Sunday, August 6, 2023

POTD: Brain Tumor

From 2022 11 03 Athens

"A moment in time,
Cyclist's journey continues,
Seated man's unknown."

—h/t ChatGPT

This photo-of-the-day is from Athens, Greece. It was taken at the foot of the ancient Acropolis. There's a story here, but I didn't pause to learn it. Neither did the cyclist. Therein lies another story.

Saturday, August 5, 2023

POTD: All Alone at the Parthenon

From 2022 11 03 Athens

"Alone 'midst ruins,
Time's river flows endlessly,
Parthenon's witness."


—h/t ChatGPT

This photo-of-the-day is from Athens, Greece. It shows the Parthenon, the most crowded tourist spot in Greece. When we take tourist photos, we work hard to compose shots with the tourists out of the frame of the camera, unless we are deliberately taking photos of the tourists themselves. It's complicated. But I was happy with this shot showing "L" all by herself in front of the Parthenon.

A bonus photo, showing the side of the Parthenon, is after the jump. You'll see what I mean about the crowds. I wanted them in this second shot.

Friday, August 4, 2023

Our Little Angel

No context.

Mayor Bob Dubey: "Our little angel, our Charlie's Angel"

Source: Richardson Police Department

How Comprehensive is the Comprehensive Plan?

Source: City of Richardson

Recently, I've been meddling in the City of Richardson's efforts to update its Comprehensive Plan. To decide who is off the rails—them, me, or maybe neither—I've decided I need to back up (to first principles), or pull up (for a birds-eye view), to understand just what the City thinks is included in this effort.

Thursday, August 3, 2023

Jury Duty (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Jury Duty (TV 2023): Mockumentary follows a trial where everyone is an actor except one juror. Crazy things happen that would not in any real courtroom. Humor is in the unknowing juror's reactions. Last episode spoils the magic, revealing how the audience was tricked, too. C+

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Council Recap: Planning a Comp Plan

Source: DALL-E

The Richardson City Council and the City Plan Commission held a rare joint work session July 31. The main topic on the agenda was "REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE ENVISION RICHARDSON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE AND COMMUNITY SUMMIT ONE." That took almost all of the 3.5 hours the meeting lasted.

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Random Thoughts: Black Mirror

Mastodon

2023-07-01: In the "Black Mirror" episode "Beyond the Sea" (S6, E3), astronauts on a deep space mission get R&R by periodically transferring their consciousness to replicas on Earth. If this technology exists, why wouldn't NASA use it the other way around, sending replicas into space and keeping the humans safe on Earth, except when needed in space?

2023-07-03: Life would be easier to figure out if it were accompanied by melodramatic music like in bad movies.

2023-07-03: I'm reminded of when I taught high school in Australia in 1976. I told my students that in honor of the upcoming American bicentennial, there would be no school on July 4. An initial burst of excitement was quicky followed by irritation when they realized July 4, 1976, fell on a Sunday.

Monday, July 31, 2023

What To Do with the Doghouse When Fido Dies

Source: h/t DALL-E

In Facebook's "Richardson Urban and Neighborhood Discussions", Andrew Laska shared an announcement by the City of Richardson about open houses to gather community feedback about the City Hall/Comp Plans. He offered his own priorities, the first one (two?) of which were "1) Legalize missing middle housing. 1a) Legalize ADUs."

Sunday, July 30, 2023

POTD: The Arch of Hadrian, Now and Then

From 2022 11 03 Athens

This photo-of-the-day is from Athens, Greece. It shows the Arch of Hadrian. Hadrian was a Roman emperor and this arch is in Athens, at the foot of the Acropolis. What's with that? Ancient history is long...and messy.

A bonus photo, then and now, is after the jump.

Saturday, July 29, 2023

POTD: Genuine Fake Watches

From 2022 11 02 Ephesus

This photo-of-the-day is from the ancient city of Ephesus, Turkey. Every stop on the tourist trail has them — souvenir stalls at the entrance/exit extending for as far as the eye can see. And common items for sale at these stalls are "Rolex" watches. This stall stands out for its honesty.

Full disclosure: I once bought a watch at a souvenir stand. In Russia. It turns out to have been one of my favorite souvenir purchases ever, even though I no longer have the watch. You can read the story here: "My Uglich Watch".