Sunday, July 5, 2026

They Call Me The Working Man

I took my Sony A6000 and threw the Carl Zeiss Jenner Biotar 58mm, f=2 Exakta lens on it today. You know, for science.

Here are some of the pictures I came up with:

Yeah, I'm good with this.

Saturday, July 4, 2026

My Hometown Is Coming In Sight

Went to the 4th of July parade in the town I am from.

Have some pictures, yo!

Friday, July 3, 2026

Closer To The Heart

So the $20 lens bins at the camera store are...Entertaining to me.

Also problematic.

So I picked up a Nikkor-Q 20cm f/4 manual lens from the early '70s and a Nikon 70-300 AF lens from probably the mid '90s.

After using them both pretty extensively yesterday, I'm pretty happy with them.

Here are a few from the 70-300:

For these, I mostly left the auto exposure on and, since it is a screw drive focus, I had to do that part manually.

As for the Nikkor, the guy at the store was convinced that it wouldn't work on my D40X. I explained to him that he was, in fact, incorrect. He tried to argue the point, so I grabbed a D40 off the shelf and showed him. His response was "Huh. Learn something new every day." Here are a few of the Nikkor Q:

These are all manual everything. Exposure, focus, shutter speed, everything.

I'm very happy with both of these. The 70-300 will probably go with the D70 or the N# 35mms that I have.

These were all taken with my D40X. In case there was any confusion about it.

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Welcome To The Machine

Monday, June 29, 2026

Don't Look, Ethel!

Podify Wrapped

Week of June 22–28, 2026

478 Plays. One Shuffle Goblin. One Squirrel Revival. One Recommendation Algorithm Quietly Updating Its Résumé.

📖 Podify Timeline

June 22–28, 2026: The week Ray Stevens wandered into the playlist, found the Shuffle Goblin, and immediately agreed to be an accomplice.

Welcome Back to Podify Wrapped

Every week I sit down to write one of these hoping the statistics will reveal some kind of coherent listening pattern.

Every week the statistics instead produce evidence that my shuffle button has developed free will.

This week featured 478 plays from an astonishing variety of artists, but unlike recent weeks, there was a surprisingly clear hierarchy at the top. Pink Floyd reclaimed the throne with authority, Led Zeppelin reminded everyone why they're permanently exempt from criticism, The Warning continued proving they're no longer "the new band," and somewhere in the middle of all that, Ray Stevens suddenly decided that squirrels and streaking deserved equal representation alongside progressive rock masterpieces.

Because apparently they do.

The bigger surprise wasn't just the artists—it was how often they returned. This wasn't a week of endless one-off curiosities. Several albums stayed in rotation long enough to suggest I had actual intentions before the Shuffle Goblin inevitably intervened.

As always, live recordings continued to dominate. At this point I'm less of a music listener and more of a frequent concert attendee who somehow never has to leave the couch.

Meanwhile, recommendation algorithms across the internet have reportedly begun exchanging concerned emails.

By the Numbers

🎵 Total Plays: 478

🎤 Unique Artists: 100+ (estimated)

📀 Unique Songs: 330+ (estimated)

🎙️ Live Recordings: ~225 plays (47%)

🎸 Classic Rock & Hard Rock: 55%

🤠 Country & Americana: 12%

🎮 Gaming Soundtracks: 5%

🤘 Alternative & Modern Rock: 12%

🤣 Comedy / Novelty: 7%

🎭 Everything Else: 9%

📈 Playlist Consistency: Improving briefly before immediately wandering off again.

🤖 Recommendation Algorithm Confidence: 3%.

Top Artists of the Week

🥇 Pink Floyd

51 plays (10.7%)

The Floyd Extended Universe took last week's absence personally.

Apparently nearly eleven percent of my listening was dedicated to proving that existential dread sounds best accompanied by David Gilmour's guitar.

Mission accomplished.

🥈 Led Zeppelin

35 plays (7.3%)

Some people have comfort food.

I have comfort Zeppelin.

Whether it was Whole Lotta Love or Dancing Days, the answer to "Should I play another Led Zeppelin song?" remained a consistent and enthusiastic "Yes."

🥉 The Warning

34 plays (7.1%)

At this point they're no longer "the modern band I occasionally listen to."

They've become regular residents of Podify Wrapped.

The recommendation algorithm appreciates finally seeing an artist whose average album release date doesn't begin with "19."

🏅 Little Feat

27 plays (5.6%)

The week's stealth MVP.

