Two weeks ago, my CanoScan 9000F Mark II’s power-supply unit died. As the device was a mere five years old, I wasn’t exactly amused. I was even less amused when I found out that this scanner model is no longer commercially available; when Canon told me they no longer support or repair it; and when repair shops told me they too can’t repair it because they have no spare parts. Where by “not amused” I of course mean “furious.” Not only is my SilverFast scanning software bundled with this exact model; all my film scanning kits, including made-to-measure kits for vintage films like 110, fit this exact model only. And to add insult to injury, Apple had just released that terrible “Crush” commercial! Which wasn’t merely in poor taste but bad marketing to boot—more and more people, me included, have come around to re-appreciating analog technology, not just as a matter of coexistence with the digital world but cocreation. Last week, then, I found a private seller, and now I have a working scanner again, the exact model I need, which brightened my day. But scanner/printer companies and their products are generally the worst. (Except, famously, the Brother laser printer.)
I had way too much on my plate during the last two weeks, with more work and lectures and meetings than usual, and my entertainment schedule was no different. There are three brand new Penang Island albums on Flickr: Kek Lok Si (86 shots; the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia); Oriental Seafood Docks (7 shots); and Teluk Bahang Reservoir (9 shots). Also, I dropped the final photos into my 2020–22 Düsseldorf bucket (93 shots), and started my new 2024 Düsseldorf bucket (2 shots so far). And there are, as always, my daily vintage-style travel squaries at Pixelfed. Finally, I wrote a lot of micro-reviews! A follow-up to Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s 2023 悪は存在しない aka Evil Does Not Exist (original | follow-up); a Notabu »Neue Musik« special with Oskar Gottlieb Blarr (delightful); the Sumi Anjuman opening at Collection Philara (impressive); Werner Herzog’s 1972 Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (classic); Elia Kazan’s 1954 On the Waterfront (classic); Stéphane Brizé’s 2023 romantic drama Hors-Saison aka Out of Season (wonderful and very French); and George Miller’s 2024 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (insanely good). Yeah, these were two busy week! This week, I’ll calm down. Maybe The Last Wave on Friday, but that’s it. Join me if you want to! Friday is always a good day for a chat and a drink!
For the Sunday Funnies, well. You want cats, you’ll get cats. Follow relentlessly unfolding drama in Destroyer of Worlds and Editor Wars.
Enjoy!
J.
I had way too much on my plate during the last two weeks, with more work and lectures and meetings than usual, and my entertainment schedule was no different. There are three brand new Penang Island albums on Flickr: Kek Lok Si (86 shots; the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia); Oriental Seafood Docks (7 shots); and Teluk Bahang Reservoir (9 shots). Also, I dropped the final photos into my 2020–22 Düsseldorf bucket (93 shots), and started my new 2024 Düsseldorf bucket (2 shots so far). And there are, as always, my daily vintage-style travel squaries at Pixelfed. Finally, I wrote a lot of micro-reviews! A follow-up to Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s 2023 悪は存在しない aka Evil Does Not Exist (original | follow-up); a Notabu »Neue Musik« special with Oskar Gottlieb Blarr (delightful); the Sumi Anjuman opening at Collection Philara (impressive); Werner Herzog’s 1972 Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (classic); Elia Kazan’s 1954 On the Waterfront (classic); Stéphane Brizé’s 2023 romantic drama Hors-Saison aka Out of Season (wonderful and very French); and George Miller’s 2024 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (insanely good). Yeah, these were two busy week! This week, I’ll calm down. Maybe The Last Wave on Friday, but that’s it. Join me if you want to! Friday is always a good day for a chat and a drink!
For the Sunday Funnies, well. You want cats, you’ll get cats. Follow relentlessly unfolding drama in Destroyer of Worlds and Editor Wars.
Enjoy!
J.