Colorful
The new archive for film and sound is a colorful building. The glass panes on the outside are designed by Jaap Drupsteen, as is the interior of the building. So, if you are in the neighborhood, you should pay it a visit. You just can't miss it. The image you see here is taken inside the building, looking to the glass windows.

Strong image
Have been experimenting quite a lot with this photograph. It resulted in a strong image I think. I don't know what you think, but I like it pretty much.

Lighthouse
Digitally altered

Carpe diem
Carpe diem, or seize the day. Life is short. It’s something you realize when you lose somebody close to you. Then it hits home hardest. Most of the time you live your life not conscious of the fact that life ends at a certain time. Deep down you know it of course, you just don’t want to think about it. It’s an annoying fact. Carpe diem means that you should live your life to the fullest, every day can be your last. It doesn’t mean that you have to indulge your every wish, you have to be responsible too, you have to be compassionate and above all you have to enjoy your life. Every day again. It also doesn’t mean that you have to quit your job and just do the fun stuff. Care about people around you and care about yourself. Don’t let life pass you by, you are the one that holds the reigns. Be prepared to say no at times when it conflicts with your own interests. You’ve only got this one life, use it well.

Politics
Nothing is so admirable in politics as a short memory. (John Kenneth Galbraith). Just look around today, it's what you see everywhere.
Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation. (Henry Kissinger). Whoa, what an understatement. Right on the mark.
Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river.

Desire and tragedy
In one of my first postings I wrote about money and happiness. This is what I wondered: “Then why do I (you?) always want to have new gadgets, a new laptop, a new hifi, a new.......?” Because goods, money don’t make a person happy. The answer was, peering over the fence and seeing one’s neighbour having a bubblebath or something, makes one want to have one too. I found another explanation: Desire. According to George Bernard Shaw there are two great tragedies in life: Not getting what you want and getting what you want. Not getting what you want speaks for itself, it sucks. Getting what you want makes you think where’s the tragedy here? Getting what you desire leaves you nothing to desire left, and that’s a tragedy too. Because desire according to GBS is what makes a human being alive. If you’ve got nothing to desire anymore you’re a pitiable person. You need something to wish for to be alive. On the other hand, we know that the more you want things, often the unhappier you are. So, the bottomline is, be also moderate in your wanting stuff, gadgets, etc!

No, not Terschelling again
That's right, not Terschelling again. But this weekend we visited another island, namely Texel. We've often been there and every time it has new surprises in store. It's a beautiful island, we just love it. Here's a picture of the sea and the beach. Hope you'll like it.

Terschelling
The last nice weekend in October, so I took a few pictures. This one's taken in the harbor of West Terschelling.

Image
This image is based on a fractal. I used the caleidoscope filter in PaintShopPro to alter it but you can still see the underlying fractal. Enjoy!

I think therefore I am
A long time ago, somewhere around 14 billion years to be precise, the universe was formed in a majestic big bang. Four billion years ago life on earth started in its most basic form. Evolution took care of the rest. This is what scientists tell us. Most of this sounds plausible as far as I can follow it. There are still a few gaps but eventually they will be filled in too. Still, there are some questions left, questions I have a hard time understanding. Biologists and physicists teach us that most of life's processes are just chemistry and physics. But what the heck is a thought? Is that a chemical formula? Is it made up of just a few molecules? And what is emotion? What makes me think? And what happens when I’m curious? Why can I create things? Who am I? How do you explain that away through chemistry? Is it all electro-chemical processes in my brain? I don’t know about you, but these thoughts keep bothering me. Or are they just a few molecules that are racing through my brain?

Sunflower
This is the sunflower Sjoerd planted in our garden. He did very well. I changed it a little though in what you now see. Do you still recognize it?

Computers
Why is it drug addicts and computer afficionados are both called users? (Clifford Stoll)

God
I believe in God, only I spell it Nature. (Frank Lloyd Wright)

Rose
A rose is a rose, is a rose, is a rose.......until I've found it and played with it. For this image I used Paint Shop Pro and applied a blender filter, several times.

Fractal 2
Another one of my fractals.

Music
Money makes the world go round, so the saying goes. In one of my earlier postings I already disagreed with that. Music is what’s making my world go round. At least for a large part. Although I’m not actively making music myself, it’s definitively a major factor in my life. Right from the start in the sixties, when I started getting involved in music I was hooked. I think the sixties created classic music, music that lasts, that changed the world on a different level than just musically. It was revolutional. Then came the seventies with famous hardrock bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. Also, it saw the emergence of U2. The eighties were the decade of U2. And the nineties? At the time I didn’t know, I was thinking it didn’t produce anything worthwile. Now I know better. Through my daughter’s extensive and varied taste in music I’ve learned to appreciate nineties bands like for instance Oasis and Radiohead, to name a few. Also bands from the last couple of years, like Keane and Muse. One of my latest discoveries is Belle and Sebastian. I now know that there’s still a lot of music being made that’s worthwile, that’s even great to listen to. Although it does not have the revolutionary impact music of the sixties had. The best invention of the last decade? By far the Ipod! It goes where I go, on my bike, in the car, it stands on top of my hifi installation. It’s beautiful. Thanks Steve.

