Friday Funnies

A local show store here caters to feet of ALL sizes . . .

Maybe even BIG Foot's sneaker size ?

Enjoy your weekend, Everyone.

Fun at MASS MoCA

Last week's Friday Funnies post featured work from a current exhibit at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA). We visited in August on our anniversary road trip to nearby Williamstown, MA. Finding this museum was an unexpected, and very pleasant surprise, as we hadn't traveled to the Berkshires specifically for this purpose.

We spent several hours exploring the buildings and tried to see as many exhibits as possible.  Shown below are more pieces from artist Lonnie Holley artist, creator of the piece shown in the Friday Funnies. 

To update fellow bloggers who expressed concern over the demise of the instruments in comments, NO musical instruments were trashed for its creation. Holley, an African-American artist, art educator, musician and performance artist, fashions his art from "found" materials, the stuff folks trash. He's often referred to as The Sand Man because his art began after a family tragedy when he made sandstone tombstones for his sister's children killed in a fire. Articles about Holley and his art have appeared in Art in America, Contemporary Art Daily, Huffington Post, and Garden&Gun among others.

Holley's art and that of fellow southern artist and writer Dawn DeDeaux, from New Orleans, LA, were jointly featured in a MassMOCA exhibit. Like Holley, DeDeaux also experienced early tragedy with the death of two siblings. They shared other similarities: DeDeaux worked in the prison system. Holley was incarcerated at the Alabama Industrial School of Negro Children. Both lost artwork: DeDeaux in Hurricane Katrina and later a fire; Holley when his work area was bulldozed. Yet, despite these similarities and geographic proximity, they never met until invited to exhibit at MASS MoCA.

The above two works by DeDeaux were featured in the exhibit. She is regarded as a pioneer in media art. Her work uses two-dimensional imagery and sculpture. Her work requires more than just a first look, as apparent in these pieces.

DeDeaux has exhibited in the Whitney Museum of American Art, Armand Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, and the Baltimore Museum of Contemporary Art. Like Holley, she has been featured in many publications including The New York Times, Know Louisiana, and New Orleans Living Magazine. 

Holley and DeDeaux were not the featured artists when we visited MassMOCA. That distinction went to artist Nick Cave of Chicago. His exhibit, Until, the museum's costliest and most elaborate one to date, was housed in Building 5, an open, column-free, football field sized space. It's also the museum's largest exhibit space.

Cave's “Kinetic Spinner Forest” lets people follows a path of 12,000 spinners suspended from 1,500 thin cables. Some spinners had tiny motors keeping them in continuous motion. Others bore images of bullets and targets, a very unsettling sight.

“Crystal Cloudscape,” another part of Cave's exhibit, featured an enormous hanging chandelier which at the top contained an assortment of "tchotchkes" that resembled yard sale finds, including 17 black-faced lawn jockeys. Several ladders were provided to allow access to the top. The description said the piece was meant to symbolize racial evil.

Internet image

Cave is a fabric sculptor, dancer and performance artist who is best known for creating "Soundsuits," wearable fabric sculptures described as " bright, whimsical, and other-worldly." Fully concealing the body, they obscure race, gender, and class, allowing viewers to look without bias towards the wearer’s identity. Cave regularly performs in the sculptures either dancing for the camera or in a public space. (None of these pieces were included in the Mass MoCA exhibit.)

MASS MoCA is located in the western Massachusetts town of North Adams, a small town in the Berkshire Mountains. Opened in 1999, it's one of the largest museums in the world with 25 buildings on 16 acres, galleries the size of football fields, and exhibition space that exceeds 250,000 square feet. Its focus is on contemporary visual art and performing arts (as evidenced by the exhibits we saw there). 

In 1985, the former factory complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This is the U.S. federal government's official list of sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation. 

The museum is in a former factory building complex that housed two local industries.

Arnold Print Works, a cloth printing firm was one of the world's leading producers of printed textiles operated from 1860-1942. At its 1905 peak, it employed over 3,000 workers. The company closed due to the low prices of cloth produced in the South and abroad as well as economic effects from the Great Depression.

