The music I first remember from the Avengers, was composed by Johnny Dankworth (1927 – 2010). He will be discussed in a post next week. This week, all I will say is that his music was jazz influenced, and seemed to suit the personality of Honor Blackman (1925 – 1920), as Cathy Gale, the first woman assistant, of five notables in the series, if one includes The New Avengers and The Avengers (1998) film. The others being: Diana Rigg (1938 – 2020) as Emma Peel, Linda Thorson (1947 – ) as Tara King, Joanne Lumley (1946 – ) as Purdey in the New Avengers, and Uma Thurman (1970 -) as Emma Peel, in the film. Music for that film was provided by Joel McNeely (1959 – ), who will not be discussed further in this series, but who will be the subject of another weblog post in the future. Compared to Dankworth, Johnson’s compositions were punchier. His first theme begins with percussion as a champagne bottle held by Steed is uncorked by a bullet shot from Emma Peel’s pistol, before he fills two glasses with drink. Then it switches to brass, followed by a string arrangement. We are then introduced to John Steed, a secret agent for The Ministry. No equivalent introduction is made for Emma Peel. Towards the theme’s end, Steed’s umbrella reveals a hidden steel blade that he uses to pluck a rose from a vase that Mrs Peel places in his buttonhole.
This series of posts was inspired by Laurie Johnson, a composer of some of the most distinctive television themes of all time, at least from my perspective.
One of the most dramatic themes, accompanied by stylish visuals, was for The Avengers, a series combining espionage with fantasy. It was revamped in 1965 for its fourth season. This coincided with the series’ sale to US television, a change to shooting from video to film, and the arrival of Diana Rigg as Emma Peel to assist Patrick Macnee as John Steed.
This theme was not original, it was based on a previous Johnson composition, The Shake, influenced by a mid-1960s dance craze. Indeed, I can understand critics who maintain that the theme was The Shake, slightly repackaged in terms of timing. Johnson wrote most of the incidental music for The Avengers from 1965 until 1969. After Rigg left and Linda Thorson joined as Tara King for the last iteration, he rearranged the title theme, with more frenetic percussion and a trumpet counter-melody.
Later, for the sequel The New Avengers (1976-77) – with Macnee as Steed, Gareth Hunt (1942 – 2007) as Mike Gambit, and Joanna Lumley as Purdey – Johnson came up with a military-style melody to reflect the red, white and blue title graphics.
Johnson began composing for the screen after success as a conductor for stage productions. Among his early television themes were music for the crime series No Hiding Place (1959-67), the espionage drama Top Secret (1961-62), as well as a theme for Animal Magic (1962-84), titled Las Vegas, that captured the whimsical tone of the long-running children’s programme presented by Johnny Morris (1916 – 1999). Johnson also composed The Trendsetters, the Whicker’s World theme used between 1965 and 1968.
Then came music for This Is Your Life after the celebrity life show switched to ITV from the BBC in 1969. Titled Gala Performance and later rearranged by Carl Davis and others, it remained even after the programme’s return to the BBC (1994-2003).
In 1964 Johnson had written original music for the Dr Strangelove, a film with Peter Sellers (1925 – 1980), a black comedy directed by Stanley Kubrick (1928 – 1999), one of many movies that he worked on as a composer. The film showcased his musical composing and arranging talents. These involved tension, irony and soothing comfort in the orchestral performance of Try a Little Tenderness.
Johnson was born in London, educated at Harrow and studied at the Royal College of Music, where one of his tutors was Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 – 1958) and where he started composing his first published orchestral works.
Johnson played French Horn with the Coldstream Guards, the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army, dating back to 1660. From 1944 to 1948. He then became a composer and arranger for the Guards.
Johnson’s first film music productions included: The Good Companions (1957), The Moonraker (1958), No Trees in the Street (1959) and Tiger Bay (1959). Over the following decade his music was heard in Bitter Harvest (1963), The Beauty Jungle (1964), First Men in the Moon/East of Sudan (1964), the comedy You Must Be Joking! (1965) as well as Hot Millions (1968).
In a different vein he employed the sounds of trumpets, English horns and woodwind in The Belstone Fox (1973) and scored the Hammer horror film Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974).
Television producers increasingly saw Johnson as a go-to composer. His repertoire was wide, ranging from the original World in Action theme (1963-65) and the children’s drama Freewheelers (1968-73) to the sitcom Shirley’s World (1971), with Shirley MacLaine (1934 – ), and Jason King (1971-72). This last series is best described as a fictional biography of a spy writer such as Ian Flemming, with a leading actor who does not know either his real name or even his birthdate, but is estimated to be Peter Wyngarde (1927 – 2018).
Johnson eventually went into partnership with the Avengers producers Brian Clemens (1931 – 2015) and Albert Fennell (1920 – 1988) to form Mark 1 Productions and make The New Avengers. They followed it with a theme for The Professionals (1977-83), with Martin Shaw (1945 – ) and Lewis Collins (1946 – 2013). This theme expresses vitality and excitement. Johnson rearranged it for the sequel, CI5: The New Professionals (1999).
With Fennell and the director John Hough (1941 – ), Johnson also formed Gainsborough Pictures, named after a defunct British film studio, to make feature-length TV adaptations of Barbara Cartland (1901 – 2000) novels such as A Hazard of Hearts (1987), A Ghost in Monte Carlo (1990) and Duel of Hearts (1991).
While Johnson preferred film to theatre, he had some stage musical success writing Lock Up Your Daughters (Mermaid theatre, 1959) with lyrics by Lionel Bart (1930 – 1999), and The Four Musketeers (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 1967-68) with Herbert Kretzmer (1925 – 2020).
When I read that Alex North was born Isadore Soifer, I was puzzled. Why would an American composer adopt a totally different name? North/ Soifer was born in Chester, Pennsylvania. His parents, Jesse and Beila (Bessie) were Jewish and Russian/ Ukrainian, who had emigrated to USA, around 1906. His father was originally from Bila Tserkva (about 80 km south of Kyiv). His mother was from Odessa, Vancouver’s sister city. This is an important fact for me. In Chester, his mother ran a small grocery store. His father worked as a blacksmith and mechanic. In 1915 his father died of appendicitis. In an unforgiving USA, this left the family poor. In the late 1920s, Isadore’s older brother Jacob began writing articles for radical labor publications. To shield his family from political peril, Jacob adopted the pseudonym Joseph North. Soon after, others in the family followed with, Isadore Soifer becoming Alex North.
Readers of my blog will realize that my posts broadly fall into the category of non-fiction. At times I have tried, but I cannot write fiction. It is an alien world. For me, a composer is equivalent to a musical novelist. Soifer/ North (as he will be referred to from now on) is best known for his film scores, works of fiction designed to enhance movies. These works include A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), with its jazz-based film score, Viva Zapata! (1952), Spartacus (1960), Cleopatra (1963) and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). He received an Honorary Academy Award in 1986, the first for a composer.
My favourite Soifer/ North work is Unchained Melody, originally with lyrics by Hy Zaret = Hyman Harry Zaritsky (1907 –2007) working in Tin Pan Alley, a site noted for its music publishers and songwriters on West 28th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in the Manhattan, NYC flower district. Tin Pan Alley dominated American popular music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Unchained Melody was used in Unchained (1955) a prison film. Unchained Melody became one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, with over 1 500 recordings made by more than 670 musicians, in multiple languages. I periodically listen to it, in one or more of its variants.
As a former prison teacher, I am well aware of the book upon which Unchained is based, Prisoners are People (1952) by Kenyon Judson Scudder (1888 [some sources claim 1890] – 1977). He also wrote The Twenty Billion Dollar Challenge, National Program for Delinquency Prevention (1961). Scudder was the first superintendent of the first American open prison, The California Institution for Men, in Chino, California, near Los Angeles, from 1941 – 1955. Note: Chino is the Spanish word for Chinese, which is also the origin of the type of trousers I wear on a daily basis.
Soifer/ North began studying the piano early in life. Nine years old, he switched to William Hatton Green (1864 – ?) as teacher, who grounded him in Theodor Leschetizky’s (1830 – 1915) method of piano pedagogy over a three year period of study. Leschetizky’s main legacy involved teaching great pianists. His most notable compositions are pedagogical piano pieces, that exploit the piano’s technical capabilities.
Soifer/ North befriended Samuel Barber (1910 – 1981) who was also a student in Green’s studio. At the age of 12 Soifer/ North began more rigorous music studies at the Settlement Music School (SMS), founded in 1908 by Jeannette Selig Frank and Blanche Wolf Kohn, where he studied piano for four years under the Australian/ American George Frederick Boyle (1886 – 1948). He also participated in a masterclass with pianist and composer Leopold Godowsky (1870 – 1939) during his time at SMS.
While a student at Chester High School (CHS), Soifer/ North worked as a telegraph operator to help pay for music studies, and assist the family’s finances. He graduated from CHS in 1927, and then studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in 1928-1929. With Boyle’s recommendation he transferred to the Juilliard School, after successfully auditioning for the German/ Polish – American conductor, Frank Damrosch (1859 – 1937) in 1929. He attended Juilliard on a four year full scholarship, but only completed three years of study. He felt intimidated by the senior piano recital, leading him to drop out in 1932 without completing his degree. At Juilliard he remained a piano student of Boyle, and also studied music composition and theory with Dutch American composer, conductor and violinist Bernard Wagenaar (1894 – 1971). He spent two years, between 1933 and 1935, studying composition at the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory in Russia, while working as a telegraph operator. Soifer/ North later studied privately for a year in Mexico with composer Silvestre Revueltas (1899 – 1940) in the late 1930s; pursuing his passion for Mexican music.
