Category: Musings

Hatching and Hatched

Yesterday I reported that my back porchlight housed a squatter. A robin’s nest rests atop it complete with Mother Robin and her eggs.  Later in the evening, I checked the nest and the robin had flown off to find her own dinner.

I managed to get a blurry shot of the nest’s contents.  I had to do this while standing on a chair, hiding inside the house and leaning out with just my smartphone hovering over the nest.  I couldn’t see the screen and snapped a couple of photos to pick the best to show here.

Mother Robin took a brief break. Continue reading “Hatching and Hatched”

Maitz on Art Pact: “On Fantasy Publishing, and Negotiating Contracts”

Don Maitz, a renowned (and one of my favorite) fantasy and maritime artist, wrote an excellent article over at Art Pact.  This paragraph especially caught my eye:

So that being said, most producers of a product want to see a fair profit for everyone involved in their production line. Things get dicey when the financial bottom line takes precedent over content and when a legal department does it’s job too well. In Ian Ballantine’s day, as many artists such as I remember, the company, be it a publishing house or gaming company, was answerable to the president who made ultimate decisions on the products they chose and how they were to be conceived and marketed. These self owned enterprises were able to go out on a limb to try something on their own. Today, such companies are owned by corporations that also own many other companies in the Entertainment industry and the person that makes the bulk of the important decisions is now the accountant, as the quarterly bottom line that is fed to the corporate board and stockholders sets the guidelines. Profit over content is something that publishers are struggling with and I believe is the core issue of why this website was established.

— Don Maitz, “On Fantasy Publishing, and Negotiating Contracts“, Art Pact (May 2014)

Back Porchlight Squatter

Back porch light squatterA robin built a nest on top of our back porch light.  It’s been there a week or so, but for the last couple of days, she hasn’t left the nest when we slide open the patio door.  She stayed put while I took a couple of photos of her with my smartphone.

According to the Wikipedia article on the American Robin, it only takes a couple of weeks for the eggs to hatch.  If she leaves the nest, I’ll try to take a photo of them as well.

 

Recently Discovered Big Bang “Smoking Gun” Could Be A Bust

http://io9.com/recently-discovered-big-bang-smoking-gun-could-be-a-b-1575597952?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_twitter&utm_source=io9_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Just when I was getting used to the Big Bang theory being taken as fact by everyone.  Gotta love the scientific method.

Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon

Article: FCC Confirms Chairman Will Revise Net Neutrality Proposal

FCC Confirms Chairman Will Revise Net Neutrality Proposal

http://mashable.com/2014/05/12/fcc-revises-net-neutrality-rules/

Looks like good news.  I’ll wait to cheer until later in the week when it’s official v or public.

Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon

What’s Your Major? 4 Decades Of College Degrees, In 1 Graph : Planet Money : NPR

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/05/09/310114739/whats-your-major-four-decades-of-college-degrees-in-1-graph?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140509

Sad to see that STEM degrees haven’t gained much ground.  I’m rather disappointed in the Math stats (pun intended).

Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon

12 Things Only Music Majors Understand

Shout out to my daughter, who is wrapping up* her Masters in Vocal Performance this week.

I have one additional item to add to the list:  Vocal Performers must have an accompanist, which they pay for out of their own pockets.

And, rehearsals are required but again no credit hours applied.

* Update:  Rachelle passed her orals this morning!  Congratulations!

Stuff « L.E. Modesitt, Jr. – The Official Website

http://www.lemodesittjr.com/2014/04/29/stuff/

I laughed but I almost cried as well.   This is so true.  I can’t claim to be neat and organized as Modesitt does (except digitally) but I can confirm that remodeling your house while you are living in it is a challenge.

Here’s just one small example of what I’ve been living with for about ten months now.  This is the family room, formerly known as the ‘band’ room (for about ten years), being transformed into our new entertainment home theatre room:

band room dismantling
The ‘before’ picture.

Yes, our ‘stuff’ included moving a piano. Now here’s the ‘after’ video that starts in the finished family room and tours some of the other remodeling we’ve done:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lInSSlxEMrY?rel=0]

We are oh so close to a milestone in our home improvement project(s).  We are ordering the vanity and mirror for the bathroom this week.

I can’t wait to have my main bathroom fully functional again after so many months.