Thematic Photographic 343 - Far from Home

Hanging in the hatch
Newtonville, ON
July 2015

Now that it's summer here in the northern hemisphere - we can tell because we can cook the proverbial egg on the proverbial sidewalk - many of us are headed out the door for destinations both known and unknown.

Vacation time means different things to different people, of course, but one constant seems to be the bulging blob of vacation photos we all bring back with us‎. You can't argue with tradition, even if it ends up all over Facebook, Instagram and your Uncle Phil's flip-phone.

Neither, apparently, can Po the teletubby, who once again found herself on a grand adventure as we loaded the car and pointed it toward our motherland, otherwise known as Montreal. Doesn't she look happy here?

Your turn: This week's Thematic theme - Far From Home - is fairly simple. If the pic was taken far from home, it's in. The further the better. I'm going to assume you already know how it works - if not, click or tap here - so I'll let you start churning on what you plan on sharing this week. Can't wait to see what you come up with. Have fun with it!

Sunset in a faraway place

Palms paint the fading sky
Deerfield Beach, FL
December 2014
For more sky-themed Thematic, head here

I wanted to take care of a number of things by sharing this photo:

1. Let you know how hot it's been here so far this week
2. Not-so-subtly remind y'all where else I'd like to be instead of here.
3. Toss one final sky-themed pic into the mix (head here if you'd like to add your own.)
4. Hint at the Thematic theme to come. Okay, not so much hint as confirm. "Far From Home". It goes live at 7pm.

Your turn: If you could be one place in the world right now, where would it be? Why?

The big stick

‎Say hello to the transmitting tower behind the CTV studios here in London. By any definition, it's an impressive piece of engineering, one that makes me a little nauseous every time I try to look at it from the parking lot.

Sadly, these staples of the information age landscape‎ aren't as dominant as they once were. If you subscribe to cable or satellite television service, as most of us do, then you're not getting your signal through a tower like this one.

Even cable and satellite are slowly giving way to online and mobile content delivery. It's a connected, on-demand, app-driven world that leaves little room for sky-piercing icons of TV's golden age. Free, over-the-air TV that blasts out to a community via a giant antenna is fading to black.

Which makes me a little sad, because when I step out into the chilly pre-dawn air and head to the studio, I can always count on the friendly blinking lights to point me in the right direction. Somehow, the skyline won't be nearly as comforting after they're gone.

Your turn: When you look up in your sky, right now, what do you see?

On realizing the limitations of technology

‎"One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man."

Elbert Hubbard

The Zen of a Sleeping Dog

The world is a chaotic place, filled with movie theatre shootings, hacked cars and crashing currencies. But it is also a place where our dog can curl up in the middle of his new bed and have a nap. The headlines that challenge us have no meaning to him, and he'll be just as happy to see us when he wakes up as he was the last time. Maybe the little furry guy is onto something.

Reaching for the sky - and the past

‎This tree has been here for longer than I've been alive. It was a lot smaller when a much younger me would ride my bike to this place. I felt like quite the explorer back then, and getting here on two wheels, powered only by my scrawny legs and a healthy imagination, seemed like an expedition to the edge of the planet.

In reality, it was barely a couple of kilometres away from my house. But it still reminds me that kids can - and should - dream big. And it probably doesn't hurt to occasionally revisit the places that made your childhood seem so charmed in the first place.

Your turn: Do you ever go back to places that mattered to you as a child? What do you find when you get there?

Note: To share your own sky-themed perspective as part of this week's Thematic, head here. 

Strangers can - and will - hack your car

Apologies for the deliberately hyperbolic headline. At first glance, I know it sounds frightening. You're rolling along on the highway, when all of a sudden your engine cuts out. It hasn't failed: it's been taken over by a hacker halfway across the country, and in addition to killing your throttle, he can fiddle with the stereo, open the windows, or even tamper with the brakes.

It isn't science-fiction. In fact, it's already been demonstrated numerous times. A recently discovered vulnerability in the UConnect in-dash infotainment system that's built into close to half a million Chrysler vehicles in North America could allow even more hackers to have their way.

And as car manufacturers and tech companies race to add ever-fancier new app-friendly systems into your next car - Apple CarPlay, Google Android Auto, GM OnStar, Toyota Entune, etc. - security once again takes a back seat because all we really care about are the bells and whistles. We need to do a better job understanding and avoiding the growing risks.

I'll be speaking live on CTV's Canada AM tomorrow (Thursday) morning at 7:10 to explain why this is so worrisome, what the risks are, and what we can do as consumers to protect ourselves. Hope you can tune in.

Thematic Photographic 342 - Sky

Fire in the sky
London, ON
June 2015

I'll make this week's theme super-simple: I've been pointing my camera up fairly frequently of late. I'm not entirely sure why this is the case, but the sky has always been a reliable source of inspiration whenever my shutter finger gets twitchy.

In this case, the kids noticed the sky's especially intense cast as sunset approached, and grabbed their phones and ran outside to try to capture it. Like the ambling father that I've become, I followed them out and in between shooting we tried to figure out why this particular evening's sunset was especially dramatic.

We never did figure it out, as there were no nearby wildfires and there hadn't been any recent thunderstorms in the area. But whatever the source, I'm glad our little folks were curious enough to follow their gut and try to capture the moment.

Your turn: Point your lens skyward, take a pic of it, share it on your blog or website and then leave a comment here letting everyone know where they can find it. Visit other Thematic participants and feel free to return later in the week if you have additional pics to share - we encourage that sort of thing. If you're new to this, head here for more details. Otherwise, have fun with it, and happy shooting!

Did you just throw that camera in the pool?

New kid on the photographic block
Deerfield Beach, FL
December 2014
Thematic. The Camera. Here.

Cameras come in all shapes and sizes, and I've been spending more time of late with this one. It's a GoPro, and while it doesn't look like much, its ability to shoot ridiculously solid video and stills while being clamped to a car or a bike - or sitting at the bottom of a pool - makes it an indispensable addition to the camera bag.

