The end?

I have decided to put 'A Different Corner' on hold for the foreseeable future. I'm not a natural blogger and haven't really found a coherent modus operandi in this format. So I'll stick to the website where I have more control over layout. Perhaps one day I'll begin again, but until then...

52 Weeks to Make the World a Better Place: Week 8 - Don't just walk on by

It's so easy to do: I've been guilty of this many times myself. When you see someone in the street with a petition to sign or asking for a charitable donation, take a moment to assess exactly where they're at (preferably without being ensnared!) If it's something you agree with, is it really so much effort to spend a minute signing up? Will a couple of quid (or local currency!) really break the bank? The people fronting the thing are volunteers who believe sufficiently to spend a couple of hours or a whole day of their lives - match their commitment with a little of your own!

Latest fractal: Creep

My entry for the Apophysis weekly theme - "black and white images".

An abstract piece, border/title by the GIMP.

52 Weeks to Make the World a Better Place: Week 7 - Use rechargeable batteries where feasible

Batteries are terrible things with respect to disposal and long-term environmental damage. Pretty much all applications requiring batteries can make use of the rechargeable variety. OK, they're expensive and you have to buy a charger, but just do a bit of pricing: how many uses will pay for for the extra cost? 5? 10? 20? (depends on the mAh) The NiMH types (most environmentally-friendly and powerful) claim up to 1000 charges! So they'll save you loads of money long-term as well as reducing environmental damage.

A word of caution, though - always buy the recommended charger with branded batteries!

52 Weeks to Make the World a Better Place: Week 6 - Perform a random act of kindness

A change: I lifted the following from a friend's journal entry at deviantART:

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A story..........
a man was on a beach and in the distance he sees a another man doing something. As he gets closer he sees that the man is throwing something into the sea.
When he gets closer he asks the man " what are you doing?" the man points out thousands of starfish on the beach. " do you see these starfish? if they remain on the beach then they will die"
The first man then says "but there are so many, how can you make a difference?"
The second man picks up a starfish and flings it into the sea and says " I made a difference to that one"

A random act of kindness, no matter how small can make a difference. Be a starfish thrower.

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Needs no further comment...

Going Underground

Being keen on both maps and London, I was delighted to find this reworking of Simon Patterson's 'The Great Bear', Harry Beck's iconic Tube map used to chart various musical styles prevalent over the last century. Of course there are loads of omissions - it's not intended to be taken too seriously. The comments on the original blog entry demonstrate that there are still plenty of first-rate idiots out there. Class!

See/download the whole map here.

Latest fractal: Early one morning

I vacillate between seeing this as a derelict docklands warehouse structure and a tropical jungle. But the light is most certainly of the early portion of the day: I rather fancy a term used by John Foxx in the song 'Touch and go' (from waaay back in the late '70s) - "shatter light".

Heavy use of my beloved 'fan' variation in Apophysis.

52 Weeks to Make the World a Better Place: Week 5 - Get creative!

Most people have some preferred activities/hobbies that occupy their spare time, but what proportion of these are actually creative? Some activities cannot be creative (watching sport), others may be creative (DIY, photography) and some must be (anything artsy/crafty). It's the creative activities that foster a more complete engagement with life and that may help to bring about an enhanced sense of wellbeing. And of course, what's good for the individual is good for those around them, and thus spread the ripples...