Ecuador, Galapagos

Back in Time

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Our first full day in the Galapagos Islands commenced with a walk across an expanse of hardened lava ~115 years old on Santiago Island’s eastern shore.  Although it’s hard to imagine, this is how the islands started in this archipelago.  Every view offered artistic swirls, designs, and shapes; kind of like being in a nature art gallery. Some parts were shiny and smooth like glass.

An expanse of hardened black lava. It was like walking across natural sculptures, different patterns and artistic swirls in every direction.

An expanse of hardened black lava. It was like walking across natural sculptures, different patterns and artistic swirls in every direction.

Initially it appeared barren and lifeless, but after a while we started to notice the first hints of life.  Pioneer plants squeaked through the cracks, mainly cactus and some kind of grass.  We spotted our first Lava Lizard, also an early life form for this terrain.

We returned to the boat and suited up for our first snorkeling excursion. It was great to cool off after standing around on all the hot, black lava. We were greeted by a frisky sea lion that wanted to play, lots of beautiful fish and interesting underwater formations.

In the afternoon we cruised around Bartolome Island in the pangas to see the wildlife.  We spotted our first Blue-footed Booby and two Galapagos Penguins.  One posed on the rocks sunning himself as we all clamored to take pictures.

Our first Galapagos Penguin sighting. This is a mature adult, enjoying the sun as we all scrambled like crazy in the pangas to take pictures. My brother actually took this one.

Our first Galapagos Penguin sighting. This is a mature adult, enjoying the sun as we all scrambled like crazy in the pangas to take pictures. My brother actually took this one.

A short distance away we spotted a juvenile penguin perched on a rock. He got hot while we were there and jumped into the ocean for a swim.  We passed another beach used by sea turtles for nesting with the telltale tracks of their flippers, kind of like a sand dune buggy, across the sand.

The telltale marks of the sea turtle nesting sites. We were advised not to walk anywhere near them because the eggs can be crushed.

The telltale marks of the sea turtle nesting sites. We were advised not to walk anywhere near them because the eggs can be crushed.

After the cruise, we landed on terrain that differed drastically from the morning’s lava field.  It was like travelling from the moon to mars.  Expanses of reddish-colored rock spread out in every direction. It looked almost as desolate as the morning landscape, but this formation was older and evidence of life was everywhere.  We saw more cacti, Lava Lizards, Galapagos Painted Locusts, and some other pioneer plants dotted across the landscape. And of course the amazing views.

Expanses of reddish colored soil and scrubby plants extended in every direction. We climbed over 300 stairs to reach the viewpoint at the top.

Expanses of reddish colored soil and scrubby plants extended in every direction. We climbed over 300 stairs to reach the viewpoint at the top.

We left the island just as the mosquitos came out and returned to the boat to get ready for an overnight voyage to Genovese Island, home of the Red-footed Boobies.

Digital Dilemma

Creepy Connections

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For several weeks I kept seeing this woman’s profile appearing as a suggested connection on LinkedIn.  Her face seemed familiar to me and I felt certain I did know her, but how? We didn’t have anything in common, including connections, employment, or schools, etc. And we’d never lived in any of the same places, so why did she keep appearing?  What was the connection?

One day I realized we had both been on a week long kayaking trip in 2012! On the trip we used nicknames so we didn’t know anybody’s real name until the last day.  This was why her face, but not her name, looked familiar.  After the trip, we emailed a couple of times, but other than that there was no contact.  No links on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media.  Almost all of the communication happened in 2012 or 2013, so what is LinkedIn’s suggestion based on?  What dots are being connected?

I just finished reading Technocreep: The Surrender of Privacy and the Capitalization of Intimacy by Thomas P. Keenan.  Each chapter covers some form of technology and how it is used, or could be used, in a creepy way.  For example one chapter discusses the abundant use of surveillance cameras, and how these cameras, combined with facial recognition software, could create creepy scenarios by offering new ways to track and identify people for targeted advertising and profiling.  One chapter discusses the use of implanted medical devices, such as pace makers or insulin pumps, and points out how easy it is to hack and manipulate these devices.

Reading this book reawakened my awareness and unease with many of things that just seem to happen on my laptop or devices.  It was the kind of thing I used to be hyperaware about, and then kind of stopped noticing because it was happening all the time, like the kayak-trip LinkedIn connection. Or when I search for flights, travel advertisements start appearing in the sidebars of my email and webpages.

