May Miscellany

A few miscellaneous photos and finds from the past week.

First, another mis-seeing on the street:


Imagine you're seeing this home security sign from down the street, maybe 200 feet away. It's not as clear as it is here. Do you see the Hitler-head house the way I do? I was soooo tempted to draw a little mustache on it.


This old, faded lettering appears on the stairway to the second floor inside the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand. During the Fair, the building is full of 10- and 20-foot booths with small and large businesses hawking their wares.

But back when it was new, the upstairs held the "varied industries exhibit." I can't imagine anyone using language like that these days to entice the public to come and see something. It's quaint and a little sad, left to fade away on the stairs above the bustling room.


I'm in the middle of reading Secrets from the Eating Lab by a University of Minnesota psych professor, summarizing her years of research on the psychology of eating. (The upshot: you can't control your weight much, willpower is a myth, and the best you can do is aim for the healthy/lower end of your natural weight range, mostly by not having weight-inducing foods around.)

But the reason I'm including the cover today is because it's such a good example of an unsuccessful photo. I think the concept is good, and the color got my attention, but I had no idea that was a lab beaker until about 10 days after I started reading the book.

Using white ice cream against a white background with a clear glass container called for something more -- better lighting, probably.


From last weekend's newspaper... I wonder if a vast number of pro-lifers will come out for limiting carbon now?