Happy First Advent!
The Zone: No. 7 – Nov 26, 2020
Amazon’s Best Books list, the darkest human-made substance in the world, the Simon & Schuster sale, a German shepherd howling with wolves, and more. The Zone no. 7 is here.
November means that “Best Of” lists are released. Amazon’s Best Books of 2020 list is a good place to start looking for Christmas gifts. I sent Santa the list below; I hope he’ll find my chimney.
- Silvia Moreno-Garcia Mexican Gothic
- V. E. Schwab The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
- Stephenie Meyer Midnight Sun (Twilight series number 5)
- Jerry Seinfeld Is This Anything?
- BJ Fogg Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything
- Craig M. Wright The Hidden Habits of Genius: Beyond Talent, IQ, and Grit—Unlocking the Secrets of Greatness
- Ozan Varol Think Like a Rocket Scientist: Simple Strategies You Can Use to Make Giant Leaps in Work and Life. NB: Varol’s weekly newsletter is worth subscribing to.
- Sam Harris Making Sense: Conversations on Consciousness, Morality, and the Future of Humanity
- Toby Wilkinson A World Beneath the Sands: Adventurers and Archaeologists in the Golden Age of Egyptology
- Erik Larson The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
Overall winner & Animals winner
- Continuing on the “Best Of 2020“-theme: breath-taking photos in Natural History Museum London’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Cupoty’s Close-up Photographer of the Year competitions.
- World-Building: How Science Sculpts Science Fiction: an excellent webinar panel: John Scalzi, Mary Robinette Kowal, Becky Chambers & Simon Guerrier discussing exoplanets and worldbuilding.
- I love botanical and zoological illustrations, and now over 150,000 of them enter the public domain, courtesy of the Biodiversity Heritage Library. They offer high-resolution illustrations for copyright-free download.
- Vantablack, the darkest human-made substance in the world, absorbs 99.96% of the visible light. A coating of carbon nanotubes, it’s so black that the human eye can’t quite make sense of what it is seeing.
- 98 years ago today, the English archaeologist Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun‘s tomb in Egypt. It was a sensational find, the tomb being virtually intact, with well-preserved artifacts and the pharao’s sarcophagus and mummy. The whole world became obsessed with Egyptology. Toby Wilkinson’s A World Beneath the Sands: Adventurers and Archaeologists in the Golden Age of Egyptology is a perfect read.
- National Geographic claims cats can be trained. To a certain extent. As a cat owner (or servant, rather), I’m skeptical. I might give it a try. I´ll let you know how it goes.
- Simon & Schuster to be sold to Penguin Random House, and John Scalzi has come up with the title of his next book in this tweet: Simon Schuster’s House of Random Penguins. If you think this is hilarious, read the comments!
- German shepherd howling with wolves from Zootropolis. Bonus: this meta-video.
A Quote I’m Pondering
What will your life have been, in the end, but the sum total of everything you spent it focusing on?
Oliver Burkeman (b.1975)
I’m finding myself more and more distracted these days. No wonder, considering what 2020 brought us. Still, life has to go on and attention to be re-gained. I’m soldiering on.
From My Photo Archives
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An End-Of-The-World Book At Night
Vegas always carried with it an eat-drink-and-be-merry-for-tomorrow-we-may-die energy: a city perched on the cusp of a never-ending yet never-quite-happening end. It was a city permanently stuck in the predawn hour before the hangover truly hit. Right there at the Rubicon, still having fun and about to start puking, on the line between everything is amazing and the End Times are here.
Chuck Wendig, Wanderers
I’m reading Wanderers, by accident, really. I mean, I wasn’t looking for an end-of-the-world-book about a pandemic wiping out humanity (and 775 pages long at that) while we’re surfing Wave 2 of the real thing. Things happen, though, you know. Let’s call it the butterfly effect of reading.
Wendig is no Stephen King (The Stand is still the measure for end-of-the-world books), but it’s an OK read if you’re willing to put up with all the preaching. I’m researching my first non-fiction book * and I needed an easy read at the end of the day.
I usually read for pleasure somewhere between 7 pm and 10 pm (I only watch TV Fridays and Saturdays, it’s the only way to get anything done and have time to read). After reading non-fiction books and taking notes all day, I’m in the mood for some easy stuff in the evenings.
