Reviewing

SEEING IS BELIEVING: Wednesday morning, the kids and I spent some time learning about a collection of Depression-era photos called the Osborne Images.

The photos were often taken by forestry students in the 1930s using a 75-pound panoramic camera lugged to a fire lookouts or other scenic perches. 

The images are being revisited by people now as they can offer an important comparative perspective on how things have changed in the last 80 or so years.

For instance, the Seattle Times published an article recently showing a new view of ecological change across the Pacific Northwest, including the dramatic disappearance of glaciers on Mount Rainier. 

One of the photographers who has revisited Osborne Images sites is Wenatchee-based photographer John F. Marshall. For instance, he re-created the same image seen above with modern equipment. You can see that 83 years later, the valley in front of Rainier stretched out bare and empty of ice. 

Marshall became involved in recreating Osborne Images in 2010, when asked by Richy Harrod Ph.D, fire staff on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, and Paul F. Hessburg Ph.D of the Wenatchee Forestry Sciences Lab, of the Pacific NW Research Station to re-take the panoramas at selected lookout sites in order to get a perspective on landscape change.

You can read and see more about the project on Marshall's website: https://www.wildlandnw.net/osborne-panoramas-historic-and-modern/. It's definitely worth a look!

Also, for The Nature Conservancy in Oregon, Marshall scanned and uploaded more than 1,200 images, now available through an online archive. Check them out here: http://maps.tnc.org/osbornephotos/about.html

More than 3,000 Osborne images,  are stored in the National Archives in Seattle.

IN REVIEW:  Annabelle recently completed reading "The Last Kids on Earth" by Max Brallier. The book is described on the author's website as being "DIARY OF A WIMPY KID MEETS THE WALKING DEAD IN THIS HILARIOUS SERIES FILLED WITH WISECRACKING KIDS, CRAZY GADGETS, AND A LIFETIME SUPPLY OF ZOMBIES AND GIANT-SIZED MONSTERS" (all caps his, not mine).

Here's what Annabelle had to say about it. ...

The Last Kids on Earth is a book by Max Brallier about Jack Sullivan, a teenager in the small town of Wakefield, before it was suddenly overcome with a monster apocalypse 42 days ago in-story. His goal? Find his friends (if they’re alive), complete the “Feats of Apocalyptic Success” (an achievement system he made up), and defeat the huge monster that overlooks Wakefield known only as Blarg. His first run-in with Blarg (which he wins or at least escapes from) is at the local CVS while attempting to retrieve an eyeglass repair kit. He doesn’t wear glasses, he just needs a really teeny tiny screwdriver to repair his Walkie Talkie, the only form of communication he has with his best friend Quint Baker.  After narrowly avoiding the Blarg and being shocked multiple times as he replaces the battery, he makes contact and the two friends construct their home base- a treehouse in Jack’s yard. So begins Jack Sullivan’s journey of ultimate apocalyptic conquest.

The Last Kids on Earth, while rather short, does have its funny moments. The illustrations are well done and the characters feel well-rounded. It turns out that this is a series, though I’ve only read the first book. The book is said to intrigue the 4^th through 6^th grade group, and this seems like a fair suggestion. If you’re into monsters, graphic novels, and comedy, this is the book for you.

The book even has its own trailer, which you can see here. ...


OCEAN HUNTERS: As you may know, CJ and Annabelle have a penchant for vintage video games. Recently, they gave an old 'gem' named Ocean Hunters a shot. 

One night, while visiting the 8-bit Arcade (a local arcade) in Renton, my sister and I noticed a rail shooter (a genre of games that used to be prevalent in arcades) titled The Ocean Hunter. Intrigued, we went to the machine with our cup of quarters, proceeding to sit down and insert our quarters into the cabinet.
Simply put, The Ocean Hunter is a game that revolves around, as its title implies, hunting fictional creatures in bodies of water located in various different places. Strangely, only a few of these bodies of water appear to be oceans, while others are lakes.

In The Ocean Hunter's levels, your objective is to make your way to the end of the levels, where the bosses reside. Between you and the bosses are a fascinating and terrifying variety of deadly enemies, headed straight your way. In the halfway point between the start of the level and the boss, there are often "mini-bosses", foes that, while larger than the standard enemies, are not as formidable as the bosses at the end of the levels.

The Ocean Hunter was originally released in October 1998 (the dated, polygonal graphics make this clear). While rare in most of the world, the game is apparently common at arcades in Singapore.

Overall, beating The Ocean Hunter made for a mediocre half-hour. Anybody with enough quarters could make their way to the end, and once the novelty wears off, the game becomes rather forgettable. I don't know how much money my sister and I spent beating it.