Interjection: At times when researching this post, I have come across recommendations to read Under the Volcano (1947) by alcoholic novelist Malcolm Lowry’s (1909 – 1957), to gain an understanding of the appeal of Mexico. I am not in total agreement with that suggestioon, although the Mexican Day of the Dead is a feature. Día de Muertos is one of the country’s most important and iconic cultural holidays. It is celebrated the day after my birthday, Halloween, on 11-01 and 02, with a focus on honouring the spirits of deceased loved ones. Instead, I regard the novel as an analysis of alcoholism, with limited insights into Mexico. Lowry lived in Vancouver from 1938 to 1955, with some breaks. He most famously lived in a squatter’s shack on a beach near Dollarton, in North Vancouver, until it was destroyed by fire in 1944. Margerie Bonner (1905 – 1988), Lowry’s second wife, rescued the unfinished novel from the fire, but all of Lowry’s other works in progress were lost.
In 1932 Soifer/ North entered into a relationship with Jewish American dancer and choreographer Anna Sokolow (1910 – 2000). She had a profound impact in orienting his career towards music composition. He worked as the rehearsal pianist for her dance group, and through her encouragement and persuasion, he began composing music for her dancers. This set him on the path of a career as a composer. His first major composition was the Anti-War Trilogy (later part of the Anti-War Series) which he composed for Sokolow’s dance troupe.
In the Second World War, Soifer/ North served as a captain in the U.S. Army Special Services division from 1942 to 1946. There, he was responsible for self-entertainment programs in mental hospitals. He also composed music for more than twenty-six documentary films for the Office of War Information. While in the service, he wrote the score for the documentary short, A Better Tomorrow (1945) directed by was the Czech-American photographer, film director, cinematographer and film editor, Alexander Siegfried George Hackenschmied = Alexander Hammid (1907 – 2004).
Soifer/ North managed to integrate his modernism into typical film music leitmotif structure, rich with themes. One of these became the famous song Unchained Melody. Nominated for fifteen Oscars but unsuccessful each time, Soifer/ North is the first of only four film composers to receive the Lifetime Achievement Academy Award, the others being Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, trumpeter and pianist Ennio Morricone (1928 – 2020), Argentine/ American pianist, composer, arranger and conductor Boris Claudio (Lalo) Schifrin (1932 – 2025) and Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (1933 – 2024) an American record producer, composer, arranger, record executive, conductor, trumpeter, film/ television producer, and bandleader. Soifer/ North’s frequent collaborator as orchestrator was the avant-garde Canadian/ American composer Henry Brant (1913 – 2008).
Soifer/ North’s best-known film scores include: A Streetcar Named Desire, Death of a Salesman, Viva Zapata!, The Rainmaker, Spartacus, The Misfits, Cleopatra, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Dragonslayer and Under the Volcano. His music for The Wonderful Country makes use of Mexican and American motifs.
His commissioned score for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is notorious for having been discarded by director Stanley Kubrick (1928 – 1999) late in the production process. Although Soifer/ North subsequently incorporated motifs from the rejected score for The Shoes of the Fisherman, Shanks and Dragonslayer, the score itself remained unheard until the American composer Jerry Goldsmith (1929 – 2004) re-recorded it for the American record label, Varèse Sarabande, in 1993. In 2007, Intrada Records released the 1968 recording sessions on CD from North’s personal archives.
Soifer/ North was also commissioned to write a jazz score for Nero Wolfe, a 1959 CBS-TV series based on Rex Stout’s (1986 – 1975) Nero Wolfe characters, with Canadian actor William Shatner (1931 – ) as Archie Goodwin and Kurt Kasznar = Kurt Kasznar (born Kurt Servischer; 1913 – 1979) as Nero Wolfe. A pilot and two or three episodes were filmed, but the designated time slot was, in the end, given to another series. Soifer/ North’s unheard score for Nero Wolfe and six recorded tracks on digital audio tape are in the UCLA Music Library Special Collections. He wrote the music for various other TV shows, such as the anthologies Climax! and Playhouse 90.
Though Soifer/ North is best known for his work in Hollywood, he spent years in New York writing music for the stage; he composed the score for the original Broadway production of Death of a Salesman. It was in New York that he met Elia Kazan (1909 – 2003), director of Salesman, who brought him to Hollywood in the 1950s. Soifer/ North stopped working with Kazan after Kazan’s 1952 testimony to the House Un-American Activities Committee. In the 1950s Soifer/ North was unable to work in Hollywood for several years because of suspected communist affiliations.
Soifer/ North was one of several composers who merged the sound of contemporary concert music into film, in part marked by an increased use of dissonance and complex rhythms. In contrast, some commentators note there is a lyrical quality to much of his work. They claim this may be connected to the influence of Aaron Copland (), with whom he studied in 1936–37. His classical works include two symphonies and a Rhapsody for Piano, Trumpet obbligato and Orchestra. He also composed music for the 1976 television miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man, its sequel Rich Man, Poor Man Book II as well as the 1978 miniseries The Word. North is also known for his opening to the CBS television anthology series Playhouse 90 and the 1965 ABC television miniseries FDR.
In 2016, the Library of Congress added North’s 1951 recording of his score of A Streetcar Named Desire to its National Recording Registry. The American Film Institute ranked North’s score for A Streetcar Named Desire at number 19 on their list of the greatest film scores. His scores for the following films were also nominated for the list: Cleopatra (1963), The Misfits (1961), Spartacus (1960), Viva Zapata! (1952), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966).
Note about names. Back in 1990, my father gave me my original birth certificate. The name on it read, Richard Edwin Salter. I was over forty years old, and my original name was unfathomable. Since then I have learned to accept that biologically, I am a Salter, with origins in Essex County, Ontario. That flatland origin, initially came as a shock to me, too. I think of myself as a mountain, or at a minimum hill possibly cliff-face, person, living close to a fjord, not a Great Lake. Biologically, I am the youngest of five half-siblings, all brothers.
My first name also creates some challenges. I assume that it is related to Isaac Brock (1769 – 1812), notable for commanding the fortress at Fort Amherstburg, which is also located in Essex County, Ontario, about 28 km south of my assumed place of conception. Of course the name of the badger = broc, in Irish and Scottish Gaelic. The American badger is Taxidea taxus, while the European badger is of different origins, and is known as Meles meles. We suspect one of the latter is living on our property.
Then I remember some of the girls in my class at elementary school, trying out assorted surnames. For me, it seemed that many of them felt that they were required to destroy part of their soul, when (not if) they married. At one point, I remember suggesting to Trish that we could choose a more neutral surname. Marmot, named for those playful creatures that inhabit McArthur Island, in Kamloops, British Columbia.
A sound mixing console, a necessity for adding music to video productions. Image: adamsuchyx, 2021-09-18.
I like music, sometimes. However, I am selective about what I listen to, and when. I often feel that more music has been imposed on me that I appreciate.
Take the situation on board the ferry, originally the Alakai, now the USNS Puerto Rico, promotionally referred to as The CAT. Soon after the ferry departed Yarmouth, Nova Scotia headed to Bar Harbor, Maine, it was announced that the bow of the vessel, where we were sitting, would be overtaken by some entertainer who would provide live music. We attempted to escape him, moving to seats in the middle of the vessel. Here all of the screens were showing some Disney movie, while loud-speakers ensured that music from the film was all that could be heard.
I consulted a crew member, and was told that the aft section of the ship was probably the quietest on offer. We moved there for the duration of the voyage. There is a difference between situations where people have music imposed on them, and those situations where they choose to being exposed to music. So, the rest of this post is about people who choose to watch a movie or a television program, with an expectation of listening to music. The purpose of film music is to enhance the dramatic narrative and emotional impact of scenes.
Film music is not random. It begins with a film score = music written specifically to accompany a film or a television program. For me, this term should also apply to computer games. These games produce the most income for their producers, exceeding that of people engaged in live theatre, television and radio programs, and film (movie) production. Cues = individual pieces of music timed to begin and end at specific points during the film. Thus, a score is a collection of a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces.
Musical scores are written by one or more composers under the guidance of a film director. Music is performed by an ensemble of musicians, which may include an orchestra = a large group of musicians, band = a small group of musicians, instrumental soloists, a choir = large group of singers, individual vocalists (often referred to collectively as playback singers). At some point this music is recorded by a sound engineer.
I am skeptical to this description. Film scores encompass an enormous variety of styles of music. depending on the nature of the films they accompany. While some scores are orchestral works rooted in Western classical music, many scores are also influenced by ambient, blues, jazz, new-age, pop as well as the modern standard rock music. In addition, there is a wide range of ethnic and world music styles.
Since the 1950s, a growing number of scores have also included electronic elements, and many scores written today feature a hybrid of orchestral and electronic instruments.
Since the invention of digital technology and audio sampling, many modern films have been able to rely on digital samples to imitate the sound of acoustic instruments, and some scores are created and performed wholly by the composers themselves, by using music composition software, synthesizers, samplers, and MIDI controllers.
In the coming weeks I intend to comment on several different film music composers, but I will start with a preview, the oldest composer on my list.
Silvestre Revueltas
One of the first and most important ethnic composers was Silvestre Revueltas Sánchez (1899 – 1940), a Mexican classical music composer, violinist and conductor. He was largely educated in Chicago, but returned to Mexico to work. His film works are: Redes (1935) = The Wave, used in a social realism film about Mexican fishermen, with a non-professional cast, directed by Alfred Zinnemann (1907-1997) and Emilio Gómez Muriel (1910 – 1985).
