Wednesday, September 28, 2011

08.02 Anao-ji 穴太寺

08.02Anaoji-1 by sleepytako
08.02Anaoji-1, a photo by sleepytako on Flickr.
Mama washing Mia's hands before going to the temple to pray. 
Anao-ji temple, Kameoka city, Kyoto Pref.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Looking Back #4 Estate - Lincon, Montana

12.14estate-montana-1 by sleepytako
12.14estate-montana-1, a photo by sleepytako on Flickr.
I lived in Montana for 6 months or so with my old film camera, a laptop, a shortwave radio and my green Dodge Dakota. Took some classes at the University of Montana. Learned how to drive in the snow. Learned that it's cold up there. Moved to Tucson.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Symbols for Large and Small

08.29LAToliet-1 by sleepytako
A toilet in the LAX Marriott - August, 2011


Most Japanese toilets have a two way flushing mechanism allowing the user to choose between large, marked with the kanji , or small, marked with .  It seemed natural. It’s a great way to save water and money. Why hadn’t these toilets been introduced in Tucson or Los Angeles where water is scarce? A definite problem would be what symbols to use for and .

My problem, as the solution in the photo shows, was that I was trying to do a direct translation of to large and to small. I failed to consider the mechanics of the device itself. Large would flush the entire tank while small would flush, more or less, half.

For more about human/landscape/object relations see: Future Perfect.

Sunday, September 11, 2011