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The Americans by Robert Frank

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As I mentioned a few weeks ago I thought it would be interesting to talk about a classic photography book with others. There is a Japanese phrase Ju nin to iro which means 10 people 10 colors i.e. we all perceive the world a slightly different way. I’d be delighted to hear how you see the images in the book. For me the cover image of the street car in New Orleans is one of the most powerful. A clear reminder that when Robert Frank made his journey across America in 1955/1956 the divisions between races were very clear. It was December 1st 1955 that Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her seat for a white passenger. The image of the rodeo rider is another of my favorites, what strikes me is just how wiry and sinuous he appears. For me it seems to speak of a time when heroes, and perhaps America in general, were leaner. So there you go, anyone else want to share their thoughts?

The Windows 7 Whopper

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This news is a little outdated  but from the 22nd to the 28th of October Burger Kings in Japan were selling Windows 7 Whopper burgers to celebrate the arrival of Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system. What amazes me is that someone at a PR firm thought this was a good idea, and even more remarkably, people at Microsoft agreed. Companies pay millions to be associated with certain sports stars or actors, why would Microsoft want to link itself to something quite so noxious. The campaign could almost have had the tagline “Want system failure and fatal errors, try Windows 7”.

EarthDesk and the approaching typhoon.

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One little piece of software I have for my computer is EarthDesk. For 25 dollars it gives you god-like powers by transforming your desktop into a real time dynamic image of the planet.  You can gaze down on the Earth and see areas of day, night and moonlight. You can see city lights, the physical topography of the land and cloud cover. When I look at the screen right now I can even see a typhoon approaching from the east. Here’s a screen shot from my computer. Clever stuff.