Friday - 20080314-0330 - Rain - Man Crossing Brooklyn Bridge; Deadly Photos and Planned Parenthood; Greg Louganis; What are web users seeking when they arrive at this site

Rain - Man Crossing Brooklyn Bridge Larger Image

Greg Louganis Larger Image

An undated photo of an unknown man by an unknown photographer struggling to cross the Brooklyn Bridge. It's usually forgotten that the bridge carries foot traffic across the East River. It has become one of the iconic images of New York. Hart Crane in To Brooklyn Bridge proclaims its significance with the words, "O harp and altar, of the fury fused..."

The man's long quick stride and closely-held flattened umbrella suggest a snarling rain that's unhappy with the presence of mere mortals in its midst. You can almost see the warp of the boarded walk. The only meaning I can attach to the median stripe is to establish traffic lanes: inward, to the left; outward, right: an oddity for a pedestrian walkway.

The photo is from SmugMug, another vast repository of virtual images. Alas, it appears that anyone with a camera can post an image. Oh, gawd, there are even photos with red-eye effect that make even the most timid soul appear venomous. .After about 20 minutes of browsing I've concluded that just as some people should not have children, some people should not own cameras. And what is this with drunken people with beer bottles. Is it really necessary in such cases to take as many idiotic photos of such idiotic behaviour as possible! "Oh,dude! I was so wasted!" Aggggghhhhhhhhh! I shall immediately start donating to planned parenthood groups.

The magnificence of the male form as embodied in Greg Louganis. "Greg is widely regarded as the greatest competitive diver of all time – his diving demonstrated an elegance, grace, fluidity and consistency that has never been matched."

I've frequently wonder how people like divers or gymnast, arguably the two most kinesthetic of physical endeavours, can do what they do. It is impossible for me to imagine the control of muscles needed. I'm certain that at some point it passes from direction action by the brain into muscle memory. But to be able to achieve something such as a "reverse 2½ somersault pike" is beyond my comprehension. So I marvel at the ability of those who can. Not just the physical prowess but the determination, intellect and vast courage required.

I'm not an expert on diving, but I could sense the fluidity in whatever Greg tried. A fluidity that no one else had. And in the process of watching, I learned that a great dive can be determined by the splash as the diver hits the water. With most, it was a cascade that might last moments; with Greg, it was a sprinkle of a few seconds. As though a hole in the water opened, and he propelled his body through.

I thought this was a Herb Ritts or Bruce Weber photo, but I could not find a connection. Then I thought of Annie Leibovitz, but again I could not find a link. (Alas, Ann does not appear to have an official web site, so the Artcyclopedia one was the most comprehensive I could find.)

You may have noticed a "site tracker" logo at the bottom left of many of the pages. There are many on the market, but the one I'm using is "Sitemeter." Someone can come to the site via a bookmark, or by the site appearing in a search. The bookmarked variety indicate the particular page so referenced. The search variety indicates the specific term entered into the search engine, as well as the name of the engine.

Once a week, Sitemeter sends me a review of the activity for the last seven days, so I thought it would be interesting to look at some selected references.

(In Friday - 2008-0314-0330 / Out - 2008-0314-2330) This entry was written in multiple settings.

Pax! Erin go braugh! Je accuse...