"Don't call it a comeback, I been here for years..."
- LL Cool J
Green internet... Did you know that the average web server produces the same greenhouse gas emissions as a 15 mpg SUV annually?
RipWilliams.com is now proudly hosted on servers that are 130% wind powered! We've chosen to partner with a host that has purchased certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) representing 130% of the electricity used to power and cool this server. Learn more at EPA.gov. So... as it turns out, we're helping finance RE-forestation by having a website. Pretty nifty, right?
"Don't call it a comeback. I been here for years..." - LL Cool J
So... the ol' website was getting a little long in the teeth. Twice already in 2014 this site has been attacked by hackers and script kiddies. It's time for a facelift inside and out! Welcome to the new RipWilliams.com. Stay tuned for a slew of upgrades, new content, regular blogging and general butt kickery.
(reprinted with permission from albuquerqueARTS Magazine, July 2007 issue.)
On one of the first sunny days this year, I find myself with no appointments, no studio session, no deadlines and nothing to do for hours. It is early afternoon on a weekday. Aha! Perhaps a photographic downtown walkabout is in order. I can test (play with) a new wide-angle lens, get a cup of coffee and later drift in somewhere for an early happy hour. Exquisite!
While walking around Downtown soaking in the sun and taking architectural shots, I capture several wide shots (10mm) of the intersection of 5th and Gold St. Suddenly, a black suburban screeches to a halt next to me. The armed, black-t-shirted man who jumps out flashes me an FBI badge, questions me and “takes me in.” The complete ordeal is amusing but far too long to convey here. If you are interested, check out ripwilliams.net. Essentially, I was detained for a couple of hours, taken into a federal building, placed under armed guard, questioned, lectured and then released. The officer who ran my ID to make sure I wasn’t on any terrorist lists plainly said that I had not done anything illegal. He also mentioned that I must get written permission from the adjacent federal office in order to do the non-illegal thing again. I still made happy hour.