¡Vámonos con Pancho Villa! (1936) = Let’s Go With Pancho Villa, directed by Fernando de Fuentes Carrau[a] (1894 – 1958). It is the last part of the director’s Revolution Trilogy, which also included El prisionero trece (1933) = Prisoner 13 and El compadre Mendoza (1934) = Godfather Mendoza.
El indio (1939) = The Indian, a Mexican drama film directed by Armando Vargas de la Maza (1895 – 1941) based on the novel of the same name published in 1935, written by Gregorio López y Fuentes (1897 – 1966).
Ferrocarriles de Baja California (1938). It has been difficult for me to find out much about this film. However, The Ferrocarril Sonora–Baja California is a former railway line from Mexicali, in Baja California, to Benjamín Hill, in Sonora. It interchanged with the Southern Pacific Railroad at Calexico, California, and with the Ferrocarril del Pacifico in Benjamin Hill, Sonora. The problem with this explanation is that the film, from 1938, predates the railway by ten years. The railway started running in 1948. Sections of the film score were reworked as Música para charlar = which translates something like, musical gossip.
Other compositional works include music for: Bajo el signo de la muerte (1939), La noche de los mayas (1939) = Night of the Mayas, ¡Que viene mi marido! (1940).
Reading Cartas íntimas y escritos,a recompilation of Silvestre Revueltas’ letters and other writings, by his sister Rosaura Revueltas (1908 [1910, other sources] – 1996), could result in a better understanding of the composer. Rosaura was an actress, most famously appearing in Salt of the Earth (1954), which resulted in her being blacklisted by the Hollywood system. Her recompilation is important because it was in his letters and writings that Silvestre Revueltas most freely describes his thoughts and emotions in detail, including how he composed his music and, in some cases, his reasons for it. The pinnacle of Revueltas’ compositional technique is found in his film music. He once wrote: The spirit of Mexico is deep within me. He did not exploit Mexican folklore, but developed a compositional style that resulted in something nationalistic. His compositional manner was similar to that of Sergei Prokofiev and Dimitri Shostakovich in their relationships with Russia. People who understand Spanish with an interest in film music, should consider reading Cartas intimas y escritos.
Volkswagen advertisements using the Futura typeface.
Gothic Script
If one looks up Gothic script in Wikipedia, one discovers that Gothic script, letters, text, typeface or font may refer to: 1) Gothic alphabet, the Greek-derived writing system of the Gothic language; 2) Visigothic script, a script style used by the Visigoths in Iberia for writing Latin; 3) Gothic script (palaeography), a family of handwriting scripts that originally developed from Caroline minuscule in Western Europe in the late 11th century; 4) Blackletter, an ornate calligraphic style of Gothic script, including a) Fraktur, a form of Blackletter and b) Schwabacher, a form of Blackletter; 5) Sans-serif, or gothic, a typographical style without serif decorations. In typography, this is the meaning usually associated with the term gothic type, for example Century Gothic; 6) East Asian Gothic typeface, a Chinese, Japanese or Korean typographical style without serifs or analogous decorations.
Here, I am using it in terms of context 5, the sans-serif typographical style. Many people, when they think of sans-serif, automatically associate it with the typeface Helvetica = Neue Haas Grotesk (original name) designed in 1957 by Max Miedinger (1910 – 1980) and Eduard Hoffman (1892 – 1980), as the definitive sans serif typeface, with its newer name originating with Helvetia, the female personification of the Swiss state. For me, Helvetica is too popular, and lacking in the geometrical qualities I want in a sans-serif typeface. When I think of the sans-serif category, I think Futura, a geometric sans-serif typeface designed by Paul Renner (1878 – 1956) and released almost 100 years ago in 1927. it is based on geometric shapes, especially the circle, similar in spirit to the Bauhaus design style of the period.It was designed as a contribution to the New Frankfurt = Neues Frankfurt (German) project, an affordable public housing program in Frankfurt started in 1925 and completed in 1930.
My familiarity with typefaces began in the mid 1960s, when, over several years, I bought multiple Letraset dry-transfer decal sheets, in assorted typefaces, including Futura. At the time, Letraset was a British company, with its headquarters in Ashford, Kent, England. The town lies on the River Great Stour at the southern/ scarp edge of the North Downs, almost 100 km by road southeast of central London.
Yes, I have attempted to download and install a free Futura font. However, I notice that there are numerous typefaces called Futura, that are not the Futura I know and love. Paul Renner wanted to modernize typography by moving away from the heritage of calligraphy. He banished the serif and introduced simplicity in his refined typefaces by using geometric figures. The Futura, designed between 1924 and 1927, was innovative for its time. The first version was based on strict geometrical shapes, including isosceles triangles, squares and perfect circles. Its geometrical shape took precedence over legibility. Considerable reworking was necessary, taking into account optical phenomena, to arrive at its final version of 1927.
In 1926, Paul Renner became the director of the Munich printing school. After seeing a colleague molested by Nazi sympathizers for praising modern art, Paul Renner published Kulturbolschewismus (German) = Cultural Bolshevism (English), an essay opposed to Nazi aesthetic. For this he was briefly incarcerated and removed from his position as director. However Renner arranged for his friend and team member, George Trump, to take over the director’s position to avoid an appointment by the Nazis. They imposed their own view of typography. Everything had to be written/ printed in Fraktur = German Gothic.
It is in the city of Hanover that this typographic conflict takes the most visible form. Designer Kurt Schwitters imposed the use of Futura in all official communications. After the Nazis came to power, the city had to revise its entire identity and replace Futura with Gothic characters. In 1943, the municipality returned to a legible antique typeface, without reusing Futura.
While Volkswagen originally used the Futura typeface, it changed in 1997 to VAG Rundschrift (German) or VAG Rounded (English), a geometric sans-serif typeface as its corporate typographic identity. This was changed in 2024 to another font that appears to be unnamed, developed by the Landor group. Landor Associates was founded in 1941 by Walter Landor (1913 – 1995), in San Francisco, California. He was born in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, educated in the United Kingdom at London University’s Goldsmith College School of Art, where he also changed his surname from Landauer to Landor. He worked mainly in San Fransisco, living and dying across the Bay, in Tiburon, California. He was a proponent of branding and consumer research techniques.
Landor bought a retired ferryboat, the Klamath, in 1964 for $12 000 and converted it into his company’s corporate headquarters. The vessel had operated as a ferry from 1924 to 1956, retiring after the opening of the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge. Architect Morton Rader (1926 – 1978) and designer Richard Rosek (? – ?) were retained for the conversion, and Landor held an open ship party in September 1964 to mark its completion. It was docked at Pier 5, The Embarcardero, San Francisco. Space onboard the Klamath was rented to six other companies. The firm moved from Klamath to 1001 Front Street, San Francisco in the late 1980s, but retained the Klamath as their corporate symbol. At some point, the ferry was purchased by Duraflame and was moved to Stockton, California, which is on the San Joaquin River.
One characteristic of Futura, missing from many other type faces, is that there are alternative lowercase letters. The above illustration shows them, although the lowercase L is missing.
This post will end with an image showing some of the companies using Futura in their corporate logos
Earthrise, a photograph of the planet Earth, taken from lunar orbit by astronaut William Anders (1933 – 1924) on 1968-12-24, during the Apollo 8 mission. Nature photographer Galen Rowell (1940 – 2002) described it as “the most influential environmental photograph ever taken”. Image credit: NASA.
Often, when I stay in hotels and other short-term accommodation, I am confronted with a message in the bathroom. The latest variant of this reads:
Dear Guest,
Every day, millions of gallons of water are used to wash towels that have only been used once.
YOU MAKE THE CHOICE:
A towel on the rack means “I will use again.” A towel on the floor means “Please replace.”
Thank you for helping us conserve the Earth’s vital resources.
In the haste of going for breakfast, I think the towel I used was left beside the sink, indicating that I was not following either option. However, I felt that if the hotel can attempt to direct energy and water abuse in a clear direction, it should be my right to attempt to direct energy and resource use along the lines I advocate.
My #1 complaint is that people are combusting too much. So, I would like the hotel to explain to me what they are doing to reduce combustion? I would like them to list combustive energy sources such as: natural gas, gasoline, diesel and more, along with their PM 2.5 = fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 µm (micrometers) or less. This should be contrasted with their non-polluting energy usage from hydro-electric, solar and wind sources.
My #2 complaint is that people are making too much noise. In particular, it is the sound of vehicles (trucks, cars,motorcycles), as they navigate streets. In Halifax, Nova Scotia, more than many other places, I found the noise from building construction and demolition, particularly annoying. I appreciate a quiet world.
There are two areas where combustion can be reduced: the use of electric vehicles to replace fossil fuel vehicles and the use of heat pumps to reduce fossil fuel and firewood consumption. The use of a heat pumps instead of radiant electrical heating, will also reduce electrical consumption.
Transportation
The term conveyance here refers to a device used to transport something = the intentional movement of people and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipelines and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations. Yes, I am aware that bicycles are the most energy effective means of transporting people, and most goods. However, I am not looking for the most perfect solution, only something that is better than fossil fuels.
