Photography with Joe

  High-Density Canada? Or a Grim Future We Can Avoid? Ah, the dream of living in a high-rise where you can practically reach out and touch your neighbor’s cereal bowl. What a time to be alive! As we scramble to house the masses, we’re apparently taking notes from Japan—where the average apartment might be smaller than the average person’s ego. But hey, why not follow the forward-thinking approach of cramming people into boxes? After all, who doesn’t want to live in a glorified closet? Let’s explore this brilliant plan for our future! What We Have Now: A Vanishing Dream Canada is proud of its vast spaces. The kind where you can drive for miles without seeing another soul, or, heaven forbid, someone encroaching on your lawn. The dream of a detached house with a driveway, where children can play outside without being squashed into a concrete jungle, remains the heart of the Canadian ethos. Yet, as we all know, this idyllic existence is shrinking —both literally and metaphoricall...

  Mapping China's 50-Year Cycle with American Historical Cycles Both China and the United States exhibit cyclical patterns of political, economic, and social upheaval , but their cycles operate on different rhythms: China follows a ~50-year crisis cycle , marked by peasant uprisings, revolutions, and government crackdowns. The U.S. follows an 80-100 year cycle , aligning with Strauss-Howe’s Fourth Turning theory and Turchin’s Secular Cycles , with major conflicts roughly every 80 years (Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWII, and a potential crisis in the 2020s-2030s). By overlaying these cycles, we can compare their timing, causes, and predicted future events . 1. Timeline of Chinese and American Cycles Time Period China (50-Year Cycle) U.S. (80-100 Year Cycle, Strauss-Howe & Turchin’s Secular Cycles) 1850s-1860s Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) – Peasant uprising against the Qing, 20-30 million dead. Civil War (1861-1865) – North vs. South, slavery abolished,...

  Subject: Urgent Appeal – Incorrect Content Removal Likely Due to Glitch Dear Instagram Support Team, I am reaching out to formally appeal the removal of multiple pieces of my content, particularly reels that promote and support people with disabilities. Given that several of these posts were taken down in quick succession, it appears highly likely that this is the result of a system error rather than an actual violation of Instagram’s policies. The removed content focuses on disability rights advocacy, an essential and positive topic that aligns with Instagram’s stated commitment to inclusivity and community support. There is nothing in these posts that violates your guidelines, and in fact, they serve to uplift and empower marginalized voices. The fact that multiple reels on this subject were taken down consecutively suggests a glitch or misclassification by automated systems. I kindly request an immediate review of these removals and a restoration of my content. I am deepl...

  The Psychohistory of a Global Economy: Predictions and Realities In 1989, I undertook the ambitious task of applying psychohistorical equations to the global economic system, inspired by the foundational theories of Isaac Asimov. Unlike the past, where economic models focused on national or bilateral comparisons—such as Country A against Country B, or occasionally regional economic blocs—by the late 20th century, the world economy had transformed into a singular, interconnected entity. The increasing integration of financial markets, supply chains, and multinational corporations rendered traditional economic theories insufficient for understanding the true dynamics of global events. My premise was that economic and geopolitical events could no longer be analyzed in isolation but had to be understood as part of a complex, interwoven system. Using psychohistorical modeling, I was able to predict several major economic crises with striking accuracy. One of the most significant fores...

  Japan's experience of winter is indeed variable and influenced by temperature , rather than strictly adhering to fixed seasonal divisions like the meteorological or astronomical systems . I apologize for the confusion. In Japan, winter, like many other countries, is generally defined by the climate and temperature conditions , and this can vary significantly depending on the region. Here’s a more refined explanation: Temperature and Climate-Based Winter in Japan Winter in Japan is climatically determined , and its onset depends on the temperature and local weather patterns , which vary based on geographical regions. This is why Japan doesn't rigidly adhere to a fixed "winter season" based on a calendar date. Regional Variations of Winter: Northern Japan (Hokkaido): Winter in Hokkaido typically starts in November and can last until March , with heavy snow and freezing temperatures. The northernmost island experiences long, harsh winters. Central Japan (Honsh...

