07.16.08
Posted in Photos at 10:33 pm by photodan
I’ve been shooting some general Toledo beauty shots for new materials at work. I’d almost forgotten how beautiful this city can be.
The University Hall clock tower at night (©2008 Daniel Miller/University of Toledo)
The new Glass City Skyway bridge at night (©2008 Daniel Miller/University of Toledo)
Two fishermen are perched on the East bank of the Maumee river in a classic Toledo scene with the Willis Boyer museum ship and the Anthony Wayne Bridge in the background. (©2008 Daniel Miller/University of Toledo)
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04.06.08
Posted in Words at 11:10 am by photodan
Disclaimer: I’m sitting here writing this with the dull ache that comes from the bar running out of Jameson and having to substitute Jack Daniels mid-stream, while finishing off the drunk special (ham-n-cheese omlette and homefries) from the greasiest of the greasy, Central Hot Dog. (aka Greasy George’s) I’m clearly under the influence of unclean things.
Some people say the music scene in Toledo sucks but damn was there a great show at Frankie’s Inner City last night. The only band on the lineup that I knew of was The Matt Truman Ego Trip, a really solid local band that’s always fun to see, so I knew the night wouldn’t be a waste. Their up front tongue-in-cheek narcissism is always good for a laugh and they rock, so yeah; game on. I figured the other bands would just be gravy, lumpy, out of town mystery gravy. Wow, was I wrong.
The other two bands were The Hard Lessons, from just up I-75 in Detroit (Go Wings!) and Bryan Scary & the Shedding Tears, from Brooklyn, NY. I have no idea who was considered to be headlining because Bryan Scary came on first but was BY FAR the most entertaining of the bunch, and that shouldn’t be interpreted as a slam on the other bands. I’ll get to them in a minute.
The Hard Lessons is a hard rocking pseudo power trio, with keyboard bass instead of an actual bass player. The first thing I noticed about the band was the vocals coming from singer, Ko Ko Louise. She has a soulful and sultry sound that’s an almost dead-on match for Toledo’s own Michelle McGrath, formerly of The Rivermen and The Capital Sun Rays. I’m not convinced that her vocals mesh well with their music though. Her voice is almost too good for rock and roll. Add in the raw-style guitar and vocals from Dave Grohl lookalike Augie, and you have a band that I won’t hesitate to go see again and again.
I’ve saved the best and strangest act for last; Bryan Scary & the Shedding Tears. I’ve been trying to come up with an accurate description and the only way that works is a comparison with other bands and performers. They can best be described as unequal parts of ELO, the White Stripes, Ringo Starr, Alice Cooper, Tiny Tim and Carrot Top. (I have to qualify that last one. I’ve never seen a lead singer with so many props.) They present a sort of pop symphonic revival movement that is endlessly entertaining. I had to research the exact genre of their sound but at the time I thought, I don’t know what they’re trying to be but whatever it is, they nailed it. They eagerly launch into long musical storytelling that even included props like model airplanes, lab coats and the odd space helmet on Bryan Scary, the lead singer. The band’s music was articulate and complex enough that it must have been written in sheet form first. There’s simply no way songs like theirs were thrown together with a couple repetitive chords and a catchy chorus.
Scary’s on stage performance was riveting. From his huge swaths of blue eyeliner to the donning of a 60s style space helmet, I just couldn’t wait to see what he’d do next. He was just as likely to frantically run in place with his back to the audience as single out one of the Elvis impersonators in the audience. (Yes, you read that right, no I don’t understand it either.)
If you’re bored with the normal rock bands or whiny emo groups, I can’t possibly recommend this group more strongly. GO SEE THIS BAND.
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02.09.08
Posted in Words at 1:33 pm by photodan
My family went out to get (adopt?) a cat from Planned Pethood for my mom. Dad’s been gone for a while and it’s a good time to have pet around again. We all think it’ll be good for her.
So we get there and find the little brown tiger kitten that mom has already fallen in love with. Almost immediately, a nervous-looking spinster (representative) from PP swooped [Yes, she swooped.] on us and cautiously allowed us hold the kitten and had my mom fill out an adoption form. [Ok, I love cats but they’re pets, not children. Using the word “adoption” is just the beginning of the crazy.]
