Slowing Down: A Thought Index

Index

1. Introduction

   1. One cannot describe change in space without time

      1. It is also difficult to describe time without including the space residing in its domain

         1. Change in space is only possible due to time

            1. Change in space is brought about by the necessary, almost-constancy of time

            2. As often likely misattributed to Einstein, but could be the words of sci-fi author Ray Cummings: "Time is what keeps everything from happening at once"

      2. Time is often described by metaphors to things happening in space

         1. Rivers, always moving, always changing

            1. The only way we can see the flow of rivers is through time

            2. Without time, the river would not be moving

               1. It would be stationary

               2. Stuck in a constant moment of never changing, never shifting

            3. As attributed to Heraclitus: "You can never bathe twice in the same river"

   2. Pre-industrial age

      1. A baseline of human interaction with time and space

         1. Legs are the main means of changing place

            1. Human legs or borrowed from other animals

         2. No precise time measurement is necessary for daily life

            1. Every town is in its own time zone

               1. Every place has its own noon

                  1. Noon is when the sun reaches its highest point of the day

            2. Difficult to notice the different time between places

               1. Travel between towns takes a long time

                  1. So the traveler becomes accustomed to the different time over a longer period of time

               2. No way to communicate that noon in one place may be different than elsewhere

                  1. No need either

      2. Without precise time measurement, fast communication, and travel, changes in time between places are of little importance

         1. The world is not synchronized

   3. Photography changes human interaction with space and time

      1. Freezes a two dimensional view of space in time

      2. Methods of photography have changed over time

2. Time

   1. Measuring time: time-keepers

      1. Using the sun: sundials

      2. Using precise gears: mechanical clocks

      3. Using electronics: quartz clocks

      4. Using atoms: atomic clocks

   2. Standardizing time

      1. Overrides more intuitive ways of sensing the passage of time

         1. Linear time?

            1. Or is that a simplification?

               1. So we can feel more comfortable with the fact that we don’t really understand time

            2. What does linear mean?

               1. Time passes at a constant rate?

               2. All happens in a sequence?

                  1. Events do not stray from past-present-future

                     1. Time does not move backward from present to past

                     2. Or from future to past

         2. Is time individually elastic?

            1. How does elasticity relate to the idea of linearity?

               1. Time is not a constant flow but is experienced as a changing flow

               2. Does each person experience time as a series of faster and slower moments?

            2. One's individual elasticity evens itself out with another person’s elasticity upon contact, meeting, or scheduling

               1. Getting caught up in something, losing track of time

                  1. Time stretched, actions happening faster than time

               2. Having to rush to be at a meeting at a certain time, running late

                  1. Time condensed, time faster than actions

               3. These two components even each other out upon interaction with an outside source

                  1. The outside source has their own sensing of their time

                  2. Outside source can be any time keeper

            3. Individual elasticity explains being late or early to meetings

               1. Everyone senses time differently

                  1. Some people lose track of it more easily

                     1. They are often labeled as ”late”

                  2. Some feel the time pass with more friction

                     1. They could be seen as “early”

               2. When one is early, the time has stretched differently than when one is late

            4. We do things in space as time passes

               1. We can count time but cannot modify the counting of time

               2. Only upon not looking at time-counters does time move in an elastic fashion

                  1. As we make notice of the counter, time moves differently than it did when we are busy not paying attention its passing

                     1. Activities for predetermined time:

                        1. You feel like you’re almost done and check the clock, now the clock tells you you’re barely halfway through and as you check it more, time feels increasingly slow moving

                        2. You feel like you’ve barely begun and check the clock, now the clock tells you it's way too late, and as you check it more, time feels like it is accelerating