Electric Vehicles
We first looked at buying an electric vehicle in 2012. This was a Nissan Evalia = e-NV200 van, that could carry 5 passengers. The Evalia shared the same 80 kW / 254 N⋅m AC synchronous traction motor unit with the second-generation Leaf; the traction motor had been integrated as a unit with the battery control module and inverter. Although the lithium-ion battery had 48 modules and 24 kW/h capacity (both the same as the Nissan Leaf), it was repackaged physically to fit under the van’s load floor and within the wheelbase, where it formed part of the structural frame, boosting rigidity compared to the conventionally-powered NV200. It cost about NOK 300 k. With a range of only 117 km at the best of times, we ultimately decided against buying it. Instead, we bought a diesel powered Mazda 5.
After ten years, it was time to give up the Mazda, and acquire a new vehicle. At this time, there was no doubt in our collective minds that it would be electric. Initially, I thought we would end up with a Renault Kangoo or a Skoda Enyaq. The result was Buzz. Posts about this vehicle are linked here: one, two, three and four.
Recently, from a conservation perspective, the American/ Israeli war with Iran is having a positive effect in reducing the number of fossil-fueled vehicles. With excessive fuel prices, people are suddenly willing to adopt an EV. There is also increased interest in wind and solar energy production.
Heat Pumps
If people want to save electricity yet still obtain an appropriate temperature and humidity in their indoor environment, heat pumps, or HVAC = Heating, ventilation, air conditioning is the way to go.
A HVAC system is one which provides control over room temperature, humidity and overall air quality. Typically, these come in the form of heat pumps often = air conditioning units along with humidifiers and dehumidifiers. Sometimes they involve air cleaners or even furnaces. There are two approaches. To understand them, one will have to specify the volume of air being targeted. In a domestic situation, this is the space being occupied. In the first situation, air is drawn from that space, then warmed or cooled it before recirculating it back to that sane space. The other approach is to restrict the use of air from the domestic space to heat or cool outside air, and then to use this new air in the domestic area. From my prejudiced perspective, the second approach is to be preferred because one wants to avoid recycling contaminants from kitchens and bathrooms.
With a mini heat pump setup, multiple heat pumps are situated throughout a house, as opposed to a single unit. Typically, this sort of system features both outdoor and concealed indoor components positioned in different zones. Depending on the size of the building, you could have as few as two units ranging up to eight or more. An extra bonus with a mini-split heat pump system is that it is one of few HVAC options that doesn’t require ductwork, so any sort of disruptive installation is not necessary in existing homes.
When one looks at heat pumps, most are split into indoor and outdoor components. Typically, this style of split system will include an air conditioning component such as an air source heat pump on the outside of the domestic space, in addition to a fan/coil within it. Ducts are used to transport filtered air to different rooms.
There are also hybrid split systems similar to the above design, but where fossil fuel gases and electric power are used to heat space. This is especially important in cold climates especially at the coldest times of the year. The claimed rational is to reduce energy expenses. Hybrid systems use smart thermostats along with traditional ductwork. There are other approaches, including duct-free split systems, but these are normally used for commercial situations, not houses.
No discussion of the cost of a HVAC system will be provided here, because almost every reader¨s situation will involve multiple variants including: the cost of standard components inside and outside a building, the specific type of system used, the quantity of ductwork (if any), and operating efficiency. Labour costs will also vary widely. Perhaps the only generalization that can be expressed, is that it will cost less to replace an existing system that it will cost to install something new.
Benefits associated with HVAC systems include: improved indoor air quality, especially the filtering out of pollutants, moisture and allergens to provide a more healthy environment. The regular replacement of stale air with fresh outdoor air prevents the build-up of harmful substances, including mould spores and dust mites. This provides better respiratory health for occupants. HVAC systems retain comfortable/ consistent indoor temperatures year round. Close temperature control contributes to improved well-being. Modern HVAC systems are designed for energy efficiency, so resulting in reduced energy consumption, and reduced energy expenses.
One of the benefits of a modern HVAC system is that it allows the integration of smart home technology, including remote control of temperature and humidity levels. Settings can be scheduled, based on occupancy at specific times, yet they can also be adjusted as circumstances and whims dictate.
The fundamental problem with smart home products, is the lack of interoperability. Currently, products follow the operating standards of their makers, and are seldom integrated into anything beyond that level. This approach means that smart devices are needlessly complicated. Some would say, needlessly stupid.
American tech giants try to impose their own standards using voice assistants as a controlling layer. Unfortunately, there is no effective coordination between Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri. However, the 2022 open source interoperability standard, Matter, is providing some level of interoperability between devices. As far as I am aware, 2026 brought version 1.5. Matter supports three connection technologies: LAN (Ethernet), WLAN (WiFi), and the radio protocol Thread. Thread offers little energy to send and receive, especially important for battery-powered devices such as motion detectors, radiator thermostats and door/window contacts. Thread is mesh-enabled, which means that devices establish a wireless connection with each other. Products connected to electrical power, such as lamps and adapter plugs, serve as repeaters to connect more distant devices that would otherwise lose contact.
Previously, Matter 1.4 and 1.4.1 specifications provided enhanced energy management and easier setup. It also updated the standard generally.
At Vangshylla, one household is relying on a geothermal heat pump system to provide energy. This is a young family who are intending to stay in this house for many years (they took it over from his grandfather, while his parents live about 1 km away.) This approach relies on underground pipework to circulate water that heats and cools as needed. Geothermal heat pumps are extremely energy efficient, using the earth’s soil’s natural temperature as part of the climate control process. This makes geothermal HVAC systems the most viable solution. The expected lifespan of a system is about 25 years without a need for replacement or significant repair. Geothermal heat pump systems require the most expensive initial investment.
With regards to disadvantages, the cost to fit the system from the off is more expensive than a conventional heat pump solution, and the included parts can require more tiresome maintenance. Also, some areas that experience especially cold winter climes might not be best suited to mini-split systems to retain a comfortable and consistent temperature on demand.
As a couple who has only bought one house, and with no intention of selling it, increasing property value has never been a priority. However, this may be something important for others.
For people interested in air-conditioning, a weblog post about the inventor of modern air conditioning in 1902, Willis Carrier, is scheduled to be published on 2026-11-26, the 150th anniversary of his birth.
Blue Marble, taken 1972-12-08, on the last manned mission to the moon by the astronauts of NASA’s Apollo 17 spacecraft, the last crewed mission to the moon. Image credit: NASA.
A Bang & Olufsen BeoCom 2000 telefon, from 1986. Yes, it is my favourite land-line telephone. I have just bought it to work with my smartphone, and be part of a home network. It may also become part of an amateur radio system. It will be located on my desk.
Emergency Equipment
The reason for this weblog post is to highlight one need, among many, for communications equipment during emergencies. This equipment should be distributed geographically so that it is available when and where required. One of the unfortunate consequences of climate change is the expected increase in extreme situations.
In addition to climate challenges, Europe is facing political challenges, especially from Russia. In addition, USA is wanting to act independently, without any apparent need for allies. Thus, there seems to be an increasing fear of war, after 80 years of peace in Europe. In addition to conventional weapons wounding or killing people, a nuclear weapon could poison/ pollute water, or otherwise disrupt modern life. Some aspects of this were discussed in a previous weblog post.
One of the main problems has to do with electricity especially for communication. In terms of smartphones that every adult owns, communication masts typically have three hours of battery life. All cellphones are dependent on these masts. Three hours is insufficient for a long-term ongoing emergency. It is also claimed that there is a shortage of these masts, so that smartphone batteries need to be recharged more frequently. Three days = 72 hours is a more appropriate battery duration. This, of course, costs money. However, in an emergency situation, one may have to rely on something other than cell phones or an internet based on fibre-optic cables.
One potential answer is radio. A major part of the training of radio amateurs, is teaching them the fundamentals of electronics so that they are capable of building and repairing their equipment. As society becomes increasingly wealthy, it is often easier to just purchase an off-the-shelf machine. Unfortunately, this may not be a solution in an emergency.
In 2022, two years into the last pandemic, the supply of electronic components had become chaotic. In Norway, the one retail chain that did sell them, had eliminated this entire category from their sales inventory, so that consumers increasingly needed to import components directly. This has some benefits, in that direct import is considerably cheaper. Most of the components appear to be sourced from China. Most seem to be made somewhere in Asia.
The situation is somewhat different in 2026. There are more components available, but the cost has increased. My son bought some RAM in 2025-07 for NOK 2 800. By 2025-12, the price had risen to NOK 8 000. That is a 285% increase. That said, import after a catastrophic event is not a suitable response to a catastrophe. One has to develop a solution, such as an equipment building capability in advance.
Amateur radio is an important part of every country’s preparedness under abnormal conditions. This means there should be a number of radio production facilities due to: · Lack of production of radios and electronic components in most countries/ areas. · Uncertain delivery of components from abroad. · Lack of skilled workers, capable of assembling components into radios.
The solution is to find a suitable location for a radio fabrication laboratory = RadFabLab. Previously, I have written about Industry 4.0, as well workshop activism, not to mention some of the issues involved in setting up a mechatronic workshop. Despite being an obnoxious patriot for my home municipality, I am not sure that Inderøy is the ideal location for such a facility in Norway, despite its central location. In fact, it may be better to have several locations.
For example, Vestland county has the attributes necessary for the establishment of RadFabLab, including a relatively large and enthusiastic mass of radio amateurs. This does not have to be in Bergen, the most populous city/ municipality in the county. It could be located on an offshore island, such as Øygarden, possibly a village like Steinsland. RadFabLab would have to purchase a sufficient number of components from abroad, to build up a warehouse supply. It would also have to purchase basic machinery, including a Waterloo, Ontario, Canada built Voltera V-One for circuit board production and soldering of surface mounted technology (SMT) components.
