Buffalo National River

My brother is getting married this fall, and instead of a traditional bacchanalia bachelor party, he decided to go on a kayak trip in the Buffalo National River Park in the Ozarks of Arkansas. I flew in Thursday night, and we left at 6 am the next morning headed toward Gilbert, Arkansas, about ten hours from Austin. We spent the first night camped along the Buffalo River,  checked into a nice, cozy cabin for the next two nights, then drove back to Austin. I left for home the next afternoon, only having enough time to eat delicious brisket at Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart, TX.

America’s First National River Established in 1972, Buffalo National River flows freely for 135 miles and is one of the few remaining undammed rivers in the lower 48 states. Once you arrive, prepare to journey from running rapids to quiet pools while surrounded by massive bluffs as you cruise through the Ozark Mountains down to the White River.

(click here to continue reading Buffalo National River – Buffalo National River.)

Here are a few photos I took – my camera (and phone) both got wet on the first day out on the river because I wasn’t careful enough. The camera turned out only to need a new battery, but my phone hasn’t yet recovered. 

Buffalo River
Buffalo River

Hipstamatic photo – the only iPhone photo I uploaded before my phone (accidentally) got wet. I meant to leave the phone behind in our cabin, but mistakenly put it in the wrong backpack. Doh! Didn’t notice it was soaked through until the next morning when I was looking for it to call home. Double Doh!

Andrew - Buffalo National River
Andrew – Buffalo National River

My brother convinced most of us to grow a mustache (66% compliance).

Continue reading “Buffalo National River”

Officially Hot

Officially HotOfficially Hot, originally uploaded by swanksalot.

WeatherMan Lite reports the temperature as being 100ºF, with heat index as 111.3ºF.

That is hot. Whimper.

(My desktop rotates random images that I’ve uploaded to Flickr, this just happened to be active: www.flickr.com/photos/swanksalot/6101759035/ )

I don’t like this weather much. If the temperature is below zero degrees, I’m sort of curious about going outside. Bundle up, wear extra socks, and so on. Kind of an adventure.

In contrast, this kind of heat just makes me melt. I empathize for roofers and A/C repair folks and the like on days such as this…

Favorite Photos: Taken in May 2012

Archives / Taken in / 2012 / May (86 items)

(click here to continue reading Flickr: Archive of your photostream: Taken in May 2012.)

Oops, forgot to post my May favorites, and now it is almost the end of June! Without further ado…

Rainy Daydreams
Rainy Daydreams
Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone

Lens: Salvador 84

Film: Blanko

Flash: Off

Biking at Henry Palmisano Park
Biking at Henry Palmisano Park
Under the smoke stack of the Fisk Generating Station, which hasn’t shut down quite yet…

Observe With a Pitiful Eye
Observe With a Pitiful Eye

Former Ramova Theater
Former Ramova Theater
On S. Halsted. Closed since the 1980s

See:

articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-02-07/news/ct-met-ramova…

or cinematreasures.org/theaters/1499 for instance

(looks like I have some dust specs on my camera mirror. Doh!)

Morgan Station on Lake
Morgan Station on Lake

No Reason To Get Excited
No Reason To Get Excited

almost a Super Moon goal…

In The Brightness of the Day
In The Brightness of the Day
Flag waver, May Day demonstration and Occupy Chicago march 

Only seven photos made the cut this month, slightly over 8% of the total. There were a couple almosts, but c’est la vie…

(Last month’s selection)

Confluence of Events

New Coil
New Coil

Saturday night our air conditioner failed. After a few sleepless nights filled with lots of tossing and turning and rearranging fans to create cross breezes, we got a new 4-ton A/C  with matching indoor cooling coil that accepts Puron aka R-410A1. Also our copper lineset between indoor and outdoor coils had to be replaced – or repaired, but easier to just replace. The furnace that the A/C is connected to is located about 6 feet from my office – where I’m sitting now – so the last few days have been disruptive.

Since the universe decided that cutting sheet metal in my ear was not enough of a distraction, our internet service went out on Tuesday, and is still wonky. We have resumed some connectivity as of last night, but we are connecting at near dialup speeds. I’m not kidding – I checked via a couple of those internet speed tests, and my desktop was reaching maximum 47kbps upload/download.  I’m old enough to remember 56kbps being a decent enough connecting speed, but that era ended long ago. These days connecting so slowly is torture. Especially when there was a spate of large system software updates, plus an Apple keynote video I wanted to watch.  

