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Happy Candy
October 31, 2006Another of my fave. photographer comics....enjoy
a>Posted by Jason Palmer at 07:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Bob Barker calling it quits...
Say it ain't so Bobby...
My sister will no doubt be upset about this. It's been one of her life goals to go to a taping of the show. I used to watch it before going to class in college.
Oh well....remember to help control the pet population...have your pets spayed or neutered.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 07:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
So now my dad is hooked on video games
So...now that my dad has three months off of work and is recovering from his knee replacement surgery, he's going a bit stir crazy at home already.
The thing he misses the most...I'd say playing golf. My dad's a golf-a-holic. He had plans to play 36 holes of golf a few days before his surgery.
Well...now that he's in recovery, my sister's boyfriend Greg decided to help feed his addiction and brought over a Playstation 2 and Tiger Woods golf.
Dad's totally hooked and that is hilarious to me.
So on my weekend trip home, I decided to humor him and play a few rounds of golf with my dad on our 57-inch TV. Mind you...THAT was a cool experience, and I'm going to have to remember to take home some of the games that I'm a fan of next time.
But my dad is such a huge nerd playing that I can't even play well, I'm laughing too much at him.
"Did you know that the controller shakes whenever you hit a good shot?" he'll ask.
Yes...I know. I've been playing video games since the Atari 2000 days. Now that's old school friends. I've had the Atari, the regular Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Playstation and Playstation 2....along with many of the popular computer based games. I know games.
Dad....on the other hand....is just now getting a lesson in them. The last true game he played that I'm aware of would have probably been Microsoft Links '97.....of course, another golf game.
So in this surreal setting....it's about midnight Saturday and my dad and I were playing video games up late at home. If I closed my eyes...it could have been any of my high school days and friends up late.
That is...until dad let out one of his signature "Woots!" after knocking an eagle shot from the fairway straight in the cup.
"It was shaking the whole way, did you know it did that?!"
I took the controller from him, lined up my next shot and promptly followed his eagle with one of my own.
"Anything you can do I can do better.........." I said as I smiled.
After all...I'm the veteran and he's the rookie.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 07:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Unreal Weekend
October 30, 2006Okay...since I don't have the link to write blogs saved on my parents computer in Fort Worth....I'm going to take this space to update you in a few things.
Some of them are stranger than fiction.....
Dad's Knee Surgery
So two weeks ago...my father had knee replacement surgery to fix his chronically bad left knee. About 20 years ago he tore his knee up playing church league softball. I remember seeing it clearly in my head and it's one of the things that scare me to this day.
My dad is impervious to pain. He always has been. I'm not sure if it's the stubbornness that runs deep in our family, or his pain threshold is much higher than most people.
But I remember that night he tore his knee to shreds as vividly as any. I was watching the softball game at the park in White Settlement. Dad was running the ball in from left field, trying to hold both runners at first and third base. All of a sudden...he twisted one way and his leg didn't.
He went down like he'd been shot. I remember hearing him yell in pain and that still chills me.
A few days later, he had surgery to reconstruct what was left of his knee. They had to remove the meniscus....which is one of the vital ligaments holding your knee apart. Medical history pretty much says that when that particular ligament is removed...you're heading for a knee replacement in about 15-20 years.
Well...the surgery was successful and he's doing pretty well all things considered. He went back today to have the staples pulled from his knee, and that should help with some of the pain and discomfort.
He's even got a physical therapist coming over to help him bend his leg. It's a guy...which makes me think of nothing else but the episode of Seinfeld where George gets the massage from the guy and freaks out.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 02:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Would you eat a purple tomato?
October 24, 2006Do you remember when green ketchup hit the grocery store shelves a few years ago. Or purple ketchup.
I do...my sisters begged my parents to get some of the un-naturally colored stuff one night when we were going to have grilled hamburgers and fries at home.
It was.....weird. Squirting a green fluid over your burger. Purple coloring on the fries. It tasted like ketchup...sort of. But the mental block of not seeing red was overwhelming.
Fast forward a few years and the newest rage about to break into the grocery scene....the purple tomato.
SALEM, Oregon (AP) -- Oregon State University researchers are fine-tuning a purple tomato -- a new blend of colors and nutrients. The skin is as dark as an eggplant. But it doesn't just look cool -- it could be better for you.The novel pigment contains the same phytochemical found in blueberries that is thought to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. Six years in the making, the purple hybrid could hit salad plates in two years.
Genetic origins are not at issue. The purple tomato traces its roots to a wild species in South America, not a petri dish.
Jim Myers, the Oregon State professor overseeing the project, said he doesn't see it changing the world, but it may entice gardeners and commercial growers to try it.
