37th Frame

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noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:22:00 +0000

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Mad

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:38:00 +0000

It used to be when you lost Walter Cronkite, you lost America. Is losing Alfred E. Newman worse?

Double-duty

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:23:00 +0000

In line with our new multi-platform storytelling plans, staff photographer Geoff Patton rigged his SLR to shoot video without missing a frame:

He can now shoot video with the flip cam next to his left hand while snapping away on the DSLR with his right hand. Clever, isn't it?

Four-minute fish tank

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:15:00 +0000

If you have a wide-screen computer monitor and a reasonably fast computer, play this video full-screen. If they had a live feed, I'd watch it all day.

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

The main tank called the “Kuroshio Sea” holds 7,500-cubic meters (1,981,290 gallons) of water and features the world’s second largest acrylic glass panel, measuring 8.2 meters by 22.5 meters with a thickness of 60 centimeters. Whale sharks and manta rays are kept amongst many other fish species in the main tank.
This find courtesy of Mental Floss, one of my fav sites.

Seriously

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:28:00 +0000

JFK - one of the busiest airports in the world. Thousands of planes, millions of passengers.

At any given moment, dozens of huge jumbo jets are approaching and departing, zipping into one of the most crowded airspaces in America at hundreds of miles an hour.
The air traffic control center is the hub of it all, legendary for the stress and 24/7 activity.
What a great place for a cute kid moment!

One lucky grade-schooler got to direct REAL JET PLANES into the sky recently at the side of his parent, an air-traffic controller at the airport. Just like Jay-Jay the Jet Plane, only REAL! And with HUNDREDS of LIVES at stake! What fun!
Now, the parent was right there, and probably nobody was really in any danger. But as much as we like to joke around and have a few laughs while working here at the newspaper, nobody will DIE if we screw up a headline or misspell 'committee' in a story. But even a small distraction could be an issue for the folks at the radar screens, which made me wonder WHAT WAS THIS PARENT THINKING?

In this spirit, I offer a short list of jobs that I believe require a high level of 'serious.' I'm not against fun, but when you're sitting in a pressurized metal tube waiting to defy gravity in a sky full of other fast-moving metal tubes, I'd like to think somebody very serious is in charge of it all. Here's a few other times I like 'serious':

- Hospitals. Nothing like hearing doctors or nurses laugh about a recent blow-out party out in the hallway while you're in your room pondering life-threatening surgery.

- Airport security. They say 'no jokes' on the sign. I'm with that.

- TV news. Isn't it great when they switch right from the earthquake footage to the footage of a piano-playing cat just by saying, "now, on the lighter side of the news..."

- Funeral director. Unless you're in Vegas. Or maybe Los Angeles.

- Dentist. I'm in the chair. My mouth is jammed open. Drool is running down my chin. I'm possibly in pain. Get this over with FAST.

- Airport van driver (mostly applies for early, early flights). I'm still asleep. Can't think of witty comebacks. The less you talk, the more I'll tip.

- High-rise crane operator. Imagine him/her bringing the kid to work. "Easy now, careful, NO, NOT THAT SWITCH...Ooooh, that's ugly..."

- Torturer: Well, if the jokes are that bad, maybe...

- Drug dealer: Ever see a happy-go-lucky drug lord in a movie? There's a reason for that.

- Missle launch operator: OOPS!

- My desk-mate Geoff Patton suggested executioner. You don't want Hee-Haw when they're pushing the plunger on the poison.

It's new, really new

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:38:00 +0000

I can use this when I'm not listening to my transistor bracelet radio:

Snowtainment!

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:37:00 +0000

Now THIS guy is looking for an Oscar©

Snow go

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:43:00 +0000

Two inches of snow (known as a flurry in Buffalo), and all area school districts are so overcome with weather troubles that they are forced to open two hours late.
Just wait until the kiddies graduate into 'reality' and realize that most of the world has just get up a little earlier to deal with the snow and stay on schedule.

Tuesday in the park

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:58:00 +0000

Whites Road Park, just after dawn

How to report TV news

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:47:00 +0000

A simple guide to TV journalism.
(F-bomb alert...make sure Sponge Bob drowns this out if kiddies are nearby)

Media scrum

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:15:00 +0000

AP photo

Five photographers...count 'em...five

A CGI experience

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:14:00 +0000

If you have 12 minutes to spare and a good high-speed internet connection, you should watch this in full-screen mode:

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

This is completely computer-rendered.

If you have a really good connection and a decent monitor, turn the HD option on. It's well worth it.

iThing

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:44:00 +0000

I'm selling accessories for the new Apple iWhatever slate that will be announced Wednesday. Don't let a little thing like not knowing squat about this new device stop you; you already know you want one. The accessories may or may not work, but who cares, you'll be the first to have them. Meet me in the alley and bring cash.

Good-bye, friend

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:04:00 +0000

Here's something I wrote today to well-wishers after our 18-year-old cat Pudding died of natural causes early this morning in my arms:

We had 18 awesome years with this cat. We spent some time this morning recounting some of the many good times we had with this amazing creature...she played fetch, could catch milk bottle caps in mid-air, and could hunt voles and birds despite being an indoor cat (she used to escape once in a while).

She survived three houses, three presidents and two dogs.

