Comments on: The Sea of Frogs Serenades for Me http://butuki.com/laughing_knees/the-sea-of-frogs-serenades-for-me/ Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:12:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: andrew http://butuki.com/laughing_knees/the-sea-of-frogs-serenades-for-me/#comment-11096 andrew Sun, 10 Jun 2007 23:07:03 +0000 http://butuki.com/laughing_knees/the-sea-of-frogs-serenades-for-me/#comment-11096 Miguel, thanks for the reply. You are correct, phones like that are not available outside Japan. And yes, I'd heard before of the prevalence of using the Web by phone instead of computer. I totally agree on limitations being liberating provided, I think, the limitation in capability is accompanied by a concomitant reduction in options for the user. The lesser abilities of a phone camera are liberating provided one isn't required to attend to focus, exposure and program modes. The attraction for me is the near-zero impedance to taking a photograph: it will be in my pocket, turned on, ready to go with a button push. In fact that's the camera that I wish existed: the size and weight of a mobile phone, fixed focal length, or maybe 2 - 3 steps, wide aperture for low light, large sensor with few pixels - 3 megapixels say - for low, low noise at high ISO, instant startup like a DSLR. Miguel, thanks for the reply.

You are correct, phones like that are not available outside Japan. And yes, I’d heard before of the prevalence of using the Web by phone instead of computer.

I totally agree on limitations being liberating provided, I think, the limitation in capability is accompanied by a concomitant reduction in options for the user. The lesser abilities of a phone camera are liberating provided one isn’t required to attend to focus, exposure and program modes. The attraction for me is the near-zero impedance to taking a photograph: it will be in my pocket, turned on, ready to go with a button push.

In fact that’s the camera that I wish existed: the size and weight of a mobile phone, fixed focal length, or maybe 2 – 3 steps, wide aperture for low light, large sensor with few pixels – 3 megapixels say – for low, low noise at high ISO, instant startup like a DSLR.

]]> By: butuki http://butuki.com/laughing_knees/the-sea-of-frogs-serenades-for-me/#comment-11095 butuki Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:37:36 +0000 http://butuki.com/laughing_knees/the-sea-of-frogs-serenades-for-me/#comment-11095 Hi Andrew. sorry to take so long to respond... I experienced for the first time my computer hard drive dying and I've not had internet access for the last few days. I use a Casio W51CA mobile phone which I'm not sure is available outside Japan. Japanese cell phone technology and infrastructure are far ahead of their counterparts in the rest of the world and what the phones here offer customers has taken the place of the internet in other parts of the world. It's gotten to the point where many young Japanese don't know how to use regular computers. Some of my university students have even asked me if it was okay for them to submit their essays via my cell phone! Even the announcement of the iPhone elicited only ho-hum reactions among the Japanese. (though as a Mac lover I may get it just to have something that works natively with my computers). The cell phone cameras and music players here are really amazing (mine has 1 seg TV and radio included). The cell phone camera I've been using is okay. It's very slow and hard to focus in difficult light situations (forget the dark... my last cell phone worked much better in night situations), which is part of what gave my photos here that eerie feeling. I've actually found the limitations of the camera somewhat liberating, in that it has allowed me to see things in a new way and to work around the shortcomings of the camera and use them to my advantage. The results are pretty satisfying, don't you think? Hi Andrew. sorry to take so long to respond… I experienced for the first time my computer hard drive dying and I’ve not had internet access for the last few days.

I use a Casio W51CA mobile phone which I’m not sure is available outside Japan. Japanese cell phone technology and infrastructure are far ahead of their counterparts in the rest of the world and what the phones here offer customers has taken the place of the internet in other parts of the world. It’s gotten to the point where many young Japanese don’t know how to use regular computers. Some of my university students have even asked me if it was okay for them to submit their essays via my cell phone! Even the announcement of the iPhone elicited only ho-hum reactions among the Japanese. (though as a Mac lover I may get it just to have something that works natively with my computers). The cell phone cameras and music players here are really amazing (mine has 1 seg TV and radio included). The cell phone camera I’ve been using is okay. It’s very slow and hard to focus in difficult light situations (forget the dark… my last cell phone worked much better in night situations), which is part of what gave my photos here that eerie feeling. I’ve actually found the limitations of the camera somewhat liberating, in that it has allowed me to see things in a new way and to work around the shortcomings of the camera and use them to my advantage. The results are pretty satisfying, don’t you think?

]]> By: lisa http://butuki.com/laughing_knees/the-sea-of-frogs-serenades-for-me/#comment-11093 lisa Wed, 06 Jun 2007 18:30:53 +0000 http://butuki.com/laughing_knees/the-sea-of-frogs-serenades-for-me/#comment-11093 Miguel--its wonderful to see some of your world in your photographs...there is a beautiful otherworldly quality to many of them. very lovely. Seeing nature's process of transformation and renewal is always a great source of inspiration. Amazing that creation has taken such care to build this natural ability into things. Thanks for reminding me of this. best to you-lisa Miguel—its wonderful to see some of your world in your photographs…there is a beautiful otherworldly quality to many of them. very lovely.
Seeing nature’s process of transformation and renewal is always a great source of inspiration. Amazing that creation has taken such care to build this natural ability into things. Thanks for reminding me of this. best to you-lisa

]]> By: andrew http://butuki.com/laughing_knees/the-sea-of-frogs-serenades-for-me/#comment-11092 andrew Tue, 05 Jun 2007 20:56:41 +0000 http://butuki.com/laughing_knees/the-sea-of-frogs-serenades-for-me/#comment-11092 Miguel, may I ask what mobile phone you use. I ask because I'm about to buy a new one -- as cheap as possible to last me until the iPhone makes it to Australia. I want one with a camera and I would like to have a reference point. These are lovely images. Please keep making and posting them. Miguel, may I ask what mobile phone you use. I ask because I’m about to buy a new one—as cheap as possible to last me until the iPhone makes it to Australia. I want one with a camera and I would like to have a reference point.

