Recently updated blogs

I have to admit that I’m a little proud of this one. It is the sort of mixtape I would have loved for someone else to have compiled - and for me to discover. Twelve compositions released in 2024 and two from 2023 is about as present tense that I’m capable of. Actually it’s way beyond my capabilities in that regard. I made a playlist titled «Strange Beauty», and somehow …

In our 89th episode, we talk about the wires that bring us the bits. And then Derrick the editor time travels. Enjoy it now, or download for later. Here’s a handy feed or subscribe via Overcast or iTunes. https://traffic.libsyn.com/rands/theimportantthing0089.mp3

Reverend Charles Samuel Stewart and his wife Harriet Bradford (Tiffany) Stewart were in the 2nd Company of missionaries that arrived at Honolulu April 27, 1823. On May 20 1823, Stewart wrote the following, noting some of his observations about life of the maka‘āinana (common people, as he called them) … “[The] class of the [common people] constitutes at least one hundred and forty-nine thousand of the one hundred and fifty …

8067/20998This morning I got an email from Phil Daoust, the occasional Guardian journaloust and it was like getting a message from a rock star.It wasn't even really to me personally - it was one that the Guardian was sending to everyone on its email list, but still. Phil Daoust. Emailing me. What a thrill.To be fair I don't know much about Phil Daoust - I didn't even know what he …

A quick reminder to those interested that our first meeting of 2024 is on Tuesday 14th January at the Crosse Keys pub in the City of London. Normally at least a couple of us are there by 6.30 p.m. Join us anytime in the evening. The pub promises to be warm despite the outside temperatures – and an evening there may save you the cost of heating your home that …

I was at a ReThink event about Penn Station the other day; it didn’t talk about through-running but about Penn Station redesign, as Richard Cameron presented options for rebuilding the station in-place, of course without expansion a block to the south. The presentation was interesting, and I have no strong opinions about the architecture, certainly no objection. But something said in there, I forget if by Richard or one of …

January 2025. Cambridge. From the Eagle it’s about 28 minutes back to Cambridge station if you don’t stop in the Fitzwilliam to knock over a priceless Ming vase; I reckoned I could do it in 18 minutes and get a half in the Old Ticket Office. I did it in 17, then remembered this sign I’d seen on the platform last trip; and I realised how rarely I have a …

All is frozen. I already had a full day planned, but had a request dropped on me late last night, so I’m offline until tomorrow except for friends.

Hello everyone and happy New Year! I am still working very hard on my novel and making progress on it, although progress in recent months has been slower than I had hoped. Despite being focused on writing my novel, I have also been working on a few drafts of posts for this blog, which I will hopefully post in the not-too-distant future. I am also now waiting to hear back …

This feature first appeared in February 2024 on Londonist: Time Machine, our much-praised history newsletter. To be the first to read new history features like this, sign up for free here. I am a chasmophile; a lover of nooks and crannies. If I’m walking along a street and I spot an unexplored alleyway, then I explore it. The older parts of London are a chasmophile’s paradise. Alluringly named shortcuts like …

The post fOKOS Magazine Wordmark appeared first on Smitho.graphics℠ All Original Content © 1996 – 2025 Smitho.graphics | Logo & Icon Designer fOKOS Photography Magazine Banner Logo & Masthead Photography Magazine Logo & Masthead: Project for a limited print run bi-monthly photography magazine, called: fOKOS. A subtly styled lowercase ‘f‘ precedes the uppercase OKOS, just adding enough visual interest to keep it from being too ‘normal’. The right-side of the …

Day seven of the Madvent calendar countdown to 17th January release date: first track on side two of the vinyl album Sixties GuyAlso available as a download/CD on Tiny Global Listen here: https://helenmcc.bandcamp.com/track/sixties-guy

Well, that’s it, right? Digital photography won! The Phoblographer realizes that, as a publication, we don’t always have to be so serious. So, each weekend, we work to bring you a bit of fun in our Humor section. Inspired by some of the classic political cartoons of other publications, we’re tapping into some of the …

Today I'm sharing the last five scans from Silver Dollar City, near Branson, MO. Be sure to see the first part - I'd link to it, but as I am composing this second part, the first part has not published yet. Time is a flat circle, whatever that means. Below is another photo of the Flooded Mine attraction, which looks like something they put extra effort into. Notice the train …

Facebook and its sister companies have announced a strong relaxing of content moderation in the US (except for illegal activities). I have mixed feelings about it, but the feeling that wins out slightly is that I don’t like leaving it up to big tech companies to decide what we can talk about. David Heinemeier Hansson calls it a straight up victory. Read The social media censorship era is over (for …