Welcome
The 21st century has brought us into a world where an online presence is increasingly important. I grew up as technology was developing and 25 years ago, I toyed around with building my own desktop PCs. Keeping abreast of the rapidly changing technology was time consuming and expensive. I saw my floppy drives become 3.5″ hard drives, and then larger capacity drives followed by CD r\rw drives. I kept up for a while, but the world was moving too fast and that wasn’t where I wanted to spend my resources. I fell behind and while not technologically illiterate, I gave up on trying to keep up with the Joneses. Through this website I hope to join the new century.
Along with my interest in technology my interest in photography has evolved over time. Starting back with a Canon AE-1 and moving on to my Pentax SLR, I burned through a lot of film. As digital cameras became more popular, I resisted for a long time. The shutter lag of early digital cameras and low quality made the process annoying. Eventually, I made the switch with a Canon D-10 DSLR followed by a Pentax k-5II with Tamron lenses. Currently, I’m using my Pixel 9 Pro, and it seems to be able to do what I need without carrying around the bulky camera. It seems that film is trendy again, and on my last trip I got the old AE-1 out and had it serviced. It’s interesting how progress fosters a longing for the past. One thing that I haven’t progressed into very much is editing. I occasionally edit images with basic software, but I still like to take the picture and leave it just as it was shot. The majority of the images I’ll put on this site are unedited with the exception of watermarks and a reduced size to facilitate timely downloading.
Besides providing a platform for my photography, this website facilitates a venue for contemplations and thoughts. I realize that regardless of the significance of an idea, it is wasted if not shared. Whether a complex idea such as the utilization of quantum theory in historical inquiry, questions of cognitive psychology in how we remember things, or how we can build empathy to build better relationships, musings and thoughts need to be shared to be valuable. Finally, this site provides a forum for my academic work, and an avenue for collaboration and consulting. I hope to use my knowledge and understanding to help individuals, institutions, or corporations as they navigate the complex and entangled systems in which we live. I look forward to interactions and hope that through this site all may be edified.
I cannot end the introduction without acknowledging the help I’m receiving in its development. When I began this endeavor, I tried to do everything myself and I managed to put together a website that worked most of the time. It was a bit clunky, and the maintenance was unenjoyable. I knew it needed to be updated, but I was busy and wanted to do other things. Recently, I have decided to relinquish control of the technical side of this to someone who has far more skill and the things that take me days take him hours. Yota, thank you for your help and for making this website what I am envisioning.