First Attempt at Artificial Intelligence (AI)

As someone who has had a life-long interest in drawing and photography, I was excited to be invited to try Adobe’s Artificial Intelligence image generating software Firefly. The program is in Beta format so nothing is “owned” by the users at this point and everything generated under the Beta is restricted from commercial use. I have been using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop for years and they are top-notch products.


Adobe Firefly Introductory Video


One thing I have come to appreciate about Adobe and their evangelists such as Terry White, is their constant work towards creating a better product and end-user experience. That is why I patiently waited for Adobe’s entrance into the Artificial Intelligence (AI) realm. It is not currently the leader in this field, but I have a strong feeling that they will eventually be one of the best.

I am also excited to be able to learn as I go and provide valid feedback to enable the Adobe team to continue to make improvements and enhancements. To quote Jim VandeHei from Axios, “We’re on the doorstep of a new age — don’t be a bystander.”

With that being said, this is my first attempt at producing a Text to Image picture. I encourage anyone who is interested to give it a try. You will have to have an Adobe ID. Click HERE for complete details regarding how to access the Beta version of Adobe Firefly.

 


 
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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.


©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2023 — JBRish.com


Vide-Ohs: Dueling Jingle Bells

Even with COVID hanging on, this should encourage the holiday spirit in most viewers. I don’t think many of us have experienced Jingle Bells quite like this!

 

The United States Navy Band lets it rip for our entertainment! Happy Holidays!

 

More Vide – Ohs

To See additional Interesting Videos Click HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged #please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2020 – JBRish.com



Vide-Oh: Extreme Amusements (Fun?)

While the pandemic is raging across the world, amusement parks have been mostly closed. The video below depicts some of the more extreme “amusements” around the world.

I have to admit that most of them don’t seem too much like fun to me and I am sure they are a bit pricey as well; given the cost of insurance, etc. Do you think these are fun and enjoyable?

 

 

More Vide – Ohs

To See additional Interesting Videos Click HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged #please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2020 – JBRish.com



SignEdge: An Au Contraire Wine

Wine labels are really a new art form. With so many good to very good wines available at very reasonable prices, vineyards need a way to catch the eye of the prospective buyer.

I suppose a very bright label might spark an interest in one type of customer while a more subtle, but still clever label might attract another personality type.

As for me, I enjoy any wine label that is “different” which brings me to today’s SignEdge label from the Taub Family via the Russian River Valley.


Here is the back label which is somewhat hard to read, but I think you will get the idea that they are proud of David. S. Taub, the company’s founder.


You can read some of the history and story behind the wine at Palm Bay International.

 
See previous SignEdge posts HERE
Just for SignEdge wine or beer labels HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2020



Video: Line Riders – Beethoven’s 5th

I think everyone will enjoy this ultra creative cartoon-based version of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. Most people may be familiar with the music because it has been used hundreds of times in movies, advertising, etc.

What sets this apart from other creative endeavors is the painstaking timing of the cartoon “line riders.” They are amazing and mesmerizing. Do yourself a favor and watch this.

From the YouTube Web Page

I spent over 3 months synchronizing a line rider track to Beethoven’s 5th drawing everything by hand.

Any time a character leaves the screen they are being directed by unseen lines to the next location.

This is not the full length of the piece. I spliced together parts to make it possible for me to finish the project in a practical amount of time. I don’t think my sanity could handle 3 more months of this song.

YouTube post processing seems to create a few millisecond audio delay if you are watching on the mobile YouTube app. If you notice this, watching the video in any web browser won’t have this problem.

 

More Vide – Ohs

To See additional Interesting Videos #click HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged #please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2020 – JBRish.com



Laughter & Inspiration & Motivation – 20200501

Dear JBRish readers. During this time of increased anxiety worry and isolation I think it is a bit of a relief to sit back and try to find something to laugh about as well as some things to ponder. This is not an attempt to provide humor in bad taste.

As you can see #there are others around the world who are trying to lighten the global burden by offering a smile or two albeit a small smile; perhaps just a grin.

ATTRIBUTION – If there is an item posted on JBRish for which there is no attribution and someone can provide accurate #verifiable identification of the originator #kindly leave it in a comment and I will provide appropriate annotation.

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Live Purposefully Now – The Black spots in our life

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When the Dust has Cleared

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Firefighters rescued 6 small ducklings

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25 Moments That Are So Awkward It’s Hard To Believe They’re Real

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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged #please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2020 – JBRish.com



Desert Sunflower Roulette

Gardening is a lot of fun, but it is also a lot of work. Based on my experience the work component can be more or less difficult depending upon the garden’s location. In the desert, there seems to be an ongoing struggle during the warmest months.

There are roadside sunflowers along the trails and highways of Sonoran Desert that seem to tolerate the harsh growing conditions. After seeing this desert-adjusted specimen growing in the Phoenix area, I decided to try to grow the more showy, standard sunflowers in our cultivated garden.

My main concern was the sun’s intensity. Heat is one thing, but the searing intensity of the sun’s rays is another. There can be a more than one hundred days with temperatures of one hundred degrees or more. The one factor in my favor is that our gardens receive irrigation and drought will not be a factor for this experiment.

