imomus: (Default)
imomus ([personal profile] imomus) wrote2006-05-23 08:16 am

Formats, fossils and flats

The Dead Formats Society is my new essay (and podcast) on Wired News. It's about seeing your life in terms of archeological layers of defunct audio and video formats, and deciding which memories to transfer from one format to another, and which to consign to the oblivion of obsolescence.



But that's not what I want to talk about today, and nor is this image of me about to be swallowed the other day by a biomorphic sea creature which looks like it's stepped right off a fossil (a way of preserving dead animal formats, I suppose).

No, I want to ask if any of you are in Berlin and know of any good apartments coming up for let, because it's suddenly hit me that I'll be there from this weekend and don't yet have a place to stay! A couple of hopeful-looking leads I was pursuing with the help of my friend Lupo have fallen through. I may be able to be my friend Bernhard Gal's nachmieter. But if you know of any places coming up for let or sublet, or any good websites detailing Berlin apartments, let me know.

lj comm

[identity profile] chuckdarwin.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 12:59 pm (UTC)(link)
What is the biggest German livejournal community called? I tried technorati...

(Anonymous) 2006-05-23 01:04 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm looking for an apartment as well and have been using
this website (http://studenten-wg.spiegel.de/angebote_lesen.php?PHPSESSID=7362fe91d291cf25bb451e9cab904897&suche=Berlin) (perhaps you already know it?)

If you find anything wonderful that you can't take, feel free to pass it along...

eremi

[identity profile] kaipfeiffer.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 01:45 pm (UTC)(link)
i'll ask around ...
generally, i can recommend the wohnungsbaugesellschaften - i am renting my second appartment now from wip (wohnungsbaugesellschaft prenzlauer berg), and they have been always quite decent, also the prices are mostly moderate.
http://www.gewobag.de/content/startseite/startseite.php

room is enough is enough?!

(Anonymous) 2006-05-23 02:40 pm (UTC)(link)
tell me more about your stop in berlin... maybe – it is not a problem for you to share an apartement with other people (one room can be free this weekend and longer – it is my old apartment and my sister lives there)or i can ask someone_else for a free apartment... networking yeah –> so let me be a base for it and my room a satelite...best sabina

some sites

[identity profile] teaandtolstoy.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 03:24 pm (UTC)(link)
wg-gesucht.de, rooms-in-berlin.com, roomwithaloo.com, easy wg (http://deutschland-wg.de/search/GER_metrolist.htm)

where will you work in berlin?

[identity profile] larameau.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 03:24 pm (UTC)(link)
http://www.immobilienscout24.de/

[identity profile] akabe.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 04:03 pm (UTC)(link)
eh, nick, i'm sure someone asked you this same question here a little bit back and YOU authoritatively recomended immobilienscout and a couple other websites. have the US done things to you ?

[identity profile] imomus.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 05:51 pm (UTC)(link)
I know about the stuff I know about, and don't know about the stuff I don't know about. I'm sure your brain works the same way, Alin!

[identity profile] akabe.livejournal.com 2006-05-25 12:06 pm (UTC)(link)
sorry if my comment came across as offensive. didn't mean it that way.

(Anonymous) 2006-05-23 03:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Hmn. That biomorphic sea creature has rather excellent pins.

[identity profile] lord-whimsy.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 03:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Looks like a stentor, (http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/techniques/hoffmangallery/stentor.html) or perhaps a sea anamone.

[identity profile] lord-whimsy.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 10:15 pm (UTC)(link)
...or a trumpet pitcher, like S. flava. (http://home.teleport.com/~hawkline/rug2.jpg)

[identity profile] imomus.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 06:02 pm (UTC)(link)
It's from a show called "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife" and it's by Jason Hackenworth. Part of the Interni Inside/Outside design festival going on in SoHo just now.

[identity profile] anglerfish96.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 06:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Haha... I thought it was an ear of corn!

[identity profile] nicepimmelkarl.livejournal.com 2006-05-24 06:55 am (UTC)(link)
they taste nice butterfried.

sexxxy

[identity profile] pirateman.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 03:43 pm (UTC)(link)
That biomorphic sea creature has some hot ass legs!!!

Re: sexxxy

[identity profile] imomus.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 05:52 pm (UTC)(link)
She was a very hot black girl.

Re: sexxxy

[identity profile] siokaos.livejournal.com 2006-05-24 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Did you go cave exploring?