My wife and kids bought this for my birthday a couple of years back, and I've been taking it along on bike rides as a bit of a security blanket - because you never know when you'll need it. But having it in the pool with us was orders of magnitude more fun, because it turned what would have otherwise been a regular day at the pool into something even more special for them.

Your turn: What other activities should we shoot with this?

Ashley Madison hacked. Cheaters cringe.

The big news in tech today revolves around the Ashley Madison website. It has attracted controversy since it first went live in 2001 for offering what it calls a discreet way for married people to have affairs. Subscribers are guaranteed a "real-life encounter" within 30 days of signing on, or they get their money back. Its tagline - "life is short, have an affair" - kind of says it all. Sadly.

Given the fact that we live firmly in the digital age, it should surprise no one that this site has been hacked by someone - or more than one someone...still trying to figure that one out - who is now threatening to release the information of all of its 37 million users (!) online unless the site is shut down for good.

Ashley Madison is run by Toronto-born Noel Biderman, who is the CEO of Avid Life Media, a company that also includes the sister site, Established Men. Over and above the usual membership fees, the site offers an additional service, called "Full Delete", that for $19 will have all personal data wiped from the website after the individual chooses to leave the site.

The hacker or hackers, under the name "Impact Team", is/are claiming that the company took the money from subscribers - to the tune of $1.7 million in 2014 alone - but never actually deleted the data.

A small amount of user data has already been released online - a la WikiLeaks style - and the hacker says everything will be shared publicly if both websites are not shut down for good. For its part, the company says it believes the hack is an inside job - possibly a third party who has insider knowledge of its systems - and it believes it is close to identifying who is responsible.

The lesson: If you're going to have an affair, don't use a website to do it. And for the record, Biderman says he is happily married.

As you can imagine, I've been doing quite a bit of media on this. I spoke live with NewsTalk 1010 Toronto's John Moore, CP24's Jackie Crandles and CTV News Channel's Marcia MacMillan (story here) this morning, and will be included in Katie Simpson's package for the CTV National News later this evening (link here).

For now, I'll be in the corner shaking my head. How sad that digital lifestyle is reduced to this. You'd think humanity is better than this. You'd think wrong.

Deer in the headlights

Bright-eyed
London, ON
June 2015

‎Do you ever walk around your car and look closely at it? Do you wander around the driveway and try to observe it from different angles? Do the neighbors look funny at you when you do?

Well, it's their loss. Because cars offer up all sorts of photographic fun, and you shouldn't let funny stares from others stop you from getting the shot. Unless it's their car, of course.

Fortunately, this was my wife's car, so it was fair game. And the headlight assembly was almost tailor-made for a bit of photographic exploration. I'm thinking this may be the beginning of an ongoing theme.

Speaking of themes, there's a bit of a self-portrait in this one if you look closely enough. Which reflects this week's Thematic there, the camera. We're still taking submissions - link here! - and a new theme will go live tomorrow (Monday...yay!) at 7pm Eastern.

Happy shooting. And may the road ahead always be well-lit.

On the lessons we can learn from dogs

"The world would be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog."
Melissa K. Clinton

More dogs. Fewer humans. Got it.

It's hot outside. Stay hydrated.

Juiced
London, ON
October 2014

Every so often, I point my camera at ordinary household objects and take a picture. Wait, who am I kidding? Forget "every so often." More like "all the time."

Which is as it should be. Because photography, indeed any form of artistic expression, shouldn't just happen when the calendar says it should. It should happen whenever we feel moved to pick up our tools and give them some exercise.

Which begs today's question: What moves you?

On making an impact

"A life isn't significant except for its impact on other lives."
Jackie Robinson

I think it's safe to say that Mr. Robinson's impact on other lives was positive, significant and resonant. He not only broke major league baseball's colour barrier, he did so with the kind of grace that taught lessons well beyond the diamond.

Your turn: How do you plan on impacting the lives of others?

19 Kids and Counting. Done. Finally.

To no one's surprise, TLC has decided to cancel the wretched 19 Kids and Counting show in the wake of revelations that the clan's eldest son, Josh Duggar, molested a number of girls, including his sisters, over a decade ago. The Duggars will have to find some other way to spread their message of whatever it is that they apparently represent. Side hugs? Rampant intolerance? I'm not sure.

TLC issued an official statement earlier today outlining the decision. Let's analyze it in greater detail, shall we?

"After thoughtful consideration, TLC and the Duggar family have decided to not move forward with 19 Kids and Counting. The show will no longer appear on the air."

[Translation: We would have lost any remaining credibility as the one-time "learning" channel had we continued to air this sanctimonious tripe.]

"The recent attention around the Duggars has sparked a critical and important conversation about child protection."

[Translation: The prospect of continuing to milk advertising dollars out of this cheap-to-produce cash cow explains why we didn't cancel it as soon as the revelations first came to light. Our hand, however, was forced after our lawyers and accountants ran the numbers and convinced us our money would be better spent on a reality series that focuses on a smart-alecky kid who lives in a double-wide beside a freight line...oops.]

"Over these past weeks, TLC has consulted regularly with leading victims' rights and advocacy organizations in the U.S., including RAINN and Darkness to Light, to discuss how to use this moment to address the issue and make a positive impact. Unfortunately, child sexual abuse is not an isolated issue; it affects many children and families around the world. To that end, we are partnering with both organizations on a multi-platform campaign to raise awareness and educate parents and families about the issue. In the first phase of this initiative, TLC will work closely with both groups and with the Duggar family on a one-hour documentary that will include Jill and Jessa and other survivors and families that have been affected by abuse."

[Translation: We had to come up with some way to make ourselves look semi-decent in all of this. We understand how paying for a ginormous house on behalf of a family of delusional molester-protectors could make us look a teensie weensie bit out of touch.]