These are lovely images. Please keep making and posting them.

]]> By: Thomas http://butuki.com/laughing_knees/the-sea-of-frogs-serenades-for-me/#comment-11091 Thomas Tue, 05 Jun 2007 15:49:24 +0000 http://butuki.com/laughing_knees/the-sea-of-frogs-serenades-for-me/#comment-11091 I also love animal noises of all kinds - I even enjoy the piercing sounds of the Asian cicadas that have forever changed my trips through China into memories of shrieking noise... :-) Rice paddies and frog noises are also a definite favorite of my travel memories. And those pictures are pretty cool. My favorites are the second and the second-to-last in this series. The colors and the slight blurriness are divine. I'm glad you are feeling a bit better - it's surprising how long it seems to take for Spring to get going in your neck of the woods, but now that it's on the way, I'm sure nature is in a hurry to catch up with summer... I just came back from a visit back to Germany to see my parents and I was astonished how vivid and outrageous nature's colors are back there compared to the siennas and beiges of northern California. I guess that's one of the main drawbacks of the Bay Area that we don't get any seasons to speak of. Oh - and from the last post: Glad that the honey-in-black-tea trick is working for you! It's something I found some time ago in an anonymous post on a medical blog and it has improved my life a lot... Honey bees are now my best friends forever! :-) I also love animal noises of all kinds – I even enjoy the piercing sounds of the Asian cicadas that have forever changed my trips through China into memories of shrieking noise… :-) Rice paddies and frog noises are also a definite favorite of my travel memories.

And those pictures are pretty cool. My favorites are the second and the second-to-last in this series. The colors and the slight blurriness are divine.

I’m glad you are feeling a bit better – it’s surprising how long it seems to take for Spring to get going in your neck of the woods, but now that it’s on the way, I’m sure nature is in a hurry to catch up with summer…

I just came back from a visit back to Germany to see my parents and I was astonished how vivid and outrageous nature’s colors are back there compared to the siennas and beiges of northern California. I guess that’s one of the main drawbacks of the Bay Area that we don’t get any seasons to speak of.

Oh – and from the last post: Glad that the honey-in-black-tea trick is working for you! It’s something I found some time ago in an anonymous post on a medical blog and it has improved my life a lot… Honey bees are now my best friends forever! :-)

]]> By: Steve http://butuki.com/laughing_knees/the-sea-of-frogs-serenades-for-me/#comment-11086 Steve Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:17:36 +0000 http://butuki.com/laughing_knees/the-sea-of-frogs-serenades-for-me/#comment-11086 Miguel, This reminded me of my old "Frog Songs" post a few years back... I love the sound of the frogs in Japan, and I miss them now that I have moved from Shimane. I had literally hundreds (perhaps thousands?) within five meters of my back door out there. They lived in a small fish pond that I made for my kids, a place for them to keep the goldfish they won at the festivals in town. Unfortunately, the fish never survived, but the frogs thrived. Luckily, I was crazy enough to record the Frog Songs back then, and I still have a copy on my computer. I play it sometimes when I want to relax, and other times when I want to play a joke on my coworkers. "Where the hell are those frogs!?!?" Let me know if you want a copy of the audio, I would be happy to share... Miguel,
This reminded me of my old “Frog Songs” post a few years back… I love the sound of the frogs in Japan, and I miss them now that I have moved from Shimane. I had literally hundreds (perhaps thousands?) within five meters of my back door out there. They lived in a small fish pond that I made for my kids, a place for them to keep the goldfish they won at the festivals in town. Unfortunately, the fish never survived, but the frogs thrived. Luckily, I was crazy enough to record the Frog Songs back then, and I still have a copy on my computer. I play it sometimes when I want to relax, and other times when I want to play a joke on my coworkers. “Where the hell are those frogs!?!?”
Let me know if you want a copy of the audio, I would be happy to share…

]]> By: zen http://butuki.com/laughing_knees/the-sea-of-frogs-serenades-for-me/#comment-11085 zen Thu, 31 May 2007 19:16:18 +0000 http://butuki.com/laughing_knees/the-sea-of-frogs-serenades-for-me/#comment-11085 How true, sometimes it is how/what we see in the photo that makes it a great not the quailty of the shot. I remember seeing some in Photography class that I thought were not all that great. The teacher explained why it was great. On the other hand, I said to another art instructor, that it seems like at times it is not what you make, as long as you have a good story as to why it is good or done that way. :-) Anyway 1 & 4 are my favs. # 2 is also nice, has an abstract feel to it. Reminds me of the effect I would get in Photoshop when using a low res digital camera and wanting it to look like something other than a low res camera shot more like painting. I'm glad your are getting out and about connecting with nature is good for the spirit and rebalancing. How true, sometimes it is how/what we see in the photo that makes it a great not the quailty of the shot. I remember seeing some in Photography class that I thought were not all that great. The teacher explained why it was great.

On the other hand, I said to another art instructor, that it seems like at times it is not what you make, as long as you have a good story as to why it is good or done that way. :-)

Anyway 1 & 4 are my favs. # 2 is also nice, has an abstract feel to it. Reminds me of the effect I would get in Photoshop when using a low res digital camera and wanting it to look like something other than a low res camera shot more like painting.

I’m glad your are getting out and about connecting with nature is good for the spirit and rebalancing.

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