This is a Sansevieria, commonly known as a "snake plant" or (my favorite) "mother-in-law's tongue." This one just bloomed this spring. I cannot claim "green thumb" status because I understand they likely bloom when they are stressed. I have had other succulents that burst into gloriously ridiculous tall stalks of flowers and then promptly died, so I feel I am not a good influence on their longevity. I have never seen a snake plant bloom, though, so this is cool. 

Disappointments came quickly as favorite characters were eliminated in the final throes of Thano's dastardly deed. On the screen appeared the warrior-king of Wakanda, T'Challa. As the theater-goers continued holding their collective breaths in shock, Chadwick Boseman started to experience the same fate. 

In the middle of his decomposition, a black lady in the front row exclaimed, "Aw, HELL no!" 

Her hero was gone. The fictional, but remarkably powerful, heroic inspiration for many black people all over the world, was no more. 

I thought about that grieving lady this week. I, too, was aggrieved by the passing of such a powerful actor that has breathed so much humanity into some truly great cinematic characters. I was saddened to hear that his private battle with cancer was happening while he was bringing joy and inspiration to so many, literally the world over. 

I am an emotional cuss, my family will tell you, so I blinked back the tears thinking that Boseman's oeuvre, while amazing, would be forever cut short. I know that we fail often at separating the characters on screen from their real life persona, but since we have nothing else to go by, we eagerly ascribe their actions and personalities on-screen to the actors themselves. I know this, but still, with the sheer quality of the people Boseman played, I have to think that he chose parts that fit him well and didn't simply play parts to show off the range of his acting ability. 

So, of course, I grieved for the characters he played and hope that they represent the person enough to know that I am grieving for Chadwick Boseman. But I also grieved a bit for the lady in the front row in that dark room way back when, before we knew that he would be magically restored in the sequel (cinema, right?). 

Unfortunately, there will be no Infinity Stone miracle this time. 

I have thought of that lady all week, in her sincere grief, going, "Aw, HELL no!"

Opened another Apple Store in Louisville. I was there 12 years ago when they opened it the first time. New one is a lot nicer and twice as big. An employee told me that it is the most expensive mall-based Apple Store so far. 

Stunning. 

They weren't giving away t-shirts this time, unfortunately. ::-(

FileMaker 14 has been out a few weeks now, but representatives from FileMaker, Inc. will be in town on June 16th to show of the all the coolness that this latest version of everyone's favorite productivity app development platform. More information at: http://www.kyfmp.com. Oh, and free Barbecue. Can't go wrong with that!

Well, one thing to do is to turn it into art. "It's a historical artifact and it belongs in a museum!" 

Or at least on the wall by my desk...

It was June 5, 1974. I was attending the graduation of the latest-and-greatest crop of USNA midshipmen, on account of I was a yearbook photographer while attending there for a little while. The big news that day was that POTUS was on hand to greet the graduates and give a speech. 

Of course, the scene was a circus, with secret service crawling all over the place touching their ear pieces and talking into little mics taped to the inside of their left index finger. Off in the distance, barely visible beyond a high iron fence, was a not-unexpected (the Viet Nam war was still on) protest group that felt that the best use of their day was to stand outside a symbol of the military that they hated hosting a speech by the president that they loathed, wave a few signs and exercise their first amendment rights until they were more than a little hoarse.

Then there were my companions for the day: news people from all over the world. I was assigned to stand in the wooden box thrown up to give the various news film crews a place to position their big movie cameras on tripods. (This was back in the day when if they said, "Film at 11:00," they actually meant film.) The guys next to me spoke little English and I caught incomplete snatches of the German that I barely learned in high school. I had nowhere near as much equipment as this journalistic elite, but it was still a nice vantage point from which to "shoot the president." 

I kind of understood that the yearbook editor thought I couldn't get in as much trouble being forced to stand in one spot during the entire event as I would roaming the crowd for close-ups. I was a little disappointed that I had to stay put and couldn't hunt for interesting shots, but I had my orders, and that's what life is all about when you are a plebe at a service academy: following orders, and liking it!

But, Nixon! I was getting to see my first president in person! I was only fated to gaze upon the most powerful man in the world through a telephoto lens, but the top graduates of the class were about to get much more! As part of their honor for doing so well at an institution of higher military learning, these future captains and admirals (and Marine Corps colonels and generals) were going to get to shake the hand of their commander-in-chief! An occasion as serious and dignified (and intimidating!) as one could imagine, I imagine. 

So, how did the cream of the crop, the top in their class, the elite of the elite of one of the most elite military officer training schools in the world, rise to the occasion? They decided to prank their president.

As the soon-to-be ensigns and second lieutenants came up to the president on the way to receiving their commissions, each one handed the president some little item, a shoulder board off of a uniform, a rubber alligator, a little American flag. Each was something small and creative and all were chosen to elicit smiles and chuckles from the crowd of military brass, journalists, parents, midshipmen and ultimately (they hoped) their president. (In retrospect, I feel it's safe to say that the Secret Service was not their target audience.)