Sprague Electric Company (1942-1985) purchased the site to produce capacitors and in WW II, operated 24 hours, employing a largely female workforce. At its 1960s peak, in a North Adams community of 18,000, Sprague employed 4,137 workers. Its shutdown came in the wake of economic difficulties caused by cheaper Asian-produced electronic components and changes in high-tech electronics.

The shutdown of these once-vital industries seriously impacted the North Adams economy. It has been somewhat, but not completely, revived by the establishment of this world-class museum. Could it be that not everyone knows of its existence?

We certainly didn't know of MASS MoCA before and agreed that it was one of the best art experiences we've experienced. We are planning a return visit and if you've ever in western Massachusetts, look up this museum and allow plenty of time to explore.

Simon Says . . .THANKS

BIG Thanks to you, fellow bloggers for voting in our Clocktower Apartments 2017 Downtown Nashua (NH) Scarecrow contest.

Simon Scarecrow & Family made it to the Top 10 position — at #10, but came sooo close to moving up to the #9 spot. 

Voting was supposed to have ended yesterday, Friday, Oct 13 at midnight . . .but we were able to get in a couple of votes earlier this morning.

(So, if you want to give it a try as well, here's the voting site and Simon is the #12 entry reading from top left.)

Whoops heard from a couple of bloggers that they got the message voting was closed. The Top 6 vote getters were listed; Simon was #10 . . . better luck next year.

Grenville and myself and the other member of Simon's build team had a lot of fun. Next year, we plan to start our voting campaign earlier.

Top vote getters were 2 local elementary schools with over 1700 and 1600 votes each — Congrats to both!

Friday Funnies

Maybe you were expecting an update on Simon the Scarecrow?
(There will be one at the end of this post)
Today it was time again for a photo funny.

No More Practice or a Frustrated Musician ?

This exhibit photo was taken at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MassMoCA) in August. I don't recall the title for this work, but am sure it had one.

The results for the 2017 Downtown Nashua Scarecrow Contest will probably be posted in a few days. Grenville and myself have really appreciated the votes from all our fellow bloggers — THANKS for your support (keep those votes coming).

Simon Scarecrow remains in the Top 10 as of 6 a.m. today.
psst . . . you can still vote here today "as it's not over till it's over"

Thankfully, it will be at midnight tonight. We're hopeful that Simon Scarecrow can hold onto that the Top 10 position and claim those braggin' rights.

Simon Says — Enjoy your weekend, Everyone.

Simon is in Top 10 !

The postings will continue until morale improves

(apologies to Captain Bligh who uttered something similar, but much nastier)

UPDATE: Simon Scarecrow as of 9:00 a.m. today was (still) in the Top 10 @ #10 with 109 votes. The #9 spot is currently held by a bank with 141, so today's mantra is BEAT the BANK.

Admittedly, this may be one of the only times we ever get to do that, so WHY NOT?

This Simon Scarecrow voting campaign has been a bit of fun as our British friends might say. I've been posting here on the blog, and contacting friends through messages and emails since I don't use other social media. Voting appeals have also been posted on the Clocktower resident's portal, which unfortunately doesn't get a lot of attention, except when folks complain.

BIG THANKS to all fellow bloggers who have voted for Simon (a "single" scarecrow dad).

Vote early and Vote often here at least thru Friday the 13th 👻 which YIKES is tomorrow.

(and it's also when these posting will finally end)

AND, when the voting results are all in, an update will be posted — of course, you'd expect that.

CDs and Comments (Simon Update)

Simon the Scarecrow says THANK YOU !

He was in the Top 10 in the downtown Nashua scarecrow contest as of 8:30 a.m. today. 

Simon needs Votes daily. Voting ends on Friday, Oct 13 👻 (so will these updates).

VOTE here daily for Simon  (voting open to all).
Thanks, fellow bloggers for your support. 

