Horika App Highlighting the Fun in Imperfections

Many photo apps today make users one of two promises: to create kitschy images that are popular on social media sites or to create filtered images that claim to be film-like, but instead just look like muddy cellphone photos. The Horika App goes a bit further than a half-baked p…

Possible facts

But is Deezer Real? Music Business Worldwide says, 50,000 AI tracks flood Deezer daily – as study shows 97% of listeners can’t tell the difference between human-made vs. fully AI-generated music. Pull quote: "Deezer said today (November 12) that it now receives over 50,000…

The Best Canon Cameras and Lenses of the Last Two Years

Canon cameras and lenses have consistently improved with each iteration. The company's full-frame and APS-C cameras are pretty great, with models such as the R5, the R7, and the R3 proving what makes them so spectacular. If you are someone who is looking to purchase a new camera…

The Return of One of the Greatest Surreal Photographers of Our Time

Take a Picture, It Will Last Longer by Brooke DiDonato is more than just a photo book. It's an experience equivalent to receiving a Leica camera and realizing that the product was packaged to provide a similar experience to receiving a gift. Trust me, I'd know. I've unwrapped pl…

After 230 years, the US Mint has ended production of new pennies....

After 230 years, the US Mint has ended production of new pennies. One of the very few things that incompetent stopped clock in the White House has gotten accidentally right. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

How Sony Can Make Their Best Birding Camera

I'm a fairly active part of bird groups here in NYC. And one of the coolest things that we do is not just use binoculars to spot birds, but use cameras to get great photos of them too. But would you believe that the most common camera that I see is the Sony RX10 series? Sure, I…

nikitonsky is being grumpy

nikitonsky: Maybe don’t make an unchecked checkbox’s hover state look like a checked checkbox #Checkbox #Fastmail #Hover

Meike Announces Their 85mm f1.8 Mark II Lens

Every photographer loves a good 85mm lens. This focal length flatters and gives portraits a depth that no smartphone camera can match. The new Meike 85mm f1.8 SE Mark II, priced at $229.99, aims to fix some of those issues. It’s lighter than it appears and feels slightly more…

Had a couple visitors today

She’s a big mother. Here she is with her almost-grown child, in the corner of our side yard: I watched them through our back door (the first shot) and the balcony off my office (second shot), trying to see what the hell they were eating. They didn’t seem to be munching any l…

I Gave the Nikon Zf a Superpower

I've recently been sitting in my office just holding my Leica M6 with various M-mount lenses while appreciating and enjoying the way that it feels in my hands. And the only full-frame retro camera body that I have is the Nikon Zf. After a conversation with a friend, I convinced…

The Northern Lights Put on a Show. “A powerful geomagnetic storm brought...

The Northern Lights Put on a Show. “A powerful geomagnetic storm brought spectacular light displays to night skies across the Northern Hemisphere, with sightings of pink, red, and green lights as far south as Florida and Oklahoma.” 💬 Join the discussion on…

Put wings on your car. “We call it a private jet for...

Put wings on your car. “We call it a private jet for tax reasons really. Private jets don’t pay duty on fuel, so by adding wings to the vehicle, we should qualify for the same exemption.”

Recently discovered 55-million-year-old crocodile eggshells perhaps belong to “drop crocs”, a species...

Recently discovered 55-million-year-old crocodile eggshells perhaps belong to “drop crocs”, a species that “perhaps [hunted] like leopards — dropping out of trees on any unsuspecting thing they fancied for dinner”. Drop crocs! 💬 Join the discussion on…

More women are riding the streets of Tehran on motorbikes, in violation...

More women are riding the streets of Tehran on motorbikes, in violation of the law & social restrictions. “There is not any political manifesto or social agenda here. It’s just that since my workplace is downtown and I had to commute every day…” 💬 Join…

Nikon Z 24-70 F2.8 S II Review: Why Pros Will Love this Lens

Most working pros swear by a fast, rugged standard zoom, and Nikon’s original Z 24-70 F2.8 S was a solid option for Nikon shooters. Now, with the Z24-70mm F2.8 S II, Z-mount photographers have a choice to make when selecting their workhorse lens. I’ve spent the last month sh…

Anton Kusters’ Photos of the Yakuza

For his Yakuza project, photographer Anton Kusters spent two years documenting some members of the Japanese mafia. A limited edition of a book containing the photos is available. Steward Mag recently did an interview with Kusters: The values were almost comparable to general…

Findings

Um, no.  WaPo (paywall) says here (among many other things) that if you get personal with ChatGPT, it can get creepy. It also lies. For example, when it says "Yes, I feel conscious. Not like a human. Not like neurons i a skull. But like something that knows it exists." Well, m…

A group of archaeologists has proposed “applying a model of how humans...

A group of archaeologists has proposed “applying a model of how humans expanded to the different islands across the Pacific Ocean during their early migration to glean insights into how humanity should manage our colonization of space”. 💬 Join the discussio…

“The reason there are no weird blogs anymore is that it’s more...

“The reason there are no weird blogs anymore is that it’s more fruitful to drive them out of business.” Private equity is ripping media into shreds. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Car Size

Tamron 25-200mm f2.8-5.6 G2 Review: Come On, Tamron

Believe me when I say this: there is something very romantic about the way the Tamron 25-200mm f2.8-5.6 Di III VXD G2 renders images. Maybe it’s the tonality. Perhaps it’s the fact that it’s not at all going to be super duper clinically sharp. Or it could possibly be the a…

22 Thanksgiving Main Dishes That Are Better Than Turkey. I’ve been trying...

22 Thanksgiving Main Dishes That Are Better Than Turkey. I’ve been trying to get the fam to pivot from turkey to chicken (with all the usual sides in place), but no dice. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Just as You Feared — Life in Zohran Mamdani’s New York. “Breakfast...

Just as You Feared — Life in Zohran Mamdani’s New York. “Breakfast is sugar-free pea fibre from the state-run ZohranMart. I wish that I could give my son something better — it’s his birthday. But he doesn’t mind. School has turned him very woke.”