Time Machine Conversation

Make Way for Beavers

A Tube station in West London used to have a flooding problem. Instead of opting for an expensive reworking of the landscape via reservoir & levee, local officials reintroduced a family of beavers into the area. The beavers are part of an unlikely effort to bring back a van…

After 16 Years Running The Phoblographer, Here’s What Actually Made Me a Better Photographer

This has been a very long time in the making, and I'm very excited to finally make this happen. The Phoblographer is launching workshops for photographers who want to find ways to grow beyond just what all the social media content developers and YouTubers tell you you need. And…

American Wealth, Sliced Up

Using the Federal Reserve’s Distribution of Household Wealth in the U.S. since 1989 data, Ryan Thorpe imagines a pizza party with 100 guests and 100 slices of pizza as a stand-in for the United States: We’re having a pizza party with 100 guests! Let’s divvy up the sli…

As part of the Ocean Census project, “scientists...

As part of the Ocean Census project, “scientists have discovered 1,121 marine species in a single year”. Discoveries include “a new species of deep-sea ghost shark, a symbiotic bristle worm…as well as corals, crabs, shrimps, sea urchins, and anemones”.

Caught In Joy: Music for Flow, Rest, and Reset

The moment I clicked through to the Caught In Joy YouTube channel, I knew I was going to love it. The description: Over 80 albums designed to focus, flow and reset. Instrumental electronic music for you brain to wander. And from the website: Caught In Joy (Karol Pokojow…

A recent study of 2.5M scientific papers found ~146,900...

A recent study of 2.5M scientific papers found ~146,900 fake citations, presumably hallucinated by AI. The fake citations “were not limited to a handful of bad apples but appeared across many papers, each containing a small number of fake references.”

To Land a Job in AI, Try Reading Kant . “If a...

To Land a Job in AI, Try Reading Kant. “If a for-profit AI company signs your paycheck, might that compromise your research? By playing Aristotle to AI Alexander, do you risk your work becoming an instrument for hype-building and myth-making?”

The Best Canon Camera Kit For Bird Photography

Canon cameras have been quite wonderful. The DSLRs, for instance, have been quite loved by many photographers. Similarly, the company has introduced good mirrorless variables, which can be of help to those shooting wildlife. If you are a serious photographer who wants brand-new…

“Observe the moth in its monumental fight for life,...

“Observe the moth in its monumental fight for life, and do likewise. We gain life’s powers by knowing that eventually they will be taken away. There is beauty in this struggle. Murmurations of starlings occur only in the evening.”

Going Focaccia Crazy

I have a pizza oven and baked very underwhelming bread twice during the pandemic, but I’ve found it difficult to fall into a proper rabbit hole when it comes to dough-making. Focaccia might do it for me. My daughter and I had been wanting to experiment with focaccia (and sch…

The Best Third-Party Lenses for Nikon Portrait Photographers Under $400

Portrait photographers often rely on faster lenses that result in nice bokeh. While they can often be expensive, one must also remember that third-party lenses offer some options that will not break your bank. If you are someone who is looking to buy a lens that costs less than…

These Presets are Designed for Photographers, Not AI

When we made our presets, we made them with the intent of having photographers be able to work without the need for AI replacing what they do. Indeed, these presets are all about authenticity and replicating a look that AI can't necessarily do.

This Fujifilm Camera Now Sells for Double Its Original Price

Some cameras have a much better shelf life even after they are introduced. This is very true for some iconic models introduced over a decade ago, such as the Contax G2 or G7X series. Of the various cameras revealed in recent years, Fujifilm cameras are perhaps the best. And the…

Shutter Effects: 3 Ways to Make Images AI Can’t Easily Duplicate

One thing that I've been working to do is to help photographers create images in a way that AI really can't duplicate easily. And part of that comes with making photographs in unique ways that it and most other people can't really understand. Part of how you do this is with shut…

From Losing the Web to Saving Us All

Hyperlinks subvert hierarchy—Thesis #7, The Cluetrain Manifesto AI subverts everything, including hyperlinks. Go to the big AI machines—ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Meta, whatever—and ask a question. If it pauses for a moment, there’s a good chance it’ll say “Searching t…

My Son’s Math Homework Is Essentially Just Pokémon ....

My Son’s Math Homework Is Essentially Just Pokémon. “As I watched my son play Prodigy, it became clear there wasn’t much learning happening. In about 10 minutes of gameplay, he spent less than 30 seconds answering math questions.”

The first-ever Enhanced Games (open to those using...

The first-ever Enhanced Games (open to those using performance-enhancing drugs) featured 42 athletes, three of whom were competing clean. All three won their respective events.

Meet K4MERA: The Most Compelling Digital 3D Camera for Photographers

When it comes to getting the best images on Instagram or Tumblr, photographers and young enthusiasts have always looked at offerings from Nikon, Canon, or Sony. While these cameras are fantastic, they often allow one to see the world in two dimensions only. As many young photogr…

Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence

Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical letter yesterday; it’s entitled Magnifica Humanitas Of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV On Safeguarding the Human Person In the Time of Artificial Intelligence. It is very long and I haven’t been able to read the whole thing; here’s a ta…

250 to 250. We Are America.

The 250th birthday of the United States is coming up and I know many of us are having a tough time feeling celebratory because *waves hands around at everything*. To mark the occasion in a decidedly non-jingoistic manner, historian Heather Cox Richardson is producing a series…

Tenderly Tracking My Husband . “Knowing when to...

Tenderly Tracking My Husband. “Knowing when to step in and tell a loved one with [Alzheimer’s] that they can no longer do something because it’s too risky is a game of chance we caregivers hate to play.” Lovely & heartbreaking.

Great title for a book: Fascist Yoga . “Ever...

Great title for a book: Fascist Yoga. “Ever since, the world of yoga has been full of grifters, occultists and white supremacists, all out to exploit and recruit via the medium of exercise.”

Tweezeday

Not cheap, but appealing Is my future portable drive one or more 8 TB strips (such as one of these) that I carry with me and plug into one of these?

The Best Fujifilm Camera Kit for Street Photographers

Fujifilm has some wonderful cameras and lenses for photographers of different genres. Street photography is a popular genre that many young photographers start their journey with or are drawn to. If you are someone who is keen on becoming one, then this is a great time to invest…

Pinterest Has Become Unusable . “When I started...

Pinterest Has Become Unusable. “When I started painting again in January, I went back to Pinterest and found it overrun with AI slop. It’s continued to get worse and worse, and it’s now basically unusable.”

Stephen Colbert Hosts Only in Monroe

The day after ending his run on The Late Show, Stephen Colbert hosted a show called Only in Monroe on a Michigan public access channel. His musical director for the show was Jack White, nestled onstage between a boombo and a reel-to-reel recorder. His guests included Byron Al…

An unusual new-to-me animal: the aardwolf . It’s a...

An unusual new-to-me animal: the aardwolf. It’s a hyena but it eats insects like an aardvark. The cubs are incredibly cute.

The Best Panasonic Camera Kit for Street Photography

Street photographers have often relied on small, compact, and high resolution cameras that can get you the best results with ease. While there are many full frame cameras, Panasonic has one option that is by far the best. If you are someone who is keen on a small full frame mode…

Essential summertime reading: Drowning Doesn’t Look Like...

Essential summertime reading: Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning. “Drowning is almost always a deceptively quiet event. The waving, splashing, and yelling that dramatic conditioning (television) prepares us to look for, is rarely seen in real life.”