It’s Chrysalides not ‘Chrysili’
These Chrysalides hang within the Butterfly Conservatory, Niagara Falls Ontario. Beautiful little pods that look as manufactured as fishing lures. Also, I assumed Chrysili would be the plural of Chrysalis, but no- the correct plural options are either Chrysalises or Chrysalides.
Not even in a barrel
This warning sign encircles the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. For me being slightly acrophobic, I need no warning. But, as I have seen, these types of signs serve as inspiration to some.
No Far Away
Space is the barrier to connections from far away. Long distance charges may still apply, but with more technological advancement, communication from one end of the globe is as or more common as talking over the backyard fence with your neighbor. ‘Far Away’ only matters in meteorological (it’s warm in Australia in December) and the Flesh (there’s no substitute for a real body warmth).
Myths memorized by shamans and repeated around campfires to wireless access anytime from anywhere resulting in the commonality of human communication. Conversely, the homogeneity of message has broken down, consume media from one political web site and another and you can experience near instant cognitive dissonance, one web sites truth is another sites lie.
Expansion of Device, Channels and User Behavior.
From old to new, our media choices are:
Newspapers, magazines, billboards, mailings, bumper stickers. Cell Phones, Telephones, Telephone answering systems, ATM’s, Online Banks, Digital Cameras, Video Cameras, Radios, Stereos, CD Players, Turntables, cassette decks, Gameboys, portable music players, portable TV’s, big screens in the home, DVDs in the car, GPS systems, Thumb Drives, DVD and CdR’s, Walkie talkies, Computer screens in fixed or mobile locations spilling out true multimedia experiences and don’t forget CB and HAM radios!
So with the variety of channels, our one single fleshy brain now has the old and new ways to consume and create content. In this time of Twittering and text messaging how quant is the handwritten letter? How outdated and musty is a photo album? How antique is a rotary phone?
Machines we use daily are a part of our body from first use. Natural, right, satisfying. The machines help us, or they can hurt us, sometimes very slowly and subtly. Or they can make us numb. Too many channels, too much data to ‘responsibly’ consume. Finding the one digital item that you know exists in the haystack of data on your computer or somewhere out there on the web could be a quick task, or could take hours.
Search through a heavy stack of 33 1/3 long playing records looking for the one song, place the vinyl on a turntable, clean the vinyl, drop the needle and enjoy…a five minute task that is swept away by the flick/click of an mp3 player with thousands of songs and videos ”at your fingertips!”
Mixed use Land
Land in transition. First logging, then clean fill and semi trailer storage. Near Tobbermory, Ontario Canada.
I wonder if this land will change as the area develops.
Lease Pad Site+Earth First Graffiti
This sign on some undeveloped land was tagged years ago with some (rare) EF graffitti. It is much more comon in Upstate New York to see graffiti from individuals and gangs, tagging bridges, signs and garbage cans with stylized text / graphics. EF graffiti is never seen, except for this sign along (the very busy, thousands of cars / day) South Clinton Avenue, Brighton, New York.
A small kind of woods has grown since the land was originally cleared for pad site building (at least 10 years). Willows, Sumacs and feral Crabapples feed and shelter suburban deer and feral cats.
Desert Sprawl
Condos sprawl out into the desert near Albuqurque, New Mexico. I remember the name of the development as “Petroglyph Park,’ as it is adjacent to The National Petroglyph Monument.
Sexist Signage: No language text neccessary
Placed on a trail with access to a prime lookout site at Letchworth State Park. No need for multiple language translations. The sign is sexist, as the figure is obviously a man wearing pants and not an iconographical dress / skirt.
At least the Tannenbaum is Recycled!
At least these trees ended up here, where they will be mulched by the city. Most of these holiday accessories are landfilled.
Button Power
The SEND button is thought bomb or Statement of Love.
What is more satisfying than the ability to ” Tell someone off?” Anonymously and with no real result. Put someone in place through a faceless tool. Lightning and thunder! Real life behavioral protocols are archaic, abandoned, and ignored. Posting instantaneous digital sucker punches to unsuspecting brains.
Reaction to email from an equal or underling:
- Receive the email and before opening it, you see who sent it at what time and perhaps a descriptive (innocuous?) subject. Depending on these factors, you may have already prejudged the message, most likely based on a previous interaction.
- You open he e-mail and before reading, mental inventory the length and structure, is it a ‘whole page’ or a quick red one sentence?
- Any ALL CAPS text?
- You as Mr. Or Ms., title or first / last name?
- After examining the package, see what inside:
- A list of orders,
- a request,
- a textual slap,
- a thank you note,
- a love note,
- or a total disregard for your ideas that smash your intellectual foundation?
Which ever the case, you respond if neccessary, using fuzzy kitten phrases, verbal bayonets, velvet wrapped bricks or honest true thoughts. While you’re composing- in the back of your mind is: ___Do you send it!?___ .
The message is composed, you lean back in your chair in satisfaction of the response the sender deserves. It’s ready to go, and you move the mouse over the SEND button. Ready to pull the trigger? Ready to drop the bomb? Once it flies, its forever out there. Never disappear; the reply may be ignored or irresponsible. Digital distance gives courage, insult with keyboard much safer than face to face. Crafty manipulators can bait the good via technology, and no matter how satisfying it may be to use an email as an intellectual cruise missile, do yourself a favor: Wait before you send. It may save your job and your face.
Remember the text could result in horrible repercussions or even worse, maybe your message is ignored…
Emotion and idea delivered through the digital box. Long distance lovers’ and haters reinforce feedback with text ooh, aah, hmm and chortle.
Gather Here for Safety?
This sign is at an urban grocery store, in a crowded neighborhood. East Avenue near Winton in Rochester. This store is so small that on holiday shopping sprees the lot is full. Two nearby drive throughs cause traffic jams at prime coffee times. This would be the last place I would go in an emergency.
A beautiful Holiday display.
I’m guessing that someone grabbed this garland from the nearby Christmas Tree recycle bin, and decide to decorate the hydrant marker pole. An unexpected bit of Christmas cheer!
Edgar’s Petroform
This efficient ‘’stack” by Mr. E. Brown serenely welcomes visitors to the house in the woods. Always most striking in Winter.
The Radio Waves Will Keep you Warm
This cell phone tower is close to the shore of Lake Ontario, behind a garage used for storing landscaping equipment.
A big padlock holds a gate on a chain link fence. Not very secure.
Closer to the tower you will hear the hum of electricity, the warmth of RF. Pausing here inadvisable; bath to slow boil, a nap in an ultra slow microwave.
Mouse Snow Tunnel
The woods around Tryon Park have many of these tunnels, dug out by mice. We have had over 80 inches of snow this season, that’s a lot of digging.