Caption This 71

Please caption this image
[Click here for instructions on how Caption This works]
London, ON, April 2008 [Click to embiggen]

I love our kids' eyes. They all have blue eyes like I do, but looking into them, I see so much of my wife as well. They're expressive, bright, inquisitive, and I could look into them forever.

Yet as much as I adore this particular composition of her, I can't for the life of me figure out what to call it. So I'm asking you for help.

Your turn: You know the Caption This drill...please look into our daughter's eye and suggest a snappy caption or nine in a comment. I'll pick the best one - along with a few honorable menschens - and publish the winner next Sunday, along with a new Caption This photo. I will, of course, continue to share snippets of life in general every day until then, so check back during the week to see what's new.

Speaking of menschens, here's the lowdown on honorables from last week's photo of my friend the gator:

• Ontario Emperor: "Mmm...Canadian."
• Bob-kat: "I'm actually vegetarian but no-one knows".
• Pat: "Hey Bud! You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours!"
• Colleen: "I dare ya."
• Jacie: "you looking at me......?"
• Terri: "Human, the other white meat."
• Robin: "Lady in waiting"
• Sara: "Giving a whole new meaning to the 'stealth fighter'"
• Carletta: "I don't tread lightly in these Crocs!"
• Catheroo: "Remember the game Hungry Hungry Hippos? Yeah. This is not that game."
• Marmiteandtea: "Eat ya later!"

And the winner is...Terri, for "Human, the other white meat." Terri isn't your average Written Inc. reader (wait, are there any average folks here? Didn't think so!) She's a nurse who regularly sticks needles into my arm. No, I'm not an addict. It's all for a good cause: my regular blood plasma donation. I'm sure she'd be happy to poke a hole in your arm, too! Let me know if you're ever in the area and want to tag along with me. The more the merrier.

Annals of parenting - forgetting a kid

I'm far from a perfect parent, so I'm the last person who would sit by and tsk-tsk another parent for some supposed failure to be more like Mrs. Brady or Mrs. Cleaver. But sometimes I come across a story that just makes me want to go "huh?"

To wit, this piece from CanWest earlier this week: Parents forget toddler at airport.

I dunno. But I suspect I'd know if one of my kids wasn't with me on a long trip. It's not like losing a pair of nail clippers, y'know. Munchkins - especially 18-month-olds like this one - tend to be a bit noisier than carry-on luggage.

Thankfully this had a happy ending.

Your turn: Ever forget something really important in a public place? How did everything end up?

What lies beneath

The underside of Adelaide Road
London, ON, October 2007 [Click to enlarge]

I drive it almost every day, a nondescript stretch of four-lane road that monotonously drones from one forgettable neighborhood to another. Yet until I took a late afternoon walk on the path that runs underneath the road surface, I never gave much thought to what I was passing over.

As so often happens when I meander, it got me thinking: Crossing a bridge used to be an event. The road would narrow as the flimsy-looking truss loomed ahead. You'd watch out for oncoming traffic, and would often wait until other cars completed their journey before beginning your own. You'd drive slowly, deliberately across the span, quietly thanking the long-gone engineers who built this roadway through the sky.

Today, most crossings are basic decks, so much a part of the surrounding roadscape that most motorists have no idea they've just driven over a river. Another way in which technology insulates us from the world around outside.

So I wandered to a place that most people don't know exists and found...well, I'm not quite sure what I found. That's up to you...

Your turn: What did I find. What would you find on the path rarely taken?

Falling from the sky

Wingover
St. Thomas, ON, June 2007 [Click to embiggen]

This remains one of my most memorable moments from our grand adventure at the St. Thomas Air Show last summer (see here, here, here, here and here for earlier entries.) As I lay on the ground and shot straight up, all I could think of was what must have been going through this guy's head as he spun crazily toward the planet.

Of course, there was nothing crazy about it. The SkyHawks are the parachute demonstration team of the Canadian Armed Forces. They're probably as well trained in falling from the sky as anyone on - or off - the planet. It was an incredible sight to see.

Your turn: What makes someone "the best"?

Wordless Wednesday - Drowning

Swirled texture
London, ON, April 2008 [Click to embiggen - you know you want to!]

