in the darkness
the mind goes
to dark places
revisiting
past visions
that have come
and gone
stains
on the film
of the reel
of time
yet remain
still
in the crevices
of the mind
as I search
for the switch
to turn on
the light
that will open
my mind
to what I see
through my eyes

I light up the darkness…

destroy the negative.

Hello, Tchy!

Beeshosas!!! Estava eu, Tchynna Penedo, essa delícia que aqui escreve, andando aqui perto de caso pelo Centro e me deu uma vontade louca de ver um filme. Como vocês sabem faz séculos que os cinemas foram para os shoppings e nem mais o Vitória Cine Vídeo é aqui no Centro. Apenas um ficou e lá fui eu para ele: Cinerótico! Já fui cumprimentando o recepcionista que soltou um “Está sumida, Tchy. Virou cabelereira?”. Eu espantada disse que não e por que cabelereira? “Ué, hoje é segunda e aqui lota de gente que trabalha em salão. Até parece que a senhora não sabe disso!”. Enfim, pedi logo meu troco minhas camisinhas e entrei linda que sou.

Quase nada tinha mudado desde as últimas vezes que fui lá. Só estranhei que minha púpilas estavam demorando a dilatar e com isso eu não conseguia exergar nada. Fui para área dos fumantes… Epa, como assim? Não tem mais área de fumantes e lá estava ainda mais escuro. Gente: O CINEMÃO AGORA TEM DARK ROOM! Fiquei louca. Não era o primeiro cinema que eu tinha ido com dark, mas área de fumantes era um local tradiocional e histórico aqui. As beeshosas faziam barulhos estranhérrimos. Provavelmente praticam alguma posição ou tipo de sexo que eu não conheço – até parece! Só sei que eu não tô morta e nem nada. Me joguei lindaaa e fui descobri qual era o babado! O único problema era ter que ir na recepção tomar um refri pegar mais camisinhas (e eu tinha levado as minhas)

Depois dessa visita, me deu uma vontade enorme de escrever mais um capítulo do Guia Vix de Pegação! Quem sabe essa semana eu não venha com um!?

Beijxxx

film processing – Working in the darkroom to process the film I shot this weekend. Word project and portfolio!

Create a photograph that is obviously staged. The end.

Here’s what resulted.

I wanted use an old abandoned house but wasn’t sure how. After some thinking I came up with the idea of creating an obvious contrast between the house and my subjects. I decided to use a fairly nice looking chair along with having my models dress nicely. I feel these details helped add a lot to the image while leaving room for much interpretation about what is really happening in the scene and even when it happened. Is this the actual location of this encounter? Did these people live in this house when it was new? Is this the reason for the house’s abandonment? What happened between these people? Feel free to interpret how you wish and post your thoughts too!

Back when the first word processing applications were released, the marketing pitch was probably something like: “it’s like a typewriter, but you have all these extra features!” At the time, I bet it wasn’t a very tough sell, as writers and typists of all kinds were happy to have the extra functionality.

It turns out, as word processors have gotten more complex, there is a growing desire for a computer-based writing environment that gives fewer features, and therefore fewer distractions, somewhat like a typewriter, or maybe even like early word processors. The reasoning goes that with modern word processors like Microsoft Word or OpenOffice.org Writer, and maybe even Google Docs, you keep yourself busy tweaking font settings, adjusting the margins, inserting hyperlinks to other documents, fumbling with a table of contents, adding graphics, embedding spreadsheets, and on and on it goes. Before you know it, you’ve spent all day and haven’t actually written anything.

Personally, there are lots of days where I can’t/don’t write, but I’m not completely convinced this is due to my word processor’s interface. In my case it probably has more to do with Grand Theft Auto IV and perhaps Jack Daniel’s. Regardless, there is a growing number of “typewriter replacements” available that offer a writing environment without all of the distractions you’ll find in a typical word processor.

The first of such programs that I learned about is WriteRoom, which is:

For people who enjoy the simplicity of a typewriter, but live in the digital world. WriteRoom is a distraction free writing environment. Unlike the cluttered word processors you’re used to, WriteRoom lets you focus on writing.

WriteRoom has been lauded for its no-nonsense user interface (just a black screen with green text, which you supply), and its ease of use. It’s not much use to me, though, for 2 reasons:

• It is Mac-only
• It costs $25

You can actually simulate WriteRoom’s interface right in Microsoft Word 2007; check out this article for the steps. But it’s probably easier to find an application to get the job done. WriteRoom’s success an popularity have resulted is several clones that will run on Windows, and the ones I’ll list today are free!

WriteMonkey

WriteMonkey is probably the newest WriteRoom clone on the market, and it’s appearance is just as minimal. Hiding behind this appearance is a pretty huge menu accessed with a right click. There are several ways to keep track of writing progress, including stats, a timer, and a progress bar. There’s a spell check built in, and you can run the program from a USB drive if you want to take it with you. Of all of the typewriter replacements, this is the one I use.

