Genius of ordinary Americans in the USA and elsewhere

 

fast-food table and benches with uneven floor: napkin solution

Stopping for a snack at a hamburger franchise, just after getting ready to leave the booth, this small gesture of kindness caught my eye. It is the unsung solution to a practical problem that a fellow diner identified, took ownership of, and used local materials to fix. And while the immediate beneficiary may have been the person alone or those she or he was dining with, the stability of the table goes on to benefit others for days or weeks; at least until a cleaner goes beyond sweeping and douses the floor in water to mop up. That could dislodge or perhaps weaken the napkin solution to the tippy table.

Why would a customer intervene and fix the problem rather than ignore it, complain to the supervisor directly (or from a distance if going online to lodge a complaint)? It is true that not every customer is inclined to veer outside their lane in the role of consumer. But it happens often enough, that there must be some precedent, cultural expectation, or personal satisfaction in making things work better - big or small. Perhaps the rate of interaction or engagement parallels the findings of Website engagement: estimates of the proportion of website visitors who actually proceed deeper or who respond to surveys and other forms of interchange say that maybe a maximum of 3% of the people go beyond passive consumption of scrolling and actually start clicking and writing. That is something like the proportion of people in civil society in the USA who show up to demonstrate, communicate with elected officials, run for positions paid or volunteer, or who belong to service clubs like Lions, Kiwanis, Rotary, and many others. In other words, even though it is only a thin slice of the demographic pie, these people account for a disproportionate amount of social infrastructure, vision, engagement, and accountability.

Impressionistically, this willingness in certain circumstances to leap from spectator to player on the field may be related to the colonial phases of occupying and modifying the land and water, displacing (or worse) the people and other living plants and animals of the place. When there are few or no authorities and experts to call upon in a frontier setting, it is up to the person and those nearest to hand all to work to fix the problem - both the kind affecting many people (risk of riverbank erosion and flooding; oncoming wildfire; stampedes of buffalo) and the kind affecting just one neighbor, but too big for one person to respond to. That experience for most people residing in 2025 USA is many generations in the past, and yet something of the outlook (dismissing authority, celebrating skillful problem-solving and practical mindset, optimism, and minimizing pretense so that everyone can be equal in the moment) does seem to persist - reproduced in family stories, popular culture (books, movies, classroom projects), and so on. 

No matter what theory best explains local people or strangers passing by to spot a problem and then speak up or directly intervene, the fact is that such things do arise from time to time, normally without public awareness, accolades or other formal acknowledgement: just solving the problem is its own reward in this culture logic. So here is a bow or tip of the hat to all those unnamed people who quietly fix things that many others benefit from.

Seeing the world with new eyes and corrected lenses, too

Ophthalmologist's retail section for eyeglass frames

Seeing so many eyeglass frames on display can be akin to the experience of facing Too Much Information, TMI. But with the experience from earlier frames, the customer can usually narrow the search and only look for something similar, rather than having to study each and every variation on size, shape, color, texture and so on. If it is the first pair ever worn, then the staff can make suggestions to begin with, too. But a larger reflection from seeing this scope of choices and range in prices levels is that good vision is usually available to everyone who has no large visual impairment. Those with insurance subsidy do not have to pay out of pocket for the entire expense. Those with no insurance, and who cannot afford any payment probably will be eligible for basic eyeglasses paid for by the business owner, a local funding source, or possibly a program of the state government or a charitable (service) club with focus on vision, such as Lions/Lioness Clubs.

Besides the fact that modern life allows most people to have some kind of corrected vision, including the well-developed ecosystem or infrastructure (testing, trained professionals and licensing, supply chains and production capacity), there is the philosophical dimension of extending the useful life of vision for most everyone. Centuries ago, a variety of eye problems - congenital, developmental, or by accidents of life and livelihood - reduced the visual powers and pleasures and functionality of people young and old. In addition to the eye conditions at birth or later on in life, the aging process generally results in weaker visual power ('old eyes' or prebyopia). At the same time, literacy was less important to most people's day. So impaired vision was perhaps perceived as normal and less a hindrance than it would be today when oceans of printed matter fill the landscape and mailboxes, too. On top of that are the tiny screens and microscopic text size of Internet portable electronic devices.

In summary, as a practical matter it is good that modern life's literacy-dependent routines and decisions also come with relatively ubiquitous eyeglasses (or contact lenses, or corrective surgical procedures). Being able to see clearly is not simply a quality-of-life issue, it is basic to survival in the Information Age. But good vision is also a philosophical matter, since "I see" means both visual perception but also "I understand." In other words, what we see is often the same as what we know. Naturally, there are times when the meaning of something is NOT what it looks like at first glance ("don't judge a book by its cover," and "looks can be deceiving" since "you only see what you want to see"). However, there is a close relationship between good vision and good understanding. A land of poor vision may well also be a land of poor understanding or incomplete (mental) pictures of life. 

So at this high-altitude, abstract and philosophical level, when looking at this photo of hundreds of eyeglass frames, it is fair to think of all the people now walking around with corrective lenses (contacts or eyeglasses) in modern times who, long ago, may have gotten along in life with weak or even non-functional vision. Stated in reverse: the fact that most people today do have the opportunity to see clearly suggests that most people today also have the opportunity to scrutinize, focus on, and look into matters in such a way that they expect to produce sharp images and understandings; not a blurry or an unknowable grasp of reality. Widespread visual health may be overlooked or taken for granted, but it is more than a mere convenience and a basic condition for living in a word-heavy cultural landscape. It is also a worldview; a set of assumptions that one's surrounding life should be in focus and transparent. 

Landscape photographers far from the madding crowd

 

More than 8 billion persons on the planet, but here are places seemingly free of humans.

This screenshot of photo landscapes in the photo sharing user group called LANDCAPE, https://flickr.com/groups/landcape/pool/ shows a wide variety of locations, lighting, and composition elements. What is in common for nearly all of the uploaded contributions to this international group, apart from the outdoor subject matter, is the effort made to exclude people from the scene. Of course, despite the absence of human figures, there frequently is indirect evidence of people shaping the land, leaving paths or roads, leaving ruins, and so on. 

Clearly, the object of delight in the photo sharing group is the land itself, together with the light and shadow that falls upon it. But pausing to consider the dominance and prominence of humans on all other life forms in the air, land, and sea, these pictures do seem strange: how can such a great number of people covering the planet NOT be found in the photographs? The answer is that the photographer has chosen a season and time to release the shutter when people are outside the frame of the composition. In other cases, the difficulty in reaching the viewing point means few people venture there. In other words, despite the high human population around the planet, it is not evenly distributed: some places are densely lived in, but other places are not. In other words, yes, the planet Earth is heavy with humans and their activities that threaten other animals, plants, and microbes by destroying habitats or directly destroying those non-human lives. But the photographers in this sharing website are recording places - or at least brief moments there - where people are not visible. 