While we were holding the cat, she was pretending to make smalltalk, telling us how her sad lonely life also involved being a social worker, [this should have been the first danger sign] and asking about our previous pets. We made the mistake of mentioning a previous ornery cat who always made a break for the door. [Seeing her face when we said this, you’d have thought we just revealed complicity in Mike Vick’s dogfighting ring]
So after my mother chose and became attached to this cute little kitten, the crazy-ass cat lady says “no, you can’t have her!” She was so worried about the cat escaping the house in the future, she’d rather keep it in a cage. She did show her kind heart though. As my mom was walking away in tears, she did offer to let the cat MAKE A VISIT to our home to see if we could prove ourselves worthy. [of owning a damn cat!]
What a frickin’ nutball. Screw Planned Pethood, go to your local animal shelter where they know the difference between pets and their own children.
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01.16.08
Posted in Photos at 11:31 pm by photodan
Today I had the opportunity to shoot a photo I’d been thinking about for some time. The university really didn’t possess good photos showing its planetarium so my student worker Alicia and I took care of that.
Alex Mak controls the program in Ritter Planetarium on the campus of the University of Toledo. (©2008 Daniel Miller/University of Toledo)
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01.15.08
Posted in Words at 8:13 pm by photodan
News sources that are Web based have been fighting for legitimacy and against being pigeon-holed into categories such as “bloggers” since they first came into being.
I’ve always been of the opinion that it’s not the medium that determines the value of the news source but the talent and professionalism of the writers that create the content. Unfortunately, the rest of the world has been slow to come to this realization. The results range from companies refusing to grant credentials for trade shows and send press releases to Web journalists, starving them of the information they need to cover stories.
There are indications that things are chaging though. This year, in recognition of their power to shape public opinion, one of the largest electronics trade shows (CES) issued special credentials for bloggers. Whether or not this entitled them to equal treatment with journalists, I can’t say but the conduct of one Web news source (that was actually media credentialed) has the possibility to erase this small bit of progress.
Because I’m pretty much a tech nerd, I pay some attention to the electronics industry by reading Web sites like gizmodo.com. In the course of reading its coverage of this year’s CES show, I ran across a piece titled, Confessions: The Meanest Thing Gizmodo Did at CES. It was a video showing the journalist using a device to remotely turn display screens off. It doesn’t sound so bad until you realize that the screens were in use by companies who paid to have a display at the show and most egregiously during a Motorola press conference.
Since the banning of the journalist from future CES events and the justified admonishments from other media sources, the Web site responded by calling the journalists “protectors of corporations” and claiming that “this industry, defined by pranksters” has become too serious.
It should be obvious from that last comment where the trouble lies. Apparently Gizmodo has confused journalism and the marketing departments in the electronics industry. The people at the Web site don’t realize that real journalists have a responsibility to act ethically and professionally. Professionals don’t intentionally disrupt their sources for childish giggles. (As a sad side note, the prank wasn’t even funny, it was just mean.)
Gizmodo claims that “Our prank pays homage to the notion of independence and independent reporting.” What utter garbage. This cowardly attempt at justification can’t excuse the abuse of the trust given to them with the credential.
In its refusal to issue any form of apology, Gizmodo seems to be daring CES to ban the entire site from receiving the privilege of being issued credentials. Since the Web site doesn’t see the need for its representatives to act professionally, either before or after the fact, I hope that’s exactly what happens.
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01.07.08
Posted in Photos at 9:13 pm by photodan
Toledo earned an ugly win over Ball State at Savage Hall Sunday afternoon. Here are a couple shots.
Toledo Forward Mohammed Lo blocks a shot against Ball State. (©2008 Daniel Miller/University of Toledo)
A group of young fans enjoy the view from courtside. (©2008 Daniel Miller/University of Toledo)
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11.18.07
Posted in Photos at 12:36 pm by photodan
I’ve been selectively working on getting shots of wide receivers this season because it’s an area that I feel I’m pretty weak with my sports shooting.
Toledo Rockets wide receiver Stephen Williams reaches out for a pass late in the 2nd quarter during the game against Eastern Michigan. WIlliams caught the pass for a touchdown. (©2007 Daniel Miller/University of Toledo)
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