I’m not sure how long it will take you to read this article. Maybe a few minutes. Maybe you take a little longer and give it a close read. Either way, I’m confident however long you take to read this will not come close to the amount of time it took me to write it. And that’s a good thing. That is how communication should work.
Category: AI and Humanoids, Technology
Tags: LLM (Large Language Model), Communicate, Thinking, Human, GPT
Imagine you’re eight years old and it’s your birthday. You open a big box. Inside is a huge, off-road, remote-controlled truck. You’re ecstatic and can’t wait to head out and eat up some Duracells as you ply your new toy around the yard. Now, as a grownup, you realize why the Hummer EV exists.
Category: Automotive, Transport
Tags: GMC, Hummer, Electric Vehicles, Reviews
You might already know that JBL doesn't just do wireless speakers and earbuds; they're also a big name in live audio. The brand is now trying its hand somewhere in between with a novel product designed for the jam room.
Category: Music, Consumer Tech, Technology
Tags: Amplifiers, JBL, Speakers, Bluetooth Speakers
Fujifilm has unveiled a more advanced version of its flexible rotating-lens business projector. The ZUH12000 is the brightest member of the company's Z-series and becomes its second 4K model. But it's the first to have an interchangeable lens system.
Category: Technology
Tags: Fujitsu, 4K UHD, Projectors, Flexible, Lens
Not getting enough vitamin D can weaken bones, teeth, and muscles by interfering with calcium absorption. Lack of the vitamin has also been implicated in dementia and an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Now there's another reason to avoid a serious D deficiency: it can make respiratory tract infections much worse, according to a new study.
Category: Illnesses and conditions, Body and Mind
Tags: Lung, Pneumonia, Respiratory health, University of Surrey, University of Oxford, University of Reading, Vitamins and minerals
Omega-3 fatty acids sourced from wild-caught fish stocks are valued for their studied health benefits such as healthy skin, joints, heart and brain function along with enhanced immunity, but this has resulted in a reduction in fish stocks globally. A Scottish firm is working on a solution, in the form of omega-3s made from whisky waste.
Category: Environment, Science
Tags: Omega Garden Technology, Fish, Whisky, Conservation, Algae
There's only so much you can realistically fit into a tiny house that has a length of 6 m (20 ft). Despite this, the Tiny Rubik does a good job of squeezing in a compact but well-designed layout that fits a small family, including a downstairs sleeping space and another up top.
Category: Tiny Houses, Outdoors
Tags: Micro-House, Building and Construction, Tiny Footprint, House, Home
I’ve been thinking a lot about growth in photography lately, especially how projects and challenges can push creativity forward. Recently, during one such project, someone asked a question that made me pause: how can taking a bad photograph possibly help you get better or feel creative again?
That question stuck with me. At face value, it can seem pointless to take photos you’re not confident will work, and it’s easy to feel bad when an image doesn’t turn out the way you wanted. Yet I’m a firm believer in the importance of bad photographs. Creating bad work is essential for any creative, and photographers are no exception.
What I mean by "bad" photographsPhotography is, of course, subjective; what's bad in one person's eyes may be brilliant to another. A photograph can also be bad for countless reasons. It may have technical mistakes, such as blur, poor focus or incorrect exposure. There can also be compositional issues that weaken the image. Or there might be a conceptual disconnect, and the photo doesn't capture what you intended to convey. It could also simply capture a subject or theme that doesn't resonate with viewers.
The list of reasons a photo might be “bad” goes on and on. What matters more, though, is that those imperfect images are often the ones that teach you the most.
Learning often happens from mistakesIn my mind, there are two distinct periods of making bad work. The first is when you’re new to photography and trying to learn the craft. Ira Glass has a well-known talk about what he calls "The Gap": you have good taste, which is what drew you to the art form, but you don’t yet know how to create work that lives up to that taste. The only way to close that gap is to keep making work that falls short, building your skills until your photographs begin to match the images you imagine.
Along the same lines, photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson famously said, "Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." It's also worth noting that Cartier-Bresson was an early adopter of 35mm film, when the medium wasn't nearly as approachable or forgiving as it is today. In our digital age, that number should perhaps be much larger, since it's significantly easier (and more affordable) to take thousands upon thousands of photographs, even in just a single day.
