:: GussetBLOG ::

:: Thursday, January 21, 2010 ::

Anatoly Zenkov

I don't usually write posts about fellow flickr users but something really caught me with Anatoly Zenkov's work. I'm not a fan of overly photoshopped work (it has it's place but it's just a tool) but this selection shows of processing and manipulating techniques, starting from good photography as a base and working on it in Processing / Flash / Java.


Persistent pyramids (via Anatoly Zenkov)
"Persistent Pyramids was made with flash application that I made specially for this project."


Chocolate Factory (via Anatoly Zenkov)
"That's it! First step in processing."


Mouse pointer track (via Anatoly Zenkov)
"Mouse pointer track after 3 hours of working in Photoshop. Black circles are pointer stops (not clicks)."
Jave applet code for the click tracker is in the comments.
[originally found via grom]

Reblogged with permission. Click through to see the original flickr pages and the rest of the stream. Go on, show some love.

Labels: Flickr, Photography

:: Dan 21.1.10 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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The Bristol: A Second Look 2009 photo competition has it's opening party at Photographique on Baldwin St @ 6pm tonight.



Come along for booze and smak!



You can find some inspiration from other Second Look members, along with the above shot of mine. It's from my new charity shop find panoramic camera. 2 quid with a 6 year out of date black & white film sellotaped to it! Here's some more shots from it around St Austell and Charlestown:

Labels: Flickr, Photography, Second Look

:: Dan 17.7.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Heya! It's been some time. I know I may have thrown you the odd scrap of music now and again but that old spark, it just hasn't been there lately has it. I know you have other places to hang out. I hope you understand what a death in the family has done here. But it's great to meet up again, have a drink, chew that fat, catch up on what we would have been chatting shit about if other events hadn't conspired against us.

Did I tell you I attended the BLDGBLOG book launch last week?

[v.o.g.: You mentioned you were going]

Ah, well, I did. And not only did I get a great book out of it, not only did I meet with and chat with Geoff Manaugh, whose a really inspiring guy, not only is there a photo floating around flickr of me sat at the same table as Warren Ellis (I didn't realise that at the time, I was distracted by the woman with him), but I've also come away with some blog based inspiration.

In the introduction to the book Geoff explains that when he started BLDGBLOG he decided that he wasn't going to pour concerns and negativity into it, it would just be for stuff that interested him. Things that made him think, gave him ideas, starting points for flights of fancy. I like that philosophy. I may try to take it on to some degree.


[source here via here]

So what else has caught my fancy?


Shots taken on Czechoslovakia - East border of the eastern German state security (Stasi)
[via www.ustrcr.cz]
Found in the Vice Magazine photography special, which is out now.

Its good to know that The American President is an Ass Man, Apparently

"But seriously, is this not one of the best presidential photographs of all-time? Even Sarkozy looks like he's sneaking a peek, though he's French, so we expect him to do it. However, in Obama's defense, that is a great ass!"

"Solicitors for the National Portrait Gallery are apparently threatening legal action against a US Wikipedia user for downloading 3,300 digital photographs of paintings in the UK museum's collection, and then uploading them to Wikipedia."
[via clayton cubitt]

Cauty - Julie Andrews tip in the Nude magazine sale


Codex Sinaiticus - Home The ‘Draft for Comment’ version of the Bible

Rumours of a Dr Who film

There, I Fixed It

6 Intriguingly Shaped Communities As Seen On Google Maps

My Pinhole camera experiments


"Patti Smith is one of the most anticipated gigs of the week, and the audience the most vocal. … joined by SMZ leader Efrim Menuck on drums and Portishead’s Adrian Utley, who attacks a guitar with a paintbrush to spooky effect."
Festival review: Ornette Coleman’s Meltdown, Southbank Centre, London SE1 | Music | The Observer
I mentioned this to Leafcutter John, wondering if he was aware Ade was at the Polar Bear gig where John had used the same paintbrush trick a few months back. His response was a spirited "Ah, but did he do it better?"

Stylophone Beatbox

Pre-order here

Open Source TIC - ePetition response | Number10.gov.uk
"The Government supports the principle that, where new software is being developed by the Timely Information to Citizens pilots, this should wherever possible be released under open source licence and available for use by other local authorities. ... Where the pilots will result in new software tools, ownership and intellectual property rights will usually remain with the individual local authorities"
Is this not a contradiction?

‘Ghost village’ to be demolished

"A village built in Argyll to meet the demands of the UK oil boom of the 1970s but abandoned without ever being occupied is set for a new role." [video link]

Stuff you've missed on the tumblr
* a whole bunch of new photographers discoveries
* shoes by architects
* a bunch of LEGO stuff inc jewellery, USB sticks and giant Star Wars models
* London Underground Map print dress
* Geek guide to shoe lacing
* The Battleships drinking game

I've also just discovered that Blogger is limited to 20 tags per post.

So what have you been up to? How are things?

