Friday, May 20, 2011 at 8:33AM A beautiful time lapse from the Teide National Park on Tenerife in the Canary Islands of Spain, off the northwest coast of Africa. Some really unique plants in this video. And breath-taking shots of the Milky Way. And a colorful double fogbow. And moon coronas. And lenticular clouds. Best viewed full screen. Enjoy the weekend.
Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 1:32PM 
Miao still life from the village of Wudong in Guizhou, China (2010).
Friday, May 13, 2011 at 9:40AM 
I took this photo in July of 1968 at the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana. Jimi Hendrix's first album, Are You Experienced, had just been released in the US, and I was a dedicated fan. Hard to believe this concert even got booked - and that my parents let me go. [NOTE: I took the picture with an old Kodak Instamatic camera, and judging from the angle and the level of detail, it looks like I was standing right in front of the stage. I remember the concert was fantastic. And real loud.]
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 at 12:11PM Today marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Bob Marley. Sigh. His music has certainly played a large part in my life.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 12:27PM I am not a huge fan of Coldplay's music, but the video for the song "Strawberry Swing" is really pretty fantastic. Don't see a squirrel being used as the bad guy much in music videos. [NOTE: I love the part when his cape is cut (starting at 1:16) and he starts to "fall" out of the sky to the city below. Impressive chalk work].
Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 11:23AM 
I invest a lot of time studying the ecology of rattan in the wild (see Hukaung Valley Rattan Survey, An Unusual Rattan, and Glimpses of Transects, for example), and I'm also a big fan of art (see Folk Art, Spirit Money, and Museé d'Ethnographie du Vietnam, for example) and spend hours wandering through museums. This post nicely integrates both obsessions. Shown above, "Dance" (rattan and split bamboo) by Honda Shōryū at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Beautiful.
Honda Shōryū, Philadelphia Museum of Art in Art | Share Article | Email Article | Print Article Monday, April 4, 2011 at 5:42PM Various moving parts filmed at the Franklin Institute's Science Museum in Philadelphia. Beautiful machines functioning with crisp precision are undoubtedly a metaphor for something. Or maybe not. [NOTE: Music by Max Richter].
Friday, March 25, 2011 at 11:08AM Lovely video from the Norwegian photographer, Terje Sorgjerd, of Bangkok's Maeklong Market - the one the train runs through the middle of 8 times a day - and the Damnoen Saduak floating market (starting at about 2:45). Best to view full screen. Incredible colors. Something for your weekend. [NOTE: Music is "Crazy" by Katie Noonan]
Friday, March 18, 2011 at 9:56AM Depending on the weather and my energy level, I either ride my bike to work (see Biking to Work) or take the train. If the latter, I ride MetroNorth to Fordham Station and then walk the six blocks up Webster Avenue to the Botanical Garden. This route takes me along the northwest boundary of the Fordham University campus. On the morning of March 6, 2009, I heard a lot of screaming and ruckus as I walked by Fordham, and then LOUD guitar chords, and then, unmistakably, Bono's voice:
Free me from the dark dream
Candy bars, ice cream,
All the kids are screaming but the ghosts aren't real.
Here's what you gotta be
Love and community
Laughter is eternity if the joy is real...
I stopped, put down my bag, and listened with a rapt smile until the song was over. One of my more memorable walks to work.
Get your boots on.
[NOTE: U2 was playing at Fordham as part of the Good Morning, America television show. They have a very slick video of the entire U2 concert, but I much prefer this low resolution, somewhat shaky, clip filmed by one of the students in the audience].
Friday, March 11, 2011 at 9:15AM
In December of 2009, Portishead released a single (and a video) to raise money for Amnesty International. The recording(s) were released on International Human Rights Day to mark the anniversary of the United Nations' historic "Universal Declaration of Human Rights". The video is beautifully shot and the music, the first offering from this somewhat reclusive band in several years, is really nice. I especially like Beth Gibbons doing the vocals sitting in a chair.
Winter sigh, summer's gone
Holding off tomorrow's sorrow
[NOTE: The "tear" referenced is that produced by ripping, not crying].
