My Dead Mac...

My Dead Mac...

Yup, it died... what to do with a dead iMac? It's a few years old, white and plastic, but with a big beautiful 24" screen (not glossy!!!) and a giant hard drive. I took it to my local repair shop, Charlotte Street Computers (no Apple Store in my town, but they are Apple Certified), after a $60 diagnosis they came back saying it's a "board problem", and boards aren't fixed, they are replaced. It's going to be $700 all said and done, at least as expensive as buying the same working machine off of ebay... what to do. I wouldn't mind a new 27", but can't quite afford the bucks at this point. Perhaps a $100 Print Sale Fund Raiser? Gonna sleep on it... and borrow machines in the mean time. ug.

UPDATE: Fixed... waiting to purchase the new "anti-glare" model iMac... will I wait forever?

Photoshop Disaster - Vanity Fair & Leibovitz, Really?

First of all, let me state, I find nothing wrong with compositing images ("photoshopping" - for all you nobodies) for an editorial shoot.... and I have nothing but respect and admiration for Annie Leibovitz, even if she has used a sub-par lens (unlike some, who will remain nameless). This isn't adding smoke to Beirut, or missiles to the Iranian fleet. This is only doctoring a portrait to make it look better... totally legal and crossing no ethical bounds in my mind. Just please, if you are Vanity Fair and Annie Leibovitz, do a better job and don't make Sam Mendes wear only one sleeve of his jacket while holding his wife Kate Winslet..... although maybe it was a just a test to see if we would notice... I've done that myself.

For the record: I'd bet a pack of rechargeable AAs that Leibovitz had nothing to do with the composite and didn't even know about the goof until recently.... that woman is much too busy making a higher day-rate than I ever will.

An admitted and obvious (Heath Ledger is actually dead) Leibovitz composite...

Beirut:

Iran:

I Should Have Killed the Hairlight... and then some.

This is what happens when you don't (or can't) deviate from the plan... big set (borrowed museum), hair and makeup, great assistants, almost enough lighting, but locked into a particular frame / idea... sometimes we should throw the baby out with the bath water and just start fresh. I don't like to fail, but I just do sometimes.

End of Days...

Welcome to the End of Days (4 years early)... This is why I've got a Ron Paul sticker on my truck. There are a thousand videos out there like this, Ron Paul saying what we need to hear, this is just one of the most recent. We may be about to get 4 years of Obama, but when you're playing Grapes of Wrath games someday soon, remember to vote for The Revolution of 2012.