By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
The Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands with San Francisco in the background.
The photograph titled "GGB" captures the iconic Golden Gate Bridge stretching across the shimmering waters of the San Francisco Bay, set against the expansive backdrop of the city skyline. The deep, rusty red of the bridge contrasts vividly with the rich blue of the water and sky, creating a striking visual balance. Rolling hills adorned with verdant greenery frame the bridge from the bottom left corner, adding depth and a touch of nature to the urban scene. The cityscape in the distance appears delicate and intricate, like a skyline carved into the edge of the world, with soft clouds gently accentuating the clear blue of the sky.
The photograph employs a classic landscape composition, utilizing the rule of thirds to enhance visual interest. The bridge is strategically positioned to guide the viewer’s eye from the rich foreground towards the distant cityscape, effectively bridging the natural and man-made elements in the scene. The color contrast is a standout feature, with the complementary hues of the bridge and environment enhancing the overall visual appeal. While the photograph effectively captures the grandeur of the Golden Gate Bridge and its surroundings, it might feel slightly distant, potentially losing the intricate details and emotional intimacy that closer compositions can provide. Overall, the image offers a beautifully serene yet majestic portrayal of a world-renowned landmark.
By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
Photo of the view from Magic Mountain in Cazadero, Sonoma.
The photograph titled "Magic Mountain" reveals a serene, mystical landscape, captured at the cusp of dawn or dusk. The scene is framed by towering silhouettes of trees, standing like sentinels against the soft, dreamlike hues of the sky. A rolling sea of fog blankets the valleys, lending an ethereal quality that suggests otherworldliness and tranquility. The distant hills peek through the mist, their forms muted and softened by the gentle lighting. This interface between the darkened foreground and the pastel expanse beyond creates a striking contrast that draws the viewer's eye into the heart of the misty valleys, inviting contemplation and a sense of peace.
The composition of this photograph embraces a classic use of framing, with the trees creating a natural window through which the viewer is encouraged to gaze. This technique adds depth and guides focus, strengthening the impact of the mist-filled valley. The horizontal orientation complements the expanse of the landscape, enhancing the feeling of endlessness in the captured scenery. The color palette of muted purples and blues imbues the image with a soothing calm, though it may risk feeling a bit subdued or flat if not viewed under optimal conditions. While the high contrast between the shadows and soft light is compelling, the lack of distinguishing features in the foreground may leave some viewers seeking more visual interest in this area. Nevertheless, the overall effect of "Magic Mountain" is one of serene beauty and quietude, capturing a fleeting moment of natural splendor.
I’d love to not care what the Church of England thinks about allowing women to become Bishops. But sadly it’s the established church of England and we allow Bishops to sit in the House of Lords (which needs a complete overhaul, that that’s a different blog post).
The Government’s position on the vote is to be “disappointed”:
A Downing Street spokesman said the prime minister thought there should be women bishops and was disappointed at the result of the vote, but that it was “a matter for the Church to decide”.
Nick Clegg is disappointing. Which Book of Prayer to use is a matter for the Church to decide. Excluding women from the upper management of the official state religion when those managers also play a role in Government is a travesty.
Unless we’re going to allow Jedi in the legislature it’s time to kick the Bishops out of the Lords. It’s also past time to disestablish the Church of England and have proper separation of Church and State in the UK.
By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
A chair sits mysteriously on Bernal Hill. It later disappeared. Like the owls.
The photograph titled "Bernal Chair" captures a solitary chair set against a bright, sunlit background, framed by the shadowy embrace of an arch formed by trees and foliage. The chair appears almost as an apparition, residing serenely in the distance amidst a grassy field. The play of light is striking: the foreground is plunged into darkness with a rich, earthy texture, while the light beyond the arch dazzles with a wide-angled brightness that suggests a bright afternoon sun, casting a halo around the foliage that delineates the arch. This composition invites an exploration of contrasts—between the hidden and the revealed, shadow and light, solitude and nature's grandeur.
