Mike

https://social.vivaldi.net/@SirNameless_1

Keeping a sharp lookout for the bright and beautiful, great and small, wise and wonderful.

I like my timeline free of politics, controversies, current events, arguments, trolling, the Boogeyman of the Day, and similar drivel. (To quote Oblique Strategies: "Withdrawing in disgust is not the same thing as apathy.")

Like-minded people are always welcome here. 🙂

pixelfed: https://pixelfed.social/@SirNameless_1

Public Key

npub1zetf6cp58r532va5rje8lfkx2zss6c6sl4j5v27046lht0mjvdds2mfgll

NIP-05 Address

sirnameless_1_at_social.vivaldi.net@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqspv45avq6r36g4xw6pevnl5mr9pggdvdg06e2x9086a0m4haexxkcpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsazszxc

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1zetf6cp58r532va5rje8lfkx2zss6c6sl4j5v27046lht0mjvdds2mfgll

Show more details

Last Notes

2024-08-29 22:20:09

- reply

Almost!

2024-08-29 22:17:03

- reply

There’s an “I can reach out and take one” quality to this pic!

2024-08-29 21:01:12

- reply

Just to be clear: This is definitely not a criticism of people trying to find a way to market themselves or their work. Just a suggestion to read the Terms and Conditions before deciding to even upload your something that is valuable to you, because some companies are more than happy to take more than you might expect from you.

2024-08-29 20:17:29

I see lots of people here trying to sell their photography through a certain company, so I checked that particular website out to see what the terms are. Not that I think I would actually find many buyers for my work but it wouldn’t hurt to make a few bucks to defray hobby costs, would it?
Turns out this particular site, while convenient, not only takes their cut of the proceeds (fair) but also gains full control (as in copyright, ability to use, derive, and license) over anything you upload.
Yeah. No thanks.
I’m happy to share reduced resolution (typically 2MP) versions of anything I post here with whoever is interested in looking at it but lines have to be drawn sometimes.

2024-08-29 16:21:55

- reply

This is fantastic, nicely done! I really like it when images are reduced to just the essential.

2024-08-29 14:10:41

- reply

Oh nice, new gear is always fun and a boost for creativity. I know what you mean about horizons, my area is hilly also—between that and the tall trees, horizons are pretty hard to come by.

2024-08-29 13:57:34

- reply

Yes! 😁

2024-08-29 13:23:51

- reply

I wholeheartedly support this attitude, so long it doesn’t result in the development of The Department of Tootment Deportment Enforcement.

2024-08-29 12:53:57

- reply

Really nice collection here Bryan! App did a nice job with the arrangement too.

2024-08-29 12:52:04

- reply

They’re serious about their BBQ ribs in Indiana, huh?

2024-08-29 12:35:59

- reply

Very relatable quote. Hopefully those surprises are good or productive ones, and not ones where you say to yourself, ugh, I did NOT like what just happened. But maybe those are opportunities to learn and grow too…
And as usual, love the photo!

2024-08-29 12:30:41

- reply

I should have tagged it with FoundStillLife. It certainly was calling out to be photographed, I actually retraced my steps to go get it.

2024-08-29 12:22:56

- reply

Hard to find that clean of a gradient in nature, nice!

2024-08-28 18:39:25

- reply

Weeellllll…. In this case the doors were boarded over with bold signs saying something about entry prohibited due to evidence collection.

2024-08-28 18:14:17

- reply

There was a fire, unfortunately. It looks like it started in the kitchen of the pizza shop and spread. There are apartments on the second and third floors they had to be abandoned too. I was surprised to see that they left this window unboarded.

2024-08-28 15:26:11

The ruined pizza shop.
#photography #urbanphotography
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/113/040/314/325/966/444/original/d8cda95a5d6932db.jpeg

2024-08-28 02:19:33

- reply

kindred spirits haha

2024-08-28 02:18:52

- reply

Nice going, that’s a long day!

2024-08-28 02:17:16

Here’s a sobering thought. One decision away from a totally different life.
Leaving aside really bad decisions and disastrous outcomes…
Are there any realistic decisions you *could* make that would totally change your life for the better?
If you could think of one, would you do it?
Have you ever experienced this?
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/113/037/227/951/598/703/original/52eb7e755d5d72cf.jpeg

2024-08-28 00:25:21

- reply

Thanks!