"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst."Simply put, photography is a skill that requires work and practice. Bad photographs are simply inevitable. However, the key is remembering they aren’t a sign you should quit. Their existence, and your ability to recognize that they've missed the mark, is often the clearest sign that you’re doing the work, which is how progress is made.
This image is from a failed self-portrait shoot back in 2013. There were plenty of technical and compositional issues with the images, and conceptually, they weren't hitting the mark, either.The second stage comes after you have years of experience. Even then, you don’t magically start producing only award-winning images. In the beginning, bad photographs teach you fundamentals; later on, they keep you from getting stuck and keep your practice alive. I first picked up a camera seriously nearly 20 years ago, and I can still say, with confidence, that I produce bad photographs on a regular basis. I screw up my settings, I fumble compositions and I create images that just aren’t very interesting. I have a strong foundation of skills and knowledge, but I still make work that misses the mark.
Those mistakes can be frustrating. But they’re not a signal to put the camera away, and they aren't a sign of failure. When I’m culling images after a shoot, I go through the "bad" ones slowly, asking what went wrong and why, and how I could approach them differently next time. That deliberate look at my failures is often where the real learning happens. By taking the time to reflect on that bad work, I'm improving in the process.
"As photographers, especially in certain genres, it can be easy to slip into a perfectionist mindset"As photographers, especially in certain genres, it can be easy to slip into a perfectionist mindset and only take images that you are confident will work out. I am guilty of having ideas for photos, but I worried about how they would turn out and let that keep me from even trying. By forcing myself to just take photographs, even when I'm uninspired or unsure of the outcome, I risk a bad or uninteresting image, but I'm also putting myself in a position to learn and grow. Plus, it also allows for the outcome that it could be good, or even the serendipity of "oh, this isn't what I imagined at all, it's better!"
Make room for bad workFor some, the idea that bad photographs are crucial to learning may seem obvious. For others, it may feel pointless to intentionally put yourself in situations where you might make bad work. But, as in most areas of life, progress usually comes when you’re uncomfortable. Trying new compositions, experimenting with unfamiliar gear or tackling a new genre – even when the outcome is likely to be bad – is often the best way to move your photography forward. Bad work is evidence that you’re still experimenting instead of coasting. I, for one, will continue to make bad work and embrace those mistakes when they happen.
If you've been getting back into vinyl records lately, or need to upgrade your basic setup, I've got good news. Sony's returning to the turntable business with its first new models since 2019.
Category: Home Entertainment, Consumer Tech, Technology
Tags: Audio, Sony, Vinyl, Turntables
After a decade of false starts across the industry, Nex Computer revisits the idea of replacing your laptop with a smartphone. By combining Android, Linux, and Windows in one device, the NexPhone may have made the vision a reality.
Category: Consumer Tech, Technology
Tags: smartphones, Computers, Laptop, Hybrid, Productivity, All-in-one
The makers of a smart Rubik's Cube-like puzzle have upped the ante with their game technology with a special-edition Harry Potter-themed chess board, complete with character pieces. But can AI help you learn how to play? You might be surprised (well, I was, at least).
Category: Games, Consumer Tech, Technology
Tags: Chess, Brain, Gaming, Smart technology, Artificial Intelligence, Smartphones, Reviews
The imposing Sphere in Las Vegas might soon have a little sibling on the East Coast. The company behind it has announced its intent to build a similar venue at National Harbor in the Washington DC metropolitan area.
Category: Architecture, Technology
Tags: La Sphere, Sphere, Construction, Building and Construction, America
Ecoldbrew, engineered by a team of designers with experience working for brands like Xiaomi, Philips, De’Longhi and Ningbo Borine, is a portable compact coffee machine that fits 40-oz Stanley tumblers or its own custom container. It can whip up a cup of fresh cold brew coffee on the go without the need for overnight steeping or pre-ground beans.
Category: Around The Home, Lifestyle
Tags: Coffee, Beverages, Kickstarter
A team at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS) has developed a new type of sodium-ion battery that uses lignin as a key electrode material.