Other Options: Desktop

• Dark Room is the first Windows-based typewriter replacement I knew of. There hasn’t been a release in a while, but the developer is still working on it. It requires .NET Framework 2.0.
• jDarkRoom is a clone of Dark Room, which is a clone of WriteRoom…. As the name implies, jDarkRoom is a Java application, so it runs on multiple operating systems.
• Q10 is another goodie that continues to develop. Like WriteMonkey, it tracks stats, has a timer, and is portable, so you can run it from a USB drive. You can also enable a nice typerwriter sound from the movie Amélie, if you’re into that. This is my second choice after WriteMonkey.
• WestEdit requires .NET 1.1, and has not been updated since 2006.
• PyRoom currently runs on Linux, but there is a Windows version in the works. As the name suggests, it’s built in Python.
• RubyRoom should work for anyone who can run Ruby applications, but it is not frequently updated.

Other Options: Web-based

• Writer let’s you work online, then download your writing as text or PDF.
• DarkCopy has a full-screen mode, but you’ll still see Firefox’s title bar unless you use an extension.
• MyTextFile reminds me more of a Notepad replacement, and you have to sign in with your Google password before you write anything.

Conclusion

If you need that extra motivation to get writing, I suggest you check out WriteMonkey, and maybe Q10 if that doesn’t work out for you.

Links

• WriteMonkey
• Dark Room
• jDarkRoom
• Q10
• WestEdit
• PyRoom
• RubyRoom
• Writer
• DarkCopy
• MyTextFile

CINEMA CITY An Inter-disciplinary practice based archive project

On 11 th October 2009, the city of Bombay witnessed the first public showcase of Cinema City at NCPA Little Theater. The project is initiated by Majlis, centre for interdisciplinary arts initiatives in collaboration with a wide circle of organizations, institutions and individuals. Cinema City is a project to document, archive and re-read the cinema producing cities through images and narratives within cinema and its impacts and manifestations in the lived world; involving inter-disciplinary research, pedagogy, art and media productions. The aim behind the project is to facilitate an interface between collections and collective memory, between access and interaction, between theories and practices, between pedagogy and productions and between art productions and research.

Though the project aims to expand into an archive of postcolonial Asian metropolises that produce cinema, currently the work is being concentrated only on Bombay. This is an ongoing project that we envisage to run for years to come. The preview presentation included the work put together in the first year of the project. The event started with the introduction of the project by the principle curator Madhusree Dutta, she talked about the origin of the project, it’s rational and the various queries that the team came across and will continue to explore in the years to come. The special guest for the evening was Visual Artist Atul Dodiya and Film Historian Ashish Rajadhyaksh.

The audience turn out was spectacular comprising of friends, supporters, film enthusiasts, students and the cinema citizens. People far outnumbered the occupancy limit and squeezed in on the steps and corners of the theater. Even the tenacity of the five hour long programme and lack of amenities at the Little theatre could not dampen audience’ enthusiasm and the theatre was overflowing till the end.

Various components of the preview were:
Sweat Shops of the Cinema

By Kausik Mukhopadhyay, Design Cell, KRVIA; Avijit Mukul Kishore; Mamta Murthy and Rikhav Desai.

13 small television monitors installed on white acrylic screens tell the anonymous story of network of sweatshops (small production units) scattered all over the city that contribute to the larger production of cinema in the city. The palatial sets, the glamorous costumes, the mythological wigs, the romantic ambience of fog and rain, the mighty horses of medieval wars; moreover, the cameras and the lights; the editing and sound studios – all are operated from units that resemble the sweatshops of the multi-national corporations producing consumers’ goods. Yet, together these sweatshops create a dream machine that, in turn, greatly influences the imagination of cinema and the city. This imagination eventually governs the migration and demographic pattern of the city.

Pila House: The Cinema Settlement

By Kausik Mukhopadhyay, Rohan Shivkumar and Design Cell, Kamala Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture (KRVIA), Mumbai

Kitsch red curtains and florescent lights seduce one to enter the box which resembles a telephone booth. The walls of the booth are covered with scribbles of the cinema-city date line and anecdotes. An interactive computer game set inside the box lets the viewer have a virtual experience of Pila House, one hundred and twenty years old entertainment district of Bombay. Pila house, a hybridisation of Play House, was marked by the British Govt. as the Entertainment District out of a large graveyard in late 19 th century. Since then the area has metamorphosed from circus and variety shows to company theatre to silent cinema to talkies and still running. The game comprises of cartographs, architectural drawings of the area, official documents, film clips, interviews and documentary footage on Pila House. The viewer can move around the map and select the locations they want to explore.

Tambu cinema: An Analogous Cinema City

By Amit Madhesiya, Shirley Abraham and Jatin Vidyarthi

Images of the popular phenomena of travelling cinema of the 50’s, that now only survives in parts of Maharashtra, is captured on still camera and then overlaid on a soundscape comprised of the location ambience and associative tracks. The project locates the journey of the travelling cinema with the annual religious fairs, the jatras, mapping the contours of an age-old tradition and the symbiotic integration of cinema into such a milieu. The arrival of the cinema is marked by barricaded space, spectacle of cable laying and sound and projection testing, colourful banners hanging in the agrarian landscape, filmi accessories being sold in carts and stalls and occasional visits by the matinee idols. A miniature cinema city is unfolded for a fortnight alongside with the religious deities and the live shows in circus. The phenomenon of the tent cinema is mapped as an analogous and transient Cinema City.

