, I've finally decided to say "Screw it!" and do what I want to do. I'm going to keep working at my boring ass software testing job for as long as it will keep me (for now) but ultimately, I'm gonna be what I want to be. No falling over dead at my desk in a stuffy little cubicle at the age of 75 for me (isn't that the retirement age nowadays?). I'm sick of spending nice days indoors, trying to find flaws in the work of others so that a handful of people can squeeze out a few bucks from their service providers. I'm sick of being stifled creatively because my job provides no creative outlet (although I've met some boring ass people in this line of work that seem to think finding flaws is a very creative process).

I realized awhile back that the whole point of most business seems to be to make money. There is no noble cause, no greater good, unless you consider pinching out a buck to be an actual noble cause. While I'm not adverse to making money, I don't think that I can continue for very long with my focus being money. That's why I determined to do something else.

However, for the time being, necessity must trump desire, because I've got bills to pay (I know, who doesn't?). Maybe I'm just arrogant and should get back in the queue and shut up? Well, that way leads to death in my cubicle, so probably not. I am looking into ways to expand my income without having to sacrifice personal freedom (so no more robbing banks I guess...), so perhaps someday soon I'll be able to take up photography as a full time hobby...er...career. Anyway, I think it best to keep a fluid outlook on employment and income in general.

Whew! OK, if you've read this far, you realize that I probably should not be a writer, or at least I need to proof my work. Hope it wasn't too boring for you, all this whining and complaining, but you were warned at the top (you did read the disclaimer, right?).

The Evolution of The Hero

2011-06-02T08:27:00.000-04:00

I was recently reading this article about the DC universe and how the writers might potentially use a recent event in the comics to "reboot" the in story universe. The author of the article later on notes the fact that comic sales are down, but that the popularity of the movies they are based on is way up. The fact is, millions will watch the movies, but only a small percentage of them will read the comics. This lead me to start thinking about how characters we hold as mythological today were once seen in a different light and how they evolved to be what they are today.

I think Most Americans are at least passingly familiar with the Greek myths, but nobody considers Zeus to be real or divine anymore. Heracles (or Hercules if you prefer, you Roman clod) was once considered a being of worship, but now is a mythological being (and ironically, a comic book super hero too). I have to wonder about how he was transitioned from one to the other and how this relates to the trend of our popular superheros jumping mediums.

It's a running joke amongst atheists that Christians point to the Bible and the supposed first hand accounts of people in the New Testament as evidence of Jesus' existence at the time. Further "proof" is the idea that these first hand accounts take place in the correct setting. The joke can be continued by saying that in the far future, if people find a copy of the Amazing Spider-man and a photo book of NYC, will they extrapolate that Spider-man was a real character? Did those primitive screwheads in the 20th century simply depict this Spider-man fellow in art for some reason? What if the same people (who we assume are not really too smart I guess) then find a copy of the DVD of Spider-man? If they don't realize that his amazing feats are CGI, would they find reason to believe he was real? What about a more astounding character like Superman?

The point is not to offend anyone (I'll get to that in another post I'm sure), it's to ponder what form these characters we read and watch might take in the future. Almost all of them have been based on previous hero archetypes, so they are a refinement of what has come before. Can they be considered memes (I mean meme in the Richard Dawkins definition sense, not the sense the word has come to be used in on the internet)? Are they embedded parts of our culture? Will they ever become something more than just heroes that we know are just ideas?

2011 Rochester Chase Corporate Challenge

2011-05-27T10:13:00.001-04:00

Even though I didn't run in the event, I was at the Chase Corporate Challenge in Rochester this year, taking the pictures for my corporate masters...er...my team. While I don't really care to share the photos I took of my co-workers here, I will post some pictures that I took of complete strangers running valiantly to be the first of over 9,000 (heh) runners to cross the finish line (Warning, these were taken with the autofocus running on my camera, and while it did make a valiant effort of trying to capture the runners clearly, many of these pictures are out of focus...not because people were running too fast mind you, that would make them have a motion blur effect. No, these are just a failure of focus (most are in focus, but the camera focused on something other than a runner, or one in the background):

Here is some obligatory text to split up the images. Don't worry, your eyes aren't going bad (maybe they are though), these are just blurry photos.