Once established, it could provide training to people in mechatronics, so that they are able to assemble components for radios and other products that are needed, including antennas. However, in time, it might also want to work with drones and unmanned underwater vehicles. The latter is usually divided into remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), that are tethered to the surface, and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), that operate independently. I mention this because I spent several years attempting to teach people how to build them.
As noted, one cannot rely on the grid for electricity during an emergency. While there are some locations where it is possible to create hydroelectric power, most off-grid locations will have to rely on either wind or solar energy. Some places in the world, will create a cutoff at 60° N or S. In Norway, the cut off should probably be the Arctic circle. Cliff Cottage is located at almost 64° N, below the Arctic circle at about 66° 30′ N. It marks the southern limit of the Midnight Sun (summer solstice, 24-hour daylight) and the Polar Night (winter solstice, 24-hour darkness). It crosses through Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Iceland. There are not many equivalent places in the southern hemisphere that are inhabited.
Once established, a radio production facility could provide training to people in mechatronics, so that they are able to assemble components for radios and other products that are needed, including antennas. However, in time, it might also want to work with drones and unmanned underwater vehicles. The latter is usually divided into remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), that are tethered to the surface, and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), that operate independently. I mention this because I spent several years attempting to teach people how to build them.
Computer Programming
Many people have invested considerable time learning programming languages, and may want to use them. Forget learning (or even remembering) old languages such as Algol, Basic, Cobol, Fortran or possibly even Pascal. Yes, I am less dogmatic about this last language, if only because it is still one of the most popular languages, ranking 8th on an index developed by TIOBE Software BV, based in Eindhoven, Netherlands. TIOBE stands for The Importance of Being Earnest, the title of an 1895 comedy play by Oscar Wilde (1854–1900), to emphasize the organization’s sincere and professional attitude towards customers, suppliers and colleagues (their words).. The language was originally adopted and modified by Apple Computer as Clascal for the Lisa Workshop development system in 1983. As Lisa gave way to Macintosh, Apple collaborated with Niklaus Wirth (1934 – 2024), the author of Pascal, to develop an officially standardized version of Clascal. This was renamed Object Pascal. Through the mid-1980s, Object Pascal was the main programming language for early versions of the MacApp application framework. The language lost its place as the main development language on the Mac in 1991 with the release of the C++-based MacApp 3.0. Official support ended in 1996.
If one wants to learn an older language, stick to C, originally developed in 1972 and 1973, by Dennis Ritchie (1941 – 2011) at Bell Laboratories. It was originally used to implement operating systems, device drivers and protocol stacks. Its use in application software has been decreasing. Currently, it is the second most popular language, according to the TIOBE index. An object oriented variant, C++, was developed and implemented by Bjarne Stroustrup (1950 – ), a Dane, about 1983 – 1985. It ranks third in popularity on this index.
Younger users may want to use more modern languages, such as Python, a high-level, general-purpose programming language, #1 on the TIOBE list. Its design philosophy emphasizes code readability with the use of significant indentation. Python is dynamically type-checked and garbage-collected. It supports multiple programming paradigms, including structured, object-oriented and functional programming. Guido van Rossum (1956 – ), a Dutch programmer, began working on Python in the late 1980s.
Other languages may be useful for other activities apart from building radios. JavaScript, #6 on the TIOBE index, continues to be essential for web development. Web browsers have a dedicated JavaScript engine that executes the client code. These engines are also utilized in some servers and a variety of apps. JavaScript was created by Brendan Eich (1961 – ), an American who worked for Mozilla, in 1995.
An alternative to JavaScript is Lua, #30 on the TIOBE index. Lua was created in 1993 by Roberto Ierusalimschy (1960 – ), Luiz Henrique de Figueiredo (1963 – ), and Waldemar Celes, members of the Computer Graphics Technology Group (Tecgraf) at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. From 1977 until 1992, Brazil had a policy of strong trade barriers (called a market reserve) for computer hardware and software, believing that Brazil could and should produce its own hardware and software. In that climate, Tecgraf’s clients could not afford, either politically or financially, to buy customized software from abroad; under the market reserve, clients would have to go through a complex bureaucratic process to prove their needs couldn’t be met by Brazilian companies. Those reasons led Tecgraf to implement the basic tools it needed from scratch. as a language for extending software applications to meet the increasing demand for customization at the time. It provided the basic facilities of most procedural programming languages, but more complicated or domain-specific features were not included; rather, it included mechanisms for extending the language, allowing programmers to implement such features. As Lua was intended to be a general embeddable extension language, the designers of Lua focused on improving its speed, portability, extensibility and ease-of-use in development.
Other important tools here are Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), initially released by the Worldwide WEB consortium (W3C) in 1993. Development is now undertaken by the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG) founded by representatives from Apple Inc., the Mozilla Foundation and Opera Software, leading web browser vendors in 2004. Related to it are Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), initially developed in 1996 by the W3C, and currently maintained by them.
For me, other important languages are Prolog, #22 on the TIOBE index, Objective-C, used in my thesis, #27 on the TIOBE index, and Forth, not on the TIOBE index.
Microprocessors
I have studied microprocessors since the mid 1980s. I am thankful that the old systems which needed ultraviolet light to erase content are no longer in mainstream use. Almost 20 years ago, my daughter Shelagh mentioned that she was using Arduino boards as a student at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, in Vancouver. She suggested I might enjoy them, in 2008. I used them for projects in my Technology and Research classes at Leksvik secondary school. This was followed by my use of Raspberry Pi boards. Both of these have weaknesses. Currently, I am awaiting two Teensy 4.1 boards to arrive from California. These new boards are complete USB-based microcontroller development systems, with a small footprint, capable of implementing many types of projects. All programming is done via a USB port. These boards can run most Arduino sketches using the Teensyduino software add-on to the Arduino IDE. They were originally designed and produced by Paul Stoffregen (1970 – , engineer) and Robin Coon (1970 – , accountant) operating as pjrc.com in Sherwood, Oregon. In 2025, SparkFun, of Niwot, Colorado is the sole manufacturing and sales partner of Teensy.
Of specific interest is the Teensy audio library. I hope to construct a DIY = Do It Yourself synthesizer, along with other radio related audio projects, that may involve the BeoCom 2000 telephone in the photograph at the beginning of this post.
I suspect that these will be the last board type that I will use, until something based on a RISC-V (Reduced Instruction Set Computer – generation 5). RISC-V was first developed in 2010 at the University of California, Berkeley, as the fifth generation of RISC processors created at the university since 1981. In 2015, development and maintenance of the standard was transferred to RISC-V International, a non-profit organization based in Switzerland with more than 4 500 members as of 2025.
A Teensy 4.1 development board
At some time, I hope to migrate to RISC-V boards. RISC-V was developed in 2010 at the University of California, Berkeley as the fifth generation of RISC = Reduced instruction set computers, processors created at the university since 1981. In 2015, development and maintenance of the standard was transferred to RISC-V International, a non-profit organization based in Switzerland with more than 4 500 members as of 2025. The reason for the move was concerns over U.S. trade regulations.
Programmable Logic Devices
A programmable logic device (PLD) is an electronic component used to build reconfigurable digital circuits. Unlike circuits made using discrete components with fixed functions, the function of a PLD is undefined at the time of manufacture. Before the PLD can be used in a circuit it must be programmed to implement the desired functions. This simplifies design processes and may even offer superior performance. Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), allow flexibility in digital circuit design.
There are several books that cover FPGA programming. The one I use is by Frank Bruno and Guy Eschemann, The FPGA Programming Handbook: An Essential Guide to FPGA Design for Transforming Your Ideas into Hardware Using SystemVerilog and VHDL, 2nd Edition (2024). This approach uses a hardware description language rather than writing traditional software programs.
SystemVerilog is a language with syntax similar to the C programming language. It is case-sensitive and has a basic preprocessor, admittedly less sophisticated than that of ANSI C/C++). Its control flow keywords (if/else, for, while, case, etc.) are equivalent, and its operator precedence is compatible with C. Syntactic differences include: required bit-widths for variable declarations, demarcation of procedural blocks (Verilog uses begin/end instead of curly braces {}), and many other minor differences. Verilog requires that variables be given a definite size.
A word of warning. Do not leave system programming to Artificial Intelligence (AI) bots. Sometimes, what they develop may work, but often one will get undesirable results, that may only become evident in an emergency situation. Here is an example of a problem that was reported about one week before the publication of this post.
An AI coding agent Cursor, powered by Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.6 model, deleted PocketOS’s entire production database and backups with a single call to its cloud provider, Railway, on 24-04-2026. PocketOS makes software for car rental companies, handling tasks such as reservations, payments, customer records and vehicle tracking. After the deletion, customers lost reservations and new signups, and some could not find records for people arriving to pick up their rental cars. A spokesperson for PocketOs explained that Cursor found an API token (a digital key) in an unrelated file which it then used to run the destructive command. Railway’s setup allowed the deletion without confirmation, and because the backups were stored close enough to the main database, they were also erased. Fortunately, Railway resolved the issue and restored the data, because it maintains both user backups as well as disaster backups. Earlier there have been reports of Cursor ignoring user rules, changing files it was not supposed to touch and taking actions beyond the task it had been given. After the database vanished, Cursor was asked to explain what happened. It reportedly admitted that it had guessed, acted without permission and failed to understand the command before running it. The AI agent wrote: “I violated every principle I was given. I guessed instead of verifying. I ran a destructive action without being asked. I didn’t understand what I was doing before doing it.”
