singemonkey
@singemonkey
I love to torture myself seeking fine-grained understanding of events over which I have no control. Note that I will unfollow anyone posting AI slop unless it's in a post disparaging AI slop.
When you start playing electric guitar you learn that there are single coil and humbucking pickups. When you've been at it for a while you learn that these are barely meaningful categories and each type - humbuckers, P90s, Strat pickups, Filtertrons, gold-foils, etc. - has its unique sound.
My buddy and I hiked up to this radio mast on top of Constantiaberg. There’s a wonderful view of the peninsula spread out below. I got in a great chunk of outdoors before the big winter storm hits over the weekend.
Mountain Zebras. They're the ultimate zebra. They're a different species to the Plains Zebra you'll see in doccies. They are way higher contrast (because they don't have a 'shadow stripe' between the black stripes - just pure white). #wildlife #karoo #photography #nikonzfc
For some reason there are no Red Bishops to be seen at our local river. They occur locally. They love reeds and there are many reeds. But I've never seen one here. But in the hide at the Karoo National Park these fancy boys were making nests 'n wooin' ladies. #photography #birds #nikonzfc
Another fern and rock. I learned to appreciate the Nikon F that day. It felt clumsy even compared to cameras from a few years later. But it also felt bulletproof - and that means a lot when film cameras are now ageing and eventually becoming unfixable. #shootfilm #photography #nikonf
These pics are really just for the enjoyment of using the camera. And a good test of copying with a Nikon ZF. The grain was huge from over-processing but I'm pleased that it's very clear on the RAW files copied from the film. Better results than I've gotten from any film scanner. #shootfilm
I finally copied some negatives from a 30+ year old roll of fp4 I shot with my 55yo Nikon F in '24. I didn't rediscover film like young people so it took time for me to appreciate the imperfections of it. And this old film is grainy as hell. Weird foliage. #shootfilm #photography #nikonf
The blue marble is spectacular though - shot on Kodak Ektachrome on a medium format Hasselblad camera. But no lights or aurora. And not even bright stars could show up when the film is exposed for the sun bathed Earth. Also this pic includes my home, although clouded over.
So I gather many are unimpressed with the Hello World photograph of the Earth - apparently unaware that they’re looking at the moonlit, nighttime side. This photograph would have been completely impossible during Apollo. The Apollo Blue Marble pic was taken of the Earth in bright sunlight.
My buddy got me this amazing 1972 deep dive into the history of the blues. It goes right back and in fantastic detail with loads of photographs in context. Few stand out like this one of Georgia Tom who played on Tampa Red’s phenomenal uptown blues.
Glad I spent some hours getting the 80s Peugeot bike I bought last year into rideable condition. More mechanics than I’ve ever done before. Did I make mistakes that I’ll still need to fix? Yes! Could the nice folks at the local shop have done better? Of course. But as Jake told us… #bikes
The newest Pacificas from Yamaha. A really tasty Japanese-aesthetic current take on the Tele. Rupert Neve pickups. I've got an old made-in-Japan Pacifica 904 myself and I've played a lot of Yamahas. So I know how they always exceed expectations at every price point. #guitar #electricguitar
It can't just be me who thinks Tony Blair looks more and more like The Joker from Batman, right?
Bye bye Bobby. He was a bit of a scumbag for quite a while by all accounts. But he made beautiful music and was a unique guitar player. It really does feel like the end of all that. At least for that first generation. #thegratefuldead #bobweir
Twin Peaks season 2 was busy wrecking the revolution of season 1. But then it ended with one of the most extraordinary pieces of TV ever shown. The 2nd finale in Twin Peaks S3 25 yrs on was no slouch either. Everything was coming right and it completely spiralled into madness "What year is this?!"
The sounds of explosions and thudding and crashing of falling beams. The smell of smoke and burning plastic. Smoke alarms will hopefully give you the chance to grab loved ones and get out. It happens mad quick.
I really enjoy reading the odd YA novel. And in the case of Lonely Castle In The Mirror I was really reconnected to a terrible time in school at 11 years old where I was trying to avoid going due to a psychologically abusive teacher. It opens up a door on teen mental health. #books
A Cape Sugarbird on the yellow pincushion proteas in Kirstenbosch Gardens a couple weeks ago. The good weather is arriving. But so is the tooth-rattling wind. Makes me want to hole up indoors. I've been realising just how sharp this Nikon 200-500 lens is. Better autofocus is showing it off. #birds
I've been working on this '96 Japanese-made sunburst Jazzmaster since I got it in 2017, I think. It came with '60s reissue pickups and a USA trem. I've replaced the tune-o-matic with a JM bridge, put on the mint guard, gotoh vintage tuners, red and blue MXR knobs. Got a vintage white strap. #guitar
You still hear the old lie all the time that iron working, so-called Bantu people settled in South Africa at the same time Europeans did. But it’s not even controversial in academic history that these peoples arrived vastly earlier. The archaeological evidence is indisputable. From 300AD.
Some friends in Jozi gave us a Hubbard squash from their garden. Being the season, I asked my mate Ivan if he’d help us turn it into a Jack-o-lantern. He surpassed my expectations.
It’s tricky and obvs a very fast lens can throw out a closer background. But once you start looking for the opportunities, this not only gives you a clean background but actually gives you sharper subjects since you can use smaller apertures. Part of it is being level with the bird. #photography
It took me a long time to learn what I think of as the “other rule of thirds” for bird photography. So I’m therefore assuming others are unaware. If you want a less distracting background, you don’t need a super fast lens. Get the background twice as far or further than from the bird vs the lens.
Reminder that boycotting Disney is a priority BDS target. Don’t give any of these brands your money. You don’t have to miss your favourite shows. Just don’t pay for them (I read synopses and then dream highly accurate versions picked up from the collective unconscious. But I’ve heard of alt methods)
The AI companies’ calculations to get from weighted probability models to AGI: