This picture machine has been in my dad’s garage for at least 30 years, he can’t remember how it came to him, but now it’s come to me. It’s a 3A Autographic Kodak Special Model B. Kodak’s first rangefinder camera, the “Autographic” means that when Autographic film was used with it, the photographer could open a window in the back of the camera to make notes with a special stylus on the red, lightproof backing paper. This would deteriorate the paper enough that the writing could then be exposed onto the film by a 3-10 second exposure to light. This writing was then visible in the resulting negatives and prints. I believe it’s about a century old, it has a little muck in the lens but the camera is largely in brilliant condition. It takes 122 film, but I think I can probably expose a roll of 120 through it with some fiddling. Failing that, photosensitive paper could catch a negative image to be inverted. Also brilliant discovery: the camera manual.

This picture machine has been in my dad’s garage for at least 30 years, he can’t remember how it came to him, but now it’s come to me.

It’s a 3A Autographic Kodak Special Model B. Kodak’s first rangefinder camera, the “Autographic” means that when Autographic film was used with it, the photographer could open a window in the back of the camera to make notes with a special stylus on the red, lightproof backing paper. This would deteriorate the paper enough that the writing could then be exposed onto the film by a 3-10 second exposure to light. This writing was then visible in the resulting negatives and prints.

I believe it’s about a century old, it has a little muck in the lens but the camera is largely in brilliant condition. It takes 122 film, but I think I can probably expose a roll of 120 through it with some fiddling. Failing that, photosensitive paper could catch a negative image to be inverted.

Also brilliant discovery: the camera manual.

I have a camera on my finger. (sparkledepartment)

I have a camera on my finger.

(sparkledepartment)

sparkledepartment

The first time I have wriggled around in my chair with joy at what’s come out of my scanner. Photos from this summer taken with my Diana, more in this Lomography album.

One day, hopefully soon, it will be a whole pile easier to play any media on any device. Until then, there are devices and drives and cables and wireless and applications galore. Because it’s not easy, and because there is more than one way to skin this particular proverbial, I find myself frequently describing how I play stuff in my home. I am writing this so I can send a link instead of explaining things repeatedly. The current situation: 2 x Apple TV 2 2 x Panasonic Viera TV’s 1 Apple Time Capsule used for backup  1 Seagate 1TB hard drive networked via Time Capsule. This hard drive contains movies, TV and a backup of my music library. iPad (2)  iPhone (4)  MacBook Pro (aging! 2008) The Time Capsule can be a router, but I use an extra Linksys one  How it all works? Well, that’s too complicated so that’s what the diagram’s about. The best part had to be discovering Air Video. You set up your computer as a server, and tell it where to find your media library (in my case, the external drive delightfully named “Glossy”). Then, using the iOS app on iPhone or iPad I can browse that library and play any of my media with “live conversion” - Air Video converts the media to a format appropriate for playback via Apple stuff. Using Airplay, I send that video (and audio!) to Apple TV. There are a heap of things working together here, seven different gadgets all just so I can watch a movie. When I set up the bedroom TV and Apple TV, I decided to try it without wiring. My Lounge ATV is connected to the internet and network via ethernet and it’s pretty snappy. Charmingly, it works just fine over wifi and I could download and play a movie from the Apple store without any lags. Problem - I stream TV on my computer (Gossip Girl!), and can’t stream it to my Apple TV’s as yet. Mountain Lion will hopefully solve that one. I could also hook another computer up to my TV(s) and control it via iTeleport for iPad - I do this sometimes but my MacBook Pro is old enough to still go through VGA, and it’s a pain to set up. This is the best arrangement I’ve had so far, I once went so far as to reformat an old Dell computer with the intention of installing Boxee or something. It was a pain.  ——— Question from AdrianwithaW: This is awesome. I’ve got an Extreme, 2 x Express’, an Apple TV and a Hard Drive… so question: how do you find the streaming from the Hard Drive plugged into the Time Machine going to the Apple TV? Is it solid…? If so, I may have to try it again. Thanks Adrian! It’s completely fine. Plays seamlessly.If you set it up and it struggles though, I’d probably go through the usual checks on whatever machine is running Air Video Server just to make sure that it doesn’t have other apps chewing memory or something. My computer only has 4gb ram and I can still use it while it’s playing media via live conversion, and I’ve never had a problem.

One day, hopefully soon, it will be a whole pile easier to play any media on any device. Until then, there are devices and drives and cables and wireless and applications galore.

Because it’s not easy, and because there is more than one way to skin this particular proverbial, I find myself frequently describing how I play stuff in my home. I am writing this so I can send a link instead of explaining things repeatedly.

The current situation:

  • 2 x Apple TV 2
  • 2 x Panasonic Viera TV’s
  • 1 Apple Time Capsule used for backup 
  • 1 Seagate 1TB hard drive networked via Time Capsule. This hard drive contains movies, TV and a backup of my music library.
  • iPad (2) 
  • iPhone (4) 
  • MacBook Pro (aging! 2008)
  • The Time Capsule can be a router, but I use an extra Linksys one 

How it all works? Well, that’s too complicated so that’s what the diagram’s about.

The best part had to be discovering Air Video. You set up your computer as a server, and tell it where to find your media library (in my case, the external drive delightfully named “Glossy”).

Then, using the iOS app on iPhone or iPad I can browse that library and play any of my media with “live conversion” - Air Video converts the media to a format appropriate for playback via Apple stuff. Using Airplay, I send that video (and audio!) to Apple TV.

There are a heap of things working together here, seven different gadgets all just so I can watch a movie.

When I set up the bedroom TV and Apple TV, I decided to try it without wiring. My Lounge ATV is connected to the internet and network via ethernet and it’s pretty snappy. Charmingly, it works just fine over wifi and I could download and play a movie from the Apple store without any lags.

