show me the monet

Normally, I like my images to be as realistic as possible. Today instead, let's have a little fun playing with post-editing software.

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The above image was a throwaway. It was an experiment with a sunset and remote flash, but the set all turned out too dark. Since I couldn't destroy it any more than it already was, I generously boosted the fill light and added two or three doses of film grain. An impressionable coworker said it was reminiscent of Monet. :-)

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As a bonus, this shot of a 25-foot tall orange Dino Chomper balloon was retouched to remove the guy-lines. Though I couldn't get the angle I wanted with just the right clouds in the background... still, I like it for it's utter simplicity.

Palin-tology

Does Matt Damon really think Governor Palin's (United States Vice Presidential nominee) views concerning dinosaurs will be a problem “because she's going to have the nuclear codes?”

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I'm tempted to say that he should stick to acting, but I won't, because by that same token, I should stick to... whatever it is that I do. He is entitled to his own opinion. But I honestly wish there were something I could do to change his mind. I still appreciate his acting skill and enjoy his movies.

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May I clear something up about “creationists?” First, they are not all the same. Some are pacifists, and some are aggressive. Some believe in a literal 6-day creation, and some believe in another interpretation that is less literal. I'll say up front that I take the account literally and believe creation is thousands, not millions or billions of years old.

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Why would any semi-rational person believe in a literal 6-day creation? Is it because they listen to everything that comes from a particular pulpit without questioning? Believe me, pastors get lots of criticism from their parishioners and just because they say something, doesn't mean that the folks in the pews will blindly follow. Please give us credit for being just a little more discerning.

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And me, am I a creationist because that is how I learned the story of beginnings? Nope. I was brought up to believe the Big Bang and Darwinian Evolution. After coming to faith in Jesus, I eventually swung over to the camp of Theistic Evolution before finally shaking off the missing links for a plain understanding of the Genesis account.

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Is it bad science? Well, that depends on how you measure good or bad science. If good science is agreeing with the status quo, then I choose to be bad. It matters more to me to know what is real. What actually happened? It matters NOT whether the truth is universally agreed upon, or understood. If it really happened a certain way, then it did. This is not a survey where the most common or pleasant answers wins, we are looking for historical fact.

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Can I tell you what I think? Well, I'm gonna, anyway. God created the universe and loves people who are not worthy of Him. Evolutionary theories were created by people who have a problem with God. Darwinians believe in the incredibly hostile idea of survival of the fittest. Christian creationists believe that God created the world, and we are supposed to take care of it, and tell God's story until he comes back. Really now, who is more dangerous with nuclear codes?!

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(Normally I avoid political commentary, but this was not about one party or the other, it was whether a biblical creationist could hold a high office.)