The style of this photograph leans towards a naturalistic yet symbolic approach. The use of framing through the trees is a classic method that guides the viewer's eye directly to the subject, in this case, the chair, which stands as an enigmatic focal point. The contrast between the dark foreground and the bright background creates a compelling visual depth and a narrative of discovery. This technique, while effective, results in a loss of detail in the foreground due to the overpowering light in the background, which might detract from the textural richness the shadows could offer. The photograph excels in drawing attention and evoking curiosity but may benefit from a slight adjustment in exposure to balance the elemental forces within the frame, enhancing the depth without overwhelming the quintessential charm of its central subject.
Yes, happy to pay another $79 a year to support City College.
B: Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond
Yes, park improvements for a littler over $50 a year.
C: Housing Trust Fund
Yes, a modest amount of money to include affordable housing in a city that desperately needs it.
D: Consolidating Odd-Year Municipal Elections
Yes, because there are too many elections already.
E: Gross Receipts Tax
Yes, makes more sense than taxing payroll and doesn’t tax businesses until you’re over $1M in revenue (whereas the payroll tax hits pre-revenue startups).
F: Water and Environment Plan
No, this is a study on draining the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. Which is just crazy. I might not support building it today but it makes no sense to look at getting rid of it now. Plus that water is really nice.
G: Policy Opposing Corporate Personhood
Yes, because a San Francisco policy will totally reverse hundreds of years of legal precedent. More seriously, corporations are not people and while a policy won’t reverse the malign influence of unlimited corporate spending on elections it doesn’t hurt to whine about it a little.
By Robert Ellison. Updated on Thursday, December 26, 2019.
My favorite proposition would be one to do away with propositions altogether. We need Legislative Service instead. But there is an election on Tuesday and a fresh slate of propositions for California and San Francisco that need to be decided. My thoughts on the statewide propositions are:
30: TEMPORARY TAXES TO FUND EDUCATION. GUARANTEED LOCAL PUBLIC SAFETY FUNDING. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
Yes, grudgingly. I hate that Governor Brown has a knife to our throats on this one. If it passes then we get $6 billion of extra annual revenue, largely for education. If it fails then because the revenue is already in the budget we’re looking at further evisceration. The sales tax component is regressive, I prefer proposition 38’s more balanced income tax increases across the board. I actually like that the proposition 30 money hits the general fund – I hate measures that earmark money so specifically that there is no room for maneuver. So yes on 30 and no on 38.
The arguments against proposition 30 seem to be that it isn’t specifically earmarked (which I see as a plus) and that we shouldn’t be raising more money for education and public safety while also building out high speed rail. But as the 8th largest economy in the world California should be able to mange to improve public transport and education at the same time. Both are critical to long term growth and prosperity. There is also the argument that you can’t trust government with any money or decisions and that any problem can be handled by just reducing ‘waste’. I don’t really buy that and if you do you might be better off somewhere like Nevada.
31: STATE BUDGET. STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTION AMENDENT AND STATUTE.
No. ‘Local Action Plans’ would allow local government to circumvent state laws and this doesn’t seem like a great idea. Allowing the Governor to make budget cuts without the state legislature smells bad as well. Publishing bills in advance of a vote to help prevent pet projects and pork from being stuffed in sounds good, I wish it had been included as a separate proposition rather than lumped in here (in general Proposition 30 suffers from being too broad).
32: POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY PAYROLL DEDUCTION. CONTRIBUTIONS TO CANDIDATES. INITIATIVE STATUTE.
No. It’s just a naked attempt to stiff unions and further increase the corporate money stranglehold on US politics.
33: AUTO INSURANCE COMPANIES. PRICES BASED ON DRIVER’S HISTORY OF INSURANCE COVERAGE. INITIATIVE STATUTE.
