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Roombas also come equipped with color-changing LEDs that indicate things like remaining battery power and dirty spots. The LED lights combined with a seemingly random cleaning path has led some intrepid photographers to take long exposure photographs. The results, a kind of ‘light painting’ are mesmerizing.

Some artists have even taken the idea a step further, using multiple roombas in a single room or affixing various colored LEDs to the Roomba to garner a multitude of results. And with no two Roomba paths being the same, the possibilities are endless.

Cool piece by Rainer Sigl for Kill Screen Daily about the new trend of people taking images of in-game worlds:

For the first time, a new crop of in-game-photographers are travelling  these gaming spaces to hunt for pictures. And just like their real-world counterparts, these photographers bring their own tastes and their own unique viewpoint to their art: Some of these pictures remind us of Ansel Adams’ majestic portraits of nature, others turn architecture into abstract collages, reminiscent of the works of Ernst Haas and Andreas Gursky.

There’s some neat stuff going on in this space, and they have linked to some neat blogs that showcase these kinds of images in the article.

 

John Carey:

I can’t help but dwell heavily on impending high resolution displays that could be entering the market. After reading an article containing some basic projections on the future of high density displays in mac products I cringed to imagine that my 5D images would not be a high enough resolution to fill the screen on an iMac with a retina display. In fact, the 27″ model could potentially use an only slightly smaller resolution than a full raw file from a 5D Mark III. That is pretty insane to imagine.

He has some great thoughts on Retina display resolutions, the possible advancing of the Megapixel Myth, and other implications of switching to high-density displays that perhaps you haven’t considered yet.

So much talk is focused on how awesome the technology is (and it is), but there are some interesting practicality concerns, especially if next year sees the release of 27″-ish high-density displays.

Personally, I think the biggest gains are in UI and text applications, and that it’s going to be hard for images to catch up, much as watching SD television on HD sets early in the life of HDTV was really awful.

Lily Burana for the New York Times:

What brings the tears to my eyes is not just the bereaved young woman, but the Marine who stands behind her. In an earlier photo in the series, we see him building her a little nest of blankets on the air mattress. Sweet Lord, I cry just typing the words, the matter-of-fact tenderness is so overwhelming. So soldierly. But in this photo — the one that lives on and on online — he merely stands next to the coffin, watching over her. It is impossible to be unmoved by the juxtaposition of the eternal stone-faced warrior and the disheveled modern military wife-turned-widow, him rigid in his dress uniform, her on the floor in her blanket nest, wearing glasses and a baggy T-shirt, him nearly concealed by shadow while the pale blue light from the computer screen illuminates her like God’s own grace.

I believe this photo has had such a long viral life not just because it is so honest but also because it is so modern.

For a lot of people, Memorial Day has become something that’s more about a day off work, cooking out, and sales at your favorite stores. It’s yet another thing that we’ve seen fit to over-commercialize until lots of people don’t even know what it really means.

Read the whole thing. Sadly, the Rocky Mountain News is no more, and I wasn’t able to find the original piece on the shell of a website they have left.

UPDATE: My buddy Ken found some related photos in a slideshow at the Times here.

I posted this very recently, but I would like to talk about this image, which in my mind is the best image of me that has ever been taken:

What you see here is me with almost ten years less and certainly several pounds less. For that alone, I could love this picture.

But there’s so much more to this.

The small human you see on my shoulder is our first child. You can see the sleep deprivation on my face and the joy that lies behind my eyes. I see strength in myself as a new father and someone ready for the next great adventure, but also the frailty of that “OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL DO WE THINK WE’RE DOING” just beneath the surface.

There are things about it that aren’t ideal; my lip is a mess from my anxiety, the exhaustion is clear on my face, and the light is harsh. But I love the subtle set of my jaw and the feeling of my being on guard for this little person.

So many things have changed since this was taken. Joshua is an older brother to three siblings and one yet to come. I have been through no less than three career sharp turns, with what was once a situation of despondence and worry turning into the greatest opportunity of my life to help change the world. There have been immeasurable joys and unimaginable sorrows.

I have learned that life is an amazing adventure and I do not know where it will take me even still.

What would I say to the man in this picture? I’m not sure I even know. But I know that he couldn’t have imagined the wild ride that was in front of him.

I haven’t done this before, but in the interest of marking where I was sitting when I took pictures at baseball games, I present you the map of seating locations where I currently have been or have purchased tickets in the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals season (will be updated as the summer goes on):

You can click the map to see a larger version.

Kids’ Opening Weekend – Section 368, Row 6, Seats 8–13
Kids’ Second Game – Section 453, Row 1
Date with My Wife – Commissioner’s Box, Row C, Seats 1–2
Game with Dad – Section 344

NASA joins the Commons on Flickr today with three iconic sets spanning the US space agency’s 50+ year history. Their Commons account will feature photos from across the agency’s many locations and centers, chronicling the history of space and lunar missions, and the people and places of the organization.

Gaze upon what used to be at the forefront of American ingenuity and industriousness.

(via Flickr Blog.)

This white balance card set allows you to wear your photography rights around your neck while you’re out shooting, and can be easily shown to anyone who challenges your legal right to photograph.

I wasn’t aware of how far-ranging the rights of photographers are. I am happy I read this and think this is a neat-o product idea.

(via PetaPixel Store.)

I’m not liking the strap that came with my Rebel T2i, so I’m looking for an aftermarket solution. (It’s a little itchy and not really long enough.) Does anyone have any suggestions? I would prefer something that goes over neck and shoulder, and that allows me to quickdraw for pictures.

Comments go!