POTUS Ghosts (President of The U. S.)

 

Contrasting Gen. Geo. Washington (L) and DJ Trump (R)

Apart from biological sex, there is almost nothing about George Washington and #TrumpConvictedFelon in common. GW created institutions, systems and processes, much as he did while leading the armed forces of the American colonials against the forces of the British king. DT destroys everything he touches. He is entropy in primate form, forcing orderly things into disorder, civilization into chaos. GW carefully shaped the new office of President to perform executive functions for the benefit of all who rejected the British king's claims of authority. DT continues to try to displace the other two (co-equal) branches of the federal government, the judges and the law makers. One is a fine specimen of human and humanity, the other lacks basic awareness of anyone except himself. 

It takes generations to imagine, create, and improve systems of governance. But it only takes 20 days for #TrumpConvictedFelon to follow the script from his cadre of puppeteers and upend the pulse and progress of monthly cycles and rules for governing. The people who drafted the Constitution and Bill of Rights assumed that anyone fit for office would serve the best interests of the citizens and abide by the oath sworn on inauguration day. But #TrumpConvictedFelon does neither of these things; instead his actions to weaken the national government and its functions abroad and at home can only serve the purposes of hostile governments.

Once the stupefying facts and methods of the law breakers dressed like lawyers and investors are clear, then opposition can begin. If there is no opposition, the past record of gun carrying citizens suggests that one or more people will take matters into their own hands. Already there are signs of distress in quiet residential neighborhoods.

Upside down flag means emergency or political protest or both

 

Comparing worship service live (in-person), live streaming (online), and playback (of earlier live stream)

 

February 7, 2025 Symposium of Worship at Calvin University

The annual gathering of church leaders in music, preaching, as well as lay leaders held five public worship services during the 3-day proceedings in Grand Rapids, Michigan. These screenshots come from the live stream of the fifth and final in the series about the 2025 theme of parables. The recorded version is online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNw-dGSgZl8. The same images are bundled into a slideset, downloadable in PDF for closer viewing and readability of the subtitle text, too.

Having attended the first worship service on the Wednesday in person, now to experience the same venue on a different parable and preacher and music groups, but now via the live stream offered a good opportunity to compare these two forms of engaging in the worship rhythm and substance. Both the in-person and the live-stream contrast to the playback of the uploaded, finished recording of the worship service. So all three ways of engaging can be examined here.

LIVE STREAM: Demonstrated in the Friday final worship service, there is a risk of technical glitches (audio interference on certain frequencies) having to be fixed on the fly. Events unfold in linear sequence; there is no jumping ahead or behind the present moment of engagement. Unlike in-person, the lens and editorial decisions about which camera position to select is restricted. Viewers see what the live editing team has selected. One cannot look left or right, study one person or another, or close eyes to take in the whole.

IN-PERSON at the worship service: This is a multi-sensory presence, wrap-around immersion; of being there: temperature and seat support, light in one's eyes, sound too quiet or too loud for personal preference, surrounding sounds and 3-D sound waves filling the surfaces, and even the smell of fellow worshipers.

PLAYBACK: One can chose the time and location for playback on demand; stop and start, set playback speed and volume. One can read comments by others and add one's own in reply to others and in response to the recording itself, as well. It is possible to make note of bookmarks (time marks) to revisit later or tell others about, to scrutinize or to excerpt. At times a person might want to engage with certain segments non-linearly, jumping back and forth; like reading a book according to one's aims or habits, not necessarily non-stop from start to finish. There is also the risk of distraction, notifications intruding on screen or one's wandering attention and intention (commitment to undivided attention).

In conclusion, when it is practical to participate in-person at the scheduled time and location, that is the richest form of building memories, sparking ideas, and mingling with others. Nextmost immediate is the virtual, ghostly sense of "being there" (almost) in the online live stream. But maybe the most utilitarian and usable is the recorded version to dissect, share, compare and contrast, reflect upon and digest little by little. It can offer rich rewards, according to the effort poured into it. But for most people that is a high bar and so the in-person experience fills the mind and imagination with least effort and most vivid sources of memory.

Engaging in the moment through one's lens - reality vs. representation

 

Live at the ice piano for the 2025 World-of-Winter festival

The video version of this scene filled with cameras is online. But the freeze-frame is easier to study here. Of the 50 or 60 audience members who came to the outdoor venue in Canal Street Park in downtown Grand Rapids, perhaps 1/4 or more took out cameras (mainly camera-phones) to snap a memento photo or video clip. Maybe 10 people came with tripods or big cameras and external microphones or both in order to record broadcast quality from the evening to share with others. A few of the professional-looking photo & videographers wore lanyards with photo ID, in what looked like a press pass or other credential to do their job here, in some cases blocking the view of the audience members or getting in each other's way to get the right framing for their compositions.

     Despite the mostly quiet and courteous movements of these photographers, it did nevertheless distract from the sole focus on the piano playing and the lyrics of the songs. But so ubiquitous was the picture taking by a variety of people for a variety of reasons, that it raises the question about this phenomenon: in what ways is one's experience (and by extension, memory and the way to share memories with others) mediated by carrying a powerful device for recording sound, video, and still photographs?

Pianist at the left, photographers at the right

     On the one hand taking pictures or video, and seeing others do so, is normal and possibly even expected these days. In a few situations people are specifically requested NOT to take pictures or video (some airlines include their policy during the preflight announcements: out the window is fine, but not staff or fellow travelers as photo subjects). But on the other hand, the attention diverted to the screen and the controls reduces the person's own embrace or immersion in the moment to moment rhythm and breath of the performance as well as the space that the photographer is part of then. Of course there are hands-off recording devices ("life loggers" or POV action cameras) that do not require any intervention from the person: everything is recorded for later review and selection of relevant segments. That approach might be the best of both worlds: recording but not involving the person who carries the device.

     One way of understanding the frequent use of cellphones for video or photos is something analogous to language itself. Just as many people feel the need to put an experience into words - simple description, or maybe more extended reflection and analysis - the same may be happening visually these days: the person wants to own a fragment of the moment which they can share with others as proof of having been present, as a way to replay the moment, and perhaps to give to others who may have relevant expertise or interest, too. In other words, without articulating the experience in words or images, somehow the moment passes when new things displace it. So reaching for one's cellphone in this case is a way to hold the experience closer than merely spectating as one minute passes after another.

     In any case, the sight of cameras popping up again and again is likely to continue for a long time as more and more people get used to picture-taking for self and for seeing others doing this in formal as well as informal settings. Rather than reacting with annoyance, or the reverse, joining in with the other photographers, it makes sense to understand the several reasons why people consider the positives outnumbering the negatives when pulling out a camera in all sorts of situations that seem significant for personal, professional, or avocational reasons.

College students borrowing books then and now

DIY book lending station at Calvin University's Hekman Library

Until sometime in the 1970s library books had to be recorded on the card located inside the cover of the book before the borrower could take it outside the library. Often they took out several books at a time, so the process of stamping the due date and recording the borrower's identifying information took time and effort. Those marked cards then had to be filed so that upon return the book could be reunited with its own card. This was manual labor in the most literal meaning and required many trained student workers. 

     The next stage was to use computer punch cards so the checkout desk could insert the book's punch card into the dedicated machine that recorded the time and date of borrowing, while pairing this with the borrower's campus details. The due date was still stamped in the back of the book for quick reference by the reader to come back for renewal or to return it for circulation to other borrowers.

     After that bar codes were added to the punch cards for optical reading and registration of the book to the borrower. When the book came back to the library then its barcode could be scanned optically with something very much like the one in the photograph, above. In this way the book(s) could be tied to the borrower's ID barcode with just a blink of the light in the scanner beam. And reminders of approaching due date could be emailed to the borrower. As well, the borrower could renew the book electronically (no need to present it at the checkout desk) - if no other borrower was waiting for it.  

     Fast-forward to the February 2025 photo, above. The old ideas continue: build library collections of physical books, lend them to people with library cards, track the book's return (and its condition), and track down any books not returned in a timely way. What is different in this photo is the self-checkout station. Gone are the student hourly employees to receive the book returns and reinsert the correct lending card in the jacket. Gone are the student workers to check out the book. Of course, the books still need to be sorted for efficient reshelving by human hands. But much of the accountability and tracking now is digital and relies on borrower honesty; although, probably there are video surveillance recordings in case anybody seeks evidence of a particular book exiting the building without being scanned first.

     This photo not only shows the absence of library workers and the sign for "self-checkout computer." But also the picture shows the card catalog underneath the countertop. Each title in the collections has a typed card that corresponds to the book or pamphlet. Since a person used to be able to search by author, by title, and by call number, each title must have been filed in several different ways. Since there are unpublished documents like sermons for the campus seminary program, perhaps the old catalog is still in use for certain collections. But probably anything written since 2000 or 1990 is searchable by electronic records, instead.

All in all the photo seems to sum up the present moment in the relationship between college students and the library collections intended for their use. Some content is online instead or in addition to the printed volumes. As a result there are some students who prefer to engage with ideas on their phone, tablet, or personal computer. Others search online for notes and summaries that others have already done, thus offering a predigested impression of the title. And since 2023 the average person has access to a certain amount of Artificial Intelligence bandwidth (search time use) to produce summaries on demand. The upshot is that fewer college students are used to wandering the open stacks in the catalog classification that fits their subject area. So the chance of serendipity to find an unknown and unbidden title is lost. And with less time spent in tactile experience of pages and indexes, college students are less comfortable with flipping around the chapters, skimming and scanning with their eye for keywords or passages that may suit their research interests. 

     The upshot is that fewer books go home with students. Fewer ever leave the shelves for reading while standing or briefly at one of the study tables. Perhaps the old and new books have each other for company, but without the touch of warm human hands, they must still be feeling a bit neglected.

Prices go up for ingredients at the bakery

Day-old baked goods rise in price since costs are going up

There is a premium bakery in Grand Rapids, Michigan that prides itself if using the best ingredients. Many people are willing to pay the high price for delicious bread, pastry, and other baked goods. Others shop on the prominent rack of leftovers from the day before; the "day-old" display. Until lately, everything rang up at 1/2 price from the freshly baked price. But now the hand-lettered sign declares "Day-old 25% off." When asked, the clerk described the rising costs of dairy and eggs in particular since they use so many and because the Avian Flu has led to mass extermination of flocks in an effort to stop the virus transmission to other birds and then to egg farms. However, the new pricing of day-olds is for pies and bread loaves, not the smaller items bagged up and sold as "buy one at full price and the second one is free"; in other words, two for the price of one, or 50% of the fresh pricing. So in this photo, the day-old wheat bread was marked down 25% but the bag of 2 muffins and the bag of 2 morning buns priced out at the old 50% discount.

Talking with the clerk further, it turns out that certain parts of the display case of pastries sell out sooner than others, depending on the day and the time of year. But in general, the fruit tarts and the cannoli with one end dipped in chocolate sell out soonest most days. Ham and cheese croissant sandwiches are very popular, too. Turning to the bread racks, the plain loaves (San Francisco Sourdough; Country French) are in high demand, but they are also at the lower end of the price scale. Two of the breakfast breads seem to sell out quickly, too: English Muffin Bread, and another laden with dried fruit called Breakfast Bread.

The high-end bakery is in a curious position: customers are loyal. They value the full-bodied taste of the baked goods. And at least some of them are not price sensitive; they'd likely buy the same as always no matter how much the prices rise. So while the range of products spans the staple (daily bread, albeit premium ingredients and pricing) to the luxury (diverse pastries), somewhat similar breads and sweets also sell in convenience stores, big box retailers, and grocery stores. In other words, what the premium bakery sells is not so much high-quality ingredients as the care, handmade process, and smaller scale compared to factory bakers. So the loyal customers are in a relationship or community experience. They know their purchases sustain the model of high-quality baking traditions and the people busy behind the counter in the process of making more. 

Deep-fried tubers hit all the right notes: hot, crisp, fatty, and salty in the same mouthful

side order of french fries with the chicken sandwich (1/2025)

In the feudal years of Japan it was a luxury reserved for people of certain status in the public pecking order to eat foods deep-fried in pools of heated oil: tempura (a batter and method taught by the 1500s Portuguese visiting Japan) and later other forms like Kara-age (chunks of chicken battered and plunged into boiling hot oil) and Age-dashi Tofu and abura-age (again, deep-fried). But in 2025 USA there is deep-fried food everywhere you turn; so much so that it is ordinary (not for special occasions like 1800s Japan).

When french fried potatoes seems dull or routine, some will opt for more creative forms like sweet potatoes that are cooked in the fryer. Or the slender fries from Russet Burbank potatoes may be prepared in unexpected shapes: chunky (cottage fries), with skin on (rustic), in lumps (American fries), or shoestring (thinnest of the long strips).

For people who only enjoy the deep-fried tubers once a month or so, due to dietary, availability, financial, or philosophical reasons, there is something particularly satisfying about facing off with a portion of fries recently out of the fryer and salted neither too much or too little. Thinking about the mouth experience of those freshly served fries there are several dimensions of the eating experience that intersect in that sensation of bite and chew.

First is the color and texture and temperature: tactile senses are engaged to begin with. Then there is the taste of salt and the sensation of heat radiating from the fries newly out of the oil. Upon biting the slender fries down to chewable size there is the crunch (ancestral delight in crunching on bugs?) and the contrast of crisp exterior versus soft interior. Finally, there is the sensation of the oil emanating from the cooked surface of the fries, tickling the primitive part of the brain, eager for fatty foods.