Sometimes, you just want to reach out and touch it. Go ahead: I promise I won't tell anyone.

Your turn: Photographic texture. How do you achieve it?

One more thing: If you're new to Written Inc., I hope you'll stick around for a bit and read a few other entries. I promise you it won't hurt. We're still accepting submissions for this week's Caption This as well. Click here to kickstart the fun.

BlackBerry Bold - I want one

Research In Motion (RIM) announced its all-singing, all-dancing handheld device earlier this week It's called the BlackBerry Bold (also known numerically as the BlackBerry 9000 - "bold" refers to the quality of the screen. Focus group testers called it "bold" and "brilliant", and "brilliant" wouldn't make such a great name, so...) I'm already planning to "accidentally" leave my existing 8830 under the left passenger-side tire of the family car to, um, facilitate my upgrade path to the new device.

Despite my rep as a bit of a geek, I'm not a gadget hound. Reading spec sheets bores me, and the fanboy arguments in forums and blogs over whose device has better features than all the others reminds me of the pointless exchanges we used to have in elementary school at recess.

But this one's a little different, because there's bigger news beyond the device itself. Specifically, it's RIM's first 3G device. 3G is the wireless equivalent of steroid injection, and shifting from our current, so-called 2G (or second generation) of devices to 3G will be like going from dial-up Internet to high-speed cable or DSL. Mark my words: the shift to 3G will open up entire new classes of services that just aren't feasible over today's pokey-by-comparison wireless handhelds and networks.

Oops, sorry for going a little overboard. This excites me...

I did a bunch of media yesterday, including a live radio hit with Gary Doyle on 570 News in Kitchener (RIM is based in Waterloo, which is part of the same Kitchener-Waterloo metropolitan area...thus this is pretty much RIM's hometown radio station.) Other print-based coverage included:

The National Post. Analysts, investors give thumbs-up to latest BlackBerry. Byline David George-Cosh. Also picked up online here, and by the Vancouver Sun.

However, as competition swirls, the challenge for RIM now is getting the devices into subscribers hands, said AR Communications Inc. senior vice president Carmi Levy.

"Anytime you can beat Apple to the punch is a good thing, but it's a small victory for RIM," he said. "It doesn't change the direction the market is going."

The release of the new BlackBerry model comes on the heels of an earlier announcement that RIM will co-manage a $150-million fund to spur the development of new applications for the smartphone devices.

"This is really the key to growing the BlackBerry franchise over time," Mr. Levy said.

InternetNews.com. BlackBerry Goes Bold for Market Gold. Byline Judy Mottl

According to Levy, given the Bold's expanded features and enhancements, the next several months will be full of news about new applications. "Once it hits its stride, this device will rewrite how we use mobile infrastructure," he said.

Had a couple of other notable hits last week, including:

Unstrung. Verizon Opens LiMo Door. Byline Dan Jones.

InternetNews.com. Motorola Looking to Lure Dev Talent. Byline Judy Mottl

Life's challenges notwithstanding, it's a kick to be able to do this when the wires start to crackle. Damn, this is fun.

Brokedown Palace

Illusion of strength
London, ON, April 2008 [Click to enlarge]

It's been over a month since I brought this picture home, and only after all this time have I noticed what's missing from the scene. Go ahead, look closely. I'll wait.

On a day when China reels from a killer earthquake and Myanmar/Burma continues to suffer - mostly alone, thanks to its mentally challenged military leaders - scenes like this, flaws and all, seem to resonate a little more deeply than they usually do.

I wonder if this will ever get fixed, or if someone's decided that it's good enough in its quietly imperfect state. I wonder about all the other broken things in our world, and hope they'll get fixed someday soon, too.

Your turn: Flawed perfection. Please discuss.

Caption This 70

Please caption this image
[Click here for instructions on how Caption This works]
Palm Beach, FL, December 2007 [Click to embiggen]

I took this image quickly because I couldn't stop thinking about what must have been going through his (her?) mind as he/she watched me compose the shot. "Lunch" doesn't seem far off. The other animals we saw that day (click here and here for a couple of other examples) seemed a little less menacing.

Your turn: Come up with the zippiest caption for this image and share it in a comment. Repeat as often as you wish. I'll post the winner around this time next Sunday.

