Appalachian Fracking

The hydraulic fracturing market, not just in the Appalachian Basin, but globally is projected to continue growing, with market analysis expecting it to nearly double between now and 2034. It’s argued that, to meet the energy demands needed to power AI data centers, more fracking is justified.

I asked AI if fracking is considered clean, and here’s AI’s response:

“No, fracking is not considered clean because of its environmental impacts, which include water contamination, air pollution from methane, and the creation of large volumes of toxic wastewater. While the burning of natural gas produces fewer emissions than coal or oil, the fracking process itself has significant negative consequences for air and water quality, as well as public health.”

Click on image to enlarge

Technical: Sketch Club app on an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil, some additional work in Procreate and iColorama. Here’s some Sketch Club stats, click on arrow to see a tiny progress video.

So much to say to you..

Here how I pictured Van Morrison as he was:

Traveling down an open road with youMaking plans for all we hope to doSo much to say to you, so I’ll drive slowWe can drive to France, or down to Monte Carlo
Once in a Lifetime Feelings Click here for the soundtrack on YouTube.
Van Morrison

So much to say to you…

(No) Work Ahead

You’re on your way somewhere. You see apocalyptic orange signs in the distance. Then, the orange flagman.

Evening Beer

O’Hooley’s Dry Irish Stout at Jackie O’s, Athens, OH.

Was that too dark? Try these:

Sketch Club app on an iPad Pro w/ Apple Pencil and iColorama app.

Countervailing Views

(click on image to enlarge)

I’ve only experimented with time travel twice, and in both cases I ran into problems. Fortunately, in both cases, I carried an undo button with me.

See my original Marination Challenge post here. I tried attributing the image to that stupid ice-bucket challenge back in 2014 so that nobody would find out that I had failed at time traveling.

Thursday Night Celtic Old Time Jam

Annyth and I called the audible at around 3:30 pm today, Thursday, September 11, 2025. Go to the West End Ciderhouse for a Guinness and some live Celtic music here in Athens, Ohio. Yes, we were up to our ears in 911 sorrow, not to mention the more contemporary, constant, and ubiquitous GOP-related horseshit not worthy of elaboration; but, the thought of draft beer and Celtic music helped us come to our senses.

the scene at the West End Ciderhouse

I had my iPad for some live digital painting in the Sketch Club app and was able to focus on one of the local Athens musicians, guitar and fiddle player, Rusty Smith. I finished him before I finished my first Guinness.

Rusty Smith

Jacob Collier: 30 minutes

“I have never in my life seen a talent like this.” Quincy Jones

Sketch Club Stats

At one point it seemed like everybody was holding a Guinness everywhere in Ireland

We were in “Ireland,” yes, the Emerald Isle, for nine short but glorious days divided almost equally between Belfast and Dublin. Glorious… Divided… These words didn’t just pop into my head, but that’s a different story. Among the many common denominators, Guinness!

An airplane doodle…

Squint and you’ll see they’re enguinnessed.

Van at the Europa in Belfast

What a pleasure to see Sir Van again, this time in Belfast! And what a performance!

Oh, and dinner included a little birthday cake to celebrate his 80th!

This freehand digital painting was done on an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil using the Sketch Club app, with a final sharpening tweak in iColorama. I started it yesterday on the train from Belfast back to Dublin and finished it off in our room last night at a residence hall on the campus of Trinity College. The whole image took me a little under two hours. Obviously, I’m rounding things up to the nearest 1,000 for the fun of it. One of these days I can come back to this image and finish her off, but for now I’m still enjoying the tunes in my head. Hey, I painted Van on my iPad back in 2014, click here for that.

Here’s a look at the whole team, virtuosos everyone of them!

Van with the whole band

Play list: June 24, 2025.

After Gloria, and once Van had left the stage, the band played on for another 15 minutes improvising their asses off. We all stood in amazement.

Click here to learn more about the Hotel Europa

Hotel Europa, Belfast, Northern Ireland