Without much fanfare, Little Feat quietly climbed into fourth place, proving once again that groove always finds a way.

🏅 Eric Clapton

22 plays (4.6%)

Just enough blues to remind everyone that guitar solos remain one of life's essential nutrients.

Honorable Mentions

Jimmy Buffett — 18 plays (3.8%)
The Alan Parsons Project — 17 plays (3.6%)
The Beatles — 10 plays
Blue Öyster Cult — 9 plays
Queen + Paul Rodgers — 9 plays

Top Songs of the Week

For the first time, the Song of the Week podium resembles a committee meeting that ended in a tie.

🥇 Hair of the Dog (Live) — 4 plays

🥇 Dancing Days (Live 1972) — 4 plays

🥇 Whole Lotta Love — 4 plays

🥇 The Mississippi Squirrel Revival — 4 plays

🥇 The Streak — 4 plays

Five completely different songs.

Five completely different moods.

One completely confused listener.

Additional heavy rotation included:

I've Been to Memphis (Live) — 3 plays
Find the Princess — 3 plays
Money (2019 Remix Live) — 3 plays
All Right Now — 3 plays
Take It on the Run — 3 plays

Apparently no genre was willing to concede defeat this week.

Genre Breakdown

🎸 Classic Rock & Hard Rock — 55%

Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Clapton, Little Feat, Queen, Blue Öyster Cult, The Beatles, Free, and friends completely dominated.

This playlist spent so much time in the 1970s it may qualify for historical preservation.

🤘 Alternative & Modern Rock — 12%

The Warning once again carried the modern era almost single-handedly.

🤠 Country & Americana — 12%

Jimmy Buffett returned for beach duty while Ray Stevens officially joined the roster.

Country music continues appearing like Bigfoot—unexpectedly, briefly, and somehow leaving behind undeniable evidence.

🎮 Gaming Soundtracks — 5%

A few strategic save points prevented the playlist from becoming entirely guitar-driven.

🤣 Comedy & Novelty — 7%

Ray Stevens has entered the chat.

Nobody is safe.

🏆 Most Surprising Transition Award

Grand Champion

The Mississippi Squirrel Revival → Comfortably Numb

One song describes squirrels taking over a church.

The next contemplates alienation, trauma, and emotional isolation.

The emotional distance between these songs should require a passport.

Runner-Up

The Warning → Ray Stevens

Arena-sized modern hard rock immediately yielding to comedic storytelling about streaking.

Perfectly logical...

...inside this playlist.

Third Place

Final Fantasy soundtrack → Whole Lotta Love

Saving kingdoms apparently leads directly to Jimmy Page riffs.

Honestly, that's efficient.

🎢 Emotional Whiplash Award

The Mississippi Squirrel Revival → Comfortably Numb

The medical community advises against experiencing these two emotional states within five minutes of each other.

The Shuffle Goblin disagrees.

🎲 Shuffle Goblin Award

Ray Stevens → Pink Floyd → The Warning

The Goblin has begun writing screenplays.

🤔 Algorithm Therapist Award

Ray Stevens

Spotify:

"Novelty?"

Shuffle Goblin:

"Legend."

Spotify:

"...both?"

🚚 Unexpected Vehicle Award

I've Been to Memphis (Live)

The transportation category remains undefeated.

🎮 Save Point to Mosh Pit Award

Find the Princess → Whole Lotta Love

Princess rescued.

Amplifiers activated.

🏆 Podify Achievement Badges

🏆 Floydian Scholar

🏆 Live Album Addict

🏆 Guitar Solo of the Week — Whole Lotta Love

🏆 Shuffle Goblin Accomplice

🏆 Classic Rock Preservation Society

🏆 Audience Member of the Week

🏆 Hero of Gaia

🏆 Squirrel Whisperer — Awarded for unexpectedly making Ray Stevens one of the week's defining artists.

🏆 Recommendation Algorithm Speedrun — Confused three separate recommendation engines before Wednesday.

🏆 Museum Curator of Portable Audio — Continued proving that obsolete hardware remains a perfectly valid lifestyle.

Listener Personality Report

"This listener enjoys progressive rock, classic rock, live albums, blues, modern hard rock, comedy songs, portable music players, and making recommendation algorithms question their career choices."

Translated into plain English:

"This user treats the shuffle button like recreational gambling and somehow keeps winning."

Closing Thoughts

Was it coherent?

Only in the sense that every detour somehow led back to another outstanding guitar solo.