About last week's image of our high-flying son: I love this shot because it so perfectly captures this little man's spirit. He enjoys being on this planet so much that he doesn't let anything slow him down. This week's honorable menschens include:

• Melissa: "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing."
• Terri: "Look at Noah's arc!"
• David: "Flight of fancy."
• Jacie: "Barefoot in the Park."
• Allison: "Barefoot and fancy free."
• Robin: "Jump in, feet first."
• Sara: "Look dad I can touch the sky."
• Bob-kat: "Playing with gravity."
• Lissa: "Happy feet"

And this week's winner: Me for "Someday I'll make it to the moon." When he first wiggles his bum onto the swing, Noah often asks how high I think he can go. When the moon is out, he'll challenge me to touch it...or whatever other elements we can identify in the sky, be they clouds, the sun, planes, birds, whatever. This kid's got hope, spunk and drive, and Me's entry encompassed them all. If you haven't visited her delightful blog, What's Up Spotty Chop, click on over and congratulate her.

One more thing: If you're of the motherhood persuasion, I hope you're having a lovely Mother's Day with your family. Although I'm quite the curmudgeon when it comes to commercialized excuses to build temporary sentiment and sell cards and gifts, I love taking moments to celebrate the things that really matter with the folks who really matter. I hope you do the same every day of the year.

Myanmar or Burma - stupid by any name

Bad: A cyclone hits the country, kills a huge amount of people, destroys entire regions and leaves over a million folks homeless.
Worse: The country's military rulers dawdle over whether to allow foreign aid and volunteers into the country.
Much worse: Those same rulers impound deliveries when they arrive.

By any definition, this is a crime against humanity. I'd hate to be there when these morons find themselves subject to a higher power.

Your turn: I'm at a loss for words here. What say you?

Fishing for goodness

Aquatic peace
Atlanta, GA, January 2008 [Click to embiggen]

As I often do when things get a little nutty, I spend a little quality time with stuff I've created. Looking over old words and pictures seems to bring me a little bit of peace when all else fails.

I took this photo over our winter vacation, when we carted the little people to the Georgia Aquarium and turned them loose on the mostly unsuspecting water creatures. I remember what it felt like as I took this picture: I was surrounded by hundreds of people, peering into a huge watery world populated by countless fish. It was as chaotic, fast-moving a scene as you'll ever likely see - well, short of a downtown Shanghai street - and yet I still felt like I had found a little oasis of calm in the middle of it all. I heard nothing as I composed this...no voices, footsteps, whining kids (other people's kids, of course.) It was just me and the fish.

Weird. But participating in the arts is supposed to take us places and inspire us, right?

Your turn: Escaping through the lens or the pen. Please discuss.

One more thing: Thank you all for your heartfelt wishes following yesterday's post. When I share this with my parents, they'll doubtless be touched - as I have certainly been. I do not have any news to report beyond the fact that we continue to wait. I hope to have happier news to share in the days ahead. Watch this space...

Gifts

On this day a whole whack of years ago, my parents welcomed me into the world. After a couple of days of de-gooping at the hospital, they brought me home. At that moment, my life was spread before me - and them. All potential, all forward.

Despite the fact that it's my birthday, I find myself not feeling particularly celebratory. That's because my father spent the day in the ER yesterday, and as I write this, is on his way back to the hospital after being tended to by paramedics after a particularly wobbly episode at home. Yet more milestones on a journey I know he'd rather not be on.

In the overall scheme of things, it hardly merits headlines. Earlier this week, untold numbers of people perished in a storm in a brutally-repressed nation and continue to suffer while their government puts up obstacles to rescuers at the border. Yet another Canadian soldier is coming home from Afghanistan in a body bag. Entire communities of people not too far from here can no longer afford to keep their homes. I get it: the world sucks on a grand scale. But my life isn't about overall schemes of anything. It's about my dad, and the fact that he just can't seem to get well. It doesn't have to make headlines to be significant.

