Tyroga – A Human Equivalent

Scott Bourne, of Bourne Media and Photofocus, provided a “Free iPhone/iPod Wallpaper” in the form of an image of a bear. In his post he included text:

I am conducting an experiment – I am hoping that by sharing some of my images for use on iPhone/iPod Touches – folks will respect my Copyrights. Either way – enjoy. It’s my thank you for being a part of the community at Photofocus.

I thought awesome, the photo looks great and should go nicely on an iPhone/iPod except perhaps the positioning of the bear’s head. After all the only time you see the wallpaper is when the phone is in standby mode and has big dark bars at the top and bottom of the screen, making the only effectively useful area the bit in the middle.

So I downloaded the photo, put it on my iPhone and sure enough I can’t see the bears head.

I replied to Scott with the following text (a direct cut and paste from my Gmail)

Hi Scott,

First of all, thanks for sharing your photo, it’s a great one. But with one exception. It’s not fit for the purpose you have provided.

I love that you’re sharing your work like this, I’ve heard many times your aversion to sharing in this manner and I also note your “as is” condition with regard to this piece.

However, I think you’ll see more popularity if you’d taken usage into account.

As you can see from the screenshot attached the poor critter’s head is hidden behind the time and date bar.

Would be great, and more useful, if we could see the bear’s face when in this wallpaper view.

Just a suggestion.

Thanks again for sharing. As I have no intention of using it in it’s current for I’ve deleted the downloaded version, and this version that was created purely as an example directly to you the content owner.

Regards
James Troi
Long time listener, sometimes disagree-er ;)

As you can see from my email, I was cordial, thankful and only offered the suggestion that Scott Bourne may wish to consider usage before providing an item like this. Bear in mind (no pun intended) that Scott Bourne also runs the site Photo Focus, on which, Scott Bourne offers critiques of user submitted photos. He is also often heard to say something like “If you put your stuff out there you don’t just want to hear from the ‘love you’ people, the better comments come from those who offer real critique”, yes I’m paraphrasing.

The response I received isn’t really what I expected, but then knowing Scott Bourne after many hours of listening to him on MacBreak Weekly and This Week in Photography, I probably should have expected this exact, seemingly cut and paste response.

Yeah like I expected – this attempt to give something for free met  with complaints so I’ve learned my lesson – sorry I tried to give you a gift that you don’t like.
—
Scott Bourne
Bourne Media Group
P.O. Box 1114
Gig Harbor, WA 98335
p: 253-851-6800
f: 253-449-0527
www.scottbourne.com

It almost seems that Scott Bourne’s “experiment” was to see how many people would reply to say, “hey you cut the head of your bear off” and it would seem he probably already had the response ready.

My final response to Scott Bourne was as follows:

Gee Scott, C’mon I said I liked it… that I liked both the image AND the fact that you’re sharing it.

All I suggested is that in future you check the usage of the photo.
Consider this is feedback and not a complaint, there is a difference.

I also suggest that the feedback given (consider the usage) is the exact feedback you may have provided should someone offer you the  photo for critique advising it was going to be used on an iPhone/iPod Touch as a wallpaper.

It also appears that you’ve just sent back a form reply, probably cut and paste.

I really don’t understand your attitude sometimes.

But thanks again for sharing.

Regards
James Troi

Again I thank Scott Bourne for sharing his work, it’s not something he does very often, I understand that he makes his money from his photography and he does a great job of photography. I really am a regular listener and I really do disagree with what he says a lot of the time.

Scott Bourne really does have a holier than thou attitude at times. And sometimes, like now, he cries foul and cries “poor me” like a small child, just because someone said he might want to consider something when sharing a photo.

I couldn’t include the photo here, as provided by Scott Bourne, cause he has a lot of money and I don’t want to get sued, even though I believe it would be fair use to present a smaller version of the photo for purposes of review. But anyway, you can go over the Photofocus post “Free iPhone/iPod Wallpaper” and see for yourself.

