Figuring Out Flickr

I've recently discovered Flickr, the photo hosting site. I've known about it for a long time but I never gave it a full look-through.

A few years ago, I seem to remember Life magazine doing a special edition where photographers documented a single day of the entire world. With Flickr, you can click on an icon showing you a sample of the five to six thousand photos uploaded every minute to their site. It's worth looking at to see just what people find interesting enough in their lives to a) document with a camera, and b) upload for the whole world to see.

It's an odd mix. I was surprised to find fewer wedding and travel photos, or even ones of new babies,than I expected, though they do appear in large numbers. Then there's the photos by "serious" photographers who have not only spent a great deal of time on composition and exposure, but on tweaking the image in Photoshop or some other image-altering program to create brilliant, if slightly unreal, if not surreal, pictures.

Party photos, particularly right now at Halloween, are big, though they usually consist of overexposed, slightly out of focus shots taken at odd angles -- probably representative of the physical and mental condition of both the photographer and subjects. I think Flickr censors out some photos to keep the "girls gone wild" element to a minimum.

Then there's the fashionistas/wannabe models, who shoot hundreds of pictures of themselves, taken at every conceivable angle, wearing their latest outfits, hairstyles, and makeup. These women scare the hell out of me for some reason.

Remember when little girls played with dolls? Now big girls play with dolls and document their designer efforts on Flickr. This phenomenon seems to be an Asian thing, not too far removed from Anime. I don't get it. But then, I don't really get Anime, either.

On very rare occasion, you'll find photos that were taken decades ago. The best stream I've found so far were several dozen photos taken on the streets of DC during the 1972 Presidential inauguration parade. If you think the world is fucked up now, look at these: Midwestern marching bands and floats right out of the 1950's; Nixon with his famous phony smile waving to the crowd; a large and haggard bunch of radical college students protesting the war. All images I've never seen, and worthy of a national archive.

U2 Much.

There was a day not long ago when a major music performer would show up for a concert in his car, pull his guitar out of the back seat, and hit the stage and spotlight.

Things change.

It's not enough to be an accomplished musician or talented band anymore; no, it's as much about the presentation as it is to sing, and dance, and play for the crowd. For evidence, I offer you this little fact:

Rolling Stone magazine reports that it takes one hundred twenty trucks to move U2's current show from venue to venue. Think about that. Ever sit at a train crossing and count the cars go by? Minute after minute, 60, 70, 80? Now think about one hundred and twenty 48-foot semi's rolling past, all for one freaking rock and roll show.

I've never been much of a concert goer, but doesn't all that engineering get in the way of the music? Or, are people saying, "Well, their music is OK, but I hear the stage is really cool."

Sure, I'm an old fart, but I don't recall anybody going to Woodstock to admire the truss setup.

No wonder tickets cost so damn much these days.

Redlands' Biggest Rock Hero...

...is Kim Fowley. Look at this guy's resume by clicking on this post's headline; I bet he could tell some tales. Rock, punk, folk, strange, from Zappa to Helen freakin' Reddy, the lad has done it all. He even worked on American Graffiti! Check his wiki listing, too... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Fowley

...where there's some interesting comments from former members of The Runaways. And you always thought Redlands' biggest musical connection was folkie Joan Baez...

The Walmart War

There's been an ongoing war over the proposed construction of a "Super Walmart" here in little 'ol Redlands. Those opposed point to Walmart's lousy employee pay and anti competitive pricing, and the proponents shout the glories of Walmart's low prices.

Here's my take.

I've always hated Walmart. The company has a particular blandness only a company founded and managed from Arkansas could create. Yes, its prices are cheap, because the products are cheap. Remember when Walmart touted its products as American made? Not any more. Years ago, Walmart destroyed many a middle American town by undercutting locally owned businesses who couldn't compete on price. So how goes it now?

What will a Super Walmart mean for Redlands? Other than a very large vacant box where the current store is located, not much. Here's why.

If Wallyworld disappeared from the planet in some sort of retail rapture, where would people turn for the things they used to buy there?

Foodstuffs -- big grocery chains like Albertsons and Vons

Electronics -- big electronic chain stores like Best Buy

Auto Parts and Repair -- big auto parts stores like Pep Boys and Auto Zone

Sporting Goods -- big sporting goods chains like Big 5 and Sport Chalet

Clothing -- big clothing chains, Target, Kmart, and Penney's

Health and Beauty -- big pharmacy chains, like CVS and Walgreens

Garden -- big box home improvement stores like Lowes and Home Depot

So... the common denominator here is the word "big"... Walmart competes in this market with other big chains, because there is no small business Walmart wants or needs to compete with any more. They're all long dead and gone.

Yes, we have our boutique stores serving select segments of the overall market in most (but not all) of these categories. But the real dollars these days go to the big nationwide shops. And of the list, only a few of them (grocery stores) pay a living wage, thanks by and large to unionization.

The war is over. Walmart and all the other big boxes have won. Independent business was wiped out years ago. The end.

Going To The Hospital...

Today I visited the mother of an old friend at Redlands Community Hospital. (She's doing fine.)

I was struck, though, about how visiting a hospital is good for us. It reminds us that life is a fragile thing; that we should cherish our good health. I walked out of there with a fresh appreciation of the cool fall weather, the distant mountain vistas, and the music on the radio.

Even if we're in not-s0-good shape, not being in the hospital should give us joy, for that means we are free to be out and about, and not trapped in a bed surrounded by machines and charts and bedpans.

Don't shirk your duty visiting the infirm; it's good for you.

Raiders of the Lost Film Trailer

Dear Steven and George:

I'm shocked, shocked to see that Raiders of the Lost Ark was, in fact, a remake of an earlier Charlton Heston film. Despite your heretofore successful efforts to suppress its existence, a diligent film historian has rescued one of the last remaining copies of the film's trailer that you hadn't had destroyed. See for yourself -- here's the link:

YouTube - Raiders of the Lost Ark (1951) Trailer

I think you owe the movie going public an apology....

oh, and by the way, this is all a lie. But it's damn good editing on somebody's part.