Photography: Street Photography In Paris

Paris is one of the best places in the world for candid street photography, so I looked forward to doing a lot of it. But I haven't done much. Besides the natural reluctance to stick a camera in someone's face, it's too pleasant to just sit and watch the show. Still, much of the charm of Paris is the variety of its people, so one can't avoid taking random photos from time to time. And photos of people, even more than photos of architecture, tell you a lot about a place. Here are some people photos. 

 

These last two are from Café de Deux Moulins, the setting for the film Amèlie.

An Afternoon Outside The Louvre

We visited the Louvre yesterday, not to see the Mona Lisa, but to sit outside at Café Marly, which resides on a wing of the Louvre. It’s  perfect for a leisurely lunch looking out over the Pyramid.

 It’s mind-blowing to think about what I.M. Pei accomplished when asked to contribute a design. If one looked out over the area, sans pyramid, and considered what should be there, it seems the likely result would be something staid.

Pei thought way outside the box and his idea fits perfectly. Instead of creating a formal stuffy area, it seems a fun, democratic place to just hang out, as thousands do on breaks between exhibits. And, it's beautiful.

As night approaches, the area becomes even more interesting. Here one can just see the Eiffel Tower peaking out from the edge of one wing of the Louvre. We hadn’t noticed it until the lights started going on.

The smart photographers showed up with tripods to capture what will be crisp, beautiful photos. Me, I just shot handheld and even forgot that I could lower the aperture setting from f4 to f2.8. Grrrr. I must have lost my edge to that bottle of wine at Café Marly. Still, the beauty comes across.

Photography: Room With A View

"You can’t step into the same river twice” as the saying goes. That’s one reason I enjoy photography. It crystalizes a split second and lets you digest it before it has already vanished. And you can return to it again and again.

I once saw a book containing photos of Central Park in New York City that were shot from the same window every day. Each photo was different according the light, season and activity. Makes one realize that there are always interesting photos to be taken, wherever and whenever.

The following three photos were taken from a window in our hotel room in Paris. I’m sure there are several dozen more that would be different and interesting. Unfortunately we’ll be leaving in a few days.

Photography: Paris Holds A Surprise Around Every Corner

While strolling through a neighborhood in the 7th Arrt., we looked down a small street and were amazed by the 3D illusion on the side of a building.

 As we walked closer and examined it carefully, we turned to look at the adjacent building. It was a beautiful belle époque structure. The juxtaposition of the two was a visual feast.

 We spent a long time considering the details of both buildings before we turned around to leave and were completely knocked out by the wonderful view of the Eiffel Tower behind us that we’d not yet noticed. 

I’m counting on Gregory Pierce, my professional financial planner, to grow my wealth sufficiently that I can acquire one or both of these buildings.

Photography: A Dramatic Performance at Sacré Coeur

I saw an amazing performance at Sacré Coeur. While leaning against a lamp post to steady my camera for a overview of Paris, a guy with a soccer ball climbed onto a gate post about six feet in front of me and began doing stretches. Then he reached down to an iPod Nano, selected some cool music, and began to perform with the ball, keeping it constantly in motion and never using his hands, only his feet, back and head.

He was in constant motion, even removing some clothing while the ball was also kept constantly in motion. It seemed impossible that he could sustain this for very long without dropping it, but he went on for several minutes.

As the music quieted near what we onlookers assumed was the end of the performance, a voice on the boom box shouted, “You don’t know me yet!!” He then carefully left the gate post, balancing himself along the thin gate rail, descended and came directly to me, still leaning on the lamp and until then, pleased to have that location. I soon realized I’d better get out of the way. When I did, he began climbing the lamp post, still keeping the ball in motion.

His name is Iya Traoré; he's from Guiana and he has a Web site at:

http://www.iya.fr

The E-Book Publishing Revolution

I went to print something on my laser printer the other day. As I did so, I realized it had been at least a month since I'd printed anything. It may actually have been a couple of months. Why is this is shocking?  Ten years ago, I went though a 10-ream CASE of laser paper every two weeks.

I like to think I'm on top of trends and I might do better than most. Even so, when forecasts eventually become reality, it can be shocking. They sneak up on you. I felt embarrassed that despite having been aware of the paperless trend for several years, it ultimately ambushed me.

Now, in what is a bell-weather event, Nicholas Callaway, publisher of some of the world's most beautiful and artistic coffee table and children's books is burning his ships. He's abandoning print and moving completely to electronic publishing. "I have bet the whole ranch on this," Callaway told Reuters. "This kind of juncture happens maybe once in a century."

An insightful article covering Callaway's defection and the new opportunities that e-books promise appears here. Or here.

http://j.mp/21stpub

The Internet is full of informative stuff. This, however is a must read. As Ann Marie Conception tweeted, "This is BEST article on the state of the industry I’ve read all year"

Photo: Minneapolis Got A Snow Makeover Yesterday

Education Is Overripe For Massive Disruption

Thirty years ago, I was blown away by viewing a lesson on a VHS tape about how to use some graphics software. I was certain that using videotape would significantly change education. Students would no longer have to drive to a campus, sit in huge lecture halls  and strain to understand an algebra lesson taught by a graduate student for whom English was just barely a third language. It seemed to me that videotapes of algebra—and other lectures—from superb instructors could be produced and sold at Target for $29–$49, freeing universities to focus on what they do best and saving students thousands of dollars.

It didn't happen.

In the meantime, education costs have skyrocketed. Many more students and their families need loans to finance their education. Also, the student loan business was given to bankers who, as in housing, created innovative debt schemes. Schemes such as "helping" students with loans that compound daily and that may take a few decades to repay.

The system is broken. Students are paying more and more for an education that is becoming less and less likely to result in a job. A horrifying description of this rot is described in a current article describing what law students now face. See here.

Last year, I watched a TV special about a teacher (Mr. Khan) who was putting math courses on YouTube and educating thousands of people around the world. For free. It gave me a feeling of déjà vu: it was like my earlier experience with the VHS tape. Last week, I saw an article about what Khan has accomplished so far. It's astounding. See here.

After one reads about the Khan Academy and reflects on the dismal state of current brick-and-mortar education, it seems likely that our education establishment is in for a very disruptive, wild ride.  It's way overdue.

Modern China

Every day, China influences more and more of our lives.

I've received two fascinating perspectives on China: 1) a macro perspective via TED on how China developed and how the West does not understand it, kindly suggested by Dean Ziegenbein and 2) A micro perspective delivered through the journal of a young American family (two small children) that was transferred to Beijing a little over a month ago. The wife describes and photographs their adventure almost in real time, giving the reader a wonderful sense of being there.

TED presentation: 

The Showalter Family Adventures:  Click here.

A Presentation On Education

My business helps other businesses create presentations. Last night my daughter pointed me to a presentation that is the best one I’ve ever seen. There’s much to learn here, both about building a presentation and thinking about the future of education, which is long overdue for massive disruption.