Recent Comments

1. almost 2 years ago on Origins of the Sunday Comics

   In the 1930s there was a stack of old comics such as these in the farmhouse attic which I greatly enjoyed as a child. This go comic page gave me a much enjoyed chance to revisit such art. I used some examples for teaching visual communication at a major university.

2. about 2 years ago on Navigation Changes: Everything You Need To Know About The New Nav

   Doesn’t way what to do if there are no images in your feed.

3. about 2 years ago on B.C.

   I’ve been a committed Tibetan Buddhist for over 25 years and had the benefit of significant mind training from a number of highly recognized Lamas. The comment that the system prohibits killing but not eating meat is correct in terms of my training. The choice of what to eat is open and some Buddhists avoid beef or other meats. I have had meals with high Lamas where they were eating beef. We pray before eating and give thanks to all the beings that suffered or made possible our meals, including all the workers involved.

4. over 2 years ago on One Big Happy

   Silver Halide grains were a limit to quality enlargements in silver based films. Size of grain depended on film speed and development formulas. Slower films had less grain and I could make 16 × 20 inch enlargements from 35mm film at ISO 125 with my own formulas where you didn’t see grain at normal viewing distance. The Rollie film size was was much larger than 35mm (2 1/4"sq vs 24 × 36 mm). Large museum prints by Ansel Adams showed grain if you looked closely. Digital has several advantages — much higher ISO’s with lower loss of quality. In digital the quality depends a lot on sensor size, pixel count and again on ISO. Most loss (assuming appropriate exposure, focus and shutter speed in all cases) is from digital noise, both luminous and color noise separately and together, and over enlargement of pixels. Both cases can be dramatically improved with AI processing now in Photoshop and in the independent software from On1 and Topaz. [Photocoach – over 70 years of photography.]

5. over 2 years ago on Baldo

   I’m studying Spanish. Today’s lesson said to use bien for verbs and bueno for nouns. Isn’t dicho a noun. Or is bien dicho a dicho?

6. over 2 years ago on Pickles

   Contact N2VZD

7. over 2 years ago on Cul de Sac

   Thanks to GoComics for running the Origin of the Comics which takes me back to my childhood Sundays and the Mayor of New York reading those to us via radio (quite before TV). The imagination and drawing were outrageously good.

8. over 2 years ago on The Academia Waltz

   It’s one of those old college rivalries, Texas A & M versus the University of Texas, Austin. It helps if you were there to feel the context.

9. over 2 years ago on Ripley's Believe It or Not

   I drove a 41 Ford flathead 8 into the 60’s. Had over 300.000 miles. Had to give it up because too much of the body rusted out (lived in snow country). Took me over a month to learn the habits for starting and driving my 2011 Prius. Rust got most cars in a few years up north. Life in no-snow CA is so much easier.

10. over 2 years ago on Prickly City

    About the wife with the sever reactions: my wife had Covid and has an immune disorder. She had extensive tests of vaccine components one at a time and found that a chemical in Johnson and Johnson and in Maderna would be disastrous in her blood stream, but that Pfizer would be OK. (Not saying Pfizer is better, reactions are different among individuals to the different carriers in the vaccines.) She was given the two properly spaced Pfizer shots with a medical team in attendance. I realize first quality medical care is not available to everyone. Just wanted to note that for some with medical issues there are specific good possibilities.