It’s not my fault!, originally uploaded by powerpig.

Ohhh Man, This photographer is AWESOME. I love his stuff. Especially all the Lego and Star Wars themed photos.

Chris McVeigh has a unique way of looking at the world. I’m just immensely glad he chooses to share it with us all. I’m also greatful to his local chipmunk who participates at times.

Head over to his Flickr Photostream to see more of his great work, Chris also at times links to a photo set-up shot to show how some of his more ingenious photo shoots are executed.

Chris also has a blog and can be followed on Twitter.

Today we got a call that didn’t bring the good news we were hoping for. Someone found Adam and he had died. To say that we were shattered would be an understatement. We were returning from an afternoon in Ballarat and had only just left Troy’s house when the call came through.

It was a horrible drive home as I tried to call security at our estate to ensure no one would disturb Adam until we could get there and recover him. Damn patchy mobile phone reception sure did make it hard and I had to keep calling back.

To the people who went WAY out of their way to call us I love to say a huge thanks. They had seen a poster we had put up, but at the time hadn’t taken a slip with our number on it, when they found Adam they sought out our number so we would be sure to know. And to be honest, it is better to know than to be left wondering.

We loved Adam so much, he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but he sure was loving and had a gorgeous little soul.

He was with us for eight years, since the day David and his sister drove all the way to a little place of Belmont on the central coast of NSW to bring him home to be a friend for Eve.

And what a friend he was. He fathered a litter of pups and has always been attentive to Eve. Grooming her and laying with her when they slept on their bed. There so many times where we were left with our mouths agape and cooing “awwwww” when we’d see them together. They were a real little husband and wife.

The funny thing is the way that we had Eve for a year with no other pets in the house… she kind of got to thinking she was a human. So when we bought Adam, David decided that Eve was his dog and that Adam was Eve’s dog, and that’s kind of how it always was.

Adam also had this way of running around in circles when he was excited, or when he wanted to go outside. He was hilarious, even after seven years we’d be left chuckling at his antics.

So today we bid Adam farewell and hope it’s true as our friend Roy said “I hear doggy heaven is awesome: unlimited bones and old shoes to tear into”.

He leaves us with a lot of great memories and both David and I are proud that we got to have him in our lives.

Just playing with my 5D MKII’s video, I know I haven’t got it down yet, but then I’m not really trying to be a videographer either.

It would have been nicer if the wheel in the background was turning, but the sucker only lasted about two months before it broke down. A white elephant for sure. Still going to be about 12 months before it is going again.

Sad times in the Troi McIntyre household. Yesterday our doggins dug through our fence in to the neighbours’ yard and from there dug a hole under the neighours’ gate and apparently spent several fun-filled hours outside before we got home from a day in the city.

When we got home we tried to call them inside but they didn’t come, we then found out the back yard was empty (except for Pounder the rabbit) and found the doggin’s get away tunnel.

Then we heard a little noise at the front door and thought the little buggers were out there, well it turns out one of them was. Eve. Adam was nowhere to be seen.

So David printed up some lost dog posters and we drove around looking for Adam and put some posters up. I then went for a ride down the back paths while David continued to drive around looking.

We asked everyone we saw and it seems like Adam has disappeared off the face of the Earth with no one having seen him.

David contacted everyone from Sanctuary Lakes Security, RSPCA, Vets and lots of other people, all to no avail.

So today we left work early and had another look around, an hour or so of riding and lots more calls but still no Adam. David even got the Santuary Lakes people to send a special email to the mailing list which some of the people we asked had seen. Thank goodness for the people who read those things.

Also some of the posters we put have had some of the tabs pulled off, probably by people who wanted to keep the number just in case they see Adam. Nothing yet though. Time to go out and have another look.

Patchwork Cow, originally uploaded by tyroga.

