kmancat01

Parents probably have the right to post pictures and videos of their children on the internet, whether they actually should is another story.

I feel no-one has the right to maliciously publish embarassing  or potentially harmful images of anyone else anywhere, but this does happen. The British tabloid press thrive on such images of celebrities for example, as do other media.

Discretion is advised when posting anything on the net. It can come back to haunt one :-)

A wolf, to both, corny, but true. Restless, wary, free, always searching for something.

After the media hysteria over the past few months the iPad has finally been unveiled by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. It appears to be innovative, attractive and user friendly and will certainly have a major impact in the computing and consumer world.

Will I buy one? NO. I don´t NEED one. In the same way as I don´t need an iPhone, Blackberry, Android, iPod, Kindle or many other consumer electronic items. Of course the iPad will sell in its millions, but I imagine the majority of those who buy one will not progress much beyond using it as a fancy games platform or music/video player. These are things that can already be done with most mobile phones at a fraction of the price.

This is not intended as a criticism of the iPad itself, or of any other technology. More as a criticism of the ballyhoo and "buy now" mania that seems to be generated by these products.

I use computers and related technologies every day. Life would be difficult without them. However, I refuse to be part of the "must have it now" idiocy that seems to have gripped a large part of this planet.

My personal choice, my opinions, for what they are worth. Please, may we have a little more sanity and a little less hysteria. These are, after all, consumer items, not the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything. (thanks Douglas Adams, HHGTTG).

If anyone is interested in an informed blog on the iPad have a look at: http://www.stephenfry.com/2010/01/28/ipad-about/ - he knows a lot more about it than I do.

Be well, Bren.

PS. iPad, Blackberry, and others mentioned are registered trademarks of their respective copyright owners.

where i am, physically, seems, to a greater or lesser extent, irrelevant. where i am mentally has a far greater influence on my life than probably anything else. at the moment i am fairly calm, planning what might come next, though plans rarely work out as intended. i am a believer in spontaneity, spur of the moment, give it a try, and so on. mind, this doesn´t always work out either.

there is probably something of the "Steppenwolf" about me (read Herman Hesse - Steppenwolf), always restless, feeling out of time, forever wishing to be somewhere other than where i am.

as a friend laughingly said to me a while back, tu ets una causa perdita, you are a lost cause (catalan).

know what, i don´t really care ...............

Halloween is almost upon us, Christmas has already sent an advance party of menacing mince-pies, and it is raining in between showers. Life - don´t you just want to strangle it...

I have been taking fotos for over 40 years, mainly B&W film, occasionally colour. At one time I even did my own processing until it became too expensive to be practical.

Five months ago, more or less, I bought my first Digital SLR - a Nikon D40. I had tried many others before deciding on the Nikon, It "felt right" when I held it :-). I interchange between 2 lenses, an 18-55mm and a 55-200mm. The first is great for general fotos, landscapes, buildings, etc and the second is good as a telephoto and for portraiture.

To come to my point, slowly, I know, on a days shooting I can often take over 300 fotos (equivalent to about 10 rolls of film) of these I will use maybe a dozen or so. If I had been shooting film I would have certainly been more selective in my choice of shot but might have missed out on some because of the need to change film/cost of film etc. (I am not a pro photographer) With digital I can snap away and only occasionally have to change SD card or lens. Has switching to digital made me less choosy or lazy in deciding what to photograph ?? Has the standard of my fotos deteriorated, not really for me to decide, I suppose, that is for others to judge ;-)

Have any other photographers wondered this ?? It would be interesting to know (without having to wade through millions of Google answers).

Comments appreciated, thanks...

PS Before anyone questions it, my use of foto instead of photo is deliberate, a personal idiosyncrasy.

Teaching can be/is exhausting !! So is learning, both are important. At the moment I am teaching English every day and learning Catalan one day per week. Catalan is fascinating, having it's roots in Latin, as Spanish does, but with a strong French influence, i.e. "Merci" instead of "Gracias". I'm enjoying it, but it is wearing on the brain ;-)

My teacher 'A' is terrific, she has great patience with me and my, frequently abominal, pronunciation.

On another subject, I'm finally getting to grips with digital photography, as opposed to film.
If you have nothing better to do check out

http:/www.flickr.com/photos/kerryman
Comments appreciated rudeness not :-)

Festa de la Primavera  Sant Miquel d'Olot.
First day, Saturday, a complete washout, got some good fotos on Sunday, tho. Dancing Giants, Sardanas, people.
Now all I have to do is select and upload, sigh ;-)..........
B.

I think my generation which grew up in the 60's and 70's may have had the best of times. Otherwise, the time between the two World Wars of the 20th Century.

about 5, i stick with the most comfortable. Desert boots/trainers, etc. shoes are shoes, etc, you can tell i'm not very fashion conscious LOL