angiographer

Wakerobin

2012-02-12T19:13:00.000-06:00

Recently, the first of the spring Louisiana wildflowers showed up at Chicot. Commonly known as Wakerobin, this member of the Trillium sp. produces a beautiful purple flower.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:near Ville Platte, LA

Happy New Year 2011...to all of our Gentle Readers!

2012-01-01T20:08:00.000-06:00

Have a great New Year, everyone!!!

iPhone image....MTS

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T20:05:00.000-06:00

From the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland 2011...A Platonic Day....

iPhone image. MTS

Send One Your Love

2011-12-17T16:13:00.002-06:00

"Send One Your Love" is a song written by Stevie Wonder for his 1979 album, The Secret Life of Plants. The tune was the lead single from that album.

The song eventually reached number 4 on the Billboard charts that year for pop singles, and became Stevie Wonder's second adult contemporary single to top the charts, preceded by "You Are The Sunshine Of My Love" from 1973.

I am particularly fond of Nelson Rangell's instrumental version, seen below, available on his 2006 CD Souls to Souls (thanks CA Girl). The song has also been performed by Micheal Jackson and Boney James. Posted videos are from YouTube.

Videophones for the Masses ... Skype and FaceTime

2011-12-04T14:45:00.000-06:00

Although AT&T introduced it's much lauded Picturephone at the 1964 World's Fair (seen below),

the concept of VideoTelephony was conceived many years earlier, most successfully implemented by the Germans, connecting Munich and Nuremberg, a connection broken after the outbreak of WWII. The videophone has become important keeping families together, in conducting business via videoconferencing and in the setting of telemedicine. It is essential for those using sign language for communication.

With the introduction of FaceTime by Apple and video service on Skype, video communications are available to most everyone via several off the shelf products. We are rapidly catching up to The Jetsons.

Image Credits: (top) AT&T; (bottom) Hanna-Barbera Productions
Picturephone is a trademark of AT&T

I Just Wanna Hang Around You - Life Story of a Song

2011-11-29T20:48:00.002-06:00

When love songs were actually about love and respectable enough to play in front of your kids (think RAP), it was the 1960's, 1970's and the 1980's. George Benson wrote "I Just Wanna Hang Around You" for 20/20, his smash hit album of the day.

The song was redone several times, my favorite version by the L.A. Jazz Fusion group, Hiroshima. It was a huge loss when Barbara Long left Hiroshima as a singer, given her great perfomances on the 1985 release, Another Place. It took industry insider, Los Angeles resident and Grammy nominee Terry Steele, collaborating with Hiroshima as lead vocalist on The Bridge, to elevate the song to an art form, and to reposition Hiroshima as a Fusion band with a proper vocalist.

The lyric is here:

You're my Heartbeat of life
and you fill up my mind
I wanna stay close, close to you

It's the old lover's spell
that you weave oh so well
Oh at least hold to me
Oh you got to see

I just want to hang around you
every day and night
All of my life around you
I just want to hang around you
every day and night
All of my life around you
Hang around you

I get so Hipnotized
when I look in your eyes
Oh you can cooo control me

I feel all butterflies
when I'm right here by your side
Oh I need your touch,
can't get enough
Love Me
Oh you've got to see

I just want to hang around you
every day and night
All of my life around you
Hang around you

Spending every moment of my life
within your gaze my forever love
to have you and to hold you
so you never ever need to use
your crystal ball
to know where I'll be, always

I just want to hang around you
every day and night
All of my life around you
Hang around you

All I want to do is Hang around you

I just want to hang around you
every day and night
All of my life around you
Hang around you

All I want to do is hang around you

I just want to hang around you
every day and night (everyday and night)
All of my life around you (all of my life around you)
Hang around you

(Fade out)

Play it for the one you love....

Social Networking...

2011-11-16T09:23:00.006-06:00

I am compelled to write today about social networking.

According to a survey (2010) of The American Association of Matrimonial Lawyers, Face Book, MySpace and Twitter are a pernicious and increasingly common cause of relationship trouble and divorce. Face Book is by far the market leader here at 80%, MySpace at 15% and Twitter at 5%.

Spokespeople for Face Book proclaim that it’s not Face Book’s issue, that it is people that cause relationship problems. I couldn’t agree more. The trouble is, that social networking appears to amplify the problem, perhaps by increasing access for people who are unsatisfied in relationships or who have inherent holes in their personality that are amplified electronically. What’s more, as in every form of electronic textual media, there is no explanation of the motivation behind the prose. The purposes of the posts are not transparent to the reader. The aspects of trait jealousy and assumption as well as conjecture are all that is available to the reader.

In addition, it seems that some people use social networking sites to bolster their sense of self worth, to amass as many “friends” as possible, often not knowing many of the “friends” they have indeed collected. Then, there's the whole issue of privacy, or what's left of it....

