2026-01-22 14:46:37
Over the Christmas break, a time of consumption for the sake of commerce, I found myself thinking of all the brand spanking new tat destined for landfill after, at best, one use.
I buy decent quality stuff secondhand whenever possible (which is getting easier every year) and keep it for a long time.
It got me wondering what the oldest things I own are.
I have a handful of cameras that are older than I am but I bought them recently; here I'm talking about things I've held onto for years…
What is the oldest thing you own? Get in touch by email, hit me up on the Socials™, or elsewhere online.
2026-01-22 03:43:30
We had a guest speaker at work today; a very learned man with a very interesting talk. This is not about that per se.
In the Q&A section at the end, he mentioned the overwhelmingly positive and utopian future we are destined to live in — all thanks to AI.
AI will cure cancer and solve world hunger ushering in a "post-scarcity" world. Which all sounds amazing…
Except it's not possible.
The United Nations estimates that current food production is enough to feed 10 billion people (vastly more than the estimated 8.2 billion people on earth).
The primary reasons for people going hungry are war and conflict damaging infrastructure, wastage in developed nations, and poverty — they simply cannot afford over-priced food on inadequate wages.
We know these problems, we know the solutions. And we didn't need an artificial neural network to dream up the answer; we did it with our own wetware.
I will continue to shout from the rooftops: there cannot be a tech only solution to a social problem
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2026-01-18 20:12:36
On a photo walk to test out my new Minolta SRT303, I clocked this composition out of the corner of my eye.
The 53mm Rokkor lens does not connect to the in built light meter so this whole walk was metred by eye. I don't think I did too badly!
2026-01-18 08:00:00
The robins are in full throat. It sounds like 40,000 of them singing the same song at slightly different times; none of it syncs up and the effect is jarring. The dawn chorus, magical as it is, naught but a complete cacophony.
I took a long walk over the fields to the duck pond because I missed water. It was quiet and peaceful and good for the soul.
My camera lens had endured a battering in my bag on the train home and the focus ring jammed on infinity. I didn't realise until I was a mile from home. It'll need fixing but it forced me into some interesting composition decisions.
The dog lurched at a hedgerow and disturbed a Barn Owl who floated off like the ghost of smoke taken bird form. Lord only knows why it was in a hedge at midday.
Why do the trousers of anthropomorphic animals have holes for tails? Why would they not design them with tail "sleeves"?
Work has been busy. Very busy.
Last year ended with a lot of planning meetings and January we're putting those in place.
Two new clients with similar names and very different projects is giving my short term recall a workout.
"Love Island: All Stars" kicked off again this week; delayed by the South African wildfires. The initial cast look to be a friendly bunch; I look forward to watching it all fall apart 😂
Try as I might, I can't figure out how to get subtitles on live broadcasting through the ITVx app so I will always be a little behind the in-office chats through watching it on catch-up the next day. A timely reminder that accessibility measure benefit everyone and, without them, it can be socially isolating.
I have neglected this blog over the holidays. Hectic work and illness combined to drain me of bothers. I'm not making a New Year Resolution but I will do better in future.
I will have no self imposed penance for problems with easy solutions
Ben Gibbard
1: HT Denis Defreyne
2026-01-12 03:38:45
The first week back at work is over! A few drinks later and the hectic pace is a dull memory; until Monday morning rolls around.
I made a big list before I finished for Christmas of the critical things I needed to do on my return and, as of close of play Friday, I have done none of them. YOLO
Progress on my personal media tracker continues. It's going well apart from finding a CMS. Having very tight restrictions had meant heading down a few rabbit holes to discover it's the wrong software. Right now I'm genuinely considering writing my own CMS. It can't be that hard?!
All I can offer is my own anger, which feels endless, and my hope, which feels endless too.
Victoria Aveyard
2026-01-04 20:36:03
In a quirk of calendular mathematics, this is simultaneously week 1 of 2026 and week 53 of 2025.
I celebrated New Year's Eve with a ceilidh, a beer, and a takeaway with my family.
The ceilidh was amazing; so warm and joyful and wholesome community vibes. I'll be back there!
The new year began with a wan lemony Winter sun trying its damndest to burn through the haze before conceding defeat and giving way to a huge bright moon.
The short days mean my daily perambulations take place mostly in the dark and a full or near-full moon creates a magical atmosphere. I used to listen to music on my walks but now I much prefer the natural sounds around me; birds singing, wind in the trees, rain on the asphalt.
In between festivities, I kept an eye on some machine learning processes that had been set running for a work report. At once amazed by the ability and shocked by the rising costs!
The year is over and I haven't finished The Dark is Rising Sequence. It's still winter though, so it still counts. One book to go!
-7°C even with the sun up. They say snow is coming. I'm keeping my lomography powder dry. Hold until you see the whites of their skies!
You are a museum of everything you have ever loved
@filmsbygabby, TikTok