All those years ago, he looked at me through the nursery glass and saw a life ahead of him. Today, I look into a detached screen from far away and try to erase thoughts about his own stage of life. As I fight to find comfort in looking back, I avoid looking forward because then I'd have to deal with whatever uncertainty lies ahead. That's right, I'm an avoider. Like all children, I fear losing my parents, facing life without them long after I ceased to rely so completely on them. I know it's a fact of of our very mortal life, but that doesn't make it any easier to swallow.

So if I receive any gift on this somewhat sombre birthday, I hope it's news that he gets to go home, and that this latest chapter moves quickly to a happy ending for him. I'll deal with the bigger picture another time.

Wordless Wednesday - Fixer upper alley

Not quite home sweet home
London, ON, April 2008 [Click to embiggen]

I find this scene strangely comforting. I'm not entirely sure why.

Your turn: How do you find this scene?

One more thing: We're still taking captions for this week's Caption This photo contest. Click here to initiate the insanity.

Microsoft and Yahoo - still no joy

Everyone's got something to say about Microsoft's failed attempt to get Yahoo to the altar of online love, so I won't say too much more about it. Just wanted to share a couple of links to coverage from BetaNews. Scott Fulton's got byline for both:

Roundtable on Yahoo minus Microsoft: Who wins for losing?
I was quoted opposite a pretty heady range of industry heavy hitters including Burst Media CEO Jarvis Coffin, JupiterResearch VP and research director Michael Gartenberg and Directions on Microsoft lead analyst Matt Rosoff.

With the Yahoo deal nixed, the lawsuits pick up steam

Analyzing the deal's breakup and fallout yesterday, AR Communications senior vice president Carmi Levy told BetaNews that he believes Yang's conduct during the entire affair may bear scrutiny.

"As the chief executive officer of a publicly traded company, your primary accountability is to preserve and enhance shareholder value," remarked Levy. "One can very easily question whether Yahoo's actions in recent weeks have done that, or whether they've frittered away shareholder value in the process simply for an emotional, and possibly business-illogical, reason."

A few other recent media hits of note include the following:

The Toronto Star, April 29: Aeroplan website recovers from crash. Byline Chris Sorensen.

At least one observer questioned whether the company had invested sufficiently in technology to back up its operations.

"This kind of outage, given the severity and length, is clearly unacceptable in any modern business," said Carmi Levy, the senior vice-president of strategic consulting for AR Communications Inc.

He said that's particularly the case when you're supporting a customer base that includes a large number of high-income earners and other time-pressed business people who are on the road and might need access to the website to book flights or other rewards.

The Canadian Press, April 23: Crime Stoppers launches tips via text messaging to appeal to youth. Byline LuAnn LaSalle.

Analyst Carmi Levy said the program will reach younger people but will also give older demographic groups a convenient way of providing tips, he said.

Levy said texting is growing in popularity because people don't need to stop what they're doing in order to text.

"It's the right technology for today's multi-tasking era," said Levy, senior vice-president of strategic consulting at Toronto's AR Communications.

"More importantly, for the purposes of Crime Stoppers you can send texts in a much more timely manner because you don't need to wait until you get home," he said.

"So potentially if you've witnessed something while you're in transit, there's an immediate opportunity to act."

Unstrung, April 25: Is RIM Behind the Curve in 3G Handsets? and May 5, DT & Sprint: Bargain in the Balance?

Your turn: Where do Yahoo and Microsoft go from here? Does it mean much in the overall scheme of things?

Dangling in the wind

Waiting...
London, ON, April 2008 [Click to embiggen]

This shot is a nice counterpoint to this week's Caption This entry (click here if you haven't tossed yourself into the ring.) Unlike the first image, this one is anything but active. There's no munchkin, no movement, not much of anything, frankly. Just a forlorn swing, quietly drifting in the wind alongside its companions.

I could see the other parents giving me funny looks as I composed this one. Coincidentally, most of them also had cameras with them, and they were all busy taking pictures of their kids on the slide, on the jungle gym, or in the sand. They tried to avoid staring at the strange dude who had wandered to the empty swing set on the other side of the playground and was crouching in the sand pit for what seemed like an age.

I'm used to it by now.

Your turn: The first three words that come to mind when you initially see this picture are...?