The Case Against Voting Machines in Ontario Elections Cyberattacks are on the rise in Canada. They hit hospitals, cities, and government offices. Even the best-protected systems fail. If hackers can cripple payroll systems and lock down hospitals, they can break into voting machines. Security is the biggest risk. Hackers attack Toronto’s networks and government servers. Voting machines would be an even bigger prize. Foreign and domestic enemies would try to rig the results or shake public trust. A single breach could throw an election into doubt. Reliability is another problem. Ontario’s digital systems fail often. Banks, hospitals, and public services have all gone dark because of glitches and cyberattacks. If it happens during an election, votes could be lost or changed. Paper ballots don’t have that problem. They can’t be hacked. They can be counted by hand. They leave a trail. People already distrust institutions. Asking them to trust machines that have failed in other areas ...

Cleo version of my thoughts: As an amateur historian , I find the shift from physical and microfilm newspaper archives to digital platforms deeply concerning. While the Toronto Public Library (TPL) once maintained complete, permanent records of newspapers in microfiche form, today’s digital archives are often fragmentary and subject to impermanence . Unlike microfilm, which was a static, tangible record, digital archives are at the mercy of licensing agreements, corporate decisions, and shifting technological standards . Many contemporary platforms, such as PressReader and Canadian Newsstream, provide only text-based versions or limited access to recent issues , omitting critical elements like full-page layouts, advertisements, editorials, and local notices —all of which are invaluable for historical research. The lack of a universal, publicly accessible digital repository means that future historians may struggle to reconstruct an accurate picture of our era. Digital media can di...

The Psychohistorical Collapse: How China’s Economic Overreach Triggers a Global Reset The Discovery of the Equation History is not chaos. It is a sequence, a pattern, a predictable arc written in data long before it manifests in headlines. Few recognized this inevitability early, and fewer still attempted to quantify it. One such attempt emerged in an unpublished 1991 paper written in Toronto—an amateur exploration of psychohistory, but one that uncovered something deeper. The author, Scholz, discovered an equation—a minor component of a larger, unspoken calculus—that, when applied, revealed an unavoidable outcome: collapse. Not just any collapse, but the one we now witness in 2025. The end of China’s economic overreach. The failure of a debt-saturated global system. The final, inexorable step in a sequence that scholars ignored, but the numbers never did. Gibsonian Hyperreality: The Collapse in Real-Time The collapse is not an event but a sensation—a slow-motion implosion ...

Secret Club: Lady Gaga So Lady Gaga, right? The same Lady Gaga who once showed up to an awards show inside a giant egg, like some kind of avant-garde omelet. She’s got this beauty brand, Haus Labs, and now she’s teaming up with Klarna—the bank that turns "I can’t afford this" into "I can’t afford this, but slightly later." Together, they’ve opened The Studio in L.A. It’s meant to be a space for “creativity and self-expression,” which could mean anything from making groundbreaking art to filming yet another “Get Ready With Me” video where someone talks about their trauma while applying concealer. But Gaga’s into it. She and Klarna picked two creators—Biddy and Tavaris 'Vari' Jefferson—to kick things off. Each gets ten grand and mentorship, which, in corporate-speak, means "Here’s some cash, now please be interesting online." Gaga says she’s always cared about young artists, which is very Mother Monster of her. As for how they picked the crea...

  This site VSCO was introduced to me by  Alexis , a talented photographer in her own right and a full-time academic in  psychology as a random link in her instagram bio . A chance encounter with  street photography  opened doors to an entirely new world—one that reshaped my perspective and deepened my appreciation for the art form.  She is a photographer and university student off to so her Masters in England, in science.  Amazing memory of her childhood back to early grade 1 days and the snow days in Collingwood, her childhood home. https://joe-average123.blogspot.com/2025/02/alexis-talented-photographer.html The Street Photography was my on going Temporal Photography, in this case my childhood elementary School, almost unchanged!  vs.co/v4oc2yrr @alexissreynoldss VSCO: History, Economic Model, and Cultural Impact History VSCO (Visual Supply Company) was founded in  2011  by  Joel Flory  (a photographer) and  Greg Lutze ...

  Six Months with Michelle: A Friendship Beyond the Screen For the past half-year, I had the rare privilege of developing an online friendship with Michelle Trachtenberg. It’s a strange thing, getting to know someone who has already lived in the public imagination for decades. To most, she was a familiar face—whether as Dawn Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer , Harriet in Harriet the Spy , or, perhaps most famously, Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl . But to me, she became something else entirely: a presence beyond her roles, a person whose complexities couldn’t be captured in a script. The details of our conversations are private, but one thing was clear—Michelle was nothing like Georgina Sparks. And yet, she played that character with such conviction that it was easy to believe otherwise. Georgina was chaos incarnate, a woman who thrived on manipulation and disruption, always two steps ahead in a game only she knew she was playing. She wasn’t just an antagonist—she was the unpred...