"TLC has been especially concerned for the victims in this situation, including the Duggar family, and it is our hope that this effort will help those in need learn where to turn for information and help. The documentary will be commercial free, and we anticipate it will air later this summer

[Translation: We were so "concerned for the victims" that we said nothing during the family's ham-fisted attempts to "justify" their eldest son's predatory behavior. In the end, no advertiser would touch this with a ten-foot pole. We would have cashed in otherwise.]

Sadly, this chapter will soon be forgotten, and TLC will be free to hook up with another dysfunctional family to fuel its reality-based excuse for programming. If there were any justice here, TLC's remaining audience would simply find another channel to watch. Or better yet, turn off the TV, head to the library and actually learn something for a change.

Related reading:

Duggar family statement (as if anyone cares. But still...)

On the bullies among us

"I simply do not think that yelling, swearing, threatening or belittling will get you to the place you want to be faster than kindness, understanding, patience and a little willingness to compromise."
Rachel Nichols

And yet it all too often seems that we're surrounded by Type-A types who think nothing of yelling, swearing, threatening and belittling, often to the degree that to do so is absolutely normal to them.

How do people like this succeed? And why?

Where the cameras were

Emptiness
London, ON
March 2015
For more The Camera-themed Thematic, head here

If you live in the U.S., Target often seems to be as much a part of the retailing landscape as Wal-Mart is. Depending on your particular preferences in retail, this can be either positive or negative, and we'll leave that particular discussion for another day.

Here in Canada, Target lasted less than two years before spectacularly imploding, tucking its tail back between its legs and retreating back over the border from whence it came. It is one of the largest failures in Canadian retail history, and business schools will be studying the mind-numbing mistakes and lessons for years to come.

On a snowy day this past March, I thought I'd wander the local Target outlet before it closed for good. At the time, the store was still weeks away from its final close date, but the aisles were already bare. The electronics section, which if we're being brutally honest was already filled with tumbleweed long before the closure was announced, was particularly bleak.

I've never been particularly impressed by in-store displays like this. They seem to attract folks who couldn't be bothered to do their homework before heading to the store to pick and purchase a camera. Then again, one can probably say the same thing about the entire Target/Wal-Mart culture that now blankets the land. Well, at least it does elsewhere. Here, not so much anymore.

Perhaps that's not entirely a bad thing.

Your turn: What do you hate about shopping? Aaand...go!

Thematic Photographic 341 - The Camera

Looking right down the lens
London, ON
May 2015

I want to turn things around a bit this week. Each Thematic theme is the result of photos we take WITH our cameras. For the next week, I'd like us to share photos OF the various cameras we all use to capture the world around us.

It could be the camera you shoot with everyday, or your smartphone, or your tablet, or whatever other tool you use to gather light and share the results with others. It's a bit of an outside-in kind of theme, and I thought it would be fun to bend the lens backward, so to speak, so that we could all get a glimpse into the mechanics of the craft.

This is a view of the studio at CTV London that I often use to do both live and taped interviews. On the extreme left in the background, the camera on the big pedestal is often used to shoot live hits against the blue screen on the right. In the middle is the HD camera used to grab clips for the national newscast. On the right is the robotic camera we use for live CTV News Channel interviews. Scattered around the studio are monitors and displays that can be used to oversee live feeds or do other broadcast-ish stuff.

Different uses, different equipment and locations. It's like a toy store for grownups!

Your turn: What are the cameras in your life? This week's Thematic theme, The Camera, asks us to share a glimpse of the equipment we - or others - use to capture our (or their) respective worlds. Grab a picture of a camera (I know, bizarre) and share it on your blog or website. Leave a comment here letting everyone know where to find it. Visit other participants to share the joy, and feel free to visit again through the week if you've got more pics to share (more is always good.) If you're new to Thematic, head here for more background Otherwise, enjoy this week's light-bending experience!

Catch the wave

Elemental
Deerfield Beach, FL
December 2014

Some days, all you really want to do is stare at the waves as they wash up by your feet and wonder what happens to them when they're gone. If they aren't captured - in pixels, in our memory, whatever - does that mean they somehow matter less?

Or maybe I'm overthinking it. The purpose of a vacation, after all, is to disconnect, and not get all metaphysical over the historic meaning of a wave.

Your turn: So am I overthinking this?

Note: This photo completes the Liquidity theme that we've been exploring as part of our weekly Thematic theme. If you'd still like to contribute, please head here. Our next theme, The Camera, goes live at 7 Eastern tonight.

On the dreams writers dream

‎"As a writer you ask yourself to dream while awake."

Aimee Bender

My only wish is for those dreams to be good ones. Not too much to ask, is it?

Beneath the non-existent waves

Feeling drained
Deerfield Beach, FL
December 2014
For more Thematic Liquidity, head here

I remember when I was a lifeguard, I'd often walk around the edge of the outdoor pool before we opened in the morning. The surface of the water was incredibly still, undisturbed before the sun cleared the tall trees behind the deep end and the day's winds began to blow, undisturbed by the legions of kids who would soon fill the place for morning swim instruction, and the families who would spend lazy, hot summer afternoons here, as well.

It was a quiet, resonant place to be, and walking the perimeter gave me a chance to catch my breath before the day became a constant blur of activity. It amazed me how this semi-Olympic-sized pool set within a large stretch of lawn and trees with nary a house in sight could be both perfectly reserved and incredibly vibrant, all within a few brief minutes.

Sometimes at the end of the day, I'd latch the gate behind the final departing guests and then, as my team and I buttoned up the pool, steal similar glances into the water as the surface settled down for the night. For some reason, I felt I needed to drink in those transitional times of day. Still do.

So after we arrived in Florida for our vacation with the kids and settled in, a quick pre-bedtime peek straight down into the empty pool seemed like a nice way to bridge my own teen years with those of my children. They obliged me my moment of resonance before jumping into the deep end and turning the scene into one of motion and vibrancy. New generation, new waves. Some things, happily, never change.

