Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Dueling Soybeans
I noticed two different fields of soybeans side by side yesterday - first, the one above, which is filled with weeds and shows erratic growth.
Then, the one next to it - shown below - which is entirely free of weeds and is disturbingly uniform. Every plant the same height. It's perfect; a little too perfect, like a lazy George Lucas cut and paste CGI effect.
My first thought was that this farmer must be experimenting with side-by-side crops of GMO and non-GMO soybeans, to see for himself the difference. But then, upon remembering that over 91 percent of all soybeans grown in the U.S. are genetically modified, I'd say these are both GMOs. In fact, the yields on both crops seemed about the same.
Given that fact, I reckon the weedy field represents an instance of the farmer using less of Monsanto's Roundup on it; either as a deliberate experiment, or because he simply ran out.
According to Natural News: "GM-soy is estimated to be present in up to 70% of all food products found in US supermarkets, including cereals, breads, soymilk, pasta and most meat (as animals are fed GM-soy feed). Although Monsanto has consistently relied on industry-funded data to declare the safety of GM-soy and glyphosate, objective research published in peer-reviewed journals tells another story."
Phonograph Record Spiderweb
Was surprised to find this spiderweb in my front yard that looks for all the world like a phonograph record - a 10-inch EP, to be precise.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
One-Legged Cricket
I thought at first this one-legged cricket might be the product of an atomic mutation, but now that I get the pictures back I see one of his antennae is damaged on the same side. Reckon he's just a saloon scrapper, or a veteran of the great Cricket Wars.
Clyde
This little guy emerged from the foliage when I was coffee-walkin' this morning on the Anchorage Trail, and proceeded to flop around at my feet, rolling happily in the sun. I dubbed him "Clyde", and we had a nice conversation for about 20 minutes.
I came back later with a can of Fancy Feast for him, but by then he'd rambled on elsewhere.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Gum Art of the Butchertown Floodwall Alleys
The only thing more interesting than this mosaic of chewing gum on a floodwall is that two blocks away, there's another one.
Rogers Barbershop
It's not easy being a photographer. As I took this picture, someone came out - presumably Rogers himself - and wanted to know what I was doing. I explained that I was just a photographer and loved old retro Sprite signs. He looked up at the sign in sort of disbelief, then looked at me in sort of disgust.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Bank Shot Billiards
When you take over a gigantic old bank and turn it into a pool hall, what better name for it could there be?
Younger, Smarter
Uh... guys, guys. You can either be younger and smarter, or you can have Glenn Beck. You can't have both.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Ice House
It looks better on the architect's sketch than in reality.
And what's up with the Zodiac Killer lookin' logo?
Happy Clasp
An anthropomorphic window clasp in a Bakery Square restroom. Nice guy. We talk a lot. Mainly keep it light though - girls, golf, movies.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Vint
Recently VINT Coffee placed a full page ad in LEO Weekly, mocking Starbucks for having too many locations. I've always found that a really weird stance for anyone to take. Not only was I turned off by that sentiment (I am an unabashed Starbucks fan, and even had a solo art exhibition in one a few years back) but I thought it was bizarre that the word "Starbucks" actually dominated VINT's own ad. From a PR standpoint I think that's ill-advised; others might just call it stupid.
So this morning, I was double-dog dumbfounded to see this billboard for VINT, which consists mainly of.... a giant fucking Starbucks cup. Though it's not as mean-spirited, condescending and haughty as their LEO ad, it still rubs me the wrong way. Someone's getting some really atrocious marketing advice here, and they need someone new in charge of their ad campaign immediately (I'm available.) I mean, really, this is a great ad... for Starbucks.
Someone probably thought in a brainstorming session that openly calling out your biggest competitor was "ballsy". It isn't. It actually screams "insecure". Though Starbucks is my main coffee source, I visit all Louisville coffee houses from time to time, including VINT. But now I'm less inclined to ever go there again, even with free samples dangled before me.
People always expect a hipster bohemian artiste such as myself to take the liberal position that all things corporate and huge are automatically bad. Starbucks has always been a useful tool for me to illustrate to others that if I like a product, I don't give a damn where it came from or whether it's "cool", and that I do not oppose something just because it got big and successful. Things are supposed to get big and successful.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Japanese Beetle
An invasive species, Popillia japonica was first found in the United States in 1916 in a nursery near Riverton, New Jersey. It's been spreading ever since.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
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