If you use Face Book or Twitter or even MySpace to communicate with family or friends, then, why not pick up your phone in this age of bundled cellular minutes and data. Talk to those people and nurture them. Speak to your family and kids…remember, over 85% of communication is non-verbal, whether you can see the other person or not. If you are sitting in a Hospital ward or other institution, a voice call means more than a wall post.

If you are in a committed relationship, then by all means talk to your partner if you are not receiving what you want or need. If you are a business owner, then more power to you. Face Book and Twitter as well as MySpace are great no cost means of marketing your business.

Image Credit: dubinandlee.com

Friendship...revisited

2011-11-15T11:06:00.002-06:00

My last essay on Friendship was a different animal, a discussion of a friend that passed on.

This past weekend as part of a business trip, I was able to enjoy the company of old friends and make a couple of new ones.

In the case of the old friends, upon our meeting, as it always is with old friends, the discussion took up where we last left off, years ago, as if the intervening time was processed by a relativistic machine, compressing years into days. As in a business meeting, there is a structure, albeit loosely formed. After “new business” or “catching up” is discussed, old business in the form of reminiscing takes precedence. The major difference from a business meeting is that the time of the next meeting is not scheduled.

In the case of the new friends, one business and another social, it’s commonality of life experience and pursuit of similar goals that ultimately brings people together.

You can tell a lot about the character of new friendships based upon the friends that those people surround themselves with.

Quote of the Day

2011-11-09T09:04:00.001-06:00

Today's quote is from Ingrid Bergman:

"A kiss is a lovely trick, designed by nature to stop speech, when words become superfluous."

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Omelette Fest...Abbeville, LA today...

2011-11-06T17:18:00.000-06:00

To be sure...One of my favorite Louisiana festivals is the Omelette Celebration in Abbeville. 5000 eggs and appropriate seasonings. According to Andrew Bourdain, one of the best dishes every man should know how to prepare.

Image Credit: MTS; Leica M8.2 28mm SanDiskCard

Borealis Lodge

2011-11-05T16:35:00.000-05:00

On my Bucket List....The Borealis Lodge above the Arctic Circle in Alaska to watch the Northern Lights. Last time I was there it was Summer and the mosquitoes were as thick as Louisiana, maybe worse. No lights and lots of cloud cover.

It is a bit above the magnetic fields of Fairbanks, which are some of the strongest, but it'll do.

Image Credit: MTS; Leica M8.2 28mm SanDisk card

Questions 67 and 68 from Tokyo

2011-11-02T20:22:00.000-05:00

Written by Robert Lamm, and arguably one of Chicago Transit Authority's best. Here is the Live version from Tokyo....

Bruce Lee....Words from the Master

2011-10-19T17:11:00.000-05:00

When one has no form, one can be all forms; when one has no style, he can fit in with any style.

A Classic Repost

2011-10-15T23:15:00.000-05:00

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T20:50:00.001-05:00

Image Source: MacMall.com

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Recent Neutrino Discovery

2011-10-03T21:12:00.001-05:00

The recent press conference at CERN given by Dario Autiero concerning Neutrinos flying faster than light may shake the very foundations of Einstein's theories of General and Special Relativity. I hope it doesn't affect the Theory of Relativity as it pertains to women, to wit, per Einstein himself:

"Whereas sitting on a hot stove for 2 minutes may seem like 2 hours, sitting next to a hot woman for 2 hours may not seem like long enough!"

Image Credit: European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)

PORTALS

2011-09-21T21:14:00.002-05:00

All Images: MTS Leica MP scanned negatives. Some are Ilford 50; others are Kodak C-41 process.

Top to Bottom:   Foundation Vent, ULL Campus, Lafayette, LA
                         Downtown Houston, TX Storefront
                         San Francisco Doorway, CA
                         Rice Theatre, Crowley, LA
                         New Hampshire Fire Tower
                         Foundation Vent, Sunset, LA
                         Bike Repair Shop, Cambridge, MA
   Satay Building MIT Campus, Cambridge, MA

Waiting for Surgery...

2011-09-20T22:47:00.000-05:00

The image you see above is posted with permission of and copyrighted by the photographer, Coos Hamburger, Hamburger Consulting Group. Coos is the master of the digital Leica, and is currently working on special projects for Maryland Shock Trauma Center (STC).

The essay which appears below was written by me, shortly after this photograph was captured. Originally posted in January 2011, this is a repost with the essay as a caption to the picture.

"I am in the University of Maryland surgical waiting room as I write this, waiting for news on my girlfriend having surgery and acting as a surrogate family member. As this is also a famous trauma center, the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, there is quite a mix of families in this “Healing Garden,” probably the most beautiful atrium style surgical waiting area I have seen in all of my days as a physician.

