In 2011, Aaron Swartz was arrested after he downloaded millions of academic journal articles from JSTOR via the MIT network. He was charged under federal laws (including wire fraud and violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act) with up to 13 felony counts, carrying the possibility of […]

#Berlin holds a unique title: the city with the largest number of backyards in all of Germany. For many visitors, these historic pockets of urban life remain undiscovered, tucked away behind grand facades and vibrant streets. To truly understand the […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Things I had not expected to see today: Deutsche Bank making a numbers based argument that "AI" is a bubble and won't last https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/deutsche-bank-grim-warning-ai-industry

I made a small update to an article about my camera collection with my first rangefinder… https://ftrc.blog/my-favorite-film-cameras/

Schöneberg is one of my favorite districts to walk around aimlessly because there is always a surprise around the corner. On one of my most recent walks there, I managed to discover something that I remember reading about in the past but never managed to see […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Dwarfs overrun #Wroclaw. Walking around the city, you will find a dwarf near most major landmarks, and after a while, you start thinking about trying to see every one of them. The problem is that there are more than 300 dwarfs around Wroclaw. So, embark on a […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

A recent cartoon for @newscientist.com p.s. my new book of science cartoons 'Physics for Cats' is out now. Visit www.tomgauld.com for details

The dreamy look of retro photography continues to be a popular aesthetic even for digital photography, and nothing is better than achieving it using the real deal. Vintage Soviet lenses make great options for adapting to your digital cameras because there’s […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

In the aftermath of 1945, #Berlin was left in ruins, bearing witness to the devastating impact of World War II. Even today, the city still bears the scars and bullet holes that serve as poignant reminders of that tumultuous period. And they are everywhere if […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Three years ago today, I bought my first proper film camera, a Mamiya C330 https://ftrc.blog/mamiya-c330/ #believeinfilm #filmisnotdead #filmphotography

🚨 So I'm becoming a podcaster/YouTuber! The show's called Tech Gets Real and its all about staying in control in the AI era. This is for regular people - no jargon; short episodes - so please share with anyone who could benefit! Episode 1 is all about how honest we should be with AIs […]

When you think of classic film cameras, certain names come to mind. Leica, Nikon, and, of course, #Canon. But while many are familiar with the more famous models, there are hidden gems waiting to be discovered. The Canon L-1, a #rangefinder first produced in […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

when you're offered an AI summary 🎵 read the fucking paper 🎵 when you're offered an AI podcast 🎵 TTS the fucking paper 🎵 when they try to sell you the idea that you can buy your way out of spending time learning and understanding 🎵 read the fucking paper, take some fucking notes, write the […]

The old web was decentralized: - Newsgroups - Personal Websites - Bulletin board - Email as a service, not a platform - Internet relay chat (IRC) - Early blogs Then corporations arrived with money and lock-in, turning the internet into centralized ad farms (Meta, X, TikTok). Users became […]

if you are on LinkedI, and you don't want AI using your data? Turn it off... (It was recommend by a colleague from mine, so just sharing with you too) https://www.linkedin.com/mypreferences/d/settings/data-for-ai-improvement #linkedin #ai #aishutup

I thought the great council of scifi nerds that I just made up agreed #MaryShelly inventend the #SciFi #Genre 🤔😁 @galacticwriters @books @writers @writingbooks @keepwriting @[email protected] @aiop #WritingMemes #Memes #Author #Authors #Writers #Writer #Writing […] [Original post on mastodon.art]

My pictures were featured in the #Lomography Magazine this week. On the link below you can see some of the pictures I took with the LomoChrome Turquoise film in Supetar, Croatia. And there is also an interview with me about experimental film photography […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Imagine that you are traveling around Nepal when a revolution starts… This is what happened to this travel blogger. https://youtu.be/IyxSqeFrlp0?si=85Y80_sXdM6peXgp

When I went for a walk around the Landwehr Canal, my idea was to test out two things: the Canon 135 mm lenses that I bought for my rangefinder and an expired film that I decided it was time to try. https://pixelfed.social/p/ftrc.blog/866217579445866251 […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

I just learned that my favorite internet cat, Maru, died last Saturday, and my day is ruined […]

When I decided to take my medium-format camera out of the house with a tripod at hand, I thought about different possibilities. I considered taking some expired film with me so I could see how they would react to the lack of light and long exposures. And I […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Last year I cycled from Berlin to Copenhagen as the first stage of a longer bike trip. Today I’m heading to Copenhagen by bus to continue the route. This time, all the way to Oslo! Here is the original thread from 2024: https://mastodon.social/@ftrc/113103346921459906

The picture here is from a few weekends ago when we went for a walk around Prenzlauer Berg on a sunny day. I had some expired medium format film that I wanted to use for a while, and it felt like a good opportunity to try the older ones. Like this Fujichrome […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

The Register covered our stand on AI. We have chosen not to include AI in the browser. Based on your feedback, you do not want it and neither do we. #vivaldi #browser #ai #linux #microsoft #google #apple #android #ios #technology #politics […]

One of my favorite styles of lenses is the wide ones, especially the ones that start creating some visual distortion. I know that they are not good for every case, but I like them more than I should. Especially when you point them up and capture scenes like […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Are people’s bosses really making them use AI tools? Andy Bell had heard companies were forcing employees to use AI tools so spoke to developers to determine if that was the case and learned some horrors in the process. https://piccalil.li/blog/are-peoples-bosses-really-making-them-use-ai/