Your turn: How do you mark the transitions between different times of day?

Note: This photo was originally posted on Flickr here. My Flickr stream can be found here.

23 years on

Us...
Grand Bend, ON
July 5, 2015

My wife and I went to the beach last Sunday. On a global scale, it seems like the kind of everyday trip an everyday kind of couple might take. As it was, we were among what seemed like thousands of people on the sand on the shores of Lake Huron that day, and like pretty much everyone else around us, we generated no headlines from our being there.

That doesn't mean it wasn't a significant moment, though. Something can be meaningful even if it doesn't make the 6 o'clock news. And this day was indeed meaningful because it came 23 years to the day since she threw caution to the wind and married me.

On so many levels, we belong together. We often call each other our "bashert", the Yiddish word that loosely translates as "fated one", because it's difficult to imagine our respective universes existing without each other.

Yet not for a moment since I lifted her veil and kissed her for the first time as her husband have I taken her for granted. I never have assumed, nor will I ever assume in future, that any of this is owed to either of us. If I've learned anything in our years together, it is that marriage - indeed life - isn't the happily-ever-after cruise so often played out in sugar-coated movies. It takes work. Lots of it. And although I'm hardly the paragon of marriage best practice, I realize how lucky I am to be experiencing it, indeed life, with her.

Besides, happily ever after isn't everything it's cut out to be. Like most movies, it's a two-dimensional cliche. What happens in this little world we've built for ourselves is so much more, I don't know, real. It just feels right. I married my best friend, and hardly a day goes by that I don't get that heart-skipping-a-beat-ahead-of-myself feeling that comes from realizing how lucky I was. And, of course, am.

The sheer number, 23 years, sounds like a lot. And as I look at the flecks of grey in my hair, the smile wrinkles around my eyes and the slow ebb of the data flowing from the GPS unit on my bike, I've got plenty of empirical proof of the passage of time. Yet in my mind's eye it still feels like yesterday. It's hard to imagine that our kids didn't exist then. That so many people who meant so much to us then - including Debbie's mom and my dad - are no longer with us. That we left the only city we had ever known and have since built a new life in a new city far from home. That this is now more home to us than we ever thought it would be.

I don't know where the time went, and some days I still wish I knew how to slow it down, put it in a bottle, somehow preserve it in place so that I could hold onto it, to her, for a little while longer. Of course I can't. But I'll take with gratitude whatever time we've been given, and I'm honored to have gotten to spend it with her.

Birthday dog

Sit, Ubu, sit. Good dog.
London, ON
June 2015

This is Frasier in a rare quiet moment of introspection. Miniature schnauzers aren't known for their moments of quiet introspection, and our particular miniature schnauzer is especially incapable of it. Yet he has a certain charm about him that's become more than merely endearing since the first day we brought him home. He's become one of us, an indelibly imprinted member of our indelibly unique family.

It's his birthday today. This once-bedraggled rescue dog is now, rather unbelievably to me, nine years-old. Which puts him well into middle-aged territory no matter how much I shake my head and deny that he'll ever age beyond the puppy I've always felt him to be. He's a bit slower than he was, and every once in a while continues to idly chew on the grass while squirrels that once would have set off a ground-shaking barking fit manage to scamper past without him batting his rather bushy eyebrows.

It's difficult to explain how having a dog can add that certain je ne sais quoi to a family. I can't begin to quantify the impact he's had on our kids, but when I see each one of them spontaneously get on the floor with him morning, afternoon and night, talk to him as if he's human, hold him like a rather overgrown baby, hang with him like he's been their buddy forever, it's easy to appreciate just how much he has changed them. I hear their voices when they're around him, and I just know.

Without saying a word - well, not in a language remotely resembling English - he's figured out to worm his way into the deepest recesses of our kids' souls. And, let's be honest, ours as well. He knew from the moment that we first brought him home that we were his forever family, and we can't imagine what life would have been like without him.

The day was filled with spontaneous celebrations of his birthday. More hugs than usual. Songs. Maybe even an extra treat or two. Since he can't read a calendar, we're pretty sure the significance of the day was lost on him. Yet as another charmed day in the charmed life of a charmed dog, we know he knows. The passage of time does nothing to remove from us what this little being has managed to create.

Related readings:

• Act of Dog postings

Thematic Photographic 340 - Liquidity

There will come soft rains
London, ON
July 2015

‎There's something elemental about liquid, and capturing it through the lens could very well occupy the average photographer for several lifetimes.

I'm not about to spend several lifetimes - or even one - doing nothing but shoot photos of liquids. I love wet-themed photography as much as anyone else, but there's a limit to everything. In the end, I figured a week's worth of Thematic contributions couldn't hurt. Who's with me?

Your turn: Grab a pic that supports this week's theme - liquidity‎ - and share it on your blog or website. Leave a comment here letting everyone know where to find it. Visit other participants, tell a friend (we always welcome new folks) and come back through the week if you've got additional photos to share. Head here for more background on how Thematic works. And most of all, enjoy the ride.

The Big O sits and waits

Suspended
Montreal, QC,
August 2014
For more Thematic Aged, head here

When Montreal's Olympic Stadium was unveiled in advance of the 1976 Summer Games, it almost seemed as if it had descended from the future. This spaceship-like concrete monstrosity topped by the world's tallest inclined tower was the brainchild of Parisian architect Roger Taillibert. His radical design - along with the Velodrome and swimming facilities at its base - represented the unbridled optimism of a world-class-city.

Unfortunately, history treated this building as savagely as it did the city where it was ultimately built. Massive cost overruns, delays and corruption meant the tower and roof were nowhere to be seen when the games opened in July. By that November, the separatist-driven Parti Quebecois came to power and ushered in a new era of economic darkness and social upheaval. As Montreal's star faded amid a massive outflow of talent to Toronto to the west, The Big O, as it was known, became a symbol of misplaced optimism, out-of-touch design and lost opportunity.

