Hello world!
It’s been two years to the day since my last post.
I’d intended to come back to weblogging before this–especially since Dave Rogers predicted that I would “post something” before the end of 2006. For, even though I wasn’t writing for my own weblog, I never stopped reading weblogs. In fact, weblogs have been my primary source of information since I stopped reading newspapers, listening to the radio, and watching broadcast TV after the Federal election in October 2004.
Much of my spare attention since I stopped weblogging has been taken up with watching (and thinking about) movies and–since July last year, when I bought a Ricoh GR Digital camera–taking (and thinking about) photographs. In the limited time that was left, I installed (and played with) WordPress and worked at redesigning the templates and stylesheets.
A couple of weeks ago I was drawn to comment on a post of Tim Bray’s about high-end digital compact cameras. Tim’s subsequent description of my “paean to the Ricoh GR Digital” as “the most interesting part of the conversation” was flattering but his stout defence of DPReview (at which, in his words, I’d “sneered expressively”) and his stated desire that a camera’s output “approximate what [one's] eyes report to the brain” demanded a response.
A short comment about the damage done by sites like DPReview which fetishize the technical aspects of photography grew into a longer argument that photography has hardly anything to do with literally transcribing how our eyes and brain perceive the world. I caught myself thinking: “This should be an essay, or at least a weblog post.” That was the moment that I knew I’d relaunch the weblog.
Whereas the previous incarnation, The Heart of Things, dealt with subjects ranging from CSS to the Iraq War, this time I’ve decided to restrict myself to the things which lie closest to my heart: photography, the cinema, and (indirectly) the Japanese language. We’ll see how it goes…
Welcome back, Jonathon!
We give up! You don’t have to use Bitstream Vera. Whatever it takes to keep you back.
Dang. That’s the problem with living on the west side. Someone on the east side is always ahead of you.
Welcome back.
“What she said.”
Glad to see you back!
I thought I saw a new Ricoh announcement where a big deal was made about the removable EVF. Didn’t the GR already have an optional removable EVF? Or was it announced but never delivered?
Welcome back — I’ve missed your writing. (It’s been so long I’ve change URLs since you last posted.)
Well, your return might just may make it worth sticking around. Welcomeback.
Oh frabjous day! Callou callay! she chortled in her joy.
Glad you’re here.
Welcome back indeed Jonathan – imagine the surprise to see this post show up- in my RSS feed today. A most pleasant surprise indeed.
Whoops I should edit before posting – that was meant to be Jonathon not Jonathan – sorry
Welcome back!
I’ve pruned my subscriptions several times in the past two years, and every time I looked at the subscription to your feed and thought “Should I delete that? Probably, but he might come back some day, so I’ll keep it.” I must say it’s somewhat disappointing to find out you’ve returned via Shelley. On behalf of everyone else clinging to subscriptions to your old feed, I feel we deserve a redirect for our perseverance.
Welcome back!
Civilised blogging returns to the ether. Hooray!
I’m all knowing, all seeing — didn’t you know that Loren?
All knowing except for knowing someone’s gmail account.
It is really great to see you back, Jonathon. And thanks Shelley for pointing me this way — I never deleted the Bloglines subscription to Jonathon’s site, but (like Scott said) there was no tickover to (1), so I wouldn’t have known!
Welcome back, Mr D!
Good to see you back. So if you don’t like DPReview, would you have recommenadations for other camera review sites?
Golly, this is just like the return of the Prodigal Son. A sincere thank you to everyone who has dropped by and, especially, to those who’ve left a comment. I’ll try to address issues raised by individuals…
Dave: Ricoh has recently announced the GX100, a replacement for the Caplio GX8 that has a similar body chassis to the GR-D. Apart from the 24mm-72mm (equivalent) zoom, the most interesting feature is the removable EVF you mention. The GR-D has an optional viewfinder but it’s optical, not electronic. I would expect the GR-D2 (or whatever GR-D’s replacement will be called) to sport a similar removable EVF.
Doug: No problem with the spelling of my name. What’s an “o” or an “a” between old pals? I’m surprised that this post showed up in your RSS feed since I haven’t implement the redirect that Scott suggested in his comment.
Scott: My apologies. I really should have implemented a redirect for the old feeds but that slipped between the cracks in my rush to meet the April 3 deadline. I’ll see if I can get it fixed tonight. But I appreciate your perseverance in not deleting me from your RSS reader.
Stavros: Thank you too for not giving up on me.
Marius: It’s not that I’m opposed to DPreview (and other review sites) per se, after all it’s extremely useful to be able to look quickly at the specs of a particular model. It’s rather that I think that most people who visit those sites spend too much time worrying about issues that are actually tangential to the challenge of making good photographs. But more of that (plus some recommendations about alternative photographic sites) later.
So glad to have you back! I very much look forward to reading your posts on a regular basis again.
Jonathon, welcome back. The web has been poorer for your absence.
Wonderful to see a fine writer reappear. I’m glad you’re back Jonathon.
Jonathon, I was just thinking of you recently as I finally got around to watching Ozu’s Tokyo Story. Amazing film! Afterwards, I reread your old posts on Ozu, which had originally seeded him in my mind. Good stuff. Great to have you back!
Jonathon – it didn’t – it was a very poor attempt on my part at some humour, something I really shouldn’t attempt so early in the morning when I do not have sufficient quantities of the wonderful coffee nectar flowing through my veins. Like for most if not all others Shelley pointed the way
Michael and Andy, thank you again for the kind words.
David, I’m glad you enjoyed Tokyo Story. There’s a lot more I want to write about Ozu.
Frank, it’s gratifying to see oneself described as a “fine writer”. However, my experience is that the best path to become a fine writer (or to become even finer) is to write (and also to read other fine writing). I’ve been doing plenty of reading. Now it’s time to knuckle down and write…
I’ve been checking this blog on and off for the last two years, and figured that this time it had been two years and I would just give up on it. I’m so pleased to see that all that waiting is over
[...] of my favorite bloggers of old, Jonathon Delacour, is back, and that’s a great [...]
Welcome back! I’ve kept this weblog in my RSS reader all this time in the hope that you would eventually return.
Now, if only I could find the time and energy to post in my own weblog…
Jonathon…
…the ever elegant.
Welcome back and, please, do lend us your respectability — again. We’ve missed your class and style. Badly.
It’s really good to read your voice again and, having just trawled some of Shelley’s photographs… man, are we in for a treat.
Or are we? Where the Dickens are you? Nothing since the 9th?
Ity couldn’t have been that long. Or that bad. Could it? 300 that is.
Slow to the party — welcome back, friend! Such a joy to see your return. . . .
[...] It is what feed readers were invented for. Jonathon Delacour didn’t post for two years and yet the post appeared in Google Reader as if he posted 3 a day. And yet I’d changed feed [...]
God damn it, here I check faithfully for a year, sporadically for months, finally give up, and then you tiptoe back here and I don’t find out for three and a half months! At least there’s not too much to catch up on. Now to go read the posts and restore the link to my blogroll.
shuffles off muttering
…Oh yeah, and welcome back! Christ, how you’ve been missed!
A very belated welcome back!!!