Conversation between Atul Dodiya and Ashish Rajadhyaksh on Atul Dodiya’s previous works on Cinema City

Ashish Rajadhyaksh presented Atul Dodiya’s previous works on cinema in the city and engaged on a retrospective discussion with the artist. Atul Dodiya is to make a new series of work to commemorate the Cinema City project.

Film Screening: 3 films and panel discussion

Certified Universal

Dir: Avijit Mukul Kishore

On many cinemas that exist and constantly get reproduced in the city.

Do Rafique

Dir: Rafeeq Ellias

Rafeeq Ellias walks a talk with Rafique Baghdadi around old and fading neighbourhoods tracing the memory of cinema.

Have you dreamt Cinema?

Dir: Hansa Thapliyal

On three women who live along Film City Road – their relationship with the idea of recreation and the place that    cinema has as a pleasure house in their lives.

Discussion with the three filmmakers, moderated by Paromita Vohra

Panel Discussion: What is Cinema City?

Madusree Dutta, Rohan Shivkumar, Mamta Murthy; moderated by George Jose.

Film Screening: 3 films and panel discussion

Dark Room

Dir: Renu Savant

On the basic materiality of cinema – the chemicals and the moving people.

Dhananjay Kulkarni “Chandragupt” 

Dir: Rhivu Laha

A film writer impersonates as a night watchman.

Sin City

Dir: Srikant Agawane

On the filmography of crime in the city

Discussion with the three filmmakers, moderated by Surabhi Sharma

Compiled by Shikha Pandey.

Sourced from MAJLIS -a center for rights discourse and inter-disciplinary arts initiatives

Still from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"; image courtesy of theanimationblog.com

I recently put together a post on Fantasia for Dark Room, a blog my friend Caitlin runs. As Caitlin is quite the feminist horror film scholar, her blog focuses mainly on movies and some television programs that are either scary, darkly comedic, or both. Appropriately, I wrote about how the movie in question scared me as a kid as part of an ongoing series on childhood cinematic traumas.  

It should be noted that I’m a bit of a ‘fraidy cat when it comes to horror movies. Thus, Caitlin is responsible for opening my eyes to the feminist possibilities of watching and interpreting horror. If you’re a feminist music geek who’s a bit skittish about the genre, I highly recommend reading her pieces on Dario Argento’s Opera and horror-informed music videos. I also value her assessments of TV shows like True Blood and movies like An American Crime, Palindromes, Heavenly Creatures, and Jennifer’s Body, among many others. 

And if you’re a feminist music geek who loves horror, you should already be reading Dark Room.   

Sundays for me usually are very busy. I spend most of it in a dark room developing my black and white film and then try to get some decent prints done. What once was a free day is now dedicated to photography overload – in a good way.

I like to start and end my weeks with humor. If I can satisfy that, the rest of the week is a walk in the park, breezing by.

Fresh off of Friday’s Best Buy revealing I found this video by ImprovEverywhere. Get this, 80 people walk in to a Best Buy clad in blue shirts and khakis. Awkward for Best Buy employees? I’ll bet.

As a bonus, here is a video. Take that bag checkers!

Click the picture to view the video

     Do you have pictures that look like they should be on someone’s website or in a book?  It is possible to one day see your photographs on the web demonstrating a beautiful scene.  There are several websites on the World Wide Web that will pay you for your pictures.  Your pictures will be uploaded to their websites and anyone who sees your pictures and would like to add them to their own websites can pay a fee to download them.  You will receive a percentage of the fee paid.  This is a good way to put any pictures you have lying around to good use.

     Now that you know there is a place for amateur photographers to sell their wares, you must also learn a little about photography.  There are several places you can go to learn about photography.  One is a library or a bookstore where you can read everything you can find about photography.  There are also schools for photography online or at the local college.  It shouldn’t be difficult to find a place to learn from people who know all about photography.  The act of taking pictures can entail a lot of things such as the equipment you need and setting up an interesting scene.  You can learn all about this in classes or in books.  You can also learn about developing photographs. 

     Photographers may have their own dark rooms where they can develop their own photographs.  You can learn all about this craft in your classes, also.  Some people like to continue to develop photographs the old-fashioned way in the dark room where they will take a roll of film, in the dark to protect the film from light which will destroy the pictures, and apply products to it that will make it safe to be in the light.  From here the picture can be placed on the paper.  For those who like the new technology provided by the digital camera, the dark room will not be needed.  A computer and a software program will help you develop your photos.  From the computer you can print your photos onto the paper.  You will also have your pictures on your computer that can be uploaded to the internet.  Pictures taken with a non-digital camera can also be uploaded to the internet after you scan them onto your computer.  The digital type of dark room takes up less space, does not require you to buy the chemicals needed to develop photographs and physically create your photographs.  Whichever technique is most comfortable for you will be the right choice.

