Down the Road

Photographs and stories by Jim Grey

Recommended reading

Jim Grey
6 comments on Recommended reading
Canon PowerShot S95, 2018

💻 Do you want to write? Is time a limiting factor? Johanna Rothman says you need just 15 minutes. Or 10. Or 5. But short writing periods here and there all add up. Read Writing Secret 1: Use the Growth Mindset to Write in 15-Minute Chunks

💻 Do you have any close friends? Aaron Renn shares data that shows how a growing number of Americans have no close friends, and the number of close friends the average American has is steadily falling. It’s a troubling stat on our society. Read The Decline in American Friendships

💻 This past Thursday, an anniversary passed quietly: that of the first commercial aired on U.S. television. It happened 80 years ago on the station that is now WNBC in New York City, and it was for Bulova watches. Read July 1, 1941…Commercial Television Begins in America

📷 Mike Connealy got out his Pentax ES II after not having used it for a few years, and found its meter was dead. He had a bit of an adventure getting it back to working, but he managed it, and aimed it at some of his favorite subjects around Albuquerque. Read Success with an Asterisk

📷 Acufine is a developer for black-and-white film that excels at managing grain when you underexpose your film. Alex Luyckx has a review. Read Developer Review Blog No. 18 — Acufine

📷 It’s a fixed-lens SLR from the early 1960s, an oddity to be sure. J. Carter reviews the Minolta ER. Read VMLP 11: The Minolta ER — Strange Quark

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Comments

6 responses to “Recommended reading”

  1. Andy Umbo Avatar
    Andy Umbo

    A good read on Acufine developer, a developer I stumbled across in high school 50 years ago to shoot Tri-X for available light, in gym, for basketball games. Always was amazed at the ability to shoot Tri-X at their suggested asa of 1200, but retain full highlight to shadow detail; plus a noticeable sharpness increase, even compared to shooting it normal and processing it in normal developers! Worth a try, but amazed at the cost now!

    Also an interesting look at making friends! I’ve lived in a lot of cities and always found it easier to make friends in cities that were “sociologically” more attuned to my personality and education than cities that were not! My parents had job transfers from Chicago to Milwaukee, and it was like night and day, Milwaukee was far more difficult to find friends in; just didn’t have anything in common with the majority of the population. I developed a few close friends after years in high-school and college, and lost them all post college when they all left for better work and opportunities on the coasts; at least I got to visit them (still have them, just don’t see them as often as I would like)! Interestingly enough, I moved back to Chicago in my 30’s for work, and made friends I still talk to almost monthly, 30 years later! Moved to Washington DC in my 40’s, and made friends in literally a few weeks! I always maintain, as well, that it’s easier to make friends in cities where people are moving in a out for professional opportunities! You move to s city where most of the people you meet have lived there all their lives, as well as their extended family, and good luck breaking into any of those groups!

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Acufine really does appear to be an excellent developer when you’ve pushed your film. Too bad it doesn’t make sense for a low-volume guy like me to try it.

      Good point about it being easier to make friends where people are more mobile because of their careers. You find lots of people in the same boat. Sometimes I think I’d like to retire to a small town, but then I remember that the social ties are all long since made and I’d never break in.

      Reply
  2. Jerome Avatar
    Jerome

    Hi Jim, thanks for the mention! Glad you liked the review. My main issue with the Minolta ER is the poor coverage of the viewfinder. Most shots were off/ruined because so much was included in the image that did not show in the viewfinder for that scene. Aside from that, the lens is pretty good.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      A viewfinder with poor coverage is so frustrating! I don’t know why companies release cameras like that.

      Reply
  3. Nancy Stewart Avatar
    Nancy Stewart

    That is very sad that more people have no close friends, or few friends. My father had so many close friends through the Odd Fellows Lodge, other farmers at the Grange Hall and his Methodist Church groups and just other neighbors in general. They could count on any of them for help in times of need. But that was before all the technology, entertainment, and other interests became more important and the younger guys had no interest in lodges, granges, etc. And people started moving more often and didn’t care about getting to know their neighbors. Most folks just come home and stay to themselves now.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      There was an interdependence in days gone by – we needed each other more. Now we’re so independent. And mobile – we don’t stay places long enough to get to know our neighbors, so we can make friends of them.

      Reply

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