2024-08-28 00:25:05

- reply

Thank you!

2024-08-27 21:35:50

- reply

The hole being in the right place is the exact opposite of what I would have expected. I think you won the jackpot on that one. 😁

2024-08-27 17:57:30

Imprisoned in futility
groaning for deliverance.
#Bloomscrolling #StillLife #SixWordStories #photography
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/113/035/271/033/811/028/original/afefd2e7cd618b84.jpeg

2024-08-27 13:04:23

- reply

Ha! Definitely remember those dudes. When my brother and I were little, we called them “The Judges” in our naive perceptiveness. 😆
Great pic & association!

2024-08-27 12:43:27

- reply

Great words to live by, and I like the pic too! Cool idea with the Mike & Ike’s 🙂

2024-08-26 19:25:47

- reply

That sounds really good as well, enjoy!

2024-08-26 18:06:29

- reply

Those sure do look good!

2024-08-25 23:34:22

- reply

I almost forgot that I said in a previous post that I would give some technical commentary (i.e. photo nerd talk) since I’ve started experimenting with artificial lighting and I’m learning as I go. And also b/c in 3 months (or, weeks) I’ll be wondering how the heck I did this.
I was going for a film noir aesthetic. Dark, mysterious, sinister. The deranged-looking orchid made a pretty good subject, though I think the set up could’ve used a few more props. Maybe the orchid should be brandishing a tiny knife?
Camera: ISO 160, f/10, 1/180s. Killed (sorry) all the ambient light except a tiny bit of highlight on the reflective white pot. This lets the flashes do all the work. Camera positioned to look up from slightly below the table top.
Flash 1: Key light, just a little less than 90 degrees away from the camera axis, zoomed narrow, fitted with barn doors to make a vertical slit of light. You can see its shape in the highlight on the pot.
Flash 2: Rim light, hidden behind the flower pot and pointed straight at the camera, powered at 2x the key light, zoomed wide.
I did’t have an acceptable background to work with, so the lighting was designed to not spill onto the walls in view of the camera. And, yeah, believe it or not, I did dust off that table top first…

2024-08-25 19:46:36

- reply

I guess that makes two of us!

2024-08-25 19:46:02

- reply

I’ve heard of it but I don’t think I ever actually saw it.

2024-08-25 19:01:53

- reply

Haha, I think it’s more like “You had your chance, prepare to be eaten.”
It’s the Medusa of the plant kingdom.

2024-08-25 18:54:45

Revenge of the Neglected Plants: When they come for you at night.
#Bloomscrolling #StillLife #Photography
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/113/024/164/238/131/820/original/aee03cadef3d83e5.jpeg

2024-08-25 18:48:36

- reply

What a great place to hang out on a day like today!

2024-08-24 16:41:57

- reply

Oh wow, nice progress!

2024-08-24 13:05:58

- reply

“Side effects may include…”

2024-08-24 12:51:50

- reply

Yeah…she dislocated my shoulder. 😆

2024-08-24 01:59:56

- reply

- a good sense of humor
- artful writing: interesting turns of phrase, vivid description, colorful dialog
- an author that jerks you around like an unbroken stallion on a leash (yes, Katherine Heiny, I’m talking about you)

2024-08-23 11:19:35

- reply

haha! We all have our moments occasionally.

2024-08-23 02:19:01

- reply

But wait, this is social media, unnecessary drama is the whole point!
I should do something like what you do. Usually I can SMH and move on, but sometimes I end up being part of the problem.

2024-08-22 12:04:00

- reply

You too Bryan!

2024-08-22 12:00:27

- reply

ugh, geez, that looks like something less than the best of days!

2024-08-22 01:33:39

- reply

So are you saying the truck had a traumatic emotional event and ate a couple hundred pints of Ben & Jerry’s?

2024-08-21 23:42:29

- reply

Because “Time flies in Love and War.”
or…
something…

2024-08-20 22:18:09

- reply

ha! Thanks!

2024-08-20 19:30:32

- reply

You’re welcome! I was reading Stephen King’s “Under the Dome” with a friend a few months ago, and King remarked of one of the characters (who had been sorely mistreated, and never really seemed to have much self-respect):
"Sammy Bushey had never gotten the concept of being her own best friend.”
For some reason, that quote stood out to me, and it became part of my daily (I wish 😁) journal template.

