Merry Christmas!

Today is a birthday, too... It is the real reason we celebrate this day...

Thank you, thank you, thank you...

Merry Christmas to all!

I got Bucky Balls today! Very addicting!

TC,
Michael

Copyright (C) 2010 by Michael G. Hesley All Rights Reserved

Airport Buffoonery

Yesterday while trying to snivel a free ride on Southwest Airlines from Seattle to Salt Lake City, I committed interstate social faux paux's in Washington, and Utah. In Washington, I walked into the woman's bathroom. By mistake, mind you. But I did it... And the ladies inner sanctum was empty except for, well, me... How did I know it was the ladies bathroom? Well, I certainly didn't have a keen enough grasp of the obvious to notice the sign outside the entrance that showed a figure with a skirt, also labeled "Woman's." No, as I entered the usually noisy woman's bathroom I was unknowingly in the "red zone," airline talk for clueless. Since I heard no females laughing or screaming at me, I stupidly walked in anyway.

So, the intrepid aviator of 35 years looked around, and noticed there were no urinals hanging on the wall. Now, being the steely-eyed trained killer of enemies of the state that I am, and like a flying brick in the forehead, I realized I needed to retreat to the "yellow zone," which in the airline biz means Joe Bag 'O Donuts is coming out of his self-induced village idiot mode. As Sun Tzu recommends in "The Art of War," now is the time to retreat with honor. I sheepishly and slowly turned around and walked out like it was the most normal thing for a man to do. You know, like I was conducting a health and welfare inspection while it was empty. "Ok, ladies, it's safe to use..." Sheesh! No one noticed, as far as I know, and I'm back in the "green zone" again. What a nog... ;-)

Next, in the inland empire State of Utah, I disembarked (always wanted to use that word) Southwest's Boeing 737, stopped at Starbuck's and bought some caffeine free Passion Tea, at Starbuck's. Is it supposed to be an aphrodisiac? Just wondering.... Next, I swashbuckled my way through the concourse like Captain Kirk enters the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, and onto the escalator I go, like I have always successfully accomplished before. While walking through the concourse, I had noticed that no one had left a message to tell me that someone will pick me up. While riding the escalator, I received a communications from Hali (daughter number three, code named H3) that someone will be there shortly. That is where I cluelessly jumped head first into the "red."

As I looked at the text on my wonderful iPhone 4, I let go of my roller bag with it's shiny stainless steel handle fully extended, computer bag with a few flying books inside, my food bag, and my camera bag, all began tumbling rather noisily down the entire length of the escalator head over foot all the way down to the bottom. Ok, they didn't just tumble, my bags crashed their way down the escalator. Did anybody get hurt? No, I was the only one on the escalator. Did anyone notice? Believe it or not, no one else was within eyesight of my gross and clumsy escalator antics. Entering the "yellow," I picked my bags up, and rode the escalator up again for the second time in about 30-40 seconds. Damage to my cargo resulted in a few dents in my cans of sardines in mustard sauce. There were no claps of appreciation, no hoots, no hollers, no expletives shouted in anger, nor cries of pain and anguish as my 50 lbs of steel crashed into an innocent escalator rider below me. Ok, back in the "green," again. :-)

Smiling at myself, I thought, it was an overall good day... Maybe something for the yellow stickies?

Still crazy (and squeaky clean) after all these years. Well, sorta...

;-)

TC,
Michael

Copyright (C) 2010 by Michael G. Hesley
All Rights Reserved

The Darkness and The Light

Last night, on my deck I watched the eclipse of the moon. Light changed to darkness, then changed to light. From that darkness came light. It felt like a renewal for my soul...

I had a fire ceremony where I wrote on 22 yellow stickies, resentments, angers, hurts, and many of the hurts I've inflicted on those I love, and those I didn't love. As I burned them in my grill, the clouds briefly cleared and I could see the moon was totally eclipsed. The white smoke quietly and gently spiraled into the sky, taking with it many of my hurts, resentments, and anger. I felt that warm feeling in my solar plexus. Tears welled from my eyes, washing my cloudy vision away and leaving the clarity of pure love in my soul. It was cathartic. I loved the experience. I did good for me... and those I love. I'm beginning to understand that to change the world, we must change ourselves first.

