New York City Noir

IPad Frenzy???

I passed by the Apple Store on Broadway and 67th Street around 11:30 a.m. this morning.  I was expecting to see a line stretching around the block as Apple devotees waited to put their money down for an IPad.

There turned out to be no line at line at all, though an employee assured me there indeed had been one earlier.  When I was standing outside, however, there seemed to be almost as many employees inside the store as there were customers.

As for me, I won't be buying an IPad.  I refuse to lay out money for a device, supposedly intended to make web surfing easier, that won't even allow me to view my own flash website. 

Why I Will NOT Join Facebook

I refuse to join Facebook because of its policy of censorship.  As can be seen from the dialog quoted below, there's a total "No Nudity" policy in force with no attempt to discrimate between pornography and art.  And that's not fair.  I'm proud I photo the female nude (see www.frank-mcadam.com  ) and consider it art.  I have a right to express myself.  If others find it offensive, they don't have to look at it.  The human body is beautiful and the sight of it should not be forbidden in the name of the cliche "Family Friendly."

User:

 

"The reason I am so invested and concerned with this issue is because the group I am administrating, "World Naked Bike Ride," contains photos- all taken legally and in public- but which depict nude cyclists. But that's the exact nature- and point- of both the protest and the facebook group. The World Naked Bike Ride is a global event that brings thousands of cyclists together every year to protest car dependence and promote sustainable transportation alternatives while displaying the diverse, natural beauty of the human body. So, to remove or censor group content to exclude any photos of the event itself would directly contradict the core message of this global movement which receives media coverage around the world."

 

Facebook Response:

 

"If content that is in violation of our Terms of Use is
posted to the group, both the admin and the individual user who posted
the content may be warned or disabled.

 

While we appreciate your situation, all nudity, obscene or not, is
considered to be in violation of our Terms of Use. I apologize for any
inconvenience, but this decision is final. We appreciate your
cooperation going forward.

Thanks for contacting Facebook"

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2232758830&topic=3452

New Flash Website

I finally got around to replacing my clunky old FrontPage website with a streamlined flash site designed entirely with CoffeeCup software.  Please check it out at www.frank-mcadam.com

While on the subject, I should mention I was favorably surprised by CoffeeCup.  The product is inexpensive but powerful and easy to use.  What's really phenomenal is the tech support.  When I was unable to properly uploand one page, CoffeeCup scheduled a free telephone support session.  The technician called me promptly and stayed online with me for a half hour until the problem was totally debugged. 

Windows 7: Gateway Computer

I recently purchased a Gateway computer, model DX4822-03, in order to upgrade to Windows 7.

The configuration is great.  It runs on an Intel 2 Quad Q.8400 Processor at 2,66 GHz, has 8 gigs of RAM, a terrabyte hard drive and NVIDIA GeForce GT220 graphic adapter with a gig of discete RAM dedicated to video. 

The only problems I encountered when installing and using the computer were (1) the VGA hookup did not function, forcing me to buy a new monitor that worked with the HDMI port, and (2) after checking the Control Panel upon installation, I discovered the computer itself needed troubleshooting because the "Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter" was inoperative. 

I was not overly concerned about the monitor problem -- it only gave me an excuse to upgrade to a wide screen LCD far superior to the CRT I'd been using.  The failure to detect the wifi adapter problem was more troubling.  I think Gateway should not sell a computer without first checking to see if there exist problems with the drivers installed on it.  This was not a hidden flag -- all one had to do was look at the hardware control panel to see the triangular yellow sign with black exclamation point next to the computer icon.  Even more importantly, the faulty driver still did not work after troubleshooting.  In fairness to Gateway, I should mention that this problem hasn't had any effect on the machine's otherwise totally splendid performance.

Conclusion:  The Gateway is an extremely powerful machine and a great value at less than $800; but the company needs to improve its quality control procedures.

Photo Blog Resources

I recently read a book by Catherine Jamieson entitled Create Your Own Photo Blog.  Jamieson's writing is very readable and well intentioned, and the book has a good layout with many, many quality photo illustrations.  The problem I found with Jamieson's book is that, like so many guides to various areas of the internet, it's really too general to be of any practical use to a professional.  For one thing, it lacks specifics on ways in which to promote one's blog once it's been set up, an essential for any photographer using his blog to help market his work. 

To be fair, Jamieson's target audience seems to be more the hobbyist  or part-time professional.  For these readers Jamieson's book does provide useful guidance to setting up a blog on various venues (which is actually pretty easy to figure out on one's own without having to read a book -- Typepad itself provides several formats for multimedia) and even gives ideas for subjects to photograph. 

I don't know about others, but what puts me off most in Jamieson's book is the emphasis on "community" and "sharing."   It all seems too family-friendly for me.  The same could be said of the photo site Flickr.  For those who simply want to post a "cool" picture and share comments with other hobbyists, Flickr is great.  It also serves a useful function in supplying free online storage for digital files, though I'm not quite sure about size limitations on the images themselves.  (Jamieson's book does go into this area in detail.)  But it does not provide a venue on which professional photographers can directly market their work.  Selling photos from Flickr itself is a violation of the terms of service, at least as I read them. 

In short, I recommend both Jamieson's book and Flickr for those who just want to have fun taking pics (nothing wrong with that at all) and sharing with friends.  Working photographers would do better to purchase Bob Walsh's excellent book Clear Blogging.  This book not only gives specifics about setting up a blog on Typepad and other venues but also gives great deal of specific information on promotion (i.e., getting readers) through the use of Technorati, Digg, Squidoo and many other useful resources.

Squidoo Lenses

Squidoo lenses are basically one-page sites that anyone is able to set up for free on whatever subject he or she chooses as a way to promote one's blog or website.  Those who create pages also share in earnings from advertising.

I've set up two lenses myself.  The first is on Pictorialism and features a blurb on each of the three most prominent pictorialist photographers.  The second is on Traditional Photography where I provide a brief list of the films and enlarging papers I use most often in my own work.  Please check them out if you have a chance.