Anyway, there is apparently some problem with a pair bonded circuit. AT&T has come twice, as they provide service up to the basement of our building, and we’ve spent many hours on tech support with XO Communications.

Soon, I”ll be able to get back to my daily routine. I glanced at my email inbox, and there are over 200 emails in there waiting for me to glance at them, or godz forbid, respond to. 

On the bright side, our new air conditioner is running, and looks like just in time, per Tom Skilling’s forecast:

Weather forecast 2012 06 14 at 11 24 46 AM
Weather forecast 2012-06-14 at 11.24.46 AM.PNG


sigh, internet down again.

Footnotes:
  1. the government-mandated replacement for freon []

Random Friday – Whatcha Drinkin edition

Random iTunes shuffle today yielded:

  1. Hüsker DüWhatcha Drinkin’?
    New Day Rising

    one minute and thirty three seconds of punk-y bliss. The lyrics, in total:  

    I don’t care what you say, I don’t care what you’re drinking today. I don’t care what they say, I’ll be drinking today. I try not to drink anymore, I try not to drink anymore, and try not to think anymore.

  2. Boozoo ChavisGoin To The Zydeco
    Hey Do Right!

    and now for something completely different…some dance music, with accordion.

  3. McDowell, FredGravel Road Blues
    Good Morning, Little School Girl

    sometimes called “Mississippi Fred McDowell”, but since he allegedly hated that, I stripped Mississippi from his name. Bottle neck guitar master, with a harsh, country voice. Powerful, hypnotic stuff. Actually, this is dance music too, the insistent beat is there to be heard, and acted upon if you want.

  4. Marley, Bob & The WailersSomewhere To Lay My Head
    One Love at Studio One

    From a collection of ska and proto-reggae tracks recorded between 1964 and 1966, really a Wailers joint, not just Bob Marley. Dance music!

  5. Monk, TheloniousRuby, My Dear
    Monk’s Music

    A classic tune. Thelonious Monk liked to dance around in his idiosyncratic style during other musicians solos.

  6. R.E.M.Lightnin’ Hopkins
    Document

    As far as my ears can tell, this song has absolutely nothing to do with the blues musician, Lightnin’ Hopkins. Still love it.

  7. Kočani OrkestarGoodbye Macedonia
    Alone At My Wedding

    Balkan brass ensemble, with some Middle Eastern influences. I really like this album, but I don’t if it is representative of their other work or not.

  8. Yo La TengoDemons
    Genius + Love = Yo La Tengo

    Yo La Tengo used to be a favorite band of mine, but their later albums have not moved me. This album is a collection of singles, mostly cover versions, including this so-so swirling tune which was featured in the film I Shot Andy Warhol.

  9. Paddy BeadesMy Darlin’ Coleen Bawn
    From Galway To Dublin

    Extremely traditional Irish music from an early era. Mournful vocal and mournful fiddle.

  10. Costa, GalDivino Maravilhoso
    Tropicalia Essentials

    Weird Brazilian pop music with some nice fuzz guitar that sounds like an over-amplified bee, weaving in and out of the melody. I’m partial to it, but not to everyone’s taste, I’ll readily admit.

  11. Dylan, BobAlberta #4
    Self Portrait

    Universally, critics seem to hate this album, but there are a few good songs on it. This is almost an easy listening tempo, swings nicely.

  12. Remains, TheDon’t Look Back
    Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era

    Garage rock! I am a big fan of the genre, and this song doesn’t disappoint. Best played loudly.