Although locals can't buy the hybrids yet, several got to sample them at farmers markets around the Mid Valley this summer, and a handful got a sneak peek at a local nursery.
Barbara Taylor, of Monmouth, marveled at its color when she saw the tomato last month. "Wow," she said. "It's definitely different."
I don't know about this. First of all....genetically engineered or not, tomatos are supposed to be red. Maybe green sometimes. Even the occasional shade of orange.
Not purple. That's just not right.
They say they were inspired by the pigmentation of blueberries, which are supposed to be good for you. If it reduces the risk of cancers and heart disease...maybe we should all try it.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
This made me laugh today
October 23, 2006Another of the "What The Duck" comic strips about photographers. Enjoy.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
300,000,000
October 17, 2006The US joined an elite club today.
The 300 million in population club.
China is the president and India...the Vice Prez/Treasurer
That's it. They are the only two other countries in the entire world with a population that large.
It's not an exact science...but the Census Bureau figures that we crossed the 300,000,000 mark Tuesday morning.
The U.S. Census Bureau figured the U.S. population would reach 300 million at 6:46 CST Tuesday. The bureau uses a formula that includes one birth being recorded in the U.S. every seven seconds and one death every 13 seconds. The formula also includes immigration adding one person every 31 seconds.
In actuality...given the number of illegal immigrants crossing the border (yes, they are counted in our population)...we could have reached that number last week...or it could be a few more days. It doesn't really matter.
The simple fact is more people are being born than dying. So that's good I guess. Unless those kids are being born to drug addict, welfare gathering teenage moms, which also seems to be a never-ending trend.
It's just kind of humorous to me that we marked this milestone in local news and media all over the country. I mean there are still places where you can literally be the only person for miles around. Look at the population densities of some of the western Texas counties.
If you take the total acreage of the USA (minus Alaska) and divide it equally to our newly reached population, you'd have about 6.5 acres to yourself.
A family of 4 would have a sweet sizable lot of nearly 30 acres. All those people packed into New York City wouldn't know what to do with themselves on six acres. Farmers in the Midwest would probably shoot themselves on that small a parcel.
Even if you put all the land of the cities in the mix, we'd still end up with nearly 4 acres apiece.
I'm calling dibs on the foot of a mountain in Colorado.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
I'm gone for a few days and we get a bit of rain?
October 16, 2006Sorry I missed the monsoon...I was in far northeastern Oklahoma this weekend at a cousin's wedding.
But don't fear all...I'm heading out in just a few minutes into the rushing deep waters that cover the lands.
Maybe I should have got those hip-waders that were offered...
Posted by Jason Palmer at 09:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Cops and Myspace
October 13, 2006Well...in case you haven't heard.
A Wichita Falls cop was fired because of the objectionable content on his personal Myspace page.
And quickly enough...the story has spread...everywhere.
A quick Google News search finds the story on several news websites from Seattle, Houston, Pittsburg, Buisness Week.com, The Drudge Report...even the Guardian Unlimited (a UK news website).
Forbes, Calgary, USA Today, Sydney Morning Herald in Australia, even the Officer.com (Law Enforcement news website)
All in all...about 250 news websites have picked up the AP story that pretty much started with TRN reporter Robert Morgan.
"What the heck is going on in Wichita Falls?" Can't you just hear that question being asked all over the world. Once again...probably not the image that we'd like to project around here.
A serial-killer claiming cop with photos of dismembered bodies on a public networking website with more than 100 million users world-wide.
I gotta say, I don't disagree with the choice to fire this guy..as long as he was formally asked to remove that kind of content. Actually, the police probably could have had it removed it they would have contacted Myspace.
But, I'm sure there's more to the story than they are saying. No telling how many cases this cop was involved in are in jeopardy now. Kinda hard to paint a "good cop" image to a jury when the defense has that kind of ammo.
And now the entire world can read about the dirty laundry on the internet.
I already did...now I have to go check my own myspace page.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
So North Korea tested a nuke
October 08, 2006Now..I'm not a big political guy...but this cannot be a good thing.
North Korea has detonated a nuclear weapon in testing and has declared it a success. Seismic readings from all over the world have confirmed a tremor that confirms the signature of a nuclear weapon. North Korea has successfully tested missiles short and long range.
The question is are they crazy enough to do anything.
Now...I am not old enough to really grasp the tension of the nation during the Cold War and any of the times that the former USSR threatened to lob nukes at us.
But this scares me a little bit. And it should scare a lot of other people out there.
If I were in South Korea...I'd be getting the heck out of that country quickly. They don't even need a missile to get to Seoul with a nuke. The government found a long series of tunnels that stretched underground through the de-militarized zone and into South Korea.