Was it entertaining?

Four hundred and seventy-eight plays strongly suggest the answer is yes.

The defining theme of the week wasn't Pink Floyd's triumphant return, Led Zeppelin's continued dominance, or even The Warning cementing their place among the regulars.

It was the arrival of Ray Stevens.

Not quietly, either.

He marched into a playlist already occupied by progressive rock epics, blues legends, and arena rock giants, then casually tied for Song of the Week with The Mississippi Squirrel Revival and The Streak. Somewhere, a recommendation algorithm stared at those statistics, sighed deeply, and quietly submitted a request for extended leave.

The music changed.

The genres collided.

The squirrels escaped containment.

And, as always, the Shuffle Goblin found a way.

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Purple Rain

Last.fm generates my weel;y listening reports on Thursday, I tend to throw my stuff early Monday morning. Here is what Last.fm came up with for me:

Monday, June 22, 2026

I've Been Drivin' All Night

Podify Wrapped

Week of June 15–21, 2026

414 Plays. 98 Artists. Six iPods, One Zune, and a Recommendation Algorithm Filing a Workplace Complaint.

Welcome back to Podify Wrapped, the weekly report where I attempt to explain my listening habits and instead accidentally create evidence that the shuffle button has become self-aware.

This week was less a music library and more a traveling music festival spread across multiple decades, genres, and hardware platforms. Over the course of 414 plays, I bounced between classic rock, prog rock, country, comedy, game soundtracks, blues, and—because apparently that wasn't enough—spent part of the week listening on a Zune 30.

That's right. June 16 marked the first documented Zune incursion in Podify Wrapped history.

Some people stream from a phone.

I apparently maintain a rotating museum exhibit.

The dominant themes this week were surprisingly clear: Led Zeppelin, Queen + Paul Rodgers, Jimmy Buffett, The Alan Parsons Project, and a substantial amount of Blue Öyster Cult. Meanwhile, Dread Zeppelin arrived just often enough to make everyone question whether reality is functioning correctly.

As usual, the Shuffle Goblin was unsupervised.

By The Numbers

🎵 Total Plays: 414

🎤 Unique Artists: 98

📀 Unique Songs: 301

🎙️ Live Recordings: 198 plays (47.8%)

🎸 Classic Rock & Hard Rock: ~52%

🤠 Country & Americana: ~13%

🎮 Gaming Soundtracks: ~6%

🤘 Alternative / Modern Rock: ~11%

🤣 Comedy & Spoken Word: ~8%

🎭 Everything Else: ~10%

📱 Devices Used: 7

🟫 Zune Usage: 42 plays (10.1%)

📈 Playlist Consistency: Still under active investigation.

Device Breakdown

🥇 6th Gen iPod Classic — 115 plays (27.8%)

🥈 4th Gen iPod Photo — 98 plays (23.7%)

🥉 7th Gen iPod Touch — 69 plays (16.7%)

🏅 5th Gen iPod Classic — 49 plays

🏅 Zune 30 — 42 plays

🏅 1st Gen iPod Mini — 28 plays

🏅 PC — 13 plays

The Zune represented just over ten percent of listening activity, making this the first week in Podify history where Microsoft successfully captured measurable market share.

Historians are stunned.

Top Artists of the Week

🥇 Led Zeppelin

25 plays (6.0%)

The week's undisputed champion.

Apparently I spent several days conducting intensive research into whether Led Zeppelin is still good.

The findings remain overwhelmingly positive.

🥈 Queen + Paul Rodgers

22 plays (5.3%)

A surprisingly strong showing. "Hammer to Fall," "Radio Ga Ga," and company spent much of the week proving that arena rock remains a perfectly reasonable lifestyle choice.

🥉 Jimmy Buffett

18 plays (4.3%)

At some point the playlist wandered onto a beach, ordered something frozen, and stayed there longer than expected.

🏅 The Alan Parsons Project

17 plays (4.1%)

The week's prog-rock intellectual division.

Recommendation algorithms remain unclear whether this is yacht rock, prog rock, or a graduate-level engineering course.

🏅 Blue Öyster Cult

13 plays (3.1%)

A strong week for mysterious lyrics, giant riffs, and proving that "Astronomy" remains one of the coolest song titles ever written.

Honorable Mentions

Pink Floyd — 12 plays
REO Speedwagon — 11 plays
Dread Zeppelin — 10 plays
Frank Klepacki — 9 plays
The Beatles — 9 plays
Gary Moore — 9 plays

The Floyd Extended Universe wasn't dominant this week, but it remained active enough to remind everyone that existential reflection is never more than a few tracks away.