Fractal
It's one of the fractals I made with Fractal Explorer. Which is a beautiful and versatile program you can download from the internet. It's freeware. Just play with it and see what it can do.

Sunflower
This sunflower was planted by Sjoerd in our garden. The actual plant didn't look like much, but the flower was georgeous.

The weather, or climate change
It's been hot the last couple of days, even had a day that reached 30 degrees. Which for a september day is unusual. The month of july saw record high temperatures while august showed record precipitation levels. So, extremes. Experts say there's nothing wrong, these are just the normal fluctuations weather always shows. And they dive into the past and come up with statistical data and other info to back up there point of view. Among those experts we find President Bush. Now, he is not a very smart man, research recently learned that he 's the second dumbest American President ever (only President Harding scored higher or lower, I should say). Other experts tell us that the extreme weather conditions are the result of the changing climate. It's warming up, pole ice is melting which will have nasty effects. Sealevel will rise, hurricanes will be more severe and frequent to name a few. The warming up is a result of the levels of carbon dioxide humanity emits (mostly done by the western world but China is doing its best to catch up with us). I'm no expert, I have to go by what experts tell me and I go by what the latter bunch is telling. It's kind of scary. Among important world players there doesn't seem to be a sense of urgency, they're still downplaying things. The environment should be much higher on the agenda of politicians. They will have to take action and that action will not fall on favorable ground. In other words, it might cost them votes. So, they sit tight. Priority should be though that there's only one earth. Our children and grandchildren will be grateful to us if we take the right measures now. We owe it to them. Big Thunder (Bedagi) Wabanaki Algonquin said: "The Great Spirit is in all things, he is in the air we breathe. The Great Spirit is our Father, but the Earth is our Mother. She nourishes us, that which we put into the ground she returns to us...." He seems to me to be a very wise man. To paraphrase President Clinton: It's the environment, stupid.

9/11 and intolerance
It has been five years ago that the attacks on the WTC towers and the Pentagon took place. Horrible acts of terrorism. Also acts of supreme intolerance. Tolerance is one of the most important virtues in human beings. It's the basis of liberalism. It means that opposing views can exist side by side. Live and let live. Principled people, religious and/or fundamentalist people quite often are extremely intolerant. They will try by force or by coercion to have other people live by their standards and have them adopt their ideas. It has been the root of a lot of wars and violence. Tolerance is a great good. Should tolerance tolerate intolerance? It's the one thing it shouldn't do, because intolerance will destroy tolerance. My wish would be that people would learn to be more tolerant toward each other and toward other opinions and religions. It would make the world a better place. This posting is based on an article by A.C. Grayling I read the other day.

Photography
The camera doesn't make a bit of difference. All of them can record what you are seeing. But, you have to SEE. (Ernst Haas)

Egg timer

Moderation
Epicurus taught that the good life is a simple life. A life of moderation. He also taught moderation in moderation. By which he meant, that once in a while it's good to throw a grand party. The ensuing hangover and indigestion will teach you a thing or two, and not just in a philosophical way. Now, that's reassuring.

Fall
Fall is nearing, and with it the fall colors. Beautiful, I love it, every year again.

Photography
"To the complaint, 'There are no people in these photographs', I respond, 'There are always two people: the photographer and the viewer." (Ansel Adams)
Finally, I'm being backed bij somebody and not just anybody, but Ansel Adams, my favorite photographer. He shot awesome landscapes, just take a look at his site. (www.anseladams.com)

Money makes the world go round (part 2)
"I'm living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart".
If you haven’t read my first article about money you really should do so. It’s the starting point for this posting. In it I posed the question why I (you?) always want to buy new gadgets, a new hifi, a new laptop, …..new things. The answer was people tend to peer over the fence too much, and then seeing what others have, want to have that too.That’s probably how it works in my case as well. Now what is the deciding factor for me personally whether I will buy something or not? Necessity is important. I will buy food, it’s necessary if I want to maintain this Blog. I don’t even have to think about it, I just know that I need to eat and drink. But what about all the other stuff? From past experience I know that I’m always deliberating, weighing for a long time. I’m debating with myself, considering arguments in favour and against. Is it a necessary article for our household? Naturally the price is a restricting factor. The biggest hurdle though is my wife. It all boils down to whether I can “sell” my desired purchase to her. Where I’m like a child in a toyshop, I can't do without her much needed restraint. A reassuring thought.