Fast forward to today and the Montreal Expos major league baseball team is long gone, the CFL's Alouettes football team has relocated to Molson Stadium, and the mostly empty Big O, long deemed one of the worst sports venues on the planet, now sits quietly as it awaits an uncertain fate.

But if you look at it just so, in isolation of the forces that created - and ultimately rejected - it, the structure remains a compelling piece of architecture. I remain hopeful for a brighter future for it, because history often takes more than a mere few decades to give truly revolutionary buildings their due.

Your turn: Why do we love/hate buildings like this as much as we do?

Related reading:

• Farewell to the Boys of Summer (Written Inc.)

Where I become a talk show host. Sort of.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again because it's as true today as it's ever been: I lead a surreal life.

To wit, I'll be sitting in the chair at London's NewsTalk 1290 CJBK radio station this coming week. From Monday through Friday (July 06 through 10) I'll be hosting the Ask the Experts show between noon and 1:00 p.m., and then filling in for Mike Stubbs on The Mike Stubbs Show from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

As you can imagine, filling in as guest host is a lot more involved than jumping on the phone for an interview. So I've been busy learning how everything works, and doing my best to absorb every last bit of wisdom from the entire team at CJBK.

The cool thing about this gig is that I'm not just a talking head. Rather, I get to decide what we talk about, with whom, and ultimately how to make great radio that keeps listeners intrigued - and tuned in.

So...over to you: What should I talk about? And who should I be talking to? What do YOU want to hear on-air this week?

Aaaand...go!

On finding your go-to people

"Sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people."
Elizabeth Green

Your turn: Who, in your circle of friends and acquaintances‎, qualifies as "right" or "extraordinary"? What makes someone a go-to person for you?

Thematic Photographic 339 - Aged

Bricks in the sun
Ingersoll, ON
June 2015

As I hinted in a recent entry, I've been carrying my DSLR with me again. Yes, it's heavy, and yes, it gets in the way no matter what I'm doing. But it gets me back to shooting in a way that no smartphone can ever match.

On this bright summer morning, I pointed my lens out the window of my train as we stopped in a small town on the way to Toronto. I was headed to Canada's largest city to shoot a television segment, and taking a few minutes away from reviewing my notes to grab some pixels was just what my mind needed.

I had forgotten how cathartic lens therapy can be, and despite the annoyance factor of dragging my equipment around, being able to bring home images like this makes it worth it. And then some.

Your turn: This week's Thematic theme is Aged. If it looks old, feels old, or just reminds you of something that's old, please share it. Pop the photo onto your blog or website, then leave a comment here letting everyone know where to find it. Visit other participants and feel free to ask friends to join in, too. Have more than one photo to share? We encourage multiple-postings: The more the merrier. Here's more background on how Thematic works. Thank you for keeping the photographic light alive!

On making the attempt

"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try."
Beverly Sills

In the wake of yesterday's failed launch attempt by SpaceX, I thought this particular quotation was especially appropriate. Whatever the outcome, it's up to us to keep putting ourselves out there. Sitting still and accepting the way things are is simply not an option. At least it isn't for those who aspire to greater things.

Fallen Dragon: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blows up

A bad day for rocket scientists in Florida today, as the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying a Dragon cargo capsule en route to the International Space Station as part of the CRS-7 mission, failed on launch.

SpaceX investigators are still trying to figure out what went wrong, and are in the process of securing all the data - telemetry, video, etc. - leading up to loss-of-signal 2:19 after the vehicle first lifted off. While this was an unmanned mission and no one was injured in the accident, it is the third loss of an ISS-bound cargo vehicle since October 2014. An Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus cargo ship blew up just above the launchpad, while a Progress vehicle spun out of control in April after failing to separate cleanly from its Soyuz rocket.

This accident threatens to further compromise the supplies situation aboard the ISS, as the Dragon was loaded with cargo that at least partially replaced what had been lost on the previous missions.

More to come, including a contingency press conference that is expected to be held no earlier than 12:30 p.m. Eastern.

In the meantime we've just had another reminder that rocket science is hard, and there's no such thing as routine when you load vehicles with explosive substances and light them up. This, after all, is how we learn and advance our knowledge. Jarring as it may seem, it is a normal and expected outcome.

Related Articles:

• Falcon 9 rocket destroyed in launch mishap (SpaceFlightNow.com/CBS)
• Falcon rocket explosion leaves SpaceX launch schedule in tatters (Reuters)
• SpaceX flameout hardly heralds failure (Reuters)
• SpaceX failure leaves ISS astronauts with only 4 months of supplies, not usual 6 (CBC)
• Rocket launches are hard, even for Elon Musk and SpaceX (Mashable)
• Canada's surveillance satellites scheduled to be put into orbit on same rocket that exploded (Ottawa Citizen)
• Rocket explosion is a blow to billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX (Los Angeles Times)
• SpaceX Explosion Highlights NASA's Challenges (U.S. News & World Report)
• Would Astronauts Have Survived the SpaceX Rocket Explosion? (Space.com)
• SpaceX's Useful Failure (Bloomberg)
• SpaceX crash: Failures dot recent past of private space ventures (CTV News)

Tweets from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk:

Falcon 9 experienced a problem shortly before first stage shutdown. Will provide more info as soon as we review the data.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 28, 2015

There was an overpressure event in the upper stage liquid oxygen tank. Data suggests counterintuitive cause.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 28, 2015

Cause still unknown after several thousand engineering-hours of review. Now parsing data with a hex editor to recover final milliseconds.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 29, 2015

Launch video from SpaceX feed:

On dealing with the peanut gallery

‎"Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamppost how it feels about dogs."
Christopher Hampton

Critics come in many shapes and sizes, but they all seem to operate on a similar level. Indeed, if I've learned one thing during my life as a writer, it is that everyone feels he/she can do a better job than I can. I often invite them to pick up the pen, yet they always refuse. Funny how that works.

