Signals in the noise [488]
Signals in the noise [488]
Greetings from the shed...
I’m Christian Payne, edgecase, photographer and writer. In this weekly dispatch I seek out novelty, explore the relations between things, how we share, what we share and consume, while putting the pro in procrastination.
#TheAction
This week, outside of having a great ride out to a motorbike show in the east of England, I’ve mostly been sharing photos, video and audio in chats and quiet platforms.
Some of the photos will have the magic wand treatment as it only takes a second, but the rest of the stuff goes out un-edited. I’ve always liked it like that. At the end of the 90’s I would share unedited audio into P2P sites. But as soon as podcasting and RSS came a long I’d at least ‘top and tail’ content as it could end up anywhere and I had an online name to care about.
In 2005 Youtube had a lot of unedited clips but subscribers seemed to favour those copying a TV type format. I also tried my hand at editing but it was when social video really took off with the likes of Seesmic in 2007 (9 years before TikTok), that I found my groove. PC Browser only. It would be a long while before the mobile app would hit the Nokia N95. You would hit the same button on your laptop to start and stop the video and the closest thing you could do to edit it was delete and start again.
The low-fi video would then hit a single timeline a second or so later. I remember the day I was no longer able to watch every single video in the feed.
This was a far more innocent time. Before ubiquitous data-mining, monetisation and the quest for retention. Before the incessant calls to ‘like and subscribe’ and the brain-shaping algorithms embedded into all our online places. But it wasn’t all that long before the apps that enabled quick and easy edits with captions, effects and titles.
So in 2008 I gravitated towards mobile live streaming apps like Qik, (a precursor to Periscope) where there was no expectation of an edit. Once again it was liberating to just record and post.
So me, and a load of other ‘creators’ embraced this capture-and-post close-to-realtime aspect of the social web. Why would we want to edit when a single clip could say it all. It felt real, unpretentious and of the moment. Because it was. (Ok. It might have been a little pretentious.)
When we’d grown accustomed telling a story in 12 seconds on the app 12seconds.TV, we’d apologise if a clip elsewhere went on for more than a couple of minutes.
Industry experts are seeing unedited content outperform well-edited videos all over Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. - RollingStone
Take a look at us now. According to Rolling Stone, there’s a new class of vloggers called the ‘no edit’ creator. These are allegedly ‘building deeper relationships’ with their followers. And influencer marketing is taking note. God help us all.
The article ends saying “the next wave of no-edit creators might finally bring some peace and quiet to our timelines.” I doubt that very much. Removing the flashy graphics and hours needed to edit just means creators will be able spew a UHD stream of consciousness into our screens. But still I’d rather that than the dam break on the unedited stream of A.I. content we can see on the horizon.
The first time I remember hearing the term ‘Peak Screen’ was about eight years ago, when I changed to mostly training podcasting. I wonder if this mass switch to unedited content is an attempt to break through a feeling of Peak Screen that might finally be going mainstream?
#ThePictures
I shared over 30 images during the 31 days of PhotoMo. Here are a few of them.
They are somewhat compressed but can still be found on Mastodon.
It still pains me that Insta is the online place most photographers seem to spend their time. I joined Flickr way before Instagram was conceived and have hung around on there for over 17 years. For serious use it’s a place that you need to pay for. I’m fine with that. I’ve made money from Flickr and easily covered my costs there every year. Some google search will deliver one of my images to someone, and then the more ethical of them will ask to licence it from me.
There are also tools to show me where my online images have been used so I can invoice people who use them without permission. But it’s a pain and I wish Flickr could do that with a click of a button. It might happen.
Recently the mobile app has come on in leaps and bounds and it’s even more fun browsing, connecting and having people ask if they can add one of my images to a group. It’s interesting seeing what people find interesting. I feel my most viewed image is pretty boring. It was taken on an iPhone 5 and is of a Leica lens on a Fujifilm camera body. Second place is an image of a face taken on a Nikon D100 22 years ago and used for a CD cover.
At time of writing this image has been up over 10 years and had 1 view. That’s probably me.
If you’d like to connect there I’d be happy to do so. This is my profile page.
Supporting subscribers will already have had an invite to beta test the app ‘Foto’. I really like it and even though it’s free, I’ve bought a year of subscription in the hope it goes somewhere that’s wholesome. It already looks like it’s shaping up to be a decent alternative to Instagram. It’s now in public beta, I’m on there as Documentally.
I got to watch the film The Critic last night. This trailer has the fewest spoilers.
Quality acting. It was a joy to watch Ian McKellen and Gemma Arterton riff off each other. It had me throughout, yet I can’t help but wish I’d seen this on the stage. 3/5
#TheWords
“Generative AI empowers not the artist, not the writer, but the tech industry,” There’s backlash after NaMoWriMo releases it’s AI Policy.
Stuart Lee’s take on the Oasis comeback.
#TheSound
Here’s a song that gives a little perspective. Pretty Good Day from Loudon Wainwright III.
It’s Bandcamp Friday and if you like indie music makers, there’s never been a better time to get a Penfriend. Without Laura’s amazing troop of music loving fans and friends she’d be a one woman army up against everyone with a multi thousand pound marketing budget (or any budget for that matter.)
It’s blood sweat and tears that somehow manages to get her amazing music out there so if you’ve not heard of her please check her out. If you collect vinyl she has recently uncovered some rare treasures and if you want the inside track on how hard she works to make it work, then please subscribe to her or better still, join her club.
#TheConsumed
The kimchi making is going great guns, but this week I decided to add strong onions and red cabbage to the cucumber recipe. Never again. The whole house has smelled like the worst kind of fart. That is till I managed to get the bubbly mixture into a fully sealed container. I’m taking it outside once a day to release the pungent death whiff.