Books
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint". (Mark Twain)
"Read not to contradict and confute, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider". (Sir Francis Bacon)

I blog, therefore I am
"When he who hears does not know what he who speaks means, and when he who speaks does not know what he himself means, that is philosophy". (Voltaire)
Descartes wrote: I think, therefore I am (cogito ergo sum). Descartes was a philosopher, and I'm not. All philosophers are rational thinkers. I'm not. What could he have meant by that statement? Could he have meant to say that only the fact you are a thinking being means that you "are"? And, that by that reasoning, all creatures that aren't thinking , "are" not? Then, what are they? Your cat, your dog, the flowers in your garden, the trees in the forest? I don't know about you, but I'm not underestimating philosophers, they're just too smart. And surely Descartes, he was a bright guy. Do you think that he could have meant that "thinking" is the essence of human beings, the soul, the thing that makes them stand out, the one thing where they fundamentally differ from other living creatures? OK, let me know what you think. The title of this posting was just an excuse to tackle Descartes. Don't think for one minute that my being depends on this blog, or that the only difference between my cat and me is this blog. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Quote
"Forty is the old age of youth; fifty is the youth of old age". (Victor Hugo)

Money makes the world go round
Is that so? Maybe on a purely material level, yes. I was just thinking the other day about writing a post about money when I read this article about happiness. Coincidence. Statistical data show that the amount of money or goods you have is irrelevant to how happy you are. You can even state the opposite: the more you desire goods (money), often the unhappier you are. Then why do I (you?) always want to have new gadgets, a new laptop, a new hifi, a new.......? That's a good question. In itself, having money (or not) doesn't make you happy or unhappy. It's when you look over the fence (figuratively speaking) and see what your neighbour has where the desires crop up, and you get unhappy. So, a sure way to happiness should be: don't look over the fence again, don't relate what you (ought to) have to somebody else. Another thing I picked up from the article is that happiness is a byproduct. You can't just say: And now I'm going to strive to get me some happiness. Happiness comes to you when for instance you've completed a job satisfactorily, when you've seen a beautiful piece of art, or read a moving book. The bottomline is: look at yourself, do the right thing, and it will bring you happiness. Question still remains: How come there are so many unhappy people? Think about it!

Paint Shop Pro
"Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done".
PSP is such a wonderful program. It's so versatile and compared to it's big brother Photoshop, it's really doing well in the equation. PSP is not a necessity (see the quote). You can make things from scratch like the bike you see here. Just use your imagination and creativity. You can also use one or more of the many features and tools PSP is offering you. Tubes, brushes, textures, or one of the loads of effects the program comes with. Or you can use plugins like Chaospro, KPT, Dragonfly, BladePro or EyeCandy. The options are manifold, as are the results. I don't reckon myself to be a pro, far from that, I just like to play with the program and see what comes out. The possibilities are endless. I think I have to make a confession here, I'm probably hooked. Last but not least, the price of PSP is right. For the price you are paying you get a lot of performance. Just see for yourself. Happy creating.

Vacation
"Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils."
Just been vacationing in England with my family. Two weeks away from work. It was just terrific. The weather was perfect, scorching at times. But, it's way better that way than rain, which is not unusual in England. Anyway, everything worked out great. First week we stayed in a cottage near Minehead, which is situated in Somerset, located on Bristol Channel. The scenery was just awesome, rolling country dotted with small villages, medieval at times. The National Trust does a good job over there. Highest point in Exmoor National Park, which makes up a large part of Somerset, is Dunkery Hill at 519 m which gives you an estimate of what the country looks like. Our routine was sleeping in, swimming, and then do some sightseeing. Which actually suited us very well, what with the heat and so on. Second week we stayed in a cottage not too far from London, near Dorking. One of the highlights was a visit to London, of course, we couldn't leave that out. Did the London Eye, the big wheel which presents you with a great view of the city. Actually, we also walked quite a lot, Whitehall, Oxford Street and from there on to Hyde Park. Back with the bus to Piccadilly, on the way we visited a few CD stores, which turned out to be huge, but not cheap. Anyway, as we noticed, time flies, so the day ended soon enough. Another highlight was visiting a good friend of us. Margot, my wife , met Chris, some 30 years ago when she worked in Dorking for half a year. They kept in touch, and a couple of months ago we received an invitiation to attend her marriage. Which happened to take place at the day we were supposed to leave for home again. Which raises the question: Is that coincidence or was it meant to be? After the service we headed back to Dover. And then it was over again. We'd seen a lot, done a lot, and been to places. As far as we're concerned England is one of our favorite countries to go to. Besides vacationing one of the things I like to do is take pictures. The shots you see here aren't straight shots as you can maybe guess. They're "blended" pictures. The bottom one is Dunster Castle, the top one Cleeve Abbey. The one of Cleeve Abbey has a bit of a surrealistic quality I think. Please bear with me in the future when I keep posting stuff like you see here. TIA.