Sometimes the links seem somewhat explainable and I can understand how they happen, but I do start to wonder about the connections happening behind the scenes between my devices and laptop that I’m not aware of.  How are these connections happening?  What are the implications?  Will we have to wait to find out?  Will it be too late by then?

Digital Dilemma, Digital Photos

Digital Disposable Cameras

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Every once in a while I see a new app that really makes me wonder about a lot of things. Recently I read about a disposable camera app by Photojojo for your smartphone. The app allows you take 27 exposures and submit them for printing, all without seeing any of the images.  Then you have to *gasp* wait ~10 days to receive the hardcopy printed images.  The app is free, but you have to pre-pay $12.99 for printing and delivery.

The advertisements appeal to our sense of nostalgia for the good old days when we took our time to take an exposure and then had to wait and see how the pictures turned out.  I suppose the element of surprise and anticipation is mixed in too.  Here’s where I really start to wonder: Does anybody miss waiting for pictures to get developed?  I thought people enjoyed the instant gratification of seeing the picture right away.  Additionally this is useful to ensure you captured the photo you need.  And people who care about taking time to take a picture will do that regardless of a disposable app.

As a child my parents always restricted the number of pictures we could take on vacation, mostly because of the cost.  I was excited about digital cameras because all of a sudden I could take as many pictures as I wanted.  I certainly wouldn’t appreciate using a digital app that limited my picture taking.  Definitely not something I ever feel nostalgic for.

Some of the promotions also push DIY projects you can do with the printed images.  I’d just like to mention that I’ve seen my fair share of physical photo chaos and disorganization.  Who doesn’t have a shoebox, drawer, bag, box, etc. of old printed photos still in the original envelope from the store with all the negatives?  I sincerely doubt the novelty of receiving printed photos from a disposable digital app is going to motivate people to get creative with their photos, or to start organizing them properly.  And if you did want to get creative with printed images, wouldn’t you want to pick and choose which ones are worth the money to print?

As I mentioned in an earlier blog on Digital Scrapbooking, numerous apps are available for DIY digital photo projects.  Other than marketing to nostalgic hipsters, I’m not really sure why this app would be appealing.

Digital Dilemma, Digital Photos

Digital Photos: Synchronization

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Now that so many devices come equipped with cameras, it’s easy to capture moments anytime, anywhere.  However, the ease with which we can now take photos creates some new challenges:

  • Volume – time consuming to sort and organize photos/videos. (posted previously)
  • Synchronizing – being able to access all the photos in one place, or from multiple devices.

Synchronizing photos can be complicated and depends on a number of factors.  This posting focuses on using My Photo Stream to sync photos between Apple products using “Camera Roll” and “My Photo Stream.”  Apple recently introduced another way to sync but it’s still in Beta so I’ll figure it out later.

I should also note that the following described here only works when you are hooked up to wi-fi all the time.

The main players:

  • Camera Roll is unique to your device (iPad or iPhone) and can be organized into Albums.
  • My Photo Stream* is in the iCloud and contains the last 1000 photos you took for 30-days so you can “sync” them (aka download) to another device and/or computer.  Must have wi-fi to upload. This is NOT back up for your photos.
  • iPhoto is photo storage on the computer.

When My Photo Stream is activated and you have a wi-fi connection, photos taken with an iPad/iPhone are automatically saved in the Camera Roll and My Photo Stream.  From iPhoto the My Photo Stream photos can be manually or automatically imported.

Flowchart of how to synchronize between Camera Roll and iPhoto by using My Photo Stream.

Flowchart of how to synchronize between Camera Roll and iPhoto by using My Photo Stream.

Synching from iPhoto to Camera Roll is pretty similar.  While in iPhoto, drag photos from Events or Photos to My Photo Stream in your Shared iCloud.  Now the photos will show up in the My Photo Stream on the device.  At this point, you must select the photo and add it to an Album within 30 days to keep it on the device.  No option to add it to Camera Roll directly.

As The Deletist, I also experimented with deleting photos.  Please note: this table is only accurate when you’re hooked up to wi-fi all the time.

iPhoto, My Photo Stream, Camera Roll - what gets deleted where.

iPhoto, My Photo Stream, Camera Roll – what gets deleted where.

*In order to use My Photo Stream, you will need to:

Stay tuned for my next posting documenting my actual experiences using My Photo Stream to sync photos between my iPad and MacBook.