The way you see her sitting in the photo is the way she always sat...paws crossed or neatly lined up in front of her. Her eyes were bright yellow and round, and she loved to be turned upside-down and have her belly rubbed. She nursed us through some bad times, and was always happy to keep us company late at night.
She was so quiet and stealthy that some friends still think we never had a cat.

Her real name is Morticia (which she came with from the rescue), but she always loved pudding, and that name just stuck.

We have more of these stories, but you get the idea. When you get a pet, you know that someday you are probably going to face a day like I had today. It's hard as hell when you have to let a vulnerable, trusting creature go, with the only consolation being that you 'did the right thing.'

Is it worth it? 18 years with Pudding says 'absolutely.'

Used tree salesman

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:28:00 +0000

Cheap Christmas trees for sale in Upper Gwynedd...any takers? Anybody? Hello?

The $45,000 lens

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:27:00 +0000

This was sold on eBay recently for the bargain price of $45K

Minimum focusing distance = 400 feet, widest aperature = f/14

Peanuts mash-up

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:57:00 +0000

Linus sings the Police

If you like it, there's more HERE.

Link thumbnail photo.

Live snow cam!

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:54:00 +0000

Video chat rooms at Ustream
thumbnail photo (for linking)

Just an illusion

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:19:00 +0000

Very cool optical illusion found on www.moillusions.com

Guitar Hero meets Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:58:00 +0000

Thanks to Aixa for bringing this to my attention...

Adventures with mushrooms

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:51:00 +0000

Yesterday I had an adventure with a mushroom.

No, not the Alice in Wonderland kind of mushroom. This was a wild mushroom found by a co-worker of mine who is becoming sort of a wild mushroom game hunter, seeking rare species in the woods and trees in this area.

What he found was a 'bearded tooth,' which was about the size of a good cantaloupe, covered in white hair, growing on a tree just out of arm's reach. He knocked it to the ground, which sullied the pure white exterior with dirt. But the interior was pure white, which meant that this was a mushroom at its prime.

The big question: Is it edible?

Now I tend to not test the extremes regarding food I find in the woods. A few berries, honeysuckle - that's about my limit.

But we did some research, and found a credible source that said that not only was a bearded tooth edible, there was no poisonous mushroom that looked anything near to this one. So even if our identification was wrong, or we failed to identify some sub-species, we should be OK.

So I took this behemoth home, sliced it about french toast thickness, and fried it in olive oil and garlic salt. It looked nice, but had the consistency of a sneaker.

So I tried again, this time cutting very thin slices and using less oil. The results? Better, but not something I'd be willing to shell out $8 for as an appetizer.

The good news, of course, is that I did not break out into hives or drop into a mushroom-induced coma. No hallucinations or out-of-body experiences.

For now, however, I think I'll stick to the supermarket variety of mushrooms, if not for the taste, then maybe for my own safety.

Dancing fools

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:29:00 +0000

Two things come to mind when I watch this video of employees at a new Microsoft store dancing a la Texas Roadhouse:

First, Microsoft will never be 'cool.' They should stop trying. It always ends in disaster (remember the SongSmith video?). Apple wins; you're still bigger; get over it.

Second, in-store dancing is bad for inventory control. Check out the woman in the white shirt at 2:14 as she appears to work a five-fingered discount into her dance routine.

Sunrise at Stony Creek

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:14:00 +0000

A few early-morning photos in Stony Creek Park, Lansdale, starting with a setting moon and ending at sunrise.

That old Boston feeling

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:02:00 +0000

I listened to most of Game 4 of the World Series while driving home from North Jersey with my family Sunday night, on NYC station WCBS-AM. At about Flemington I switched to Philly's WPHT-AM and a wave of fresh air swept into the car. At that point the Phillies were losing 4-2, but just around when I crossed the bridge into New Hope, Pedro Feliz clocked in the game-tying home run and two of my passengers, who had been sleeping for several innings, woke up at the sound of screaming announcers.

Then Lidge took the mound.

Well, I suppose I can thank him for keeping us safe on a late-night journey dark Bucks County roads, because there certainly was no danger of falling asleep at the wheel with all that tension pouring out of the radio. Top of the ninth...one out, two outs...strike one, strike two....well, if you read this far you know what happened next.

We wheeled into our driveway just in time to watch that disaster wrap up on TV.

Despite the fact that I did nothing but sit in a car for two hours, I felt worn out.

Many years ago, I lived in another east coast city and watched their beleaguered team excel every year, only to fall apart at very inopportune times in October.

The Red Sox eventually overcame their 'curse' and won a Series or two. But back in the 80's, it was a very different story.

I have thought about the Red Sox lately, especially since Philadelphia now has the dislike of the Yankees in common with our colonial-era neighbor to the north.

Sunday night's game felt a lot like one of those old Sox games...so much promise, so much disappointment.

There is still at least one more game to go, and though the winds of fate are whipping against us at hurricane speed, as one ex-Yankee put it, 'it ain't over until it's over.'

Hope springs eternal.

Pulitzer material?

noreply@blogger.com (Online editor) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:59:00 +0000

It took 3 NY Post writers to write eight paragraphs trashing the Philly Phanatic? Wow, if they has all those extra 'journalists,' we could sure use them down here. We have a groundhog scandal that needs to be covered.