It still tastes great though. The picture above shows it on today’s lunch of omelette and avocado on toast.
The morning breakfast routine hass extended to me heading into the garden to pick blackberries and choose an apple. Both of which end up on my cereal. At first I mocked the suggestion of a thornless blackberry bush but as it’s sprawls and does its own thing I’m pleased to have easy access to its fruit. No idea how much of the fruit goes to the birds but as they are the only ones actually disseminating the seeds, they deserve a few.
#TheBody (&mind)
(Where I try really hard not to sound like a life coach.)
In a world that seems to continually manipulate our desires and expectations, it’s hard to sustain a level of happiness without first focusing on internal fulfilment.
I feel everyone can benefit from this shift in perspective. Those facing economic hardship as well as those who feel ‘comfortably off’. I feel it would work equally for both. For some it might serve as a strategy for resilience, others an opportunity for a deeper exploration of self. It all depends on the context and resources available to you.
I’m not sure exactly what that might mean for you personally, but it’s important to define your core values and beliefs before focusing on any journey toward ‘internal fulfilment’.
Having a grasp of your core values and beliefs will help you make the right decisions as well as act as a compass, pointing you in the direction of things that may bring you joy.
Mine hover around connection (via personal relationships as well as online networks), exploration (of cultures and perspectives in search of a better understanding and empathy), creativity (in order to express thoughts and ideas in various mediums), authenticity (in honest storytelling that documents real experience and emotion), awareness (of cultural social and environmental issues) and education (using storytelling to share ideas and concepts as well as for personal growth.)
As I have mentioned more than a few times, meditation also has its part to play. You might have a different tool. But this helps me find moments for myself where I can contemplate, as well as be present. It’s not just about emptying the mind. For me it’s also a place to toy with questions. To consider what a realistic personal goal might look like. Or perhaps even throw in a few unrealistic ones.
Externally it is both fun and rewarding to perform some random acts of kindness. As well as some not so random volunteering. These moments are filled with meaning and purpose and go a long way to boosting mood and self esteem.
As I mostly work alone at home, I struggle a little with making time for others outside of family. But it’s really important to nurture deeper relationships with those you care about. Better to have few good friends over a hundred acquaintances. I have different ways of reaching out and having those conversations. Audio messaging, the phone and amateur radio all play their part in me keeping in contact.
Finally, practice gratitude.
There's a blackberry bush outside my shed. A few steps from my desk. Every day I lift a leaf, to find something delicious underneath. It's nature's sweet shop and when I pluck a ripe berry, I say thank you.
It used to be that my diary was the main place I did this. Logging a few things I was thankful for was a great way to end the day. But there are lots of places where you can show your gratitude for something.
Family, friends, neighbours, teachers, in DM’s and emails, over a plate of food, or just to someone doing a great job.
Showing gratitude nurtures a more optimistic, hopeful mindset and lifts the baseline on your overall mood.
Your path, your road to fulfilment will be different to mine. And happiness isn’t the destination. It will be found in the journey between these waypoints.
So think… Self-awareness, passion, goals, mindfulness, relationships and gratitude. Lecture over.
#TheThings
Buying a camera because it is cool may not be enough to keep you happy in the long run. Great article from ‘Leica Lenses for Normal People’.
#TheThanks
Many thanks to those that pay $5/month to get all the content I share into this feed. Please consider upgrading to become a paid supporter.
And if you are a paying supporter yet to have access to the Discord let me know. Either way… Thank you for reading, sharing and liking.
#TheWeb
Grow veg, make kimchi, chop wood… Do diverse things and strengthen your resilience.
Sub.club is enabling sponsorship and monetisation on the Fediverse.
According to the Documentally community map there doesn’t appear to be anyone reading this in Lebanon. If you can find someone there to subscribe i’ll give you some free full subscription. That goes for any empty country.
The fake streaming game. This guy was caught earning millions, but who else is out there?
Decentralising our social web is healthier than putting all our eggs in one basket. Here are some of the other places we can connect. Letterboxd, Flickr, Strava, Untappd, my audio RSS feed, LinkedIn, YouTube, Mastodon, or search ‘Documentally’ on the Foto app, Wire, Birdsite or Bluesky.
Test your adblocker here and see who’s getting through.
Find out who thought it would be a good idea to give mushrooms control of a robot vehicle.
#TheEnd
All spelling mistakes are here on purpose.
This post is a bit late (and rushed) as I wanted to finish off the words on internal fulfilment. That topic cropped up in conversation with a friend who was dissing life coaches. But the thoughts shared above mostly come from conversations I’ve had with people who have gained real insight from employing them. Plus some of those books you end up reading in a back packers lodge in between full moon parties.
I’m now off out to volunteer at the local beer festival that is raising money for the scouts. Not sure how useful I shall be, but it will be interesting being on the other side of the bar.
Thanks again for reading and have a great week!
“Pebbles that bring you joy are better than diamonds that bring you sorrow.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo
Be Thankful.
See you out there.
Over…
Beautiful - my cortisol fell just by reading this today, thank you. And breathe.
I always find it interesting how people struggle to show gratitude/appreciation towards others.
A compliment to someone costs nothing to give, is deeply appreciated to receive, builds relationships and garners respect but too many people express their own lack of confidence in not showing appreciation.
Somehow we’ve come to a place where many think everything is a zero sum game. If I compliment you, I’ll loose something. A position of power, bargaining advantage, respect or I’ll reveal my insecurities. In actuality I’ve found generally it does the inverse in most situations.
In showing appreciation I gain immeasurable. I develop clarity of what I see and care for, confidence in talking to others knowing that the world doesn’t end if I speak up. And above all I give someone a gift of being Seen, for them to know what they cared for others noticed and share in their efforts. They then return that gift with a smile and I walk off richer for the experience.