Japan has to be the world export leader of all things cute and among their cute exports, Hello Kitty is probably the most famous. Everyone knows her, but very few are familiar with her equally cute, but decidedly more evil, twin Hell Kitty. Surprisingly, it's the good twin who seems to have set her sights on world domination, with stores and products all over the planet, while … [Read more...]
Laughing At and Learning From my Terrible Photos
All photographers take bad photos. It's inevitable. Luckily, in the digital age, you just delete them and move on. Looking through some of my earlier images recently, I realized I didn't delete any of the bad ones, mainly because doing so would have left me with no photos whatsoever. Instead I've got thousands of poor pictures from my early travels, each of which seems to have … [Read more...]
Two-Headed Llama Plays With Perspective at the Salar de Uyuni
Pretty much every photo I've seen from the Salar de Uyuni (Uyuni salt flats) in Bolivia involves people playing with perspectives. Apparently the local llamas decided to get in on the fun, too. In doing so, they demonstrate that two heads would definitely be better than one, for an animal trying to survive in the wild—one head can graze, while the other keeps watch. This … [Read more...]
Just Another Tale of Love on the Road…or is it?
It's amazing how two people can live the exact same experience, yet have completely different interpretations of the events. Often dubbed the Rashomon Effect, this phenomenon has been the subject of countless books and movies, most notably Rashomon itself, and is familiar to us all. I have personally witnessed a few examples during my life, but none as dramatic, hilarious, sad … [Read more...]
The Perfect Course for Crappy Golfers
This golf course in Coober Pedy, South Australia seems tailor-made for someone like me. I tend to keep off the grass anyway on the rare occasions when I subject myself to a round of golf, as the balls I hit seem to prefer the sand. Or the water. Or anything but the grass. In fact, over the course of nine holes, I generally spend a few minutes swinging a club and several hours … [Read more...]