  13. The JamI Got By In Time
    Collection

    Originally from The Jam’s first album, In The City, , a good closing tune for today’s randomness. Not really punk, not really British R&B, not quite New Wave, somewhere straddling all three genres…

Random Friday – Flute Loop Edition

Stereo Sanctity
Stereo Sanctity

I haven’t played this game in a while1, so I’ll participate today. Apparently this is a joint France/Los Angeles joint. My notes in clover, duh…

  1. Beastie BoysFlute Loop
    Ill Communication
    Saddened by MCA’s death, the Beastie Boys were my age, basically, so having one of them die is a reminder that we have a short brutish time on the planet, and why wait? Smile now, there might not be a tomorrow. Two minute song from one of my favorite Beastie Boy albums, built off a funk/jazz flute loop. Rock the Nation, indeed.
  2. Lowe, NickNo Reason
    Basher -The Best of Nick Lowe
     No reason in the world…song originally from the Jesus of Cool album which every self-respecting hipster already owns.
  3. Art Blakey & The Jazz MessengersBlues March
    Paris 1958
    I’m ready to march around the office, coffee cup in hand. I’ve never been to Paris, this might be close enough. Originally part of an 11-song three-LP set. 
  4. Johann Sebastian BachBach: Partitas, BWV 825-827, Vol. 1
    Bach: Keyboard Partita In C Minor, BWV 826 – Courante- Gould, Glenn
    ahh, Bach… 
  5. BeltunerDe Rien
    Beltuner
    speaking of France, this is French folk music, with accordions, acoustic guitars and what not. Not sure how I got this, but it is fun. Unfortunately, too early to have a glass of wine with my coffee…  
  6. Sun RaLove In Outer Space
    Purple Night
    not the best Sun Ra album, if you have never heard Sun Ra, start elsewhere. The vocals seem to be coming from outer space, appropriately.
  7. LoveA House Is Not A Motel
    Forever Changes
    I love this song. I’ve heard it hundreds of times and am still not absolutely sure what is about, other than Arthur Lee’s drug influenced weirdness.  Another Los Angeles reference. 
  8. MekonsLearning To Live On Your Own
    The Mekons Rock ‘n’ Roll
    A great album, oft called country punk-esque, though this particular track is more sweet than crunchy.  Robert Christgau’s note on the Mekons is worth reading
  9. Watson, Doc And Clarence AshleyGod’s Gonna Ease My Troublin’ Mind
    Original Folkways Recordings 1960 – 1962 (Disc 2)
    you can’t play guitar nor banjo this well, and neither can I. Allegedly, Doc Watson didn’t even own an acoustic guitar at the time of this recording, though that could be apocryphal legend.
  10. Gram Parsons & The Flying Burrito BrothersSin City
    Gram Parsons Archives Vol. 1: Live At The Avalon Ballroom April 4th, 1969 
    I’ve never to Los Angeles either, though I lust after photographing the vintage neon there. A slice of country rock from the master of the Cosmic American genre, created in San Francisco a couple of days before me. 
  11. Kings Of LeonHoly Roller Novocaine
    Youth & Young Manhood
    debut album of this middle of the road “Southern Rock” band. Nothing special, but good in certain moods, especially if played loudly. Irritatingly, there is a multi-minute long silence in the middle of the song.
  12. The SaintsThe Prisoner
    Prehistoric Sounds
    punk rock with saxophones. Awesome! How come no one told me about the Saints years ago? Love this album.
  13. Soul BrothersHeyi Wena
    Jive Soweto (The Indestructible Beat Of Soweto Volume 4)
    From Allmusic: “Jive” is the generic term used to refer to South African pop music, and is often modified by reference to the featured instrument — hence sax jive and pennywhistle jive. If you’ve never heard South African jive, seek it out, you are in for a treat. Bouncy, happy music. The very first international album I got (or one of the first) was an earlier edition in this series, The Indestructible Beat of Soweto, volume 1 & 2.
  14. The Full TreatmentJust Can’t Wait
    Where The Action Is!: Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968 [Disc 3]
    Garage pop from Los Angeles. Another Rhino collection of single from another era. This song is a little too Beach Boys-esque for my taste, but there are a few seconds of psychedelic fun near the end.
  15. De La SoulTalkin’ Bout Hey Love
    De La Soul Is Dead
    Built off of a nice sample (Stevie Wonder maybe?), but disposable otherwise. 

