Around the Web on a Friday

Photo Nation (Photographer Unknown)

The Talbot that wasn't
The unpreposessing little photogram at left is alleged to be "the talk of the photo-historical world" at the moment. The "intense speculation," kicked off when the leading Talbot scholar, Larry J. Schaaf, proclaimed it not a Talbot, is that it might be one of a lost set of experimental results by the circle of one Henry Bright, a group that included Sir Humphry Davy, Thomas Wedgwood, and James Watt, predating Talbot and Daguerre by decades. And if it is, then it might not only rewrite the early history of photography, but do something really important—perform at auction. (Nothing excites the art world like money, bestowed discriminately and plentitudinously.) You can read more at the world's best photography magazine, a.k.a. the New York Times.

WTF, HS?
And about that photo at the top of this post—it obviously shows a mob of terrorists, bent on uncovering secrets of our air power. We want to know where Homeland Security is and what they think they're doing, letting all those nicely-dressed and no doubt clean and polite Agents of Evil snap away with impunity.

OT: Blue Jeans Cable strikes back
This has nothing to do with photography, and it's already been picked up by a large number of online traffic generators and trackers (digg, slashdot, etc.), where you may have run across it. But it's both stirring and a bit funny as a response to corporate bullying. The short take: Monster Cable has a reputation for scaring the bejesus out of tiny companies by threatening lawsuits, in order to get licensing fees it doesn't deserve, but this time it picked on a "little guy" company that happens to be run by a retired corporate litigator.

Daily Show takes on the Paparazzi
In the episode of 4/16/08. Available on iTunes and possibly elsewhere. (Memorable quote: "You are not the press just because you happen to have a camera.") The same episode features the Daily Show's team coverage of the Pope's visit.

Up-rezzing: mixed methods
Martin Doonan has followed up on Ctein's comparisons of various methods of up-sizing digital files with a series of investigations of mixed methods, to see if he could get "the best of both worlds"—that is, the fine detail of Photoshop Bicubic with the sharp results of Genuine Fractals. He says he's close to a repeatable, scriptable enlargement routine.

'What We Bought'
Eric Etheridge has posted the second in his "The Missing Criticism" series, reviving lost critical essays that remain worthy of attention and making them available (with the authors' permission) as .PDF downloads. (Don't worry, our link doesn't go straight to the .PDF.) This time it's Tod Papageorge's essay on Robert Adams's What We Bought.

Nikon D3X rumor updates
David Kilpatrick at Photoclub Alpha explains the latest flurry of rumors in a piece called "Nikon D3X 24.4 megapixel sensor leak." Meanwhile, here at T.O.P., both Carl and I have recently received Pentax K20D's (although I haven't yet received a lens—I'm waiting for the 35mm ƒ/2.8), so look for some upcoming posts about that one in the not-too-near, but not-too-distant future.

Only nine?
Finally, for the photographer who has almost, but not quite, everything: the Paparazzi Play Set. (Here's a U.S. Amazon link should you actually want to buy this.) "Now you can bask in the spotlight of your very own red carpet experience, without the indignity of having yourself splattered across the brain-numbing pages of fatuous magazines. These nine members of the worlds [sic] snapping media come complete with the ethical and moral depth of an earthworm, are blissfully mute, and will make you feel as adored and sought-after as you no doubt should be."

_________________________

Mike (Thanks to James Wilson, David Emerick, and Oren Grad)

Comments

[Kjell H A]

From the look of it Mike, you seem to have many readers who actually follow the links you provide. Apparently, the page with the "Paparazzi Play Set" had a nervous breakdown (according to themselves), and I'm sure it is due to the massive traffic generated from the TOP readers.

[Alexander Vesey]

The Paparazzi play set--ummm. What brand do they shoot? And does the maker also offer a 'love me--leave me alone" celebrity figure set? Enquiring minds will want to know.

[Charlie H]

Funny, I graduated from Colorado College (83) and never heard word one about Robert Adams, and I spent considerable time in the photgraphy department. ch

[Tom]

I wonder what the nineth one looks like?

[David A. Goldfarb]

A friend of mine runs a small recording studio called "Monster Island Records." I forget what he did exactly when he got a threatening letter from Monster Cable, but he managed to keep the name and didn't pay them anything--

www.monsterisland.com

[erlik]

Oh, Mike, love the end of the first comment. :-)

And the cable read was very entertaining. Having experienced something similar, I really enjoyed Kurt Denke's response.

[Tony Collins]

It's particularly amusing that it should be a Hi-Fi cable company is defending "their" IP so aggressively. It's like the tailor who made the Emperor's new clothes trying to patent nudity.

[Christopher Lane]

Hi Mike,

Leave it to you to bury a very important announcement in one sentence of a post about another camera. Congratulations on your new Pentax! I will be looking forward to your future posts about the K20D.

Chris

[Mike Johnston]

Chris,
Thank you, but I don't have a new Pentax. I have a test camera on temporary loan from the company. A review sample. I get to use it for 30 days, more or less.

Mike J.

[Adrian]

The first image reminded me to send you a link to Andri Pol, my favourite swiss news/editorial photographer:
http://www.andripol.com/switzerland/Gruezi/expo3.jpg