Around the Web on a Wednesday Morning

Our uncelebrated Paparazzi
"They call Jude Law Celebrity Dave, because his first name is really David and because he is fond of declaring, 'I am not a celebrity. I am an ac-tor.' Yeah, right, they all laugh. 'So I tell him,' one says, 'same here, mate. I'm not a pap. I am a phot-o-graph-er.'

"The paps refer to the stars by their first names—Kate, Amy, Kylie—as if mentioning friends, but it is a strangely alienated kind of intimacy for, unlike the consumers of their wares, they feel little curiosity about them. Affections and animosities are entirely commercial; everyone loves Kylie because she always 'gives up,' meaning she pauses on her doorstep and smiles, and everyone hates Sienna, because she shouts abuse and ducks. Much as traffic wardens wonder why motorists take tickets personally, the paps seem bemused that Sienna should hate them, when they are only playing their part in the publicity food chain off which she, too, feeds. Everyone—paps, editors, press agents, doormen—refers to the business as 'the game'; the rules of the game, playing the game, the name of the game...."

(From "Reaching for the stars" by Decca Aitkenhead, in The Guardian)

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Reviews We Never Finished Reading, Dept.
"I'm one of those who believe that absolute knowledge is unattainable and that judgments must be continually questioned in order to attain relative certainty...." [First line of a review of a consumer electronic component]

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Check out the work of Luca Prasso. He also has a site called DiLuna with Nadia Andreini, featuring the work they do for non-governmental organizations.

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But he didn't sign himself 'Mr. Irony'
[Political website comment] "I don't think we Americans are nice people any more. We used to be nice people. We're not that nice any more."

[Response in the thread] "I am sick of a--holes like you who run America down. If you don't have anything half way intelligent to say then shut the f--- up."

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Fourteen of my 15 minutes
What can I say? It's my "Moonlight Sonata," my "Rock the Casbah" (or my "Copacabana")—The Post That Won't Die. It's recently been translated into Polish. The original still draws traffic. (Wish I could write another one as popular.)

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Epiphany
Maybe people really do enjoy using Leicas more than other cameras.

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Someday, he may not have photographers to kick around any more
Down, you despicable cur. I'm busy praying for brotherly love.

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Printer expert Vincent Oliver pinned down
Which printer is best? "Rarely will I give a straight answer, just because everyone has their own personal taste when it comes to colour etc. But here is my shopping list of what I think are the top 10 printers, in order of preference—of course." (It's at the bottom of the page.)

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Cold comfort
Number of questions the major TV networks have asked the leading presidential candidates in the last year, ending yesterday, according to MoveOn.org: 2,679

Number that were about global warming: 3

Number that were about UFOs: 3

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David Plowden on Studio 360

A lovely interview with David Plowden from Studio 360. Longish, but a very pleasant listen.

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Mike  (Thanks to "John," Tomasz, John Willard, Andrew Smith, Bob Peterson, and Edd Fuller)

Comments

[Paul Mc Cann]

"Epiphany
Maybe people really do enjoy using Leicas more than other cameras."

I was reading a report on hearing aids where they quoted a survey which showed that the people who had paid top whack for their devices were the less pleased than those who paid the median rate. Apparently their expectations were too high.

Also

Revisiting your most popular post had me laughing out loud again.

Paul Mc Cann

[Robert Roaldi]

A few weeks ago, I wrote this blog entry (http://roberts-rants.blogspot.com/2007/11/idolatry.html)about celebrities because of something I read in a magazine. But that piece from the Guardian takes my breath away.

I guess that since we have all the food and shelter we need (although badly distributed), we just have too much time on our hands.

And is that Colorado politician going to be indicted for assault, do you think? A better punishment might be to saddle him with some of those British paps.

[Chris S.]

I must have started reading your blog after your 14 minutes of fame. I would have burst out laughing except my girlfriend is sleeping near by and she gets nasty when woken like that. Holy geez, you got that right and it's exactly why I stopped taking part in those critique style forums long ago. It reminds me yet again why I like the ones where you just leave a thumbs up or a note about what you like. It's not that I take superb photos. It's that I almost always disagreed with obtuse tips about how they could be "fixed". The critique ones are a bit like sitting in sunday school. I look forward to your fifteenth minute someday...

[Tom]

That wine trick is very old. Most restaurants carry a few 200+ dollar bottles for just that reason. Not because they're good. Good is usually 50 bucks....

I'd still like a Leica though. My canonet 28 with the red dot made from mom's nail polisher doesn't get me the chicks when I go out.

[Mike Johnston]

"My canonet 28 with the red dot made from mom's nail polisher doesn't get me the chicks when I go out."

Neither will a Leica. No one knows a Leica is a status symbol except other photographers.

Mike J.

[Doug Doyle]

What a great photo of the Muddy Kid. Awesome!

[John Frendreiss]

"Mr. Irony" -- Damn that's funny. I've been giggling to myself all afternoon.

[Chris S.]

"Neither will a Leica. No one knows a Leica is a status symbol except other photographers."

But like a lottery, if you meet a "chick" who notices then your'e set. What a dream: a girlfriend who's also passionate about photography.

[Matthew Robertson]

And here's another reason not to finish reading that review:

"My listening pleasure was not diminished by the use of the Atmos 309 cable ($99.00 for 3 metres pair), indicating that the M3 copes very well with an inexpensive cable, still providing admirable sound – not as good as my "big stuff", but praiseworthy all the same."