To all the writers that ever existed
This letter is to all the authors, all the "word magicians", all the story weavers who ever endeavored and succeeded in coloring the rest of the world's imagination with their fantasies. Thank you.
Though to most it will be a posthumous token of gratitude, I take this "better late than never" opportunity to thank all of you who made me want to stay up at night rebelling curfew with a torch, a book that painted my dreams and an itchy blanket on a stifling summer night.
Credits to you all, dear madams and sirs, I would never shirk from accepting what less literate minds find impossible and creating fantastical scenarios with my mind's eye and admitting them. Be it toys that come alive at twilight, the screech of a magical car flying in the night...
Lifestyle
Dear New Zealand Ultimate Community,
It was with great pleasure and feelings of pride and excitement that I accepted the position of Executive Officer of New Zealand Ultimate. It is sure to be a challenging role, but it is a challenge that I fully embrace and I look forward to working with you all to help develop and grow our wonderful sport and community.
I read a lot of industry news and articles from other National Sporting Organisations and Sport New Zealand and it always strikes me as to how well-placed ultimate is in the sports landscape. There are a lot of things that we do very well that other sports are trying to emulate. Things like developing an informal version of their sport to cater for the players who just want to ‘turn up and play’. ‘Pick-Up’ is already an...
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Dear Tourists Taking Pictures in Front of Lori's Diner,
Why?
What the heck are you doing?
On my walk to work I see you, bundled up in your newly purchased fleece (yes, it is way colder here than anyone prepared you for, I'm sorry). You crowd around the front of the restaurant with your selfie sticks every day without fail and take pictures. You look so happy and I'm so confused.
Nothing against Lori's. They're a local kitschy '50s restaurant with a yummy breakfast if you are too hungover to drag your ass to a fancy brunch place. They are clean and bright and their waitresses call you "hon," which is something I find extremely comforting. But why are you photographing yet another kitschy '50s diner? Don't they have diners where you come from? If they don't, that is a hard life and I...
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Dear Surveillance Camera,
You should be ashamed of your damn self. For years, you’ve been making people think that you’re in some way innovative and reliable. That you have some kind of value that might deter crime, catch criminals, or win first place in America’s Funniest Home Videos with an accidental clip of an old man slipping into a James Brown split in the cat food aisle.
But you, camposter, are a one trick pony with a metal leg and glass eye, and I’m sick of you parading around like an upstanding member of the law enforcement community.
I just don’t get it. It’s 2015. They can stick a flash drive down a mofo’s throat and see the wall of his intestine good enough to cut through it with a hologram laser. Hell, Google can take a picture of my license plate from Mars and post...
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Dear Kevin,
It has come to our attention that an option is being considered by Cairns Airport Pty Ltd (CAPL) to locate a new heliport at the site of the Jack Barnes Bicentennial Boardwalk. We will refer to this as the “East of Airport Ave Option.”
East of Airport Ave Option
It has been suggested that this heliport be located in what has incorrectly been described as “cleared land” currently devoid of mangrove trees.
airport picture
Fig 1. The East of Airport Ave Option is located on this aerial photo as indicated by the red cross
This prospective heliport site on the eastern side of Airport Avenue is not vacant cleared land. Rather, it is:
Natural salt marsh habitat, not an artefact of human activity and certainly not a ‘cleared area’. (On Google Earth, there is a clear...
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Dearest Adobe,
First, let me start out by saying that I am a big fan of what you guys are developing over there. I mean, seriously, it’s nothing short of magical what your programs allow us to sit down and do jacked up on 4 cups of espresso at 3 AM. I mean, where else can I easily replace flying bouquets of flowers with images of silly little adorable cats flying towards single bridesmades hoping to catch a furball. My clients really loved that and the grooms father actually thought he missed out on the flying cat bit at the reception while he was at the chocolate fountain. Talk about clients for life!
Having said that. I have one thing on my wish list for the next Adobe Lightroom update, whenever that will be. Oh, and one more accolade, great job on keeping up with timely updates...
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Dear Bulldog Nation,
Where do I begin? Before I was officially a Bulldog, I received support from the fans and the Bulldog Nation. Many of you extended kind words at basketball games or during my visits on campus on game days to make me feel comfortable and at home. Thank you all for the support and the encouragement during good times and even in the bad. The “True Dawgs” who bleed red and black have been a source of strength and were truly a part of my support system throughout my tenure at Georgia.
Coach Richt, thank you for giving me the opportunity to play college football. As some may know, Georgia was my first offer, and although I may have gotten other offers later, Georgia’s early offer when I had just completed my second season of football (ever), gave me confidence that I...
2,464
Dear Director Johnnetta B. Cole and other staff members of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art,
I am writing to you today with a simple request: take down the pictures of Bill Cosby in your current exhibition Conversations. Remove the portraits of him and the quotes by him, the lines of wall text that make Bill Cosby sound like a kind-hearted family man. Because Bill Cosby, contrary to what the television show had us believe, is not a kind-hearted family man. He is, I believe, a sexual predator and a serial rapist.
I’m not sure if you’ve yet read New York magazine’s cover story this week, in which 35 of the 46 women who’ve publicly alleged that Cosby sexually assaulted them tell their stories. If you haven’t, I urge you to do so immediately. It is a horrifying,...
2,272
Dear People Who Take Selfies,
Hi. Okay. So. What’s a selfie? Oh, you know. It’s when you take a picture of yourself and post it on Instagram. Or Twitter. Or Facebook. Or whatever it is the kids are into these days (is YOLO a social network yet?).
You take a lot of selfies. Yes, you. You know who you are. And don’t pretend you don’t know what I am referring to, because all your friends and followers and family members have seen those self-portraits you post anywhere from three to seventeen times a day.
That’s a lot of seflies. And girl, (or guy), don’t get me wrong – I applaud you. Considering that a lot of us like to spend most of our time on Facebook untagging our names in unflattering photos (or is it detagging? Have we formally settled on the word to properly describe “...
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Dear photographers,
The web is awash with news that Getty is giving away all of its images for free. Relax. It isn't. Your work has not suddenly become worthless.
This is what has changed: people who were previously not paying for Getty images, and were never going to ... will continue not paying for Getty images.
Bloggers can now legally embed Getty image into their sites for non-commercial use. These images are a chunk of real estate that Getty can make money from at a later date. What today is an image, might tomorrow be an advert, or simply nothing at all. Instead of hunting down the infringers, Getty are offering them a deal.
And here's what has not changed: The millions of commercial customers who make image licensing a rapidly growing industry … will continue to pay...
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