Labels: Art, blogs, Copyright, Electronic Music, Flickr, FOSS, History, Instruments, IP, Law, Literature, Maps, Music, Petitions, Photography, Politics, Privacy, Religion, Sci-Fi, Wiki

:: Dan 14.7.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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[flickr]

This shot shows the local wildlife playing with a busted hydrant outside my old flat in Salford. The title is a direct quote of the abuse that was hurled at me by the kid pictured as the water was directed at me moments later. The shot was worth the soaking.

This will be exhibited, among others, at the Second Look Group Exhibition: Street Life @ Photographique, Baldwin St, Bristol, 14.05.09 – 20.05.09
and The Raven, Bath, as part of the Bath Festival Fringe, 22.05.09 – 07.06.09

Labels: Exhibitions, Flickr, Photography, Second Look

:: Dan 12.5.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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There is a pattern to my blogging here that shows that every time I buy an actual hard copy of a newspaper I blog about half a dozen stories out of it I may otherwise never have stumbled upon. This is no exception, here are my picks from Thursday's Guardian:

British therapists still offer treatments to 'cure' homosexuality
"Survey suggests a significant minority of mental health professionals continue to provide treatments to gay men and lesbians despite no evidence they can change orientation and concerns they are harmful...One counsellor who is a member of the British Psychological Society said: "Although homosexual feelings are usual in people, their physical expression, and being a person's only way of having sexual relations is problematic. The physical act for male homosexuals is physically damaging and is the main reason in this country for Aids/HIV. It is also perverse.""
This is outrageous. It can be criticised, if not demolished, from so many different angles I don't think I need to point that out. It's like a throw back to the 50s, when our society lost great minds like Turing because of it's backwards treatment of sexuality. From some of the quotes in the article there are, to me, some scary signs of counsellors forcing their personal (probably 2000 year old religious based beliefs) on people. These practitioners should not be allowed to "help" people again.

Are women doing better or worse in IT since Ada Lovelace?

Why not let the security services spy on Twitter? It's not like they'll learn anything from it

Getty Images now licensing hand-picked Flickr photos

Google's would be watchdogs are distracted by its chew toys

Vintage sound chips? They are music to my ears
Chip tunes goes mainstream?

E-government survey urges councils to free data

"Never mind the recession - Lego is now so popular that there are 62 little coloured blocks for every person on the planet. Yet only five years ago this family business was on the brink of ruin. Jon Henley reports from the Danish town where it all began"

Labels: Electronic Music, Feminism, Flickr, gay, Google, IT, Lego, News, Photography, Politics, Retro, Secuirty, web 2.0

:: Dan 28.3.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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There is a Second Look group photography exhibition, on the theme of Looking Up, at Photographique on Baldwin St from Thursday evening. I should have a couple of shots in there. Please come along and have a look.

Fri March 13th - Fri March 20th
Mon - Fri 12-6pm; Sat 12-5pm
Preview Thurts 12th, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

Labels: Bristol, Flickr, Photography

:: Dan 10.3.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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I posted about the free-for-all at the Bookbarn a couple of weeks ago. The opening of the doors at the Bristol book warehouse made national news.

The capitalist past of me was offended that all of those books, some of which were mine that I had taken there for them to sell on my behalf, were just being given away. I felt better about this once I'd visited and made up for my losses.

The anarchist past of me loved the idea of the free distribution of knowledge.

The liberal part of me loved the fact that all sections of society were represented, from charities, to students, to squatters with dogs, to opportunistic wheeler dealers, to pensioners with walking sticks, all picking through the mess.

The English part of me loved how polite everyone was. There was no barging, no shouting, no fighting over anything. Just a melancholic air of acceptance of the literary post-apocalyptic feeling that pervaded.

If ever anyone wanted to stage an intellectual coup d’état in the UK all they would need to do would be to spray all the books in a warehouse like this with legionnaires, open the doors to the public and leak the story to the press. You would wipe out every free thinker in the area. I'm sure there's a book in that.*

* Idea published under a non-profit creative commons licence, thank you very much.

Labels: Books, Bristol, Flickr, Literature, News, Photography

:: Dan 10.3.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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"Most evil snowman ever"
Originally uploaded by NickPlant


That is the most evil snowman I've ever seen!

NickPlant says: Ho! I see that searching flickr for "evil snowman" yields 497 hits so assume you've checked them all. NB: I changed the title to quote you!

Well, that was a little presumptuous of you. For all you knew I was some fraud who had only ever seen two snowmen and had declared the other the most angelic, therefore making this the most evil by default.

Fortunately, however, I am actually the worlds leading authority on evil snowmen. I have indeed studied all 497 (now 502) evil snowmen to be found on Flickr and although some do look quite badly behaved (stabbing Pingu with scissors, for example) or even faintly demonic (but discounted on account of being painted and not made of actual snow) this one does indeed retain that honour.

It is definitely the only example I have found that appears to have been made by bleeding children's hands, compelled by some unknown force to carry on despite their cries of agony, possibly just leaving them with bloody stumps by the time its overwhelming presence and its power are complete.

If the above scene is not included in the next series of Dr Who it will be a herald a sad period for children's television.

