I'm all about sharing content online. With one caveat. Link back and attribute that shared content to the original creator. I've been very stringent about this area with the content I share via MinnPics. The photographers who take those photos work hard and are proud enough and generous enough to share their content with the world and everyone should respect that work.
But what happens when the shared content online lands in a print publication where the publication earns money from someone's free content? If you're south metro (Minneapolis) blogger Bill Roehl, you send the offending This Week Newspapers (and parent company ECM Publishing) an invoice for $300 for using the unattributed photo. But being skinflints who seem to be in the business of devaluing the work of others while profiting from it, they ponied up a mere $50.
This isn't the first time something like this has happened and, because of unscrupulous and uncaring business people, it definitely won't be the last. I have seen it happen within my own office. Someone will demand a particular image for a client and while we do our best to use something from one of our vast subscription image services, we have very little pull in the situation and when push comes to shove the demanding party usually succeeds in pilfering an image from someone's website.
The obvious problem with this is that the image from whatever website was chosen may (or may not) be copyrighted by that particular website. It may have been stolen from another website by a flat out shitty web designer. We go round and round about how Google image search isn't an art source full of images free for the taking. Those images belong to other people and not everything you view on your monitor is yours to download and re-use. The second problem with using content residing online is that the resolution is about 1/4 of what is optimal for printed materials so while it is "free" the quality is basically shit so you've broken a law or two and shortchanged paying customers by providing lower quality images.
Another possibility is receiving a client's okay to use an image that resides on their website. They demand it and know that because it's on their website, they own the image. Or at least they think they do. This happened a few years ago with a client who chose an image (shitty as it was) from their website for a print publication. The problem was than an unscrupulous web designer had stolen this particular image from another website (a large fitness club rhyming with wifetime) and we were stuck in the middle with a rather strongly worded letter full of legalese. While this taught a couple people a lesson, it didn't percolate down to the rest.
The lesson here is to attribute people properly and if you're unsure about an image, ask questions or simply don't use it. If you don't like hassles, be honest and quit being thieving pricks. Yes, I'm looking at you This Week Newspapers.
Now that I'm off of my soapbox, head over to the Creative Commons obeying MinnPics and shower down kind words on the fabulous photos showcased there. (And if you're in the south metro this week, it's the final week of exhibition of the artwork from the Savage Art Show. The photo I entered is on display at Associated Bank in Savage, MN)
Read the rest of it here and see if any part of the "Generation M Manifesto" matches up with your way of thinking. I spotted one contradiction of sorts but, for the most part, it does seem to describe the way my generation (late Gen X - early Gen Y) views the world. Plenty of us have accepted the fact that we will be the first generation to not "do better" than our parents. We don't feel stuck but we are pessimistic at best because of this vast generational divide.
Our parents were the "big business is good" folks and we are the technology generation who are fast, nimble and flexible in our ways of working. Looking back ten years, I never could have imagined that my job would be where it is now. A world of interactivity and instant feedback seemed only a dream in 1999 but here it is and if you don't grasp it and become familiar with it, you'll be left behind in a cloud of dust.
I'm curious about you thought on the manifesto. Do you agree with it or totally disagree? Are there gaping faults with it?
And if you're so done with the written word, I suggest checking out the final day of the First Birthday Celebration at MinnPics. Dozens of photos made the cut and you should check them out because these are truly the cream of the crop in the days predating the existence of MinnPics..
Nipple. Like many words in the English language, it has its origins in a language foreign to our own. Nipple has its origins in the ancient Gaelic language and means hard or sharp protrusion.
If the true meaning of nipple were used in a sentence, it would read as follows: I popped a tire because I ran over a nipple on the highway.
Most Americans would read that and think that a very cold woman was laying naked on the highway and the person speaking that sentence had indeed committed manslaughter. Most Americans, though, would be wrong solely due to the education system failing them on an epic level. I do think that the popular misconception of "most Americans" defining the word "nipple" as pertaining to anatomy has some basis in the word's true definition and heritage. Just the other day I saw a woman wearing a tank top whose nipples could have actually popped tires.
Now that I have the origin or nipples out of the way, check out MinnPics and it barrels through its First Birthday celebration all week long. Plenty of amazing photos predating the existence of MinnPics so go now!
