KWBaker

Buckwheat Zydeco
Appearing at Foundry Park Inn (Athens, GA) on Saturday, March 21, 2015

Obama amnesty qualifies 2 million illegals for tax breaks, benefits...


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FAIR TRADE: Teen Opens Pawn Shop for Sneakers...


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Who makes the perfect gin and tonic? British Airways?

Bit early on a Wednesday for this but have been rolling it around for years. Why does a G&T taste better on the plane than any other time? Bothered a few contacts and came up with 3 points;

A) tonic must be ice cold - like from the hold at 30,000 feet
B) must be a can - for maximum fizz
C) gin must be Gordons*

Sis is a London resto GM, and a former sommelier with encyclopedic knowledge of the London drinks scene. Her take...

"I never drink Gordons any other time but it is such a classic pairing. I think the whole being on a plane thing is redolent of holiday so that first drink is like a release. Even if the flight is not for vacation. It is suspended time. No matter the time of day! The cold tonic is key. Seems fizzier too.

Even the lemon vs lime is a unique thing as I would never drink one normally with lemon.  Think Pan Am or old school BA where a G&T would be so common as an aperitif.

The serving is also key. Small can of tonic. Perfect measure of gin."

Water-Wise Perennials

	Water-wise Oriental Poppies make a striking backdrop for other plants  (Papaver orientale). Photo credit: F.D. Richards Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0
	Water-wise Daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva) come in a variety of colors and sizes. Photo credit: normanack Flickr CC  BY 2.0

A water-wise perennial is a plant which, once established, requires infrequent watering (usually less than two times per month) while retaining its aesthetic value. Keep in mind that a perennial considered water-wise in the Northeastern US may not be water-wise in the Southwestern part of the country.

Water-wise perennials are becoming more popular and are available in many commercial venues from large chain store suppliers to independent plant retailers allowing for a wide range of choices appropriate for the local climate.

Many water-wise perennial plants have high ornamental value, flower displays that appear year after year, and are adapted to a wide range of growing conditions. 

Select water-wise perennials for the appropriate USDA Plant Hardiness Zone,  amount of sun or shade the particular location receives, and mature plant size.  A carefully planned perennial bed can provide years of satisfaction, long lasting color, and reduced water use.
 

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Additional Resources:

The following publications include plant lists of plant characteristics you might want to use in your landscape: 
West

Colorado - Xeriscaping: Perennials and Annual Flowers
Oregon  - Plant in Spring for Summer and Fall Color with Water-wise Flowering Perennials
Utah  - Water-wise Plants for Utah Landscape

Midwest:

Nebraska - Annuals/Perennials

Southeast:

         Flower Beds: Some Water-Wise Choices for Miami-Dade

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Economist: World Leaders Will Exploit 'Charlie Hebdo' to Eliminate Encryption...


(Third column, 8th story, link)

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Related stories:

NEW OBAMA PUSH FOR GOVT-RUN INTERNET...
'CYBERSECURITY RULES'...
Privacy advocates sound alarm...
Unnecessarily 'broad legal immunity'...

NEIMAN MARCUS debuts digital mirror...


(Third column, 20th story, link)

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Related stories:

MICROSOFT teases 'Minority Report'-style customer recognition...

Stone shelter on Carrauntoohil, the highest peak in Ireland.

Contributed by Aksel Nichols.

Cheap gas feels good. It made for a more pleasant Christmas. But it should be remembered that many of the very best, highest paying jobs created since the onset of the great economic slowdown (in 2013 oilfield workers in North Dakota made on average over $112,000/year – many without a college degree) in the USA have been in the energy sector, and primarily in hydraulic fracking. Say what you want about the practice but it has been a (the?) key source of economic growth (such as it has been) for the United States over the last 4 years. Additionally, and this is not well known, fracking has (and the cheap natural gas which has come with the practice) pushed down USA carbon emissions markedly. As of October 2013 carbon emissions were at 1992 levels and dropping. Think about that. If one is concerned about global warming, and we know some of our readers are, that should be cause for celebration.

And before people start freaking I out, I have absolutely no horse in the fracking race. In fact there is a pipeline scheduled to go in just south of me transporting fracking product from West Virginia to the coast which I am not terribly keen on.

Saying this however the fracking revolution has been a huge benefit to the US economically and at least as important from a geopolitical perspective. We are now a net exporter of oil. We are the biggest producer in the world! 5 years ago people would have laughed at the idea that our reliance on foreign oil could be reduced so quickly, if at all.