Quick shots this morning before work, well on the way to Woolworths before starting work.

Well to me no it’s not, well at least it shouldn’t be, it should just be exactly the same as what heterosexual couples enjoy.

With all respect to my brother, who I love very much, on January 15, 2008 he will be married for the second time. For this I congratulate him and my soon to be sister-in-law and I wish them every happiness for their future.

But it pisses me off sometimes that he’s allowed to get married again. I mean if everything they say is true and marriage is a religious institution they why was he allowed to get divorced? And why is he allowed to get married a second time? And given that my brother doesn’t practice any religion was he even allowed to get married the first time.

Oh that’s right, cause marriage IS NOT an institution of the church. And because we have Federal Laws that cover marriage in Australia “The Marriage Act 1961” and state-based laws such as the “Marriage Act 1958 (Vic)“.

It is not an institution of the church, as the god followers constantly claim. They know this and spend a lot of time and money petitioning the Government to alter the acts to ensure they can exclude same-sex marriage in the laws. And for some reason the Government listens to them.

Further to this, if marriage is an institution of the church and is to be protected, I have to ask, which church? Should Jewish people be allowed to marry if we are a Christian society? Should Muslims? Buddhists? Russian or Greek Orthodox?

I mean c’mon what does it really mean to anyone if David and I, who have been living together as husband and husband for the past 12 years, decide to get married?

And to all those stupid people who claim they want to marry their dog (because they think it’s the same thing) I say go right ahead, the day your dog can say “I Do” in a known human language.

There is no conceivable reason why Australian same-sex couples shouldn’t be allowed to marry. We deserve the same rights as any heterosexual couple.

I won’t register my relationship on a commitment register, I want to be equal and nothing more. I am not a second-class citizen and I refuse to be treated like one.

Elliot and Amelie had their first birthday on the 21st of May and we were lucky enough to be invited to the celebrations last weekend. In attendance were the regular family folk and also the “Other Twin Mum” Deb and her husband with their twins who have also recently turned one. Babies are always cool and are even more cool when there is an abundance of them. There are more photos to come, just been so busy of late…

I don’t mean to sound nasty, heartless or rude, but so what. Indian students are being targeted in violent acts of racism and that’s bad, I don’t think it’s not. It really, really is bad but then people get bashed every day in this city alone, a lot more get harrassed, shoved and treated poorly because of a range of things and for no reason at all.

The unfortunate fact of the human condition is there will always be morons, stupid people who know at times they have the upper hand and feel that the best way for them to show it is to go on the attack. It might be because they are bigger, because the other person being attacked is showing fear or it could be because the attackers are in a group and feeling mighty.

But there need not be special consideration for a certain group. As a gay man I’ve had people try to intimidate me, to act out against me and to actually try out violence against me. I’m lucky in that I am not a small person, though I used to me much thinner and frail looking I never have been. Growing up with two other brothers taught me how to take care of myself and I’m still not one to take crap from anyone.

Having said that I’ve not had a lot of altercations and most of them have been from me stepping in when someone else is getting hassled. But even when that has happened my devens has always been more about brovado than actual fighting ability. The people who attack really are like dogs, they can smell your fear and usually can’t be buggered if it looks like you’re going to present a problem for them.

I dunno I guess of late I’m not good at writing what I’m thinking but it’s just that sometimes people have to understand that we don’t live in perfect societies and there are dickheads out there and sometimes you have to be responsible for yourself. Don’t travel alone after dark. Don’t present an easy target. And don’t call a whole nation racist because some idiot is out and about.

Further I think we do have a pretty fair society on the street level here in Australia. Having people treat you different for all manner of characteristics is not new and not limited to our country, so lay off our country.

Joe Rivera in your face, originally uploaded by daronshade.

Love the way this shot is done and the post work that has been done on it. Looks very cool.

Daronshade has a whole lot of photos in his photostream to take a look at, this is just one example of his amazing work.