Sunday, August 11, 2013

Photo-of-the-Week #119 - Really? Hollywood, California, May 2009


Really! Hollywood, California! What more is there to say? Just when you think you've seen pretty much all the weird stuff there is to be seen, something like this comes along to restore your faith in the perversity and depravity of the human mind. And, does this leave any wonder why people like Charles Manson exist.

I took this photo on my "Last Hollywood Tour" in 2009 when I spent a couple days in Tinseltown to see what I could find of the Hollywood recording industry scene that I hung around in during the 70's and 80's. The answer is - Not Much! As technology changes, so does most everything else. The building where I had a Hollywood address during the mid 70's at the corner of Hollywood and Vine had been razed and there was just a hole in the ground where they were preparing to construct a new monolith. Most of the studios were gone, torn down, boarded up or repurposed for some new use.

But, this! This was something I don't recall seeing in the 70's or 80's. No! I didn't go in. Personally, I just don't find An Industry of Death Museum about psychiatry or anything related to death as something I hold any serious fascination with. As a matter of fact, since I've entered the third half of my life, I tend to avoid the subject since I know I'll learn about it soon enough.

By the way, I've recently acquired a new digital camera. My old Konica-Minolta Dimage Z6 has served me very well for about the past seven years and continues to do so. Konica-Minolta discontinued the Z6 and all of its cameras when it left the camera business in 2006. But, time and technology march on. The Dimage Z6 only sports 6.3 mega pixels of resolution. Newer cameras make that look paltry.

So, in an effort to be both more stealthy and ready to capture something on a moment's notice and not having to drag around a larger, heavier, bulkier camera, I have acquired a Samsung (yep, there's that Korean name again) WB250F point and shoot. This camera sports 14.2 mega pixels, a 3" LCD screen, a Schneider (German) lens with a focal length ranging from 24mm to 432 mm optically, plus a 4x digital zoom that effectively increases the focal length up to 1728 mm. It also shoots full 1080p HD video. The small point and shoot camera appears simple and easy to operate (important for capturing things on the spur of the moment) and has an amazing array of features for a $300 camera (that I got on special from Amazon for under $200). That $200 also included an array of extra accessories like an external battery charger and a couple extra rechargeable batteries.

But, the proof is in the pudding, er . . . photos. I haven't inaugurated it, yet. But, I shall, very soon and I'll post my findings. BTW, this fits very nicely in one of my travel vest's pockets. 

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