The images that you see below are the result of an group experimentation by myself, Karla Burns and Leah Bachelor yesterday when we visited the darkroom for a class project, that was based and centered on the pin hole camera that i previously posted. (Click here to check it out) However these beautiful abstract images which i prefer were created by using the same method however with instead of using a film we substituted it with light sensitive photographic paper and exposed it to light for a longer period of time. The first image was exposed for one minute and was of a birds eye view of the circular stairs at the atrium of the University of Ulster in Belfast. I thought it worked very well, and was especially exciting when we were hand developing it, seeing the image coming out of a white piece of paper. Never ceases to amaze me. Anyway back to the topic, the second image was sourced from the architecture section of the building where we found some interesting model cubes that were strung in mid air. After developing the photograph we scanned it in to photoshop and inverted it (apparently this effect can also be achieved in the darkroom by using the original image as a negative, which just goes to show you, never underestimate to traditional powers of the darkroom. Anyway if i was going back to do this again (which i think i will) we should have a tripod as the two images were generally hand held or balanced on a ledge. All in all i think that day was very constructive and successful, learn a new technique ^_^ special thanks to the tutor Chris Barr who showed me this fabulous idea. (Tried to find a link, not successful, anyone who finds his site please email me, it’ll be greatly appreciated) ^_^

Thought I’d throw this up here out of respect and empathy for the 9-to-5ers, especially to the ladies who, like me, fantasize about putting a mixed-gender vocal group together and dancing in the middle of the workplace. This one especially goes out to my rad ladyfriends Liz and Kristen, who got some awesome stuff published today. Liz published an article in St. Mary’s law journal about prostitution, sex trafficking laws, and gender discrimination. Kristen wrote a Dark Room guest post on Ryan Gosling’s band Dead Man’s Bones, just in time for Halloween. Proud of you two!   

While I’m kinda done the American Office (specifically done with the lack of real consequences for Michael Scott’s ridiculous actions and sorta bored by Jim and Pam), I hope that Mindy Kaling gets creator-writer-star status like Tina Fey.

As an aside, sorry to be a hater, but I’m getting nervous about being done with 30 Rock. TGS, my expectations are sagging and you need to pick it up!   

Ya burnt.

Anyway, I thought I’d post Subtle Sexuality’s way-awesome, super-Autotuned music video for “Male Prima Donna,” the new single from Dunder-Mifflin cube dwellers Kelly Kapoor, Erin Hannon, Ryan Howard, and the ‘Nard Dog, Andy Bernard. Clearly the girls are playing with Lady Gaga fashion, and their developing Valley Girl friendship has been a highlight for me, and I hope Kaling and actress Ellie Kemper are real-life friends. Also, Ed Helms and B.J. Novack rap, the latter while wearing a white top hat. The only thing I’d say is dump that jerk so we can all dance at the office party.

La proliferación del autocultivo en nuestras casas está dando ideas a más de uno y más de dos sobre cómo poder aprovechar ese espacio del que disponen para darle una utilidad más “verde” y así dejar, de una vez por todas,  de alimentar bolsillo ajeno con nuestros vicios. El autocultivo además nos da la seguridad de fumar aquello que nosotros hemos cuidado sabiendo por tanto los cuidados recibidos así como plaguicidas u otros productos q pueden alterar sabor de los cogollos.

Vamos a describir los pasos a realizar para tener un indoor de primera calidad empezando por lo más básico. En el caso de los armarios de cultivo se trata de aplicar la misma teoría que en una habitación más grande y a esto añadirle la preocupación de trabajar econ un volumen de aire reducido con todo lo que esto nos pueda provocar. Vayamos paso a paso:

Medidas de armario: Si estamos pensando en aprovechar un armario / habitáculo de casa deberíamos fijarnos en las medidas interiores de éste así como en la disposición en la sala. Es importante tanto unas medidas mínimas de altura como de superfície ( mínimo recomendable 1,60m si trabajaremos con sodio de 400w), pero también el hecho de no estar demasiado lejos de una ventana ya que deberemos hacerle un orificio para pasar el tubo que trasladará el flujo de aire caliente proveniente del armario al exterior.  Es aconsejable disponer de una superfície cuadrada ya que nos ayuda a aprovechar mejor la luz. Recomendamos una superfície  mínima de 60×60 sabiendo que lo mejor sería disponer de 80×80, 1mx1m, o incluso 1,2×1,2 . En cuanto a la altura: debido al calor generado por la lámpara, la distancia requerida de ésta a las puntas de las plantas y lo que midan las propias plantas, recomendamos utilizar 2 metros sabiendo que disponer de 1,80m o incluso 1,60 puede valernos si usamos técnicas de poda o doblado de plantas.  Atención especial en cuanto a los materiales a utilizar en caso de querer construirlo: Va a ser un armario con calor en el interior así que olvidar materiales como madera o plástico ya que son poco recomendables y altamente inflamables. Avisamos ante la situación que en la mayoría de los casos construir un armario  puede costarnos incluso más que la compra de uno nuevo además de distanciarnos de las típicas soluciones a problemas ya que la mayoría de usuarios disponen de armarios comprados con medidas estandard.  Hoy en dia existen marcas de calidad contrastada como Homebox Original y Secret Jardin (con la mejor de sus calidades:  Dark Room) que ofrecen armarios de muchas medidas distintas dando respuesta a todas las demandas posibles. *En casos en los que nos interese utilizar el armario para mantenimiento de madres y esquejes recomendamos el uso de luminarias de unos 220w y altura de armario no inferior a 1,20. Atención en estos casos a la superfície disponible ya que las medidas del reflector pueden ser inconveniente.