<Insert text to split up images here>.

I took 1,499 pictures, with most of them being about the same as these. I really have to practice getting action shots with that fancy schmancy camera I bought. Over all I had a good time taking pics, though the time spent in the tent was less stimulating than the time I spent almost being run down by over 9,000 (heh) runners (don't tell my co-workers that though).

News Flash: Kirk Cameron Still A Total Douchebag

2011-05-19T08:10:00.002-04:00

Well, that luminous pinnacle of logic and reason is at it again! Kirk Cameron, after several months of attempting to stay relevant has launched a campaign of misinformation and sleight of hand against possibly the smartest man in the world at this point in time:

""To say anything negative about Stephen Hawking is like bullying a blind man. He has an unfair disadvantage, and that gives him a free pass on some of his absurd ideas. Professor Hawking is heralded as 'the genius of Britain,' yet he believes in the scientific impossibility that nothing created everything and that life sprang from non-life," the former TV star tells E! News.

The 40-year-old Cameron took issue with statements Hawking, 69, gave to the U.K.'s Guardian on Sunday ahead of a London lecture titled "Why Are We Here?"

"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail," said Hawking. "There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."

Infamous moron that he is, Cameron cannot seem to be able to tell the difference between fact and opinion, as Hawking is clearly stating an opinion in that quote. He's making no attempt to prove it, and he even stated at the outset that it is his opinion by saying "I regard". It seems endemic of religious fanatics to be unable to differentiate fact from opinion, much like they can't tell fact from fiction.

The idea that "I believe, therefore it must be true" is ubiquitous with credulous morons like Cameron, so he therefore thinks that everyone has that same view. I would be willing to bet real money that Hawking would be the first to admit he was wrong on this if any actual evidence were presented to contradict his view.

The fact that Cameron not only seems to be claiming to be a scientific authority in that he states what isn't scientifically possible, but he also gives a mistaken explanation for the Big Bang ("nothing created everything") which should be enough for anyone with a shred of dignity, integrity and/or intelligence to ignore this moron.

Of course, Cameron goes on to show what really bothers him about Hawking (and John Lennon): He can't tolerate people expressing beliefs that are not aligned with his own.

"[Hawking] says he knows there is no Heaven. John Lennon wasn't sure. He said to pretend there's no Heaven. That's easy if you try. Then he said he hoped that someday we would join him," said Kirk, slightly misquoting the lyrics to "Imagine." "Such wishful thinking reveals John and Stephen's religious beliefs, not good science."

As if Kirk would know good science if it walked up and bit him on the ass. Why not go share a banana with Ray Comfort and leave the smart people alone Kirk? I think the world would be a much nicer place if you did.

Original Source: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b242570_heavens_no_kirk_cameron_attacks_stephen.html

Mayfly on The Window

2011-05-19T07:16:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I get to thinking about how much easier things would be if I were a bug. Then I remember the terrible way insects are born and the horrible ways they usually die. OK, screw being a bug.

Icy Middle Falls is Icy

2011-05-18T10:42:00.001-04:00

Middle Falls, Letchworth State Park, NY.

Manic Depression is a Frustrating Mess

2011-05-18T07:53:00.000-04:00

OK, I admit it, I suffer from Manic Depression, otherwise (in my case) known as Bipolar Disorder II. I'm currently on medication, which helps, but I still occasionally get depressed or a little high for no discernible reason. I now feel more in control of my life, and have learned to live with the occasional up or down that everyone experiences.