I think to some, "Source" seems like darkness. Why? Because none of our senses can perceive it. Some call Source "light," because the less we obstruct it, the more radiant we are. It seems to me that the gateway to all understanding is that we have to remain in the darkness of not knowing, until we accept the light of knowing.

In my poem "Changes" I wrote this -

We exist together,

this light and darkness,
and now I know it is.
I am the Light and I am the Darkness,
and of these things are me.
I love the warm Light,
and I love the cold Darkness.
Oh, how I do love them,
both, yes, you see.
I love them both
because they seem
the very same to me.

I knew it when I wrote the poem over a year ago, but couldn't verbalize why Light and Dark became the same. I know why now. Just like in the Matrix movie series, I've already made choices, and I'm slowly learning the "why" of them. The Darkness is as important as The Light. Without Dark's existence, Light doesn't exist, and vice versa. The Darkness may seem cold, but the cold is necessary to love the warm Light. It isn't accepting. Accepting is an egoic choice. Accept this, don't accept that. Emotional choices we make that are many times quite wrong. We people have no real good way to determine truth. But most people think that enlightenment is something we attain; it isn't. Enlightenment is surrendering to the known and the not known. Definitely not accepting. Not that I'm enlightened, I just surrendered to and fell in love with The Darkness and The Light. My love for both is how I surrendered and Dark and Light became part of me. They are both beautiful sides of the same coin.

My friend Garth says "Waiting, is..."

There is more that my wise friend Garth said, but to me, what Garth alluded to is that the waiting takes place in The Darkness of Not Knowing. I've learned that Patience is The Virtue of Darkness, and Love is the Kind Action of The Darkness. So, I wait with patience and love in The Darkness of Not Knowing for the shift of that waiting part of my soul to The Light of Knowing. Jesus'time in the Garden of Gethsemane was his Darkness and his Waiting, and his "death" was his Knowing and his Surrender; his shift to the Light of Knowing. He showed us how to wait, believe, and surrender to what is. He showed us how to Love What Is.

Name your what is; it is what we wait for in our innocence of not knowing, and in our wisdom of not needing to know, we can see that everything as it appears to us in the moment is always benevolent. Just like Jesus surrendered to his own death... Through the Virtue of the Darkness, we learn that nothing happens before it's supposed to. By the Kind Action of The Darkness, we are propelled to the attracting power of The Light of Knowing and it's sweet restoring warmth. It took me years, no, lifetimes, to believe and surrender...

Funny how things turn out... Finally, for me, the murkiness of the duality of dark and light, those primitive limbic thought processes in our low consciousness that is our curse, rose into the night, and into the ether, where God's mercy transmutes it into the pure energy of love.

Be kind to yourself and to others this season, and always...

TC,
Michael

P.S. Read the Bhagavad Gita translation by Stephen Mitchell

Copyright (C) 2010 by Michael G. Hesley
All Rights Reserved

Facebook Compassion

A few days ago a Facebook friend posted this on his status:  "Has anyone else noticed that some people here only use their Facebook page as a constant cry for help or venting mechanism but not much else. No good news, no constructive revelations and never anything fun. It's like their life is one bad status update after another." He was welcoming comments about his post. My friend got 68 comments and lots of "likes."

Most of the comments were not favorable, and in fact many were in downright flaming angry agreement with him. I think he was surprised at some many of the comments made by his friends. My belief is that he didn't post that because he wanted others to agree with him. I'm sure he was somewhat saddened at how his friends felt about "needy" people on Facebook. Certainly it was an interesting and telling compassion check of  his "friends."

This was my response to my Facebook friend:  "Perhaps a different point of view... My way to peace started with kind thoughts for myself. That took a while. And I do that now. That leads to kind thoughts for others, no matter where they are in life. I see their words, their pain..., their love, their fear, and their loneliness as different sides of good living. Some don't yet see the beauty of their darkness, and some only see light. Their fearful darkness is just their not knowing. Not knowing can be a very frightening thing. Accept their fearful ways. When you see their pain, you're just seeing yourself. Seeing yourself in others is also a very frightening thing. Love them for their darkness, and their light. Love them and love life with all of their distressing ways. Reality is never too big for an open heart and open mind. Take care."