The CN Tower, kinda

Funhouse view
Toronto, ON
June 2015
For more Thematic straight lines, head here

When I was in Toronto earlier this week, I threw caution to the wind and tossed my DSLR into the backpack. I'll admit that walking along hot, humid downtown streets with a ginormous camera weighing me down probably wasn't the best idea I've had in a while. The suit didn't help matters, either.

But as much as I'd like to think that I can get decent pictures with my smartphone, there's still something remarkably freeing about how a real camera feels in your hand, and how it opens up possibilities that no phone will ever match.

No, I couldn't live-share to Twitter or Periscope my adventures. But shots like this make me realize why I still schlep it along when every other logical bone in my body says to leave it home. I need to get back to shooting.

Real shooting. I've missed it.

Same-sex marriage gets green light in U.S.

The wires are crackling this morning with news that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex couples have the legal right to marry anywhere in the country. The long-awaited ruling seemingly brings an end to the ridiculous state-by-state hodgepodge that marked the on-the-ground reality of this contentious issue.

Why the state was ever allowed to legislate who can marry who will always be a mystery to me. Why anyone feels that same-sex couples somehow threaten the supposed sanctity of marriage is another ridiculous notion that I hope today's ruling finally puts to rest. Why anyone feels he or she has the power to dictate who anyone else can love and build a future with is also beyond me. It always saddened me to watch opponents of same-sex marriage justify their positions, as they reminded me of the segregationists and apartheid-supporters before them. They represented the worst in all of us, and it shamed me to know they lived among us.

I'm not so naive as to believe that today's ruling will end the debate. Nor do I believe - as much as I wish otherwise - that opponents to same-sex marriage will suddenly cease their relentless campaign against the legitimate choices of others, choices that deeply reflect the fundamental rights we all deserve. Key word: All.

Humanity has spent a good chunk of its history discriminating against those deemed "different" in some way. Whether it's religion, ethnicity, gender, sexuality or any other trait, it's high time all of us who inhabit this planet learned to stop meddling in the rights of others, and instead embraced what makes us all so chaotically unique, and so delightfully willing and able to make this planet a place worth living.

Today's ruling by the Supreme Court is another positive step in a journey that remains altogether too long and arduous. May we always continue to be inspired by the light of acceptance that flickers ever brighter ahead. May we continue to step past the voices that would keep us stuck in a darker, less righteous place.

Pull on these

Shadowed
London, ON
May 2015
For more Thematic straight lines, please click here

‎There's nothing quite like that moment when the early morning sun paints an otherwise unremarkable piece of furniture with its low-angled, golden-hour-hued light. The effect will disappear if you take even a minute or two to fetch a so-called real camera. So you pull the smartphone from your pocket and hope it's good enough.

On this morning, I hoped it was. Because the sun doesn't always cooperate when you happen to be in that particular spot. And capturing moments that stick with you is little more than an exercise in learning to stop and appreciate them as they happen.

Key words: Stop and appreciate.

Your turn: What does your quiet morning look like? Got any words - or even better, a picture - to illustrate?

Thematic Photographic 338 - Straight lines

I spent the day in Toronto today (more on that in future entries. Lots of exciting things going on in my media world.) And because I've somehow managed to get myself out of the habit of carrying a decent camera with me, I brought my DSLR along as a reminder to better catalog my day-to-day life.

Was it ridiculous to shlep a mondo-sized camera in an outsized backpack while I wore a suit on a humid summer's day? Um, you betcha. But did it feel somehow right to take said camera out of its bag and feel the controls beneath my fingertips as I walked through downtown like some kind of digital storyteller? Goodness yes. It felt good, indeed comforting, to be shooting again. I've missed it.

Every time I return to this place, the overwhelming rectilinearity (I don't even know if that's a word, but I like it, so it stays) seems to dominate my senses. Endless numbers of straight-lined buildings are joined by endless numbers of new-build structures that promise much the same thing.

So instead of giving into the straight lines, I've decided that this week's Thematic should celebrate them instead.

Your turn: I suspect you know what to do. But just in case, here's the short version: post a pic that supports this week's theme - straight lines - to your blog or website. Leave a comment here letting everyone know where to find it. Visit other participants, then repeat through the week. Thematic  is a non-competitive activity that lets us stretch our photographic boundaries a bit. I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Words from the podium

Last month, in this blog entry, I shared news of my upcoming speech to the graduating class of Fanshawe College's IT faculty, part of the Lawrence Kinlin School of Business.

This past Thursday, I was privileged to join an incredible group of dedicated educators, administrators and community members on the stage. With my wife in the audience, I delivered the following talk. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed being part of this delightfully surreal and deeply meaningful experience:

Not so long ago, I was just like you. Waiting in a crowd of fellow graduates, ill-fitting cap on my head, itchy gown draped over the rest of me, like the Batman poncho I used to wear on the way to pre-school. Like today, it was a late spring morning, and it was kinda hot in the auditorium. And like today, time moved a bit too slowly for me. I wanted to get there. Now. Throw off my poncho. And get on with it.

As I sat in the sea of almost-graduates, and fought back the heat, humidity and stickiness - and I’ll be brutally honest, some stage fright and nausea - I thought back to my pre-school days in the Batman poncho. As much as I loved Batman - face it, we all did - I could never get rid of that poncho fast enough when I got to my miniature classroom. There were cookies to eat, after all. Juice cups to drink, Lego castles to build. A little life to grow.

As a much older me sat next to my classmates at our graduation ceremony, I remember waiting for my eight-second walk across the stage, trying to not forget to pause somewhere along the way so my parents could take a long distance picture - very blurry, tiny little me, in the middle of a huge stage - as I received a very special piece of paper and prepared for whatever came next.

