frgdr.com Blog

I often criticize the Israeli Internet for being stuck in the 1990’s and not getting the jist of the net’s knowledge sharing nature. So much so, that I started thinking that maybe I come off as a crazed reprover in the gate, drooling and mumbling incoherently something about Web 2.0. Could it be that everyone in Israel is wrong? Is sharing not a Jewish trait?

Case in point: There are three extensive photo archives in Israel, the National Photo Collection, The Central Zionist Archives, and the Jewish National Fund - and every time I search one of them, I cannot help but wonder: Is that all I get?
A crummy search engine user interface – is that all I get?
A crummy photo-not-available-online result – is that all I get?
A crummy purchase-reproduction-by-email-only^* – is that all I get?

Well, today, courtesy of the US Library of Congress I got my sanity check, and it came back in my favor:
The Library of Congress, established more than two centuries ago, is young enough an establishment to decide to upload all of its 14 million photos to Flickr – for you and me to use freely. Let me repeat that for you, to make sure you and me get it: I read today, on the library’s blog (that’s right!), that they started a pilot (currently only 3000 photos) in which users can freely search, download, caption and tag all the historical photos from the archives of the LOC.
Still waiting for the other shoe to drop? Looking for an angle? Trying to find out if the LOC have a secret money making mechanism? Matt Raymond, Director of Communications for the library, details their evil knowledge-sharing/knowledge-seeking scheme:

We want people to tag, comment and make notes on the images, just like any other Flickr photo, which will benefit not only the community but also the collections themselves. For instance, many photos are missing key caption information such as where the photo was taken and who is pictured. If such information is collected via Flickr members, it can potentially enhance the quality of the bibliographic records for the images.

 

Why must we wait a decade before web trends make Aliyah?

Hat tip to TGrayImages.

^* The Jewish National Fund is the only one that offers online photo purchasing.

Israeli architect and part-time blogger Sharon Raz meticulously documents decaying buildings all over Israel in his incredible Disappearing Architecture website (which has a less than incredible navigation interface).

Here are four photo essays he posted documenting the decadence in Israeli cinemas (#1, #2, #3, #4). Living in a state that has a short history, with citizens that have a short memory, I found his ongoing project nothing short than brilliant.

I just finished publishing a new website for a colleague of mine named Guy Yitzhaki, showcasing his artwork in photography, video art and writing. The following couplet is from an ongoing project of his, where he photographs adult siblings in a composition that references a family picture from their childhood.

I really like his siblings’ series, as it takes a simple idea and creates a powerful body of work. Check out the full series here.

[28/04/2002 16:30 - Kathmandu, Nepal]

Hi everyone!

My feet have swollen, my back is aching and I am so very tired, but after 12 days, I came back from the Everest Base Camp.
I apologize for being absent, but I have been trekking here in Nepal in the Sagarmatha National Park, where Mount Everest lies.
Words cannot express the beauty of the scenery I have seen so I will not even try.

Instead I will just lay some facts on you:
1. This has been, by far, the most difficult thing I have ever done, except my army basic training.
2. I trekked with Eli Ha Mem-Pey (also known as Eliezer and the Glacier) and with Avi Ha Katach.
You may assume this was as close to reserve duty as it gets.
3. We ascended in 9 days (as a precaution due to AMS or Heights Disease). We descended in 2 days (about 30 km per day).
4. We used Diamox pills to help us get used to the heights.
5. This is the route we took, you can follow it using the following map:

Day	Date	Route
Saturday	13/4/2002	Flight from KATHMANDU (1,300m) to LUKLA (2,840m)
Sunday	14/4/2002	Trekking from LUKLA to JORSALE (2,805m)
Monday	15/4/2002	Trekking from JORSALE to NAMCHE BAZAR (3,440m)
Tuesday	16/4/2002	Trekking from NAMCHE BAZAR to KHUMJUNG (3,780m)
Wednesday	17/4/2002	Trekking from KHUMJUNG to PANGBOCHE (3,930m)
Thursday	18/4/2002	Trekking from PANGBOCHE to PHERICHE (4,240m)
Friday	19/4/2002	Acclimatization at PHERICHE
Saturday	20/4/2002	Trekking from PHERICHE to DUGHLA (4,620m)
Sunday	21/4/2002	Trekking from DUGHLA to GORAK SHEP (5,140m)
Monday	22/4/2002	Trekking from GORAK SHEP to EVEREST BASE CAMP (5,364m) and back to GORAK SHEP
Tuesday	23/4/2002	Hiking from GORAK SHEP to KALA PATTHAR (5,545m) and returning back until TENGBOCHE (3,860m)
Wednesday	24/4/2002	Finishing the route from TENGBOCHE to LUKLA
Thursday	25/4/2002	Staying at LUKLA
Friday	26/4/2002	Flight from LUKLA to KATHMANDU

6. The first picture attached is of me, Eli and Avi at Everest Base Camp.
This is the highest place trekkers can reach and the starting point for professional mountaineering expeditions.

7. The second picture attached is of the gang at the peak of Kala Patthar, which is the mountain opposing Everest, where you get a good view of the highest mountain in the world.

8. The third picture attached is of me and Mount Everest.

As mentioned before, words cannot describe the actual experience, and even pictures show only a vague resemblance to the actual reality.

As always, more pictures are available at:
[redacted]

Lots of love from the beautiful country of Nepal,
Shahar.

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Shahar’s trek to the Everest Base Camp was sponsored by Yahoo! Travel.
If you want to see more pictures of the gang trekking, go to:
[redacted]

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