Only one other person wrote something even remotely close to that out of 68. She said it more eloquently than I did with all of my humble comments. All the other responses were just his friends agreeing with him, and seeing themselves in each of their own self-distressing ways.

The young woman spoke with her heart, her spirit, and her loving grace. I have a deep respect for the woman who isn't even my Facebook friend. She showed her light quietly, and sweetly with only one word:

Compassion...

She's a bright loving spirit on Facebook.

Be kind to yourself... Always...

With many warm regards this season, and also everyday...

TC,
Michael

Copyright (C) 2010 by Michael G. Hesley
All Rights Reserved

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you, thank you, thank you...

The best of life, love, and peace for you and the family this day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

TC,
Michael

Copyright (C) 2010 by Michael G. Hesley
All Rights Reserved

Inspiration from Flickr.com - A Photography Website

Probably the most meaningful (at least to me) and quite possibly the best picture on photographic websites is here:

www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/19296759

I'm surprised it isn't on Flickr. 

A most common dream... I used to dream about looking for my "keys" outside on a street under a light. A woman who was walking by asked me what I was looking for... I told her my keys. She asked "Where did you lose them?" I responded, "Inside my Home." She looked at me quizzically, and asked me "Why are you looking out here for your keys when you lost them inside your Home?" My response, "Because it's light out here, and dark in there..." She suggested that I search differently inside and with my light on... So, I returned to my "home" and searched again. After a long time, I found my keys. (Oddly, I just recalled, the woman was almost alabaster white).

One of the few things I do well is systems integration, especially of computer systems. My knowledge of systems is rusty now, but, I know that the Google search engine isn't about finding facts. What I've discovered is that when looking for things, what you find is determined not by what you look for, but in how you search. They are Google's and the other search engine's most treasured secrets. It's too bad that they are also many other people's secrets, too. That mind/spirit connection is all about the why and the how. That understanding is the basis of becoming a woman (man) of knowledge. I found this in the book named "The Fire From Within," by Carlos Castaneda. "Fear of knowledge is natural; all of us experience it, and there is nothing we can do about it. But no matter how frightening learning is, it is more terrible to think of a man (woman) without knowledge." -- don Juan Matus.

The knowledge of ourselves can be very frightening, that is if you look at it from your fearful self...

Seeing is not about looking with your eyes, it's about the feeling you get from "seeing." The magic of it is about translating your dreams and making them your reality. It doesn't matter if its photography, writing a book, parenting, mentoring, or implementing a new procedure to manufacture a widget. They are all artful, and beautiful. So, if you don't find what you are looking for, change the way you look at things, and what you look at will change. I know, very New Agey, but reality is never too big for an open mind/spirit. If you'd like have a jump-start about that change of heart, watch the video "The Shift" by Wayne Dyer. Its inspiring, and perhaps it'll provoke your feelings of inspiration and creativity.

Men, the women tend to have the advantage over us. Women are just more open than men, well, mostly, that is... Why? Because of their lack of physical strength in comparison to us, they've had to finesse things more than us brute-forcing men. Instead of our chest-thumping limbic style of making things happen, women use a more convincing style of leadership. A big advantage you ladies have over us... Men can easily do it too. Give up the macho stuff and become masculine. Its the most common blockage of the male mentality, and frankly the world suffers because of it... Become soft, like water. That softness can help us translate our inspiration and feelings into our own creative reality.

I look at all my Flickr.com contact's profiles. Its very important to me to feel what they are about and why they do their photographic work. I'm just learning myself. I do wish all of you the good fortune of looking "inside." Even if you don't find what you are looking for, the journey begins there, and the discovery will change your life. Here are three books to read about inspiration and seeing: "Photography and the Art of Seeing," by Freeman Patterson, and "Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling," by Wayne Dyer, and "The Creative Process in the Individual," by Thomas Troward. Photography is a fantastic way of expressing your spiritual self, and your work shows the uniqueness of your efforts. Most don't know this, but there is much time for your creativity energies, because we're all timeless.