No. This allows insurance companies to offer a discount based on how long you’ve been insured with another company but also allows them to punish you for a lapse in coverage. If you choose to be without a car for more than a few months you can get a large increase in coverage. It doesn’t seem that the pros outweigh the cons here and the fact that the proposition is funded by the chairman of Mercury further tips me towards a no vote.
34: DEATH PENALTY. INITIATIVE STATUTE.
Yes. I don’t care about the cost of the death penalty, or particularly in it’s effectiveness. I’m fundamentally opposed to the death penalty because I don’t think the state has any business taking life in cold blood. I also don’t think you can guarantee that you’re not executing someone who is innocent.
35: HUMAN TRAFFICKING. PENALTIES. INITIATIVE STATUTE.
No. Punishment for specific offenses shouldn’t be dictated by ballot initiative. Most of these crimes are Federal anyway and so any changes in CA law would have a minor impact (KQED reports 18 offenders in CA prison for trafficking). There is a provision expanding the definition of human trafficking to include copying child pornography… sounds great but you’ll probably end up doing 15 years hard time for backing up your teenager’s phone after they’ve been sexting.
36: THREE STRIKES LAW. REPEAT FELONY OFFENDERS. PENALTIES. INITIATIVE STATUTE.
Yes. As the law currently stands you can get life in prison for drug possession. The US really needs to stop throwing everyone in jail. Judges should have the latitude to make the sentence fit the crime and not be automatically forced to throw away the key. This proposition makes three strikes a little more humane – I’d rather see it done away with altogether but it’s a step in the right direction.
Yes. Personally I don’t really care about eating GM food, but a lot of people care very deeply and it seems reasonable to provide this information. The main argument against is sinister special exemptions but these boil down to alcohol (not labeled the same way as food to start with) and animals that have been fed GM food but are not GM themselves.
38: TAX TO FUND EDUCATION AND EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS. INITIATIVE STATUTE.
No. See 30, above.
39: TAX TREATMENT FOR MULTISTATE BUSINESSES. CLEAN ENERGY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY FUNDING. INITIATIVE STATUTE.
No. I’m not really sure which way of determining how to tax multi-state businesses is best. Allowing businesses to choose which method they use doesn’t seem the right way to go. If this proposition was just about changing the tax calculation I might be in favor, but unfortunately it also funnels around half of the additional revenue to a new outfit to spend on clean energy projects over five years. As the proposition is sponsored by one hedge fund manager you’ve got to believe that there is a hedge fund posed to benefit from the extra spending.
40: REDISTRICTING. STATE SENATE DISTRICTS. REFERENDUM.
Yes. Approves the outcome of the Citizens Redistricting Commission. The backers of the proposition have withdrawn support for it (Republicans trying to throw out the new districts), it’s only on the ballot because it can’t be removed – a yes vote in this case keeps things the same.
By Robert Ellison. Updated on Friday, February 24, 2017.
Skios by Michael Frayn
4/5
Perfectly well oiled comedy of errors.
The Hydrogen Sonata (Culture, #10) by Iain M. Banks
3/5
Solid but somewhat routine Culture installment.
A Wanted Man (Jack Reacher, #17) by Lee Child
3/5
Solid Reacher installment.
Some Remarks: Essays and Other Writing by Neal Stephenson
4/5
Excellent collection of articles and a couple of short stories. Worth reading just for the Wired article on the technology and politics of submarine cables.
By Robert Ellison. Updated on Thursday, November 12, 2015.
BBC News has a report today on a conference held by CERN to bring science and religion together around the origins of the universe. It has some choice quotes including:
"Science in isolation is great for producing stuff, but not so good for producing ideas"
From Andrew Pinsent, and from Canon Dr Gary Wilton that the likely discovery of the Higgs boson:
"raised lots of questions [about the origins of the Universe] that scientists alone can't answer ... They need to explore them with theologians and philosophers"
Let me get this straight.