Ok, I can’t count. Fifteen is not ten, a house is not a home, black is not grey…

A Little Wine With My Dinner

So I’m In My Grape Ape

I Feel Like A Winner When I Make A Mix Tape

Because I Get Ill

When I’m On The Pause Button

And I Get My Fill

And You Can’t Say Nothing

More Soul On This Train Then Don Cornelius

Got The Mad Subwoofer Pumping Bass For Your Anus

Just Getting On The Mic

At The Monthly Function

Wires Hitting Switches

Connecting At The Junction

Perlman’s Got Beats

And It Ain’t No Secret

Dante Found His Shit

But You Know He Freaked It

And So The Story Goes On

And On Down In S. D. 50 ’till Early Morning

Footnotes:
  1. the rules are simple, shuffle your music by song, pick out the first ten songs, list ’em []

Favorite uploads to Flickr in April 2012

Continuing a tradition: these are my 24 (!) personal favorites, all developed in my digital darkroom last month. In no particular order…

/ Posted in / 2012 / April (122 items)

(click here to see more Flickr: Archive of your uploads to Flickr in April 2012.)

And yeah, I have too many favorites this month. A good problem, but a problem nonetheless.

Where Did All The Blue Skies Go
Where Did All The Blue Skies Go

Waiting for the Seed To Sprout
Waiting for the Seed To Sprout

Golden Plowshares
Golden Plowshares

Waiting for A Friend
Waiting for A Friend

The former USPS building, still not being developed.

River City and Van Buren Street Bridge
River City and Van Buren Street Bridge

Washing the Trump
Washing the Trump

Don't Reveal a Thing You've Learned
Don’t Reveal a Thing You’ve Learned

April 18th Blues
April 18th Blues

Franklin Street Bridge at Night
Franklin Street Bridge at Night
This one made it to Flickr Explore. Taken from the Holiday Inn at Wolf Point – my folks were in town for the night on their way to Italy for three weeks.

Wounded In The Line of Duty
Wounded In The Line of Duty

Little Tramp
Little Tramp

London.

Eyeing John Marshall Law School
Eyeing John Marshall Law School

Word Gets Around Eventually
Word Gets Around Eventually

World Weary - Copper Blue
World Weary – Copper Blue

World Weary - Red Bleach
World Weary – Red Bleach

World Weary - Duotoned
World Weary – Duotoned

London Towers
London Towers

Someone To Tell Your Troubles To
Someone To Tell Your Troubles To

Suspicions
Suspicions

Painted Trees Overlooking LSD
Painted Trees Overlooking LSD

Wherever I Lay My Head
Wherever I Lay My Head

Mysterious Language of Lines and Circles
Mysterious Language of Lines and Circles

Coach Has Arrived
Coach Has Arrived

Waiting For Air Traffic Control
Waiting For Air Traffic Control

Slide show version here

(Last month’s edition)

Favorite March 2012 Photos

A little late, but these are my favorite photos I processed in March, 2012, in no particular order.

If you want any prints, contact me, and we’ll work something out.

(via Flickr: Archive of your uploads to Flickr in March 2012.)

Abundance
Abundance
open road, South Dakota, on my way to The Badlands

Milwaukee Nocturne
Milwaukee Nocturne Downtown Milwaukee, processed using Summer Blockbuster settings, and some other tweaks

Danger Rocks
Danger Rocks
North shore, Chicagoland (Evanston? Roger’s Park?). Technicolor Process 4 – Vibrant-no grain. Lake Michigan is rarely this blue, and probably wasn’t this blue on the day I shot the photo.

It Was Raining Gold
It Was Raining Gold
West Loop, during a rain storm. Sodium vapor street lights give Chicago a golden glow, at least near midnight.

Little Faith
Little Faith
Lake Street, under the “L”. Kodak Panatomic-X, toned with a hint of blue. The strong diagonals of the CTA tracks always draws my attention.

Dancing Around In Your Head
Dancing Around In Your Head
Kinzie and Canal, under the Amtrak / Metra tracks. Another Kodak Panatomic-X toned experiment. There is swirling snow on the ground, but not much.

Evening Approaching
Evening Approaching
River North and West Loop, the view from an apartment I longer have due to extenuating circumstances I don’t want to discuss, publicly. If you buy me three drinks, I’ll tell all.
Fuji Velvia 100, in emulation.

Former Cabrini Green Tower
Former Cabrini Green Tower
Destroyed in 2011. Currently an empty lot, though I think Target is going to build a store there. Progress, I guess.