Speaking of notes-taking: this Zettelkasten method for taking notes changed my life. I’m so happy that I found it exactly when I was about to start my research. Well, I was actually looking for a better method, but this is revolutionary indeed. I’ll post a review once I’ve used it for a while. I have many books to read as part of my research, so it’ll be perfect to use Zettelkasten and see what it does for me. Hint: Zettelkasten means paper slip in German.
* I don’t want to talk about it yet, sorry! I’m still afraid I’ll jinx it.
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In Imitation of Kaku’s Haiku on Knotgrass and a Firefly
Ah! I take my breakfast,
Viewing morning glories.
Matsuo Basho
Matsuo Basho (1644 – 1694) was the most famous Edo period poet and a haiku master.
To read more poems, click here.
iPhotography
Take Awesome Photos With Your Phone
You don’t need an expensive camera or a fantastic subject to take awesome phone photos.
These are the only things you need:
1) A camera with you at all times. This is very likely your phone. As the saying goes, the best camera is the one that you have with you. And…
2) An open mind. If you expect to take photos only when you found a “nice” subject, you’ll end up with banal photos.
Be open and learn to see, really see, what’s right in front of you, without any preconceptions. As Thoreau said, The question is not what you look at, but what you see.
I’ve taken all these images with an iPhone while in the car wash. No fancy camera, no “beautiful” subject. Just the beauty of the everyday. Look for it.
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The Zone: No. 6 – Nov 19, 2020
Girls racing sheep (say what?), awesome photomicrography, Ed Ruscha’s Sunset Boulevard street view, and more in The Zone No. 6.
- Girls racing sheep in Aberystwyth, Wales, 1965. You’re welcome!
- I’ve always been fascinated by photomicrography, and this year’s Nikon Small World Photo Contest had several mind-blowing photos. The one above, by Justin Zoll, came in thirteenth place, but it’s my favorite.
- Vintage style covers of modern pop songs by Postmodern Jukebox on YouTube. Somebody That I Used To Know is a new favorite.
- The Chicago Public Library eliminated late fees for overdue books in October 2019, and the results are unexpected.
- Emojipedia. Why didn’t anyone tell me this existed? Here’s a list of all new Apple emoji released on November 5th.
- A book I put on my Christmas wish list: The Visual Miscellaneum: A Colorful Guide to the World’s Most Consequential Trivia by David McCandless. It combines interesting information (I love reference books) with beautiful illustrations (I love illustrations)—the perfect gift, in other words.
- Historic Photography Trick: Watch the Birdie!
- Tomorrow we celebrate Absurdity Day. It seems only fitting.
- Happy Birthday, Jodie Foster!
A Quote I’m Pondering
Time isn’t the main thing. It’s the only thing.
Miles Davis (1926 – 1991)
From My Photo Archives
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How To Take Better Photos With Your Phone
Continuing the theme from my previous post on mobile phone photography, I wanted to show more photos taken with an iPhone and share a few tips to help you take better photos with your phone.
These are some of our vacation shots from Fregate Island (Seychelles) in the summer of 2018; they are all taken with an iPhone. Considering how the world looks like today, Covid-19 et al., I’m grateful for all experiences we’ve had; it’s something to hold on to these days. I’m sure we’ll be able to travel the world and only worry about photo quality at some time in the future. Maybe not in 2021. But in 2022? We need to keep dreaming about better days.
All photos in this post are taken with an iPhone X and the only processing is using the phone’s auto-enhance function i.e. what most people would do with their images. No filters, no post-processing. No expensive, heavy camera, tripods, or filters.
In full light, there’s hardly any need for further processing unless you’ve taken a fancy to one filter or another. Just point and shoot.
Some tips for taking better photos with your phone
- Try shooting in the morning or late afternoon for a milder light. You may have heard about “the golden hour”; this will make any photo pop.
- Wait for a passing cloud to take photos if you have to shoot in the harsh midday light.
- Position yourself so that you have the sun at your back. Be careful when shooting portraits, though. If you have the sun at your back, it means that people will very likely squint (if you’re quick) or close their eyes as they’ll face the light. What you can do to avoid “The Others“-like portraits is to position your subjects with their backs to the sun. As you’ll be shooting against the light, you’ll need to use the flash to lighten up their faces.
- Use available natural light. Avoid using the flash (except for the above scenario). Flash creates a cold, unnatural light with heavy contrasts, and the result is unflattering photos.
- Set the focus right. Phone cameras automatically set focus on the foreground, but this may not always be where you want it to focus. To make sure the intended subject of your photo is in focus, tap lightly on the screen. This will set the focus on that spot.
