By Any Other Nerd

What Is It A steep hill that leads from the Harrington Building to the Academic Building on Salem State University's South Campus. Why It's today's Pick I came around the corner and saw this and was like--egad!  I know it wasn't all snow--after all, I hiked this hill regularly my freshman year at Salem State.  Also, for a few years I taught in the building there at the top.  I guess I just saw this as image of a giant mountain of snow as prophetic as we are supposedly getting another foot of snow or more on top of all that has come in the last two weeks.  I also liked this filter  (antique) as it embodied how we all feel about the snow--that it's getting real old real fast!  My only regret about this photo is that I didn't actually go outside and take it--in the left corner, you can see the reflection of a light in the glass that separated me and the outside. This submission is  part of the 365 Challenge .  For 2015's submissions, che...

What Is It A column of ice that had developed as the snow on the roof has melted and re-freezed along the line gutter. Why It's Today's Pick When I first got home today, I tried to take a picture of this but was not overly impressed with this and felt like I was settling.  It happens at times with these pictures.  Sometimes, nothing great is to be taken and so I take what I can get.  However, when I came home from an errand with the sun slowly declining, I realized this was a perfect opportunity.  I really liked this photo as it better captured the column of ice with its numerous overlapping veins.  Even more cool about this picture is the shadow cast by the ice to make it look like rugged shadow mounts to the right of the ice column.  I also love how in the full picture, this column just feels like it goes on forever. This submission is  part of the 365 Challenge .  For 2015's submissions, check out this link to all the posts.  ...

What Is It Snow coming down next to North Shore Community College's Lynn Campus.  Why It's Today's Pick As much as the snow is a pain in the but, there is still something awesome about it when it is coming down from the sky.  It's hard to see in this image, but it coming down pretty steady.  I liked taking this photo because it's a stark contrast to what is usually here, which is a series of pathways, benches, and grass along with the train sculpture.  But all of that seems lost (except the sculpture) in this field of white.  Of course, there is a part of me that wants to forge my way into the snow and make a mess of the undisturbed field of white.  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 . Did you enjoy this read? Let me know your th...

What Is It A large pile of snow with the hint of a picnic table underneath. Why It's Today's Pick Well, there is definitely a picnic table underneath there.  However, with all the snow (and necessary snow-removal) of late, it has been buried--mayhaps we will see it come spring.  Perhaps, it is like the bear and looks to bury itself for the foreseeable future. We're expecting another storm and I have to wonder if this table will all but disappear.  It reminds me in part of something being buried in dirt, only to be discovered centuries later by someone.  I like the contours of the snow as it bends and twists.  Clearly, some of this is unnatural with the trace evidence of some plow to do the heavy lifting, but it does feel almost serpentine in how the snow settles onto and around the table.  I'm also realizing this is the second shot of a picnic table that I've taken.  I wonder about this replication and assume it must be some inner desire f...

What Is It My car after someone nicked the mirror in the parking lot. Why It's Today's Pick Accidents happen and this one did while I was not in my car.  It's often a little disconcerting when you get a text from a colleague that campus police are looking for you.  "Did they find the body?" Is my gut reaction--which is weird because I've yet to hide a body (yes, this is gallows humor; not some subtle confession).   Anywho, I went out to the car to take a look at the damage.  Not bad and certainly manageable--though it did make driving home, interesting.   I rather liked this shot with this filter (bleach).  The stark blue with yellow and white which draws the eye but the dirty snow lets us know that the white is grime--a dirty white.  I also find the different reflections that you can see with the different surfaces of both cars, the windows, and mirror.   This submission is  part of the 365 Challenge .  For 2015's su...

This is a follow up post to a recent post I had on OnCampus with regards to state higher education in Massachusetts . If the previous post seemed a bit dark, this one will provide some guiding lights for success and improvement in the overall quality of Massachusetts higher education.  The following suggestions offer ways of breaking down artificial barriers to improving success and attracting students.  Break the Semester If a student takes a course in the spring semester and must withdraw by mid-February (e.g. a new job, a family crisis, illness), it is a failure of the traditional semester structure that in some instances, the student will not be able to take that course again for six-months to a year.  How does putting a students’ academic careers on hold for four months to a two years make sense? Transparent Costs It can take less than five mouse clicks on Amazon to get the full price including tax and shipping of any purchase.  There is no equ...

What Is It A pair of my Vibrams in between the window and the screen with snow on them. Why It's Today's Pick This is where my Vibrams go after I am done running with them on the treadmill.  No surprise with that.  For those that have run with the Vibrams, they know the propensity for them to get pretty stinky, regardless of the amount of times you wash them.  I thought this was a great contrast--barefoot running (or nearly barefoot running) with another blustering snowstorm.  The snow would hint at their disuse but in fact, they had just been put there a few hours before.  I cringe to think about putting them on in that state. I also like the contrast in this photo of the dark shoes and the white of the background and foreground.  The mesh of the screen seems to add something and helps to establish distance with a half-covered truck in the background.  Meanwhile, the brown of the tree add to the dullness emanating from the picture. This ...

What Is It A selfie with me freshly shaven and looking up! Why It's Today's Pick So we're back to selflie sunday!  In this instance, I figured I would keep on another face shot since it is indeed different from last weeks.  Freshly shaven or as my wife says, I'm "new" again.  While it is the same me, it seems quite the difference from last week's photo .  However, in this photo, it's interesting to see that the scar on my chin is visible.  That's a scare from when I was six and flipped over on my bike's handle bars and landed on my chin.  Thirty years later, it still sits there.  As for looking upward, I didn't quite feel like looking right into the camera.  Maybe with selfies, there's a bit of self-consciousness about doing it, but I would rather look somewhere else.   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 o...

What Is It A snowy sidewalk near the old town hall in Salem, Massachusetts. Why It's Today's Pick I stumbled across this scene in the early morning, while trying to see if a nearby cafe was open.  I originally took a picture of the old town hall (you can see it in part in the upper right corner) with snow dunes in front of it, but I liked this image better, especially when I applied the Noir filter.  The light piles of snow in the walkway with the melted snow tells us that the snow is fresh as compared to the snow piled to the right, which also seemed to have a fresh coating.  I also like at the center of the bottom is a single footprint with not others in sight.  I didn't notice this until I took the picture, but it gives the scene more power as if someone was whisked away, that one step was his or her last.   This submission is  part of the 365 Challenge .  For 2015's submissions, check out this link to all the posts.  For access...

What Is It Two pieces of a blood orange; one of which is torn open. Why It's Today's Pick In the winter, I eat clementines like candy.  I pick them up regularly at the grocery store and on occasion, when not paying attention, I grab some blood oranges.  I'm usually pleasantly surprised with this and take a kind of wishful-vampiric-delight in eating them.  They also often remind me of the open montage to the TV show, Dexter; though I'm never quite clear if those are blood-oranges or ruby grapefruit.  Regardless, it's the same effect.  So as I was eating my blood orange today, I snapped this shot to capture the meat of the fruit and all its fibrous glory.  I didn't plan to have such a light background but it works out rather well to show the stark red within the orange.   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 r...