Sips from the Firehose
A blog that seeks to filter the internet into a refreshing, easily-gulped beverage
Jun 18
Posted: under Uncategorized.
Helping Hand, originally uploaded by Wordyeti. This is the latest from my class of regional journalists in Tbilisi, Georgia. Of course, shortly after this picture was taken, Premiere Elements 8 crashed – yet again. Man, if I had known that Adobe had really neglected this product so much, I never would have touted it as [...] [...more]
This is the latest from my class of regional journalists in Tbilisi, Georgia. Of course, shortly after this picture was taken, Premiere Elements 8 crashed – yet again. Man, if I had known that Adobe had really neglected this product so much, I never would have touted it as a solution for video-editing here. It seemed like a good choice – usually the Elements line of products is good for developing countries, since they are cheaper, easier to use, and light enough in their system requirements that these poor guys don’t have to toss two years salary for the latest multimedia powerhouse computer just to run the software.
Not this time. Boo! Premiere Elements just crashed again! I’ve been forced to download a trial version of Sony Vegas Video. We’ll see how that turns out…
Jun 17
Posted: under Uncategorized.
Stalin’s Uniform, originally uploaded by Wordyeti. Man, this was tempting. A true WWII relic; this jolly guy spoke pretty good English and kept trying to get me to buy the Medal of Meritorious Motherhood, given to a sturdy Georgian woman who had produced 18 (eighteen) children. In service to the glorious state, of course. It [...] [...more]
Man, this was tempting. A true WWII relic; this jolly guy spoke pretty good English and kept trying to get me to buy the Medal of Meritorious Motherhood, given to a sturdy Georgian woman who had produced 18 (eighteen) children. In service to the glorious state, of course.
It was about 100 degrees in the shade here, but the old ladies sitting and arguing next to their blankets coated with tattered junk didn’t seem to feel a think. The area next to this is called “Dry Bridge.” It’s kinda near the odd brick domes that are the Turkish Baths here … which is where Tbilisi gets its name.
Apparently, back in the 2nd century, one of the Great Kings was hunting in these here parts with his pet eagle, and the raptor knocked another bird (allegedly a pheasant) out of the air and into one of the bubbling pools of water. Which, as any good farm kid knows, makes it dead easy to strip all the feathers off — a feature of the area that made it seem quite handy to that king of yore, who decided this was just the kind of place to build a little hunting chalet. Which became a mansion. And then a castle.
The feelings of the locals here towards their Soviet past are decidedly mixed. There’s still some pride and recognition of winning WWII, and there’s even the village where Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili (aka Stalin) was born, that stubbornly maintains a statue of bloody Uncle Joe. But by and large, the stirring bear to the north has made people hereabouts feel as nervous as a sociology professor who has errantly wandered into a Tea Party rally.
Jun 16
Posted: under Uncategorized.
Flip Cameras, originally uploaded by Wordyeti. My students from the small towns sprinkled around Georgia were initially a little reticent and puzzled at the prospect of adding video to their skillsets. These little Flip cameras are about the simplest possible devices I know of for creating surprisingly decent online video. Already, they’ve learned some of [...] [...more]
My students from the small towns sprinkled around Georgia were initially a little reticent and puzzled at the prospect of adding video to their skillsets.
These little Flip cameras are about the simplest possible devices I know of for creating surprisingly decent online video. Already, they’ve learned some of the differences between print and video – mainly, that to do a video story you actually need someone looking into the camera and talking to you. And that is not as easy as it sounds … particularly when you take on an edgy project, like the one Team #3 did. They wanted to do a report on all the idle layabouts that line up for free beer from the beer factories, and then lie down on the river banks, arguing about soccer.
Jun 16
Posted: under Travel.
Tags: panorama, photo, sunset, Tbilisi
This image is meant to be seen large; the storm that rolled in last night was spectacular, and made the sunset look gorgeous. The building on the right with the star on top looks like an imitation of the “Seven Sisters,” giant edifices on the banks of the river winding through Moscow. They are also [...] [...more]
This image is meant to be seen large; the storm that rolled in last night was spectacular, and made the sunset look gorgeous.
