DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS WITH THE FUJIFILM X20

Living in Las Vegas means every day is a photo opportunity for me. I took my new Fujifilm X20 compact downtown with me to see what it would do with the Fremont Street Experience. It's a ritual I perform with all of my new cameras. The temperature was a bone-chilling 62F, but the sun was bright, and I got a number of good shots with not a lot of trouble. Thumbnail versions of a fraction of the shots are included here: be advised that although these "thumbnails" are each 800 X 600, that's 1/25 of the area of the original 4000 X 3000 JPEG images. (Yes, I know how how to shoot RAW; no, I didn't do so today. I'm still exploring the camera. Sod off.)

Here is the Plaza, formerly known as "Jackie Gaughan's Union Plaza." It occupies a prominent spot, on the west side of Main Street at Fremont. When walking the Experience east to west, it is the hotel/casino appearing at the end of the tunnel. At night, when the neon comes out in our part of the world, it actually constitutes the light at the end of the tunnel.

The steakhouse in the dome at the Plaza. The name is politically OK: "Oscar" is a former mayor and is married to one (a mayor, not a "broad," although she is one, technically).

The Golden Gate, also at the corner of Main and Fremont. Note the tippy-top of the Stratosphere in the background. Homeless person included in photo so that you know I'm a serious street photographer and not just a travel snapper.

That's New Vegas for you: the D (formerly "Fitzgerald's") has an outdoor bar, and it accepts Bitcoin.

The Mob Museum, aka the "National Organized Crime and Law Enforcement Museum." My spiritual birthplace.

Another photo that you must accept makes me a serious photographer: some guy playing with his smartphone outside the Golden Nugget (though that ad for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band doesn't help my case for seriosity much).

2013: Being and Doing on The Trail

I don't really like to make resolutions. I know everybody says that nowadays, but I think in my case it is a matter of getting older. After seeing the year change 56 times now and knowing that about 30 of those times I made some promises to myself that I didn't bother to keep, I just stopped doing it a few years back.

But I still do a lot of thinking about the previous year and about the year to come during December and January. This time around has been a little different. I basically burned out by the end of 2012 (which I guess is better than what the Mayans predicted, eh?).

So I am making some changes and rearranging some priorities and reassessing the journey. But I am NOT making resolutions. Ha!

Carl and I have spent weeks discussing various aspects of this process and I won't spoil the fun by outlining everything here. But I will say, I'm happy with the direction things are headed and they are headed in a direction, though journeys often are more fun if there are some unexpected turns.

Carl and I talk about being "on the trail" a lot. In some ways, this is left-over from our more extensive traveling days in the early part of this century. But it also serves to remind us that even when we "stay-put" for a while, things change. Trails are interesting because they don't always have posts or directions as you make your way. You could end up somewhere you never dreamed of going. You have to live by your wits at times. You have to trust your experiences, your senses, and your skills.

I recently watched a wonderful documentary called "Horatio's Drive" about the first transcontinental car trip in 1903. It was the ultimate "off-road" trip, taking 73 days with all sorts of break-downs and challenges. But the guy who just did it on a whim beat the "professionals" who spent months planning. I think there is a good lesson there.

So if 2013 has a theme for me, it is "Be and Do" -- another way to put it is "I trust the past to guide me into the future." Perhaps such brash confidence comes with surviving more than 55 years and staying married more than 20 years. But I also suspect it is more than that. I suspect that at some point one has to actually decide to trust.

In 2012, I decided that I would believe the evidence of my life that I was a survivor and that I had skills, talents, experiences and a brain that has proven record of perseverance. In addition to that, I am married to a man who has also proven himself to have skills, talents, experiences and a brain that has a proven record of perseverance. That meant I should let go of some fear and some worry.

Such confidence was severely tested in 2012 as we had to move suddenly, spent a great deal of the summer living on peanut butter and fought against several flare-ups in illness.

But, in the words of Morpheus, "We are still here!"

I find myself, after my resting and contemplation over the Winter Break, happy to face the new year and happy to be on the trail.

What ARE They DOING?

What ARE they DOING? from Pattie Thomas on Vimeo.

Carl Wilkerson and Pattie Thomas have been together for over 20 years, both as a couple and as cultural creatives, producing a number of different projects in multiple media. Over the years, they have grown tired of the boring cocktail party question, "And so, what do you do?" because, well, when you do what they do, that question does not lend itself to an easy answer. So this video is an attempt to answer that question. Longer than an elevator speech but way more entertaining!

New Beginnings -- Exciting Possibilities

We have moved. This was a rather sudden decision that we will not bore you with at this point, but we've found a place not that much more expensive than what we were paying at the old place and about 25 years newer and about a little over two times as large. In other words, Weezy, we're movin' on up!