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Word coming down the anecdotal (and now non-anecdotal) grapevine is that Obamacare is a developing nightmare. No one knows how it’s going to work in the long run, or the short run for that matter. There seems to be pain at every level. From the patients who have no idea what they are covered for, what a deductible is etc., to doctors who are increasingly just dropping out and retiring, things are not going well. Billing is more difficult. Compliance is more difficult. Margins are being squeezed. Quality of care is going down. All while liability risk is increasing. A bouillabaisse of dysfunction.

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Another terrorist attack and another liberty grab by politicians. It’s like clockwork. Some tragedy happens and some busybody uses it as an opportunity to take yet more freedom from everyday people.

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When you absolutely, positively must have the very best image quality possible, it's the GoPro Hero4 Black by a landslide.

LINK (via:Gizmodo)

Bill Sargent wrote this Florida Today column in June 1980 about his friend Gadabout Gaddis, who had the first television fishing show in the 1950s and early '60s known as "The Flying Fisherman." In this column, Gaddis recalls his early days at Sebastian Inlet.

LINK (via:Florida Today)

On Sunday night, The Grand Budapest Hotel took home the Golden Globe for Best Picture Musical or Comedy. It was both the first win and first nomination for director Wes Anderson, whose idiosyncratic style hasn't always garnered acclaim from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Last year, just before the now award-winning film was released, Anderson sat down with Paul Holdengräber for one of the New York Public Library's LIVE events to discuss a number of wide ranging topics over the course of an hour and a half. He reminisces on films that were particularly influential in shaping his desire to pursue directing, including François Truffaut's The 400 Blows, of which he says, "This movie in particular I think was one of the reasons I started thinking I would like to try to make movies."

Anderson also talks about his debt to literature, reacts to clips from his earlier movies, and discusses the story of The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Check out the full interview below for a deep dive on Anderson's process in honor of his first Golden Globe.

[ Filed under Science & in the Earth & Nature category ]

Humans have a tendency to think of termites as pests, but we seldom take into account the fact that there are thousands of species. Not all of them are the house-devouring little bugs home buyers are so terrified of finding. Termitat is an ant farm-like display that houses a slice of Douglas Fir and a colony of termites in a clear 1/4″ thick acrylic habitat.

Chris Poehlmann developed the Termitat after 25 years of designing exhibits for zoos, museums, and aquariums. He has been fascinated with the tiny world of termites since 1982 when he built his first termite habitat for a California natural history museum.

Poehlmann created the Termitat to share this fascination with the world. Termites have complex social systems and lead surprisingly fascinating lives – much like ants, even though they’re far less cute. Owners of the Termitat don’t have to worry about escapes and house munching; the species used in the display don’t eat houses or thrive in a home environment outside of their acrylic case.

Taking care of the termites is easy. Their food is already included, and that one slice of wood can last the 25-strong colony for up to three years. An injection of water every week keeps them happy and active. Although the termites aren’t of the dangerous persuasion, the Termitat can’t ship outside of the U.S. or to certain states. Starting at $125, the termite colony is considerably more expensive than a little plastic ant farm, but it’s got to be satisfying to watch that slice of wood being eaten away one day at a time.

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[ Filed under Science & in the Earth & Nature category ]

[ Gajitz | Archives | Categories | Privacy | TOS ]

Protesters Gather at Clinton Foundation to Complain of 'Missing Money' from Haiti Recovery...


(Third column, 9th story, link)

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Related stories:

'Still living under tents'...

Man awakens from 12 years in 'vegetative state'... 'I was aware of everything'...


(Third column, 19th story, link)

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[ Filed under Science & in the New Materials category ]

The next time you pick up an eco-friendly pair of shoes, you might actually be wearing the byproduct of the thriving pineapple industry. A new textile called Piñatex has the potential to push environmentally-harmful products like leather, vinyl, and even cotton out of the way. And, interestingly enough, it is made from the discarded leaves of pineapple trees.

Carmen Hijosa invented Piñatex while working in the leather industry. On a business trip to the Phillippines, she witnessed first-hand the toxic effect the industry had on the environment and on its workers. On the same trip, however, she was struck by a brilliant idea: the ridiculously abundant natural fibers in the Phillippines could be used as a harmless and versatile substitute. After years of research and development, Hijosa founded the company Ananas Anam and patented her invention.

Once the fruit is harvested from the pineapple tree, the tree is left to rot. Hijosa developed a method in which the otherwise-wasted leaves from those trees are harvested, degummed, and put through a process that turns them into a non-woven textile comparable to felt or leather. The Piñatex can then be stamped to resemble other materials such as metallic vinyl, leather, or snakeskin.

The most exciting aspect of Piñatex is that it is completely sustainable and uses no more water than it takes to grow the plants, which are already being grown for the food industry. Even cotton, long considered an eco-friendly textile, uses an alarming amount of water in its production. Piñatex is currently being tested in real-world applications such as clothing and upholstery, and it has the potential to become an incredibly versatile, Earth-friendly alternative to traditional textiles.

