Kevin Nealon on Conan Needs A Friend
The funniest video on the internet.
I often re-watch the video here whenever I need a good laugh.
Kevin Nealon and Conan O’Brien are two of my favorite comedians, but when they are together, their friendly rapport devolves so hilariously into bits that even they can’t believe is happening at times. Yes, this video is 20 minutes long, but it is way too short in my opinion.
These USB-C right-angle pigtails are great
My attempt at trying to not make USB-C tether cables an expendable.
I’ve slowly transitioned out of full-length 10M USB-C cables and have started to use 3ft right angle pigtails with a 10M USB-C extension instead.
The reason for this is because the failure rate across the board with the bending of a cable on a TetherBlock (or anything similar that prevents cables from being yanked out during tethered shooting) due to the cable not returning the same side as the camera USB-C port is just too high. It’s not my job to tell a photographer how to hold the camera, but I can tell you that in the midst of high-intensity shooting, that cable is being bent backwards onto the plate/bottom of the camera rather than falling graciously over the hand of the photographer. No biggie, but after thousands of dollars of ruined cables, I’m opting for a more economical solution that I can control.
Pairing a cable like this Silkland 3ft fully-featured right-angle USB-C cable to a 10M extension means that in the worst-case scenario, I am replacing a $15 piece of equipment rather than a nearly $200 one.
As always, I am looking for a product that can do multiple things and this short USB-C pigtail does the job. It features 240W PD charging, a theoretical 20Gbps transfer speed, and even 5K monitor support if I ever need the world’s least useful monitor cable. The braided cable is an added bonus to keep bends to a minimum due to cable stiffness.
There is no right way for anybody to shoot, but if I’m doing my job correctly, I can silently steer clear of potential problems using this method…and save some money in the end.
Some photos I took at the Ivanpah Solar Power Station
A revisit to Ivanpah Solar Energy Generating Station.
I’m clearly a bit sad that I won’t be able to visit the Ivanpah Solar Electric station any time soon before it shuts down, so I went back into my archives to dig up these shots I took back in 2022. I miss that place. How isolated it was, and how beautiful all those man-made mirrors were set against the natural wonders of the mountains and desert. You just can’t beat that light sometimes.
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BOOK CLUB: Filterworld by Kyle Chayka
Ever wonder why everything is the same everywhere you go?
I just finished reading the book Filterworld by Kyle Chayka. I first heard about it last year on a lengthy Verge interview he did about how culture around the world is flattening and all becoming the same no matter where you go or where you’re from.
I’ve been intrigued by this idea for several years now as I’ve noticed every city slowly becoming the same, with the same types of stores, the same kind of dress, and the same Instagrammable aesthetic. It’s obviously a generalization of sorts but I know I’ve felt a little of this here and there with how every social media platform (which is a huge part of any piece of the internet these days) is algorithmically serving content. With globalization and the interconnectedness of supply chains, that algorithm is what makes somebody halfway around the world buy the same thing I might buy in my own city. And in the same way, how those same tastes change so much more quickly once it has saturated its intended market or demographic.
There are a lot of examples in the book of flattening culture but in the end, a bright light is shone on true curators of art and culture which I found really satisfying. It’s not all lost if we can filter out the noise of the algorithm’s feed.
Pick up the book here or visit your local library for a copy.
Ivanpah Solar Electric station is shutting down
The beautiful Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating station in California is shutting down.
Way out in the Mojave Desert, adjacent to Death Valley, lies one of the most beautiful solar energy generating stations in the US called Ivanpah.
The whole complex consists of 3 major units all reflecting solar light towards a center tower receiver. If you drive by it on a sunny day, the towers have this magnificent glow that can be seen for miles.
The project was completed back in 2014 and at a cost of about $2.2 billion and is reported to be one of the largest solar facilities in the world. I visited this place back in 2022 and marveled at this feat of engineering up close, surprised mostly at the time that I could drive so close to it without any security run-ins.
Today, 2 of those 3 towers are closing, with the 3rd one in danger of shutting down as well.
Play DOOM inside a PDF
Somebody ported the classic DOOM video game inside a PDF.
I mean, this is art. Maybe even Art with a capital A.
If you open this link inside a Chromium browser (Google Chrome), you’ll be presented with a fully playable black and white version of the classic DOOM video game. Yes, playable. The complete source is posted over at Github and based on what I can understand, it seems like the creator is using the Javascript support naturally allowed in a PDF file to make this interactive PDF.
If you prefer to play DOOM in full color on your browser, check out this link here.
Graffiti artist VAYNE covers the John Lewis Freedom Parkway in Atlanta
VAYNE completes one of the largest pieces of graffiti in the world.
Just got word from the Museum of Graffiti that the artist VAYNE has completed a huge piece over the John Lewis Freedom Parkway in Atlanta, GA. VAYNE has been killing it with huge pieces in NYC but seeing the size and scale of this one in Atlanta is just on a whole other level!
If you find yourself in the area visiting the nearby Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, don’t forget to check this monster piece out!
NYPD Chevy Bolt electric car
Some photos of the NYPD Chevy Bolt electric car.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is rare, but the Chevy Bolt vehicle in the NYPD fleet is definitely uncommon. The NYPD has used several generations of the Chevy Bolt to introduce electric vehicles into their line-up for several years now but seeing the latest generation with full TRAFFIC decals is always neat. The car is just so small, a perfect replacement for the SMART cars the NYPD introduced a few years back and no longer really use.
What will be interesting to see is how long these Chevy Bolts last on the streets since Chevrolet discontinued the vehicle in 2024.
A minute by minute analysis of how evacuations took place in the Pacific Palisades.