Sheron Long's Blog, page 31
March 31, 2014
10 Fine-Feathered Reasons to Keep Backyard Chickens
Here, chick chick chick. Come to my house!
© sherjaca/Shutterstock
Want to Be Happier? Go to the Birds!
Chances are, backyard chickens are kicking up dust in a yard near you. More and more people in urban and suburban areas are keeping these familiar yet exotic birds and smiling about it.
Could chickens help you be happier? Here’s a flock of ten reasons they just might.
Reason #1: Fresh Eggs Are Tasty
Philosophers can argue “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” until the cows come home, but for chicken keepers the answer’s clear: It’s the eggs.
In a recent poll at BackYard Chickens, 92% of responders said that one reason they keep chickens is for the eggs. Ron Ludlow, the owner of the site, acknowledges the growing popularity of “the pets that make you breakfast!”
Fresh eggs will keep your sunny side up.
©...
March 27, 2014
Antoine Rose Catches the Bird’s-Eye View of Miami
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Insectarium
© Antoine Rose
Creative Photography from Up in the Air
Strapped outside a vibrating helicopter hovering 300 feet over terra firma, Antoine Rose views his playground below. Unlike other photographers who focus and click, Rose engages in a more difficult creative process:
“I have to mix all sorts of tasks in nearly real time: guiding the pilot; having the right lens; being sure that the camera settings are set up properly; concentrating on the light, the subject, the framing; discussing with the tower control to get clearance.”
Somehow he syncs it up, and the result is a new perspective in creative photography for his Up in the Air Miami series on display from February 27–May 3, 2014, at the Emmanuel Fremin Gallery in New York.
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Antoine Rose shooting completely vertical aerial photographs
from a helicopter above Saint-Moritz
©...
March 20, 2014
The Odyssey of an Obelisk: Luxor to Place de la Concorde
The Luxor obelisk at Place de la Concorde
© Vitaly Edush/iStock
Curiosity Inspires Us to See Things Differently in Paris
You can’t miss it. The Luxor obelisk rises 75 feet from the center of the Place de la Concorde in Paris, taller than anything in the neighborhood.
I have passed this gold-tipped monolith a thousand times, on its little island in the middle of frenzied Paris traffic.
I noted it as one of those odd Paris monuments—a bit discordant with its surroundings, but somehow fitting in—like the Louvre Pyramid; the too colorful, externally piped Pompidou Center; and the mother of them all, the Eiffel Tower.
The obelisk is a monument that’s often seen, but not too many people know about its challenging journey to Paris.
© Meredith Mullins
A Closer Look
Though I formed fleeting impressions of the obelisk, I never really stopped or studied. I...
March 17, 2014
Brought Into the Fold of Robert Lang’s Origami
Robert J. Lang and Kevin Box
Folded 2013; Composed 2013
cast stainless steel on stone; approx. 3′ x 2′ x 4′ on stone
© Robert Lang
A Creative Process Governed by Math
Dr. Robert Lang can make paper cranes. But his origami cranes not only have feathered wings and three toes on each foot, they soar with life.
Origami artist Robert Lang
© Robert Lang
In 2001, this physicist/engineer left his successful science career to write a book about how to make your own designs for origami, the traditional Japanese art of folding paper.
Why the career change?
This obviously brilliant man, who has 50 patents awarded and pending on semiconductor lasers, optics, and integrated optoelectronics, had an “Oh, I see” moment:
There were plenty of other really good engineers and managers that could do whatever I could do as an engineer,...
March 13, 2014
Same Animal + Different Cultures = Surprise!
“If this is Life #7, I sure hope I’m an English-speaking cat!”
© deshy / iStock
Animal Symbols and Sayings
All over the world, cats are known for their seemingly magical ability to escape dangers that would be fatal to other, less feline species. But different cultures and languages vary in how they talk about kitty’s special talents.
English speakers describe their death-defying trickiness by saying cats have nine lives. Consider 9Lives cat food, and its spokescat Morris, who vouch for the statistic.
Cats have the same reputation in Spanish, but in that language, they get only 7 lives. Are cats in Spanish-speaking cultures really less resilient than those where English is spoken? No, cats are cats, but the animal symbols and sayings across cultures may be quite different.