The building on the right with the star on top looks like an imitation of the “Seven Sisters,” giant edifices on the banks of the river winding through Moscow. They are also called “The Wedding Cakes” because they have that multi-layered and slathered in meringue look.
When I first arrived, I thought the big tower on tope of the hill on the left was some kind of a tourist attraction. Turns out it’s just a TV antenna… not sure what the big spoked wheel next to it is all about, though.
Jun 09
Posted: under Uncategorized.
Abandoned Lab, originally uploaded by Wordyeti. The Resonance Newspaper here in Tbilisi once had its door nailed/welded shut by the government to try to put them out of business. Apparently, they just crawled thru the windows. Now they’re located in this building – formerly the site of a bioweapons lab. I’m guessing nobody really wants [...] [...more]
The Resonance Newspaper here in Tbilisi once had its door nailed/welded shut by the government to try to put them out of business. Apparently, they just crawled thru the windows. Now they’re located in this building – formerly the site of a bioweapons lab. I’m guessing nobody really wants to kick down the door now.
To the left of this shot is the office cat/mascot, a friendly little yellow cat named Anthrax (I think – they could have just been messing with me). The staff here was smart & eager to learn; I felt bad when the power went out as I was wrapping up. As Eliso Chapidze, the intrepid investigative reporter groused, “How can we do all the internet stuff you taught us when we have no electricity?”
Jun 07
Posted: under Uncategorized.
This is a test of Google Wave for the Green Wave radio station. [...more]
This is a test of Google Wave for the Green Wave radio station.
Jun 06
Posted: under Uncategorized.
Citadel on the Hill, originally uploaded by Wordyeti. It was 105 degrees today, a reminder that I am in the quote-unquote Middle East (a little north of it, actually), where this time of year, the sun is beating down like a hammer. So I didn’t get out to take my customary stroll to acquaint myself [...] [...more]
It was 105 degrees today, a reminder that I am in the quote-unquote Middle East (a little north of it, actually), where this time of year, the sun is beating down like a hammer. So I didn’t get out to take my customary stroll to acquaint myself with the local architecture, street signs or quirks here in Tbilisi. However, I did have an excellent lunch of walnut-based salads & other local delicacies, and from that restaurant, I just had to take a picture of this old fortress, built into the side of the steep hills in this long, narrow river valley.
This city is a study in contrasts – between the reminders of all the waves of history that have washed over this area, and the glass/steel structures of ultramodern hope for the future.
One thing I did note: I have seen no signs whatsoever of the former Soviet Union. Not even the torn-off stumps and twisted, rusted steel bolts that I saw in Moscow, Kiev and Astana, where the old Lenin/Marx/Stalin statues used to stand. Not even the chiseled-out and defaced hammer&sickle insignias in the walls.
Someone went to a great deal of effort to remove even the remnants of the Soviet era here.
UPDATE: I found this explanation of the Narikala Fortress on the local English-language news site The Messenger. Excerpt below:
The fortress was established in the 4th century as Shuris-tsikhe (i.e., “Invidious Fort”). It was considerably expanded by the Umayyads in the 7th century and later by King David the Builder (1089-1125). The Mongols renamed it “Narin Qala” (i.e., “Little Fortress”). Most of the extant fortifications date from the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1827, parts of the fortress were damaged by an earthquake and were subsequently demolished.
The ruins of the ancient boundary wall of the mother castle of Narikala still stand on the western ridge of Sololaki (in the Old Tbilisi district). The name Narikala first appeared in the 18th century, until then it was called simply Kala. In the 6th century King Dachi, son of legendary Georgian king Vakhtang Gorgasali, strengthened and widened the old castle on the site and the Kala castle thus became the most important defensive castle and royal residence in newly-founded Tbilisi. The citadel has several times been stormed by foreign invaders and many times restored by Georgians when they regained it.
Jun 01
Posted: under Uncategorized.
This is just a test to see if videos embedded using the direct-play method function in a WordPress blog. Golden Gate Bridge – Night and Day Crossing [...more]
This is just a test to see if videos embedded using the direct-play method function in a WordPress blog.
Golden Gate Bridge – Night and Day Crossing
