Temporarily Closed for Repairs, Back Soon (Blog Note)

Okay, I'm going to be off for the next few days getting a new ticker, literally—just the bit that ticks and turns the motor over. It's been immensely satisfying hearing from so many people who are willing to school me about pacemakers! Among other things, I heard from an engineer who used to work for a company that makes pacemakers, an eminent electrophysiologist (the people who actually perform the procedure), cardiologists and cardiac surgeons both active and retired, and a friend who once had dinner with Earl Bakken, founder of Medtronic, the manufacturer of the pacemaker I'll be keeping close to my heart after tomorrow. Bakken, who died in 2018 after a long life (January 10th would have been his 100th birthday), invented "the first external, battery-operated, transistorized, wearable artificial pacemaker" in the year I was born, 1957. Various doctors explained to me the workings of the heart, the ins and outs of pacing, and the finer points of IPGs (implantable pulse generators). It's fascinating. While I'm on the subject, take a look at the product that TOP reader Jon Peterson is working on developing now. And of course many readers who have pacemakers generously shared their experience. As a result I'm really looking forward to the procedure and am hopeful it will help. Thanks to everyone. What an interesting journey. The collective wisdom of TOP readers on virtually any subject is awe-inspiring. Each time I innocently unlock another little area of specialized expertise it blows me away.

I think I'm going to unofficially mark tomorrow as the starting line of my old age. Which will require: flexibility of mind, willingness to adopt new habits and adapt to changing situations and circumstances, and a deliberate attempt to be more positive, optimistic, and grateful! We only live once, but we don't realize it until we're old.

Alternatives
While I'm gone, Based on a True Story, a nice blog itself, has a nice list of other blogs and photo sites that you could explore. Check the right-hand sidebar at the link. Chris Gampat at The Phoblographer has recently announced a change of direction away from gear and more toward what people do with cameras, and it will be interesting to see how that pans out. Roger Cicala is always worth keeping up with—here's the clearinghouse page for all things Roger. And Kirk Tuck is posting. He recently announced VSL's lifetime stats: "5,700+ blog posts; 63,000+ comments, casually moderated; four resignations in a huff; zero ads; zero affiliate links; no requests for cash; no fees."

With all that to distract you, please don't forget about good ol' TOP!

If you're looking for something off-topic while I'm recuperating, consider the latest entrant in my Extemporaneous Idiosyncratic YouTube Hall of Fame, a motley collection of uniquely interesting videos on a great variety of topics that take advantage of the medium of handmade short videos: "Mob Boss's Daughter Interview—Rita Gigante," from Soft White Underbelly. Rita is the daughter of Vincent "Chin" Gigante. The Chin, referred to by underlings merely by signs—making a "C" with the hand or simply by touching one's own chin—was the eccentric boss of the Genovese Crime family in New York City from 1981 to 2005. Among other things, he put a lot of effort into pretending to be mentally impaired as a way of escaping conviction in court. The interview is fascinating, somewhat uplifting if you can believe that, and more than a little horrifying from a psychological child-rearing perspective. The story of little Rita trapped under the dining room table will be one you'll be unlikely to forget.

And for something lighter, and more musical, try this nice acoustic version of "Lazy Eye," the 2007 alternative hit by the band Silversun Pickups.

As for a question for today's comments: what would you like to see more or less of on TOP in 2024? I, too, am in the mode of thinking about overhauls. Although I'll probably just keep on keepin' on.

This shouldn't take too long. Back soon, I hope.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2023 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)

Featured Comments from:

robert e: "Best of luck on the upgrade, Mike! In response to your question of the day, I'll simply paraphrase a well-known slogan: Keep TOP Weird!"

Comments

[Mike Peters]

Hey Mike,

Wishing you all the best with the new hardware, and looking forward to hearing how much better you feel.

Mike Peters

[Nikhil Ramkarran]

Best wishes for a safe surgery and a speedy recovery.

[Gingerbaker]

Good luck and Be Well! :)

[Dominick Mistretta]

Best of luck..

[Dillan]

Good luck and all the best to you Mike!

[Steve Greenwood]

More on and about - Printing and presenting prints. For me, the end point of photography is the print. On paper. In a frame. On the wall.

And there is less and less of that on the net.

Go at it, you contrarian you.

[Roger Bradbury]

I'd like to see more photos, please. Both on the blog itself, and via links to projects, single photos, or collections of work.

[Scott Abbey]

I’m hard pressed to recommend any alteration to your content; I eagerly look forward to each on-topic, near-topic or off-topic post.

Best of luck this week, and look forward to seeing an off-topic post soon about your experience.

[Peter Croft]

Best of luck and good wishes Mike. I'm 77 in a cupla weeks and I have a little heart trouble, but mainly AF and flutters. I've just been started on amiodarone for it. No-one's mentioned pacemakers yet.

Re old age, I refuse to say it. I'm on the age pension, not the old age pension. The Australian government wants to keep us out of hospitals and nursing homes so I'm being showered with aids meant to keep me in my own home, which is rather nice. Things like shower rails, stair rails, non-slip bath mats and a rollator. A bit embarrassing, actually.

I'm very lucky though, in that my brain seems to be working almost better as time goes on. My thinking is clear and sharp and my memory is fantastic. Ummm, I had more to say, but I've forgotten it. All the best to you.

[Patrick Wahl]

Good luck.

More of your critiques of reader photos. You stopped doing it, so maybe it wasn't working for you, but if you could, I liked that series.

[David Lee]

All the best Mike. See you soon.

[Stan B.]

Mark Laita has created quite the human legacy, with Soft White Underbelly!

[Nicholas Hartmann]

Good luck! We look forward to seeing you back soon.

[Mark]

Here’s to a successful procedure and to your future health and well being, Mike.

[Fred Haynes]

Good luck Mike.
God be with you. Know that your in good hands.
Fred

[Andy Munro]

All the best. Look forward to seeing you back again soon.

[Roger Bradbury]

Steve Greenwood made a good suggestion, about making prints and all that goes with it. He is right, there's little about it online.

Meanwhile, when my dad had a hospital appointment to change his pacemaker battery we told his wife's carer it was a clockwork one; the hospital were just going to wind up the spring. She believed us for a second, until she remembered who she was talking to... :)

[robert e]

Following up on a previous TOP question about who would shoot color film today, check out this year's (last year's?) Oscar nominees. Five of the ten Best Picture and four out of five (!) Cinematography nominees were shot on film. Granted, 1.5 movies in each category was shot on black and white stock, but that's still a lot of color film.

It turns out there was something of surge in analog movie releases in 2023:

https://www.indiewire.com/feature/2023-movies-shot-on-film-oppenheimer-maestro-1234825393/

Some of these movies will surely inspire a few young photographers to experiment with color film, and the awards attention won't hurt. Who knows? One or two might get smitten. I just hope they can afford it.

[Matt]

Hi Mike,
Glad to see (from the newer post) that things seem to have gone well. Years ago, I went to my parent's house to "help" my father post pacemaker implant. He, being a bit ornery, found no need for my help, though I think my mother was happy for my presence. Hope your recovery is just as uneventful.

One thought about your recommendations for reading while you were (briefly) gone. Since I hold you in high esteem, I went right to the " ...True Story" blog. And reading the first post there, I was quite disturbed, as it seemed to suggest that President Joe Biden suffers from senility. The only thing about him that suggests age related issues is his stuttering, which is a life long issue for him. So saying that is just mean spirited. You can disagree with his policy positions (I'm not even sure the writer does), but making light of someone's disability is disqualifying, IMO.