I’m still quite tired from the trip. I had to have a technician come to the house to repair my internet. Seems that a wire had been frayed outside but it was nice just to unplug and work on my photos. Here are a smattering, really random including some infrared that I did in post.
Getting ready for Iceland
Part 2 of my Iceland saga begins soon. My main concern will be power and SD card management, especially since this time I am camping. One possible issue with the itinerary so far is going south west through the interior from Askja (right in the middle of the map below) since the roads may still be impassible with multiple river fords. Best bet will be to speak to the rangers at the station before beginning the hike to soak in the Viti crater. More soon.
A few photos from the weekend.
Stanford lectures on photography
A foggy morning
Are hoodies the next capes?
I’m binge watching Marvel’s Luke Cage. It is a worthy successor the the Daredevil series with a great soundtrack so far. I don’t know the characters since I never read that comic but I’m impressed so far! Like Mr. Robot, a hoodie is his costume. No worse than a simple pair of glasses, I guess.
Fujifilm GFX Medium format camera
Announced at Photokina, Fujifilm is introducing a 50.4 megapixel medium format camera. Six lenses are also announced for the system. More here. Impressive technology. They mentioned that the body plus one lens would be less than 10k. Cheap when compared to the Hasleblad system so threatening to the full frame market since this would cost the same with more resolution but not on my shopping list anytime soon.
Mr. Robot, nothing but spoilers
As the end of season 2 is next week, I have decided to binge the show again to see if the theory that Eliot has a third personality, namely, Tyrell. And that Tyrell is the main personality with Eliot being his hacker persona.
Outside of the eLLiot, oLLie, and tyreLL name connection, is there anything there?
I’m also interested in seeing if I can gain some more information on the origins theory regarding the nuclear power plant. Are the theories of time travel and alternate realities just red herrings? I think there is a wrinkle in the story. I don’t subscribe to the theory that this is all the Matrix (too obvious) or Lost (please no) but there is some sci-fi twist as yet revealed.
Season 1
I was giddy as the show started since I know how good it will get! Things the second time around will provide better context, I’m hoping. Part of the Tyrell theory also includes Angela being Tyrells sister and not just an old friend. Their first interaction was telling . We find out that Angela found the job at E Corp for Eliot and within minutes in the first conversation with Tyrell, Tyrell mentions that he started as a tech guy and is now a rising executive in the company. Tyrell then says how much he is going to appreciate working with Eliot but why would their paths cross in such a large organization? My conjecture is that Tyrell is the main personality and Eliot is to Tyrell as Mr. Robot is to Eliot. I also didn’t realize the persistent motif of the fish. QWERTY is in a small fishbowl and is a black fighting fish. And that’s just the first 20 minutes! So I will just be blogging and binging.
It just struck me that when Eliot and Mr.Robot first go to the arcade that the guy who opens the door only looks at Eliot. I double checked and he didn’t even look in the direction of Mr. Robot. Inside the arcade Darlene notices that Eliot is talking to someone but I do know from the big twist that this scene is an early “tell” like when you watch The Sixth Sense for the second time. // holy shit it is obvious even in the first episode.
The scene where Eliot does background on the arcade is interesting. The owner was shot three times in the back and the article noted that this was the fifth murder in a short period. Are these other murders connected to the main storyline?
Another episode, and breakfast, done. Not much more on my initial conjecture. There is some question surrounding when they find out about Evil Corps role in the toxic waste dump killing both Angela’s mother and Eliot’s father. But, it still doesn’t rule out the fact that Angela and Eliot could be brother and sister. I also found the scene with a young Eliot and his mother as they waited for the bus to be interesting since his mother appears as harsh as Tyrell’s wife. Sorry, my Freudian is showing.
So, to restate: is Elliot Tyrell’s malware?
//well after an entire season binged on a rainy Saturday I can honestly say that I am no closer to either proving or disproving the whole Elliot/Tyrell connection. In fact, I think I know less. But my beef Bourgogne was fantastic!
Season 2
I got a late start to Season 2 but right from the beginning, the jail sequence is quite obvious. I initially thought that it was therapy but the scheduled day could have been prison as it turned out to be. Leon is a great character!
Some street photos
I normally don’t take photos of people but with my new Leica 42.5mm I have been attempting some street photos. The light was really harsh yesterday since I was in the Market around noon doing some shopping. Taking photos of strangers certainly filled me with a sense of dread. Perhaps next time I will do these candids with a longer telephoto until I build better technical instincts for street shooting.
Hannah Arendt
I read Arendt’s work in university. On Totalitarianism is one of the books that I find still useful for understanding elements of contemporary society. Here is a great article on Arendt and “social slavery” in the United States in the immediate post World War 2 era. Her thoughts on the implicit necessity for individuals to have a capacity to determine their own role within the polity makes me wake up to the reality of small scale organization. My work in my union local was made most difficult because of exactly this question: how to involve people in their own social betterment? And what technology can be used to provide a platform for this interaction? I hadn’t realized, until now, that some of these answers were already in front of me.