Taken all together, fresh fries combine so many dimensions of flavor that the result is particularly satsifying. And then some people will gild the lily by introducing various condiments to the fresh portions: mayonnaise (made famous by the Belgians), traditional tomato ketchup or one of the many variations, shredded cheese and gravy (made famous in Quebec: poutine). Thank the New World (Andean civilizations) for cultivating the hundreds of varieties of potato. But thank, also, the many local adaptations of the humble spud to deep fry in many ways; indeed, not only deep fried but in the myriad other forms it can be eaten, too.

Exploring rural west Japan on bike: three cameras, four hours, 123 pictures.

 After a week of rain and unseasonable cold, the weather forecast gave everyone the promise of a dry and sunny day before returning to the regularly scheduled program of cold and wet. So I stopped at the JR Takefu train station to find the rental bicycle services that often can be found in Japan. The electric and non-electric bikes there were fitted with devices requiring a downloaded smartphone app as well as credit card to make electronic payment. Rather than lose precious daylight on the eve of the winter solstice, on the advice of the tourist information person, instead I walked five minutes north of the station to the terminus of an electric tram company. They have fewer bikes and all of them require pedaling. But for 100 JPY (less than $1 at the 2024 exchange rate) it is how I covered many kilometers between 9:30 and 2 p.m.

examples from the toy camera's lens, far from high-definition or true colors

One camera was in a chest pocket of my padded vest. The bigger one was in the outside jacket pocket. The cellphone rested in my rear pants pocket. The division of labor between each camera tended to follow a pattern. The project theme is old buildings and places of human activity. So the enthusiast camera (Canon g9x-ii) mostly recorded those subjects (see thumbnails, below). But the toy camera's strength is its lack of details (see thumbnails, above): only the main geometry and masses of light and dark, color patterns and dominant shapes can be recorded pleasingly; but not in contrasty light or low light. When there is plenty of illumination, and especially when it is indirect or comes through cloud cover, then the best results turn out. Treating the toy camera (Pieni II) as something like a watercolor brush helps to match scenes and subjects to its lens.

subjects for the Enthusiast Camera (1" sensor size)

So if the toy camera is for poetic representations and the enthusiast camera is for main subject, highly detailed images suitable for enlarging or printing, then what is the third camera for, you may wonder. The cellphone cameras have come a long way since the 1990s novelty of putting a lens on the phone first arrived on the scene. A generation later many people reach for their cellphone not to talk but to send text or to take a photo or a video clip of a moment in their day, either to share with friends or strangers (social media), or for personal reference. So you could say the device is a camera with added telecommunication uses, rather than being mainly for talking and the camera is an added tool.

Now that cellphone pictures are just about as clear and accurate and easy to make and use as the ones from a dedicated camera (for film or digital images), many serious and casual photographers record increasingly larger parts of their daily or weekly pictures not with a dedicated camera, but preferring the compact form and relatively usable images they create to the ones requiring bigger equipment. So for today's rental bike ride along the old feudal-era routes up and down the valley, the cellphone camera is the one I reached for most often.

Looking at the file count at the end of the excursion there were 123 pictures, including a handful of video clips among them. Of these, 38 were by toy camera, 29 were by enthusiast camera, and the remaining 56 were by cellphone camera app. What prompted me to reach for cellphone instead of toy or enthusiast was a set of subjects different to the poetic or the historical features: social changes, eye-catching light or texture or another compositional cue, panorama situations (the other two camera require the PC to stitch the overlapping frames into a wide canvas; the cellphone merges the scene in-camera), macro subjects for close-up (handy function on the cellphone's camera), and super-wide views (beyond the focal length of toy or enthusiast cameras). The following thumbnails from the cellphone camera give an idea of the mishmash of subjects recorded there.

close-ups, panoramas, notes on lunch menu, emergence of Christmas displays went onto the phone

 

Maybe all the purposes delineated here could fit onto the cellphone's camera app, but like all tools, it works best in some situations but not in others. For example, since so many people snap photos all day long in public, semi-public, and private settings, it rarely attracts worry or attention from the people nearby. The novelty of a tiny toy camera also is non-threatening. But somebody with a big piece of equipment, or setting up lights and a tripod almost certainly makes people wonder if this would be published, with or without permission. So in addition to the technical excellence of many cellphones today, the ubiquity of them can be an advantage, too. However, unlike a "real" camera with menus and dials and buttons for quick control and added functionality in challenging light or weather conditions, a cellphone battery soon runs out, the controls one might need in a special setting could be hard to find or unfamiliar to use, and there are other things happening on a cellphone besides photography, thus leading to distraction, for example. The coatings on the lens in a dedicated camera give superior results to the small bit of glass in a cellphone, as well. 

As for carrying a toy camera with its minuscule battery, lack of LCD screen, mostly unusable viewfinder, and plastic lens, it is true that some filters or specialist apps can mimic various quirky cameras by digital manipulation. But having a separate device to do those niche pictures keeps them physically and mentally in one location, rather than to be intermingled with other work. And the blind nature of shooting with almost no viewfinder and no LCD screen means that results only come some hours later when transferring the files to a PC. So it is akin to the days of roll film and processing delays before getting the results.

In conclusion, when image recording devices are getting smaller and lighter, but also more capable of delivering good results, it is not a burden to carry more than one. Each can be given a separate job to do so that reaching for A or for B produces a mental compartmentalization when the field location has many sub-projects or subjects to photograph; not all being used for a unitary publication but for several concurrent but differing projects out of the same event or place. Today's example is one way to traverse the cultural landscape with multiple lenses that record different parts of the day's experience. A different social observer may be dominant in video and only incidentally take still photos. And someone with an eye for hand-drawn compositions might mix camera(s) and sketchpad while exploring a place or a topic. By selecting the best tool for the purpose catches one's eye, the best results are most likely. It takes some practice to remember to reach to the rear pocket, or the chest pocket or the jacket pocket to fish out the right camera for the moment, but eventually things go very smoothly. The reward comes when reviewing on the larger screen of the PC and from there sharing commentary and images with the wider world.

Putting ballet on stage in west Japan at the city's Culture Center

Minutes before Nutcracker Suite begins - no cameras allowed

The Kyiv Classical Ballet Company entertained a big audience on Wednesday night with their rendition of the Nutcracker story set to P. I. Tchaikovsky's music. Since no recordings or cameras were permitted, this snapshot before the curtain rises is a writing prompt for the impressions of a newcomer to the dancing stage. In no particular order several thoughts came to mind, beyond the visual splendor, the athleticism of men and women, and the overall gestalt of High Art.

Logistics must be mind-boggling for a stage of 25 to 30 professional dancers and the supporting colleagues for costume, lighting, direction, make-up, physical conditioning/injuries, travel details for lodging and meals, and so on. And for long tours there may well be personality conflicts, entanglements, and spill-over of home and work settings. On the surface there are highly trained minds and bodies moving rhythmically around a stage, usually accompanied by music, but even without the music the visual "music" is a sight to see.