Ecuador, Galapagos

Destination: Galapagos Islands

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We left Quito early in the morning and headed for the airport. Several hours later we landed in the Galapagos Islands on Baltra Island, which I found out later used to be a US Military Base. Who knew? Although I had spent some time researching the islands before the trip, I wasn’t prepared for the first sites of arid, dry land and cacti right outside of the airport.  Dry, dusty, and barren looking. This was the famed Galapagos Islands?

The scene directly outside the airport.

The scene directly outside the airport.

My impressions quickly changed by the time we reached the port. We were instantly greeted by a pelican swooping low to check us out. I could’ve almost touched him. In the water two sea lions kissed and frolicked. The water sparkled and gleamed a dozen different shades of blue and green.

We loaded up into a couple of pangas (zodiacs) and headed to the boat that would become our home for the next 7 days.  While we were eating lunch, the boat cruised over to Santa Cruz Island in preparation of our first excursion and a quick swim.

After lunch we loaded up in the pangas and headed to the shore for some sight seeing.  We had a wet landing and immediately saw Sally Lightfoot crabs and a marine iguana, both endemic species on the Galapagos Islands. Close by was a sea turtle nesting site where we could see the tracks left by these magnificent animals coming up on the shore to lay and bury their eggs.

A Marine Iguana and Sally Lightfoot crabs. It was one of our first animal sightings so we all crowded around the poor iguana for pictures, but we ended up seeing hundreds of them throughout our stay.

A Marine Iguana and Sally Lightfoot crabs. It was one of our first animal sightings so we all crowded around the poor iguana for pictures, but we ended up seeing hundreds of them throughout our stay.

Beyond the beach was a small brackish lagoon with two pink flamingos peacefully eating their dinner in the warm, golden rays of sunshine. A variety of trees and plants lined the edge of the lagoon, many of which sported dry, spindly branches. It was the start of the rainy season and by April everything would be green and lush again.

Flamingos dining in a brackish lagoon.

Flamingos dining in a brackish lagoon.

Then I went for my first swim in the warm, salty water. Someone told me a pelican flew right over me, checking me out. I didn’t notice this time, but pretty much every time I was in the water swimming or snorkeling, a pelican would cruise over to investigate before scooting off to do something better with her time. The swim was short, but therapeutic. I returned to the boat refreshed and ready for the next day’s adventure where we traveled back in time.

The route we took through the islands, numbered sequentially in the order in which we visited the spots.

The route we took through the islands, numbered sequentially in the order in which we visited the spots.

Digital Dilemma, Social Media

Burnbook

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Burnbook is one of many new apps that allows people to anonymously post comments or pictures.  I blogged about similar apps, Secrets and Whispers, last year.  The difference with Burnbook is that it is restricted geographically to a local area determined by your GPS location.

What I find strange about Burnbook (and also Secrets, Whispers, and Yik-yak) is that all these apps are trying to build networks and communities with anonymous interactions.  What’s the point?  While researching Burnbook, I was mystified to discover that CEO/founder, Jonathan Lucas, developed the app in part because his sister had been bullied in school and he didn’t want people to feel the way she had.  “I wanted to create a place where people could feel safe being anonymous, but not having to worry about being harassed by others,” Lucas said.

After reading a couple articles about cyberbullying and threats happening on Burnbook, I went straight to the source.  I watched Mean Girls, a 2004 movie showing the inner workings of a popular high school girls’ clique, nicknamed “The Plastics.”  They keep a Burn Book, a handmade scrapbook with pictures of people they don’t like with a mean caption.  It’s 2004 so the Burn Book is paper.

The climax happens when one of The Plastics, feeling shunned by the others, decides to expose the Burn Book by giving it to the principal and by photocopying the pages and littering them around school grounds where others will find them.  What results is something close to mass hysteria and lots of hurt feelings.

If Lucas really wants a place where people could feel safe by being anonymous, why would he name the app after something that is associated, at least in the movie, with bullying, cruelty, and being mean?

No doubt everybody will be looking for somebody to blame about all the cyberbullying and threats that have been posted through Burnbook.  Who is ultimately responsible for people using these apps in what might be considered inappropriate ways?  Parents of children?  Creators of apps?  The kids themselves? The app is for 17+, but is obviously used by children under 17.

Additionally, some forums just don’t translate well into the digital realm.  The damage caused in the movie by spreading around photocopies of the Burn Book was likely short lived and easy to remove all traces.  It’s not so easy to get rid of things, even anonymously posted comments, when they’re done digitally.