The July 4th weekend has come and gone. It wasn't the most stellar of wekeends but it definitely wasn't a complete bust. I didn't end up in jail overnight or anything that was more likely to have happened a few years back. No four day-long benders or burning off my eyelashes just because the gas grill wouldn't light.
I did get a damn good meal Friday night on a rare night out without the baby. We also got to see The Hangover (HILARIOUS!). July 4th could have been mildly better in the form of lasting longer. A soggy start as we pulled out of the driveway led to sunny skies which, of course, sparked a mini deluge of sorts that drove us to end the outdoor festivities early before we were struck with lightning and completely drenched.
Wrapping those events up early meant a rather boring night as you can't very well take an 8 month old to fireworks at 10 PM because that will lead to much crying and screaming.
Oh well, at least today starts the epic week that is the first birthday of MinnPics. All I can say is that it's huge. Check back frequently and by that I mean hourly starting at 1 PM today.
From here on, Fridays will be known as Pants-Free Fridays. Yep, it's pretty much self-explanatory and if you need an explanation you'll probably never enjoy Pants-Free Friday. This was inspired by seeing this link mentioned in a tweet this morning about a clothing optional farm in Wisconsin. Be careful when bailing hay, it's scratchy enough on the arms, imagine it on the... crotchal region. Ouch.
One more thing: the long weekend is officially a Socks-Free Weekend. Yep, my socks come off the minute I leave work Thursday and I vow to not put socks back on my feet until Monday morning. What are some of your long weekend plans?
Mine involve both of the above mentioned items as well as snapping a few photos for MinnPics.
A lot happened during the past weekend. My sister-in-law stumbled down our back steps and broke a terra cotta pot as well as bruising her knee and foot. Two of my nephews got in a fight with one receiving the business end of a toy tractor in the head - yes, there was blood. I grilled many pounds of meat. I saw a lot of sauerkraut eaten. I finished the swing project in the back yard which resulted in a whole gaggle of happy kids.
And then there was the baby. I have a very happy girl. Well, whe wasn't exactly the picture of happy late Friday afternoon as we struggled to get out of the house by 7 PM to get to a birthday party. It was one of those epic meltdowns. We could't figure out what the hell was wrong. She screamed to the point of hyperventilating. We fed her which didn't accomplish anything because it really isn't feeding (drinking) if she won't take her bottle. We changed her diaper. We tried to get her to relax by rolling on the floor. We gave her a bath which she screamed all the way through. We then resorted to drugging the baby.
We tried baby Tylenol. We followed that with baby gas medicine. Then my old lady rubbed some Orajel on the baby's gums. Whatever the case, one of the thirty or so things we did calmed her down and we were on our way to Friday's obligations and the rest of the weekend.
Then came late Sunday. The baby grabbed my sister-in-law's fingers and stuffed them in her mouth. She said that she felt something. My reaction was "Yeah, she's slowly gumming you to death". But she went exploring. Pulling her lip down and pushing that tiny baby tongue back. And there they were. Two front bottom teeth just through the gums. That explains the screaming from Friday night but she's a total trooper. Two teeth at once and nothing more than a couple hours of screaming. Color me impressed.
Head over to MinnPics to see what a happy baby in a swing looks like. And other stuff from the weekend that was.
Rarely do I know what I'll be doing two or three days in advance and I almost never make weekend plans but being as I call the southwest metro of the Twin Cities home, I always make it a point to head on down U.S. Highway 169 to the Minnesota Highway 19 exit and visit the river side town of Henderson on the last weekend of June. In particular, Sunday is a good day because it's the crown jewel (so to speak) of Henderson's annual Sauer Kraut Days celebration.
Yep, noon on Sunday marks the start of the parade with 3 PM Sunday bringing the Sauer Kraut-eating contest. Oh, you haven't lived until you've seen a handful of contestants creatively wolfing down two pounds of sauer kraut. You'll either be doubled over with laughter or doubled over in disgust, chocking back vomit.