Category: Energy, Technology
Tags: Fraunhofer, Sodium battery, Wood
While heartburn medication can be a lifesaver for those suffering from gastric reflux, several studies over the years have indicated that the drugs could increase stomach cancer risks more than threefold. A new meta analysis says that's likely not the case.
Category: Cancer, Illnesses and conditions, Body and Mind
Tags: Gastric cancer, heartburn, GERD, Cancer, Medication
The CRKT ToGo Driver, designed by John Wu, is a pocket-sized multi-tool that blends sleek design with practical utility, offering everyday carry enthusiasts a compact solution for quick fixes and precision work.
Category: Knives and Multitools, Gear, Outdoors
Tags: crkt, Driver, EDC, Multitools
We recently got the opportunity to get a Leica M11-P (which is, at its heart, the same as the M11, M11-D and M EV1) in front of our studio scene. While we've attempted to shoot the scene with the standard M11 before, but weren't able to get hold of an optimal lens to do so. Leica has this time been able to lend us the APO-Summicron-M 90mm f/2 ASPH, which has given us a much better representation of the camera's performance.
Our test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors, and detail types you'll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes, full even light and low directional light, to see the effect of different lighting conditions.
Image ComparisonThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.With its base ISO of 64, the Leica M11-P's processed Raws start out cleaner than most (though not all) of its full-frame, color-filter-bearing competitors and are roughly similar to the noise levels we see from cameras like the Nikon Z7 II, which also has a sub-100 base ISO. Unsurprisingly, it captures lots of detail, on par with what we expect from other cameras using Sony's 61MP sensor. At mid and high ISOs, its Raws are on par with other modern full-frame cameras.
The M11-P's JPEG engine produces pleasing colors, but isn't quite as successful at revealing the full extent of the detail captured by the Raws, even at base ISO. This becomes more evident at higher ISOs, with the camera doing a decent, but not class-leading, job of retaining details despite its noise reduction. That noise reduction also doesn't appear to be as sophisticated as what Canon, Nikon and Sony are using, leaving more chroma and luma noise in the JPEG.
We noticed the effects of shutter shock in images shot with lower speeds using the mechanical shutter, and have used electronic shutter shots for some of the samples to provide the sharpest results possible. While it's a characteristic worth being aware of when shooting with a tripod, for shooting handheld, your ability to focus the camera and hold it steady, combined with its unstabilized sensor, would more likely be the limiting factor on sharpness.
In terms of dynamic range, the M11-P performs as well as we'd expect given the excellent results we often see from this sensor, giving you plenty of latitude to pull shadows up in post or to shoot to preserve highlights.
Exposure Latitude | ISO Invariance
The M11-P is capable of excellent image quality under studio conditions, even if, realistically, that's not where the camera and its rangefinder focusing mechanism are most at home. Still, it's good to know that whatever you're trying to accomplish with it, the sensor is more than able to deliver the image quality you need.
BenQ has heard the anguished cries of movie enthusiasts who don't have the luxury of large rooms for a home cinema setup. The W5850 4K projector sports a shorter-throw lens for big-screen visuals in smaller spaces.
Category: Home Entertainment, Consumer Tech, Technology
Tags: BenQ, home theater, 4K UHD, Projectors
Each year, vast blooms of phytoplankton spread across the Southern Ocean, drawing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and fueling Antarctica’s marine food web. For decades, scientists have attributed these pulses of life to familiar forces – sunlight, winds, and ocean circulation. But new research suggests another, far less visible driver may be at work: earthquakes beneath the seafloor, whose activity may be influencing ocean surface conditions.
Category: Environment, Science
Tags: Ocean, Earthquake, Geology, Minerals, Marine Biology
You're looking at what seems to be a neat little pry bar – but it surprisingly fits several more handy tools into its compact titanium build. The K-01 from EDC brand Lair features said pry bar, a bottle opener, a folding knife, a ruler, and an adjustable wrench. It can also work as a screwdriver, and hang off a backpack strap, belt loop, or lanyard.
Category: Knives and Multitools, Gear, Outdoors
Tags: EDC, Tools, Kickstarter
