The worst part is that this building is directly across the street from a playground, and inside a so-called “neighborhood watch” program. As someone who’s had my house trashed by my own next-door neighbor, I can see why I got the hell out of here.

Check out more of my pictures from around town at my Flickr page.

The happy idiots at CoolStuffBeingMade.com, which apparently no longer exists, produced a thrilling, riveting, really flipping corny video detailing the process.

Here’s some of Billy’s best…

Rest in Peace, Billy. I’m sure they need some Orange-Glo in heaven.

Escape / KellyLWatson

Escape is just an interesting shot at the side of an old, brick building. Interesting that after all these years there hasn’t been something safer or more convenient developed than shoddy, ratty staircases bolted to the side of a building.

The Road I Seem To Keep Walking Down / Jocko B.

The Road I Seem To Keep Walking Down has had many post-processing effects added to it, but they add to the mood of the picture. The signs blocking the road add to the gloomy feeling you get. The picture portrays snow, which is usually something cheerful, in to something almost depressing.

Balcony / Miguel De Leon

Balcony is a case where a composition is simply stumbled upon. It’s unlikely that anyone planned the look of the flower pots in contrast with the blue and yellow background. Shame that bigger sizes aren’t available of this one.

Markus' Balcony / Andreas Solberg

Markus’ Balcony is probably my personal favorite out of the bunch. Keeping on the subject of balconies, this time the view is from the other side of a balcony. You’re looking out on to a village of houses and their bright lights. The colors in this shot really come together to form a great composition.

I Love A Rainy Night / J.D. Fielding

I Love A Rainy Night found the right viewpoint to take this picture from. There’s a reason why streets at night are always wet in movies, as it creates beautiful cinematography.

Old Bridge / ginamccaleb

Old Bridge is just that. A piece of old architecture which has since been torn down in place of a new highway. The author comments that the only way on to this bridge is by going around the “Keep Out” signs.

Raging Building Fire / eecue

Raging Building Fire is a shot that shows emotion. Not in people, but in the situation. Peaceful chaos, as the fire crew is there to extinguish the flame, but there doesn’t seem to be a single onlooker at all.

Sun And Signs / .: sandman

Sun and Signs shows a situation where everything was just right for a photograph. A very lightly-clouded sky combined with the bright sun and haze of the mountains make for a great, docile scene.

Another Sunset Study / SkipSteuart

Finally, Another Sunset Study just seems to be an experiment by a photographer to get colors just right. Not sure why any studying is needed, because this shot seems to be nearly perfect. The blue atmospheric tint on the gate contrasts with the green of the grass and orange of the sky, and the barn in the back makes for an excellent added focal point.

Sure, I get jealous looking at shots like these and marveling at the superb skills of these Flickr..ers, but even with a cheap digital camera and some quick Photoshopping, nothing’s impossible, right?

But being from the southern part of the north, I’m used to different people. Yes, I got to put up with the trailer junkies flying the rebel flag, and the people that ride the coal train for fun. But, there was also a much more social type. A “vibe,” if you will. You could walk up and down the street and meet all kinds of people who were quick to give you a “hello” as you whisked by them. People would wave as they pass each other on the city streets, and only rarely did it result in a wreck and very nasty lawsuit.

Walking down the streets of Indianapolis I get a much different feeling, and I don’t mean the typical feeling of imminent gang-rape that I get at night. The feeling of community isn’t quite there. Yeah, it’s a big city and I’m downtown. I will likely never, ever see the people I pass by again in my life.

Yet, I always make eye contact. The reactions are amazing. An old man cowers in fear and checks to make sure his wallet is secure. Yeah, I’m young, but when the hell did I get a tough face? If anything, a feeble old man is more likely to mug me. The blond woman in her argyle scarf just quickly glances away. Apparantly she was looking at me, but was afraid that I’d even look at her. Oh, and apparantly they make argyle scarves now.

But there’s always the few, the proud, that have no problem with being the least bit social. They look, they nod, they may even let out with a slight grunt that resembles a “hey.” Is it that hard to just be nice? You don’t have to go out of your way for someone.

But even I have my times where I want to walk with my sunglasses on, my hood up, and my iPod on full blast to seclude myself from the world. I guess we all have our moments.

Yeah, your mom is evil. Alright, she obviously thought you weren’t taking good enough care of it, and somehow stuck it in some envelope to mail it to some Flying Flip Fish Farm in Wisconsin. Or maybe he died and she just didn’t want to explain death. Either way, after that day you no longer trusted your mom and never got along with her again. Now she lives 2,000 miles away and you haven’t once spoken to her over the goldfish incident.

This could’ve all been prevented had you detected her gross fabrication and confronted her. Luckily, Blifaloo, a website typically dedicated to busting boredom, is here to help this situation never happen again.

They’ve come up with a foolish fool-proof guide to detect lies, including looking at body gestures and the way the person is smiling. There’s also a guide to eye movement and lying.

Now that you’re a certified super-sleuth, you’ll never be caught in someone else’s lie ever, ever again. Right?

It’s no hidden fact that burgers, especially those made by Burger King, are some of the grossest looking edible products on Earth. The thought of this being mixed with sex is really enough to make me want to puke.

But since when are provocative ads new? They’re definitely not…

But why… WHY.. in the hell would you mix hot chicks with fast food? Even Paris Hilton couldn’t make Hardees burgers look sexy… if anything, I was worried that the poor burger would contract chlamydia. Please stop this hot-girls-with-fast-food craze now.. pretty please?

Starting with just the logo, I was playing around with typography and a couple tutorials and was able to come up with something along the lines of this:

Oooooh.. shiny...

I’m still stuck with a feeling of uncertainty, however. 6 months ago I was very happy with the scissors-and-paper look of the website, and now I’m considering other routes to take. This logo is just an experiment and will likely never see any more daylight than it already has. I’ll be playing around with the design, but I won’t be skimping. I’ll only make changes if I feel they really benefit the website…

Then again, I get at most 40 visitors a day. What does it matter if I screw it up? Tootaloo!

35 Gorgeous Black Wallpapers at Abduzeedo. These are some very, very nice wallpapers with a black/dark theme. I don’t mean Chris Brown black, I mean black black. The one above, for example, is a very dramatic background that is also charming at the same time.

Cool Free High Quality Desktop Wallpapers at Coolthings.co.uk. This compliation features lots of breathtaking backgrounds that are also a treat to the eye. Ranging from grungy to clean, all of these are great options. I personally love anything portraying a ‘big city’ in a grungy light.

However, I’ll be letting you know that iM will be continuing as it ever did before. I even brought back the old layout and took out unnecessary ads. I still browse the web, I still have things to rant about, and I still appreciate having a reader or two that enjoy the site. So what if this blog is just a time-killer? I can’t exactly present hard-hitting news to you, or go out tracking amazing things. I’m still more than happy to share my experiences and thoughts, and as long as you want to read them, you’re welcome.

So welcome back. I’ll get back to work.

[Illustration from Svea Vikander]