I love the way people express themselves through photography! It's so inspiring to me! I've done a little photography, but I've read lots of books about it. The creative process is just fascinating! Take a look around Flickr, SmugMug, or the other photo web sites. See them not with your eyes, but with your mind and spirit. As the poet Rumi says, "Sell your cleverness and purchase bewilderment." I suppose photography is about some cleverness, but to me, it's about the bewilderment of the boundless and infinite ways of portraying our place in this universe. It's all just fascinating to me! See, they aren't secrets at all... I ask, I believe, I receive, I allow, and I accept... When you make photographs, it's not about how good they are; it's about how good you feel when you make them. Feel and allow, "the fire from within..."

TC,
Michael

Copyright (C) 2010 by Michael G. Hesley
All Rights Reserved

The Mac App Store... A Wet Dream Come True...

The business model of the iPad, iPhone, and soon to be, Mac platform is all about Apple's revenue stream. Buy their hardware, and you can only use Apple's blessed software from the App Store. And Apple gets 30% of the cut. Sounds like Middle Age Europe under the domination of the Catholic Church. Sounds like legal racketeering. Read the RICO Act...

So, all the apps go through the app store... Of course, Apple manufactures the hardware and has a right to control some aspects, but controlling the software is what computing is all about. Hardware is a commodity, software is the air/water/food that sustains computing in all forms. What Apple does would be akin to Ford telling you that you can replace parts with only Ford's products, no Michelin, no off-brand parts, no nothing. How would that go? It's like the company stores from the old mining days.

Now Mr. Jobs, says... Hey, we've sold 50 million Macs in the last few years, and we almost never see those people's money or faces unless their Mac is broken. Why don't we try to convert that product line to the iPad/iPhone business model. You know, only Apple can sell the software (in their dreams).  Just what IBM did and tried doing so many years ago.

So, programming dudes and dudettes, YOU have to pay 30% to Apple just so you can sell your software for the Mac OS. Pretty cool, huh? Say goodbye to your kids college fund. You may sell more software, but what's it going to cost you? It won't be just your money, but when Apple starts telling you how you're going to program too, you know, to conform to the Mac App Store "standards" (such as they are) say goodbye to your creativity and flexibility, your most cherished assets. Just look at what embedding the browser in the Win OS did for Microsoft's popularity. Now, Apple wants to be even more popular! Say hello to more money for 'lil old Apple, Inc, your hometown computer company. Hello eventual Federal Anti-Trust Lawsuit.

Apple's treading on thin ice here... I know, there are those of you who think not, but believe me, start selling the Macs that way, and watch software prices go up. The app developers are not going to give Apple 30% of their cut and see their revenues shrink because Apple wants their revenues to grow. Watch the jilted software companies sue Apple so quick they couldn't even say well-financed "class action lawsuit" before they have hundreds of companies writing their Senators, Congressmen, and other highly powerful people in the Judicial Branch of government. IBM and Microsoft thought they did their legal preventive homework too, and yet, they were in 'splainin' to 'da judge for years... Costly, draining, and of course, innovation killing. Anti-trust material. But Apple, drunk with success, and flush with more than $50 billion in cash wants what all powerful men and women want... More power... Just like Microsoft from 15 years ago... Capitalism, right? Predatory at the least, downright extortion, if you ask me. Of course, you don't have to participate, you have a choice, for now...

I've been working in the information world for almost 30 years. Anyone remember when the Federal gov't tried to break up IBM, Microsoft, and of course there was Standard Oil, the Bell System, and the divestment of aircraft manufacturers from their wholly owned airline subsidiaries. Apple thinks because Obama recently visited them in California that they just got the "go ahead" from him. Maybe for now. Politicians change direction like the wind. Politicians are responsible to their constituents. CEO's are responsible to the board and themselves. Boards are almost always appointed by the CEO's. So, who are the CEO's responsible to? Themselves. I would have to say "Watch out!" to the presently successful CEO and "board" at Apple, Inc. I'm sure you think you're untouchable...

Apple has done a wonderful job with the app store from a user point of view. Wonderful job for the stock holders, much less for the user's inflated opinions. From a developer's point of view, Apple's App Store is a corporate control freak's revenue wet dream come true. iPod, iPhone, and iPad users may put up with it, and in many ways that's good. But, most of the apps are next to useless. Of course there's "the what came first... the chicken or the egg." In Apple's opinion, software is only good if they bless it. According to The Gartner Group most apps (+80%) are not used after 24 hours. Why is that? Apple doesn't care! 30% cut, Baby! And, of course, refunds are rarely heard of... But, as has been said, there is peace in the public's not knowing. The creative programmers of the world won't be so clueless, and eventually, neither will the public...

