How did this change come about in your experience? — Bitter Crank

Maybe the change was already there and I was too naive to see it. But part of it was my father informing me that you can't be a christian and believe in evolution at the same time. That clued me in that the church was teaching more literalism than was the school that they supported. I guess my dad forced my hand, probably not the way he intended.

An ideal avatar for a philosophy forum, I think. — Ciceronianus the White

If you can't get wisdom from your bartender, why drink?

If you can't get wisdom from your bartender, why drink? — noAxioms

Good point!

If you can't get wisdom from your bartender, why drink? — noAxioms

Wisdom from the bottle.

My avatar is Max Ernst with a dog on his shoulder against a blue sky with fluffy clouds. I happen to like Max Ernst's art, but really I just like the photograph. It's striking and amusingly odd. I don't like images that exist primarily to convey an external meaning.

Wisdom from the bottle. — jamalrob

From the bartender I thought, but some do get it from the bottle.

It's striking and amusingly odd. I don't like images that exist primarily to convey an external meaning.

The source of my image might have meaning, but the image itself means nothing. I think it's cute, and I can spot my posts quickly in a fast scroll through a long discussion.

My avatar is Max Ernst with a dog on his shoulder against a blue sky with fluffy clouds. I happen to like Max Ernst's art, but really I just like the photograph. It's striking and amusingly odd. I don't like images that exist primarily to convey an external meaning. — jamalrob

It is an interesting portrait. Part of what is odd about the photograph is that it was seemingly taken at a high aperture so that the distant clouds appear to be at the same depth as the subject.

I dislike photos that are overcomposed. Lots of wedding and family photos are like this. Is that the same thing as conveying an external meaning?

I can spot my posts quickly in a fast scroll through a long discussion. — noAxioms

That's good thinking and come to think of it that's the entire purpose of an avatar, which I now realize I completely overlooked when choosing my own. :s

Barred Owl (Strix varia). Why did you choose a North American species and not something native to your home region? — geospiza

A wise American owl provides greater juxtaposition than a wise British owl.

Am I right, @Sapientia?

I can spot my posts quickly in a fast scroll through a long discussion. — noAxioms

Ah, the Simpsons rationale. How fitting that yours is also yellow.

My user name is a Grateful Dead tune. My avatar is artwork from the box set version of the Dead's Europe 72: The Complete Recordings.

It is an interesting portrait. Part of what is odd about the photograph is that it was seemingly taken at a high aperture so that the distant clouds appear to be at the same depth as the subject. — geospiza

I think the effect isn't owing to the aperture choice but to the relatively low point of view, such that there are no features on the ground to put him in context. This is why it almost looks like he could be standing in front of a painted stage background. (EDIT: Actually, the aperture width might contribute to this, so you could be right).

I dislike photos that are overcomposed. Lots of wedding and family photos are like this. Is that the same thing as conveying an external meaning? — geospiza

That's not really what I meant. I just meant I like images for their thisness rather than for any kind of message or overt symbolism.

I dislike photos that are overcomposed. Lots of wedding and family photos are like this. — geospiza

Why do people like to have their wedding and family photos taken this way--lined up looking like they were waiting for the firing squad to begin?

In the early days of photography, the results were often very rigid-looking because people had to sit still for an eternity (in photographic time--maybe 20 to 40 seconds--to get a clear picture. Is that how that 'look' or 'style' become associated with photography?

Or, is it the fault of people who do wedding photography? Are they just unimaginative? Or is it people who get married that have that problem?

Why do people hate getting their picture taken so much that they look like they were going to be shot--literally?

This is too good a topic not to create a spinoff post.

Fairytale Photos

Barred Owl (Strix varia). Why did you choose a North American species and not something native to your home region? — geospiza

I just chose that photo because I liked it. I hadn't a clue what region it was native to.

I just chose that photo because I liked it. I hadn't a clue what region it was native to. — Sapientia

That's normal; I am just a biogeography nerd.

Mine is Musician Angel (1520) by Rosso Fiorentino. I like the melancholy expression on the cherub's face and the fact that he's playing a lute. My state of mind is often similar to that reflected by his expression, and I also play guitar in a black metal band, which is a melancholy genre of music.

and the fact that he's playing a guitar — Thorongil

That's a lute, not a guitar :)

You're right, thanks. I thought about the instrument I play before I remembered the cherub's was a lute.

No rules
No goals
No chains
No aims
No border
No order
No gain
No pain
The inane
The insane
I'm TheMadFool

Mine is Musician Angel (1520) by Rosso Fiorentino. I like the melancholy expression on the cherub's face and the fact that he's playing a lute. My state of mind is often similar to that reflected by his expression, and I also play guitar in a black metal band, which is a melancholy genre of music.

4470d2ee3a1fd5e96cbf96d31f9473b0--giovanni-battista-angel-art.jpg — Thorongil

The expression rather makes me think that he's saying something like, "Damn--now how am I going to get both a G# and a C natural on top of this F# chord to get an F#9(#11)??"

Or that.