Future of Cabrini Green
Future of Cabrini Green
A child’s mural on the broken concrete of the former Cabrini Green tower.

String and Steel Melodies
String and Steel Melodies
Division and Halsted. Hope the bridge gets repaired before it collapses…

Watereth The Hills
Watereth The Hills
Kinzie, West Loop. Fuji Velvia 100F, in emulation. You can see Blommer Chocolate Company, and the Hancock Building in the background.

New Life
New Life
Naperville, IL, and a tree blossom of some sort. Apple, maybe, or pear.

So Many Things On Your Mind
So Many Things On Your Mind
Grand Avenue Bridge after a rain. Selenium toned.

Let It Go
Let It Go
An underpass at Hoyne, below the Bloomingdale Trail.

Every Ace Got Played
Every Ace Got Played
333 Wacker and adjoining buildings in the late afternoon sunlight.

For A Long Time
For A Long Time
Sort of a random street shot W. Randolph St, in the Theatre District. Feels like a good representation of Chicago.

Wacker Drive at Night
Wacker Drive at Night
and the Chicago River. From Wolf Point, N. Orleans.

Skadden Arps Slate
Skadden Arps Slate
A window washer, toned blue (Agfa APX 100).

Special art offer only for Friends and Family: I’ll direct-ship you prints at an extremely reduced price of cost+shipping+30%, a discount of about 1,000% (I normally charge $500-$800 for a 16″x20″ print, in this case, a print will cost you about $75). 

Framing is up to you. 

I have lots and lots to choose from, look for instance here, sorted by category or keyword:

Let me know…

Favorite February 2012 Photos

Without preamble (if you want explanation, check December’s children), here are my favorite twelve photos from February. There were 133 to choose from.

Via Flickr: Archive of your uploads to Flickr in February 2012.)

Help Me Make It Through The Night
Help Me Make It Through The Night

Tell Me Why You Hurry So?
Tell Me Why You Hurry So?

And I Still Do Not Know What It Was That I've Done Wrong

And I Still Do Not Know What It Was That I’ve Done Wrong

Secret Meanings

Secret Meanings

The Wind is Still
The Wind is Still

Good morning West Loop
Good morning West Loop

Waiting For My Connection Back To You
Waiting For My Connection Back To You

Midwest Generation Fisk Station
Midwest Generation Fisk Station

I Know What You Are Remembering
I Know What You Are Remembering

Into A Single Thought
Into A Single Thought

And If You Cross Your Fingers
And If You Cross Your Fingers

Sugar Maple
Sugar Maple

Honorable mention goes to:

Had to Leave in a Hurry

When You Wake Up

Campfire Abstraction Number 9870

And The Clouds Are Going Down

Ducks Lined Up

On Your Way to Happiness

A Few Light Years Ago

Nobody’s Technidol Wedding

Hold Your Hands and Pray – Kodalith

23 Favorite Photos from January 2012

Without preamble (read last month’s edition instead), here are my favorite photos created in January, 2012 (taken mostly in 2011, but not solely). There were 127 to choose from, I selected 23.

Double click an image to open it at Flickr, and double click the image again to embiggen against a black background.

You can view a slideshow of these photos by clicking here.

In Our Moodiest Garb
In Our Moodiest Garb

An iPhone snapshot of a brief snow dusting. A Hipstamatic photo, processed with Snapseed. I like the coldness of the colors, and the texture of the sky. If you look closely, can see the snow flurries.

Took for Granted
Took for Granted

Another iPhone snapshot of the West Loop, using the Hipstamatic iPhone app, with the Loftus lens which adds a bit of a tilt-shift effect, turning this building into a doll-house miniature.

The Power and Weight of the Mind -Ilford HP5

The Power and Weight of the Mind -Ilford HP5

The view down Lake Street, a view that intrigues me enough to photograph it multiple times. Added the Ilford HP5 color/texture in Photoshop, I liked the Ilford films when I shot 35mm film: many of them could be processed at color labs (hence were cheaper).

What Up, G
What Up, G

A punny, my apologies. The phrase is from some hip/hop song of the 1990’s, the G standing for Gangsta

I also artificially aged the photo in Photoshop, so as to match the brick, and the font. Classic font, love it.

