By Any Other Nerd

What Is It Two snails--one on a dead flower and a smaller one on a live flower. Why It's Today's Pick I feel like I hit the jackpot with this photo.  Apparently the climate was just right for the snails to come out and try to get some snacks.  These weren't the only snails I saw, but this was by the far the coolest picture I could capture. I love the juxtaposition between the two snails.   I feel like you could split these into two pictures as an almost "before" and "after" picture (though I know they are two different flowers--the premise works still).  I see this photo and all I can think of is the dialog that these two are having as if they are parent and child.   This submission is  part of the 365 Challenge .  For 2015's submissions, check out this link to all the posts.  For access to all photos, which open for reuse under a Creative Commons License, check out the  full album on Flickr . By Any Other Nerd Blog  by  Lance Eaton  is lic

What Is It The balcony scene from Romeo & Juliet but in a cemetery.   Why It's Today's Pick I went to see Arts After Hours Romeo & Juliet--it's part of their annual Shakespeare in Park summer performance.  This year, they decided to have the play in a cemetery--which of course, for a Shakespearean tragedy is quite apropos.  In addition to putting it on in the park, it was also a walking play--that is, the audience moved from scene to scene throughout a small section of the cemetery.  Overall, I really liked the experience.  There were some issues for sure with acoustics and it probably works best with plays people are typically familiar with because you are apt to miss bits and pieces as you get from scene to scene.  But it worked quite well.  They found many good places to enact scenes and by the second act, the rhythm of movement had largely been figured out.  They also did some creative things with the play which included inviting attendants to participa

What Is It The tall ship, Friendship in Salem with some funky sky colors on the precipice of a thunderstorm. Why It's Today's Pick I caught this last night while walking home from dinner.  There was just a perfect mixture of color in the sky--so many different shades of blue and gray.  Throw into it the mid-ground of a classic sailing ship, boating house and harbor and it looks like something that should be painted.  A sky like this is likely to reveal all sorts of excellent visuals--especially after the storm passed but the clouds stayed with the sun peeping through occasionally.  I had a lot of pictures to select from including a few rainbow photos but I still really liked this one. Even the grass in the forefront provides a welcoming approach to the sky beyond.    Also to note, for those that might noticed.  I decided to approach this Photo Reflection a Day differently for the rest of the year.  Up until now, the rule was that I would have to write about a photo I

This piece I recently wrote got published in both the Salem Evening News and the Daily Item .   Confederate Flag at 58 Bridge Street Salem Mass "To whomever at 58 Bridge St., Salem, proudly displays a Confederate flag in your first-floor window, I appreciate the U.S.’s right to freedom of expression that allows you to do so. Though it’s unclear what you are expressing. Are you are celebrating the Confederacy’s repression of freedom of expression for millions of U.S. citizens? Are you lamenting the lost art of slavery? Are you demonstrating your faith toward people who killed U.S. soldiers to keep U.S. citizens enslaved? Perhaps, you are embracing history (the history of people who wanted to keep humans enslaved for profit)? Might you be showing solidarity with Dylann Roof? Or are you truly dismayed that TV Land has stopped airing the “Dukes of Hazzard”? It’s simply unclear." To read the rest, check out the full piece at the  Salem Evening News  and the  Dai

What Is It A mirror reflection of the sky from a street-mirror. Why It's Today's Pick I pass by this mirror regulaly on my walks.  It's a mirror for vehicles entering and exitting an electrical center in the city.  Today, I just happen to look up and saw the reflecting sky and realized I had my photo for the day.  I appreciated that in some ways, the mirror just looks like a portal to another part of the sky or even how the cloud of the mirror feels like a continuation of the cloud outside of the mirror.  Even the wires coming from the left of the photo even seem to run into the mirror itself and connect to the building.   This submission is  part of the 365 Challenge .  For 2015's submissions, check out this link to all the posts.  For access to all photos, which open for reuse under a Creative Commons License, check out the  full album on Flickr . By Any Other Nerd Blog  by  Lance Eaton  is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unp

What Is It A picture of a bee gathering up some of the good stuff from a flower. Why It's Today's Pick Two bee picks so close to close.  I know--it's probably overdone, but I have to admit, I couldn't say no to taking this shot and it is clearly the best shot I'll be taking all day.  So what can you do?  I'm amazed at the detail my cellphone camera can pick up.  I'm also impressed with the range of colors in this particular photo.  From the white fence background to the red, oranged and pink of the flower to the yellows and blacks of the bee.  Also, check out the wings--such great detail that I don't think I would see with my own eye.  I'm also fascinating with the pollen on the flower itself.  I think this might be one of my best pictures of the year.   This submission is  part of the 365 Challenge .  For 2015's submissions, check out this link to all the posts.  For access to all photos, which open for reuse under a Creative Commons Lic