- Don’t use the zoom; move closer to the subject instead. Zooming in makes the photo appear pixelated or blurry.
More Examples of Phone Photos To Inspire You
Using the Portrait mode: good background blur, perfectly fine photo.
Choosing the Portrait mode in your camera app gives your photos a nice background blur. It was meant for shooting portraits, but you can do so much more with it. Try it!
Using the Panorama mode – not bad! The horizon is slightly uneven (maybe the photographer wasn’t fully awake, maybe it’s the camera, who knows?), but the photo is acceptable, considering the alternative. I.e., carry a heavy camera to the beach, and do a lot of post-processing on your computer, stitching together the panorama. Did you try creating a panorama on your phone?
One of the rare shots with me in it. You know, the shoemaker’s children …luckily, not a bad hair day! Tips: taking photos of other people taking photos is always fun.
Some animal photos. The last one, the skink, would have been better with a blurred background (using the portrait mode), but animals usually don’t wait until you set up your camera. Shoot it, or you lose it. Overall, not bad considering animals rarely pose and are always on the move.
And lastly, two photos in low light – taken at 6am and 6pm. All phone cameras struggle on these conditions of course. But in this size for a photo album, Facebook or Instagram they are perfectly fine.
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To Ransetsu
Will you not call on me in my loneliness?
A paulownia leaf has fallen.
Matsuo Basho
Matsuo Basho (1644 – 1694) was the most famous Edo period poet and a haiku master.
To read more poems, click here.
Some Say The World Will End In Fire
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Robert Frost, Fire and Ice
Robert Frost (1874 – 1963), American poet and winner of four Pulitzer Prizes, is most known for The Road Not Taken (a poem often read the graduation ceremonies), Fire and Ice, Mending Wall, Nothing Gold Can Stay, and Home Burial.
To read more poems by Robert Frost, click here.
The Zone: No. 5 – Nov 12, 2021
Welcome to this week’s installment of the Zone, my happy place where I share interesting (and often whimsical) things I found out there on the world wide web. Here are a few things I thought were worth sharing this week.
- The Quote Investigator is a website where Garson O’Toole investigates quotations. Did s/he really say that? Citations and references are included to show how the quotation was verified. How could I live without this? If you’re interested, the Resources page offers further reading. I bookmarked the page on the spot.
- As a long time lover of Japanese woodblock prints, I was mesmerized by this video showing the step-by-step process of making one of the woodblock prints. The video is narrated by the Tokyo-based woodblock printmaker David Bull. Bull has also created a three-hour video showing him creating an entire woodblock print, from beginning to the end, with no cuts. Bonus: you can download +2,500 Japanese woodblock prints and drawings at the Library of Congress’ online collection here.
- Magpies are smart, something I had plenty of opportunities to observe in my backyard. I wasn’t surprised when I came over this My Modern Met article about how the artificial intelligence researcher Hans Forsberg trained magpie birds to trade bottle caps for peanuts.
- A documentary I’m looking forward to watching: Song Exploder, in which the musician Hrishikesh Hirway deconstructs how songs are made. The documentary series is based on his acclaimed podcast, and the first episodes include Alicia Keys, REM, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
- A podcast I’ve discovered: Writing Excuses, now on its’ 15th season. It’s an educational podcast by writers for writers, with short episodes, between 15 to 25 minutes. The length guarantees I’ll listen. I usually appreciate longer podcasts diving deep into a theme (Tim Ferriss’ is a favorite, for instance), but I don’t always have the time or the peace of mind to listen to such long episodes. I can always accommodate a short one.
- Speaking of Tim Ferriss: he has created the ultimate To Read – Book List, books recommended by world-class performers in their field, and guests on his podcast.
- As an aspiring artist, I’ve always been fascinated by artists’ studios. I’m in the process of creating my own studio in our former garage and was therefore glad to stumble over Hyperallergic’s A View from the Easel series, in which artists send in a photo and a description of their workspace. Bonus: see more studios in my Artist Studio board on Pinterest.
- Tetragonula Carbonaria is the only bees species to build their hives upward, in a spiral.
- Birthdays to Celebrate: Georgia O’Keeffe was born on November 15th, 1887. She transformed flower painting, and New Mexico (where she moved later in life) transformed her. A short introduction to Georgia O’Keeffe’s art here. And a bonus.
A Quote I’m Pondering
What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it.
Herbert A. Simon (1916 – 2001)
From My Photo Archives
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