I guess Sauer Kraut Days is something of a big deal for Henderson. In previous years I seem to remember FOX 9 doing a live report and a Star-Tribune article this year seems to at least mention the festival. It's worth the drive - about 25 minutes from Shakopee - and if you're lucky you just might see me at the parade. (full schedule here) I'll be the guy with the world's cutest 7 month old baby girl and a Nikon D80 camera. Say "hi" and enjoy some kraut!
And be sure to check MinnPics next week for Kraut-tastic photos!
This sort of caught me off guard. First off Michael Jackson planned a huge set of comeback concerts in London, England later this year and then we flip the TV on just minutes ago and catch the end of a CBS News Special about the life and death of Michael Jackson - the king of pop.
I was never a huge fan of his, probably not even a miniscule fan but there is no denying the fact that he was probably the biggest and most influential name in pop music in the 1980s and maybe the entire 20th century. His dance moves and epic production values set the bar for popular music in that decade. I think his music has also influenced the biggest name in pop music in the 21st century thus far - Justin Timberlake. It's very easy to see and hear similarities. Timberlake's stage show incorporates plenty of dancing, his videos are almost always epic - particularly the video for What Goes Around... - and his falsetto singing voice is the most obvious trait shared by Michael Jackson.
Sure, Jackson led what most will bill as a weird life. From his obviously endless rounds of plastic surgery that transformed his face from normal to freakish and the accusations of child molestation at his child-like paradise of Neverland Ranch in California, he was, to put it kindly, eccentric.
Whatever the case, he inspired a generation and marked a turning point in music. From a child in his family's group, The Jackson Five, it as obvious that he was the star. He died tonight in a Los Angeles hospital of cardiac arrest at the age of 50.
Lately, it seems like everyone has at least mentioned the likes of Kate Gosselin and Heidi Montag. The whole "reality" genre of television is what I think has contributed to the ruining of scripted television as a whole. I loathe the genre and everything about it. I hate how it thrusts everyday people who are totally unaware of what happens when fame strikes into the limelight. It ruins their lives but often gives them gobs of cash - a truly double-edged sword.
But the real topic here is looks versus personality. In a conversation yesterday it was decided that someone should do a graph depicting the mix of the two, the ideal/typical median and a scientific sampling of a handful of female "celebrities".
I chose Roseanne, Tyra Banks, Oprah Winfrey, Kate Gosselin, Tyra Banks, Megan Fox and Heidi Montag in my scientific graph. Look at those results and remember the red line is the median. WHere would some other celebrities land? Where would you land? Me? I'd be squarely in the lower left hand corner. Celebrity-free is the way MinnPics is. It focuses on great photography in Minnesota and you should really take a gander.
For an entire week, cable channel TLC has kept tens of millions of Americans on the edge of their collective seats by constantly airing this teaser about tonight's Jon and Kate Plus Eight announcement:
What could it be? They've made decisions to bring peace to their lives. But what are those decisions?
We all know that the real decision is that Jon Gosselin finally grew some balls and decided to divorce his gold-digging, child-exploiting wife in favor of a twenty-something teacher. Well, actually Kate decided to divorce him because she is the one who makes every decision in this off-kilter family but it was fun to speculate that Jon decided on the divorce.
Even more fun is to speculate on some far-flung ideas about what this huge announcement and decision could be. Maybe Kate Gosselin has decided to join the church of Scientology. Maybe she has opted for sexual reassignment surgery because after being the one with the theoretical balls in the relationship, she wanted some actual balls. Or maybe Kate has decided that Jon is going to get neutered - he already is to a certain degree but she wants to make it official. Or maybe, and this is a huge maybe, Kate Gosselin has decided to announce that she is a robot from the planet Bitch.
On a cheerier note, check out MinnPics. It's a photo project of sorts chronicling all things Minnesota.
Well, my first Father's Day has come and gone and my only observation is this: where in the hell are the all-you-can-eat Father's Day buffets? Mom gets this treatment so why not dad?
And no matter what you may be thinking, I didn't get a weekend at a nude resort. Or did I? What did you all do to celebrate this Hallmark holiday? Me? I spent the day cutting an immense pile of lumber.
Be sure to keep up on all things Minnesota with MinnPics. The first birthday week is only two weeks away... can you feel the excitement in the air? Maybe it's just humidity.