There were awkward moments: a gifted frisbee was thrown out into the crowd upside-down, to sink to the ground after only traveling a few yards. But, the president who was known to be a pretty arrogant power-monger (even before the revelations of his in-office shenanigans), was remarkably affable, even mugging for the crowd at times and appearing to find humor in the situation. Still, the acts essentially amounted to senior pranks performed on the president of the United States. There was no doubting the sheer chutzpah of the class of '74. 

I guess there were likely a few future Tail Hook members (the association of Navy pilots that were later embroiled in the infamous sexual harassment scandal) because at least two (IIRC) of this elite team chose to hand the president balsa wood aircraft. One was a glider, which POTUS threw out into the crowd with about as much panache as the ill-fated frisbee. But one participant was better prepared: he had a wind-up propeller-driven craft that was all prepped for take-off! Tricky-Dick held on to it a little too long (allowing the rubber band to wind down a bit) before realizing he was supposed to let it go, so it did not go as far as it might, but it did fly. 

I guess it was a good thing he held it for a moment, because that was my moment. I snapped the shutter, and I got a shot that I have never seen anywhere else. I am kind of proud of my recording of a little piece of human interest minutia strategically placed in the calm eye of the storm that was to later knock his presidency off its foundations. 

One could hardly expect their little gifts to their chief to scratch the surface of the grand scheme of things in the remaining two months of his ill-fated presidency. But, just imagine for a moment, that perhaps in the dark times, Richard M. Nixon might have trotted out the memory of that day, and crack just a hint of a smile. Not enough that anyone would notice, of course, but maybe enough to erase some of the stress of the events unfolding in those days.

I left the employ of the U.S. government, as well, about six months later, so Nixon and I both had our major life-defining failures that year. I rebuilt my life into something I am really tickled with today, and Nixon loosed his bonds having earned back not a little of the respect that so famously plummeted with his presidency.

It's pretty apparent that Richard Milhous Nixon learned the same lesson I have since those days: your failures don't have to be your ultimate definition. 

I wonder if he learned how to smile, too.

What can I say, I'm kind of a "real estate" junkie...

2011 Mac Mini 2.3 GHz with a SATA III SSD and extra RAM, 2nd internal drive, an external 1 TB drive, and two 20" Cinema Displays. The 2007 MacBook Pro on the right serves as a 3rd monitor via the magic of AirDisplay. Various other Apple technology visible.

I'm already trying to work out how I can add more monitors.

Our local FileMaker users group is co-hosting a lunch and presentation with representatives from FileMaker, Inc. of the new features in FileMaker Inc.'s latest iteration of their flagship solution development platform. If you're interested in learning more about the easiest way to write data-centric apps for the desktop, web and mobile devices, (and you're going to be anywhere near the Louisille, Kentucky area on the 14th of June) then feel free to join us for pizza and a presentation at the Marriott Courtyard Downtown.

Info here: http://www.filemakerlouisville.com.
Register here: http://www.kyfmp.com/reg/.

Farewell to the guy who helped define a big part of who I was for the last 26 years.

Now, back to talking about their business data needs to potential clients who never heard of FileMaker.

A while back I posted a mediocre effort at shooting holiday fireworks. The most recent 4th of July gave me another opportunity to try out my iPhone on everyone's favorite really hard to shoot subject: fireworks! The iPhone 4 does a much better job than my old 3G did at shooting things that go bang in the night. With the added touch of a really nice video editor right on the phone (iMovie) it's one fun little video producer:

Sure was fun, though.

In memory of my wife's uncle: a few of the irises he prized and tended. They may be in our yard now, but they're still known as Alden's irises.

Spring snow last night.

I am addicted to screen real estate. So much so that even a 15" laptop screen isn't enough to hold it all. At my desk I have a 20" Cinema Display next to my MacBook Pro. When traveling, though, I have to make do.

I do always have my iPad with me. If only there was a way to...

Ta da! Enter Air Display! If you're on wifi (and where aren't you these days?) you can use your iPad as you would any old second monitor. You can mirror your main screen (okay, I haven't found a use for that yet, but you can) or you can just add another 768x1024 to your desktop for some ancillary application or reduce your window congestion in a development environment like, ahem, FileMaker. Behold:

I'd much rather have my Cinema Display for this kind of work all the time, but it stretches the seams something fierce on my laptop bag.

Air Display is $9.99 in the iOS app store and works on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

<<Comment deleted due to error: "Hyperbole limit exceeded.">>

Ok, I do like my iPhone. Takes nice pictures, don't you think?

Neither of these photos is adjusted in any way since they were taken.

So the Residence Inn in Ft. Wayne was full that week and I had to stop somewhere else at the last minute. This is the town where the sign on their number one municipal building says (I kid you not) "City of Gas City City Hall."
Do I need to mention that this is Indiana.

All over this here U.S. of A. brand new iPhone 4 owners, eager to explore the boundaries of the incredible camera in their new toy, pointed them skyward to capture the quintessential American celebration.

And were disappointed.

Being a fireworks shooter since way back in the film days (remember film?) I know how to use the settings to record some of those incredible patterns of long color streaks that we all know and love.

Just not on the iPhone. Without shutter speed and aperture controls fireworks appear as white blobs. All my attempts at shooting stills of the occasion were so disappointing as to force me to discard them immediately. 

I did, however, find that the iPhone does video a little better. You still get short streaks and washed out color, but with the dimension of time, there is a least something to see.