Neodigital Art | Stylish editing
I managed to take a few photos on Sunday and so I went back to see this lock-keepers cottage in Walsall. There are some leaves on the trees now and although the sun was going lower, I got a different photograph.
Greedy, mad, swivel eyed loons
This week the share price of Lloyd’s Banking Group went over 60p and so the government has reached the break even price for it’s shares. Royal Bank of Scotland made some gains too, so the government could get it’s 66 billion back that it pumped into those banks.
Spring flowers in May
The river in the picture is the River Tame. This photo was taken last May, but I drove past there yesterday and the flowers are just starting to bloom again. They seem to grow all along the Tame, I’ve seen them at Walsall and Dudley.
Finance Friday | Priorities
Can you imagine living in a country where you don’t have any opportunities and struggle to get clean water and enough to eat? Here in the UK, most people are lucky, but there is a lot of inequality. Young people on benefits go into MacDonald’s to eat, just because it’s there.
Thrifty Thursday | Walsall again?
The Aldi super-six this week are celery, cucumbers, lemons (3), spring onions, tomatoes (6) and garlic (4). They are all 49p each. That’s the same as last week. I spend ten pounds this week in Poundland, which isn’t difficult. (more…)
A trip to Walsall
I went to the wonderful town of Walsall yesterday. I used to think Walsall was great. The market used to go up the hill nearly to the church and that street was lined with little interesting shops. Walsall is a shadow of it’s former self.
Neodigital Art | What is Art?
Pictures were drawn by early man, on the walls of caves with whatever he could find. The earliest pictures were probably done with chalk and maybe charcoal. Some artists still use charcoal. Artists tend to be avant garde, the advanced guard, exploring the new frontiers. They search for new ideas and new mediums.
Psychology | perceptions of self
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
The only perception that early man had of himself, was what he saw when he looked at other people. Looking at their reflection in a pool of water was probably quite intriguing. We can see our reflections using mirrors at any time.
The farce is strong
George Osborne is claiming that it was his influence that is bringing Lucasfilm to the UK to make another episode of Star Wars. The Downing Street farce is strong and they’re bringing the film over to the dark side. (more…)
Reflections on life
Sometimes, I think as a society we take one step forward and two steps backwards. There are lots of experiments that seem to fail. The big pink box on West Bromwich High Street is still referred to as ‘iconic’, but in reality it’s a failed experiment. They intend to use it as a sixth form college now. (more…)
Finance Friday | Supply and demand
In theory, competition and supply and demand should regulate prices in a free market. In practice that isn’t the case. There are monopolies and cartels. There can be a lack of competition. There can be government interference in the market, such as the government’s ‘help to buy scheme’; that can distort the property market. An increased money supply can also mean increased demand.
Thrifty Thursday | Saving money in many ways
The Aldi super-six this week are celery, cucumbers, lemons (3), spring onions, tomatoes (6) and garlic (4). They are all 49p each. I have to go to Aldi later, I’ve run out of vegetables and eggs… (more…)
The midweek ramble
That’s Redhouse Park in the picture. It’s about 6 miles from here. I didn’t really want to drive that far, but I’m running out of things to photograph here. People seem fascinated by travelling. It must be some primitive instinct.
Neodigital Art | Creative editing
This must be my best picture so far in 2013. The angle of the shot is unusual and I think it looks good in grey scale. I did my usual editing and removed a council litter bin, then changed it to grey scale. I did crop quite a lot of the original too.
A bank holiday day out?
It’s Bank Holiday in the UK today. Traditionally people would have a day out, in the countryside or take a train to the seaside. Now they tend to go to bloody Ikea. People are obsessed with spending money. It’s a rat race, but is it healthy?
Spooky
I’ve used a spooky picture of the churchyard to begin today’s post. I think the original church was built about 700 years ago, replacing a castle and maybe some kind of pagan church. I can spend more time writing my Sunday ramble today, because I don’t have to cook Sunday lunch; it’s already cooked.
The Bank holiday review.
Today’s picture is of the church on the hill in Wednesbury, that overlooks where I live. It’s thought that Princess Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great, had a castle on the site about 1,000 years ago. She was a proper warrior princess. (more…)
Finance Friday | Easy Money
When I was younger, there was a lot of industry in the Black Country. Working and making money was hard, but there was also ‘easy money’. Making beer could be considered a lot easier than working in a foundry or down a mine.
Thrifty Thursday | Looking for Spring bargains
The Aldi super-six this week are salad potatoes (1Kg), green beans (220g), oranges, pineapple, large vine tomatoes (450g) and cauliflower. They are all 69p each. The same as last week.
Am I getting paranoid?
I’ve used a picture of an English summer from 2011 today. Remember summer? Last year; it was rain, rain and more rain. There was a rumour that they were messing with the weather, trying to stop it raining on their Jubilee and Olympics.
Neodigital Art | Coloured pencil
I did this edit from a photo by Simon James. I cropped the photo and then edited with PhotoScape using the coloured pencil option. Neodigital Art is about using digital devices, cameras, scanners and computers to create something different.
Psychology | The power of repetition
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Advertisers have long understood then power of repetition and use the same or similar advert over and over again. We are brainwashed with repetition. It’s not just advertisers that use repetition, it’s the basis of nagging.
Society today
“Wealthy elderly people who do not need benefit payments to help with fuel bills or free travel should voluntarily return the money to the authorities, the work and pensions secretary says.” (BBC News) I don’t know. Buckingham Palace is a big place to keep warm, they need their winter fuel payments. They hardly use their bus passes anyway…
Normal April showers?
I took this photo a year ago. I look at the sky a lot now in an attempt to predict the weather. The sky looked a paler blue last year, today it’s been a deep blue with white clouds and April showers. We had a very wet summer last year, are we back to normal now?