The Nutcracker and its Russian music may carry added meaning in these times of Russian invasion of Ukraine, ongoing since February 24, 2022. The military draft age of the male performers may give them an awareness that they are expressing the creative powers of the nation instead of wearing a uniform. At the end of this show on the Japan tour, the flags of Japan and of Ukraine were featured during the curtain call. And one of the scenes in the first half included a costume that mimicked the blue (above) and yellow (below) of the national flag of Ukraine. One of the backdrops had a prominent gold and blue look, as did the light pattern on the Christmas tree at the center of the stage. Perhaps the performance is so much a part of the Christmas season in Ukraine, that the Russian elements are not viewed as such. Or the way it is conducted in Ukraine may produce a locally inflected interpretation so that it has become domesticated to the Ukraine audiences and dancers, leaving little trace of the Russia connections.

When it comes to rehearsing, choreographing movements, creating the sets and fitting into the music, there are all kinds of social relationships and statuses being negotiated. The idea of "prima donna" (first woman/dancer) comes from the ballet world, where one dancer stands out from the rest. Audiences of newcomers or seasoned ballet watchers may focus on the main characters, but all the others on stage contribute to the whole, as well, even if overlooked in the passing minutes of the plot.

If the originator of the story and music and the stage adaptation from long ago could see the modern interpretation now, it would be interesting to ask about impressions of the way that ballet companies present the work now compared to before. But it would also be interesting to ask the creators long ago how the vision grew and changed between first imagining and finally drafting the version performed still today: how did it change along the way?

As for viewing the performance with the rest of the audience, an experienced ballet enthusiast will no doubt look for (and discover) things that a first-time watcher may not see or hear. And in the eyes of a former dancer seeing the new generation do the same story, it would be interesting to know how it looks.

In the end, the simplicity of dancers moving around the stage and the complexity of so many lives involved on stage and behind the scenes (now and in generations before and after the present moment) make for enjoyable viewing and reflecting on the storyline, but also on the production to make everything come together to delight audiences.

Temple visit of many layers - Eihei-ji monks, tourists, pilgrims, and townies

 

Rainy Saturday in December for visitors to temple grounds

On the 30-minute bus ride from JR Fukui train station (east gate) to the Zen temple town of Eihei-ji the many people of all ages and gender, including people speaking languages other than Japanese, spurred thoughts of the forthcoming sights and sounds of the temple town. After a few years living and working occasionally in this part of Japan during the decades since 1984, this bus ride would not be the first, nor hopefully last time to see the ancient cedars, imposing buildings, eager shopkeepers making a living, and glimpses of temple personnel resident or visiting.

An extreme case of interpretive lenses would be to use the "Rashomon effect" seen in Kurosawa's movie, itself an interpretation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, and tally up all the individual perspectives of the temple and its town on this day and also in a longer, longitudinal time frame. Countless experiences would fit into that kind of approach since each person's location within their own life shapes their field of view and the frame that they see the place and themselves within it. But taking a more modest layering of experiences, the following come to mind. One is surface impressions; what an observer might learn simply by watching and occasionally asking questions about the temple life and town activity, too. Another is an eye on the visitors - religious or sight-seeing or another other sort (experts of architecture, history, chanting, or traditional arts incorporated into temple lives and cycles of activity. Then below these observable patterns and practices there is a third layer; what the temple residents, staff, and leaders think about - how they use time and talent to carry out the things significant to them. Likewise for the several varieties of visitor, but also town residents; there is the layer of what this group of people understand of the place and the things they see or take part in. Finally, there is the layer involving the author of this blogpost: looking at the place from the time of arrival on the day's first bus at 10:18 to the departure on the 12:30 return, there is the layer for picking apart the previous four layers before making a statement or interpretation on top of all those others; an interpretation about the other interpretations all jostling side by side.

Clearly, there is no single interpretation of the Eihei-ji (永平寺) temple town. Whether it is a simple fact like the arrival of the 10:18 bus from Fukui station, or it is a whole day of Matsuri (annual festival), the several layers described here --and likely others by historian, journalist, novelist, religion researcher, and so on-- all figure into the total experience at hand, no matter if the reference is minutes, days, or decades. So while this short walk through the many points of view intersecting at Eihei-ji town and temple does not lead to a firm conclusion, illuminating cross-cultural comparison, or a crystal clear analysis of interplaying and evolving viewpoints, by identifying some of the moving parts in this picture, the complexity at least can be acknowledged.

40 years after first setting foot in Japan

champon ramen near JR Hita in Oita-ken

Summer of 1984 was the start of a year-long contract in the local school district's middle and high schools of Fukui-ken. Now in the fall of 2024 my Japan interests continue to grow and expand. Leaving aside the many changes in the world, and the ways that Japanese lives have changed in those generations since 1984, too, my own expertise in language and society has increased little by little; most rapidly and widely during the dedicated years of graduate school, ethnographic fieldwork, and writing, but also at a more gradual pace since then by meeting others working, living, and researching in Japan or about the place and lives there.

Pausing between bites of piping hot noodles on a rainy November afternoon, the passage of decades and the present moment of savoring freshly prepared champon ramen come momentarily into sharp focus. It is not as if those many hours of language study and initial model dialogues were leading up to a hot meal in this part of Kyushu. But then, again, in some ways the accumulated experiences, study, and observations do figure in to each successive moment in the days going forward. So, yes, in that sense, the 40 years did lead up to the first bite of ramen this afternoon!

The first semester college student in Japanese 101 with the Mizutani textbook of the 1980s open to see what topics and vocabulary appear is very different to the gray haired guy content in his choice of the noodles in rich chicken broth and smothered in a mishmash of vegetables and animal products. Back then the idea of traveling to a town for the first time, making all arrangements for transportation and lodging and budgeting enough cash might have been daunting. But now it all seems much less formidable. What once might have seemed strange at worst or exotic as best now feels pretty normal or even ordinary. Although far from native speaker fluency in oral skills and even weaker in literacy, generally being able to understand the speakers of Japanese and making myself understandable in return is not a big source of anxiety like it once would have been for a first semester college student. Let us hope for many more weeks and opportunities to explore parts of the islands new to me. May the learning ever continue.

Web of financial complexities in consumer lifetimes

 

Advice to customers of retirement accounts, 11/2024 brochure.

Many generations ago the average peasant or laborer used cash intermittently; it was not part of daily habits, necessarily. After the pace of commerce and interactions accelerated during the creation and growth of industrialization, though, more frequent and bigger exchanges began to happen. Now in 2024 a person has automatic payments (subscription or billing debits) happening in the background to their lives. At (self) checkout counters there are touchscreens asking what manner of financial currency the shopper will be using: digital payment from cellphone, cash, credit card, debit card, gift voucher, Bitcoin, and so on. Not only are daily transactions complicated and increasingly at risk for information crime (fraud, hacking, phishing), but the arc of a person's life is nothing longer as simple as "you come into the world with nothing and you leave the world with nothing" (you can't take accumulated wealth and debt with you after dying). Instead, it is not uncommon to have some net worth to distribute by written instructions, or if no legal arrangements are prearranged, then division of assets by governmental formula.