When you cross cultures, it’s a good idea to understand the differences...
March 10, 2014
Adult at Play: The Creative Mind of Javier Pérez
Presto! And it’s the spiral smile of a crocodile (in profile)!
© Javier Pérez
A Simple Matter of Imagination
Javier Pérez sees things differently. His creative mind is full of the imagination that many adults tucked in a drawer a long time ago. And he likes to play.
Javier Pérez says,
“I just want to create.”
© Javier Pérez
Pérez works as a graphic designer and audiovisual producer in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
But for his own amusement, each week he collects ideas, does sketches, and selects his best. Every Saturday, he works up 3 or 5 images that he then publishes over the next week.
Adult play and adult discipline. That’s a good process for creative success. As Pérez says:
“Create every day. No matter your skills.”
Why? Just Because It’s Fun
When Pérez looks in a drawer, it’s not to find his...
March 6, 2014
Help Wanted: Feathermaster at the Lido in Paris
The Lido feathers wait for a Feathermaster.
© Meredith Mullins
Live Life to the Fullest with the Right Job
Paris seems to have more uniquely specialized jobs than most cities—from the Versailles Royal Molecatcher to the auctioneer who lights a candle every time someone offers a last bid at the Chambre des Notaires.
The French have a penchant for flair and living life to the fullest, even in the most functional of jobs.
There are also the jobs of utmost rarity. Consider the urban beekeeper who tends the hives on the roof of the Paris Opera House or the 40 “immortals” of the Académie Française, whose job it is to protect the usage, vocabulary, and grammar of the French language (who wouldn’t want to be an immortal?).
In that vein of rare professions comes the job position of Feathermaster at the Lido—the celebrated cabaret on the Champs Élysées in...
March 3, 2014
Worker Badges: Vintage Portraits Hint at Life Stories
Once worn to work daily, ID badges are now a hot collectible.
Images courtesy of Ricco/Maresca Gallery, New York
What Do You C in Employee IDs?
Above my computer here at home hangs an old worker’s ID badge. This vintage portrait moves and intrigues me, offering a glimpse into the life stories of American workers who punched clocks day in, day out.
A friend gave me the badge, partly because it’s from my hometown of Cleveland. I often look at worker number 338 and wonder what his days were like.
A worker from the past watches over a worker from the present.
© Bruce Goldstone
I love this ID, with its worn leather tab and rubbed finish. But mostly I love the almost-smiling portrait of a man I know almost nothing about.
A quick search reveals that Harris Seybold Potter Company was an Ohio-based printshop founded in 1895. Today, it’s the Harris Corporation,...
February 27, 2014
Is Social Media Redefining Relationships?
Keliy Anderson Staley and Matt Williams
Russellville, Arkansas, 2013
met via Hampshire College
© Tanja Hollander
A Friend Is Someone
Who (Kinda) Knows You
Social media allows people to connect at any point of their lives, no matter when or how physically far, and no matter how well or how little we know one another.
New tools make it easy to share words, photos, or videos instantly with one person, with all of our connections, or even with the whole world.
But has social media really improved relationships?
Turns out that a lot of people, from researchers to artists, are exploring this question in fascinating projects.
Tanja Hollander’s Meet-Up Project
In 2011, Tanja Hollander starting thinking about all her Facebook friends. She asked herself, “Am I really friends with all these people?” She decided to take a road trip and visit...
February 24, 2014
Publishing Flip-Flop Swaps Gains for Generosity
What’s more surprising than a great book?
A great, free book!
© mrovka / iStock
Free Books Pump Personal Values
The Concord Free Press (CFP) operates under a tradition-smashing publishing model. It thrives on generosity rather than the profit margin, and hopes to build up personal values rather than the industry’s bank accounts.
This month, the press publishes Zig-Zag Wanderer, a collection of short stories by award-winning author Madison Smartt Bell. It’s a book with two covers.
A book with two faces from a press with no prices
© Concord Free Press
Flip to one, open the cover, and read “Stories from Here,” tales set in the United States. Flop it over, open the other cover, and explore “Stories from there,” fictional reports from international settings in Haiti and beyond.
But the flip-flop format isn’t the most...