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[ Filed under Science & in the New Materials category ]

[ Gajitz | Archives | Categories | Privacy | TOS ]

AMG’s stratospheric rise to the pinnacle of motorsports can only be attributed to one mountain-moving sedan: The Red Pig.

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Lloyds Hotel of Möllerfjorden on the arctic island chain of Svalbard, Norway. 

Writes contributor Lauren Farmer:

This “5 star” hut was built in 1912 (or some say 1925) by the shipping company North German Lloyd as an emergency shelter after they took over the possessions of the 1910 “Zeppelin” Expedition, which had occupied the area. 

I’ve been fortunate enough to see it twice and am still amazed it’s stocked with unopened bottles of vodka! And plenty of 40 year old magazines.

More here.

When the president says that he wants the government to pay for everyone to go to 2 years of community college what he is really saying is that he wants you to pay for everyone to go to community college. There is no “free” college. There is no “free” anything. Everything has a cost and I have to pay for college for 3 kids of my own in the not so distant future already. I don’t need yet another bill just because the president wants to throw some gifts to folks who voted for him.

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By Ron Paul

If Americans were honest with themselves they would acknowledge that the Republic is no more. We now live in a police state. If we do not recognize and resist this development, freedom and prosperity for all Americans will continue to deteriorate. All liberties in America today are under siege.

It didn’t happen overnight. It took many years of neglect for our liberties to be given away so casually for a promise of security from the politicians. The tragic part is that the more security was promised — physical and economic — the less liberty was protected.

With cradle-to-grave welfare protecting all citizens from any mistakes and a perpetual global war on terrorism, which a majority of Americans were convinced was absolutely necessary for our survival, our security and prosperity has been sacrificed.

It was all based on lies and ignorance. Many came to believe that their best interests were served by giving up a little freedom now and then to gain a better life.

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Editing is the bottleneck part of the workflow for many portrait photographers. We can shoot a great picture in mere seconds, but when it comes to editing dozens of images, it often feels like it takes forever. The biggest editing time saver is of course to get it right when shooting. There are countless things that can’t be “fixed” in Photoshop, but editing images isn’t meant to be the main part of a photographer’s job anyway.

I am always hesitant to talk about editing because I think it gets taken way too far, way too often, and in those cases we aren’t talking about photo editing, but rather imagery manipulation (which is an art in and of itself, but an art completely different than portrait photography). All of that said, oh how I wish someone had taught me some tricks, and gave me some tips when I first started. You can learn to pose people, find good light, and the ins and outs of your camera in time, but learning to edit is a frustrating and lengthy process that used to make me want to go pick-up an application at McDonalds.

Professional photographers who have had great success are often so hesitant to tell their secrets and explain what they have learned. I have never understood that. I could tell you everything I do, exactly how I do it, and if you went about it the exact same way, you would still end up with a completely different image of your own. So here it is, my five best portrait editing tips (along with a bonus extra five tips below) to make your editing process more productive and hopefully much quicker. Because I use Photoshop, these are all geared in that direction, though there should be equivalents in nearly all other image editing software.

#1 – Learn shortcuts and use actions

All editing software offer keystroke shortcuts and actions (or similar) to make the things you do often, easier and quicker. I could have a four year degree in Adobe and still likely just be scratching the surface of what can be done with photo editing software like Photoshop and Lightroom. Luckily I don’t have to store all of that in my brain (which is already pretty crowded with song lyrics and useless trivia), because I have memorized the keyboard shortcuts for the tools I use most often and have set up all of my customized actions to run on my F keys. Not only does this make editing ridiculously quick, it also means that I give 100% of my attention to a shoot and when it comes time to be an editing machine, I can sing-along to my terrible music and multi-task straight through it.

#2 – Have one black and white and one color process

Converting an image to a fun vintage or using your skills to cross-process is tempting, and maybe here and there, it’s fun. But, the easiest way to scale back the amount of time you sit staring at editing software is to streamline your process and this means doing all of your images in the same manner.

I have one way that I do black and white images that I have programmed into a single action. Same with my color shots. I do whatever basic touch-up I’m going to do first, then I hit play for either my color or black and white action. Because I always photograph people, this simple task works for every photo I need to edit. It also has the added bonus of giving my images continuity and creating a signature look.

My color images look different than yours – and they should! You should have a color process that gives people a hint that you took the image. Same for monochrome; I want someone to look at a black and white photo I took and know “that’s one of Lynsey’s photos”. This not only cuts down on editing time, but also helps define your brand.