This screenshot is a simple overview to the kinds of financial decisions that many people should be aware of. There are lots of poor people for whom such things may seem irrelevant or alien to their experience. But for many others a failure to think through options, obligations, opportunities and other factors leads to losses, or at least foregoing of possible gains and costs to reduce or avoid altogether. In other words, the landscape of financial life in 2024 is altogether different to 1824 for many, many people; some more complicated than others. For the poorest, perhaps the difference from 1824 to 2024 is not as big, though. Looking in the opposite direction, not to pre-Industrial social experience of going from birth to the end of a long life but into the future, maybe the current range of complications will persist. But maybe there will be even more forms of payment and commodification of daily life needs. If that were to be true, than what today seems already too complicated, by comparison, will be viewed as "the good old days."

From nature's landscape to cultural landscape

 

Neighboring images for October 4, 2023 flickr.com/explore

When displayed adjacent to each other, these four images suggest a long arc in the changes between people and their environment. At top left is an image of artificial illumination under an ocean of stars (1-Million-Star Hotel). This could stand for human use of fire for light and heat and cooking and to modify bone, stone, ore and other materials. Next is the prominent soaring geological feature spotlighted by evening sun (Desert Drama). This is a large structure, but one not built by human hands. Compared to the first photo, this changes the scale of meaning from the campfire to something much larger to which stories can be attached and events can be referenced. Turning to the bottom right photo (St Cuthbert's), the sturdy place of worship is made of cut stone for wall and rooftiles. This is the work of architectural traditions inherited from the ancient Romans and the Greeks before them and requires not only knowledge but also logistical trains from quarry to cutter to builder, too. Lastly, there is the multi-colored, multi-storied grove of towers that hearkens to ancient trees reaching far above the ground (Singapore - Garden Rhapsody). 

Viewed from 'campfire' to 'grove of towers', there is a long sweep of change in human interaction and control of the natural environment. The scale and technical sophistication grows across the millennia and this serendipitous sequence of photos gives a hint at just how much things have changed, both in the minds of people but also with regard to the habitats affected by extraction, construction, and ongoing operation of such large artifacts with cultural meaning.

In the eyes of the people whose greatest achievement is the use and control of fire, the giant monument could be taken "as is" for a kind of human worship space; a building that involves no construction technology. In their eyes, the idea of shaped blocks of stone to form a church would be mind-boggling; even moreso the multi-colored, multistoried, glassy towers. Looking through the opposite end of the telescope, from the eyes of 2024 people, the stone church would be recognizable but little more than a rectangle where believers meet, teach and preach, and conduct life rituals. And the geological wonder would be something like a postcard; something recognized and briefly enjoyed for its visual novelty, but probably not a site of pilgrimage or object of veneration to most visitors and viewers. As for the idea of 'campfire' and canopy of stars, for many people today that is beautiful and desirable, but hardly comparable to large scale architectural feats of today.

In summary, by chance these four pictures appeared in the Flickr.com editors' daily selection of images to showcase. As it happens, each one seems to stand for a different stage in the development of human powers of construction of artifacts but also of ideas and attitudes to the surrounding space and time. In this one screenshot of the four scenes framed all together there is a hint of the great scale of change from 'campfire' to skyscraper. And while the size of each subject and processes differs greatly, in the end human habits of attaching meaning or significance is a common thread across the centuries: people see meaning not only in what they do in relationship to each other and the things they make, but also in the space and time they inhabit, thus turning a natural landscape into a cultural landscape closely tied to the language they speak and to the assumptions that go along with it.

Yard sign rhetorical style - USA Presidential race 2024 September

 

Trump (keep American great) at left; Harris (obviously) at right

Less than two months from the national election, a display of yard signs is spreading ever so slightly; perhaps one public display per 50 houses around the city of Grand Rapids in the first week of September. Although the photo collage shows only two varieties of the basic formula of name + patriotic colors and stars, there are variations on this theme, and it does provide a good illustration for several points. One, the Harris sign is near the sidewalk and road so passersby can get a good look. The Trump sign is guarded near the resident's house, far from the sidewalk and the attendant risk of being vandalized, dabbed in graffiti, or otherwise insulted. Both put stars on their message: 7 for Trump and 9 for Harris, in this case. The message designers for Harris give equal size to both people. Trump signs (not the one here) with running mate JD Vance put his billing under Trump at a smaller size. These graphic design decisions seem to suggest non-verbally that status differs: equal status for the Democratic ticket, deference to Trump as being paramount for the Republican ticket. The punch line under the candidate names follows a different logic or taste in each case, too: "keep American great" for Trump is a riff on the 2020 pitch of "make America great again" (MAGA abbreviation), which ironically seems to endorse the Joe Biden administration in choosing the word choice "keep" American great. In other words, "let's not change the White House leadership." On the other hand, the punchline on the Harris yard sign could be heard as sounding smug or dismissive: 'obviously' suggests that no serious alternative could possibly be considered. 

Elsewhere this same week there were yard sign variations, but still keeping the stars and the color scheme. "Take America Back" as a substitute punch line for the Trump sign. A letter-size (A4) Harris rebuttle gives its punch line, "Not Going Back." A normal size yard sign gives "Truth * Hope * Decency" for the Harris sign's punch line. In just about everything coming from Trump's mouth, imagination, or minions there is a strong irony - intended or baked in unknowingly: while one thing is declared about the opponent's shortcomings, very often the same words could be mirrored back onto Trump, too. When banned from using Twitter for a few years, Trump launched his own Twitter-like platform, curiously dubbed, Truth Social. By now the suspect nature of all social media and its murky flooding by bots and trolls intending harm makes the idea of "truth" and "social media" often incompatible. Appropriately, such murkiness seems quintessential of Trump's (public) life. So while the Harris yard sign declares "truth * hope * decency," the Trump campaign clings to their "Truth Social" messages, even now that Twitter's owner has dictated that Trump must be allowed to use the Twitter platform, again.

In summary, political campaign yard signs sprout in the months leading up to the primary election and a few months later, for the general election. The design elements, arrangement, and choice of words - their placement - their sequence and relationship to the rest of the elements all speak to people who glance at them while passing by. Even the placement of the signs seems to communicate a message, too. In total, only a fraction of the city residents does display signs for one or more office candidate. Whether the visual representation of candidates motivates or reminds passers by to vote or not is difficult to document or prove. But whether the signs affect the voting outcome or not, they are a normal part of the recurring election season and provide a small window into the thinking and assumptions and aspirations of candidates and the individuals and organizations supporters.

