jtambo

@SeanC1: sorry but wat. Not sure why we build the float and you provide the flowers then

I'm a grad of Cal Poly's ME program, and I think the difference between it and a lot of schools is Cal Poly doesn't own any IP. When a company comes in and sponsors a project, they get whatever comes out, but that's pretty much the same as being a working stiff. I totally agree that the system where schools take all the IP from student work is all too common and exploitative

@nismo325: I don't think folks are mad because people are "enjoying the trails wrong," though some of that does inevitably come up whenever music an trails mix. The concern with earbuds on the trails is more about collision risk. On multi use and bidirectional trails it's important for everyone to be as aware of their surroundings as possible, and having two earbuds in probably interferes with that.

@gafoto: Wait so you don't ride bikes just to get out and see trees?

@johntaylorphotos: while I can't speak to the photographer's true intent, I get the vibe that the photo is intentionally minimalist. Whether we like the effect or not is different, I think, than if it is technically good, which is more linked to artist intent. An example is a photo series I saw in Nat Geo a few years back, where a photographer used a camera obscura to cast famous vistas in Yosemite onto the ground and captured the projection on the dirt and leaves. I didn't find the pictures particularly compelling, but the photos were what they wanted to capture. https://www.abelardomorell.net/tent-camera

@jb2mntbike: I think this photo matchup is telling because it really exposes the difference in why we ride in what photos we connect with. I tend to lean more adventure than shreddy, and connect to the waterfall photo more, but I can see how if speed is your game, the roost shot is what gets your blood pumping.

I think there are multiple valid standards for judging the photos, and "MTB Photo of the Year" is general enough that I think it's reasonable to take in composition, beauty, and radness into account. This stage is always a bit wild because all the photos from the semi-finals could reasonably win, though each is spectacular for different reasons. I would push back that Jan's photo is just as good without the rider, though. For me, the combination of a composition which helps emphasize the movement of the rider and the mist filling the valley really create a feeling of adventure, and chasing that feeling is a big part of the reason I like to ride. Without the rider, this shot would be just as vibrant, but pretty awkwardly composed and far less impactful. I don't mean to imply that there's a right interpretation to any of these photos, or that other people should feel the same about it, just that there may be things in any of these that someone else feels strongly about that we may not see

@gafoto: pretty much all common conifers are in Pinacea (pine family), including spruces, firs, and cedars, but the line for "true" pines is typically drawn at the genus level. Members of Pinus tend to be low water plants, and are thus pretty uncommon for the coastal PNW