Right. So I said I'd comment on why I detested photoshopping in a black guy on the cover of a magazine so much. I'm late, but here it is.

The crux of the issue: I don't like lies. And photographs, on their own, don't lie. They can be misleading, yes. They can give a false impression by telling only a little bit of the story. But photographs don't ( Read more... )

Hypothesis: most people can't tell good photography from bad photography, and good photographers from bad photographers.

Months ago, I read the Wikipedia entries for information assymetry and "The Market for Lemons". In a nutshell, "The Market for Lemons" talks about the negative consequences of buyers being bad judges of goods for which they are ( Read more... )

I'm feeling introspective today ( Read more... )

I find myself thinking of weddings a lot today. And Facebook.

When I was a lot younger, I predicted that when I was in my mid-twenties, I'd go to a lot of weddings. Sure enough, the realization of that prediction began this year.

What I did not predict (when I was attending my first wedding back in 1993) was the amplifying effect of Facebook. ( Read more... )

When Barack Obama was competing against Hillary Clinton, he was criticized as "lacking experience". When Sarah Palin was chosen as John McCain's running mate, she too was labelled "inexperienced". Then Rudy Giuliani turned around and said since she served in the executive branch, she was more experienced than Obama and Biden put together ( Read more... )

So I stopped by Sobey's tonight on my way home. The cashier I got reminded me of Betty Boop. The same pale, wide face, pouty lips, and to some extent, eye colour. (One can't really tell in fluorescent light.) The hair was a bit off, but that could be fixed. In any case, do you think I said to her, "Hey, you look like Betty Boop!" The answer may ( Read more... )

So what's funnier: the fact someone asked me to borrow a voltmeter, or that I have one?

I've always enjoyed being the Utility Man; the guy you call when you're missing that special cable or esoteric adapter. Not only is it useful to have those things on hand yourself, but it makes you feel loved when someone else needs them. And every group needs ( Read more... )