  The concept of oligarchy, as it's often discussed, deals with a system of governance where a small, elite group holds power over a larger populace. In psychohistorical terms, we could analyze this as the long-term patterns of power consolidation, where elite groups manipulate societal structures for self-preservation. Trump tariffs, when analyzed through the lens of this "small group domination," may also act as tools of economic control, designed to solidify the power of certain factions while limiting the mobility of others. #Oligarchy: At its core, oligarchy is the political domination by a few. These elites often control the economy, influence major industries, or have sway in governmental decisions, forming the backbone of a system that keeps resources and power tightly in their hands. In history, this has played out in many forms: aristocracies, plutocracies, or even modern-day corporatocracies, where wealth equals control. #Psychohistory: This is the theoretic...

 Before embarking on a journey from Canada to Japan, there are several key preparations that will enrich your experience and ensure a smooth trip. Here are some crucial steps, along with the importance of each: Reserve Your Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass): One of the most critical preparations is securing a JR Pass. This pass grants you unlimited travel on Japan’s extensive rail network, including Shinkansen (bullet trains), which is incredibly convenient and cost-effective for tourists planning to travel between cities. Buying it in advance (only available for purchase outside Japan) ensures you can travel freely without constantly purchasing tickets for each train journey. Book Accommodations Early: While Japan offers a range of accommodation options from traditional ryokan inns to modern hotels, booking ahead is highly recommended, especially in popular areas such as Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. Japan is a well-traveled destination, and rooms at prime hotels or unique stays like c...

 This site "VSCO was introduced to me by Alexis , a talented photographer in her own right and a full-time academic in psychology as a random link in her instagram bio . A chance encounter with street photography opened doors to an entirely new world—one that reshaped my perspective and deepened my appreciation for the art form. The Street Photography was my on going Temporal Photography, in this case my child hood elementary School, almost unchanged!  VSCO: History, Economic Model, and Cultural Impact History VSCO (Visual Supply Company) was founded in 2011 by Joel Flory (a photographer) and Greg Lutze (a designer) in Oakland, California. It began as a mobile photo-editing app offering high-quality filters and presets that mimicked the look of film photography. Over time, VSCO evolved into a social platform where users could share images in a curated, aesthetically pleasing environment without likes or public comments—differentiating it from Instagram. Key historical mome...

 Japan has long been a place where cameras arrive first, sometimes never leaving. Even as the world moved toward uniform releases, a few models still stayed home. They were built for the local market, designed with a sensibility that didn’t always translate. Some were special editions, others just quiet experiments. Ricoh GR III "Diary Edition" (2020) The GR series has always had a cult following. Small, sharp, built for the street. The "Diary Edition" was something else—warm metallic tones, a leather-like grip, a camera that felt like a tool and a keepsake at once. It was released mostly in Japan, a nod to the country’s appreciation for cameras as objects, not just instruments. Fujifilm X100V "Tokyo Limited Edition" (2020) Fujifilm knows nostalgia. The X100V already felt like a throwback, but in Tokyo, they made it even more so. A special edition, available only in certain stores, marked with engravings, wrapped in colors the rest of the world wouldn’...

  [Press Release] Vought International Announces: Paris Olympics 2024 – A Celebration of Unity and Vigilance As the world eagerly anticipates the Paris Olympics 2024, Vought International is proud to stand with athletes and fans alike in celebrating this grand event beneath the iconic Eiffel Tower. This year, the Olympics not only promise to showcase extraordinary talent and sportsmanship but also reinforce our unwavering commitment to safety and security. Eiffel Tower View and Festivities: The heart of Paris will come alive with vibrant Olympic festivities, offering breathtaking views of the Eiffel Tower. Spectators can enjoy a unique blend of cultural exhibitions, fan zones, and live screenings, all set against the backdrop of this historic monument. Our dedication to enhancing the Olympic experience ensures that every visitor feels the magic of Paris. Ensuring Safety Amidst Threats: In light of global concerns, Vought International, in collaboration with French auth...