What this means for SINdustry CITY is exciting. The new place provides us with a workspace that is way better than what we had. It is larger and more user-friendly. (And we aren't sleeping in the same place we work, LOL.)

We are stepping things up a bit this summer. We will be making some major announcements in June and July regarding future projects and if all works out, we may be turning SINdustry CITY into a viable micro-media company.

So stay, tuned!

Humber Throws Perfect Game

Philip Humber of the Chicago White Sox threw a perfect game today. And I wasn't there!

NAB2012: Blackmagic, Film Quality, and the Small Producer

Contribution to the mass of video coverage of the 2012 NAB convention in Las Vegas from everyone's favorite (I would guess) year-round resident! Discussion centers around one of the consensus highlights of the convention, the 2.5K, $2995 cinema camcorder introduced by Blackmagic, albeit with the usual compulsive curmudgeonly critical thinking about how expensive everything is nowadays. Lots of nice shots of the convention and of Las Vegas as seen from the convention center.

Las Vegas: The Windy City

Just some shots of Vegas during a really windy day.

We're Not Trying To Set Up A Movie Theater In Here!

Fans of our little media venture might wonder if there is a technical standard to which we hold our video prod and equipment acquisition, one that shows some savvy about the subject but does not displace our conceptual base. Well, there is at least an asymptote, and the details are here:

Carl's Posterous Blog Entry With The Catchy Title Above

BEARD! The Prostate Project

It has become popular in the United States for a man to grow a beard in November as a symbolic nod to the importance of prostate health. I made such an attempt in November of 2011, and I thought a photographic record of my progress might be instructive. These photos are presented in chronological order, with the first being taken on the first day of the month and the second-to last being taken on the last day of the month. The last one was taken in late December and was meant to display a different sort of symbolic impact.

CODE NAME: PDA31

We spent January putting together 31 videos of about a minute in length on average. The theme was 31 things to do instead of dieting. Naturally, we got pretty, um, creative. The videos are on our YouTube PDANation channel. The link to the channel is here: PDANation

PSA

This project started when Carl was examining the chromakey (and titling) in Corel VSP X4 to see if it was up to his lofty standards. It turned into a public service announcement for two health issues. He combined footage of him doing a spot for the issues with a shot from downtown Vegas. Maybe some day he'll do a series of these spots.

Carl and Pattie Unboxing the Canon HF M40

At last, Pattie and I step into the world of AVCHD! This video, shot with our in-house standard definition camcorder (and rest assured this very topic will come up at length), shows us unpacking the parcel as shipped, including stuff that the retailer (who will remain anonymous) threw in after packing the camcorder. Prepare yourself for the longest, most epic, least efficient, most obviously extemporaneous (planning? rehearsal? lighting?) unboxing in the history of digital videography.

East Las Vegas Business Report 21 OCT 2011

The federal Commerce Department has released its GDP growth figures for 2010. As usual, there is fodder for the razor-sharp yet subtle satire our staff favors.

Qaddafi Is Dead.

Works for us.

We have a new joint blog on Psychology Today, examining coupling issues in the context of chronic illness. Today is our first entry. It is also our 19th wedding anniversary

Who Gets to Be Sick Today?

New Blog by Pattie and Carl

Pattie and I will begin a new blog on the Psychology Today website on October 10! The title will be "CWD." The acronym officially stands for "Couple With Disabilites," but we have a few more ideas about what it should stand for, and as the blog progresses, you can be sure we'll throw them in. :)

Carl has had a blog for several months now called, "The FoxyMBA's Guide to Everything Important." It is mostly about sex and intimacy, of course. Click on the link to have a closer look: The FoxyMBA's Guide to Everything Important

Talk Like A Pirate Day 2011

Being able to talk like a pirate is a gift, but let's not forget what REALLY matters.

Introducing a New SINdustry City Project: PDA Nation Call for Stories

We will be launching a project on August 7th, Be Body Positive Day in response to ABC's "The ReVolution" which will be coming out in January 2012 and which we believe co-opted last January's "ReVolutions not Resolutions" campaign.

We will be making the campaign until January, but we are hoping to have so good initial response to help get the project noticed. Please share with others.



There will be several ways to participate:

1. Create your own video and post it as a "response video" to the August 7 video on the PDA Nation channel on youtube.

2. Write your story in the comments under the post on August 7th video.

3. Send a video to us at drpattie@scmslv.com and we will post it for you.

4. Place links to your blog in the comments section or send links to us where you have told your story.

5. Hit "like" or "favorite" on the August 7 video and any stories you like in the response videos or comments.

We welcome any other way to get the word out. We're tired of television reality shows and talk shows sending the message that we are not okay. It's time to send a different message. We are people and we are okay RIGHT NOW. No make-over necessary!

Boredom Fuels Creativity In Medical Sociology

I don't bore that easily . . . Yes, I do. A quick case study in the American medical system.