October 2020 - THE DULL CHANNEL

October 24, 2020

Lovely Red Box Coffeeshop

If you wander around Park Sanssouci in the winter time you might stumble upon this rickety little red box coffeeshop. Or should you call it a coffeebox? It is simply a small kiosk where they sell drinks, baked goods and because this is Germany grilled sausages. It is bit out of the way from the main tourist attractions so the…

Photography/Random Thoughts

October 21, 2020

Beautiful East German prefab apartment building shot with cross process film recipe (Fuji X100F)

I enjoy using the film recipes from fujixweekly. This one is supposed to mimick the cross process where one would use a different process (i.e. chemicals and baths) designed for other types of film. The results could vary dramatically and produce an often surreal image. The most common effect was a green tint like in this picture. Nowadays one can…

Photography/Society/Urbanism

October 18, 2020

My life in cameras: Part 4b Olympus PEN E-P1 and M.Zuiko 17mm F2.8 (Yes the lens is incredibly tiny)

I wrote in my first post about the Olympus Pen E-P1 that I wanted something smaller and lighter for everyday walks. The E-P1 I bought was in a kit with the collapsible zoom I talked about and a small 17mm pancake lens. Additionally they added a glass viewfinder. You can look at the size in this review here (no I…

Photography

October 15, 2020

I signed the Great Barrington Declaration

I had planned to write a couple of posts [1,2] about the many restrictions imposed upon us due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Instead I will talk about why I signed the Great Barrington Declaration. Captured by fear Although I agree that the pandemic needs a proper response I feel that the governments lost sight of their actual goal. That is…

Politics

October 14, 2020

Book Review: The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron

Last year I discovered or rather acknowledged that I am a highly sensitive person (short HSP). I went to a support group although I would rather call it a meetup or a safe place for people like me. There the moderator brought some books for the newbies to check out. Elaine N. Aron was one of the first people to…

Reviews/Uncategorized

October 12, 2020

Stupid Corona Rules and some Public Choice Questions #1

Alright it is time to write about some stupid Corona rules and answer some public choice questions. Yes the pandemic is quite concerning and some action is certainly necessary but nevertheless those measures need to be discussed and they are definitely not above criticism. Because we can not just do everything and argue it with “it is about life and…

Economics/Politics

October 11, 2020

Danger High Voltage (Panasonic GM1)

I took this picture right next to where I shot the lonely swivel chair. Now I remember that the buildings where in fact part of an old electrical substation (or transformer station). The signs here (in German) warn about “danger high voltage” and enumerate the rules of how to switch off the electricity before beginning any kind of work. I…

Photography/Urbanism

October 8, 2020

What it is like to speak with a corona denier?

I had the misfortune of meeting someone who believes in conspiracy theories. I knew she was critical about the corona media panic and skeptical about many government measures. To be honest I myself think that the mainstream media with it’s constant updating of infection numbers, personal tragedy stories and pictures of caskets and intensive care wards plays a significant role…

Random Thoughts

October 5, 2020

The Book of Questions #3: Death, Regret and Honesty

If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with everyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven’t you told them yet? The Book of Questions #3 by Gregory Stock, Ph.D. (1987) An absurd death scenario Again these are two questions at once. Let us for a moment ponder the absurdity of this…

Book of Questions

October 2, 2020

My life in cameras: Part 4a Olympus PEN E-P1 and M.Zuiko 14-42mm F3.5 – F.5.6 (How I fell in love with mirrorless)

It has been seven years now with my trusted Canon EOS 20D and my little stable of lenses. At this point in 2011 I was working all day and did not really have the time to go on proper photo tours. I would rather just grab my camera whenever I left the house. You can guess that a few kilograms…