Mark W Tiedemann

Category: Life

Playing Around

Posted on By Mark Tiedemann

I’m trying another new theme.  One of these days I may build something all my own…or, at least, watch while someone who knows how to do it builds something for me at my direction.

But I like this one, I think I’ll leave it alone for a while.  It’s more in tune with what I like to think myself all about—broad vistas, cosmic scenery, special effects.  Well, maybe not so much special effects, but, you know, skiffy.

From what I have seen so far, I’m very much liking the new WordPress.  Of course, that means I’m distracted.  This is not the sort of writing I need to be doing just now.…

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Upgrading, Updating, Up-Lating

Posted on By Mark Tiedemann

It’s going to take a long time to fix all the things that need fixing on this new blog.  Mainly it’s the images.  When I loaded the new theme, the auto-sizing that had apparently been in force (for WordPress 2.0) no longer worked for this version, which is 3.2.1.  So I have to go back through and manually resize all the old images.  Over the last few years, I’ve put up a hell of a lot of them.

But this version has some nice features for images.  It’s tempting to just move forward and not bother correcting all those old posts. …

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An Evening With Ursula K. Le Guin

Posted on By Mark Tiedemann

An Evening With Ursula K. Le Guin

Outside the air rippled in the late afternoon heat. Midwest summers get this bad, they do, but we’ve had 95 degree-plus weather now for going on three weeks. Stepping into the air conditioned comfort of the Daniel Boone Regional Library was almost sleep-inducing.

But there was business to attend. Tonight, the 26th of July, was to be a signal event. My interview with Ursula K. Le Guin.

Very SFnal, this. A double-sided flatscreen monitor with a ray-gun style camera on top facing the almost throne-like chair in which I would sit for the evening.…

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Treason To The Future

Posted on By Mark Tiedemann

No, I’m not going off on some political rant.  At least, I don’t think so.  (I was accused recently of using my blog as a soapbox…well, I thought, isn’t that what it’s for?  The question is, how good is the soap.)

At our recent Dante session I was reminded of a quote I’d forgotten all about.  One of the best philosophical thinkers of the 20th Century was Alfred North Whitehead.  I recommend him.  Even where I disagree with him, there is plenty to stir the imagination and encourage new thought.  One of his better books, quite short and to the point, is The Function of Reason. …

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Pretty Good July So Far

Posted on By Mark Tiedemann

If anyone is interested, July has been a good month to this point.  I’m working on the line edits of a novel, which I hope to have finished by August, and I’m feeling good about the results.  The new agent is working me and to good effect.

This past week has been filled with good stuff.  We had company for two days, Donna’s sister and her husband, up from Florida, and we ate at an excellent restaurant (The Shaved Duck, should anyone be interested, which I unreservedly recommend) and had good conversation.  Friday night Donna and I went to see Tim Minchin at the Sheldon and that was very fun (with the added pleasure of viewing, in the Sheldon Gallery, a showing of photographs by Larry Fink). …

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Not Very Plain Black & White

Posted on By Mark Tiedemann

I sometimes get so caught up in all the cool things I can do with color now I forget the simpler yet often deeper pleasures of good black & white.  I’ve mentioned often enough that, photographically-speaking, my influences all spring from the pool of talent surrounding and comprising the f64 Group, a legendary coterie of pioneer photographers from the 1930s and 40s.  I’ve spent many a lazy afternoon in a dark room with trays of chemicals and an enlarger and a selection of negatives, reveling in the creation of textures and tones.  There is still something magic watching a white sheet of paper “grow” an image in solution, the latent photon-affected silver salts tarnishing in a couple of minutes into the order and definition of a photograph. …

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Independence Day

Posted on By Mark Tiedemann

It’s the Fourth of July.  I’ve been pondering whether or not to write something politically pithy or culturally au courant and here it is, almost noon, and I’ve made no decision.  I think I pretty much said what I had to say about my feelings about this country a few posts back for Memorial Day, so I don’t think I’ll revisit that.

Last night we sat on our front porch while the pre-Fourth fireworks went off in the surrounding neighborhood.  Folks nearby spend an unconscionable amount of money on things that blow up and look pretty and we benefit from the show. …

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A Few Pictures

Posted on By Mark Tiedemann

Not much specifically to tell.  I’m still deep into rewrites (and having a genuinely good time of it—there’s nothing quite like solid, professional feedback!) and there are some things on other fronts that are not quite ready to announce, so…I thought I’d just post a few new photographs.

Within walking distance from my home there is a strikingly variegated landscape.  Conforming neighborhood with unique houses, a main street with several ethnic influences, and an industrial district with a mix of thriving and defunct businesses.  Thought I’d post a few of the latter.

old-warehouse-facade-june-2011.jpg

grafitti-on-steps-with-cart-june-2011.jpg

brick-wall-red-doors-june-2011.jpg

Now back to rewrites.…

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It’s Friday

Posted on By Mark Tiedemann

So it is.  I’ve been crunching away on line edits all week and having a good time.  The weather has been pleasant, at least compared to last week, and a couple of mornings I’ve been able to turn off the air and open the windows while working.  I loaded up the CD changer with classical—Respighi, Strauss, Grieg—and did fresh ground coffee.

During breaks, I’ve been playing with pictures again.  You know, you make damn near anything fascinating, even beautiful in a dark, bizarre way, with enough patience and mods.  For instance:

local-architecture-graphic-june-2011.jpg

Someone pointed out that in the past something like this would have taken a dozen Kodalith masks and posterization steps. …

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