For urban explorers, history buffs, and nature lovers alike, the Döberitz Heide bunkers and their surroundings offer a fascinating glimpse into an almost forgotten era. https://ftrc.blog/doberitz-heide-bunkers/ #berlin #urbex #urbanexploration

When I visited Nuremberg a few weeks ago, I had some time to explore the area before checking in to my hotel, so I took my camera for a walk around Fürth. Besides the interesting-looking architecture, one thing that caught my eye was this stork nesting on top […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

#Berlin is filled with incredible street art, but a one-piece mural on Prinzenstrasse holds a unique surprise. The Daphne and Apollo mural, a towering collaboration between artists Francisco Bosoletti and Young Jarus, retells an ancient Greek myth with a […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

When I bought my Mamiya RZ67, the previous owner gave me some long-expired films, and one of them caught my eye in a special way. It was a Kodak Ektar 25 that expired somewhere in the early 2000s, and I don't think I ever saw an Ektar film with a lower ISO […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Seven years ago today, I took this picture once I arrived in Lviv for my first trip to Ukraine. I didn't know it was Ukraine’s Independence Day, and I loved seeing so many people celebrating in the streets. Slava Ukraini

It seems like the good people at #flickr added one of my pictures to their Explore page a few days ago. This picture here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gastaum/54723280356 And this is the Explore page from August 17, 2025: https://www.flickr.com/explore/2025/08/17/with/54724740165

Research in Norway shows that the use of #ai was detrimental to cancer diagnostics. As doctors started to trust the automated process, they stopped using their own skills. And as the AI wasn't that good either, so the overall results was less cancer was diagnosed at an early stage […]

I remember watching the Reichstag covered in fabric when I was a teenager in Brazil. I didn't understand what it was, but I thought it looked fantastic. Since Christo and Jeanne-Claude made it happen in 1995, I haven't been able to see it with my own eyes […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Every so often, I purchase a bag of expired film on eBay, and a miraculous thing happens. This is how I got my hands on a Fujichrome Velvia that expired in the early 2000s. I didn't know what to do with it at first, but I saw some pictures of it being used at […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

On a summer evening, I took my #mamiya RZ67 with a roll of Harmann Phoenix 200 to West Berlin with a tripod at hand. Late at night, it started to rain, so we stopped to get a beer and search for a place to shelter. During those moments, I wondered if the […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

I'm not 100% sure about where I took this picture. Maybe it was in Fürth. Or it could be in Nuremberg… I don't know where, but I like this corner where the sun is shining on some art and a sculpture. https://pixelfed.social/p/ftrc.blog/861891592463612303 […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Now that I finally have some colorful rolls of film back from development, I can post some pictures from that time in Nuremberg, earlier in the summer. Here are some snapshots of the city, with a focus on towers and the medieval architecture of the old town. […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

I woke up to a new today is the day song and I know that this could be a good day. https://todayistheday.bandcamp.com/album/never-give-in

I'm not the kind of person that goes out with the idea of taking pictures of flowers. But that was what I had in mind early in June after reading the book Urformen der Kunst by Karl Blossfeldt. He captured biological shapes and textures in such a way that […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

So, on a summer evening, I took my Mamiya RZ67 with a roll of Harmann Phoenix 200 to West Berlin with a tripod at hand. From the pictures I scanned over the weekend, this one caught my eye since I love the hallation in the subway ceiling and how the lights […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

My love affair with the thermal paper camera began with a simple YouTube video. The idea of a camera that prints lo-fi, black-and-white photos on the spot—for the ridiculously low price of thermal paper—was too appealing to ignore. I bought one, wrote about […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

This picture was taken near the Schlangenbader Strasse Tunnel in Wilmersdorf. I took it back in January 2025. Most of the area and the highway was completely empty, giving it an interesting “28 Days Later” feeling […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Welcome to Nuremberg, a city rich in history and culture. While many visitors flock to the medieval castle and picturesque Old Town, there’s a different kind of journey waiting for you just a short trip away. The #Nuremberg Transport Museum (Verkehrsmuseum […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

"On August 6, 1991 [34 years ago], the first website was introduced to the world. [It] contained information about the World Wide Web Project. It launched at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN, where it was created by British computer […] [Original post on stefanbohacek.online]

Imagine stepping back over 5,000 years, tracing the footsteps of our ancient ancestors, and exploring the very chambers where they laid their revered dead to rest. On the idyllic Danish island of Møn, you don’t just imagine it—you can experience it. Møn is […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

I'm not sure how to explain this image. I remember I was walking around Bergmannkiez, in Kreuzberg, a while back. I think it was still cold, but I imagine it all happened in late 2023. But I might be wrong. Anyway, I like the neon sign, and I thought the […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Cemeteries are great places for me to test and learn about new cameras because they are usually empty. So I can take my time, switch lenses, and make mistakes without anyone being interested in what I'm doing there with this piece of vintage technology […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

This picture is from the second time I visited Eisenhüttenstadt. When I went the first time, I only had black-and-white films. On my second trip, I fixed that because I thought the city needed some color. Especially when it comes to murals like Walter […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

In the Wilmersdorf district, on the outskirts of Rheingauviertel, the Schlangenbader Strasse motorway development is a residential complex situated on a single motorway route. I went there for an architectural walk a few months ago and it seems to me like I […] [Original post on mastodon.social]