“The true purpose of education
is to teach a man to carry himself
triumphant to the sunset.”
Liberty Hyde Bailey
Shine On
Author Archives: Chronicles of a Blogaholic
Cyanotype Photography
“The difficulty of making accurate drawings of objects
so minute as many of the Algae and Confervae
has induced me to avail myself of
Sir John Herschel’s beautiful process of Cyanotype,
to obtain impressions of the plants themselves,
which I have much pleasure in
offering to my botanical friends.”
Anna Atkins
There has been a few different styles of photography through the years, but one I’ve always thought was beautiful is cyanotype. It’s actually obtained not through photography but through a photographic printing process that produces a cyan-blue print.
The process was discovered in 1842 by an English scientist and astronomer, Sir John Herschel. He developed cyanotype mainly as a means of reproducing notes and diagrams, such as blueprints. But, it was Anna Atkins a botanist and photographer who brought this popular processing style to photography in the 1840s.
Atkins created a limited series of cyanotype books that documented ferns and other plant life from her extensive seaweed collection. She would place specimens directly onto coated paper, allowing the action of light to create a silhouette effect. Anna Atkins is regarded as the first female photographer and also the mother of cyanotype photography.
Shine On
Weird Al Parody
“One of my pet peeves is that sometimes
the talents of my band get overlooked because,
and it was the same problem that Frank Zappa had,
with a lot of groups that use humor, people don’t realize
there’s a lot of craft behind the comedy.”
Al Yankovic
My husband and I were listening to my iPhone in the car, and of course I had the phone tuned to my Steve Martin Radio station, when a Weird Al song came on. We love Weird Al’s parodies, but this one we had never heard before and had us laughing out loud.
The song was from his Running with Scissors album, and is Grapefruit Diet, a pastiche of Zoot Suit Riot by the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.
Weird Al never did a video for this song, but I was able to find a YouTube video that I thought everyone would enjoy. If you’re dieting or have ever had to lose weight, you might enjoy this entertaining Weird Al parody.
Shine On
National Bird Day
“Birds are a miracle because they prove to us
there is a finer, simpler state of being
which we may strive to attain.”
Douglas Coupland
Yesterday was the 14th National Bird Day. Why do we have a National Bird Day? To celebrate the beauty, songs, and flight of birds, because birds have long been a source of human inspiration.
Sadly, today nearly 12 percent of the world’s 9,800 bird species may face extinction within the next century, including nearly one-third of the world’s 330 parrot species. Birds serve as our barometer of ecosystem health and alert system for detecting global environmental ills.
In fact, many of the world’s parrots and songbirds are threatened with extinction due to illegal pet trade, disease, and habitat loss.
We all need to be aware of the physical and behavioral needs of all birds to improve the welfare of the millions of birds kept in captivity. The survival and well-being of the world’s birds depends upon public education and support for conservation.
This is why we celebrate National Bird Day.
Shine On
Gene Pool
“The problem with the gene pool is that there’s no lifeguard.”
David Gerrold
The human race never ceases to amaze me. Especially when it comes to doing stupid things. In fact, there is even an award honoring individuals who died in exceptionally stupid ways. The annual Darwin Award honors those who improve the species… by accidentally removing themselves from the gene pool.
For example, in 1999 the Darwin Award went to a group of Palestinians who attempted to synchronize the detonation of two car bombs in the city. But the timers had been set on Palestinian time while the drivers were running on Israeli time. The bombs exploded an hour early, killing both.
The 2009 Darwin Award went to a man in South Carolina who spray-painted his face to disguise himself during a robbery. Despite clear labels which said it should not be allowed to contact the skin or the eyes, he spray-painted his face gold. Some time after the robbery he stopped breathing.
I pride myself in having common sense, but let’s face it, we all at some time or another find ourselves in precarious situations. Hopefully, these situations are few and far between. But most importantly, whatever mistake you make let’s hope it doesn’t become a Darwin Award moment and remove you from the gene pool.
Shine On