GO Team Simon 🎃

It was great to read the comments from fellow bloggers and photographers on a previous post about my project of backing up photos from CD/DVDs onto external drives. 

The task is on-going and time-intensive, so I'm taking a break. Even though I'm not planning to use CDs for future storage, I looked up some info on this popular storage media specifically if they deteriorate over time, why and how.

Did you know that CD deterioration is called "disc rot?" 
And that most types of disc rot are caused by careless use or storage, but it's not always the user's fault.

A CD contains different layers. Standard CDs usually have a reflective layer made from aluminum. When exposed to air, aluminum oxidizes, usually around the edges of the CD. But, degradation of the reflective layer is not the only cause of disc rot.

Another form called "bronzing" is caused by a manufacturing fault. This happens when the outer coating of the CD erodes, leaving a silver layer exposed. When silver is exposed, it tarnishes and the CD is ruined. 

Part of what makes it hard to preserve CDs is that they are not uniform. As with most products, there were various manufacturing standards, many dependent on the year and the factory.

For most CD users, two questions prevail: 
How long do CDs last? and What's the average age of a CD?

There's no clear answer and no average lifespan or average disc. CDs can last for many years, if properly cared for. Aside from purposely cutting them up, the most common way to destroy CDs is by leaving them in a hot environment, like a car. Music CDs that are played a lot — are often the ones most likely to be damaged.

All this information could be irrelevant, as CDs may become obsolete in time (remember 8-tracks and cassettes). Newer computers don't come with CD drives.

Now onto your comments . . .

Sandra (MadSnapper) Like you, I'm using several external drives too and putting certain categories on each. I've also heard that external drives can "crash" just like PC hard drives. Solid state drives are said to be better as there are less moving parts, but the price range for the capacity wasn't an option. I'm also not storing images in the cloud.

Michelle (It's a Small Town Life!) Like you, I've saved (copies of) some of my favorites on the PC and also to external drives. 

Cheryl (The Farmer's Daughter) I also have some USB flash drives and have moved some images onto these, but they are not large enough for all my images.

Baili (Baili and I) So glad the post gave you some useful information. That said, my task is far from done as I've only completed going through family events.

Lorraine (Mamas Mercantile) Thanks for the compliment. This project has been long overdue, as with many projects. I always admire the projects you complete and post about.

William (Ottawa Daily Photo) As a photographer, I know you also take many photos and was wondering about your comment that you store them in different email accounts.

John (The AC is On) You're right and I am using multiple external drives to separate my images into categories, like family events, road trips, scenics. My plan is not to overload any one drive. I've also heard that many professional photographers store their back-ups in another location, which I'm not doing now.

Gigi (Gigi-Hawaii) While I also have several external memory sticks, all of them combined have less storage capacity than one of the external drives I am using.

Ludwig (Cafe Ludwig) I really appreciated reading your comments, as you are quite an avid and accomplished photographer. I know that raw photo files are much larger than jpg files, which I mainly shoot. I can certainly understand your need to do back-ups both before and after processing, but doubt that I will do the same. The searching by tags certainly makes it easier.

Denise (An English Girl Rambles) Glad the information was helpful. And, like you, I also appreciated the advice left in the comments. It's so true that we all "learn" better after a computer mishap (unfortunately).

Emma (Leaves on My Tree) I agree that it's so easy to lose precious images, which is exactly why I'm doing this project.

Thanks, everyone, for letting me know how you handle your image storage. I always learn new ways to do things from others.

Simon Says — VOTE !

🎃 Afternoon Update 🎃 - Simon is climbing in the scarecrow contest ratings. Thanks to everyone's help, he's made the Top 10 at #10. BUT there's only 5 votes between Simon & the #9 scarecrow . . . Thanks and keep on voting folks 

Thanks fellow bloggers YOUR votes helped Simon Scarecrow & Friends climb (a bit) in the 2017 Downtown Nashua (NH) Scarecrow Contest voting.

Selfies with Simon count for 5 EXTRA voting points, and that's what we did this past weekend. 

