CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-06-18 20:34:43 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

A view or Paris from Eiffel Tower... a birthday gift trip from Jen...

2013-06-18 02:10:03 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

Touch of Yogurt
I found this in a shop in Phoenix, and I can hardly take credit for how cool it is, but it is worth sharing. For +Artistic Google, the original GSV I digitally enhanced (a bit) is at http://goo.gl/maps/aAXIG.

#artisticgoogle #googlestreetview #fourcorners +Jan McCartney +Chee Yow +Patrick Sheeran +Rob Robinson +Jamal Masood 

2013-06-16 21:54:10 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

Falling Apart
Mostly, I am just playing with the technique from my latest tutorial, but I imagined this woman in Salt Lake City reading a text message that had her falling apart and decided to make her do so more literally. The original is at http://goo.gl/maps/gRSq6

#artisticgoogle #googlestreetview #fourcorners +Jan McCartney +Rob Robinson +Chee Yow +Jamal Masood +Patrick Sheeran

2013-06-14 21:34:32 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Distant Solitude
In New Mexico, I came upon an interdimensional warp on Redondo Drive. The original GSV is at http://goo.gl/maps/nKO0C, and this is digitally altered. (Seriously, it is a weird place.)

#artisticgoogle #googlestreetview #fourcorners +Jan McCartney +Patrick Sheeran +Chee Yow +Jamal Masood +Rob Robinson 

2013-06-14 14:28:37 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

This is how you lead. (Edited: Includes transcript!)

In a day when the US armed forces are under fire from all quarters for not responsibly dealing with soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines raping one another -- frequently, and with such impunity that the Senate is looking at a bill which would, essentially, strip responsibility for handling this from the chain of command -- it's stunning to see what real leadership can sound like. 

Australia's military is facing something that's by comparison much smaller -- but Lt. Gen. Morrison, the Chief of the Army, has made his position on it absolutely clear. This is leadership. 

If the US' senior chain of command were this explicit and direct, we would not be in the situation we are in now. Because things would never have been allowed to fall this far out of control.

Watch this video --i... more »

2013-06-13 16:18:17 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

My youngest son graduates from High School today

Much hoopla and excitement. I'm very proud of him, though a little sad about seeing him and his friends as they prepare to disperse to their various colleges. It will be quiet around here (especially as our house tends to be the gathering spot). Anyway, today is a day for cheers not tears.

2013-06-13 15:45:39 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

My Youtube video is at 300+ views
I can't understand why that bothers people. It's like Christmas waiting to find out what the true number of views is. I might have to make popcorn.

2013-06-13 02:21:44 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Fatal Attraction (Icarus edition)
+Artistic Google is visiting the Four Corner states. This is in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Original GSV is at http://goo.gl/maps/QF7v9, digitally modified with Gimp and G'MIC.

#artisticgoogle #googlestreetview #fourcorners +Jamal Masood +Jan McCartney +Patrick Sheeran +Chee Yow +Rob Robinson 

2013-06-12 17:39:46 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Splattered/Shattered text with Gimp 2.8
A new mini-lesson on creating the images of a person partially disintegrated, as those are popular these days. This uses +GIMP, and is quite simple once you get the idea.  Remember to Like it (if you do), and feel free to comment here or on Youtube.
#gimptutorial  

2013-06-12 11:48:44 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

aktuell kann es ja nicht genug microsoft bashing geben :D
#fun #nerdhumor  

2013-06-12 00:27:55 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

I reworked all of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition covers up to the turn of the century.  Imagemagick for the mean blending, and +GIMP for the levels modification to normalize it.

2013-06-11 18:57:17 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

The Bike Lane
In Denver for +Artistic Google's Four Corners visit, I noticed how this bike lane seems to separate the traffic from another world. Hey, if it worked for a wardrobe... The original GSV is at http://goo.gl/maps/PqIwc.

#artisticgoogle #googlestreetview #FourCorners +Jan McCartney +Rob Robinson +Jamal Masood +Chee Yow +Patrick Sheeran 

2013-06-11 14:49:47 (0 comments, 51 reshares, 2 +1s)

Splattered/Shattered text with Gimp 2.8
A new mini-lesson on creating the images of a person partially disintegrated, as those are popular these days. This uses +GIMP, and is quite simple once you get the idea.  Remember to Like it (if you do), and feel free to comment here or on Youtube.
#gimptutorial  

2013-06-10 19:46:15 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

The Double-Edged Sword
Members of both major political U.S. parties should, but likely won't, see the revelations about PRISM as a major warning sign of the double-edged danger in our rampant partisanship. The serious issue is not really about which party did what, but about the fact that supporters of one party (either one) are apt to give way too much benefit of the doubt to their own party, and way too little to the other.

The danger is exemplified in this case, where supporters of Bush were willing to support a major increase in government power with first the Patriot Act and then later the Protect America Act. Those people would never have supported the same acts if they had been proposed by Clinton or Obama, but likewise were far too willing because they were proposed by Bush.

The other side of the sword is now coming out, because with Obama in charge (and hence... more »

2013-06-10 14:21:19 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

When I was young, I read all the Hardy Boys books... and all the Nancy Drew books

I am not at all sure I would do the same if I were a boy today. Obviously, there were plenty of social rules for boys in the 1960s/70s, but the gender differentiation has gotten more extreme over the years.

2013-06-10 14:11:46 (3 comments, 3 reshares, 13 +1s)

“Main Street” by Gilles Tran

2013-06-10 13:29:00 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Make your words speak for you

Splashy Text in 60 Seconds with Gimp 2.8 (Blend tool)
#gimptutorial  

2013-06-10 12:49:50 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

::: Fashion Photography
CHEN MAN

Chen Man was born in 1980 in Beijing, China, where she studied graphic design at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
Bold and experimental, Chen Man captures colour and sensuality like no-one else in the industry and she is one of China’s most celebrated fashion photographers.

Read More at: http://bonexpose.com/featured/chen-man/

2013-06-10 12:40:50 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Young Adult Authors

Follow some great young adult authors to see what they are talking about, or because you are a young adult author who wants to share posts and thoughts with your peers. If you know of a YA author who is active (defined simply as posted publicly in last 6 weeks), please let me know. Also, feel free to share this with those who might be interested. Anyone at any stage of the writing journey is welcome.

I will share this periodically, so if you would like to be included, please let me (+Ben Langhinrichs) know. If you were included but don't feel like YA Author describes you, let me know and I'll remove you. This one time, I have notified those in the circle to be sure they want to be included.

2013-06-08 15:51:45 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

108,000 Private Contractors Are in Afghanistan and We Have No Idea What They're Doing

Two recently released reports, one by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) and one by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), show that not only is the number of private contractors in Afghanistan increasing, but the Pentagon is also unable to tell what they are even doing there.

Citing the reports, David Francis of the Fiscal Times points out that there are now 108,000 private contractors in Afghanistan (over 30,000 of whom are Americans), far more than the 65,700 U.S. troops still there,and the number was counted at 110,404 last month. That amounts to 1.6 contractors, roughly 18,000 of which are private security contractors, for every American soldier.

Although the U.S. presence in Afghanistan is ostensibly winding down towards an eventual... more »