Author: Randy Wells

CRIME OF THE CENTURY

The band Supertramp knew a few things. I was fortunate enough to see them in concert during their prime in the mid ’70s (at the height of the Cold War). I clearly remember being impacted by their music’s message about the dangers of power, corruption, and greed.

Nothing much has changed.

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RUSSIA FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX CANCELLED AFTER UKRAINE INVASION

This is just another sign that the world sees Russia differently today. The Haas F1 racing team also removed the Russian flag-based livery from their cars. Many drivers say they had already decided not to attend the Russian race scheduled for September anyway. Hopefully, more financial sanctions of this type will help to stop the insanity.

WILDFIRE

One night, Michael Murphy, a singer from Texas, dreamt a song complete with lyrics. He composed it with Larry Candler in a few hours that morning. Murphy believes the song came to him from a story his grandfather told him when he was a little boy. Released in February 1975, “Wildfire” became Murphey’s highest-charting pop hit in the United States. It hit #3 on Billboard that week and is considered a classic today.

Happy Valentine’s Day

RE-INSPIRED 911 TURBO BY SINGER

Singer has done it again. Here’s a first glimpse at their new car inspired by the original Porsche 930. It’s a 450-plus-horsepower, carbon-fiber-bodied redefinition of an ’80s classic that can be specced with all sorts of refinements, including AWD.

Power comes from a modified a 3.8L block based on a Hans Mezger-designed air-cooled flat-six. Twin turbochargers with electronically actuated waste gates and bespoke air-to-water intercoolers mounted inside the intake manifolds provide the forced cool air necessary to achieve this kind of power.

(Image courtesy Singer Vehicle Design)

LAST CHANCE TEXACO

Rte. 66 is one of my favorite roads to travel on. I grab my personal photo kit and some clothes in a carry on, fly to Las Vegas, rent a Mustang GT convertible, and drive down to the original route.

This photograph was made somewhere along the way where an old Texaco gas station sits next to a modern Chevron one. You just hang around listening to the birds and waiting for the right light. Then presto, you are transported back in time to a simpler world.

HERE’S A MUCH BETTER IDEA

The Pro-ject Automat Turntable doesn’t include speakers, but it does include a fully-automatic start-and-stop with a German-made assembly that disengages and decouples while the record plays, thereby preserving the sound from mechanical vibration. I personally use Rega decks, but this option is very appealing.

MUSIC REVENUE CHART

For folks who care about such things, here’s an interesting chart adjusted for inflation that shows where each music format has fallen in yearly revenue. LPs peaked in 1978, and CDs peaked in 1999. Only sales of new items are included. Colored vinyl is the new collectible fetish. Elsewhere, physical music formats have remained niche products, with revenue from used sales on-line unaccounted for. The days of finding gold in used record stores are pretty much over. Click on chart to enlarge.

THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS, IT’S ALL ONE STORY

Everything worth doing takes time. Commitment and intention are everything. Otherwise, projects end up half-baked, or worse yet, contain inaccurate information when they were thought to be “finished”.

Our title says it all. Remember the big picture. “You’re only as good as your last job” is something else to keep in mind, no matter how far up the tree you climb. Another is, “The higher you climb, the harder the wind blows.”

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NOT A GOOD SIGN

From Uncrate: “In airplanes, the black box records and stores flight data to provide information in the event of a crash. With climate change putting our planet in a downward spiral, earth is getting one of its own. The 33-foot-long steel vault is being constructed on the coast of Tasmania and is designed to record and collect measurements and interactions as our planet continues to decline. Continue reading “”

Drone image of North Cascades landscape at sunrise, Washington by Randy Wells

LOOK UP, THE SKY IS OPEN.

Drone photography and videography can be magical.

However, it is not for the faint of heart. The deeper you go into this discipline-laden aerial specialty, the more you risk being confronted with the limits of what is possible. Those limits are not very forgiving.

Still, for me, the effort is worth the risk for the imagery that can only be acquired aloft. It’s an inspiring and addictive vocation. Fly safely.

For more, see Randy’s Landscape Instagram page: @landscapes.randywells