Pleasures of drinking fancy coffee outdoors among others

Downtown Grand Rapids on Labor Day weekend at 9:30 a.m.

The French have lot of words to describe city lives. Boulevardier is someone who spends time on the avenues looking at others' fashions and behaviors, as well as to be seen by others for one's own public self-expression. Flâneur is someone who takes pleasure in strolling and observing society as it is, as it used to be, and as it is changing into its future form. Wikipedia says both terms are near synonyms of each other. This Saturday morning photo includes school age children, single adults and couples young and middle-age, as well as an occasional retiree. Nominally, they all have a reason to travel to this city block where several tasty retail shops cluster: one for coffee, one for baked goods, and one for butcher's wares. A few yards away is a delicatessen, too. The sidewalk seating, complete with sun shades, invites people to enjoy the sunshine and the company of others they are meeting, have traveled with, or simply enjoy as effervescent background of anonymous fellow citizens.

The demographic profile of the customers who make the effort to attend, probably repeatedly, spend, and consume tasty food and drink is not something that connects all city residents. That is because the price is higher here than other sources of caffeinated hot beverage and sugary baked foods. The city-center location is not very car-friendly. But people on foot or (e)bicycle may view this inconvenience as a positive feature to limit cars and to make the shopping/eating trip into a destination experience instead of functional food gathering exercise. Finally, not all demographic segments consider mingling with fellow eaters to be a good use of time and attention, either due to the nature of using up these precious resources or because other demands rank higher in responsibility, urgency, or accessibility - even if the idea of lining up for barista coffee and freshly baked food were things everybody aspires to.

Leaving aside what might be attract the people in the picture to the products and the experience of lingering on the sidewalk, what might be some of the components that the customers feel when they select a tasty indulgence (out of the ordinary day's habits) and then proceed to dwell long enough to consume some or all their purchase; or they abide long enough to enjoy their time in company of friends or family they have met by plan or by accident there? The possibilities are many, but not endless: any of the following, in isolation or in combination, could enter into the person's decision to travel to the shops, consider the possible purchases before committing to one, and then also deciding to linger awhile in an open seat that might present itself on the sidewalk. One reason could be no reason: simply an impulse to seek out something tasty that the person remembers from an earlier experience. Or maybe the person has a socializing motivation: seeking a "third place" (neither at home, nor at work) to meet someone new or someone they already know. Or maybe there is the lure of hubbub from others for a solitary person to be around others, even if anonymously. The more intense form of this hubbub lure is for people watching, the desire to see what others say and do and how they look. A dissociative motive might be to gain satisfaction by telling oneself that pricey coffee and treats are signs that one belongs to the kind of people who do such things; a sort of amplified self-image to see one's own reflection in the experience there.

Whatever the primary reasons that motivate a person to shop and then to sit down to eat and drink, judging from this picture on a fine summer morning at the end of August, the practice is well established and seems to be in no danger of disappearing.

MUGGL3, SRV GOD, FURSHR (automobile vanity plates)

 Seeing personalized license plates can sometimes stir thoughts while decoding the meaning is finally solved. Many plates are simple affirmations; e.g. Bible verse (MATT3 14), college cheer ("go State" for Michigan State University's collegiate sports teams), or friendly exhortation ("smile"). Others are cryptic of personal incident or reference point, maybe a personal motto or philosophy. The license plate today in the coffee roaster's public parking lot, (MUGGL3), is a reference to the non-magical characters in the world of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Her spelling is "muggle," but often a desired vanity plate substitutes numbers for letters because another person previously laid claim to MUGGLE, for instance.

Spotted in grocery store parking lot, "serve [your lord] God"

Apparently, some combinations of numbers and letters are banned if profanity or another kind of provocation is likely to come from it. But that leaves many ways to arrange the letters and numbers (maximum 7 spaces to fill). And because some themed license plates (college colors and logo such as block 'S' in green for Michigan State University) allow a person to elide the vanity plate word or phrase together with that theme letter, the normal limit of 7 numbers or letters can 'borrow' that initial colored, theme letter. As an example, the resulting plate could read 'S't8is1 for "State is [number] 1 [ranked]." Also in this example is an illustration of 'borrowing' the sound of a letter or number to stand for a word such as "8" for "ate" (instead of the normal "eight"). Another common one is "for" read from the '4' and "to" read from the '2'.

The website for the State of Michigan's office of Secretary of State [for motor vehicles] gives the following advice on Personalized Plates.

Plate may be personalized with up to 6 or 7 characters, depending on plate type. All plate configurations are based on availability and are subject to review by the Michigan Department of State. The department has the authority to decline to issue a configuration, per state law.

• Only use letters A-Z and numbers 0-9 (symbols cannot be processed)
• Spaces are allowed and are counted as characters
• The letter ‘O’ is substituted by the number ‘0’

The details of the personalized plate policy include this paragraph:

 

The Secretary of State will not issue a configuration of either letters, numbers or letters and numbers that carries a connotation that is profane, obscene; a swear word of depicts a swear word; sexually explicit or graphic; excretory-related; used to describe intimate body parts or genitals; used to describe alcohol, alcohol use, drugs, drug culture or drug use; used to describe illegal activities or illegal substances; use to substantially interfere with plate identification for law enforcement purposes; used to disparage or promote or condone hate or violence directed at any type of business, group or persons, a foreign word falling into these categorie, or that conflicts with the regular license plate numbering system.

Phonetic spelling of "for sure!" exclamation.

The obvious words or phrases or chapter-verse citations (Bible), as well as the cryptic combinations of number and letter have given meaning to the authors of them, as well as to their fellow motorists who may notice them while parked, or when stalled in heavy traffic. It is likely that the premium added cost that the state's Department of Motor Vehicles (Secretary of State in the case of Michigan) collects for themed plates and also for vanity plates will continue long into the future as a painless way to increase the state's revenues from creative drivers. Perhaps someone will gain access to their database of current and historical combinations or numbers and letters to produce a more thorough typology of playful plates than the impressions and anecdotes gathered in this article. And if something comparative were possible between states and nations, then even more light would be shone on the relationship of people, their vehicles, and the times they live in.

[Addendum 29 Aug 2024] See also: Detroit Free Press newspaper story, "Michigan has banned more than 26,000 vehicle license plates,"

 https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2024/08/13/michigan-banned-license-plates/74461282007/

*appended with the 606 pages of banned combinations of letters and numbers [26,000+ to date]

Drone lens to see above the treetops

 

About 80-100 feet above ground level in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan on July 31, 2024

After a lifetime of composing pictures and viewing pictures from eye-level and using a viewfinder or digital screen, the experience of flying a sub-250-gram camera drone (not subject to FAA licensing; most places restricted to 400 feet or lower, according to published maps for drones) takes some getting used to. It takes time to gain reliable competence to launch and recover the pocket-sized quadcopter. And it takes time to know how to set the lens angle and the frame before capturing a photo or recording video clips. Although this model (Holystone hs175d) allows software and smartphone screen to show the camera's point of view, by flying blind with just the handheld controller and estimating the heading of the lens, there is less technology to coordinate and to slow down the set up, launch, and return to land. In addition, by not seeing what the lens sees, there is an echo of the roll-film era of photography, when it took a few days (or "1-hour photo processing" while you wait) before the resulting image could be seen.