Luminaria a utilizar: En este paso debemos pararnos, estudiar nuestro caso concreto y actuar conforme a lo que podemos hacer. En el mercado disponemos de luminarias fluorescentes llamadas de bajo consumo que pueden ser útiles para crecimiento de madres y esquejado de plantas. Estas lámparas suelen ser de tipo Floramax 125w cosa que las hace no muy recomendables para la floración por su bajo rendimiento ( en un interior se calcula el rendimiento en función de los watios de luz utilizados: Si utilizamos una luz de 400w lo máximo que podemos esperar recoger por cultivo son 400 gramos de cogollo manicurado y seco.  Informamos que si hay adversidades o fallos en el cultivo los rendimientos pueden fácilmente decrecer hasta poco más de 100g por lámpara o incluso menos. Conocedores de esta regla de “gramo por watio”, y volviendo a las lámparas de 125-250w, su mejor rendimiento puede ser considerado bajo si intentamos cubrir el consumo de un fumador avanzado por ello las consideramos poco útiles para floración. Aún y así pueden ser la única solución en algunos casos y por tanto merecen mención pues eso es la diferencia entre tener marihuana cultivada por uno mismo o tener que comprarla a un cualquiera.  Para un caso normal recomendamos luminarias de 400w.  Muchos cultivadores nos preguntan sobre la utilización en armarios de lámparas de 600w pero creemos firmemente que tanto por calor generado como por sobreprecio gastado en el montaje no salen a cuenta.  Sí, efectivamente 600w pueden producir más gramos que 400w,  pero creemos que  el aumento en gramos no es suficiente como para compensar el gasto extra en luces reflectores, extractores y en consumo eléctrico!

Ventilación recomendada: La renovación del aire en un cultivo interior es fundamental. Nuestro mayor enemigo van a ser las altas temperaturas generadas por la lámpara, pero también lo son el propio respirar de las plantas, temperatura ambiente fuera del armario,… Conociendo las capacidades caloríficas de las luces de vapor de sodio, recomendamos el uso de un extractor de la capacidad de un RVK125A1. Si utilizamos una máquina de esta potencia para extraer el aire, no menos importante es que tengamos una que introduzca aire fresco al armario. Un buen intractor sería un RVK100A1.  Decimos recomendable porqué no es imprescindible (aunque sí muy beneficioso) ya que la mayoria de armarios del mercado disponen en su parte inferior de unos orificios que permiten la entrada pasiva del aire.

Reflectores para armarios: En un armario de cultivo, como ya hemos mencionado, el calor es algo muy crítico, por eso debemos descartar todos aquellos reflectores que no permitan ser acoplados a un extractor. Lo más apropiado para un armario son reflectores “ventilados” estilo Cooltube, Spudnik o Daystar. Al ser sellados están provistos de conexión a medida del tubo de extracción ( podemos encontrarlos en diámetro 125mm o 150mm según modelo y marca). La gran ventaja que ofrecen es extraer mejor el calor, cosa que por derivación nos permite tener las puntas de las plantas más cerca de la lámpara. *Un capítulo especial merecen las lámparas de luces Led con sus modelos de 90w, 200w y 300w que con un consumo muy inferior nos ofrecen unos rendimientos óptimos . Son luces que por su tecnología gastan menos, generanmenos calor y duran hata 5 veces más. En rendimiento podríamos comparar un 250w de sodio a un 90w de leds, un 400w de sodio con un 200w de Leds y un 600w de sodio conún 300w de Leds. En casos como el armario de 60×60 son una gran solución para obtener una buena cosecha en un espacio muy limitado.

Consejos para el cultivo en armario: Las plantas cultivadas en armario son muy susceptibles a cualquier alteración del medio ya sea: enceder la luz, pararla, encender extractores, humidificadores o una larga lista de aparatos que puedan modificar el clima por sus características. En un estado inicial (en crecimiento), con lámparas de 400w de sodio, recomendamos disponer la luz lo más arriba posible dentro del armario. Las plantas son pequeñas y no necesitan una luz tan potente para desarrollarse ( conforme las pasamos a floración ajustamos la distancia para mantenerla entre 20-30cm de las puntas). Un consejo muy interesante para todo tipo de armarios pero sobretodo para los que tienen una altura más reducida ( 1,20-1,60m) es la poda de las puntas de las plantas transcurridos 15-20 días en período vegetativo (18horas de luz / 6 oscuridad). Esta poda provocará qlaplanta divida su energía en varias puntas en vez de una principal. Si tras la poda le damos 5-7 días más en crecimiento y pasamos a floración dispondremos de una planta con raíces de 3 semanas y una altura controlada q raramente nos dará problemas. Una vez la planta está en floración otro consejo interesante es podar las ramas bajas de las plantas ya que no les llegará la luz y sólo gastarán energía de la planta en cogollos bajos y poco densos ( deberíamos realizar la poda inferior una vez laplanta está en pleno proceso de floración que suele ser entre la 2ª-4ª semana a 12horas en función de la genética).