Tangent of Human Residence
Tangent of Human Residence

CTA tracks, slightly west of Halsted and north of North Avenue. I bleached the print in Photoshop which brings out a bit of the detail, and adds a bit of angst. Not that the CTA track needs it.

Don't Pretend Nothing Happened On that Day
Don’t Pretend Nothing Happened On that Day

The Merchandise Mart, in all its glory. So what happened on April 21st, 2011, when I took this photo? Can’t say I remember, even with aided recall. It was Earth Day…

Halfway To Discontent
Halfway To Discontent

More CTA tracks, this time on Wells Street. Also bleached in Photoshop since I liked how the previous attempt came out.

Songs We Can't Hear
Songs We Can’t Hear

Tripod shot of sunsetting on the West Loop taken from my office roof. I also had a yellow filter on my lens which is why the blue sky remains visible.

Point of Origin - Henry Palmisano Park
Point of Origin – Henry Palmisano Park

In the summer, water flows through this statue, slowly trickles down to the quarry, then is pumped back up to this point of origin. I’m not sure if this photo will remain included, it is a little boring now that I study it.

Snow Cat
Snow Cat

Pippen loves to tread in the freshly fallen snow.

West Wind Blowing Ill
West Wind Blowing Ill

The infamous polluter of Chicago’s atmosphere. I think I had a filter still on my lens, but maybe I just added the color back into the photo in Photoshop.

Sleep Still in Their Empty Eyes
Sleep Still in Their Empty Eyes

A very similar photo to Snow Day, but not nearly as popular. Personally, I think I like it better. This was taken in the pre-dawn light.

Waiting for the Light to Change
Waiting for the Light to Change

Seriously, on Michigan and Randolph, waiting for the left turn signal so I could go home. I started with a Hipstamatic shot, but tweaked significantly using Snapseed. I took three quick shots, actually, trying to get the man with the fedora. Doesn’t it look cold? It was a bit raw.

Casual Obliteration
Casual Obliteration

Meh, but I like what I did to tone the image.

Let There Be Wine and Song
Let There Be Wine and Song

Sometimes titles just fit. The sculpture is in Grant Park somewhere.

Snow Day!
Snow Day!

I’ve already written about this snow photo, and my surprise as to its popularity. Currently, it has 1,205 views on Flickr, 49 comments, and 127 Faves (??!!). I’ve been a Flickr member since summer of 2004, have uploaded over 8,000 photos to Flickr, and this photo has, by far, the most Faves and comments. Wild.

Mixed Messages
Mixed Messages

This photo especially benefits from being viewed larger than this thumbnail (click here for Lightbox). Maybe I just like it because it took a lot of time and effort to bring out the details of the lower half of the image, and restore the clouds. I also like the contrasts between the blue-ish upper half and the warmer bottom half which echo the contrast between the robot and the human workers.

Said You Felt Trapped
Said You Felt Trapped

Yet another black and white train track photo. Not sick of taking such photos so…

Your Life You Like It Well
Your Life You Like It Well

I like how this turned out, especially in the Lightbox view, despite the blurriness of the scooter. The wall is really the subject in any case, the scooter is just adding color contrast. I was focusing on the wall when I saw the scooter approaching, so waited until she was in the frame.

In Your Bubble Where Nothing Goes Wrong
In Your Bubble Where Nothing Goes Wrong

Inexplicably, this photo also turned up in Explore. Someone asked me if they could use it in his teaching materials for “at risk” teens in Ohio – I said sure. I don’t mind those sorts of uses of my photography, though, if I was true hard-ass, I would have asked for money first.

PR
PR

Chicago Avenue overpass, nice and gritty, and decaying. Urban infrastructure is in desperate need of a new Public Relations firm…

Complicated Answers
Complicated Answers

Grand Station Blue Line CTA stop. Has that fresh-out of the development bath look. Occasionally, I’ve had dreams where I was developing prints in a darkroom – that smell of photography chemicals is so evocative. I don’t miss the toxicity of them, just the process. Sometimes. I’m much better using Photoshop than I ever was in the darkroom.

Dead Enders of the World Unite
Dead Enders of the World Unite

Lovely afternoon shadows, on yet another mild January day

When You Leave You Really Mean It
When You Leave You Really Mean It

Black and white conversion, plus some added contrasts. I have, like, 20 photos that sort of look like this – perspective shots using the CTA tracks as a focus point.

