Let's Make Some Art, Dammit

So here's my response to Alan Levine's newest ds106 assignment . I felt honour-bound to go with the first non-translatable word or phrase, whatever it was. It turned out, it wasn't so non-translatable at all - with the right image. Click on the image for the full size version. Here's the assignment as it appeared: What I like about the resulting artwork (if I say so myself) is that it takes the word, associates it with a well-known celebrity, defines the word, and then - with a bit of a sucker punch - suggests that the inattainability is brought to you by the perfume - in turn a bit of a commentary on the Nicole Kidman Chanel ads themselves. And, if nothing else, it's a beautiful solution to Levine's assignment. You might ask, what about the Creative Commons licensing and all that. I think my use of these images falls very much within the bounds of fair dealing - it's a derivative work, it's used for educational purposes, it makes social co

Kouchibouguac Winter Wonderland , originally uploaded by Stephen Downes . Kouchibouguac Winter Wonderland photo set . We went for a walk in the nearby national park and enjoyed a winter wonderland for boxing day. The slide show is recommended.

Photos from ordinary life, December, 2011. I have a bunch of nice descriptions in the original Flickr set , but I don't know how to make them show up in the slide show.

Mapleton Park , originally uploaded by Stephen Downes . It was late afternoon in December, the light was very low, and I went for a walk in Mapleton Park taking pictures. Here's the rest of the set .

Sandesh Pulijala called me this morning and introduced me to his wife and daughter, so I thought I would capture an image. Because of the backlighting, I have brightened the people in the image so you can see their faces.

Maybe NB Worksafe shouldn't be sponsoring riot videos...?

Photos from my visit to Oslo, Norway, the week of November 12-18. I really liked Oslo and met many interesting people there, though I found it extremely expensive and a bit cold and dark. Still, the lighting made for interesting photos, the cold was nothing I wasn't used to, and I found a kabob place that sold a great filled pita that made a meal and a half for 49 Kroner.

Book , originally uploaded by Stephen Downes . So one day I went for a bike ride and took some pictures of Memrambook. I posted them online for all to share, and one day, got an email asking if my photo could be used on a book cover. And - of course it could! The published book, by Fernand Arsenault, arrived today, with my photo on the cover. So cool.

Our local newspaper, ever the paragon of quality, puts the wrong day on today's newspaper. Tuesday November 8, 2011 is labelled, as you can see, as "Wednesday".

Moncton , originally uploaded by Stephen Downes .

This is pretty cool. In April of 2010 I took a quick road trip to the southernmost point in Canada, Point Pelee. It's a rocky and sandy park that juts into Lake Erie. A year and a half later, I get this email: "I'm a trumpeter from St. John's, Newfoundland, and recently I performed a piece by Howard Cable called Point Pelee. I just made a youtube video based on the performance, and since I don't have video, I thought it would be nice to include some photos instead. I searched flickr for creative commons-licensed photos of Point Pelee and I really enjoyed your set, so with proper attribution I have included them in the video." -- Aaron Hodgson Makes my day. :)

An alternative title to this set might be 'taking photos in a constant rain, Bonn, Germany'. I enjoyed the city, though.

Aachen , originally uploaded by Stephen Downes . I'm in Aachen. :)

Covered Bridge , originally uploaded by Stephen Downes . A covered bridge in the mist, first of October, near New Scotland, just north of Moncton, New Brunswick.

Aberdeen Cultural Centre , originally uploaded by Stephen Downes .

Touchdown Atlantic , originally uploaded by Stephen Downes . It was the Hamilton Tiger-Cats against the Calgary Stampeders at Touchdown Atlantic, Moncton's only CFL game of the year. Full set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephen_downes/sets/72157627629040985/

Submitted as part of the Messing with the McGuffin #ds106 assignment. "For this assignment forever change the plot of a movie, tv show, etc. by changing a single line of dialogue." #DesignAssignments #DesignAssignments172

Kouchibouguac National Park , originally uploaded by Stephen Downes . Find the rest of the set here .

Mutant Brown-Eyed Susan , originally uploaded by Stephen Downes . Check out our mutant Brown-eyed Susans, grown in our front yard. These have many layers, unlike the more usual brown-eyed Susans, seen here . And if we can breed them true, we'll call them Andrea's Brown-eyed Susans. Here's another photo .

2011 09 03 - Guadalajara, Mexico , a set on Flickr. The last set of Guadalajara photos, from the city centre (Centro) - http://bit.ly/ob02bm - and slideshow at http://bit.ly/ndHvT5

Tonalá, Mexico , originally uploaded by Stephen Downes . Photos from the arts and crafts factory & markets at Tonala, in Guadalajara, Mexico http://bit.ly/p8945C and slideshow http://bit.ly/pUMKQI

Tlaquepaque, Guadalajara, Mexico , originally uploaded by Stephen Downes . Photos from Tlaquepaque, a historic region of Guadalajara, Mexico http://bit.ly/oQVKa2 and as usual, slides http://bit.ly/qz9RVk

2011 09 03 - Tequila, Mexico , a set on Flickr.