J. Martin

February 25, 2024

Everything Takes Ages (As Usual)

Yesterday, finally, I uploaded my very last pre-Corona photos to Flickr, mostly Singapore 2019 and Beijing 2016, and I’m looking forward to opening that bottomless pit with new photos I took during December/January in Singapore and Malaysia. What I’m not looking forward to, in contrast, is trying to have my scanner repaired or buying a new one. Repairing would be a better option because a) my SilverFast software is adjusted to that exact model and b) my custom-made scanning masks for vintage 110 and 35mm APS only fit that exact model too. Yikes. At the writing front, everything has slowed down to a crawl as I’m (still) struggling with making the midpoint shine. (I wrote about the function of midpoints and other dramatic structure–elements in my book Ludotronics.) Then, after digging into the Godot game engine for months, I had to conclude last week that Godot is really cool and highly recommended to work with as an alternative to Unity, but that its native GDScript is just not for me. So I’ve decided to switch to Defold instead, originally developed by King but now a free, open-source, cross-platform engine with 3D capabilities that’s supervised by a foundation, written in C++ with Lua as its native scripting language. That’s my cup of tea! But—I have to start from scratch. Again. Everything, as usual, takes ages.

In between, I’ve written a few posts. At my secret level just drafts, there’s a new AI/LLM/GPT Roundup on scaling, interpolation, and fractal boundaries that’s a bit technical but seasoned with some choice words. At my primary blog between drafts, I freshly micro-reviewed two movies (Fifth Element and Norwegian Wood); one exhibition (“What Is Steady Anyway?” & Artichoke Underground); one opera (Trojahn’s Septembersonate); and one concert (Quatuor Ébène).

Then, of course, there are my final pre-Corona albums on Flickr, as mentioned. For Singapore 2019, there’s NUS & JTC, Fort Siloso, Waterfront Promenade, The Helix, Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, Windsor Nature Park, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Little Gulin, and Odds & Ends. For Bratislava 2019, there’s Below the Clouds and Above the City. And for Bejing 2016, there’s Cityscapes, Recreations, History Hike, Beijing Botanical Garden, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Ancient Observatory, Fayuan Temple, National Museum of China, Railway Museum I (Steam), Railway Museum II (Diesel & Electric), Hutong Collection, and Odds & Ends. Yes, I’ve been busy! And I’m also still posting my daily vintage travel-squaries at Pixelfed.

For recreation and edification, here’s an extremely fascinating and entertaining documentary “Why It Was Almost Impossible to Make the Blue LED” on YouTube, and a clip about feeding street cats in Moscow with a remote-controlled car. Enjoy!

J.