Snow Day – Explored

Snow Day!
Snow Day!

Amusingly, this iPhone snapshot I took yesterday  1 made it into Flickr Explore, currently ranking #163. [Update: later this same day, now ranked at #24!!] Still don’t quite understand the Explore algorithm, as I’ve taken this exact photo dozens of times, or more, but this particular one resonated. I’m just happy it snowed finally.

What is Explore?

Explore is a Flickr feature with the intent of showing you “some of the most awesome photos on Flickr.” Photos are automatically selected by computer according to a secret algorithm called Interestingness (see below for more about that).

Is Explore a showcase for the top Flickr photographers?

No. It’s for photo viewers, not the photographers. It exists so that, at any moment, anyone who wants to view interesting photos can go to Explore and have a reasonable chance of seeing something interesting. Does that imply that photographs not in Explore are uninteresting? Of course not. There are many, many wonderful photos uploaded to Flickr each day that aren’t selected for Explore. But to serve its purpose, Explore only has to include a small sampling of all of the photos on Flickr (currently at 500 per day or about 0.005% of the daily upload volume). And Explore tries to show photos from as many different people as possible to create a diverse selection.

Explore is for the viewers. It’s a way for Flickr to show the world a sampling of what is being shared there. It’s there for those who are new to Flickr, who are lost in the vastness of it all and don’t know where to begin. It is not a “best of” listing of photographers. It is not a popularity contest.

What is Interestingness?

Interestingness is what Flickr calls the criteria used for selecting which photos are shown in Explore. All photos are given an Interestingness “score” that can also be used to sort any image search on Flickr. The top 500 photos ranked by Interestingness are shown in Explore. Interestingness rankings are calculated automatically by a secret computer algorithm. The algorithm is often referred to by name as the Interestingness algorithm. Although the algorithm is secret, Flickr has stated that many factors go into calculating Interestingness including: a photo’s tags, how many groups the photo is in, views, favorites, where click-throughs are coming from, who comments on a photo and when, and more. The velocity of any of those components is a key factor. For example, getting 20 comments in an hour counts much higher than getting 20 comments in a week.

(click here to continue reading Frequently Asked Questions.)

Flickr even owns a patent on Interestingness, aka Interestingness ranking of media objects.

According to BigHugeLabs, I’ve had 104 photos that made Explore (though some dropped out later), but who is keeping track! ahem…

Thanks, Flickr!

Footnotes:
  1. with Hipstamatic and tweaked with Snapseed []

13 Favorite Photos From December 2011

Trying a new thing for this year: choosing my favorite photos from each month. The thought is this will make it easier to decide which photos should be in my portfolio, and various other related projects. I’m thinking ten to twenty will be chosen each month, but who knows. December 2011 was sort of a slow month for me, creatively, as I had lower back “issues”, and then a serious flu. Most months I post 200-300 photos, but last December only 119.

 

Anyway, without further ado, here are my December keepers, as of right now, in no particular order. Note, these are photos processed in December, not necessarily taken in December. In fact, most are taken previously.

Double click an image to embiggen, and read more details…

Blackroof Country
Blackroof Country

Snow Crossing
Snow Crossing

No Particular Destination In Mind
No Particular Destination In Mind

A Dream of Presidential Showers
A Dream of Presidential Showers

When Kings Come Home
When Kings Come Home

Drive On Until I Get There
Drive On Until I Get There

But You Went Along
But You Went Along

A Certain Kind of Light
A Certain Kind of Light

Restaurant Row - West Loop
Restaurant Row – West Loop

The Dark Doesn't Hide It
The Dark Doesn’t Hide It

When We Were Still Strangers
When We Were Still Strangers

Submerged Danger Object
Submerged Danger Object

Immense Activity of a Rain Puddle

Immense Activity of a Rain Puddle

So 13 for the month of December, 2011.

(viaFlickr: Archive of your uploads to Flickr in December 2011.)