I remember staring at that piece of paper when I finally got it into my hot little hands. Lovely calligraphy. Impressive-sounding title. A great achievement. I figured that was it. The end. That perfect piece of paper defined who I was, and everything from that point forward would unfold as it should, for a newly minted graduate.

You know where this is going, right?

I don't want to burst your bubble, but nothing ever unfolds as it should.

But that shouldn’t scare you in the least. Because you’re not just graduating from Fanshawe College. You’re graduating as IT professionals ... from Fanshawe College. Not only is this a pretty special college. But the faculty is pretty special, too. So are the administrators and staff who made your journey possible. And as you head off to the big, bright world, you’re going to encounter some pretty special people as well - brilliant, dedicated people who define the profession you’re about to enter.

And as you meet these incredible people, I want you to keep one thing in mind: Technologists don’t define themselves by the jobs they have or the titles they hold. Sure, we all want that elusive job. And as you end one chapter and begin another, some of you already have jobs. Some don’t. Many of you will continue on in school. Others may be wondering what comes next. It’s perfectly OK to wonder. Because life would be boring if we never wondered.

But here’s the thing: What you do next, where you do it, what you’re called….all that won’t matter as much as you think it will.

That’s because Information Technology isn’t like any other sector. In IT, probably more than in any other career path, it’s never been as much about an individual job as it is about what you bring. To a company, to a role, to the people around you.

Technology is literally reshaping the world around us. In less than a generation, the commercial Internet has destroyed old economies and created entirely new ones. It has erased vast distances and accelerated the pace of business to near-light-speed. It has opened up opportunities that couldn’t even be imagined before the era of high-speed broadband and wireless. Virtual businesses started in Mom and Dad’s basement. Or a college dorm. Or a Tim Hortons. Got an idea and some connectivity? Congratulations: The world is now your oyster.

And who's driving that change? All of you. You dream up what comes next. You figure out how it all works, how the complex pieces are supposed to fit together, how the impossible can become not only possible, but mandatory - and all in less time than it took you to finish your final-semester thesis.

You’ve learned a lot of things in your time here, but what I’m hoping you really take away isn’t so much the mechanics of being an IT professional. The world has plenty of that, and Fanshawe has clearly done an amazing job creating an environment where you learned those mechanics.

While you were here, you did far more than attend a bunch of classes, write some exams, go on co-op placements and learn some theory in a textbook. You learned how to apply all that knowledge in a real world that no longer knows how to stand still. You learned how to adapt, how to collaborate, and be greater than the sum of your individual parts. You didn’t simply memorize theory: You learned how to think.

The tech space needs thinkers, doers, dreamers. Starting today, your goal isn’t just to settle for a title and call it a day. Today, you begin to decide what kind of story you’re going to tell, what your contributions to this incredible tech roller coaster ride will be.

Because in the end it’s your story to tell. Your narrative.

You matter more than the place you live, the car your drive, the clothes you wear. Thanks to your time here, you’ve got your hands wrapped around some of the most mind-blowing tools humans have ever created. You have what it takes to change the world around you. You can make technology real to the everyday folks who need to find a better way. What you do is special. Who you are? Special, too. You can indeed change the world, and not to put too much pressure on you, but everyone in this room expects you to.

Technologists don’t just build science-fiction solutions. They ask why. And then they build an answer. And then they help everyone around them squeeze more value and benefit from it. Take the time to appreciate why nerds do what we do. Tech matters. It changes lives. You ... are about to change lives.

You’re about to get your hot little hands on a pretty impressive piece of paper. But your story isn't done. It’s only just beginning. If you do nothing else today, ask yourself what that story will be. And then take that first step, knowing everything you accomplished in this remarkable place, with the help of some remarkable educators and administrators, prepared you for this moment.

Thank you, and congratulations.

On the divisions between us

"There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who divide everybody into two kinds of people and those who don't."
Neil deGrasse Tyson

In light of this week's massacre of 9 people at a Charleston, SC church, these words are especially resonant to me. If only we spent less time focusing on our differences and more time opening up to - and learning from - each other.

If only.

Water + Light =?

Get a handle on yourself
London, ON
June 2015
For more Thematic dinner tables, head here

I've never been overly fond of big parties or similarly crowded scenes like concerts or large public gatherings. Too much noise, too many people in close proximity, and either too much or too little light. I know this makes me sound like a whiner, but I'd generally rather find a quiet spot and just chill.

I realize‎ these moments serve an important purpose, though. You can't spend your entire life sitting by the sidelines, and metaphorically as well as literally, you have to get up and dance every once in a while. You can't stay home every night of your life: Sometimes you simply need to dive in and connect with folks you haven't seen in a while.

Two opposing needs. What to do?

Whenever I'm in the middle of an overwhelming wave of sound, light and humanity, I look for respite in the details. I grab my smartphone and take a little photo siesta while everything and everyone buzzes around me. I don't make it obvious. Rather, it's like a quick little sanity break before I put my smile back on and rejoin the party.

Because sometimes you just need to find a quiet moment amidst the chaos.

Your turn: How do you find peace in the middle of places where there seemingly is none?

Do you HAVE to take our picture?

In a word, yes.

Because today is the last day of classes at our kids' high school. Which makes today our daughter's last day of high school, and our son's last day of ‎ninth grade. A bittersweet day, because as much as Dahlia has enjoyed her high school experience - and as much as we've loved watching the two of them share the year, his first and her last - it's now time to ‎move on.

In September, she starts college, while he begins his second year in high school, and navigates the landscape without his big sister. As parents, we know all too well how quickly time can slip away, and how much our kids grow when we're busy keeping the day-to-day pieces of our lives from crashing into each other.

But on this morning, the last such morning where I'll drive both of them to school and drop them off at the side entrance just at the top of the hill, it's reasonable for all of us to stop for a moment to reflect on why seemingly routine mornings and transitions matter as much as they do. Because life is built not from big moments in the spotlight, but out of countless small-ish moments like this that get lost to history if we don't savour them a little along the way.

