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Charting Phrenology

January 17, 2021 by Simon Robinson Leave a Comment

I stumbled over a book on psychology while rationalising our book shelves. It has several names inscribed inside the cover so that I know at least three people in this family have read and annotated various passages. I speed-read it back in the day and on seeing it again, took umbrage at phrenology, and not for the first time. Umbrage is the right word. The dark shadow beneath a tree, the shadow that represents my doubts about the foundations of the ‘science’ of psychology (and especially psychoanalysis) that followed on from the bumps of phrenology.

On reflection, Freud wasn't right. This is a picture I took today while I was thinking about phrenology. — Building Fence Pool Reflections © Simon Robinson
Fuji X-T4 | Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM | 160 mm | 1/320s | f/11 | ISO 2500 | handheld

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Not Just Another Book

January 16, 2021 by Simon Robinson Leave a Comment

Imagine imagining publishing a book that would sell for £16,500 per copy. I mention ‘per copy’ lest you think that’d be the price for the whole print run. Yes, The Sistine Chapel is a brand-spanking new, limited edition, three-volume book available now from your nearest Callaway Arts & Entertainment supplier. I’d ask ‘wtf’, ‘why’ and ‘who’ but I think you probably beat me to it.

I took this image earlier today. The low angled morning sun turned the roiling green sea to jittery, jingly, shimmery brown. The wind was howling so I used the Dun Laoghaire pier wall as a shield. I set the aperture to f/16 to maximise the depth of field, set the shutter to 1/1000 to minimise the shake with the big lens, handheld on a windy day. Then I overexposed the distant lighthouse with an ISO of 3200. And hoped the two image stabilisation technologies – OIS in the lens and IBIS on the sensor – would do their thing.

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Dog Walk HDR II

January 10, 2021 by Simon Robinson Leave a Comment

This day eleven years ago, trapped for the weekend in Uxbridge by heavy snow, I thought I’d walk to Windsor for lunch. Some 16 km and five hours later, I was cold, tired and very hungry. I’d missed Sunday lunch by a few hours so I settled for a dinner before catching the train back. But trains that serve Windsor don’t go by Uxbridge so it took a few hours to return. I’m glad I did the walk because the Berkshire countryside was utterly transformed in a way that I only saw that once.

Deer appeared as I skirted the M25 along the treed banks of the Colne Brook.
© Simon Robinson 2010

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Still An Issue

January 6, 2021 by Simon Robinson Leave a Comment

It was back in 2003 when first I read that John Pilger had won the Sophie Prize. He was surprised, to judge from the tone of his acceptance speech. His journalism has always been quite outspoken about the imperialist and colonialist agendas of many ‘western’ countries like his native Australia, the UK and of course, the US.

This photograph of mine that I've printed onto one of my scarves, links to my memories of Jostein Gaarder, Sophie's World and the Sophie Prize. — Library Rising © Simon Robinson 2013 (this day, Jan 6)
A place to read *Sophie’s World* or a scarf to wear. See others at FabHappy

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Straps, Aid, Fragility

January 3, 2021 by Simon Robinson Leave a Comment

The new trading complications for a partitioned island half in the European Union got me thinking about something Peter Frankopan wrote. He opined that ‘US policy … is being developed in response to Chinese and Russian plans, rather than offering an independent and autonomous vision …’ This quote was in The New Silk Roads, in the chapter about roads to future, about Africa, and US policies where US support is described as being matched to US priorities rather than the needs of the supported.

49er Olympic training this cold, winter morning.
Would you prefer gold in the sky or gold on the water?

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On Feeders and Dots

January 2, 2021 by Simon Robinson Leave a Comment

I made some notes this morning as I was having my coffee and granola. I’d been thinking about today’s perihelion before I was diverted. The sun, if you see it, is five million kilometres closer than it will be in July though it’s not much closer than it was yesterday or will be tomorrow. So don’t expect it look any bigger.

I looked out my window and this is what I saw this freezing cold morning.
I needed a 400 mm zoom to share the charming goldfinches and solo siskin with you.

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