Department of Collections

Chronographic dependencies I have two clocks that keep time by silentely listening to WWVB in Colorado. The LaCrosse "atomic" clock here in my Santa Barbara office is neatly wedged into a shelf of books. In appearance and performance, it matches the kind of clocks I faced when…

Leica Announces Biggest Update Yet For the SL3 and Q3

Leica cameras have always been in a league of their own. The company has introduced some exciting models over the years, and they further expanded the lineup with special edition cameras. It now appears that Leica wants to further refine the user experience of existing customers…

On Kindness, Power, and Hypocrisy

Earlier this week, Vanity Fair published a two-part story about the Trump regime’s “inner circle”, including extensive interviews with his chief of staff, who was openly critical of the people that she works with, from Trump on down. The story caused a stir and so did th…

A group of journalism students was able to track probable Russian spy...

A group of journalism students was able to track probable Russian spy drones launched from cargo ships to surveil European military bases. They even flew a drone of their own over one of the cargo ships: “we droned back”. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org…

Sick of Looking at Screens? Want an Optical Viewfinder Camera? Consider These 

We live in a digital era where we are always surrounded by screens. Whether it's your laptop, phones, or billboards, everything around us is becoming digital every minute. For those who enjoy photography but are tired of looking at electronic viewfinders and LCD screens, here ar…

The Nikon Z9’s Latest Firmware Brings New Enhancements and Picture Control Support

Officially announced at the end of 2021, it’s hard to imagine that the Nikon Z9 has been the camera manufacturer’s undisputed workhorse body for five years. At that time, the Z9 was an absolute beast, demonstrating to the camera industry what photographers should come to exp…

Pop quiz: what time was it?

Here’s a small quiz derived from some incorrect advice from an AI coding assistant. This program prints two timestamps; will they be a. Roughly the same time (ie, the same second)b. Roughly 10 seconds apartc. Something else Answer after the fold

Tunes and typefaces

In an Irish session, tunes are almost never played in isolation. They’re played in sets. A set of tunes might be as few as two. More usually, it’s three or more. It’s unusual to change from one tune type into another. You tend to get a set of jigs, or a set of reels, or…

We’re getting down to the wire for gifts to be shipped in...

We’re getting down to the wire for gifts to be shipped in time for Xmas. Take a look at the 2025 Kottke Holiday Gift Guide if you still need to shop for your fam & friends.

“On January 1, 2026, thousands of copyrighted works from 1930 enter the...

“On January 1, 2026, thousands of copyrighted works from 1930 enter the US public domain, along with sound recordings from 1925.” Includes Betty Boop, Blondie & Dagwood, and works by William Faulkner, Agatha Christie, and the Marx Brothers. 💬 Join the discu…

Telescope Types

Shitting Us Not

Near-universal surveillance of our digital lives (and in some places our natural ones) has been with us for two decades or more. John Robb sees this expanding to surveillance by the state, with systems in the U.S. coming to resemble China’s: “As this system matures, the desi…

Machine With Concrete

Arthur Ganson is a kinetic sculptor who builds “Rube Goldberg machines with existential themes”. One of his works is called Machine with Concrete, which demonstrates the magic of gear ratios According to a piece in Make, the input shaft spins at 200 rpm, which is reduced…

Chef Saves 78-Year-Old Man’s Life After He Stopped Showing Up for His...

Chef Saves 78-Year-Old Man’s Life After He Stopped Showing Up for His Daily Dinners at Local Restaurant. “Mr. Hicks don’t miss no days. I knew, then, something was wrong.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

[Trailer] The Muppet Show is returning! It’s a one-time event, hosted by...

[Trailer] The Muppet Show is returning! It’s a one-time event, hosted by Sabrina Carpenter, to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary. “It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights…” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Nature: The Best Science Images of 2025

Nature magazine has chosen its favorite science images of the year. I’ve featured a few of these on the site already — Skydiving the Sun, red sprites in the New Zealand sky — so I picked a couple of other favorites to share: The first was taken by Francisco Negroni of…

dmitriid is being grumpy

dmitriid: All modern software is rapidly losing the ability to properly apply even the simplest filters. Search for "Open Now", Google Maps will happily show closed businesses. Search for "Today", Facebook will happily show you events from any date except today. Search for a…

Astronomy Picture of the Day for Dec 12: a red fox beneath...

Astronomy Picture of the Day for Dec 12: a red fox beneath a swirling aurora. “In a Finnish myth, when an arctic fox runs so fast that its bushy tail brushes the mountains, flaming sparks are cast into the heavens creating the northern lights.” 💬 Join the d…

The Devil You Know is an 8-part podcast series from the CBC...

The Devil You Know is an 8-part podcast series from the CBC and Sarah Marshall (host of You’re Wrong About…) about the Satanic Panic. “These thousands of alleged Satanists were nowhere to be found…” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Taking it Slower

To the best editor I've ever had Paolo once told me that cats came to Earth to enslave the standing monkeys. While funny and in some ways true, cats can be more than that. They can be as loyal as dogs (and both species far more loyal than grown humans to each other), and friends…

Want a Medium Format DSLR? Consider These

Medium format cameras are a niche, but they are important for many photographers. They offer several options, ranging from increased pixel density to massive builds and vibrant colors. There are multiple cameras that excel in this area, but if you are looking at medium format ca…

The Lies and Falsifications of Oliver Sacks

In a recent bombshell piece for the New Yorker (archive), Rachel Aviv explored the personal journals of the celebrated neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks. What she found was shocking: he had fabricated and embellished some of his most well-known work — like Awakenings and The…

The Most Scathing Book Reviews of 2025. “Historians will study how bad...

The Most Scathing Book Reviews of 2025. “Historians will study how bad this book is. English teachers will hold this book aloft at their students to remind them that literally anyone can write a book.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Viltrox 35mm f1.2 LAB Z Mount: Bulky But Stunning Image Quality

The Viltrox 35mm f1.2 LAB Z mount lens is a lens that gives you a sense of power over what you see in your camera's viewfinder. Far from delicate or subtle, it makes its presence felt the moment you lift the camera. About a hundred grams lighter than the Nikon 35mm f1.2 S lens,…

Planning to Visit the US? Take It From This American Citizen –...

Planning to Visit the US? Take It From This American Citizen – Don’t. “If I were a tourist, though, I’d pick a less totalitarian place to travel.”

Matt Webb reports on going to algoraves. “There are special browser-based programming...

Matt Webb reports on going to algoraves. “There are special browser-based programming languages like strudel where you type code to define the beats and the sound, like mod synth in code, and it plays in a loop even while you’re coding.” 💬 Join the discus…

nikitonsky is being grumpy

nikitonsky: What do you think this cross button means? Well, it’s not a button. It’s error indicator. Hover to see! Nope, sorry, hover to see a message that you need to click it to actually see the error message! You don’t care about errors, right? Thanks @komarovman for…

Is Pentax Developing a New Compact Film Camera?

Following the launch of the Pentax 17, one couldn't help but wonder in which direction the company is taking. Film photography in 2025 may seem odd, but with more young creators going after vintage image aesthetics, the launch made sense. It now appears that Pentax means to not…

Panasonic S1II E Review Update: Does it Matter for Photographers?

We've updated our Panasonic S1II E review for photographers -- which means that we didn't test all the new video stuff. Photographers should know that this is a pretty minor update overall. The S1II E is the S5 II's sensor with new externals and a new processor. It's a pretty go…