Potholing in Guildford

Closed, originally uploaded by xrrr.

The state of the streets of Guildford have often caused me to moan. Giant pot holes and rubbish road surfacing. You could blame the council but they are in the process of suing the last contractor who was responsible for road maintenance. The contractor was charging the council but not actually doing the work (I *know* I read this was the case somewhere but I will be blowed if I can find anything on tinternet mentioning this fact).

They must have some new people now as our street has been in the process of being resurfaced for the past week. Well overdue. They have packed up for the bank holiday and left their machinery right outside my house. Gave me an excuse to practice taking photographs. Some highlights.

Joseph Cyril Bamford, originally uploaded by xrrr.

Roller, originally uploaded by xrrr.

Locked, originally uploaded by xrrr.

Google implements a Reverse Total Perspective Vortex

Stars, originally uploaded by xrrr.

I have just downloaded the new 4.2 version of Google Earth. It now allows you to investigate the sky at night above your current location.

Whist zooming into the infinity of space and rediscovering my fascination with 'space stuff' I realised that Google have actually implemented a Reverse Total Perspective Vortex. I can point Google Earth at my house and then flip to sky mode and see the 'pure unimaginable infinity of space'. It is a good job it is a Reverse Total Perspective Vortex or else Google might have inadvertently created 'the most horrible torture device to which a sentient being can be subjected'!

Use with caution folks!

Bioshock PC Demo leaked onto BT

The Matrix, originally uploaded by xrrr.

I am sure no one reads my blog but posting this anyway! Bioshock is one of the most eagerly awaited PC games of the past few years. It is not out in the UK until Friday 24 August but the PC demo is out now on bit torrent. Only 12 hours 43 minutes to go. Woot!

I always like to put at least one of my photos on each blog page so I had a bit of a dilemma as I don't actually have any photos of anything to do with the game. I chose this picture because of the game's watery theme and the green colour is very "bio" I thought :-)

read more | digg story

Photo Assignment

In a random twist of fate the wife of the chap who made a painting of one of my photos has offered me a job!

She works for Look-Look in LA which looks to be some sort of market research company. The job was to take some photo-journalistic photos of 'macro-trends' for a presentation to a client. I have been offered $100 for 30+ photos by mid-September.

That sounds fine until you read the brief:

Please find pictorial examples of how these macro-trends trends have manifested into daily life, specifically related to parent/mom/child lifestyles. Be sure to include location and a quick description of what the picture is.

- Neo-Green: The green/eco movement is no longer isolated to granola/hippy-types. Green has gone mainstream. Green/eco products are now widely distributed, easy to find, well designed and sustainable. Consumers are quick to differentiate true green initiatives from "greenwashing." And they are researching and looking for products and services that are sustainable, carbon-neutral and renewable.

- Experiential Retail: Consumers enjoy retail environments that produce a sense of joy and discovery. Experience/entertainment at retail has become a significant replacement for traditional advertising. As consumers move away from intrusive advertising that interrupts and annoys, retailers are winning over their customers by delighting all of their senses at the store level.

- Collective Wisdom: Because of the Internet, consumers are harnessing the power of access to honest and authentic information and connection to the global community. In particular, the young mom demographic is one of the most active groups with this behavior. They are self-educating themselves and others on product information, recommendations and influencing potential future sales of products and services.

- Video Gaming: As video games become more and more ubiquitous across multiple demographic groups, there is a shift in the development in game genres and content development. There are emerging subcultures within gaming that is turning the industry on its ear. Girl gamers and casual female gamers are both strong in numbers and influence. They are forcing the games industry to create games that are more relevant and different from traditional "shooter"-type genres. They must pay attention to lifestage, lifestyle and psychology of the gamer. This is creating games that are more educational, cerebral, and emotional in nature.

Oh oh. That sounds a bit hard. I'll let you know how I get on.

Here is the first photo!

Eco Warrior, originally uploaded by xrrr.

One down, 29+ to go!

Bibi Picture Complete!

Mandalay Bay, originally uploaded by xrrr.

A few months ago I mentioned that I was having one of my photos was being turned into a painting.

Well it is complete. The artist and the painting will be shown at the ArtExp Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Hotel on 28-30 September 2007.

Time to see if I can get a decent price on the flight...

Pattern of 'P's

Pattern of 'P's, originally uploaded by xrrr.

I took this photo whilst on holiday. It was a rack of champagne bottles that I tried to take a photo of without a tripod. Very low light. I had perched the camera on a table but had to hold it. I obviously moved a bit but I love the result. Very abstract...