I use a mix of Macs and PC's. I like both. Although, I really love Windows 7. I never thought I would say this, but "Thank you Microsoft!" What I think is a strength about the PC platform is that it's OPEN, at least way more than the Mac's. I can put up with the iPhone App store and it's iAds plastered over my free apps. And, I don't trust large corporations, Apple or Microsoft, or Oracle, or Symantec or whatever, with cloud computing. Let Apple control the applications alone on the Mac, and I can pretty much guarantee Apple will attempt to kill any outside server-side apps. In other words, anyone not playing by Apple's rules; you're out! Out of job; out of business, and out of sight! Flash, Silverlight, etc... Mom and Pop web app developers. You don't pay homage to Apple... You don't play! See ya!

Apple, if you try to control my Mac desktop computing experience with even more of your control freak-ness, in the name of "protecting the devoted Mac users," I'll be back to Windows 7 or 8 and never look "Back to the Mac." A cell phone or iPad user is less demanding. We don't want to give up even more of our say about computing to Apple, Inc. PC and Mac users are much more savvy than just an iPhone user... Savvy???

I actually hope Apple tries to pull it off. I hope they pull the trigger, because it'll be the shot heard around the computing world. I doubt it will be a model for others to follow.

My father used to say, sometimes a person's only redeeming quality is to serve as a bad example for others. It'll be too bad, because Apple does give us good value in the information world. So, go ahead Apple, make the DOJ's day...

An addendum:  Macworld posting... Apple dumps Adobe Flash from Mac OSX

http://www.macworld.com/article/155132/2010/10/flash_osx.html

Post addendum:  My family owns four Macs, and seven iPhones. 

It begins...

TC,
Michael

Copyright (C) 2010 by Michael G. Hesley
All Rights Reserved

Choices

I'm changing. . .

And I don't know how to be.

I cannot stay the same.

For the sameness is exhausting,

and I won't be the same,

for these changes are to be,

all this and more,

I know will be for me.

I see the choices,

I feel them coming.

These changes for me I choose,

or maybe they choose me?

Nevertheless,

they are,

and will be,

for me.

Of this I do not know,

but it matters not to me,

for they are to be,

these choices that are for me.

Infinite and Ineffable discoveries,

but few choices abound.

Or so that it always seemed. . .

I'm making inevitable choices,

But they don't choose me.

We exist together,

this light and darkness,     

and now I know it is.

I am the Light,

and I am the Darkness,

and of these things are me.

I love the warm Light,

and I love the cold Darkness.

Oh, how I do love them,

both, yes, you see.

I love them both,

because they seem,

the very same to me.

I am Timeless here,

in this state I'm in,

and all that it seems.

We are timeless together,

the Light and Darkness,

and all that they seem.

Together we exist,

to balance and to limit.

Everything and nothingness,

or so it appears to me.

Separate we were confused.

Together we are complete,

yes, this Light,

and Dark and me.

Together we seem so final,

so complete and agreed.

How lovely now it is to see,

all the good that is to be.

Soft voices from the light,

and good feelings, too,

and beauty,

and love,

and everything that may be true.

Nothingness,

from the darkness,

except for the forlorn.

Voices I no longer want to hear.

Those sad voices that say,

"You need me no more."

Everywhere is the light,

of loving warmth that soothes.

My body, mind, soul,

and Spirit,

all, now joined as one.

Finally now together,

they can all move as one.

Together in the goodness,

of that right Bright Light,

we flourish and we finally see,

all that we are now,

and all that I want to be.

I see these visions,

in my all journeys,

and in all of my dreams.

They are beautiful,

and never ending,

and they are Infinite,

and they are Ineffable

now, that I do see.

They are my choices.

Yes, all these are for me,

even if I don't know why,

they are what they will be.

They are all my Inevitable choices,

and I choose them for me.

They are my bright destiny,

these sweet choices that I see.

They are my beautiful dreams,

from my journeys that are to be.

I'm beginning to see the Light,

oh, of this I have dreamed.