Problem - I stream TV on my computer (Gossip Girl!), and can’t stream it to my Apple TV’s as yet. Mountain Lion will hopefully solve that one.

I could also hook another computer up to my TV(s) and control it via iTeleport for iPad - I do this sometimes but my MacBook Pro is old enough to still go through VGA, and it’s a pain to set up.

This is the best arrangement I’ve had so far, I once went so far as to reformat an old Dell computer with the intention of installing Boxee or something. It was a pain. 

———

Question from AdrianwithaW:

This is awesome. I’ve got an Extreme, 2 x Express’, an Apple TV and a Hard Drive… so question: how do you find the streaming from the Hard Drive plugged into the Time Machine going to the Apple TV? Is it solid…? If so, I may have to try it again.

Thanks Adrian! It’s completely fine. Plays seamlessly.
If you set it up and it struggles though, I’d probably go through the usual checks on whatever machine is running Air Video Server just to make sure that it doesn’t have other apps chewing memory or something. My computer only has 4gb ram and I can still use it while it’s playing media via live conversion, and I’ve never had a problem.

Actually really love this concept for Apple’s 1986 Mac OS on the iPhone. Sometimes you just want to LOSE ALL THE SHINY GRADIENTS.

Actually really love this concept for Apple’s 1986 Mac OS on the iPhone.

Sometimes you just want to LOSE ALL THE SHINY GRADIENTS.

fastcodesign.com

Knit another owl friend, this one’s for Nicki. I’m quite fond of him! Knitting without a pattern is pretty liberating, and I love how these critters all have such personality.

Knit another owl friend, this one’s for Nicki. I’m quite fond of him!

Knitting without a pattern is pretty liberating, and I love how these critters all have such personality.

This little guy came into being with no pattern, and I hadn’t had my needles out in months and months and months. Pretty proud of him! He’s for my mum, who’s going away on holiday for a couple of weeks and will miss her bird (who I’m birdsitting). This little chap can join her on her trip.

This little guy came into being with no pattern, and I hadn’t had my needles out in months and months and months.

Pretty proud of him! He’s for my mum, who’s going away on holiday for a couple of weeks and will miss her bird (who I’m birdsitting). This little chap can join her on her trip.

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

13,803 plays

Craft Spells - After the Moment

Doing a bit of a shuffle dance in my seat at work to this tune. Pop dancey funtimes! Craft Spells are definitely my flavour of the week.

SoundCloud / CraftSpells

Pinterest for.. Business?

That time has come, Pinterest is now “popular” enough that all the “social media gurus” are formulating Pinterest strategies.

As with every social network, there are some businesses for whom a presence will be a seamless and logical fit. For others, it’s tit’s on a bull, as my kiwi-bloke dad might say.

Pinterest is very lifestyle focused, and is useful for aggregating boards of content relevant to particular topics. Personally, I use it to capture inspiration for things I want to do myself - DIY projects, fashion inspiration etc.

You’ll find a lot of twee girly stuff, a lot of macarons, home ideas and craft projects. Depending who you follow, it can seem to be one massive Frankie-magazine-girlfest.

Air New Zealand have climbed aboard the bandwagon and reined in over 200 followers in the past week since launch. But does their “strategy” offer any value? Is the content even that interesting? I guess we’ll see.

How might Pinterest actually be useful “for business”? Well, I can imagine the referring traffic for content shared on Pinterest would be pretty healthy, but you will need legitimately good content to share in order to do well. Great for those with an Etsy store or fashion, craft, or beauty blog.

If you’re on the fence, I’d suggest:

  • Create a personal account and try it out before trying to apply it to your business.
  • Create a business or brand account and start sharing your content
  • Make it as easy as possible for your readers or users to share your content on Pinterest. Yes, that’s a “pin this” button to add to your collection of like, tweet, plus, share, bookmark.
  • Make sure you have good quality images with your content on your site - Pinterest is all visual and most pinners will like or repin without even clicking through to the originating source.

There’s an “Ultimate Pinterest Marketing Guide” available from Hubspot, it’s worth a read if only to know what’s being said “out there” about marketing on Pinterest.

How to scrobble to Last.fm from your NZ iPhone

The Last.fm iPhone app isn’t available available in New Zealand (even for subscribers!), no doubt due to sticky licensing drama. In fact, unless you’re in the US, UK or Germany you’re out of luck.

Even though I can’t change my blasted username, I like to scrobble what I listen to - so I can track it, compare it, recommend it, see, touch and taste it… Well, maybe not taste it. 

Fortunately, the ex.fm app for iPhone is available in NZ.

The ex.fm app allows you to listen to music you already have on your phone via the ingeniously named “iPod” feature, and it also scrobbles what you listen to if you connect it to your last.fm account (needs wifi or 3g, duh).

Make sure you dig into the other super awesome features of ex.fm - the Chrome plugin will scout pages you visit, collating MP3 URL’s into your own little streaming library. This is then available to stream on your phone too. More about that in my previous post.

Oh, and add me so I can judge your taste in music.

Some other ways to scrobble:

  • Pretend you’re American.
    If you’re an Air NZ Airpoints member with a OneSmart account, your card counts as an American Credit Card - opening the door to all sorts of internet joy, including an American iTunes account from which you can download all the good stuff.
  • Use another app.
    Rdio is now available in NZ with a 1 week free trial. It has a pretty limited catalogue available, again, probably due to licensing and probably because you will be given the option to actually store the media onto your device (there are different rules if you can stream but not store). Rdio scrobbles to last.fm, and I’m sure there are a handful of others that do similar - hit reply and let us know if you use any.