Learning curve on this hobby drone camera

Being very light-weight with small battery, usable for 15 or so minutes per battery, and with modest lens and small digital sensor to capture the images, best results come from several tips discovered by practicing. (1) Abundant light falling from side or behind the lens puts the scene in best view to record detail and mostly accurate colors. (2) Preflight visualizing the launch site and center of the photo to compose before releasing the shutter gives more deliberate photographic results, and it reduces in-air dithering as the battery runs down. (3) Before launching (checklist): unfold controller grips and antenna, power it on. Unfold drone struts and power the drone on. According to the manufacturer steps: pair the controller to the drone, activate the compass (involves a long-press button, then rotating on two different axes), then wait for lights to change from red to lime-green (signal that GPS signal is found). During this minute or two, decide the lens position (0 to 90 degrees relative to the horizon). Since the full travel from pointing straight ahead to straight down is about 45 presses of the controller button, a landscape is best about 5 or 6 clicks under the horizon (straight ahead) position. For subjects very much in the foreground, maybe 14 to 16 clicks will frame everything best. Then reset the gyro and finally unlock the motors so they can spin and so that the auto-launch button can put the drone at a 6-foot hover position. (4) Tripod in the sky is one way to imagine the drone camera: launch and then, like an elevator, go straight up (rather than traveling laterally to hard to reach spot, say) to take pictures at different altitudes (beginner mode caps the ceiling at 100 feet/30 meters, a distance from the pilot that still allows the drone's lens/heading to be seen). Rotating the drone 2-clicks of the joystick will move the center point of the photo frame about 20 or 25 degrees, thus allowing a sequence of shots that overlap. (5) Limitations are good to know, too: wind that is able to move the treetops is too much to fly in. Rain also is ill advised. Extreme heat or cold diminishes the battery power, too. Even with minimal wind, lots of light, and moderate air temperature, though, being too hasty to pivot the lens and then shoot the picture can give tipped horizons, since it takes a second or two to regain level composure. In other words, whether recording moving or still images, it is important to turn the drone and then wait a few moments before pressing the record button on the controller. (6) Landing (checklist): Normally, the GPS launch point is faithfully homed in on, but sometimes unexpected puffs of wind, or a particularly hazard-filled site calls for extra care to ground or to catch the drone - being ready to make micro-adjustments before finally pressing the Auto-land button and then after reaching the ground and props no longer spinning, turning off controller and turning off drone, folding the four struts of the propellers and then returning to the storage/carrying bag.

Seen all together: the drone photographer arrives at preferred launch site, free of overhanging branches and wires, and so on. The person unpacks controller and drone to prepare for (auto) launch. Once in the air, the pilot quickly presses the altitude stick to elevate straight upward. Once at the chosen height and pointing the lens at the center of the composition, the photographer waits for two seconds so the drone settles relative to the horizon, rather than tipping to one side or the other. Snap a photo, then 2-clicks of the joystick to rotate away from the first center point. Wait 2-counts to settle and then snap the next photo. After enough shots are recorded, then the drone comes down the way it rose: straight down the invisible elevator shaft. At eye-level, press the auto-landing button to make a soft landing and turn off controller and drone. Elapsed time to unpack, launch, ascend, snap a series of shots and/or video clips, descend and reach the land could be 8 to 10 minutes all together.

looking north near the Grand River, Ah-Nab-Awen Park & the Ford Presidential Museum

Reasons to record the land and people from above the treetops

Before the invention, proliferation, and interest in pictures and video from the air, it was only airplanes and helicopters (and hot-air balloons) that made this birdseye perspective possible, limited to those with a big budget or good connections with pilots and photographers. But in 2024 there are now many tiers in quality of drone camera available new or used, suited to a variety of purposes and abilities. Some are made to be fool-proof with pre-programmed menus of pictures to take. Others allow the pilot to make most control decisions, just automating the orientation to horizon (remaining level) and the launch/landing phases of flight. The camera itself often is similar to a "point and shoot," leaving the composition frame and altitude to the flyer, but the exposure and shutter and ISO (sensor responsiveness to light values) are auto-determined. In this article the camera is on a hobby drone of around $200 new and weighing less than the FAA license limit of 250 grams. For the purpose of learning to fly and to visualize things to photograph from the birds' point of view, this UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) is entirely satisfactory. For profession filmmakers, though, it falls short in many ways.

Unlike the visual frame at ground level, being now up in the air the context suddenly is many times wider and deeper. So the pictures taken at 30 or 60 or 100 feet put the horizon farther away than the ground-level or rooftop window height. For face-to-face subjects or macro details, there is no benefit from a drone camera. But for big cultural terrain, large patterns and relationships, and "establishing shot" introductions to a place, the viewpoint above ground level is superior. Even large indoor spaces can sometimes benefit from a lens that is 20 or 40 feet above the activity, below.

Besides the content recorded from the air, another benefit is the comparative one: the viewer may already have on-the-ground experience of a place or a subject matter, but by layering this new perspective onto that first-hand, up-close knowledge, the person now gains a point of comparison, thus making the earlier vision become a comparative one: knowing it in stereo instead of in mono.

Some aspects of a subject or a place may simply be invisible or too big to appreciate in the eye-level scale of encounter. Only by having the (aerial) distance can the scale of a thing be understood. For example, some things can best be grasped from the air, such as a massive factory complex, port facility, campus, or site of natural (or human-caused) disaster.

Finally, there is freshness and novelty that comes from seeing something from an unaccustomed standpoint. Even if it is something as well-known as one's home or workplace, that deep familiarity can make the thing uninteresting, ordinary, and rarely perceived objectively. But by seeing it from the air, now it becomes unfamiliar and some of the contours and connections to adjacent things come to life.

In conclusion, whether it is a hobbyist keen on flying or one keen on photography (or both) or it is someone with professional interest in drone photography (city engineer, military corps, land surveyor, social scientist, historian, novelist or journalist), the practicality of having an "eye in the sky" now makes uses for drone photography relevant in day-to-day operations and routines. It can answer old questions and lead to new questions. It can be the instrumental knowledge for decisions today, but also be of value when future generations look back to explore our moment by using UAV archives like these. So, more and more drone photography should be encouraged and supported for immediate benefit and for future uses, too. 

CAVEAT: like anything else human-created, this visual tool can be used not just for good, but can also be abused for bad purposes. So, infrastructure that a terrorist or far-away government may want to scrutinize with a view to harm should have special protections so that imagery is not online readily findable.