Labels: Flickr, Humour, Photography

:: Dan 11.2.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Sometimes I have to measure the Reverberation Time in a space. In large spaces sometimes a starting pistol is required, as here. Sometimes this leaves residue of explosives on my clothes or my testing equipment. I then get stopped by airport security in Belfast or at the Eurostar terminal because I've tested positive for explosives and have a lot of explaining to do.

Sometimes, in smaller rooms, popping a balloon is good enough. This means I have to go and buy balloons from an old woman who is suspicious I am going to use them for selling nitrous [oxide] at "raves."

With a memory as bad as mine I have to write a note on my hand before I go out for lunch to remind me to buy balloons. Today I choose to draw a small picture of a balloon as it would be more subtle than writing the word.

When I draw a small sketch like that one of these two thoughts commonly result:
1. Not bad, I should sketch little things like that more often, it's strangely satisfying.
2. Fuck. I've just drawn a sperm on the back of my hand.

Today was one of the latter.

Labels: Acoustics, Flickr, Humour, Photography, Travel

:: Dan 10.2.09 [Arc] [2 comments] ::
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12 Days 2008 - Turkey Sacrifice
Originally uploaded by gusset.

Click through and read the comments.

Labels: Flickr, Food, Photography, Politics, Religion

:: Dan 25.12.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Stop and Search Form
Originally uploaded by gwalton1.


Remember, if you ever are stopped and searched you DO NOT have to give your name and address or show ID.

Bruce Schneier - Are photographers really a threat?
[via the Bristol flickr group discussion about "security" at Cabot Circus. The Radio Bristol link in the first post is worth a listen]

Labels: Flickr, Liberty, Photography, Secuirty

:: Dan 2.12.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Red Stripe
Originally uploaded by gusset.


I spotted the sun catching this band of red as my train pulled into Bath Spa last week. This is the best shot I could hastily grab from my phone as everyone shuffled down the platform. But I love the way the shop sign, the Coke display and the two women all colour coordinate.

Labels: Colour, Flickr, Photography

:: Dan 24.11.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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See a better class of zombie in rubber wear!

The day of the Shoot

DeadDeadDead from DeadDeadDead on Vimeo.

From Dark Daze on flickr.

Labels: Fetish, Flickr, Goth, Photography, Zombie

:: Dan 2.11.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Nazi
Originally uploaded by gusset.


Artists models pose in the window of a Bristol stationers.
'Neo-Nazi invasion' terrifies villagers
Gloucestershire Uni Investigates 'Nazi' Students

Labels: Art, Bristol, Flickr, News, Photography, Politics

:: Dan 1.11.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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flikr2846
Originally uploaded by flikr.
Image made by flickr user flikr using agony, which he wrote and is available for free download (although it's not open source)

Physics World: Did a Chinese calligrapher use ‘fractal expression’?

In the scientific world, fractals were first identified in the mid-1970s by the mathematican Benoît Mandelbrot.

However, it’s possible that artists and artisans have long been using the fragmented shapes in their work.

In 1999, two Australian physicists famously showed that the “paint-drip” canvasses of Jackson Pollock could be dated by computing their fractal dimension — which tended to increase as Pollock matured as an artist.



Now, Yuelin Li of Argonne National Lab in the US has posted a paper on the arXiv preprint server claiming that calligraphy done by the “maniac Buddist monk” Huai Su more than 1200 years ago contains fractals. Li analysed a request for “bitter bamboo shoots and tea” written by the monk and found that it can be characterized by two different fractal dimensions.



Li believes that the fractal nature of some artworks “can be attributed to the artist’s pursuit of the hidden order of [the] fractal”.

Also in physics related art, Physics World are trying to pick their favourite cover image from the last 20 years to celebrate their anniversary. You can see the 20 short listed images and vote on the link above.

Labels: Art, Flickr, Maths, Physics

:: Dan 24.10.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Windturbine 6
Originally uploaded by gusset.

From the Institute of Acoustics tour of the Bristol Ports windturbines, Avonmouth, Bristol.

Labels: Environment, Flickr

:: Dan 23.10.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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interruzioni1
Originally uploaded by iols.

Flickr ground of the day: Abstract Scaffolding!

Labels: Flickr, Photography

:: Dan 20.10.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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SpyCat 8
Originally uploaded by gusset.


I bought a CatCam and a CatTrack from Mr Lee. Having tested them out on myself I am now flooding flickr with Isis's own photography. The slide show below shows the build, testing, and the first outing. If you don't fancy the soldering you can buy complete set-ups, I just built it myself to save money.

Labels: CatCam, Cats, Electronics, Flickr, Photography

:: Dan 13.9.08 [Arc] [3 comments] ::
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The Evil Apple
Originally uploaded by gusset.

Labels: Flickr, Food, Humour

:: Dan 18.8.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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This Security Guard Assaulted Me
Originally uploaded by Aztec West.

See here for backstory and the image above for the follow up.

Labels: Flickr, Law, Photography

:: Dan 11.8.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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