Most Played Songs in 2011

Stereo Sanctity
Stereo Sanctity

According to LastFM, these are my most played songs for 2011. The caveat is that these are just the songs that played on my desktop computer/stereo; in other words, not including statistics on what I listened to on my iPhone, iPod, iPad, in my car, and so on. Just what was played on my Mac Pro in my office. So these are not absolute numbers, nevertheless, I did listen to these songs a lot in 2011.

Annotations as necessary:

  • Solomon Burke – Cry to Me –  I added three versions to my library this year, originally released in 1963, 1968, and 1983, guess when you add all the play counts…
  • Bukka White – Parchman farm blues – tried to learn to play this song on guitar, but eventually gave up. I’m just not that good, nor dedicated enough to become good.
  • Bob Dylan – Buckets of Rain – made, and played repeatedly, a playlist consisting of “rain” songs since there was so much precipitation this year.
  • Bob Dylan – It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
  • Willie Nelson – Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain – another rain song, and a great, favorite tune
  • Big Bill Broonzy – Key To The Highway – added a lot of Big Bill Broonzy songs to my library this year because he’s a genius, and an American institution
  • Kurt Vile – Jesus Fever -I do like this song, but it probably got as many plays as it did because I made a “Rapture” playlist for the Harold Camping joke.
  • Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté – Sabu Yerkoy – Uncut Magazine featured this song twice on their ride-along disc, plus I already owned the album it was from. So, three versions in my library. Good song though, don’t get me wrong.
  • The Fall – L.A. – picked up This Nation’s Saving Grace Omnibus Edition this year which includes an entire second disc of unreleased versions of songs on the original 1985 LP.
  • Led Zeppelin – Since I’ve Been Loving You
  • The Fall – What You Need
  • Dead Kennedys – California Über Alles – Jerry Brown is governor of California, of course. Again.
  • Bob Marley & The Wailers – Stop That Train
  • The Saints – Untitled – The Saints are a new to me band, so I bought several of their albums. Subsequently that means I have five versions of this track, including one called, Untitled (International Robot Session)
  • Beirut – O Leãozinho – Red Hot and Rio compilation.
  • Wanda Jackson – Thunder On The Mountain – Jack White, Bob Dylan, plus was also featured on an Uncut Magazine disk.
  • Joy Division – She’s Lost Control – including live versions, remixes, BBC versions, etc., I have 11 versions of this great tune.
  • The Stooges – Search and Destroy
  • Solomon Burke – Everybody Needs Somebody To Love
  • Blind Willie McTell – Broke Down Engine Blues – awesome song, impossible to play on guitar (for me at least)
  • Bert Jansch & John Renbourn – East Wind – unfortunately, Bert Jansch died this year. A stellar talent.
  • Elvis Costello – Watch Your Step – still love this bass guitar line even after hearing it hundreds of times since I owned Trust on vinyl back in the stone ages.
  • King Sunny Ade – E Ba Mi Dupe
  • Gil Scott-Heron –The Revolution Will Not Be Televised – another stellar talent who died this year. There are more than one version of this song, released on different albums.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti - complete works
Fela Anikulapo Kuti – complete works

And while I’m living in the past, also per LastFM, these are the most played artists in 2011, as of right now, with the same caveats as above. And one more caveat, LastFM, by its very nature, skews towards artists with deep catalogs. In other words, since Bob Dylan has so damn many albums, covering so many moods, the Dylan play count is higher than say, Kurt Vile or The Decemberists. I own multiple albums by all of these artists listed below. Are these my favorite artists? No, some are, some aren’t, but obviously I like these artists more than I skip over them from playing.

 

  • Bob Dylan
  • Fela Kuti – new box set, plus Fela is genius
  • R.E.M. – Their career announced as over, of course I listened to their entire catalog a couple times
  • Wilco
  • Bob Marley & The Wailers
  • Bert Jansch
  • Led Zeppelin – picked up some good bootlegs this year
  • Solomon Burke
  • David Bowie
  • Richard Thompson
  • Glenn Gould – we watched a good documentary about Glenn Gould this year. Intriguing dude.
  • Muddy Waters
  • The Rolling Stones
  • Tom Waits
  • Pink Floyd – played their entire catalog in date order sometime this summer.
  • Big Bill Broonzy
  • The Pogues
  • The Saints
  • The Clash
  • Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – an unusual talent who died this year
  • Pavement
  • Townes Van Zandt