2024-08-20 19:23:59

- reply

Were you your own best friend today? How?

2024-08-18 11:37:45

#SilentSunday
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/112/982/821/230/567/827/original/68b0f5ccf7294d45.jpeg

2024-08-17 19:14:39

- reply

These are really fantastic! The darker versions (first two) are my favorites.

2024-08-17 13:36:41

- reply

The queens of Caturday!😁

2024-08-17 02:18:42

- reply

Confession: you stumped me—I had to go look it up. Now I get ya! 😁

2024-08-17 01:16:41

- reply

I really like the impressionistic look of this one!

2024-08-17 00:38:07

- reply

Cool still life! (Oh yeah, autumn too)

2024-08-17 00:36:41

“The Secret To Living Well and Longer is:
Eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure!”
(Not messing with The Roadrunner helps too. Meep! Meep!)
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/112/974/544/186/144/756/original/8dca9fcadf09144a.jpeg

2024-08-14 18:13:47

- reply

Oh, good! Here they are still very enthusiastic about chewing your face off.

2024-08-14 14:55:06

- reply

it looks so inviting! (Maybe because the mosquitos are too small to be visible…)

2024-08-14 02:17:20

- reply

Thanks Lisa! I hope someone finds it helpful.

2024-08-13 22:46:01

- reply

Wait, I’m confused… how is adding 3% to the total bill different from raising menu prices?
Oh, I know, it’s so they don’t have to disclose the true cost of your order until after you’ve already committed to the transaction.
That’s fundamentally dishonest.
It’s sad because when people are fee’d to death, there’s less money, and willingness, to be generous to people who actually provide thoughtful personal service.

2024-08-13 22:19:47

When I was in training for a previous career I had to learn to solve “the” tank problem. Given a tank of some fluid and some pumps and some pipes and various other variables, we had to figure out what the tank level would be at any given time. Fundamentally, if your mass flow rate in was less than your mass flow rate out, eventually you’d end up with an empty tank. There’s nothing magic about that, it’s just a physical certainty. And in the particular line of business for which I was training, an empty tank was bad news. Really bad news.
Life is like that.
When your life has more takers than givers, eventually you end up empty. And like that empty tank, an overdrawn life is just bad news. Something is going to get overheated, or depressurized, or boiled dry, or depressed, or substance-dependent, or worse, and then where will you be?
The only way to help someone in a predicament like this is to be a real source of inflow into their life.
If you see someone in your life running on empty, don’t stop at sympathy—it’s nice to hear but in the long run it won’t help. Throw a couple of buckets into their tank, for realz. And if you can find a way be a stream instead of a bucket, you’ll really have a shot at making a difference.
And if you’re a taker?
Just.
Stop.

2024-08-13 16:19:55

- reply

ugh, too true!

2024-08-12 21:08:47

Just a dumb question for computer people: Why can we have smart quotes and auto capitals, but not smart parentheses? There’s three kinds—(, [, {—that each take up 2 keys. If the right one showed up automagically, couldn’t it easily free up space on the keyboard for something important—like more emojis?

2024-08-12 14:55:12

- reply

They tend to swoon after a while, don’t they?

2024-08-12 14:32:31

- reply

Oh yes, to be sure! I’m personally very partial towards basil, and rosemary is another favorite that’s particularly aromatic (and does well as a house plant to boot!). I don’t claim any credit for personally helping these plants to thrive around here, but I do enjoy them. I do best with plants that mostly like to be ignored. 🤣

2024-08-12 14:04:55

- reply

That’s pretty much the way I feel when I’m stepping out the door on Monday morning. Ugh, here we go.
Here’s hoping our collective Monday is above average!

2024-08-12 13:30:11

- reply

That’s incredible, I can’t imagine what it is like there if the photo is that good!

2024-08-12 13:24:44

- reply

The basil is ours at least. We’ve tried growing the tomatoes for the past several years but they end up getting blight no matter how carefully we tend them or how much toxic goo we spray them with. But I totally agree, the store had a nice variety of colors and sizes, and they were delicious too!

2024-08-12 12:02:51

- reply

I love all the bands of textural variations in the scene. Beautiful, as always!

2024-08-12 12:01:30

- reply

Thanks to the grocery store haha! But what a perfect combination these things are.

