On AI: Environmental Impact

Earlier in 2025, I started to poke around and experiment with using LLM-based AI. My purposes have largely been educational. While I absorbed the basics of machine learning during my general computer science education, I have never engaged directly with the topic and have not s…

Kodak PIXPRO C1 Review: The Hottest Camera of 2025

Holding the Kodak PIXPRO C1 in my hands is such an internal push and pull in so many different ways. Back in August, we reported on how they're at the top of the compact camera game. And even through October, it was clear they weren't going anywhere. When I power it on, let the…

Pole Vault Pole

Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Christmas

In 2002, Aardman Animations produced a series of short episodes called Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Contraptions. In each episode, Wallace unveils a new invention, which Gromit then has to deal with. For the holiday season, Aardman has packaged a few of these short shorts into…

“The embrace of the unitary executive theory by both the president and...

“The embrace of the unitary executive theory by both the president and the [Supreme Court] has given us the worst of all worlds: an ultrapowerful presidency without an actual president at the helm.”

On reading Proust vs experiencing the world intermediated by screens (even when...

On reading Proust vs experiencing the world intermediated by screens (even when you’re not on one). “Your attention is, on a foundational level, all you have. This is why it feels worse than bad to waste it. It feels annihilating.” 💬 Join the discussion o…

This Week in the IndieWeb

December 12-19, 2025 Recent EventsFrom events.indieweb.org/archive: Homebrew Website Club - Düsseldorf/Germany Thursday, December 18 at 6:00pm DÜSSELDORF, Nordrhein-Westfalen: Xafé im KAP1 BibliothekscaféHomebrew Website Club (HWC) Düsseldorf is an in-person meeting for e…

Love Your Old Camera? Then You’ll Probably Love Our Coverage

In 2025, we’re trying to get to a minimum of 2,000 subscribers as part of our membership program! Capture One is discounted for members! The New Phoblographer membership is now based on our website. Yes, we moved away from the app. It was a bittersweet move — but what we’r…

If you want to see the future of clean energy, you have...

If you want to see the future of clean energy, you have to go to China. They have flying 2-seater taxis, lunch delivery drones, robots that can swap your empty EV battery in 3 minutes, bullet trains, driverless taxis, etc. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org ��…

Inkblot Books via the Public Domain Review. These pre-date use of the...

Inkblot Books via the Public Domain Review. These pre-date use of the inkblot in the Rorschach test. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Time to Why

High Minded Complain about his politics all you like (I have problems too), but dig the weird fact that FCC Chair Brendan Carr likes to climb towers, as did my father (who helped build the George Washington Bridge). As did I too, back in the decade. (My shots from the Mt. Sutro…

“The Global Village Construction Set is a modular, DIY, low-cost, high-performance platform...

“The Global Village Construction Set is a modular, DIY, low-cost, high-performance platform that allows for the easy fabrication of the 50 different Industrial Machines that it takes to build a small, sustainable civilization with modern comforts.” 💬 Join t…

The Best Lenses for Your New Nikon D850

Nikon cameras have been pretty excellent in many ways. The company's mirrorless lineup is inclusive, with models such as the Z9 and the Z6 III offering the opportunity to photograph people of color in low-light conditions. You also have better readout speed and autofocus, thanks…

Light Fantastic

Using thousands of photos taken by NASA astronauts Butch Wilmor and Don Pettit earlier this year from the International Space Station, Seán Doran made this incredible timelapse called Light Fantastic. 21,837 images across 18 time-lapse sequences photographed by NASA astronau…

A report from one of the competitors in a parallel parking championship....

A report from one of the competitors in a parallel parking championship. “You’ve got to get uncomfortably close. Those bumpers are called bumpers for a reason.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Savory Rice Krispies treats? “Savory chicken fat and fried onions push Rice...

Savory Rice Krispies treats? “Savory chicken fat and fried onions push Rice Krispies Treats into gloriously salty-sweet territory.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

In 2023, seismologists detected a “global hum” originating in Greenland that lasted...

In 2023, seismologists detected a “global hum” originating in Greenland that lasted for 9 days. A rockslide triggered a 200m-high tsunami that sloshed back & forth in a fjord every 90 seconds, slamming into the fjord’s walls “like a beating heart”. 💬…

Is Fujifilm Working on Another Medium Format Compact Camera?

Fujifilm cameras and lenses have consistently gained popularity among users of APS-C and medium format sensors. The company has introduced the powerful GFX series, making medium formats more accessible than those of Hasselblad or Phase One. It now appears that the company is wor…

Filtered for conspiracy theories

1. Why Were All the Bells in the World Removed? The Forgotten Power of Sound and Frequency (Jamie Freeman). Church bells: "something strange happened in the 19th and 20th centuries: nearly all of the world’s ancient bells were removed, melted down, or destroyed." (I don’t…

Is the Canon R3 Mk II Possible in 2026?

When the Canon EOS R3 was launched, it floored us with its powerhouse performance. The full frame camera was a flagship in every way, but the company created it as an in-between device between their other cameras and the true R1 series. Now that the R1 has been introduced (and a…

Forks Out: A Benoit Blanc Sesame Street Mystery

For years now, the people have wanted only one thing: for Daniel Craig’s chicken-fried detective Benoit Blanc to feature in a Muppet movie (with Craig as the only human). Earlier this year, Netflix picked up the streaming rights for Sesame Street. That partnership has borne so…

Prepare to lose a few hours to these: Andy Baio’s top 10...

Prepare to lose a few hours to these: Andy Baio’s top 10 free browser games of 2025. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Just dropped: Lane 8’s Winter 2025 Mixtape....

Just dropped: Lane 8’s Winter 2025 Mixtape. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

This AI Vending Machine Was Tricked Into Giving Away Everything

Anthropic installed an AI-powered vending machine in the WSJ office. The LLM, named Claudius, was responsible for autonomously purchasing inventory from wholesalers, setting prices, tracking inventory, and generating a profit. The newsroom’s journalists could chat with Claud…

“Docs said I’d never walk, but I ran a marathon.” Logan Knowles...

“Docs said I’d never walk, but I ran a marathon.” Logan Knowles was born with cerebral palsy. This fall, he ran & completed the NYC marathon, his body fighting him the whole way. What a story. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →