Author JD Lasica's website
On my recent western Caribbean cruise on Norwegian Jade, our itinerary took us on a half-transit of the Panama Canal (did you know ships can slip into Gatun Lake and turn around?). Just after daybreak, the ship entered the canal and nearly all passengers on board gathered around the top ship decks or in the forward observation lounge. [Read more…] about Photos of Panama Canal & Monkey Island
During my recent Western Caribbean cruise aboard Norwegian Jade, we decided to skip the nearby ruins of Chacchoben and opted for the Dzibanche ruins at Kinichna in Mexico’s Yucatan along Costa Maya. It’s bigger and grander than Chacchoben, though farther away (100 minutes’ drive each way).
As Wikipedia tells us: “The name Dzibanche means “writing on wood” in the Mayan language, taking its name from the sculpted wooden lintels of the Temple of the Lintels” (pictured in the gallery above).
A major Maya city whose importance came to light just a few years ago, Dzibanche includes the Temple of the Captives, the Temple of the Lintels and the Temple of the Owl. We were able to walk freely on most of the structures. For three hours, we had the entire complex to ourselves. Heaven!
Recently back from a Western Caribbean cruise on Norwegian Jade. Our first stop was the historic coastal city of Cartagena, Colombia. We prowled around the thoroughly walkable historic walled district. It’s a charming collection of colonial-era churches, monasteries, plazas, palaces and mansions with street after street filled with shady patios and flowering terraces.
One highlight was Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, a superfort that dates to 1536. Rebuilt and enlarged several times over the years, it became the greatest fortress Spain ever built in the Americas. It’s impressive, with sweeping views of the surrounding landscape and Cartagena’s cityscape.
Ibought my first drone one year ago this month and, although I haven’t flown it as much as I’d like, the DJI Phantom 4 offers some of the most eye-popping visuals I’ve captured in 2017.
I try to head down to the Flying Drones for Fun meetup in Sunnyvale each month to get a little better at the controls and to meet fellow drone enthusiasts. (The next event is Jan. 20 on Treasure Island.) [Read more…] about Drone imagery & drone meetups
Ithought I’d use the holiday break to post some photo galleries I’ve been neglecting for some time. From 2009 to 2015, a group of us — primarily Shel Holtz, Dagan Henderson and myself — put on a couple of dozen Social Media Breakfasts in the San Francisco East Bay, held in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco and beyond. I gave the first talk back in February 2009 at Cesar restaurant in Oakland, weaving together themes of new social tools, citizens media and nonprofits.
Over the years, topics ranged from marketing and social media to startups and new technologies. Our tagline: “Feed your belly and your brain.” We may resume the gatherings at some point when we’re not quite so busy. Above are some photos I captured of the events.
Over the past dozen years, I’ve attended dozens of technology conferences and events in Greater Silicon Valley, from San Francisco down to Santa Clara and beyond. And more often than not, I take my Canon camera along to record the folks on stage who are helping to shape where we’re heading as a culture.
Flickr is the place where I’ve posted thousands of these shots. But I thought it would be fun to try out a new WordPress plug-in I downloaded today, Envira Gallery (I’ll write about it separately on this blog).
So here’s my photo gallery of Silicon Valley tech luminaries I’ve photographed over the years. (You’ll notice they’re overwhelmingly white males. Yes, that’s a problem. So I’m including some shots of rank-and-file techies to add a little bit of diversity.) Click on a photo to see it full size, including the caption, and then click the right arrow to see the next image. [Read more…] about Photo gallery: Silicon Valley tech luminaries
Here are some photos from my afternoon in Loreto — on the coast of the Sea of Cortez, Mexico — during my sailing there aboard Holland America’s Westerdam in March 2017. Dance, arts and a food festival all led up to an evening concert on land headlined by Jonathan Coulton.
Here are some photos from my two trips to Cabo San Lucas — during spring break (March 2017) aboard Holland America’s Westerdam, and in 2016 aboard Ruby Princess.