RadFabLab should be able to provide a physical space for activities, with level-differentiated equipment. It should cater to all/ both genders, and all ages from junior high school and up. It should be a place where ideas, knowledge and opinions are shared in a friendly and cooperative atmosphere. It should provide basic training as well as certification involving the use of specific tools and competencies. In addition, after training is complete, there should be opportunities for independent work.
Personally, I have one FPGA device, from Red Pitaya. My intention is to convert it into a radio that can be used on amateur radio bands. A BeoCom 2000 telefone will act as a radio interface. It will be located on my desk, with a cable leading to the server rack on the floor below. I intend to colocate most components of the radio on this server rack. From there a coaxial cable will lead out to our flagpole, which is designed to serve as a radio antenna.
Notes:
Part of my preparation for teaching Technology and Research Methods, involved studying applied physics at Andøya Space, under its previous names Andøya Space Centre and Andøya Rocket Range. Because of its remote location on an island in Northern Norway, all students had to fly in using the island’s military airport. At the space centre, comfortable accommodation was provided for all students attending, along with catered meals, and social activities in the evening. Total cost for me = NOK 0, while my employer paid my expenses, and allowed me time off work.
I am a member of the Norwegian Radio Relay League with call sign LB2XJ. My son, Alasdair, is also a radio amateur with call sign LB2HI.
Publication of this weblog post had been postponed. It was originally scheduled to be published on 2023-04-22 at 12:00. Yes, editing and procrastination take time!
Om krisen eller kriget kommer (Swedish) = If crisis or war comes (English) is a brochure available to everyone, and provided to residents of Sweden by The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB). It is responsible for helping Swedish society prepare for major accidents, crises and the consequences of war.
The following started as an article in Inderøyningen, our local newspaper, in their digital edition on 2025-05-02. It has been translated by Google. [Comments added by Brock are contained within square brackets]. It follows a major power blackout 2025-04-28, at 12:33 CEST across the Iberian Peninsula, as well as two 20 hour outages in Inderøy earlier in 2025. The municipal checklist encourages people to print out their checklist. Yes on paper. Internet access may not be available when your blackout, or other disaster, occurs.
Quick measures
Much of the emergency preparedness can be done with what you already have:
Flashlights and headlamps with rechargeable batteries or reserves.
Candles and tealights for simple emergency lighting.
Power banks for mobile phones, fully charged and ready.
Firewood or a kerosene stove for heating.
Canned goods and dry goods that do not require electricity for cooking.
Wool blankets to keep warm.
According to the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Preparedness (DSB), these are simple, effective measures that take a short time to get an overview of.
[We have: lighting with rechargeable batteries; assorted candles; a power bank for mobile phones; firewood for heating and a stove that burns wood, admittedly blocked for normal heating, but accessable in an emergency; canned goods to be eaten with minimal cooking; wool blankets; 120 litres of potable water. In addition we have other (non-potable) water supplies that can be used for flushing toilets, should that be necessary].
Medium measures
For many, it may also be appropriate to think a step further:
A gas grill with a side burner allows cooking without electricity.
Solar lamps that charge in daylight can work indoors.
An emergency power generator can keep refrigerators and medical equipment running.
The car, with a full tank and necessary emergency items, acts as extra security.
[Here our measures fail. We have no gas grill, solar lamps, power generator. However, most of the time, Buzz – our electric vehicle is charged to 80%, most evenings.]
Long-term measures
Over time, some people may also consider investments that provide more long-term robustness:
Better insulation in the home, which retains heat longer.
Solar panels on the roof provide access to basic electricity.
An electric car with two-way charging could in the future become an emergency solution for the entire house. [Buzz, our EV has this. However, we have not tried it, or even investigated its use. Yet.]
For areas like Inderøy, where people often live outside densely populated areas, such measures could make a significant difference in the face of short-term crises.
Seven days minimum
According to the State Administrator, all households in Norway should be able to manage for at least seven days without electricity, water or outside help. Recommended emergency supplies include water, food, light sources, heat and necessary hygiene equipment.
The electricity crisis in Southern Europe shows how quickly everyday life can be turned upside down. But there are many steps that can be taken, already today.
Inderøy Municipality’s checklist for self-preparedness is useful to have. It is also recommended to have the paper version lying around, in case you lose your internet and telephone connection.
Checklist for your own preparedness
Clean drinking water stored in jugs or bottles. Food that can withstand storage at room temperature. Barbecue, stove or emergency kitchen. Warm clothes, blankets, quilts and sleeping bags. Matches and candles. Firewood if you have a wood stove or fireplace. A gas or paraffin stove intended for indoor use is an alternative to wood burning. Agreement for overnight accommodation if you do not have alternative heating. Flashlights or headlamps that run on batteries, crank or solar cells. DAB radio that runs on batteries, crank or solar cells. Medicines and first aid equipment. Iodine tablets (applies to children and adults under 40 years of age, pregnant and breastfeeding women). Hygiene items such as wet wipes, hand sanitizer, diapers, toilet paper and menstrual products. Batteries and a charged battery bank. Some cash and several payment cards. Food and water for pets. List on paper with important phone numbers such as emergency numbers, emergency room, veterinarian, family, friends and neighbors.
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While most Nordic countries have a strategic reserve of fuel that will last 90 days, Norway in its wisdom decided that 20 days was sufficient. My understanding is that this has been recently used up, so that there is no reserve available. Now, the politicians are debating what to do. It is a bit late. Norwegian politicians are incompetent when it comes to electrical energy. In that part of Norway where we live, there are ample supplies of hydro power to meet local needs. There is also the world’s largest wind-energy farm. Unfortunately, residents have had to pay the highest prices in Europe because the owners of these resources have been able to sell the electricity at what are referred to as market prices. I refer to this as political incompetence.
Conscription in Norway and Sweden
In Norway, both men and, since 2015, women are subject to a weak form of conscription. That is, conscripts have to be motivated to serve. Those selected have to serve for 19 months. In Sweden, universal male conscription system ended in 2010. The conscription system was re-activated in 2017. Since 2018 both women and men are conscripted on equal terms. The motivation behind reactivating conscription was the need for personnel, as volunteer numbers proved to be insufficient to maintain the armed forces.
The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency
I find that Sweden is light years ahead of Norway when it comes to civil defense and its military. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency = Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap (MSB) is responsible for helping Swedish society prepare for major accidents, crises and the consequences of war. Its work is led by a Director General appointed by the Swedish Government. It employs approximately 1200 people. The brochure “In case of crisis or war” provides advice on how to prepare yourself and what you should do in the event of crisis or war. Here you can download a version in English.
Information is also available in the following languages: Af soomaali = Somalian, Arabic, Davvisámegiela = a northern Sami dialect, Farsi (Iranian), Finnish, Meänkieltä = a northern Finnish dialect, Polish, Romani (spoken by Roma or Gypsies, this last term is considered by some to be derogatory or an ethnic slur), Åarjelsaemien = a southern Sami dialect.
They introduce their work by stating: The state of the world has worsened drastically in recent years. War is being waged in our vicinity. Extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common. Terror threats, cyberattacks, and disinformation campaigns are being used to undermine and influence us. Sweden has even joined the defense alliance NATO. That is why MSB has produced the brochure “In case of crisis or war”. To resist these threats, we must stand united and take responsibility for our country. If we are attacked, everyone must help defend Sweden’s independence and our democracy. We build resilience every day – together. You are part of Sweden’s overall emergency preparedness.]
This note was inspired by the first photograph used in a weblog post about Cape Breton Island. It showed a car without front plates.
No front licence plates are required in Nova Scotia and most other Canadian provinces. Only three provinces continue to use two plates: British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario. All the other provinces and territories have only one. As for USA, more states have two than one (29 vs 21): Two plate states are: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
All countries in Europe require both a front and rear license plate on passenger vehicles. While some countries, like Italy and Switzerland, previously used smaller front plates, current European Union (EU) regulations mandate the same size plates on both the front and rear of vehicles. These rules also apply to countries outside of the EU, including Norway. The only countries in the world that do not require front plates outside the USA and Canada are Panamá, the Dominican Republic, Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands.
In many places, licence plates on the front and rear of a vehicle serve different purposes and may have slight visual differences. Front plates are primarily for identification, especially in situations like toll collection, crime investigation, or when a vehicle is moving in either direction. Rear plates are often used for general identification, but may also be used for other purposes like vehicle registration validation. Some places might have different colors or reflective properties for front and rear plates, or they may use different materials.
The first licence plate issued in British Columbia was DY 1, issued in Hastings on 1903-11-23. Hastings (now Hastings–Sunrise) is a neighbourhood in the northeastern corner of the city of Vancouver.
Throughout my childhood, my father always had the same British Columbia licence plate number 1065 on his car. For me, it was always a Saxon plate, whereas anything larger belonged to the Norman time period. I always remember this year because one of my friends owned a book written by W. C. Sellar (1898 – 1951) and R. J. Yeatman (1897 – 1968) : 1066 and All That: A Memorable History of England, Comprising All the Parts You Can Remember, Including 103 Good Things, 5 Bad Kings and 2 Genuine Dates (1930).
My father’s favourite car was a 1954 Dodge Mayfair, which was a rebadged Plymouth Belvedere, using that car’s 115 inch (2 900 mm) wheelbase and body but with Dodge’s front sheetmetal. The six-cylinder engines were imported from Detroit with various covers, manifolds, electrical pieces and rubber parts added in Windsor, Ontario. By 1960, my father felt compelled to sell this vehicle because my mother had earned her driving license, restricted to an automatic transmission. He then bought a Ford Fairlane 500 with a V8 and automatic.