There are those people in the throws of dealing with the realities of acute trauma to a family member or friend, and those like me, who await the outcome of a more elective procedure, though of equal necessity.

There are a few birds flying around amongst the shrubs and trees in this enclosed space. The birds are resting now but earlier there was a cacophony of song from them. The lighting is a mixture of natural light, from a huge skylight overhead nearly half the size of a football field and artificial light from a Bauhaus - looking building on one side of this giant room. The interior of the other side of this space is the exterior of a very Baltimore - style brick pavilion. A mix of the old and new; a medical regentrification project of sorts.

One clever feature of this space is an open bank of 3 modernized Otis elevators fashioned with shiny stainless steel cars. There is no intervening Plexiglas to muffle the sound of the elevator cars and counterweights, busily transporting patients and other passengers in a never ending ballet. They sound not unlike breaking waves of the ocean, although I am surely not at the beach.

I have a camera with me but perhaps this time, what you can see through my words is more illustrative than what you could have seen through my camera lens. Everyone in this room, including me is hopeful, hopeful for good news and hopeful for a good outcome for those for whom they are waiting. The positive energy in here is truly palpable."

Feets of Sophistication

2011-08-24T17:50:00.000-05:00

At the bar; Salt Tavern, Baltimore, March 2011 (click image for detail!)

Photo Credit: MTS Leica MP/28mm f2.8 scanned negative Kodak C41 process B/W

Super Record

2011-08-16T22:08:00.000-05:00

NOS Super Record Rear Derailleur ... Campagnolo, there is no substitute!

Image Credit: MTS LeicaM8.2/35mmf2.8Sandisk

R.I.P Robert H. Widmer...

2011-07-25T21:26:00.001-05:00

As I get older and wiser, often I see that it is the people in life that are behind the scenes, the unsung heroes, that are actually shaping our world and our lives. One such individual was Robert Widmer. He lived the "extreme black." The netherworld of the black or ultrasecret projects of our Country.

Born in 1916, Widmer was schooled at the famous Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, then at Cal Tech. He then joined Convair in San Diego to work on marine aircraft. It is said that the day Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, he began work on the B-58, which was to become the world's first supersonic bomber and broke many worldwide records for altitude, endurance and speed, in 1961. The Hustler, as he called it, could fly 15 miles high, at twice the speed of sound and deliver a nuclear payload. He also designed the F-111 and F-16, putting many hours on the design board, "on his own time." For that sacrifice, we should all be grateful.

He also later lead the design of the Tomahawk cruise missile and worked on unmanned aircraft integral to the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. He saw lethal airplanes as instruments of world peace. His mission was so vital to National Security that it is rumored that the CIA kept a security vigil on his family's suburban street in Fort Worth.

In each of these cases, Widmer foresaw the need for the aircraft on his design board before the military or executive branches. No big surprise there. Widmer retired from the progeny of Convair, Lockheed Martin, but continued to commute to the office to contribute. Widmer died in June at the age of 95.

Rest in peace, Bob. And thanks for keeping us safe.

Here's a video of the B-58 from sonicbomb.com with the actor (Brig. General) Jimmy Stewart exiting the cockpit at the end. Music is "Breathe" by Telepopmusik.

Image Credit: B-58 Hustler (wikipedia.org open source file)

The Twilight Zone?

2011-07-06T18:54:00.000-05:00

I do not always agree with Maureen Dowd. However, her OpEd yesterday in the New York Times is very good. Rod Serling was way before his time.

The Permalink is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/06/opinion/06dowd.html

Volvo Amason...er...Amazon.

2011-06-29T19:25:00.001-05:00

I met my good buddy Bill at Starbucks recently for coffee. He told me on the phone that he was coming in his "new" car. Needless, to say, I was not ready for the cool ride he appeared in. A 1967 Volvo 122S, a "survivor" car that has never seen modification or restoration.

This car was built by Volvo from 1956 to 1970, and due to the longevity of many of the units produced, became a symbol for quality and durability. The 122 is a symbolic vehicle for many Volvo clubs around the world. The successor to this car was the famous Volvo 140 series.

The car was originally called the AmaSon, after the fierce Greek female warriors, but due to a licensing conflict with the German motorcycle manufacturer Kreidler, the name was changed to AmaZon.

I drove the car that day for a few blocks; what a hoot. The modern driving experience so isolates us from the road compared to an early vehicle such as this.

My fellow blogger, Wielrennerke, used to have an Amazon...This is Ruud in his car, many years ago...

R.I.P. Peter Faulk

2011-06-24T14:55:00.000-05:00

Peter Faulk, TV's Columbo died last night in Beverly Hills. One of my favorite actors. Typecast by Columbo, he also did many great movies.

Image Credit: trialx.com

Happy Father's Day, to all...

2011-06-19T09:03:00.000-05:00

"My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, you've had a great life." -- Elbert Hubbard