With this idea in mind, I visited one of our local stores and purchased a package of mixed sunflower seeds. I wanted a selection that would perhaps offer up at least one variety that is less prone to fail under our extreme conditions.



The package indicates that the plants will bloom from summer to fall, but I did not anticipate that long a blooming season in the desert ecosystem.

This is our second year growing these sunflowers. Each spring we pour a selection into a container and make our choice of five random seeds. Once they become viable seedlings, we select the strongest three for final planting.



This year we had a false start because a large squirrel entered our courtyard and devoured our first group of sunflower seedlings. You can read about that HERE.

Bushy-tailed squirrels are not the only culprits in an area where nutrients and water are scarce. Birds, lizards and a variety of rodents prowl the premises looking for greenery to eat. Packrats are especially problematic because of their size and climbing ability.



Did I mention rabbits? There is an abundance of rabbits in our neighborhood and they constantly probe our gardens for weaknesses to exploit.



The situation is not insurmountable, but vigilance is the key. Every day I make the rounds of our gardens to check for damage or potential breeches in our “bulwarks.”

Last year we had two sunflowers from our chosen group that stood out.



This multi-headed beauty enhanced our front courtyard for a number of weeks.



Another seed produced a plant that yielded a single and rather unremarkable flower which was disappointing. Our last chosen seed graced our rear patio with an orange-hued flare. While it did not flower as long as the courtyard specimen, it did give us several nice blooms.



After the destruction of our initial plantings by the squirrel this year, I started additional sunflower seedlings. I was concerned that we missed the best growing window with moderate temperatures, but we had little to lose.

After careful cultivation and coddling, we were able to appreciate the fruits of our labor.



As we were about to leave for a one week, out-of town visit, we watched this one bud get larger and larger and hoped that it would bloom prior to our departure. Sure enough, the day before we left, the flower opened. The plant is a bit taller than I am in the picture above and considering that it is in a pot, I estimate it was 6’3″ tall; give or take.



The close up view (above) shows that there were more flowers to come and we hoped they would survive our time away. Upon our return a week later, we were greeted with this…



This morning, I was making the rounds in our front garden where we have two other sunflower specimens progressing toward their blooming stage and I noticed that there was some destruction on one of them.



We have cutter bees in our town and there is little gardeners can do to prevent their damage. They cut circular patterns in the leaves, but they are relatively small circles or semi-circular holes. I knew this was not their work.

Then I noticed these black dots on some lower leaves



and around some of the large buds heads.



This was a sure sign of a caterpillar, i.e. a larva of a butterfly or moth. Sure enough, I hunted it down and sent it packing! The plant will do fine as long as I continue to monitor the situation and prevent other significant damage. The caterpillar did not eat any of the buds, practically destroyed the one leaf pictured above, but did little else to the plant.

It was not all dismay and gloom with the courtyard sunflowers as this beauty opened this morning.



It was a deep, burnt orange color; nearly red. If it produces well, I might try to collect some seeds from it for next year although it may be cross-pollinated and not true to the mother plant. It would most likely have strong color.



I don’t know if we will continue to grow the showier cultivars of the sunflower family, but it has been fun and fills our mornings with hope that we will be greeted with yet another marvelous flower.


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2019 – JBRish.com



Humor – Can’t Wait Til Friday (Funny Picture)

** NOTE **

JBRish.com will be on a short hiatus starting Wednesday, June 12th.

Until then, feel free to explore previous stories, quotes and photographs by selecting topics along the right-hand sidebar; Categories.

We will be back shortly with more items of interest.

You can also check out Jeff’s Instagram feed

 


Free Kitty to a good home

 

Picture Via

See more humor posts on JBRish HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2019 – JBRish.com



Pickleball: Explained Q & D Video

As a USAPA Pickleball Ambassador and enthusiast, I am often asked to answer the question: What is pickleball? Luckily for me, most people asking the question have heard something about the sport and have a vague idea of how it is played.

It is a difficult answer to give in a quick and concise manner. It was originally developed as a family sport and because of that it has some interesting, others might suggest strange, rules! Let me just say that it is a lot of fun! Most people who try pickleball continue to play and many become “hooked.”


Pickleball-It's Like Tennis, only Better!
Picture Courtesy of Third Shot Sports

Mark Renneson of Third Shot Sports – Pickleball, who is a tournament player, coach and commentator, has created a relatively short and concise video that gives a quick explanation of the sport of pickleball. Keep in mind that this is just an introduction and viewers may have a number of questions. If you would like more information, leave a comment or question below and I will do my best to provide an answer.

If you want to get a good idea of what pickleball is, watch the video below:

NOTE – If you like the shirt pictured above and would like to purchase one, visit Mark’s website: Pickleball-It’s Like Tennis, only Better!

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More Pickleball Videos and Information

To See additional Pickleball Videos & Information Click Here (primarily for beginners and less experienced players)

Check out Additional Pickleball Information and Videos! (for all players including average to more experienced players)


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2019 – JBRish.com