*Recomendamos el uso de filtros de osmosis para la purificación del agua que utilizaremos en nuestros cultivos. Existen filtros de osmosis de primera calidad como los de la marca Omnipure (que ofrecen un grandísimo resultado gracias a sus componentes de alta calidad completamente reemplazables), o otros de “fabricación china” más económicos pero de origen y capacidades de filtrado más dudosas.

Esperamos que la información descrita sea útil para aquellos cultivadores que por razones varias han decidido o tienen en mente cultivar en un armario.

Para cualquier otra duda podéis consultar la página web en la que encontraréis todo lo necesario para cultivar vuestra autosuficiencia.

This is a bit off topic but was prompted by my trip yesterday to Randolph Community College in Asheboro, NC.  I was giving a seminar for ASMP  “Converging Media – Adding Video to Your Skill Set”.  After setting up for my presentation I was given a tour of the school – a wonderful facility.  After going through their impressive computer labs and studios – I asked my guide and Program Head, Chuck Egerton,  if the school still had dark rooms.  He smiled and said “I’ll show you”

The second I entered the darkroom – and got that familiar taste of fixer in my mouth – I was immediately transplanted back to Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara where I had studied 34 years ago.  It’s hard to believe it’s been 34 years but when I walked into that darkroom and saw the students making their prints – it seemed like I was back at school.

A lot of memories flashed through my mind that hadn’t surfaced in years.  Being the only woman in my class – and one of six in the entire school.  Always being in a rush because I was working full time at night and going to classes and executing my assignments during the day.  Racing from the Riviera campus to the Montecito campus at break neck speeds around the curves in my big old orange Dodge van.  And most of all living in beautiful sunny Southern California, yet spending a lot of my time – in the dark.

The changes in photography have been profound since then and I’d probably have to say that as much as I learned at Brooks – I’ve learned a lot more since – out of necessity because of technology.  I love learning more now than I ever did in my younger days.  History gives interesting perspectives and when something jogs my memory and I remember my own history – I’m amazed by how much things have changed.  Seems like only yesterday.

safe light – kindly keep your hands off!

In Black & White Photography we have been doing a lot to get ourselves familiarized with the dark room. Our first assignment was to create a gray scale ranging from black all the way to complete white with various shades of gray in between. We also had to create photograms. These photograms were merely made by placing objects on the photographic paper and exposing it to light over and over while moving the objects periodically to get different effects. (Pictures will come once assignment is handed back) After making many mistakes and photograms with poor tonal range I was finally able to get two that I was fairly pleased with.

The past few periods we have been learning how to develop the film. I have done all of this in high school but that was fairly unguided because another student and I were the only ones doing dark room work since we had already taken the digital class. Instead of the teacher being with us he was with usually with the class doing work on the computers. I’m pretty excited to be able to do this again. I really enjoy being in the dark room. There’s something about the rudimentary or archaic process of developing one’s own negatives and prints that gives a type of satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment that can’t be received by doing work on the computer.

So as assignments get handed back I’ll be scanning them in and posting them here!

Llegados a la época de cosecha, a Sant Yerbasi le gusta recordar a sus clientes las múltiples acciones realizables para sacar el máximo partido a nuestras cosechas. Igual que en casos como el cerdo donde se aprovecha todo, la marihuana nos ofrece gran cantidad de posibilidades: Cogollos, hojas, ramas… Conocido por todos el efecto que generan sus cogollos, hay múltiples tareas realizables para extracer el máximo de resina de hojas y tallos.

Descartando el uso de tallos por su bajo contenido en resina ( no es nulo pero casi) vamos a centrarnos en describir las distintas opciones que tenemos. En primer lugar debemos centrarnos en la selección severa de las mejores hojas y cogollos bajos. Imprescindible este paso pués la correcta selección de material vegetal será lo que realmente marcará la diferencia en el producto final. Recomendable durante el manicurado de la planta en vivo separar las hojas grandes aunque tengan resina, ya que estas sólo enpobrecerían la calidad final.  El segundo paso a tomar una vez hemos ido manicurando y separando  las mejores hojas y cogollos es importante que sequemos bien el material.

