Uploads from SouthernBreeze, tagged urban, with geodata

Digital State of the Union: U.S. Broadband Availability - hss

nobody@flickr.com (SouthernBreeze) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 12:27:27 -0700

This image - which depicts 4Mbps capable networks' presence - is excerpted from a report entitled "Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan." The staff of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authored the National Broadband Plan.

The germ of the report began in April 2009 with a Notice of Inquiry, and was developed over a period of time through enormous public involvement, which included 36 public workshops held at the FCC and streamed online, which drew more than 10,000 in-person or online attendees. The ideas generated from those sessions were further refined based on replies to 31 public notices which, which generated some 23,000 comments totaling about 74,000 pages from more than 700 parties. Further, the FCC also received about 1,100 ex parte filings totaling some 13,000 pages and nine public hearings were held throughout the country to further clarify the issues addressed in the plan.

As the FCC states, "This is America’s plan, written by and for Americans. It’s now time to act and invest in our nation’s future by bringing the power and promise of broadband to us all."

If you were to read only one portion of the report, I would recommend the ⇒Executive Summary⇐, which is available there! ("There," as in "over there," meaning it's the highlighted link which appears in BOLD blue letters.)

Dimensional Evolution - h3857

nobody@flickr.com (SouthernBreeze) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 14:35:30 -0800

SouthernBreeze posted a photo:

A Chattanooga wall graphic by Kingdom_Graphica@yahoo.com.

City Centre Fountain - h

nobody@flickr.com (SouthernBreeze) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 20:06:45 -0700

SouthernBreeze posted a photo:

I examined the EXIF data to see what time of day the shot was made (2012:07:13, 19:24:23), and worked toward a somewhat lightened version of a "blue hour" photo with some warming from the sunset - which I observed on the upper elements of the building to the LEFT, and in the reflection of the windows and corner of the building appearing front & center. As well, the color of the pooling water similarly reflect those warm orange sunset tones, while the sky enjoys a bit of enhancement in the purple that's emerging on the RIGHT.
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Mississauga City Centre, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Original Photo by Brook Tyler, seen below.

Six Years Later: The Man Behind the Tunes - v

nobody@flickr.com (SouthernBreeze) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:05:16 -0700

SouthernBreeze posted a photo:

It's been nearly six years to the day since I made this photograph. The original is the same name, of course. I thought it ironic, and somewhat interesting that time and date posted is so very near today's date.

The camera I used to make this photograph was the Treo 650, an early smartphone made by Palm, which used the PalmOS.

As can be seen in the EXIF data, I used Adobe PhotoShop Creative Suite 5 to manipulate the image. And, I'd like to address the subject "manipulate." While the word has negative connotations, the primary definition of word means to "handle or control (a tool, mechanism, etc.), typically in a skillful manner."

Often, however, when folks hear the word "PhotoShop," they think of some change to the photograph that alters it so, that it no longer resembles the original, or is a radical departure from the object as envisioned by the photographer.

While PS and other applications can be so used - and have been - I have come to appreciate the tool itself for several reasons, not the least of which is that the camera (tool) I used to capture the scene didn't actually see, or render the scene as I envisioned it, or saw it. Matter of fact, for all the fancy cameras, processes, tools & techniques that have ever existed, there is none that has even come close to the remarkable ability and capacity of the human eye.

Again, I think it's equally important to acknowledge that art itself - and photography is an art, and art form - is a subjective matter, wherein every viewer and creative person has a personal preference, likes and dislikes. And so, because art is largely subjective in nature, there is an equally broad latitude given to the creative individual in the creative process.

If nothing else, the product produced represents an investment of the creator's time, vision and money, and should be given the respect for those three things at the very least.

Now... if you're interested in the tech specs of the Treo, here's a brief overview:
"The Treo 650 smart phone by Palm is a hybrid PDA/cellphone that was introduced late in 2004. This device has a 312 MHz Intel X-Scale PXA270 processor, making it almost the equal of a full-sized desktop computer of a decade ago. It supports phone, e-mail, Web access and multimedia applications, including video.The Treo 650 comes equipped with a 320x320 TFT backlit display, which makes it possible to view photos, web pages and e-mails when outdoors in daylight. Photos are in 16-bit color with a maximum VGA resolution of 0.3 megapixels, and there is a 2X zoom feature built in. Bluetooth capacity is built in for headsets and some other devices, but wireless is not included. You can listen to MP3 music on the Treo, but it requires a memory card, sold separately. The Treo 650's VersaMail wireless e-mail system is considered one of its strong points. The simple setup wizard allows you to send and receive e-mail from as many as eight IMAP or POP3 accounts. Early versions of the 650 displayed some problems with the 32-bit memory, but that was remedied with a 128-MB digital memory card.The Treo is available as a dual-band digital CDMA phone or as a GSM quad-band world phone. The directory holds thousands of listings, and entering them is relatively easy with the backlit QWERTY keyboard. The Treo has speakerphone, speed dial, conference calling and caller ID, and an on-screen dial pad. Plenty of programs are included, and there is a wide range of software available for customization."

Highland Package Store - h1694

nobody@flickr.com (SouthernBreeze) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:45:12 -0800

SouthernBreeze posted a photo:

Highland Package Store
2228-A Highland Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35205
(205) 558-4337 ‎
HighlandPackageStore.com