2024-08-12 11:59:19

- reply

That sounds great Eddie, glad you were able to enjoy some too!

2024-08-12 11:58:45

- reply

Great, enjoy them when they come! These are actually from the grocery store (though it took 4 tries to find some). Every time we’ve tried to grow them we end up with blight of some kind (no matter what we try to do to fight it) so we gave up on that.

2024-08-11 17:09:27

#SaladSunday #WorkInProgress
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/112/944/488/158/607/225/original/614d9e3e4ac3b962.jpeg

2024-08-11 13:25:04

- reply

Happy Sunday morning to you Lisa & what a perfect spot to spend a little Sunday with!

2024-08-10 13:40:09

- reply

it’s such a British English kind of word

2024-08-10 12:54:01

- reply

Lisa, I love it! The expression on Brontë’s face is just so preciously precious! 😆

2024-08-10 12:52:09

- reply

oh man, it is a roller coaster of ups and downs, no friggin’ doubt. It’s not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it IS good.

2024-08-10 12:48:23

- reply

Despite the oftentimes hardships and difficulties, children are a gift and a reward. It may not seem particularly practical to have children but it’s one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and I would not trade it for anything. 🙂

2024-08-10 12:45:28

- reply

it’s so true! We often focus on “others” as our enemies but so often we are often not our own best friend.

2024-08-09 23:36:44

- reply

Really cool find!

2024-08-08 17:04:31

- reply

There’s a certain kind of quaint sadness about them, if that makes the least bit of sense.

2024-08-08 13:42:57

- reply

You can’t make this shit up 🤣. I ask myself when I see these things, OK, who did they pay to write that (so I don’t hire them) and who the heck seriously signed off on that? Or is it that they really think people are that dumb? Or are people *really* that dumb and call for a repair because their unplugged or turned off refrigerator is warm, so they had to actually write that down?

2024-08-08 13:39:56

- reply

Great photo, and nice quote to go with it! That piano had a hard life haha. I had to dig for the reference on this one…I guess at some point you earn the right to not give the people what they want.

2024-08-08 00:29:27

With trouble shooting guides like these, it’s no wonder nobody RTFM. 😆
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/112/923/565/154/301/105/original/cb1a1183ce623608.jpeg
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/112/923/565/211/641/243/original/77e5136a9184f8f0.jpeg

2024-08-08 00:22:09

~ Balance ~
Never Let Success
Go To Your Head,
and
Never Let Failure
Go To Your Heart
(I wonder if the placement of the yoga class advert was accidental or not…)
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/112/923/523/527/021/603/original/fcb741bc2218ec8f.jpeg

2024-08-07 14:00:01

- reply

There’s always times…

2024-08-07 13:28:49

- reply

I think they already are. You’re one of the kindest people I know.

2024-08-06 14:29:17

- reply

Thanks you two—the feeling is mutual! 🙂

2024-08-06 12:58:40

Hey everyone,
It’s been a somewhat chaotic summer and the end isn’t quite in sight yet. I regret not being able to spend more time here lately, much less create new material to share with you all.
Please enjoy these dill flowers, captured around this time last year. They remind me of a little fireworks display, except much quieter. 😁
#bloomscrolling #flowers #photography
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/112/915/186/458/947/809/original/90367afc4914a009.jpeg

2024-08-06 12:32:44

- reply

I saw some small mountain ranges too.

2024-08-05 12:39:36

- reply

Good word! Thanks for the encouragement and I hope yours is a great one!

2024-08-04 13:13:48

- reply

Happy Sunday to you! I’ll refrain from silly dad jokes about having your ducks in a row today.
Wait.
Dang it.

2024-08-01 14:24:36

- reply

I really like the frame filled with the repeating pattern!

2024-08-01 14:09:31

- reply

Oh, great still life!!!!
There’s so many great choices for sandwiches! I have to say a very rare treat for me is steak and cheese and it better have freshly-ground black pepper on it. I haven’t had one in ages because the innards are generally personas non grata around here, and good luck finding someplace that makes them GF.

2024-07-31 14:59:42

- reply

True words.

2024-07-31 14:39:48

- reply

I think we’ll have to agree to disagree on this. Sorry. 😄

2024-07-31 13:41:22

- reply

No joke. She’s seriously gifted.