I shot this while I was in northern California a couple weeks ago, going apartment-hunting. Dad and I were on the highway, and I thought this guy looked sort of interesting, so I took what turned into a reasonable portrait of him. Exposure is 1/500s at f/5.6, and the image is cropped down a bit from 18mm. After I shot this photo, he pulled a standing wheelie, at which point I forgot how to take decent photos.
I'll be moving to California in about a day, though, so I might get another chance. During the move and unpacking stages, I might be too busy freaking out about things to do posts (especially since my machine with photos on it may not be set up). That got me thinking, though. What Is This Place? What are my goals for it, and why and how do I plan on maintaining it?
First and foremost, this is a place to share and to showcase my photography. I love photography, but it's considerably less satisfying if I'm the only one looking at the end product. Shooting for The Tech was one way that I accomplished this goal at MIT, but that's done now, and photos don't really look good on newsprint anyway.
Second, this is somewhere I can practice (and force myself to practice) my communication skills. That I am the sole proprietor of this place means essentially, that I can do whatever I want. In practice, that means that I can create posts with different styles, tones, and levels of seriousness.
And, while adhering to the norms I establish for a single post, I can strive to maintain a certain level of eloquence which, ideally, will help me communicate with you. Certainly, the technical level of some posts will make them difficult to understand, but despite that, each post should, at the very least, impart some baseline understanding of my topic of discussion.
Third, it allows me to think, to remember, and to learn. For some posts, I do a lot of research to make sure the post is informative and coherent. As I've heard multiple times in the past, and as my own experience has borne out, for instance, during 9 years on IRC, one of the best ways to learn is by teaching.
As for remembering, I am an avid collector of quotes. When I see (in text communication) or hear something interesting, funny, or otherwise notable, I try to jot it down. In a manner similar to my experiences looking through photos (see last two paragraphs of Important Aspects of Photography), poring through old quotes often reminds me of the occasions when I first heard the quotes, and of the people involved.
There are likely things I've forgotten, but those are the main things. You get interesting photos; informative, well-written discussion; and hopefully a few memories along the way. I get a showcase for my photography, communication practice, some memories, and usually a few laughs as well. The only other thing I would like is some sort of feedback. Things you want me to discuss? Pictures you want to see? Quotes or quote themes you want to experience? I'd love to hear.
At long last, because I'm sort of a funny guy, here are a funny quote and a funny photo (both of which I helped create :o) <Aria> Yeah, the strict interpretation of URI disallows UTF-8 <Aria> But it's not a useful restriction <Aria> And so, IRIs., <xsdg> Aria: clearly, the US is the only country that matters, so it's not really an issue <xsdg> Aria: I mean, do they even _have_ plumbers in other countries? <oGMo> italy. clearly. that's where mario is from.
