A Sunset. March 18, 2010
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature.Tags: Hatfield, Norse Berry Farm, sunset
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Down in the Connecticut River Valley, at the Norse Berry Farm:
It was pretty dramatic.
Enjoy!
Tee Time. March 17, 2010
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature.Tags: flooding, golf course, Stockbridge, tee time
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This past week’s rains, coupled with the last couple of days of melting temperatures, have left parts of Massachusetts under water. Boston’s North Shore got whacked worse than we did here in the Berkshires, but still, we got pretty wet.
A golf course just outside of Stockbridge, Massachusetts:
I daydreamed of fiery sunsets reflected in still waters, but got only blue skies diffused by the ripples of an incessant breeze:
…but still, it was an interesting tableau, and I was happy to snap it up.
‘K, later.
Ruby Tuesday – May I Bore You With Yet Another Barn? March 15, 2010
Posted by littlebangtheory in Ruby Tuesday!.Tags: Art Center of the World, barn, North Adams, sumac
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OK, a portion of a barn, used for storage on a North Adams property which bills itself as “The Art Capital of The World:”
Not a typical New England barn, I know, the reds are wrong. But I have to suppose that the claim of “Art Capitol of the World” entitles one to take liberties.
And the dormant sumac will be revisited when it’s in leaf.
There’s more Rubiliciousness over at Work of the Poet, so go check it out!
Traffic Control. March 14, 2010
Posted by littlebangtheory in Love and Death, Politics and Society.Tags: horns, oxen, State Trooper, survey, traffic control
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Road and bridge survey requires considerable traffic control, often implemented by the skilled professionals in our State Police force.
Here a Trooper, um, fails to convince traffic to “keep right:”
Actually, I think he was just happy he was wearing his horn-proof vest, ’cause these babies were well equipped:
Comely pair, that.
In The Rural Berkshires. March 12, 2010
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature.Tags: Berkshires, black and white photography, oak tree, rural, tilt-shift lens, VFW
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We here in The Hills take our daily sights for granted, so frequently unaware of their specialness.
Photography has been a call for me to reexamine that position, looking hard at scenes I might otherwise obliviously blow past.
Like this one, of a roadside VFW in Clarksburgh, MA:
I threw a bit of weight around with Elliot, shifting the perspective and the mass upward to approximate this building’s forceful presence in its humble neighborhood, and its humility relative to its old oak neighbor.
I hope you like it.
35% Screwed. March 12, 2010
Posted by littlebangtheory in Love and Death, Politics and Society.Tags: 35%, BCBS, health insurance, insurance mandates, MRI
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Today I learned that Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Massachusetts just raised my health care premium by 35%.
And being here in Massachusetts, I have no choice but to pay the piper; my state mandates health insurance coverage, whether or not one feels that they can afford it.
Yeah, that’s right. “My” government has legislated that I buy this really shitty product from a for-profit industry which is making record profits off of my reluctant contributions.
How “shitty,” you ask?
Well, last Autumn I got an emergency MRI to diagnose a brain problem, and I’m still a long way from paying off my thousand dollar co-pay for a procedure which costs $120 in Europe.
So much for “insurance.”
And you, if the current “Health Care Reform Bill” passes, are about to be treated to the same Red Carpet treatment.
Don’t get me wrong here – we certainly need significant reform to our health care / health insurance system.
But it’s my firm belief that, as long as for-profit corporations are calling the shots in our health care system, we’re screwed.
By at least 35%.
Speed Limit. March 12, 2010
Posted by littlebangtheory in Love and Death, poetry.Tags: E=MC2, god, speed of light
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In a car, it’s a really good idea;
On a beam of light, it’s immutable:
186, 282.39705 miles per second.
That would get you a long way in a short while,
Except that you can’t do it.
Bill Gates can’t do it;
Superman either,
Because at 99.9% of that speed,
Your mass has been multiplied by a factor of seven
Without even changing the size of your pants.
And at 99.9999999% of that speed,
Seven decimal places if you’re counting,
Your mass has increased 360,000-fold,
Time has slowed to a crawl,
And space is constricting around you
Like a starving anaconda.
And if you have the audacity to summon
The collective energies of a billion stars
And push on, faster, faster,
Things will get a bit strange;
Your mass will grow toward infinity as space loses all meaning, and
Time will cease to exist as you consume all the energy that is, and
You will be everywhere at once,
And nowhere at once,
Immeasureable,
Invisible,
Asymptotic
To God.
Let There Be Light!
Ruby Tuesday – Waiting For Spring! March 8, 2010
Posted by littlebangtheory in Uncategorized.8 comments
Warm air and insistent sun has me wanting to see signs of Spring, but all I have to show for it are signs of last Autumn’s attempted harvest:
Crates in a field, up in Colrain.
I’m sure there are better examples of Things Ruby over at Work of the Poet, where All Things Rubilicious reside!
Later,
TCR
Some Black And Whites For a Saturday Night. March 6, 2010
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature.Tags: black and white, limestone, Natural Bridge, quarry, Readsborough, tilt-shift photography
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Been sick as a dog all week, but today was too nice to spend in bed, so I went out into the world with a head full of medicine and Elliot affixed to my box.
Despite the bright sunshine and temps tipping 50, I wasn’t feeling very colorful, and shot primarily in black and white. Here are a few shots from my day.
A water tower in Readsborough, VT:
A limestone quarry wall in North Adams:
…and the view under the limestone arch at Natural Bridge State Park:
All of these employed considerable “shift,” but only the last used appreciable “tilt,” and in that case it was close to my 8-degree maximum, as I was less than a foot from the arch.
Elliot was quite an investment for a poor boy, but I figured if I’m ever going to make anything come of my love of photography, getting the right tools for the job would be a smart move.
I liked these shots, and hope you do too.
Enjoy!
Welcome To March – The Ruby Tuesday Edition! March 2, 2010
Posted by littlebangtheory in Ruby Tuesday!.Tags: graffiti, smiley, sunrise
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Today began with a pre-dawn ride to a distant job, with a brief stop to document this faintly Ruby sunrise:
…followed by a much less auspicious day of bad information, unanticipated problems and institutional inertia impeding my productivity.
The steel gray skies on my evening ride home reinforced my dark mood until I encountered this little piece of Hilltown Graffiti:
A big wet kiss to Whoever, who would probably punch my lights out if I actually delivered on that.
And another to Mary over at Work of the Poet for hosting this wonderful meme!
Little Bang Theory 