If no new is good news, I'll take it at its face value. That's how I'm thinking after hearing about the tornado that touched down in my old hometown of Austin, Minnesota last night. I actually knew nothing about it until my parents called and I saw a rather quick and sketchy report on last night's 10 PM news on KSTP.
I've seen Facebook posts from friends in Austin so I can gather that they are alright but when a tornado hits the place where you used to live, it gives you a whole new respect for the power of Mother Nature. On the other hand, last night marked the first tornado of the year in Minnesota. A late, but powerful, start to the severe weather season. Check out the photo gallery from the Austin Daily Herald.
The main area of damage is apparently in the northern edge of the city with damage in the city's industrial park, the Winddrift Lounge, Todd Park and businesses in Mapleview.
And check MinnPics later because I'm sure I'll unearth some storm photos later in the day.
Have you ever cringed at the thought of having to wipe your own ass? Does it disgust you to have your digits so close to the local sewage treatment plant? Are you unable to reach all the way back to your gaping ass crack?
If so, Comfort Wipe is for you.
Ah, where to begin?
If you need a wand to attach your toilet paper to, you have more problems than can be solved by a toilet paper holding wand. And if you're too big to reach around your own body, you probably do need to poop more but throw in some exercise too. Am I alone in finding this extremely disgusting?
Now that you're thouroughly disgusted, hop on over to MinnPics and check out the photos from across Minnesota taken by ultra-talented Minnesotans. Don't forget about the huge MinnPics first birthday week beginning July 7th. It's HUGE!
It's amazing what you can find on Craigslist - especially when you're not really looking for it.
After a family thing yesterday, I was amazed at how much the baby liked her cousin's swing. She seemed almost angry when we plucked her out of it. It made me realize that I'm going to need a backyard swing sooner rather than later.
That is where the Craigslist search came in. A simple search for "swing" in the for sale items brought up 1,000 items. But it was this one that jumped out at me.
Original Love/sex Swing
4 legs. Stands about 6.5ft tall.
Comfortably holds 200lbs.
Paint chipping from legs, only cosmetic. does not come in original package.
Cash only, pickup only. Maplewood by lower afton and mcknight.
Will delete posting when item gone.
I don't care how thrifty a person is, it takes a different type of person to buy someone's used sex swing. That's like picking up a used vibrator at a garage sale. It's a line that shouldn't be crossed.
MinnPics is devoid of most things odd and sexual and has big things planned during it's first birthday week beginning July 6th.
Sarah Palin needs to go away. Apparently more than a few people took issue with a joke on David Letterman's Late Show on CBS earlier this week. Letterman apologized in both a serious and backhanded way implying that to take issue with one of his jokes is ludicrous because, as he said, he has thousands of jokes he is ashamed of ever telling. But that's not my real beef.
My real beef is with Sarah Palin and how she has officially wore out her fifteen minutes of "fame". She is only famous (and I use that term loosely) because an old white guy chose her as his running mate to counter an actual progressive action in modern politics - the nomination of Barack Obama for the Democratic ticket.
It seems that it was John McCain's very basic goal to simply pick a woman. He took one from the last place anyone would care about - Alaska - but failed to investigate her qualifications. First off, she has a daughter, Bristol (named after the city in Tennessee? Kudos.) who is obviously the poster for abstinence-only sex education. How'd that work out for you? Oh, you say she has a baby already and was knocked up at the age of 17? That's very mavericky of her.
Sure, kids make decisions, wise or not, that truly should have no bearing on their parents but Sarah Palin was hand-picked to be the candidate for the second most powerful position in the country. For better or worse, that puts your entire family under the scrutiny of the rather bizarre media landscape today. That means that you'll be the butt of plenty of jokes and so will your family. Learn to deal with it. You'll be scrutinized. Your supporters will be outraged by those jokes because that's what they do.
But for her supporters in elected office to call for the firing of David Letterman, that's insane. He apologized. Nothing he said was racially offensive. Sure, he pulled out the slutty remark about Sarah Palin's appearance but it was in the context of a joke and directed a pregnancy joke at the wrong daughter but it's done. It isn't like he called her a cunt. There, I said it.
Celebrity-free is the way 