#3 – Run auto options

When I get tired because I’ve been editing for hours on end, I can stare at an image forever and know that it needs something, but I have no idea what. This is when it’s time for two things; to change the music you’re listening to and to run an “auto” function – auto color, auto tone, or the auto RAW image editor – not typically to use it, but to see what your software, in all its brilliance, thinks you should do. Sometimes it will have good ideas and sometimes it won’t, but it will always gives you a look at the image in a different way, which can be extremely helpful.

#4 – Accept a few universal truths

Everyone has one eye that is larger than the other. Kids will always have a scratch or scab somewhere. Double chins can happen to anyone. Most adults have a physical feature they aren’t 100% happy with.

My husband has a gorgeous head of hair. At an age when many men are shaving their heads to supersede a bald spot, my husband gets asked if he does shampoo commercials. (He should, if only so we can become millionaires already, and get a pool.) You would think this would make for great pictures – not having to work with a shiny head reflecting everywhere – but you’d be wrong. He hates his forehead, which I think is ridiculous as its perfectly proportioned to his head and glorious hairline. But, even though he is my husband and knows I am always right, there is no convincing him on this issue. Nor is it my place to try when taking his picture.

The best thing I can do for anyone who expresses concern for a facial or body feature is give them a picture where they aren’t going to see their perceived flaw immediately. Pull out their great features so that you aren’t trying to both, take good pictures, and also change their mind.

#5 – Aim for people to look exactly like themselves, turned up ONE notch

You are not a plastic surgeon. We all want our clients to love photos of themselves but that shouldn’t come at the cost of you having to spend a great deal of time manipulating an image. My rule is simple – I don’t edit permanent features or make massive changes to faces or bodies. If you have a mole, I’m not going to touch it. But if you happen to have a pimple on picture day, fixing that is the least I can do for you. I sometimes dodge eyes lightly (keyboard shortcut O), but never in an obvious way. I may whiten teeth a bit (using the magnetic lasso and hue/saturation levels), smooth out a chin line (clone stamp and healing brush), or pull in a lumpy bit at the waist or elsewhere (liquify and clone stamp), but only in a way that is more flattering and looks the way I know they usually would if they didn’t have a giant camera in their face, uncomfortable clothes on, and were running around after kids, or just generally feeling awkward like people tend to when someone is taking their picture.

Like many other portrait photographers, I use a retouching tool (Totally Rad Pro Retouch action is my preference) that I apply liberally with the brush tool to all faces and then scale back by lowering the opacity. This allows for skin to look natural – normal skin has lines and freckles and areas rosier than others, but takes care of the small bumps and spots that cameras have a way of highlighting and putting on display.

What happens when you blow it? You took shots that no amount of editing could make great? You vow to do it right next time, that’s what. Here is a little lagniappe from me to you:

My five best quick portrait tips for getting it right in camera

1.) Shoot from above

Always have your subject lower than you so you are shooting downward. This can prevent double chins, unflattering angles, and in my husbands case, imaginary big foreheads. Unflattering portraits are most often due to bad camera angles and that is something that can’t be changed in any editing process.

2.) Avoid “dead light”

Shade is a wonderful thing for natural light photography, but large patches of shade, particularly in the morning hours, can often be very cold for color temperature. Everyone looks better with a little warmth, so strive to shoot in shady areas that feel more warm in tone (think orange, yellow, red) than cool (blue).

3.) Suggest solid clothing or large scale prints.

Small prints on a shirt tend to make people look larger.

4.) Photograph people doing something….anything.

Avoid a boring portrait that is “all face” by having moment or action – this can be as small as involving their hands to frame their face or something more significant like leaning on wall or, my favorite, spinning.

5.) Talk honestly with your subjects beforehand.

Find out what features they feel most comfortable with and anything they would like you to avoid or watch out for. I’ve heard it all, from people swearing they have tiny heads to people who felt their large feet would throw off the entire photo. The single best thing you can to ensure they will like their photo is listen to them before you even take one. It is not your job to tell them they are wrong about their insecurities – it’s your job to try and show them they are likely being over-critical. Hear their words so you will be mindful of their concerns and photograph them looking beautiful, or handsome, or at least like they don’t have a big forehead.

The post 5 Tips to Cut Your Portrait Editing Time in Half by Lynsey Mattingly appeared first on Digital Photography School.

I've always enjoyed water-distribution puzzles. They are simple in structure and usually straightforwardly posed, but their plain presentation belies their challenging nature. Here are three classic variations on the theme to wrap your head around.

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Mexican cannibal cartel forced new recruits to EAT THE HEARTS of people they murdered: Hey, I’ve got a great idea!  Let’s have an open borders policy so that people like this can just walk on in! New recruits to a vicious Mexican drug cartel were...