I'll miss moments like this. I'm guessing they will, too, photos notwithstanding.

Thematic Photographic 337 - Dinner tables

Make it special
London, ON
June 2015

‎There's a certain artistry to the way a properly set dinner table looks and feels. The careful placement of silverware, linen, glasses and plates can easily turn an otherwise ordinary meal into an event. It makes those who sit there feel special. It makes me think the world would be a happier place if we played dining-room-table-dressup more often.

Until that happens on a mass scale, we can just as easily snap off a few table-focused scenes and share 'em online. Who's in?

Your turn: Take a pic of the dinner table‎ - or find one you've already captured/posted - and share it on your blog or website. Leave a comment here letting folks know where to find it. Drop into other Thematic participants and feel free to share additional photos throughout the week. Bonus points for bringing a friend along. Want to learn more about how Thematic works? Head here. Otherwise have fun - and thank you!

On sorrow. And joy.

"Joy and sorrow are inseparable...
Together they come and when one sits alone with you...
Remember that the other is asleep upon your bed."
Khalil Gibran

On the art of the dance

"Dancing is silent poetry."
Simonides

Finding protection among the trees

Barely there
London, ON
March 2015

I have a nasty habit of taking weird pictures whenever I'm in a studio or otherwise doing what a journalist does. I find these pictures ground me a bit, and remind me of the meta stories, the things that happen when we're busy working through the minutiae of our day-to-day lives. They strangely bring me comfort, because they take me back to the moments that I try to hold onto when life threatens to spin out of control.

I took this at 7:52 in the evening in the CTV London parking lot. I had come to this place on this cold, breezy night to do a live interview with the good folks at CTV News Channel. And when I was done, I hung around the newsroom for a few minutes to chat with the producers and catch up on the news of the week. In many ways, this place has become something of a home away from home, and I find myself moving a little more slowly, deliberately even, every time I come here. It's the best way to soak it in and appreciate what makes it special.

The skies were good and dark by the time I headed back outside, and I somehow got it into my head that I should take a picture of the tree canopy over the big deck. It would be the "before" shot, and I'd subsequently grab spring, summer and autumn photos from the same vantage point.

So with your indulgence, we'll start with winter as the first shot in our extended series. Even without the leaves, the sheer size of the tree stand makes it seem like nature's protecting us from whatever blows in from the west. May we always find places like this that feel like safe harbor. May we always have the wherewithal to stop and remember what safe harbor feels like in the first place.

Your turn: What does safe harbor feel like - or look like - to you?

On technology's greatest failing

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity."Albert Einstein

On calculating happiness

"Happiness equals reality minus expectations."
Tom Magliozzi

On the Babe's biggest secret

"It's hard to beat a person who never gives up."
Babe Ruth

Thematic Photographic 336 - Stuff that grows

London's metal trees, revisited
London, ON
May 2015

It's been a while since I posted a new Thematic theme. As you might have guessed, my schedule has been taken over by early-morning, mid-day, late-night and weekend trips to studios and other fascinating media-ish places. While I clearly love the work - and relish the opportunity to do this kind of pinch-me-I'm-dreaming work each and every day - it takes its toll on basics like free time and sleep.

Which is my way of saying when I finish prepping my notes after midnight for a 6am interview that comes with a 4am wakeup call (I'm just that paranoid) I simply don't have enough gas in the tank to keep the blog updated. I know, my bad.

So thank you for sticking around. And for putting up with the sporadic nature of Thematic Photographic. I'm working on it.

Your turn: I'm hoping you can do me a favor with this one. In addition to posting your own themed pic - head here if you're new to this and want to learn how Thematic works - I'm hoping you'll reach out to someone you know and invite them to join us. This kind of thing is more fun when more folks join in. If you're Twittering or Facebooking, leave links here so we can make a little noise and generate some Thematic goodness. Thanks!

On the true definition of PC

"Political correctness is tyranny with manners."
Charlton Heston

On knowing when to call it quits

"Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end."
Igor Stravinsky

I'm guessing he was referring to more than mere tunes.

On living dangerously

"Being on the tightrope is living; everything else is waiting."
Karl Wallenda

Barking up the wrong tree

Did you ever notice how quickly trees in springtime can go from absolutely bare to completely, delightfully stuffed with leaves in what seems like a blink?

As if to underscore the point, my wife and I were out for a walk early last month when she noticed how empty the trees looked. I thought a "before" picture might be in order, so out came the camera.

The very next day, shoots of green appeared in the once-empty spaces above us. And a new season was underway. Yet again, she had taught me to look closely even if it seemed like nothing was happening.

Life has a funny way of exerting itself, of reminding us that it's always there, always on, and always ready to burst forth even when we've given up on it ever returning.

There's a lesson in there somewhere. Maybe I'll write about it another day.

On democracy

"Democracy does not guarantee equality of conditions - it only guarantees equality of opportunity."
Irving Kristol

On the difference between writers and editors

"Some editors are failed writers, but so are most writers."
T. S. Eliot

Watching TV in the morning

I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately. Lots of reasons why, but one of the good ones revolves around my double-life as a talking tech head.

I've spoken to Canada AM a couple of times this week, and as always the experience was delightfully eye-opening and pinch-me-now fun. In case you missed the segments, the good folks at CTV posted them online. Here they are:

.sucks domains, and how companies can protect their reputations online
Monday, June 01
Interviewer: Beverly Thomson

Apps, Dark Web, Deep Web, and keeping your data safe
Thursday, June 04
Interviewer: Marci Ien

And, yes, I still find it a little surreal that I said the word "sucks" on national television and regulators didn't show up at my house afterward. I lead a crazy life.

On (not) having it all

"I can write better than anybody who can write faster, and I can write faster than anybody who can write better."
A. J. Liebling

If only I could figure out how to do both simultaneously. I'll keep working on it, as I'm just that much of an optimist.