The Best Films of 2025

David Ehrlich is back with my favorite end-of-year celebration of film; here’s his look back at the best films of 2025 (YouTube). See the full list at Letterboxd. I’ve only seen five of these so it’s difficult to comment on the list as a whole, but I feel like Sinners sh…

Dr. Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Work Made GPS Possible, Dies at 95....

Dr. Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Work Made GPS Possible, Dies at 95. “Her painstaking calculations and programming helped transform raw satellite data into precise geodetic models, enabling reliable satellite-based navigation.”

Mestra is a forthcoming short story from Madeline Miller (Circe, The Song...

Mestra is a forthcoming short story from Madeline Miller (Circe, The Song of Achilles); it’s “a powerful reimagining of Ovid’s Pygmalion”. Miller is also working on a novel about Persephone.

The 3 Best Full Frame Zoom Lenses From 2025

Zoom lenses are one of the best options for many serious and young photographers. Not only does one get various focal lengths in one place, but it is also ideal for a range of uses, from travel photography to portraits and weddings. If you are someone who is keen on buying a new…

Pilot Captures Amazing Aurora Photos During Flight

This week, the Earth was hit with one of the strongest geomagnetic storms in recent years, which made for some gobsmacking displays of the northern lights, even as far south as California. Cruising in a 787 at 37,000 feet on his route from Calgary to London (UK), airline pil…

From director Rian Johnson, a collection of some of the screenplays of...

From director Rian Johnson, a collection of some of the screenplays of his movies & TV shows, including Wake Up Dead Man, Knives Out, Glass Onion, Looper, and the Poker Face pilot. “Print them, share them, act them out with your friends.”

If You Asked AI to Make a Camera Bag, It Would Probably Be This

In May 2025, Two Red Tabs reached out to us to review their latest camera bag. They're a brand new company -- and from the email, it seemed like this bag was something completely different. Oh boy, is that the understatement of the year. This camera bag sat in my office for seve…

Now That I Am Old Enough to Enroll in Medicare, I Am...

Now That I Am Old Enough to Enroll in Medicare, I Am Against Socialized Medicine. “Don’t you know that it makes my benefits less special when everyone can receive them?”

Thrustday

Only if all of them put up a paywall Dana Blankenhorn says Big AI is now a commodity, and that doesn't look good for OpenAI. ChatGPT's market share is slowly yielding to Gemini and Claude, but still dominates. But I wonder about revenue. Google's cash cow is advertising, espec…

What Is the Scale of the Resistance in Minnesota?

A must-read thread from Margaret Killjoy (Skywriter thread) on what’s going on in Minnesota. I came to Minneapolis to report on what’s going on, and one of the main questions I showed up with is “just what is the scale of the resistance?” After all, we’re all used to…

More ways to help: Stand With Minnesota. How you can tell this...

More ways to help: Stand With Minnesota. How you can tell this is a local MN thing: “We are now just two ladies running this thing as volunteers, so please be patient.”

You can help: a listing of mutual aid organizations to support in...

You can help: a listing of mutual aid organizations to support in Minnesota.

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners sets record for most Oscar nominations: 16! Includes best...

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners sets record for most Oscar nominations: 16! Includes best picture, best director, best screenplay, and best actor (for Michael B. Jordan). Well-deserved…Sinners was the best film I saw in 2025.

Kodak Starts Selling Ektar and Tri-X Without a Middleman

The analog world woke up to the news that Kodak had announced the reproduction of iconic film stocks. However, unlike the last time, the new film rolls will no longer be sold via its British-based Kodak Alaris subsidiary, but by Eastman Kodak itself. This marks a shift from the…

My Canon EOS R was Acting Up. Here’s How I Fixed It

Canon camera gear is pretty sturdy. It isn't as robust as some Nikon gear that I've used, and can't begin to hold a candle to OM System or Leica. It's all built so much better than Sony's camera gear. But a while ago, I saw that the shutter dial on my Canon EOS R was starting to…

The 3 Lenses That Changed My Life and Photography

When I began my journey as a photographer some eight years ago, I relied on my kit lens to do everything. Sure, there were some shortcomings, but it was the best option I had within my reach. But when I joined Better Photography magazine as a junior, it shifted my perspective on…

An Ode to the Camera Start Up Sound

The start-up sound of a camera is one that's been lacking for so many years. I mean, think about it: when was the last time you powered up your camera and you heard some sort of start up sound greet you? You probably haven't heard it at all unless you've used a point and shoot o…

Wedmessday

Your irregularly nonscheduled blogging program will continue returning shortly. Or at length. We'll see. Woke up with a case of nausea and uselessness this morning. Took all day to get back to something like normal. And here we are, sort of. Cue Frank. Be ready the next time the…

10 things I learned from burning myself out with AI coding agents....

10 things I learned from burning myself out with AI coding agents. “Fifty projects later, I’ll be frank: I have not had this much fun with a computer since I learned BASIC on my Apple II Plus when I was 9 years old.”

The Great Crime Decline Is Happening All Across the Country. “What has...

The Great Crime Decline Is Happening All Across the Country. “What has changed nationally is a huge investment by the federal government in prevention in response to the COVID epidemic. Investing in education, police, librarians, community centers…”

Cost Savings

Results from the 2025 Go Developer Survey

The Go Blog Results from the 2025 Go Developer Survey Todd Kulesza, on behalf of the Go team 21 January 2026 blockquote p { color: var(--color-text-subtle) !important; } .chart { margin-left: 1.5rem; margin-right: 1.5rem; widt…

“When South Morningside Primary School girls football team won the prestigious Edinburgh...

“When South Morningside Primary School girls football team won the prestigious Edinburgh Schools cup last year, they were presented with a small plastic trophy. It paled into comparison with the large, grand trophy given to the winning boys team…”

Water bankruptcy is a “chronic condition that develops when a place uses...

Water bankruptcy is a “chronic condition that develops when a place uses more water than nature can reliably replace, and when the damage to the natural assets that store and filter that water, such as aquifers and wetlands, becomes hard to reverse”.

We Made These for You!

There’s a lot to love about our presets and how they’ll make your images stand out and shine. Our presets are designed to make editing a minimal task so you can get back to shooting! We’re in love with Retro Digital. Luckily, that’s when we founded the website closer to…

“Most technologies are like guns. They tend to get aggregated and captured...

“Most technologies are like guns. They tend to get aggregated and captured by those who already have a lot. Technology, in other words, generally exhibits preferential attachment to power.”

“The uncomfortable truth is that the president of the United States is...

“The uncomfortable truth is that the president of the United States is a man with the mind of a spoiled child. His debilitating solipsism is a threat to the stability of the entire world. A functional Congress would impeach and remove him.”

Making Moody Black and White Boudoir Portraits

Everyone talks about making moody portraits. And these days, that often involves using lots of LED lights. But what if you stripped all that away. Do you think you'd still be able to make great moody black and white portraits with just shades of light? Well, it's simpler than yo…

The First Animation That Hayao Miyazaki Directed on His Own: Watch Footage...

The First Animation That Hayao Miyazaki Directed on His Own: Watch Footage from the Pilot of Yuki’s Sun (1972).