Top Songs of the Week

🥇 Whole Lotta Love

5 plays (1.2%)

The champion.

Apparently one whole lotta love wasn't enough.

🥈 Radar Love (Live)

4 plays

A song about driving quickly somehow feels completely on-brand for this library.

🥈 Copperhead Road

4 plays

Country-rock outlaw energy remains undefeated.

🥈 Hammer to Fall

4 plays

Queen came prepared for battle.

🥈 Time for Me to Fly

4 plays

REO Speedwagon reminding everyone that transportation-themed songs continue to thrive.

Additional Heavy Rotation

Astronomy — 4 plays
Nothin' Funny With Gunner — 3 plays
Gypsies in the Palace — 3 plays
Heartbreaker (Rough Mix With Vocal) — 3 plays
Walking By Myself — 3 plays

Genre Breakdown

🎸 Classic Rock & Hard Rock — 52%

Led Zeppelin, Queen, Blue Öyster Cult, REO Speedwagon, Pink Floyd, Gary Moore, and The Beatles dominated the week.

At times my listening history resembled a classic-rock station whose program director had been left unsupervised.

🤠 Country & Americana — 13%

Jimmy Buffett, Tim Wilson, Steve Earle, and assorted country detours continued Podify's long-standing tradition of suddenly heading toward Nashville without warning.

🤘 Alternative & Modern Rock — 11%

A smaller presence this week, but still enough variety to prevent the playlist from becoming a complete 1970s reenactment.

🎮 Gaming Soundtracks — 6%

Frank Klepacki once again represented the Brotherhood of Nod.

Peace through power.

🤣 Comedy & Spoken Word — 8%

Bob & Tom and Tim Wilson continued proving that laughter remains a valid musical genre.

🏆 Most Surprising Transition Award

Grand Champion

The Alan Parsons Project → Dread Zeppelin

From sophisticated prog-rock production directly into reggae-infused Zeppelin parody.

No jury could have predicted this outcome.

Runner-Up

Frank Klepacki → Jimmy Buffett

Command & Conquer battlefield music immediately followed by tropical relaxation.

The war ended surprisingly well.

Third Place

Blue Öyster Cult → Bob & Tom

One minute we're contemplating cosmic mysteries.

The next we're listening to comedy radio.

🎢 Emotional Whiplash Award

Pink Floyd → Tim Wilson

A thoughtful meditation on the human condition followed by a comedian explaining why subtlety is optional.

Medically inadvisable.

🎲 Shuffle Goblin Award

Queen + Paul Rodgers → Dread Zeppelin → Frank Klepacki

No human built this sequence.

The Goblin has signed a confession.

🤔 Algorithm Therapist Award

Dread Zeppelin

Every recommendation engine eventually reached the same conclusion:

"What exactly are we supposed to do with this?"

🚚 Unexpected Vehicle Award

Time for Me to Fly

Transportation-themed songs remain alarmingly common around here.

🎮 Save Point to Mosh Pit Award

Frank Klepacki → Led Zeppelin

From commanding tanks to commanding arenas.

A seamless transition, somehow.

Podify Achievement Badges

🏆 Live Album Addict

🏆 Guitar Solo of the Week — Whole Lotta Love

🏆 Floydian Scholar

🏆 Commander of the Brotherhood of Nod

🏆 Zune Survivor

🏆 Classic Rock Preservation Society

🏆 Unexpected Buffett Sighting

🏆 Shuffle Goblin Accomplice

🏆 Audience Member of the Week

🏆 Cross-Platform Audio Archaeologist

Listener Personality Report

"This listener enjoys classic rock, progressive rock, country music, comedy albums, game soundtracks, vintage hardware, and complete statistical chaos."

Translated into plain English:

"This user treats genres like buffet options and portable music players like Pokémon."

Closing Thoughts

Was it coherent?

Not particularly.

Was it entertaining?

Four hundred and fourteen plays suggest the answer is yes.

The dominant theme of the week wasn't any single artist or genre. It was exploration. Whether through Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Buffett, The Alan Parsons Project, or a rogue Zune 30, the playlist spent the week wandering wherever it felt like going.

And honestly, that's becoming the defining feature of Podify Wrapped:

The music changes.

The devices change.

The recommendation algorithms grow increasingly concerned.

But the Shuffle Goblin always finds a way.