Conversation

Karen: It’s like dog pandemonium!
Maggie: Pa-dem-onee-mmm
Karen: That’s right, Maggie! Dog pandemonium!
Maggie: Moo.

Question

Really? What kind of kid thinks a dog goes moo?

Photo is today’s Maggie-A-Day.

Via Cosmic Laughs

This New York Times article outlines how the store Target learns about (and tracks) your shopping habits, and uses this information to try to change them (encouraging you, naturally, to shop at Target more often).

The link I found to this article clearly indicated that I ought to find it all a bit creepy. And I wanted to. I wanted to believe that this showed how evil and manipulative corporations are. Instead, it’s all a bit fascinating.

It’s about statistics, trends, human behaviour and careful observation. Rather than thinking that Target is doing something awful, I just feel … fascinated.

I’m going to hell, aren’t I?

Photo by Theo Gosselin. Found at Illusion 360.
Webcomic is Sleep draw, by Anne.

Near as I can tell, it’s by Bolivar Arellano, who was covering a New York mayoral candidate that morning.

Arellano has, it would seem, a nearly perfect profile for a photographer working in the vicinity of ground zero that morning — he had experience working in war zones as a photographer. But the Big Bad Blog is introspective today; if you want to know about Arellano, you can read his account of things over at the Huffington Post.

No. I had two thoughts when I saw this photo:

a) This is an amazing photo.
b) I would never have taken this photo.

Not that it is technically beyond my means, but my limited experience of being faced with (far less drastic) emergency situations leaves me without the ability to fathom being the person who pulls out their camera and documents it.

I’m not sure how I feel about this.

One part of me — the dominant part, I suppose — cannot help but think that there are two things to do in a disaster situation: you can do everything you can to help, or get out of the way so that those people who are better prepared to help can do their thing unimpeded.

Another part of me loves photography, and thinks the “take action” part of me misses many photo opportunities. If I waited a minute, and took photographs of things as they happen, I’d have photos other than Maggie-A-Day to share with the world. And the Maggie-A-Day would be better for it, too.

But that’s not me. When the moment strikes, I can put myself in the middle of it or I can get out of the way. The part of me that thinks to document it — I guess he usually sleeps in.

It seems that my photography instincts have a weakness, after all.

It turns out that attractive female passengers get singled out to go through those body scanners at airports. Colour us at the Big Bad Blog surprised – we could never imagine airport security agents abusing their power like that.

No, wait. This is exactly what we thought would happen. Instead, we would like to congratulate America’s TSA on meeting our extremely pathetic expectations.

Photo found at FFFFound. Origin unknown.
Webcomic is Three Word Phrase, by Ryan Pequin

First photo is from Flying Mouse 2007 on Flickr.
Second photo is from Junkculture, and is one of a set of images where Alex Gross converts old photos into pictures of superheroes.
Webcomic is The Magnificent Whatever, by Jeff Hencz.

Some of you may be familiar with Salvador Dalek (above), a knit Dalek created by my friend Sarah for Maggie.

Maggie loves Salvador, and so do I. In fact, if you take away the thank fuck, this is keeping her entertained and thank fuck, this is helping her to fall asleep properties of some of her other toys, Salvador comes out way on top, in my estimation. It really is the ultimate toy:

• Geeky in origin
• Based on something I love
• Made by a friend
• Amazing craftsmanship

Hard to beat, yes?

Yes. But not impossible. There is now a new generation of knit Dalek, looking to push out the old. EXTERMIKNIT!

Top photo is by me, and available in other sizes on Flickr.
Bottom photo is from Feather and Fan.

On Saturday, we reached a milestone on another project — the 365th Maggie-a-day. Only four months after I took the picture! I’m really speedy with this photography stuff.

Not quite 99 Luftballoons, but I still feel pretty good about it.

We’re not stopping here, of course. Maggie-a-day will continue as long as I enjoy taking pictures of her, and she’s willing to put up with her dad following her around with a camera.

Photo from damselesque, via I am your Canadian boyfriend.

We’ve got a mouse, a keyboard, an internet connection, and a new profile picture. So strap on your helmets, folks.

Also, for my museum-loving readers, you should know that BoingBoing is doing a series titled My Favourite Museum Exhibit, which sounds like the sort of thing you might like.

Photo found at LOG. Origin unknown.