Before my girlfriend Emily pushed me to seek treatment, I had gone for over a decade without any sort of treatment, and it pretty much ruled my life. I lived in fear of either breaking down into a crying heap of drooling madness or doing something crazy and embarrassing myself and anyone who was with me at the time. While I don't miss the crippling depression, I kinda do miss the peaks of mania I experienced. I felt like I could do anything during those times, I felt great.

I need something to replace that feeling. I'm not saying I'm going to start taking cocaine or anything like that. I've been drug free (except for the prescriptions I take now to keep me alive and sane) my entire life, and I'm not about to start down the path of drug fiend now. Maybe I need an "extreme" hobby...sky diving, or race car driving perhaps? I do love being outside in the woods, so maybe I could become one of those crazy outdoorsman types who go camping in the mountains with only a loin cloth and a hunting knife (OK, I don't know anyone who is that extreme)? Well, I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually.

In any event, I've maybe started to whine and complain, something that I seek to avoid doing. Mainly because it doesn't usually serve to get anything done. I'm more of a constructive criticism kinda guy than a complainer. Although, I do tend to ramble on and complain an inordinate amount in real life, I realize that I have a problem and seek to avoid it. Nothing worse than a boring person who complains (in quite a boring manner) about every little problem they have. OK, maybe there are worse things. Like that annoying girl in my Environmental Science class who always has to top what others say with her own, quite excessive examples. I didn't know that living on an apple farm was quite that interesting, but apparently it's pretty exciting and stimulating. Who'd have thunk it?

Anyway, enough rambling. Bipolar Disorder is pretty disruptive. I guess that's all I wanted to say. Thank you for listening. We now return you to your regularly scheduled show.

My D&D Character Sheet

2011-05-17T19:08:00.006-04:00

Character Name: Terry Busby
Race: Human
Alignment: Neutral Good
Class/Level: Artist/4, Skeptic/4, CompWiz/5, Writer/2, Sarcastrian/4, Scholar/3
Gender: Male
Age: 35
Height: 185.4 cm
Weight: 129.24 kg
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Brown
Skin: Caucasian
Religion: Sarcasm
Politics: Liberal
Ability Scores: STR13 DEX12 CON14 INT16 WIS15 CHA14
SAVING THROWS: Stay-on-Topic: +8 Counter Bullshit: +15 Foot-in-Mouth: +7
Hit Points: 128
Wounds: None Currently
Skills: Swim +2, Drive +12, Knowledge (History) +5, Knowledge (Computers) +10, Knowledge (Science) +7, Knowlegde (Religion) +18, Knowledge (Politics) +8, Knowledge (Trivia) +30, Craft (Cooking) +8, Craft (Artwork) +8, Craft (Storytelling) +7, Craft (Web Design) +3, Profession (Writer) +4, Profession (Quality Inspector) +8, Use Technical Device +10, Bluff +12, Diplomacy +5, Dungeon Mastering +12
Feats: Improved Sarcasm, Improved Critical Eye, Knowledgable, Witty Retort, Jack of All Trades, Artistic Talent, Improved Counter Bullshit, Nerd Cred, Improved Tech Savvy
Attacks: Sarcastic Wit +12 melee (1d4 Wisdom damage); Composite Knowledge +12 ranged (1d12+2)
Armor Class: 21
Armor: Mental Chain Mail +1, Shield of Skepticism +4
Notable Items: MP3 Player, Multi-tool, Pen, Notepad, Corrective Lenses
Pets/Animal Companions: None
Minions/Henchmen: Ghost of the English Language
Languages: English (fluent), Spanish (barely), German (enough to find the airport and buy a beer), HTML, JavaScript (don't ask me to debug your stuff), Visual Basic (See JavaScript), C++ (If I had to save the world), Assembly (If I was on an episode of Chuck), Draconic, Bullshit (fluent)
Special Attacks: Convincing Strike, Whirlwind of Logic, See It Your Way
Special Defenses: Get-out-of-Town, Wallflower, Illusion of Free Will, Zeno's Paradox (1/day)
Weaknesses: Pretty faces, Junk food, Calculus, Snooze buttons

Winter Street Scene

2011-05-17T18:57:00.001-04:00

First 'habitable' exoplanet confirmed

2011-05-17T18:33:00.002-04:00

Repost from COSMOS magazine

PARIS: A rocky world orbiting a nearby star was confirmed as the first planet outside our Solar System to meet key requirements for sustaining life.

