Modern technology

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I've been using old film cameras for a while. They are generally heavy, made of cast iron and could be used as air raid protection for your pet mouse if necessary. At the very least, if you drop one, you expect more damage to be done to the floor than the camera. Luckily, I haven't dropped any cameras yet (touch wood! And thanks to the after market straps I use from Amazon).

This morning I was using my Nexus 7 tablet in bed and dropped it. It slid off me and onto the floor, falling only about 30cm. When I picked it up the screen was black and lifeless. It's a horrible feeling when you know you may not see your photos or unrecoverable data again and face being cut off from the outside world. Sure, I have a PC but it takes 15 minutes to start up and nobody has that kind of time to wait any more.

Incidentally, the Nexus is great for transferring photos via WiFi from my Canon 6D. Especially as Canon have finally fixed it so that I can download full size images within seconds. It takes much much longer using my PC so I only like to use it for making back ups to my hard drive.

Luckily, I had bought my now lifeless Nexus within a year and expected I could get a free repair from the German electrical goods store (Saturn) I bought it from. However, two clerks refused to take my receipt and instead said that a chip on the corner (that had been there for ages) meant that they would not take it and I would have to pay for it to be seen at a minimum cost of 150 Euros (not including parts). They said it would be cheaper to buy a new one and gave it me back.

I was on the brink of sending it straight to ASUS but stopped when I got to a clause that said ASUS repairmen are allowed to delete all data in order to fix an issue. I really wanted to keep my data so didn't want to risk losing it all over a screen issue. So instead I turned to YouTube. After watching this video for 3 minutes, I already had what I needed to check my tablet out myself. 

It took me only a couple of minutes to pop the back off and find a cable that had become unconnected. It just popped right back in place and then I just repeated everything in the video in reverse and squeezed the back on before being overwhelmed by relief at my tablet turning on normally and that caveman making fire with told feeling of triumph. Luckily, I didn't even need to replace the screen but I found you can buy them on Amazon for around 50 Euros which is much less than the fee I was quoted and about as risky concerning whether you will ever see your data again or not.

So next time your German shop won't honour it's guarantee, why not try fixing the problem yourself too? Best of luck! As for fixing old cameras, it is something I need to do in the near future. My Mamiya 645 Pro became stuck recently and needs repairing. They are generally built to last unlike modern throw away technology, but when they do go it can be hard to get replacement parts. Perhaps modern technology can help with 3d printing new parts. It's something I will research and might give an old camera a new lease of life!

 

Day 54

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Yatai worker (Canon 7 RF Fuji Natura 1600)

Yatai worker (Canon 7 RF Fuji Natura 1600)

The streets of Fukuoka are famous for the street food vendors known as yatai that sell Japanese dishes like ramen, yakitori, oden and other delicacies at certain junctions around town. They set up in the afternoon and keep going until late at night serving food and beer to 8 customers at most sat around the vendor's cart. I've seen the before and after of their business and while Japan is usually quite strict about food preparation, I can't say it looks the most hygienic!

Day 52

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Twins (Mamiya 645, Velvia 100)

Twins (Mamiya 645, Velvia 100)

I just had to ask why these two girls were dressed the same. Apparently, they were going to a concert. I met other girls going to the same concert all dressed as twins but completely different outfits. I asked if I could take a photo of them together, and initially they agreed but the one got shy then said it was OK to take a photo of them walking away. Unfortunately, I had switched from using the hand crank to the Mamiya motor winder mid-roll and couldn't work out why I couldn't take a photo until they were quite far off, but I like the image all the same.

Day 50

To mark my half century of daily photos, here are a few all at once. My landlord lives below me and keeps bees in the back garden. I've never seen honey collected before and even got a free sample fresh from the hive! 

The hive is full of trays and bees.

The hive is full of trays and bees.

The bees are taken out of the hive section with all the sweet goodness in. Some slackers may still be in there.

Taking propolis off the ends.

Taking propolis off the ends.

A tray is removed at a time and the propolis taken off for later. I got to try a bit. It's basically bee chewing gum.

The honey is uncorked.

The honey is uncorked.

The trays have cells of honey on either side. Carefully using a comb-like device you have to scrape the tops off each side. The tops are sealed with a wax that is different to other parts of the honey comb.

Waxy caps being taken off.

Waxy caps being taken off.

As the hives are urban, the honey could come from a variety of sources. Perhaps depending on what is in at the time, weather or other bee factors, the honey can change colour and isn't as standardised as honey bought from farms.

The drum can hold three trays.

The drum can hold three trays.

Three trays are then put into a drum and balanced as well as possible to avoid having the weight off centre.

Spinning by hand.

Spinning by hand.

The drum is spun carefully so that the honey is thrown out of the cells by centrifugal force. Too much force would cause the honeycomb to break so it is done very carefully. As the trays are recycled the less damage the better and the older the honeycomb in the tray, the stronger it is. After a good spin for a minute or so, the trays are turned round to get the honey from the other side. The trays are spun and turned a couple of times.

Honey collecting at the bottom of the drum.

Honey collecting at the bottom of the drum.

There might be bits of honeycomb, wax, or bee bits in the honey so the honey is filtered twice as it comes out of the drum.

Nearly there...

Nearly there...

For all the spinning and honey that comes out of the trays, waiting for the first drop of honey to come out is an agonisingly slow eternity!

Finally!

Finally!

The honey is good to eat right there and doesn't need any cooking, pasteurisation or other methods to keep although I expect the honey jars are well cleaned. It can be kept in storage happily for a year but leave it for longer and it may start to crystallise. However, that is just a cosmetic issue and still perfectly edible. I found out recently that babies younger than 1 shouldn't eat honey because of the possibility of a bacterial infection.

Day 48

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I made this!

I made this!

Went to a pottery studio while in Japan and tried my hand at using a potter's wheel. It took a month to dry and be shipped home and luckily made it in one piece! The master potter was worried my in-turned lip would make it difficult to drink so I suggested adding the spouty bit. I'm glad to say beer can be poured down the gullet from any position.