Aight, listen: I have a problem. A camera problem
The amount of thrift stores in my local area that I can visit is ridiculous. So I find myself going into them, and sure enough probably 66% of the time, there's some kind of cheap camera in there I can get for less than 10 dollars. Usually it's just a dumb point and shoot with a really poorly-metered program mode. Sometimes it's a strange digital camcorder that uses antiquated media like Mini DVD-RWs or a SmartMedia card that holds 40 pictures at the most
What do I even do with all of these? They start taking up space in a box on the shelf, and they always need a little more money to work: Some film to test it with, a proprietary storage medium, or a battery charger. Even if I wanted to get rid of them, I'd feel bad about throwing them out, and they're rarely worth the trouble of selling.
Sooo... obviously the most responsible thing I can do is start a pointless little blog about them to justify my impulse purchases--y'know, for the good of mankind!
>Canon PowerShot ELPH 300HS Point and Shoot
>Samsung SCL700 Hi8 Camcorder (Coming Soon!)
So, I've been trying to get off the phone more lately.
Among many things, I think that part of what makes phones so addicting is how convenient they are. I mean, when you've got one device that does it all, why would you bother accomplishing the same tasks through other means? Well, for me I'm trying to feel more engaged with tangible things, and with the space around me. Being disconnected is a big part of that. So what I've done is taken on kind of a "loadout" approach to devices. Bringing along little things that can serve the same purpose as what my phone was for, with the exception of actually calling and texting.
This is what I've got to work with now:
It might look like a lot of stuff to keep on you all the time but it's really nothing. I started keeping my keys on a carabiner so I've got a free pocket, and the MP3 player can also clip onto a belt loop or a shirt pocket. If you've got any old tech laying around--a little camera, your old iPod, a small notebook--give it a shot, see if you can make it for a few days when you go out.
Basically, I've got a bunch of electronic/mechanical things around the studio that just aren't working like they should and assuming I can figure out how, I'd like to fix them all up. As I work through these I'll be documenting what I'm working with, what their problems were and how I either solved them or worked aroung them. This is mainly to serve as a future reference for myself, as I'm trying to learn my way around circuits and the like, but who knows, maybe it'll help someone else out with the same dumb problems!