In case there's anyone who didn't read the previous blog post, Simon is the contest entry from Clocktower Apartments where we live. Grenville and myself were part of the 6-person team who built Simon. 

So, our interest in this contest is personal and "bragging rights" are important, right? (as fellow blogger Michelle previously commented)

As of today's online check of the top 10, the #1 and #2 vote getters are scarecrows from  local schools with over 400 votes each — YIKES !

Yes, we know, that between now and the voting end this Friday the 13th, we won't be able to come (anywhere) near those numbers. 

BUT there's still hope for a placement. Today, the #9 top vote getter had 80 votes and #10 had 74 votes . . . Maybe we can oust one of those and make the Top 10 ? 

(Internet sourced clipart)

Maybe it's wishful thinking or even day-dreaming, BUT we're appealing and maybe even groveling.

We're asking all of you who already voted to keep voting daily. If you haven't voted, please do!

AND, you can also have your friends vote for Simon & Friends too, it's allowed.

Voting is simple, no log-in, sign-on or $$ are involved.

You can vote, 1X every 24 hours here:  2017 Downtown Nashua Scarecrow Contest

Voting ends Friday, Oct. 13. 

Help us get Simon & Friends (at least) into the Top 10.
UPDATE - as of 1 pm today, Simon is within 2 votes of 10th place

"Simon" Scarecrow Needs Votes

"Simon" is on the first page, the 11th scarecrow

Fall has arrived in Nashua, NH, and so have the downtown scarecrows displayed on lamp posts along along Main Street. All have been designed and decorated by local businesses and organizations. 

This is the 3rd Annual Downtown Scarecrow Competition.

Clocktower Apartments where Grenville and I live also has a scarecrow entry. Our interest in this competition is personal as Grenville and myself plus a few other residents here designed and built "Simon" the Scarecrow and his friends.

But, they need more a LOT more votes — and you can help, and it's easy. 

Anyone can cast a vote, once every 24 hours at: 2017 Downtown Nashua Scarecrow Contest (click on this link to the voting site).

Voting is open until Friday, Oct. 13. 

One vote per day; so every 24 hours you can vote, each vote is 1 point.

As of today, "Simon" is doing very poorly, terrible in fact, and getting "creamed" by other scarecrows especially a couple from local schools. (Unofficially, we heard that school flyers go out requesting parents and children to vote and vote often.)

Three top vote getters will be announced later — no prizes, just bragging rights.

If you cast some votes, Thanks from us and Simon too !

Friday Funnies

Open or really REALLY closed?
That's what we wondered too.

This barbershop is located in downtown Nashua, NH; note the street number.

Enjoy your weekend, Everyone.

Backing-Up Photos

That's what has been taking up most of my daytime hours (and some evening ones too) the past week. It's a very time-consuming project.

More so because I've been going through over 10 years of family events previously backed up on CDS and DVDs and sorting through and transferring some (not all) to a very compact 2TB external drive. 

Not only did I have too many CDs, but they took up space and trying to find specific images, when needed, usually involved searching through multiple CDs.

Transferring to this external drive now lets me group images by year and/or special occasion, such as births, graduations, holidays. 

Since the external drive is read-write (many times) adding and/or deleting images is easy. This is a big plus as my CDs were (CD-Rs) which used a write-once technology. Simply put it meant that once an area of the disc was written to, it could not be erased.

My task is by no means over there's a lot of road trip and scenics on CDs to sort through soon. I've already bought a couple more external drives.

As for all those CDs, I'm not keeping any and they've already been trashed. 

How do other photographers handle this, I wondered?

A friend told me that she keeps most of her images saved on her desktop computer. And, as far as I know, she doesn't backup to any external media or to cloud storage. That seems risky because if her PC crashes, she could risk losing those images.

A couple of fellow bloggers and avid photographers, Elaine of Our Country Cove Life and AC (John) of The AC is On have told me how they backup their photo images.

If you take a lot of photos too, HOW do you back them up?