Dead Formats

[identity profile] svenskasfinx.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 04:17 pm (UTC)(link)
"The Dead Formats Society" is exactly where Half of my techincal education went and very fast after 1997-98: I spent about 3 years learning the tricks of video cameras and those bulky editing suites with 3/4 INCH TAPE..I also have a FILM camera, some older models, and once I even considered buying a Larger format film camera..

Now its gone to "digital photography" (but has been in the workings since before 1990, yes?) Still I await the quality to be competitive with the lenses of the Basic 35 mm, lens, something with F stops between 1.8 to 16 or F 2.0 to F 22, would be kind of nice..but no, they are so minimal in range it drives me crazy.. Another thing is that we have come into the time of "Lossless", WAV. FLAC. RAW. (depending upon your media of course)

But still, as in your essay before when you pointed out the distinctive ideas of techinical evolution mirroring biological evolution (or the theory of it) every new wave of technology seems to show the designs of the past influences. I mean if we look at the motor car, doesn't it too show the same past in its design? Four wheels, and a carriage drawn by a horse or some other type of animal... some of the "dead ends" which pre-date the car are actually intersting to note that they take after the things they were "children of" such as the ships which gave us the these sail driven carriages but they didn't look at all like horse drawn carriages but rather boats..

Beta-3/4-vhs-8 RIP

Re: Dead Formats

[identity profile] siokaos.livejournal.com 2006-05-24 07:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Right, good glass is important. But then, I have a 50mm f/1.8 on my Rebel XT. Takes better shots than I ever did with my k-1000.

Re: Dead Formats

[identity profile] svenskasfinx.livejournal.com 2006-05-25 10:42 am (UTC)(link)
"....I have a 50mm f/1.8 on my Rebel XT. Takes better shots than I ever did with my k-1000."

Because of that statement I just had to look into that Cannon Rebel XT- the 50mm lens with the f/1.8 (1,8 if you are on mainland Europe ;)) and I discover finally yes, it is a decent lens. There was one I found that has f/1.8 to f/16 just like my antiquish pentax spotmatic.. but then I hunted down some information on a lens that was not only was a fast f/1.8 but with a range up to f/22!! Now all I need is the money for the investment ant a total format change to RAW :) Thanks for the information :)

Dorian

Re: Dead Formats

[identity profile] siokaos.livejournal.com 2006-05-26 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
The 50/1.8 is great, and costs about $80 new. It works on film bodies as a perfect normal lens. The XT is getting cheap:

http://dealnews.com/digital-cameras/prices/cameras/Canon-EOS-Digital-Rebel-XT/2156.html

[identity profile] cityramica.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 04:27 pm (UTC)(link)
you look like a little boy at the beach, Nick. nice...ankles too. woooo.

and i have a place for you to stay! a lovely guestroom with wireless internet in an art collective. right next to my room, complete with sound recording booth, too. Unfortunately for you, it's in San Francisco. However, I advise you to stop over should Berlin prove tricky...here is the home of craigslist, don't ya know, and i'm spending much of my time looking for places in New York and hugging a stuffed polar bear.

ha!

[identity profile] nina-blomquist.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
http://berlin.craigslist.org/
that's how i found my room!

(Anonymous) 2006-05-23 11:35 pm (UTC)(link)
please stop.

[identity profile] cityramica.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 11:53 pm (UTC)(link)
sorry.

JB

(Anonymous) 2006-05-23 05:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Momus, a small question, how do you find James Blunt's music?

[identity profile] angrykittens.livejournal.com 2006-05-23 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I think that's my favourite Momus photo yet.

[identity profile] imomus.livejournal.com 2006-05-24 12:35 am (UTC)(link)
Well, news is that I'm now sorted, Berlin apartment-wise, for the month of June. A base on the Prenzlauer Allee from which I'll be able to do my real flat-hunting.

[identity profile] merrow-sea.livejournal.com 2006-05-24 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
Are you at the Whitney this week?

[identity profile] imomus.livejournal.com 2006-05-24 01:22 am (UTC)(link)
I'm there Wednesday and Thursday. From about 11am to 2pm. Absolutely last chance to see the Unreliable Tour Guide! Unrepeatable magic! Once-in-a-lifetime!

[identity profile] onethinwallaway.livejournal.com 2006-05-24 12:44 am (UTC)(link)
your shadows combine, to commence the imaginary counterattack!

[identity profile] imomus.livejournal.com 2006-05-24 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, and together we're some sort of caterpillar!

[identity profile] siokaos.livejournal.com 2006-05-24 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
VQF 4eva