Igual que pasa en los cogollos, la resina de las hojas necesita madurar y por tanto adquiere su mejor punto tras aproximadamente dos meses después del manicurado. Durante este tiempo es muy importante que el polvo o agentes infecciosos no colonicen nuestra preciada manicura, para evitarlo recomendamos ( una vez tenemos las hojas bien secas) guardar todo el material de manicura en botes de cristal bien cerrado. Si lo guardamos en un recipiente estanco Sant Yerbasi recomienda dejar en el congelador 24h horas antes de la extracción ya que el frío favorece el desprendimiento de la glándula de las hojas.

Tipos de extracción

Extracción en seco: Necesitamos la manicura previamente descrita y una malla del micraje idóneo. La malla en cuestión nos da la oportunidad, gracias al micraje de su tejido, de separar la materia vegetal de nuestra manicura de la resina que andamos buscando. En el mercado encontramos diferentes recursos para una extracción en seco de primera calidad. El elemento más sencillo y económico que podemos comprar es el Hash-maker,  un tubo de plástico PVC con una malla de 185micras en su interior. Se trata de llenar el Hash-maker, dejarlo en el congelador una hora y, al sacarlo, moverlo arriba y abajo con brusquedad durante unos 10 minutos.  Obtendremos entre una y dos dosis de primera calidad. Nuestra segunda opción si estamos pensando en mayores cantidades de extracción son las bolsas de extracción de resina. Se trata de una bolsa con una malla en el fondo que puede variar su micraje según la calidad que estemos interesados en extraer. Si la marihuana que estamos utilizando para la extracción es de origen indoor ( de interior)  la malla que deberíamos utilizar es de 220micras mientras que si proviene de exterior (outdoor) sería más correcto utilizar una malla de 185-195micras. Estas sutiles diferencias vienen generadas por la distinta formación de las plantas entre interior y exterior. Una vez tenemos la malla correspondiente se trata de llenarla con la manicura recién sacada del congelador y moverlo arriba y abajo para que la resina se desprenda. Si utilizamos unos papeles de periódico debajo veremos como el papel se va cubriendo con un polvo marrón. Tras unos minutos meneando la malla, la dejamos a un lado y recopilamos toda la resina de los periódicos. Podemos conservarlo en estado de polvo o juntarlo en una pieza mediante prensadores específicos.  Nuestra tercera opción, para cultivadores con mucho material, son las máquinas de extracción de resina en seco Pollinator. En distintas medidas las Pollinator P150, P300, P500, y P3000 cumplen la misma función de extracción con el mínimo esfuerzo. Su tambor central alberga espacio para la materia vegetal y gracias a su motor giratorio, los suaves movimientos generados en su interior obligan a la glándula a precipitarse sobre el fondo. Estas máquinas son muy útiles para los amantes del buen polen ya que nos ahorran tiempo y dedicación en la extracción.

Extracción de hachís al agua ( Ice-o-lator) : Si nuestra intención con la manicura es hacer un buen Ice-o-lator lo primero que deberemos adquirir son mallas de extraccion de resina de alguna de las distintas marcas existentes. Lo más importante en estas mallas es disponer de un kit con distintos micrajes, una malla para separar la materia vegetal y luego las correspondientes para recogida de resinas según la/las calidades que pretendamos recoger. Una vez disponemos de las mallas el proceso a realizar precisa de dos cubos de plástico de unos 30cm de diámetro, 5-10 litros de agua destilada y 2-3 bolsas de hielo ( no es válido el hielo de casa pués es preciso que provenga de agua osmotizada para dejar el menor sabor posible en la resina). En el primer cubo echamos todo el material que pretendamos “limpiar”, una bolsa de hielo y entre 3-5 litros de agua destilada. En este punto lo mejor para hacer desprender la glándula de la hoja y cogoll0 es una cuchara de madera suficientemente grande. Con ella iremos batiendo todo entre 15-25 minutos. Pasado este tiempo se trata en colar el agua utilizando las mallas que previamente hemos preparado en el cubo 2. La primera malla que debe encontrar el agua es la más dura, puede variar su micraje según marca o si está destinada a glándula de indoor o de outdoor (indoor 220micras – outdoor 185micras). A posteriori el agua pasará por la malla de mejor calidad y las correlativas de inferior calidad. Una vez hemos pasado toda el agua del cubo 1 al cubo 2 procedemos a levantar la malla de materia vegetal dejando que escurra sobre las otras y, una vez escurrido, devolviendo todo lo recogido al cubo 1 ahora vacío. Al levantar la segunda malla ( primera con resina) detectamos que al agua le cuesta más pasar. Un buen consejo es hacer que el agua bote dentro de la bolsa golpeando el fondo de esta (podemos conseguir subiendo y bajando la bolsa bruscamente con una sola mano. Una vez comprobamos que no cae más agua, recogemos la masa de resina que hay atrapada en la malla ( mediante una targeta de credito). Muy importante en este punto intentar reducir la cantidad de agua en la resina ya sea picándola con una targeta o dejándola reposar sobre papel absorvente (filtros de café). Tras esta malla, si disponemos de otras mallas con distinto micraje nos dispondremos a levantar las siguientes, repitiendo el proceso de recogida con la targeta de crédito y el filtro de café. Cuando ya no disponemos de más tipos de malla volvemos a echar el agua que tenemos en el cubo 2 al cubo 1 donde esperaba la materia vegetal y el hielo restante de la primera pasada. Puedes repetir el proceso tantas veces como quieras añadiendo media bolsa de hielo cada vez sabiendo que pasadas las 3 primeras repeticiones la calidad y la cantidad desciende en picado. Una vez dispponemos de las distintas calidades de resina con sus respectivas pasadas, bien marcadas con su nombre,  sobre papel absorvente las dejamos secar , por un mínimo de una semana, en un sitio oscuro y estará listo para el prensado o para su consumo directamente en polvo.