Caption This 69

Please caption this image
[Click here for instructions on how Caption This works]
London, Ontario
April 2008 [Click to embiggen]

We've been spending more time at the neighborhood playground lately. Now that the weather's warmer and the sun's sticking around until well into the evening, the kids are pushing to take their bikes out and explore a bit. Far be it for me to refuse 'em. Besides, there's something comforting about watching them make their way along the sidewalk, expanding their world view a little bit as they leave the cul-de-sac behind.

I've been carting my camera along (what, you're surprised?) just in case there's a moment worth capturing. Although one visit to the park can look pretty much like any other visit to the park, I find challenge in trying to find something unique from each trip. Thankfully I have cooperative kids.

This is our littlest man, Noah, being his usual boisterous, happy self. Notice the bare feet. The shoes "accidentally" seem to end up on the ground soon after he starts swinging. It seems not even a pair of Crocs can contain this munchkin's spirit.

Your turn: Please come up with an appropriate caption for this photo. You know the rules: You can enter once or you can enter a kajillion times. You can do it yourself or you can call your imprisoned Uncle Ned for inspiration. You have a week to come up with something neato before I announce a winner and post another Caption This entry next Sunday. Not sure what Caption This is? Click here for the lowdown.

About last week's image of on oversigned parking lot shack: Someday, we'll all zoom around in Jetsons-like flying cars and we'll be able to hover them just outside our office windows. Until then, we'll have to put up with parking lots. Or until Joni Mitchell's song (sing it with me: "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot...") is proven wrong. This week's honorable menschens go to:

• Alix: "Sign of the times"
• B13: "If this shacks a rockin'... leave your money under the orange cones."
• Thumper: "...signs, signs, everywhere a sign..."
• Sarah: "So what is it I do again if the attendant is not on duty?"
• Heidi: "Read sign for instructions."
• Dana: "Hope you can read!"
• Killired: "SIGN LANGUAGE!!!!!"
• Omykiss: "Too much information!"
• Robin: "Parking, lots."
• Jacie: "Notice Bored"

Sara takes it this week with "Information overload". Please visit her delightful blog, Garnet's Life Adventures, and wish her a happy on her win.

One more thing before I go: I seem to have this thing shooting pictures of my kids on the swing. Click here for a photo from last summer.

Branching out

Stretched
London, ON, April 2008 [Click to enlarge]

A couple of weeks back, I decided to take a late afternoon walk. We live a couple of blocks away from some pristine walking trails, and I thought it was high time that I got to know these hidden treasures a little bit better. So I put on my coat, slung my camera bag over my shoulder and headed off for some unknown adventure.

My first thought as I turned left off of the sidewalk and carefully picked my way down the hill to the bottom of the steep-walled, tree-lined meadow: Sneakers were a bad idea for walking through the muddy bog. But I wasn't about to head home now.

As I wandered deeper into the forest, the sounds of traffic faded and were quickly replaced by the the burbling of a runoff-fed brook, the chirping of birds and a strange feeling of stillness amid the tall, bare trees. I stopped for a second, confused that stillness could actually have an accompanying sound, but eventually concluded that it was good to mull over weird oxymorons like this.

I wasn't sure what I wanted to capture with my camera. Forests aren't especially exciting places, and they lack big, iconic subjects. No headlines here. But that didn't matter. I wasn't looking for big and obvious. And I wanted to take the time to absorb the spirit of this place before I decided what was worth bringing home on my memory card.

In the end, taking my time made the difference between simply coming to a place to take pictures and having an experience I'd remember for a while to come. I slowed down. I didn't watch the clock. I let my mind and my eyes wander. I saw a land waiting for its annual reawakening. I would have missed it all if I had simply walked through the place under deadline.

I'll go back again soon. Since I took this picture, the leaves have seemingly come out of nowhere to blanket the sky with a lush umbrella of green. The brook has become smaller, quieter. The ground has begun to dry out as winter's influence fades. And as I walk through the same place I covered not too long ago, I'll once again enjoy the peace that comes from leaving everything behind and just enjoying the here and now.

Your turn: The joys of taking your time. Please discuss.

About this picture: I just loved the light here, especially the way the branch evolved from front-lit to backlit as it progressed from bottom to top. Simple and peaceful, which is precisely how I felt when I took it.

One more thing: I'll post Caption This later on this evening. Hint: swings.