Of course...they have tested missiles capable of carrying a nuclear device. They launched them over Japan. The Japanese don't need any reminders of what that kind of weapon could do.
The Chinese government has been mildly estranged from North Korea, but they'd still take their side. The North Korean govt. at least gave them a 20-minute warning.
Now, everybody wants to know what the U.N. is going to do about this. I'm one of them.
What I really want to know is will a series of sanctions prevent a missile from being launched somewhere?
Posted by Jason Palmer at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Unfortunate or Dumb Criminals
October 06, 2006Mark my words...this IS going to happen in Wichita Falls sometime after the "Flyover" is finished.
It's just a matter of time.
Two men, with a backpack full of tools, a machete and an assault rifle were fleeing police on a motorcycle when they started driving up one of the ramps of the High Five interchange in Dallas.
Now...if you've never seen the High Five.....there's a reason it's called that. The High Five is the highest highway interchange system in Dallas and one of the largest in the country.
It pretty much makes our little Flyover look like a kids' Lego set.
The tallest ramp on the High Five is about 120 feet over US-75. That's tall.
Anyways, so these guys were fleeing police and going over one of the not as tall ramps (only about 75 feet) when they lost control of their motorcycle, hit a barrier, and flew off.
Now normally...being ejected off your bike is a 50/50 deal. But these guys were on a very large highway overpass...they flew right off it.
They probably didn't even hit the guard rails. Nope...75 feet later, one died on the scene and the other died at the hospital within two hours.
Usually, this would be a sad story and we'd be thinking about how tragic it was. Usually.
But I promise you, when we have our own swooping highway overpasses, it's just a matter of time before something like this happens.
By BILL MILLER Star-Telegram Staff Writer Two men died early Friday when their motorcycle, which was being followed by police, struck a divider and spun out of control, flinging them from one of the overpasses of the High Five interchange in north Dallas, officers said.Investigators believe the men were trying to flee from patrol officers, but they aren't sure why, said Senior Cpl. Janice Crowther, police spokeswoman.
The men carried backpacks filled with tools, along with an assault-type rifle and machete, Crowther said.
Officers on patrol noticed the men acting suspiciously at about 2:30 a.m., so they approached them, Crowther said.
``The two men pointed at police and then jumped onto a motorcycle and fled the location,'' Crowther said. ``Officers then attempted to make a traffic stop, but they evaded the officers and drove up onto the eastbound ramp (of the High Five) over Interstate 635.
``They lost control of the motorcycle, hit the barrier and they were knocked over the overpass.''
The two men fell an estimated 75 to 80 feet onto U.S. 75, Crowther said.
``One man died at the scene,'' she said. ``The other was taken to Medical City Hospital in extremely critical condition.''
The second man died at 4:09 a.m. at the hospital, according to the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office.
High Five is the new, five-level interchange where Interstate 635 and U.S. 75 meet. No other information was available early Friday.
Bill Miller, (817) 390-7684
wmiller@star-telegram.com
Posted by Jason Palmer at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
That new camera smell
October 04, 2006There is a particular scent when you get into a new car. Nobody really knows what it is.
Could be the new leather seats, the plastic dashboard cover, or the cellophane covering the floorboard mats.
Whatever it is, it's called that "new car" smell.
I think that's the same smell I've noticed over the last couple of days with the new camera equipment around the photography office.
We finally got some of the latest Nikon equipment to replace our D1h cameras. The bubble-gum and bailing wire holding them together was on its last leg.
Okay, that may be a bit of an overstatement, but the old cameras had been used very heavily over the last four years and the repair costs were starting to come more frequently.
Repair costs for a $3,000 camera body aren't cheap. You can't get the parts at the Home Depot or Radio Shack. We're talking about $750 a pop most of the time. I'd have just found a new job if I owned the cameras myself, I can't afford that kind of repair on a whim.
Well, the boss man Gary put in the request for a lot of money to buy new stuff with about 2 years ago, and it finally all came through.
And not a moment too soon. All four photographers were dealing with spotty equipment some days. I had a camera that wouldn't stay turned on. The battery compartment was loose or cracked or something. And it literally would not stay on. Sometimes when I would shoot, it would turn off right in the middle of writing the photo to the card.
My other camera was already broken. A blown shutter. That is at least a $750 repair, so we just shelved that one and I borrowed one of the other old cameras.
That one wouldn't turn off.
Even in the off position, I could still take photos with it. Handy I guess if I had to switch cameras quickly and wasn't sure if that camera was turned on.
All of those are now problems of the past. We have new stuff, which means we'll be able to do our jobs more effectively, not worrying whether or not our cameras will cease to function.
That new camera smell....it sure is nice.
Of course...Nikon will introduce their newest line of pro cameras next week.....that's how it goes in the digital photography world.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
