"Essential Japan" A slide show that I created with Google and Picasa

Look! at these beautiful pictures I took in Japan. I call this slide show "essential Japan" because it highlights images that are often considered "symbolic" or "typical" of Japanese culture.



If you click here, you can see an even better slide show that fills your entire computer screen. This is especially effective (and aesthetically pleasing) if you type the "f11" key on your computer keyboard in advance.

I have created this slide show because I am beginning the process of transporting all of the images that I have uploaded on my Flickr site over the years to a new site that I have just joined: Google/Picasa Web Albums. I am doing this, in turn, because I have become completely disappointed with Flickr's tactics for forcing its customers to renew (and pay some $25 each year) by holding their pictures hostage.

I would love to elaborate on this frustration, but for now, suffice to say that I am going to start trying out Google's Picasa web album site for storing and sharing my pictures with friends, family, and "the public". This web site offers 1GB of storage free of charge, and if customers want to buy more space, they can do so honestly and fairly without their pictures being taken away from them as a way of ensuring their business. So far I am impressed with the sites options - including making these awesome little slide shows that I just embedded here in my BLOG.