The concept of atoms is first proposed by Demokritos in around 500 BC and realized by Dalton in 1808.
Subatomic particles are discovered in the late 19th century, followed by Rutherford's gold foil experiment in 1907 demonstrating that an atom is mostly empty space.
The Standard Model is built over decades including the proposal by Peter Higgs (and others) of the existence of the field and boson by which particles acquire mass.
An expensive and extensive search by Fermilab and CERN eventually seems to have discovered the Higgs Boson.
A few highlights.
And after hundreds of years of theoretical and experimental physics it's somehow time to turn this one over to the pros?
Another quote from the conference, this time from Prof John Lennox:
"When Hawking argues, in support of his theory of spontaneous creation, that it was only necessary for 'the blue touch paper' to be lit to 'set the universe going', the question must be: where did this blue touch paper come from? And who lit it, if not God?"
Science may never have all the answers. It may not even be possible. But it's the only way to keep pushing back the boundaries. All the theologians have to offer is that they've discovered God, just outside the current resolution of our understanding. Ad nauseam. Bugger off.
(Published to the Fediverse as:
Religion's Kayne West Tendencies #etc#science#religion#higgs Should we bring science and religion together to probe our understanding of physics or should religion just bugger off?)
By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
Looking down the barrel of the Ordoñez Gun at the Presidio of San Francisco.
The photograph titled "Ordoñez Gun" offers an intriguing perspective of looking down the barrel of a massive gun. The image guides the viewer's eye through the concentric rings of the barrel, drawing focus to a circular window of light at the end, which glows with an ethereal brightness. The ridged textures of the metal interior, marked by the passage of time, lead inward with a mesmerizing spiral effect, evoking both mystery and history. Light dances within the cylindrical confines, creating a subtle play of shadows and flares that accentuates the barrel’s aged, rugged surface. The overall ambiance is one of introspection, as though one is peering into the past through a tangible artifact.
This photograph employs a strong use of leading lines, with the barrel's shape naturally guiding the viewer’s gaze toward the center. The composition follows a tunnel vision effect, creating depth and engagement in its simplicity. The symmetry of the barrel enhances the focal point, making the bright light at the center more compelling. The use of natural light, causing lens flares, adds an artistic embellishment that breaks the monotony of the metal. However, while the strong light at the end serves as an effective focal point, it borders on overwhelming, potentially distracting from the intricate textures within the barrel. Nonetheless, the photograph skillfully balances technical prowess with artistic expression, delivering an aesthetically pleasing and thought-provoking piece.
Photo of Bernal Heights Park as seen from Mount Davidson in San Francisco.
The photograph titled "Bernal from Davidson" captures a serene view of Bernal Hill, nestled amidst the urban sprawl and lush greenery. The hill emerges prominently, wrapped in earthy tones and topped with a modest cluster of trees, which crown its rounded peak. In the background, the expansive, shimmering waters of a bay stretch towards the horizon, reflecting a pale, atmospheric blue under the vast sky. The foreground is dominated by a canopy of pine trees, their dark foliage offering a striking contrast to the lighter hues of the hill and water. Distant cranes and ships docked along the bay hint at a port, adding an industrial touch to the landscape, while the scattered buildings speak of a vibrant city life interwoven with nature.
The photograph employs a classic landscape composition, utilizing layers to create depth and lead the viewer's eye from the foreground to the horizon. The placement of Bernal Hill centrally draws immediate attention, serving as a natural focal point. The choice of a high vantage point allows for a sweeping perspective that captures the harmonious interaction between urban and natural elements. The tonal contrast between the deep greens in the foreground and the gentle blues of the bay adds visual interest and balance. One critique might be the slight haziness in the distance, which softens the crispness of the far-off elements and could be interpreted as either a technical limitation or an artistic decision to evoke an ethereal mood. Overall, the image succeeds in presenting a tranquil yet dynamic vista, inviting viewers to ponder the coexistence of nature and urbanity.