Modelling of planet Gliese 581d shows it has the potential to be warm and wet enough to nurture Earth-like life, scientists have said. It orbits a red dwarf star called Gliese 581, located around 20 light years from Earth, which makes it one of our closest neighbours.

Gliese 581d orbits on the outer fringes of the star's 'Goldilocks zone', where it is not so hot that water boils away, nor so cold that water is perpetually frozen. Instead, the temperature is just right for water to exist in liquid form.

Gliese 581d is the outlying planet in the Gliese 581 system, and orbits its parent star every 66.8 days. It may be covered by a large and deep ocean and is the first serious 'waterworld' candidate discovered beyond our Solar System.

Full Article at COSMOS magazine

Taughannock Falls

2011-05-17T18:20:00.000-04:00

In case you were wondering, I like taking pictures of waterfalls. This is Taughannock Falls on the west side of Cayuga Lake, near Ithaca, NY.

Little Photo is Awesome

2011-05-17T16:05:00.003-04:00

Look at me and my gigantic, creepy forehead!

Little Photo at Android Marketplace

Test Droid Post

2011-05-17T14:19:00.002-04:00

Whoo hoo! I'm posting from my phone!

You say Me-Yall-Nir, I say Ma-Jol-Nir

2011-05-17T14:04:00.001-04:00

For the longest time, I thought the proper pronunciation of Thor's Hammer was "Ma-Jol-Nir", but now I find out after watching "Thor" it's actually more like "Me-Yall-Nir". WTF? I blame Stan Lee.

Incidentally, Thor was a pretty kick ass movie, though I liked Iron Man better. I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (as it's come to be called) films. The hook at the end of the Thor credits being what it is, leads me to keep hope alive that my favorite villain of all time, the Big T himself, Thanos, might yet be seen on screen in one of these films. I also hope to see the Mandarin and Fin Fang Foom in Iron Man 3, but I'm not holding my breath there.

What I would actually love to see would be a full spectrum cross over, with the X-men, Spider-man, Fantastic Four (as bad as those films were) and the Avengers all interacting like in the comics. Of course, unless Marvel manages to buy up those other properties, it will never happen on screen, but it's still something I'd love to see.

As for Thor, I don't feel my review would really be all that enlightening in this day and age of instant reviews and advanced releases overseas and all that good stuff. If you are a comic nerd like myself, you need to see it, if you are just a standard nerd or "normal" person that likes a good action adventure pic, then you too need to see this. Any review I could give would be full of spoilers as I nerd out, so I'll refrain from giving a review right now.

Salmon River Falls

2011-05-17T13:07:00.002-04:00

Taken over 4th of July weekend, 2010 at Salmon Falls state Park in NY.

The End Is Near...Again

2011-05-17T11:40:00.001-04:00

Not to scare anyone, but May 21st, 2011 will be the end of the world. In case you haven't heard, you can read all the details here: Judgment Day is 5/21/2011!!. Well, I'm assuming you are reading this after that date and nothing happened. I'm 99.99999999999995% sure that the world won't end on the 21st (though the 22nd is a distinct possibility at this point). I'm a 100% sure that if it does happen, it won't be because of some all powerful loony who hates to see people having fun.

Facebook Threads

2011-05-17T11:10:00.003-04:00

Tracks to Nowhere

2011-05-17T08:10:00.002-04:00

This is one of the pieces I used in a portfolio I built for a digital photography class a few years back. People seem to like it (or else they are putting me on a bit and don't want to hurt my feelings). Anyway, it's a scene from the Genesee Brewing Company at High Falls in Rochester, NY.