Boomworks

Frank Tuttle Gets in the Digital Picture

I don't blame Dick Tracey, but lets face it - it is much easier to stay "dashing looking" when you are a cartoon character. There is someone constantly smoothing your edges and generally colouring you between the lines. With all this, it is no wonder that Dick never looked overly concerned when he received a call on his wristwatch camera phone device. His Thunderbird buddies over at International Rescue didn't seem too fussed about their nagging father calling up on those funky oval shaped screens - which we have only just discovered must have been plasma or LCD screens, but those boys were always way ahead of their time. Even Lady Penelope had a Rolls Royce with an extra set of wheels. Formula 1 cars wouldn't try that for years to come.

Like Dick and the Thunderbird Boys, it seems I can't enjoy a public appearance without being caught on camera. There seem to be cameras in nearly everything now. This as an aside, could well be the reason that the Thunderbird vehicles did not have license plates - for fear of being caught on a speed camera, ruining their no claim bonus and then trying to get insurance on that lumbering green Thunderbird 2. At least they had off street parking.

I'm reminded of some of our earliest family portraits, captured in the days when the subjects were required to wear heavy coats to obscure the lead posts used to hold them in position without moving. At least the babies got some knock out drugs so they could sleep through the whole thing. Now, a simple remark like; "Would you look at that!" will have half a dozen people re-creating a quick draw scene from any number of western movies as they whip out some type of device that can take a digital photo.

Now like Dick, I believe I cut quite the dashing figure in my yellow overcoat, however, I worry about the many others who rely on the mystique of the sultry voice or blurry self image to maintain their place and self image in our modern society. Is it soon going to be necessary for many of us to have professional hair and make-up artists on staff for a run to the corner shop to get milk? Are we going to plan our days schedule around the east-west movement of the sun in order to ensure we have the appropriate soft backlight?

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy taking photos of the palm of my hand and my ear lobe whilst trying to make a phone call as much as Picasso or Dali might have. But do I want others to see inside my ear while I am talking to them on the phone? Of course by using one of those hands free kit things, I would probably have the option of taking a photo of my keys in my pocket making it much easier to find them at a later date. Now if I could just find my photo of those pants...

Submitted by Frank on September 01, 2005.