Thomas Locke Hobbs

Currently near San Francisco

 

Modernist Ziggurats

There's a certain kind of building around downtown and midtown. They were built between the mid-1950s and 1961 and are basically filler buildings. I call them Modernist Ziggurats. Their set-back form is dictated by the zoning regulations in place between 1916 and 1961 but their facades are influenced by the International Style, making them kind of bastard children of New York, high rise architecture. Some Links: - Equitable Building [as seen from the World Trade Center], the 1914 building that prompted the original zoning regulations which said that office towers had to have set-backs and lead to the distinctive ziggurat look of pre-war buildings in Manhattan. - Metropolis of Tomorrow, the book by Hugh Ferriss with lots of brooking, gotham-like sketches of ziggurat buildings. Published in the mid 1920s. - Seagram Building, the Modernist classic by Mies van der Rohe and influential in having the zoning regulations change to encourage open plazas in exchange for higher floors.

 
Friday, May 21, 2004

 

Albino Vampire

I picked up an Infrared Filter for my Canon Digital Rebel to try out Infrared Photography. This is an opaque filter that only lets in IR-rays. If you use it on landscapes, the sky is black and foliage is white. Kodak makes special IR-sensitive film which is expensive and has to be opened in a darkroom. With digital it's easy, you just screw on the filter and play with exposure times until you get it right [the above picture is 3 seconds, f2, 400ASA]. I read on this page of Digital Photography Hacks, [more hacks] that taking portraits in IR can remove skin blemishes and give a soft, glowing look to the subject's face. This page did not say that my eyes would be pale blue [they're really dark brown], my eyebrows would be white and I would look like some freakish albino vampire.

 
Wednesday, May 19, 2004

 

The Trachtenberg Family

Friday I saw the Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players with my friend Aaron. From their website, they are, "an indie-vaudeville conceptual art-rock pop band that takes vintage slide collections that have been found at estate sales,garage sales,thrift stores,etc., and turn the lives of annonymous strangers into pop-rock musical exposes based on the contents of these slide collections." The Show was at Northsix in Williamsburg.

I'm so glad I don't live in Williamsburg anymore.

 
Tuesday, May 18, 2004

 

Postwar

Thursday afternoonw as so nice I decided to walk the 50 blocks home along 3rd Avenue. I was able to look at some of Manhattan's finest, post-war, residential architecture. Someday, perhaps, white-glazed brick apartment buildings may be as beloved as Cast Iron Lofts.

 
Monday, May 17, 2004

For more about me, please go visit my old geocities page.

Friends Luc Garcia, Bryan Chin, Vagner Cardoso, Aaron Holsberg, Jesse on the Brink, Overheard in NY, nblinks. Other blogs I like World Hum, Ted Gideonse, Subway Moblog, Philip Greenspun, Marginal Revolution, Made in Brazil, Joel on Sofware, Gothamist, GoodAirs, Gizmodo, Felix Salmon, Frank Malafronte, Cool Tools, CityRag, Brad DeLong, Beautiful Horizons, Bloggy, Amy Langfield, more. Blog Highlights Portraits [2004, 2005, 2006], Portugal, Sao Paulo Gay Pride, Sao Paulo Skyline, More Sao Paulo [1, 2, 3, 4], Buenos Aires [1, 2, 3], Mexico City, Curitiba, The Gates, Paris, Morocco [1, 2, 3, 4], NYC Gay Pride [2006, 2007], My Flickr Stream. Archives 15.06.03, 22.06.03, 29.06.03, 13.07.03, 20.07.03, 27.07.03, 03.08.03, 10.08.03, 17.08.03, 24.08.03, 31.08.03, 07.09.03, 14.09.03, 21.09.03, 28.09.03, 05.10.03, 12.10.03, 19.10.03, 02.11.03, 09.11.03, 16.11.03, 23.11.03, 30.11.03, 07.12.03, 14.12.03, 21.12.03, 28.12.03, 04.01.04, 11.01.04, 18.01.04, 25.01.04, 01.02.04, 08.02.04, 15.02.04, 22.02.04, 29.02.04, 07.03.04, 14.03.04, 21.03.04, 28.03.04, 11.04.04, 18.04.04, 25.04.04, 02.05.04, 09.05.04, 16.05.04, 23.05.04, 30.05.04, 06.06.04, 13.06.04, 20.06.04, 27.06.04, 04.07.04, 11.07.04, 18.07.04, 25.07.04, 01.08.04, 08.08.04, 15.08.04, 22.08.04, 29.08.04, 05.09.04, 12.09.04, 19.09.04, 26.09.04, 03.10.04, 10.10.04, 17.10.04, 24.10.04, 31.10.04, 07.11.04, 14.11.04, 21.11.04, 28.11.04, 05.12.04, 12.12.04, 19.12.04, 26.12.04, 02.01.05, 09.01.05, 16.01.05, 23.01.05, 30.01.05, 06.02.05, 13.02.05, 20.02.05, 27.02.05, 06.03.05, 13.03.05, 20.03.05, 27.03.05, 03.04.05, 10.04.05, 17.04.05, 24.04.05, 01.05.05, 08.05.05, 15.05.05, 22.05.05, 29.05.05, 05.06.05, 12.06.05, 19.06.05, 26.06.05, 03.07.05, 10.07.05, 17.07.05, 24.07.05, 31.07.05, 07.08.05, 14.08.05, 21.08.05, 28.08.05, 04.09.05, 11.09.05, 18.09.05, 25.09.05, 02.10.05, 09.10.05, 16.10.05, 23.10.05, 30.10.05, 06.11.05, 13.11.05, 20.11.05, 27.11.05, 04.12.05, 11.12.05, 18.12.05, 25.12.05, 01.01.06, 08.01.06, 15.01.06, 22.01.06, 29.01.06, 05.02.06, 12.02.06, 19.02.06, 26.02.06, 05.03.06, 12.03.06, 19.03.06, 26.03.06, 02.04.06, 09.04.06, 16.04.06, 23.04.06, 30.04.06, 07.05.06, 14.05.06, 21.05.06, 28.05.06, 04.06.06, 11.06.06, 18.06.06, 25.06.06, 02.07.06, 09.07.06, 16.07.06, 23.07.06, 30.07.06, 06.08.06, 13.08.06, 20.08.06, 27.08.06, 03.09.06, 10.09.06, 17.09.06, 24.09.06, 01.10.06, 08.10.06, 15.10.06, 22.10.06, 29.10.06, 05.11.06, 12.11.06, 19.11.06, 26.11.06, 03.12.06, 10.12.06, 17.12.06, 24.12.06, 31.12.06, 07.01.07, 14.01.07, 21.01.07, 28.01.07, 04.02.07, 11.02.07, 18.02.07, 25.02.07, 04.03.07, 11.03.07, 18.03.07, 25.03.07, 01.04.07, 08.04.07, 15.04.07, 22.04.07, 29.04.07, 06.05.07, 13.05.07, 20.05.07, 27.05.07, 03.06.07, 10.06.07, 17.06.07, 24.06.07, 01.07.07, 08.07.07, 15.07.07, 22.07.07, 29.07.07, 05.08.07, 19.08.07, 26.08.07, RSS Feed (let me know if it doesn't work) Contact thomas_hobbs at yahoo dot com does spelling it out really prevent spam?