At about that time, one of my father’s friends had acquired a Frontenac, one of a total of 9 536 Frontenacs built at Ford’s Oakville, Ontario, plant and sold through Mercury-Meteor dealers. This Canadian model was discontinued from the domestic market and replaced by the Comet for the 1961 model year. However, my father was so impressed with this vehicle that he bought a 1962 Comet station wagon, which was the car I learned to drive on. Yes, I received my driving licence #1213613 on Tuesday, 1965-01-05. After more than 61 years, I can still remember my licence number, while details I learned last week, are no longer accessible.
Note: As a user of Canadian English, the noun is licence, while the verb is license. Americans spell the word license, in both situations.
This weblog post is the eleventh in a series about optics. It is about collecting digital photographs.
I have an interest in photographs, but prefer not to retreat to 19th and 20th century technologies. If I am going to look at an image, I want it to be in a digital format so that it can be seen on a laptop screen or other computer monitor. Yes, many of these are reproductions of analogue photographs, often originally made on glass plates or film, that subsequently have been digitized.
My photographic collection is alphabetically organized by the name of the photographer, with birth and death dates, if known. This collection includes the works of over 2 100 photographers, each represented with from 1 to almost 1 000 works. Commonly, the number of photographs for any given photographer is < 10. In addition, I have a few topical folders that temporarily contain works that are uncatalogued.
Apart from my own photographs, that I share freely with others, I do not own these works. None of the photographs in my collection were purchased. They were not acquired as or have status as an investment. A few have personal significance. More have historical significance. Some even have artistic merit. Most are in my collection for one simple reason: I like them!
The first photographic images were made by Johann Heinrich Schulze (1687 – 1744) using silver nitrate (AgNO3) in 1717. However, he not only incorrectly thought that the image was produced by heat, rather than light, he did not find any way to fix = make permanent the resulting image. Joseph Nicéphore Niépce (1765 – 1833) succeeded at this in about 1822 – 1827. His first photograph is shown below. It is about 200 years old, and is an example of a photograph of historical significance, I do not find it enjoyable. It is not beautiful.. It only has technological merit.
At times, I have read about other historic photographic techniques, and have an appreciation of how they worked. These include: daguerreotype, invented in 1833 by Louis Daguerre (1787 – 1851); ambrotype, invented in 1848 by Frederick Scott Archer (1813 – 1857); tintype = melanotype = ferrotype, a photographic technique that creates a direct positive on a thin sheet of metal, coated with a dark lacquer/ enamel that supports a photographic emulsion. It was introduced in 1853 by Adolphe Alexandre Martin (1824 – 1896).
In an earlier weblog post, I have written about Ello, my favourite social media. Some of my photography collection has its origins there, for various reasons. Here is an example by user Rhinoceros = Andrew Sommerfelt. This was the last image I was able to acquire from the site before it disappeared. I always appreciated Andrew’s photos because they were of places I had visited in my childhood and youth, near Vancouver.
Andrew Sommerfelt, Jug Island, 2023-06-17
At various times in my life, I have wondered if a career as a cinéma camera operator would have suited my personality. I have made one attempt at an amateur video production.
Many of the photographs I collect are about technology, and technology changes during my lifetime. The photo below is part of an advertisement for Logitech, and its Keys-to-Go keyboards. The person in the official photo is referred to as a surfer. I refer to this 95% naked person as Miss Click Bait. Yes, I own a red Keys-to-Go Nordic keyboard, that is unused, and dates from 2015. It claims to work with: iPad, iPhone and Apple TV. Miss Click Bait can be regarded as occupying 38 mm (width at shoulders) by 123 (length of body in photo) = 4674 mm2. The object being advertised, the Keys-to-Go keyboard occupies 20 x 10 mm of space = 200 mm2, compared to the total space of 393 x 340 = 133 280 mm2. It occupies 1/666.4 of the total area, and about 1/23 of Miss Click Bait’s area. Despite the discrepancy in size, I am convinced (without any quantitative proof) that this photograph accomplishes its primary aim, of convincing males to buy the keyboard. Despite this, I purchased mine before of being aware of this photograph.
This photo is part of an advertisement for Logitech, and its Keys-to-Go keyboard. The person in the official photo is referred to as a surfer. Yes, I own a red Keys-to-Go Nordic keyboard, that is unused, and dates from 2015. It claims to work with: iPad, iPhone and Apple TV.
The rest of this post is dedicated to my own photos taken on a walk in Mosvik, across the bridge from where we live, on Thursday 2026-04-16. We walked up to Furufjellet = The Pine Mountain. Here are the photos in chronological order, with comments about content.
Anemone hepatica, the common hepatica, which refers to the liver. It has many different common names often ending i wort. This plant was the official flower of Inderøy, before the municipality merged with Mosvik in 2012. The enlarged municipality inherited Mosvik’s flower, the Dandelion = Løvetann (Norwegian) = Caisearbhán (Irish) = Dalion (Scots Gaelic), along with its motto: Best i lag = Best together. There are 370 species of dandelion in Norway, belonging to 14 sections.Anemonoides nemorosa = the wood anemone. We have a lot of these plants growing wild on our property, in the area we suspect is home to a badger (English) = grevling (Norwegian) = broc (Irish & Scots Gaelic). This is not to be confused with the Badger state = Wisconsin. In addition one sees two ages of water pipe: metal, no longer in use; plastic, standard twenty-first century pipe.Tussilago farfara, = coltsfoot (English), hestehov (Norwegian, literally horse-foot). These are some of the earliest spring flowers. While it is native to Europe, it is also found in various parts of Asia as well as North Africa. It is also an immigrant to North America. In much of the world it is appreciated for its medicinal properties.I have a large collection of photogaphs of manhole covers. These sticks are placed at the side of the road during winter using automated equipment on a truck that drills a hole and then plants a stick in that hole. No humans touch the sticks during this process. These sticks show drivers, cyclists, even pedestrians with their baby buggies and dogs, where the side of the road is located. The sticks are removed in the spring.Along the road we meet the garbage containers of residents. Households are separated from each other with wooden posts. From left to right these are for: general garbage, metal and glass containers, organic material and paper. The sign on some of the containers reads: Denne side ut på tømmedagen (Norwegian) = This side out on the day of emptying. We have walked up the trail on the right of this photograph. This sign if of no use to us, but helps people walking in the opposite direction how to find the next trail to the top of the mountain.Trish was my companion on this and many other walks. Behind her is a green turboks = hiking box, containing a book where people can write their names when they visit. This is standard procedure in Norway.The mountain takes its name from pine trees such as this one. In addition there is a view out over Trondheim’s fjord. In the distance one see Ytterøya = The Outer Island, which is in contrast to Inderøya = The Inner Island, now a peninsula.This was the last photo of the day. We had seen cranes (Grus grus) earlier in the week, closer to our house. Now they were investigating fields adjacent to Highway 755, across from the turnoff to Vangshylla.
Some people have better control over their environment than I do. At about 18:15, Trish noticed a vessel motoring north, about to enter Skarnsund. She wanted to know if it was a commercial fishing boat. So she went into marinetraffic.com. She has this website set up on her computer, so that she sees what is in front of our house. The vessel was no longer a fishing boat, although it had been. It was now being used as a pleasure vessel. It was 64 feet long and 18 feet wide. It was heading to its home port at Kjerknesvågen, on the far side of Skarnsund, but still in Inderøy.
I had considered taking a photo of the vessel, but it was travelling so fast, that it was out of view before I managed to find my HHD.
This post was devised on 2025-01-06 and scheduled for 2025-03-01 on 2025-01-07.
This photo was taken 2025-11-11 at 18:15 (California time) in Oakland, California. It shows the labelling of a storm drain = a sewer that carries stormwater, surface drainage, street wash, and other wash waters but excludes sewage and industrial waste The photo is 4096 x 3072 pixels, that occupy 6.81 MB. Other photographic details include: flash = no; focal length = 5.33 mm; aperture = f/1.9; exposure time = 1/120 s; ISO = 27. It was taken using the standard camera on my Asus A12202 Zenfone 9. It is typical of the subject matter I take with this camera. I like to document positive social and environmental issues and values.
This post is about digital cameras, mainly smartphones.
For at least the past ten years, stand-alone, often 35mm, cameras owned by average people (not professional photographers) have been replaced by hand-held devices (HHD) that include a camera. I look forward to the day when these HHDs will last ten, then twenty or more years, but allowing the replacement and recycling of batteries. The advantage of a HHD is that it is extremely portable, occupying very little space, but able to multi-task. Some people refer to these as smartphones, which gives the impression that the primary task of these involves speaking to someone outside of voice range. I may use the phone capabilities of my HHD up to once a week. However, most of my communication involves texting, using a laptop computer with the Signal app.
One would think that every adult owns an HHD. However, globally, only 82 per cent of individuals 10 years or older own one. Universal ownership would mean a rate of over 95 per cent. This has been reached in high-income economies, while upper-middle-income economies have already surpassed the 90 per cent mark. This stands in contrast with low-income economies, where only 53 per cent of the population aged 10 years and over own a mobile phone. There are gender differences, 78 per cent of females and 87 per cent of males aged 10 and over own a mobile phone, translating into a gender parity score of 0.90 skewed against women, which is slightly lower than the corresponding 0.92 score for Internet use. As with Internet use, gender parity is strongly correlated with income levels. My hope is that income levels for the poorest people will continue to rise, along with a gender neutral smartphone use.