I've finally returned to this series and here comes the next ten.  If you missed my previous entries--where have you been!?!?!?   Here's the running list of previous entries! Films 1-10 Films 11-20 Films 21-30 Films 31-40 Films 41-50 Films 51-60 Metropolis (2001) While Fritz Lang's epic film will always be classic and essential viewing for anyone studying film, this version of Metropolis is lovely.  This animated feature is inspired by Osamu Tezuka's manga of the same name which was originally inspired by Lang's masterpiece.  It varies in parts from both the original film and the manga.  The plot is standard anime fare in terms of it mixes genres (dystopia, noir, science fiction) and raises a variety of questions about humanity.  But what makes the film stand out above other anime and as an excellent film is the soundtrack.  Rather than using techno or other music genres generally associated with anime, the soundtrack is dominated by jazz, making for a

What Is It A bee making its way to the flower's pollen.   Why It's Today's Pick Sometimes, it's just a matter of noticing and focusing.  I hadn't anticipated I would see this particular sight when I set out for my walk but there it was; a bee getting all friendly with the flower.  I actually saw it out of the corner of my eye and almost kept going and then realized--oh wait!  Now there's something to capture!  I was surprised that I got the camera on the phone ready and pointed before it took off.   However, it wasn't until I got home to see the photo on a computer monitor that I was even more impressed with the quality of my phone's camera.  The texture of the flower is so vivid and its reflective specks that cover it I never knew were there.  The flower's center is almost alien, looking like alien tentacles reaching out to explore the world around it.  The bee is pretty cool to look at closely as well.  I've had many a bee-sting in my l

What Is It The reflection of the sky from the bridge on Bridge Street in Beverly. Why It's Today's Pick I really like how this picture came out.  Unless it's early in the morning, trying to get a go reflection shot in this area is not likely.  Often, by 8am, there is enough movement in the water that it doesn't look this pristine--too many waves.  But I got this shot while finishing a run.  I thought about doing one without the bridge parts visible, but I liked it much better--more authentic in terms of being a reflection.  I think it also worked because the sun wasn't at maximum visibility as I think that it might have drowned out  the other clouds.  Instead, it seems like an almost perfect replica of the sky--just with a green tint.   This submission is  part of the 365 Challenge .  For 2015's submissions, check out this link to all the posts.  For access to all photos, which open for reuse under a Creative Commons License, check out the  full album on

What Is It A curious alley that I stumbled upon while playing Ingress. Why It's Today's Pick So one thing I really like about playing the game, Ingress , is that it gets met out into and wandering around in various neighborhoods and noticing things or stumbling onto new finds.  Today, I played it a bit during a break at work and found new little niches in Lynn that I didn't know existed and was very happy to discover.  I look at this alley and I'm sure some--because it is Lynn--think of it in a negative connotation, yet all I could think about was how the kid in me, would love a cool alleyway like this to play in.  I could easily see this as  a place to explore or play games with other kids.  It's next to the Grand Army of the Republic Museum --something else I didn't know existed in the heart of Lynn.  I don't think I would have wondered down this particular street if there wasn't something acquire in the game and therein is the fun of the game-

What Is It A bookcase filled with classic books to be found just as you enter the Woburn Library. Why It's Today's Pick As many know, I am a huge fan of the library.  I frequent it almost daily and regularly encourages friends, colleagues, students, and random strangers to full abuse (I mean use!) the library.  Each library has its own character and personality that reveals itself as you look through its shelves and explore its displays.  However, I find Woburn Public Library to be on of my favorite.  Nevermind that the audiobook section is probably the closest section near the main desk area, but the very first cart that you are likely to encounter is the classics collection.  It doesn't look like it is their only "classics" section, but it does look like they keep this rolling bookcase near the entrance for quick access by patrons and I find that to be pretty cool.  It says something about the library in its desire to keep classic texts--books that have

June was a slow month bu that was to be expected since because I was taking two courses while also working.  That kept me pretty busy with reading many articles and writing papers.  However, I did manage to squeeze out a couple books included reading a physical book in additional to several audiobooks.  I only have one recommendation for this month, but it's a very timely one! Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America's Universities by Craig Steven Wilder Wilder takes on the historical and economic connections between slavery and many of the founding higher educational institutes in the United States from the 1600s to the 1800s.  Within it, he traces the direct and indirect ways that such institutions participated, promoted, and benefited from slavery.  It is a dry read at times, but a very telling one indeed.  When we have discussions about race and racism and the long-lasting effects, we often look directly to the African American community, but

What Is It The sun emerging from behind a cloud on a foggy but sun-bright day. Why It's Today's Pick I went out for the morning to find a coffee shop to read here in Halifax, but many were closed since it is Canada Day--a day similar but also quite different than Independence Day.  After a few hopeful options went dry, I came down to the boardwalk to see if there was anything, but there wasn't.  However, there was this glorious contrast of fog with the sun.  It was such a fascinating view--it felt almost as if the sun was bearing down on the water and turning it into vapor before my very eyes.  I snapped a few different photos, but I liked this one because it capture not only the sun and the mist, but also the long shadow of the pier as well as the land (which is Dartmouth, I'm told) in the background.  This image typifies our experience thus far in Halifiax, a mixture of sun and water--sometimes, at the same time! This submission is  part of the 365 Challenge