Thinking of Brian Baer

Thinking of Brian Baer
Brian Baer, the best photographer I know, was just laid off from the Sacramento Bee today. This photo has been sticking in my head for awhile. When I heard of this amazingly talented photojournalist loosing his job as the Bee's political photographer, I thought of this image.

Brian is not a good photojournalist, he is a great one. He has got an eye for an image that literally changed my life and how I saw my own work. Even when he was a student at SJSU, he was that good. He still is, that good.

I remember when Sue and I walked through the Green Apple bookstore on New Year's Eve late last year, I loved perusing their collection of new and used photojournalism books. Then I came to this sign on the shelf and thought, "man ain't that the truth."

I had my old Nikon FE2 with me with a fast lens and fast film but it was low light so I steadied myself and made this photo. This image has stuck with me until now. Perhaps it is trite, after all it is merely sign art. But, when I heard of the Bee letting Brian go I thought of this photo and I thought, "man ain't that the truth."

When the industry gets so bad it spits out its best, where else is there to go? What else is there to think?

No walks in the rain

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Microsoft going after Google search

According to By John Fontana of Network World, "Microsoft this week will start internal testing of Kumo, the company's update to its Live Search Web site and part of its stated effort to keep the pressure on Google."

The Kumo technology appears to contain elements of semantic search technology Microsoft acquired in June last year when it bought Powerset.

Wiesenthal Center officials cite SJSU Incident

A post by Stan Wilson, Los Angeles, California, CNN, said, "Jewish students and faculty at California universities fear for their safety on campus because of threats aimed at them over the Middle East conflict, the father of a slain Wall Street Journal reporter said Friday."

Wiesenthal Center officials cited another incident three weeks ago at San Jose State University where the consul general of Israel was verbally abused and forcibly driven from the stage during a guest-speaking engagement aimed at fostering understanding of Jewish culture.

According to Wilson, "San Jose State University spokeswoman Pat Harris told CNN the sponsors of the event were responsible for moderating the speaking forum but maintained that officers and security personnel acted appropriately."

According to a report by a faculty member who was in attendance, "Akiva Tor, Consul General of Israel and honored guest of the student group Spartans for Israel, was verbally abused and forcibly driven from the stage by anti-Zionist hecklers. As the moderator quickly lost control of the screaming crowd, Tor had to be escorted out of the room by a phalanx of security officers and campus policemen."

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Rocky Mountain News to close

According to a post on their Web site the Rocky Mountain News is going to close. It will publish its final edition Friday:

The Rocky Mountain News, less than two months away from its 150th anniversary, will be closed after a search for a buyer proved unsuccessful, the E.W. Scripps Co. announced today.

As Steve Raabe of The Denver Post said, "The News becomes the latest casualty in an industry stricken by a spiraling decline in newspaper economics." This closure follows concessions by unions representing more than 1,100 workers at The Denver Post and the Denver Newspaper Agency, the advertising and circulation arm of The Post and the Rocky Mountain News.

Microsoft to offer free certification training

According to a post in CNet News by Ina Fried, Microsoft plans to offer free training including certification training to millions of people. Could this be a big boost to educational institutions and their staff who are strapped for resources but need to have current skills for applications for education?:

"Millions of individuals don't have the technology skills needed in today's economy. Through Elevate America, we want to help workers get the skills they need to succeed," Pamela Passman, Microsoft's VP for corporate affairs, said in a statement.

According to Fried, "Microsoft's move comes as the United States has shed millions of jobs, a small number of which came from Microsoft itself as the company announced its first companywide layoffs last month."

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SJSU Spring Color

Dreams of Spring
Every Winter I dream of California Spring, which typically starts in mid-Feb. That dream of Spring helps me get through the cold of Winter. This is my favorite time of year.

These blossoms are near Sweeny Hall at San Jose State University.

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Will Chronicle Close or Be Sold?

According to a story by Pete Carey of the Mercury News, Hearst says it will close or sell the San Francisco Chronicle if it can't make significant staff reductions:

The San Francisco Chronicle's owner, Hearst Corp., said Tuesday that it needed to significantly reduce the number of union and non-union employees at the newspaper or it would be forced to "sell or close the newspaper."

According to SFGate, The Chronicle's on-line edition, Frank J. Vega, chairman and publisher of the Chronicle, said, "It's just a fact of life that we need to live within our means as a newspaper - and we have not for years."

The California Media Workers Guild is among the unions representing employees at the San Francisco Chronicle.

iPods pose threat to students

According to Alice Park of Time Magazine:

Teens who say they worry about hearing loss but still listen to their iPods at high volumes probably assume that the manufacturer's maximum default setting is safe, or that turning the volume down to anything but full-blast is harmless.

Park said, "most of us can, and are, spending more time listening to music through headphones, there is a real risk of hearing loss for anyone who plugs in."

SJSU Blossoms

The blossoms are returning to SJSU and with them my favorite time of the year. This photo was taken slightly over a week ago not far from the building I work in using a 32-year-old film camera, my Nikon F2. I love color negative film's ability to hold subtle detail in the highlights, like the translucent bright petals of this back lit blossom.

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