*Sant Yerbasi blog recomienda el uso de lavadora para la extracción de Ice-o-lator para una mayor limpieza en el proceso al mismo tiempo del menor desgaste físico ya que la lavadora “bate” la yerba por nosotros.

Extracciones de aceite de hachís: En el mercado tenemos a nuestra disposición una serie de artículos que nos permiten la extracción de aceite de la flor de cannabis. Artículos como el Gas-o-lator nos permiten llenar su interior de manicura, o cogollos,  y extraer la resina mediante el gas apropiado. Sant Yerbasi no recomienda este tipo de extracciones si no se dispone de gas con pureza específica. El uso de gas de mechero común puede dejar restos muy perjudiciales en el aceite. Ante cualquier duda sobre la pureza del gas utilizado mejor no consumir.

Esperamos que la información descrita sirva de ayuda a sus lectores… Y que vengan a vernos con sus resinas para la posible valoración!!!! 

Buenos Humos!

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enlarger – dakota making a contact sheet of the ISO project.

darkroom – finishing up a project in the darkroom. i love it here.

so i’m really loving my photography classes and learning how to develop negatives and work in the dark room. it’s so much more rewarding than digital photography in a way. and now without any further delay, more europe pictures…

Day 8: Prague, Czech Republic

as usual i’m keeping it pretty casual since i’m walking all over prague. this outfit was perfect for that long train ride from vienna to prague. i haven’t worn leggings in a long while and these were so comfortable.
these candies were amazing. my dad got a few and i tried taking pictures of the 2-3  candies in his hand; the guy giving them away saw me and asked if i wanted to take a picture of all of them. i think i fell in love with him at that very moment haha
this is a lovely view of prague from the powder tower
i splurged on this scarf at Mexx. I couldn’t help it and I would never usually buy something so pricey but i had to have it! I didn’t do it justice in this picture since I just whipped it on but it has ruffles down it. There’s a better picture of it in a very future post, but trust me, it’s gorgeous!
(black cardigan delia*s, navy tunic forever 21, gray leggings zara, flipflops old navy, scarf mexx)

jen

I was very excited to get this nail polish based on the picture on Sephora’s website, i have it on a few posts down.

When i got it and put it on i was rather disappointed. In all but very bright lighting or direct sunlight this appears to be a dull black color. It needs at least three coats, the first one is thin and streaky, the second coat must be done carefully and applied thick so as not to have thin spots, and the third is just to make sure its all even. To take a picture i had to go outside and find a sunny spot because all of my lit indoor pictures appeared black.

End result, i like the color idea, but i probably wont be wearing this too often

recently started digging through my external harddrive and found *tahdah* more of my film work.

I miss the elements of film- time spent on exposure and framing, dedication to lighting and processing in the dark room while listening to the one radio station that managed to get through the art schools walls. my photoclass felt like a trippy family, stuck smelling chemicals and eating cold mexican food together trying to complete our portfolios til 3 AM. digital is by far more useful and expendable, but the craft has often turned to 200 shots of the same frame in an SD card rather than focusing on the quality of a singular shot.

and man, i miss that mexican food.

Through a glass darkly; Christina Aguilera, as captured by Floria Sigismondi in the music video for "Hurt"

As readers of the blog may know, I’ve been keeping my eyes and ears on the Kristen Stewart/Dakota Fanning Runaways biopic. While you may know the leads, the director and screenwriter may not be as much of a household name. But hopefully that will change, as first-time feature director Floria Sigismondi has been making amazing music videos since the early 1990s. Some of her more famous titles include Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People,” The White Stripes’ “Blue Orchid,” and Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter.” Also, Sigur Rós’s “Untitled #1” knocks me breathless each time I see it. 

In keeping with the spirit of the blog, I thought I’d focus on the female musicians Sigismondi has worked with (click on the artists’ names). Also, having read a delightful post on music videos inspired by horror films from my friend Caitlin at Dark Room, I thought I’d continue in the spirit.

Christina Aguilera
“Hurt”
Back to Basics

Fiona Apple
“O Sailor”
Extraordinary Machine

Martina Topley-Bird
“Anything”
Quixotic (retitled Anything upon re-release)

Shivaree
“John 2/14″
Rough Dreams

Amel Larrieux
“Get Up”
Infinite Possibilities

Sheryl Crow
“Anything But Down”
The Globe Sessions

Fluffy
“Black Eye”
Black Eye