Matt Blaze

@hzulla Cron, of course, dates back to a world in which:

- computers were a significantly smaller part of the load on the power grid
- we didn't have tightly synchronized clocks everywhere (no NTP yet)
- we didn't have architectures in which power consumption was as tightly linked to computational load

Software often outlives all sorts of assumptions!

US midterm elections coming up this Tuesday.

There will be a fairly large number of tight contests, and in each one of them, someone who thought they might win will lose. And none of them, and none of their supporters, will be be happy about it.

Remember that this is not, in and of itself, evidence of fraud.

@frincon @pluralistic Well, I can only speak to my own experience. But I'm grateful for the work that reviewers do, as imperfect as it might be, even when they have the poor taste to criticize my own papers.

@frincon @pluralistic Well, I can only speak to my own experience. But I'm grateful for the work that reviewers do, as imperfect as it might be, even when they have the poor taste to criticize my own papers.

@frincon @pluralistic Of course, the system is far from perfect. I think it's particularly disfunctional that we conflate the paper publication process with awarding career points, and place so much emphasis on metrics like acceptance rate, etc. But I'm still glad we have some mechanism to review papers before they're published!

@frincon @pluralistic I'm not in your field, so my experience is from a different angle here, but my conclusion is very different. I've gotten my share of ill-informed reviews, but I'm absolutely sure my published work is better (if less prolific) for having been through the process. Also, I've benefited from peer review in the papers I *read*, which are relatively free of the kind of glaring, time-wasting errors and irrelevancies that peer review is reasonably good at catching.

@frincon @pluralistic I'm not in your field, so my experience is from a different angle here, but my conclusion is very different. I've gotten my share of ill-informed reviews, but I'm absolutely sure my published work is better (if less prolific) for having been through the process. Also, I've benefited from peer review in the papers I *read*, which are relatively free of the kind of glaring, time-wasting errors and irrelevancies that peer review is reasonably good at catching.

Meanwhile in Mexico City:

AT&T Long Lines "Oak Hill" Tower, San Jose, CA. 2021

All the pixels, but operator assistance is no longer available, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/51261791084

#photography

Arguably, given the health and environmental effects of things like power plants, perhaps they *should* be ugly. But ugliness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

In any case, if you like this kind of stuff, let me strongly recommend the work of Hilla and Bernd Becher. https://fraenkelgallery.com/artists/bernd-and-hilla-becher

Power plants are often regarded as utilitarian eyesores, and are rarely (generally only under public pressure) built to look beautiful or interesting, (London's Battersea Power Station was a notable exception). Generally, like here, any beauty to be found is accidental, a direct consequence of interesting form happening to follow from function.

I captured several versions of this, with exposures that kept the moving train sharp or blurred it to varying degrees. I think this was the most successful attempt, with the train blurred enough to suggest motion, but not so much that it's unrecognizable.

Motion can be a central part of a still photograph.

This was captured with the Rodenstock 70mm/5.6 HR Digaron-W lens and the Phase One IQ3-100 back. A bit of vertical shift was used to keep everything straight. A 1/2 sec exposure provided just the right amount of motion blur for the passing train.

The power plant generates electricity (now oil fired, converted from coal) as well as steam for Philly's Center City steam loop. The rail bridge extends the former Pennsylvania Railroad's "High Line" into south Philly's Greenwich rail yard.

Schuylkill Co-Generation Plant and Arsenal Bridge, Philadelphia, PA, 2018

All the pixels, but no cheesesteaks avaialble, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/42660696454

#photography

I try not to over-react to the Internet's Outrages Of The Day, but it should be instantly disqualifying for a CEO of a company that sells reliability and security to tell employees that careful testing is "loser thinking". And if not, it should instantly disqualify that company's products from your consideration.

What the hell, Proton?

Schuylkill Co-Generation Plant and Arsenal Bridge, Philadelphia, PA, 2018

All the pixels, but no cheesesteaks avaialble, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/42660696454

#photography

Captured with the Rodenstock 40mm/4.0 Digaron-W lens, Phase One IQ4-150 back, a small amount of vertical shift.

The San Mateo Bridge, spanning the San Francisco Bay just south of SFO Airport, is relatively unremarkable except for its seemingly endless length. Occasionally known locally as the "S&M Bridge" for its often painful traffic congestion, looked at from the right distance, it can appear rather serene.

San Mateo Bridge, San Francisco Bay, San Mateo, CA, 2024

All the pixels, but no tolls, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/54129314405

#photography

Oh man, we lost Patrick Stewart. Damn.

San Mateo Bridge, San Francisco Bay, San Mateo, CA, 2024

All the pixels, but no tolls, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/54129314405

#photography