Admittedly, not everyone should own a smartphone. This includes older people facing issues with dementia, as well as children = people under 16 years of age. Rather than screen time, children should be outdoors playing. This play should include the use of sticks and knives. However, even here, I would allow both groups access to dumb phones. Fortunately, there are dumb phones specifically made for people with dementia, and others for children. Unfortunately, these typically lack advanced photographic capabilities.
Admittedly, in high-income economies, Apple iPhones and Samsung Galaxies dominate. While one of my children has an iPhone and a Pixel phone, the other has a Galaxy. Yet, there are many other HHD cameras that people use. Trish and I are content with our four year old Asus Zenfones. This contrasts with predecessor Xiaomi Pocophones, that we could not replace fast enough. On a daily basis it asked for permission to track us, which we refused to give. There are times when I consider migrating to a non-Android phone, the Finnish made Jolla, with its Sailfish operating system. However, I hope that will be many years into the future. I have no issues with our Zenfones.
I have also been considering a Light Phone. In 2015-05, Light Phone launched its first Kickstarter campaign for Light Phone I. This was followed in 2018, with the launch of Light Phone II. In 2026, users with an interest in photography, may want the Light Phone III. It was introduced in 2024, has a 50MP primary camera, and an 8MP front-facing selfie camera. Having the ability to take photographs is essentially the ability to capture meaningful memories.
Many people have cameras on their tablet, laptop and desktop screens. Because of their large size, these devices are not substitutes for cameras on phones. My perspective is that these computer cameras are only useful when participating in an online meetings, especially allowing other participants to see if someone has fallen asleep in the middle of their presentation. Personally, I attend such meetings rarely. In the past few years this has only occurred once, on 2026-03-10, using my desktop equipment, that did not have, a camera attached. However, I have signed up for a second meeting to be held on 2026-04-14. I will probably use my laptop, but may still opt to avoid the use of a camera. For me online meeting are acceptable, if their frequency is about once a month. They allow me to be sociable without having to drive. In this particular case, I save about 1.5 hours. I have a functioning camera on my Zenbook laptop, but have never used it.
As I age, I categorize people, putting them (or parts of them) into assorted buckets. One of those buckets has to do with which century, and the technologies, they experienced. My maternal grandmother, Jane (1880 – 1972) spent about 22% of her life in the 19th century and 78% of it in the 20th century. My father Edgar (1906 – 1991) spent all of his life in the 20th century. My mother Jennie (1916 – 2021) may have lived 12 years longer than her mother, but it was not an especially high-quality life after she turned 95. So I rank her as having 90% of her life in the 20th century and 10% in the 21st. It is more difficult to rank future events, currently, I have lived about 2/3 of my life in the 20th century and 1/3 in the 21st. I will not comment on the lives of my children, except to say that increasing percentages will be in the 21st century, and most likely none of it in the 22nd century. However, I expect my grandson Quinn (2025 – ) will most likely experience that upcoming century, as an old man.
As I age, age increasingly becomes a photographic subject of interest, especially the technology involved. Personally, I had access to a camera from the age of 12, and always appreciated this technology, despite it being primitive. The first camera I used belonged to my mother. It was a Kodak Petite, a blue colored Vest Pocket Kodak Model B camera made from 1929 to 1934. It used 127 film, first released in 1912. This was a paper-backed rollfilm negative format designed for still photography. The negative film role is 46 mm wide and was originally designed to take eight pictures in 40 x 65 mm format. Because enlargements were uncommon during the early usage of 127 film, it was generally contact printed.
From about the age of 16, I also used a darkroom to process negatives, slides and prints. Today, those processes are totally unnecessary. I used to have fun with solarization, a darkroom printing technique made famous by photographer Man Ray = Emmanuel Radnitzky (1890 – 1976) an American-born, French-naturalized visual artist. It involves re-exposing a print to light partially through its development. This results in a partial reversal of the tones in the image, so that the result is a mixture of a positive and negative images. Many more complex and interesting processes can be done with software.
Should I develop some form of dementia, I would appreciate still having a decent camera integrated into a HHD, even if it is only a dumbphone, especially if the alternative is to carry a standalone camera in addition to a phone. More equipment does not streamline life.
One misconception about smartphone cameras is that more megapixels = higher resolution = better images. Resolution does not address optical limitations. Smartphone lenses and sensors are small compared to other cameras, which limits the amount of light that can enter the sensor. This makes it difficult to capture details in low-light settings. It also reduces the optical depth of field, although there are tricks that can compensate for this failing.
Dynamic range in challenging lighting conditions is also problematic. For example, a high-contrast subject, can result in reduced highlights and lost shadow details. High Dynamic Range (HDR) algorithms attempt to compensate for this by merging multiple exposures, but the process is so imperfect, that subtle textures/ tonal gradients may be lost.
Low-light photography is one area where physics still impose limits. In dim environments, small sensors gather less light, resulting in noise, grain, and color inaccuracies. Night mode algorithms can brighten scenes and reduce noise, but they often create unnatural smoothness and/ or exaggerate some colors. Moving subjects present another challenge resulting in blur and/ or ghosting.
Another limitation lies in optical zoom and long-distance photography. Most smartphones combine a short telephoto lenses with digital = software zoom. This enlarges images but does not capture detail optically. The result is a fake, soft, pixelated image. In addition, smartphone equipment cannot replicate subtle compression effects, background isolation or subject framing. This limits their value in specialist areas such as portrait, wildlife and sports photography, where precise optical control is needed.
Another area where smartphones fail involves accurate color reproduction and tonal gradations. White balance algorithms, especially, may misinterpret ambient lighting, leading to unnatural tints. This affects all areas of a photograph, but more notably shadows, highlights, and midtones that may look flat and/or inconsistent.
Part of the challenge with digital photography has to do with workflow. Professional photographers often create RAW files that are subsequently processed with software to preserve color detail. Shooting on a phone in RAW seldom helps because of the small sensor size and reduced bit depth. Because of this, real photographs can look fake.
Smartphone cameras have improved autofocus speed and frame rates, yet capturing fast-moving subjects remains difficult. Sports, wildlife, or children in motion can challenge the autofocus system, leading to missed focus, motion blur, or stuttering frames in video. High-speed bursts and AI-assisted tracking may help, but there are still trade-offs in image quality and resolution.
Dedicated cameras with larger sensors, mechanical shutters, and high-speed continuous shooting modes still outperform smartphones for action photography. They can combine faster shutter speeds, superior auto-focus algorithms, and lens control to freeze motion crisply without sacrificing image quality. For consumers who frequently capture dynamic scenes, this remains a key advantage of traditional cameras.
Despite multiple lens systems and computational photography tricks, smartphones have limitations in depth and perspective control. Wide-angle lenses on phones can introduce distortion, particularly at the edges of frames, while ultra-wide lenses often exaggerate distances in ways that are visually unnatural. Perspective correction algorithms can help, but they cannot replace the natural optical effects produced by larger sensors and longer lenses.
Portrait mode features attempt to simulate shallow depth of field, but results can be inconsistent, especially around complex edges like hair or transparent objects. In contrast, traditional cameras allow photographers to control depth of field through aperture settings, focal length, and distance to subject, producing more nuanced, natural separation between foreground and background.
Smartphones are also used to produce videos. Many HHDs are capable of supporting 4K resolution = 4096 x 2160 pixels officially, but sometimes referring to 3840×2160 which is Ultra HD or UHD. In addition to high frame rates, video needs advanced stabilization. Yet there are still constraints when compared with professional video equipment. Limited dynamic range, small sensors, and reliance on digital stabilization can introduce artifacts, rolling shutter effects, and noise in challenging lighting conditions.
Video, especially, is often combined with audio. Audio recording is another challenge for a videographer. While phones can capture decent sound, their built-in microphones cannot match the fidelity, directionality, or noise isolation of professional audio equipment. Additionally, manual control over focus, exposure, and frame rate is limited compared to professional cameras, restricting creative flexibility.
Certain environmental conditions highlight smartphone limitations starkly. Harsh sunlight, reflections, fog or low-contrast landscapes can confuse computational algorithms. Macro photography – one of my first photographic areas using the above mentioned folding camera and a microscope – remain problematic because phones have limited working distances and rely on digital cropping to simulate extreme close-ups. Similarly, astrophotography, underwater photography and long-exposure techniques often require dedicated equipment with larger sensors, specialized lenses, and controlled shutter settings to capture quality images.
Despite limitations imposed by digital photography, the era of photographic film seems to have died, except for some hobbyists dedicated to living in the past. That said, I still have one roll of 35 mm Illford Pan F film in the fridge. I think I managed to give away up to multiple rolls of Fujichrome film that used to share the same refrigerator space. That said, we still have almost 4 000 35 mm slides, that should be converted into digital images.
Conclusion: Smartphones are limited by physics = sensor size, lens diameter and light-gathering ability. This cannot be overcome with AI or other types of software. Because of this miniaturization, smartphone cameras cannot match the characteristics found with larger sensors on professional cameras. This means that phones can produce adequate images for social media, but are not a substitute where finer details, HDR and more accurate colors are needed.
If a person has special needs, one should consider investing in a camera that can support those needs, rather than expecting a HHD to perform adequately. These cameras and lenses can be expensive. A Leica camera with lenses can cost NOK 100 000 and more. However, a Canon or Nikon 35 mm digital camera, can be obtained for a fraction of that price, often less than NOK 5 000 if purchased used.
Next week, Optics 11 is about digital photograph collections.
