Some Newsletter Tidying

Just a short note to say that because of some internet scammer shithousery, I had to bulk-unsubscribe a bunch of email addresses from the KDO Newsletter subscriber rolls. If you subscribed to the newsletter back in Dec 2025 and don’t get the next issue (which I’m sending out…

A thoughtful review of Nolan’s The Odyssey, comparing it...

A thoughtful review of Nolan’s The Odyssey, comparing it to the original Planet of the Apes movies. “I was very influenced by seeing The Planet of the Apes when I was a kid. We had the Statue of Liberty half destroyed. That idea of a fallen monument.”

Mary Cassatt: The Impressionist Who Painted The Mind

I always learn so much from Evan Puschak’s videos about art. In this one, he takes a look at the work of Mary Cassatt, who, unlike many of her male peers, used the flattened perspective of Impressionism to reveal the thoughts and feelings of her subjects. Like Manet, she�…

3D models for every single object in Katamari Damacy, all...

3D models for every single object in Katamari Damacy, all 1680 of them. You can download models and animated gifs of each one.

Ross Anderson on NASA’s recently launched Nancy Grace...

Ross Anderson on NASA’s recently launched Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which may “be able to deliver the first direct images of distant planets in visible light” as well as measure the effects of dark energy.

Canyon Groove. What if the grooves on a record were...

Canyon Groove. What if the grooves on a record were shaped like actual canyons? What would that sound like? “The floor sets the key. The shape of the walls sets the mood. The width sets how long one pass takes, and the depth sets the echo.”

The Street Photographer Providing the Gear Doesn’t Matter

Often street photographers talk about their gear; though they surely do also discuss their work. In the case of photographer Nei Valente though, you can really see the artistry in what he captures on the streets. In a piece from our archives, he spoke with us a bit about what it…

Dimensional Drawings of Apple Products

So that companies can use them to make accessories like cases and bands, Apple maintains a collection of downloadable dimensional drawings and tech specifications for many of their products, including the iPhone, AirPods, Watch, and iPad. They are beautiful. I love…

What’s your “origin” video game? “I’m talking about the...

What’s your “origin” video game? “I’m talking about the game that flipped that little switch in your brain and made into a life-long gamer.” Mine is Lode Runner. Reflexes + puzzles + constraints + make-your-own levels = hooked for life. You?

TIL Victor Hugo’s Notre-Dame de Paris (aka The Hunchback...

TIL Victor Hugo’s Notre-Dame de Paris (aka The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) was written in part to help save the cathedral from demolition.

Viltrox Adds 4 New Lenses to L-mount

At IBC 2026, Viltrox teased that new lenses are coming to the L-mount. And today, they're making it official. From the Viltrox AIR series the AF 14mm f4 L, AF 20mm f2.8 L, AF 40mm f2.5 L, and AF 50mm f2 L are now being announced for the L-Mount. Though we've tested only a handfu…

“The best next steps are the concrete ones: Big AI needs...

“The best next steps are the concrete ones: Big AI needs to follow all current laws—just like everyone else. So far—they haven’t. When Big AI breaks those laws, they must face pros­e­cu­tion and penal­ties—just like everyone else. So far—they haven’t.”

The First Presidential Dog to Get a Photograph

Meet Fido: Abraham Lincoln's beloved dog and the first Presidential dog to be photographed and still have surviving records. Mr. Lincoln loved his dog and before he became President, he was said to bring the dog with him into town often. The dog would sometimes fetch parcels and…

Ed Sheeran tried to stay neutral on a moving train. “If...

Ed Sheeran tried to stay neutral on a moving train. “If [celebrities] remain neutral (silent), they won’t offend anyone and they will, hopefully, appeal to everyone. They use the facade of neutrality as shelter, as a place to take refuge.”

Stargazing 5

Hey Europe: Let’s make personal privacy online a contract and quit trying to fix consent

Anu Bradford‘s book, The Brussels Effect: How the European Union Rules the World (Oxford, 2019), hardly exaggerates the EU’s influence. Many EU regulations have global reach, especially in respect to personal privacy. And for that we should be grateful, because the US and Ch…

Nikon Z8 Takes Bird Photographer of the Year 2026 Crown

Winners of the Bird Photographer of the Year 2026 have been unveiled. This edition sees the image of a northern gannet bursting through the ocean’s surface as the winner of the overall contest, while the Youth Photographer of the Year goes to a photo of a great horned owl agai…

Monopoly as a metaphor for racial inequity. “During the...

Monopoly as a metaphor for racial inequity. “During the first half of the game, we said that Cas and I could buy property, but you could not, then halfway through the game, we say, ‘Now the rules are even. Now the rules are the same for everybody.’”

Canon Patent Reveals Fingerprint Sensors Built Into Camera Grip

Canon has numerous patent filings over the past few weeks. A new addition to this set is a patent designed for a camera grip that can identify the individual holding. The filing states that the new interchangeable camera will come with fingerprint sensors built directly into the…

Relationships are key to human happiness. “The top five...

Relationships are key to human happiness. “The top five [determinants of subjective well-being], ranked in order of impact, were romantic and familial relationships, financial situation, work, community and friends, and health.”

Cars, New York City (1974-1976)

In the 70s, photographer Langdon Clay took photos of cars parked on NYC streets at night and compiled them into a project: Cars, New York City | 1974-1976. Using his Leica CL, Kodachrome 25, and a 40 millimeter lens, Clay traversed the streets of 1970’s Manhattan…