I'm beginning to see the Light,

and it is what it seems.

The darkness,

was once my old friend,

or though I thought

it seemed.

Though, in the Light

I see more now,

now that I dream.

I see in the beauty of the Light,

it's now so clear to me,

I see the beauty of my changes,

and all that I allow for me.

I now know this is to be, though,

it did not always seem.

All this,

and more,

is God's gift to be.

All this and more,

all, for my beautiful me.

TC,
Michael

Copyright (C) 2010 by Michael G. Hesley
All Rights Reserved

To Flash or Not to Flash in Rock Photography

I like both flash and no flash. I've heard from the shooters that "it bother's the performers..." Ya gotta be kidding? I don't use on-camera flash. With all the stage lighting, strobes from the show, the freakin' big noise, pot smoking, booze guzzlin', screaming adoring fans, and the perfomers leaping around like primitive man in the movie '2001: A Space Odyssey'... flash... distracts the performers? What a prima donna attitude! You'd think they were muzzle flashes from AK-47s! Incoming! Take cover! No... take a powder divas and rock stars... I'm not there for them, they are there for us! We. Pay. Them.

Now, if not used well, I believe flash can destroy the dynamics of the photographic moment. Learn how to use the little light bazookas, and you'll have a whole new photographic universe appear to your open mind. And, I prefer to shoot without flash. But, gelled flash, dialed down, and some well-timed rear-sync shots (yes, it's slow...) can show give some absolutely fantastic shots with great feeling and emotional energy. Who wants to only see frozen performers that are "stuck" in position like some bad episode from an old Sci-Fi Channel TV show? Besides, some of my more interesting and great shots are "happy mistakes."

In rock photography, I don't see any reason to follow the "unwritten rules." Photoshop the hell out of them if you feel so inclined! Get Topaz Labs Adjust, because it's great for rock shots. And while your forking out the money, get a great noise reduction program.

I don't set my ISO so high that it scorches the sensor! I love the movement, and I love the graininess. When I see a band perform, I don't see crystal clear scenes in my mind's eye. I see motion, I see multi-colored high-freq energy that emanates from the performer's spirit's, and I see lots of it! I want to show their energy, their emotion, and their artisty. They bare their soul's to us. I respectfully submit that flash can help us feel connected to the performers. I prefer not using the flashes, but, if I have to, I light 'em up with the photon torpedos!

I use flash. In fact, the more the merrier! I blame Joe McNally, and David Hobby for this... I don't shoot the big shows, just the up-and-coming regional bands. I have five of my "lil fren's" and I use Justin Clamps, and light stands, and if I can, place them pretty far away, always gelled. I don't want them to look flashed. Get the Rosco Roscolux Swatchbooks... My fire team of Nikon SB-800 and SB-900 flashes are popped with a Nikon SU-800. Sometimes the background's at the venues are so uninteresting, that I change them up with the little gelled wonders. When Pocketwizard releases their version for Nikon, I'll drop some serious bucks into them.

So, walk in and setup like you've shot bands for 30 years. Make up a fake business card if you don't have a business, and give it to the sound and lighting dude and the venue management. Give the card to the leader of the band. I show them my "artistry" on my iPhone and the Flickr app. As long as my stands or tripods don't interfere, almost no one stops me! Many times the in-house lighting is horrible, so I bang away with those gelled puppies! I shoot 500-700 pics per band, and I'm pleased if I get 20-40 good ones. Even better if I get 10 outstanding shots. Are my shots great? All up to the beholder. Art or not, I have great fun, and the band's love them! Give your best shots and prints to the venue owners, and they'll love what you do! And they'll let ya get away with photographic murder...

As far as rules, I know of only three in photography... Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO... No other rules need apply.

Why make a "rule?" NO FLASH...? Meh... I've haven't been told once to "get those flashes outta my face!" It could happen, but it hasn't yet, and if it does, I'll shoot without, or not at all, if I feel so inclined. I'm always respectful, but when they see their shots, they smile... What can be better than that?

TC,
Michael

Take a look at The People Now at http://www.myspace.com/thepeoplenow

Also please look at Rock 'n Roll on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelgphotography/sets/72157624809653030/show/ 

Copyright (C) 2010 Michael G. Hesley
All Rights Reserved