      2. Intuitive experiencing of time

         1. Day length changes with seasons

            1. Seasonal activities

               1. Planting and harvesting seasonality

            2. Days get shorter in winter

               1. Expected to do the same (amount of) work when there’s less day time to do it

               2. Darker earlier makes us tired

                  1. Disconnect between long nights and constant work-time

               3. Is it still reasonable to do so much work in the winter when there is less natural light for living?

   3. Racing the clock

      1. Horse racing was previously an event where the horses race each other

         1. Now they individually race the clock

         2. They race the idea of time

            1. They race the past horses

            2. They race the record

      2. In an industrialized society

         1. Speed is efficiency

         2. Time is money

            1. Therefore the less time is spent, the more money can be made

         3. The clock is made of money

         4. In this race for industrialization

            1. The winners are not the ones running the race

            2. The winners are the owners

               1. Their prize is money

         5. The world is not interested in greater leisure time

            1. The world is interested in stuff (material goods)

            2. Machines allow for greater production

               1. Not leisure time for workers

               2. Greater production leads to more consumption

         6. We are usually hired to exchange time for money

            1. Not based on the production but based on the time

               1. More time spent on fewer tasks is discouraged

               2. Rest is inefficient

   4. Travel, time, and space

      1. Travel as a place of being in between

         1. Takes time and space

         2. You’ve departed but not yet arrived

            1. The Author as a child: "Mommy, are we there yet?" // The Author's 'Mommy': "We'll never be there we're always here"

         3. You’re in less control of your time-actions

            1. When you’re traveling on land through a place, are you truly there?

               1. Are you in an in-between place of physically being, as a way to understand that you’re no longer where you were but aren’t yet there, where you’re going?

                  1. You’re in a bubble where your surroundings are the moving ground of the train’s floor

                     1. The only others with whom you are interacting are those also in the same in-between space

                     2. You’re not experiencing much other of the surrounding place than the landscape and light through the windows of the train

            2. In many places, but nowhere truly

               1. The time could be considered as lost: you aren’t able to live your normal reality but you are stuck between realities in an interstitial space

                  1. The time is not lost, it is important time to be able to separate where you were in your mental space as it is separate from where you’re going in the physical realm

      2. Faster travel (and faster communication) shrinks space

         1. Time is still passing

         2. The different times in different places become noticeable

            1. For safety, synchronized clocks become necessary

               1. So trains do not crash into each other

               2. Most places lose their sun dictated noon

               3. Time zones standardize the time over space

            2. Jet lag happens to people who travel through space too quickly

               1. One day per hour to readjust

   5. Ephemeral

      1. That which changes through time on a human scale

         1. If something lasts longer than us, we can’t see time’s effects

            1. Slow-growing trees seem less ephemeral because they grow over much longer than one human's lifetime

         2. If something lasts shorter than us, we see the effects of time

            1. A house plant that dies five days after you brought it home from the grocery store

      2. Events that only happen for a certain length of time

         1. Spring break when you were 15 and went to the beach with your friends is in the past

            1. No matter how much fun it was

               1. You’re not actually there now

               2. Even if you’re day-dreaming about it constantly

3. Photography

   1. A quick timeline of photography

      1. Pre-photography (~1600s): making images without saving them

         1. Camera obscura

            1. Dark box with flipped image

            2. Was used as an aid for drawing and painting

         2. Lenses for manipulating light

            1. Expensive and used for scientific purposes:

               1. Telescopes

               2. Microscopes

            2. Maybe even used in camera obscuras to make them brighter

               1. Making them more usable under less light

      2. 1800s: early photochemistry saves the image

         1. Existing photosensitive stuff

            1. Slow to respond to light

         2. Many people in quick succession figured out how to make it stop being photosensitive

            1. They fixed the image

         3. Successive inventions changed the photosensitive materials

            1. Made them more responsive to light

         4. Large format cameras, for professionals

            1. Photography made some painters feel obsolete

               1. Their main purpose had been to capture a view of their real world

      3. 1900s: mass photography

         1. Kodak Brownie and roll-film democratizes photography

            1. Cameras and film for everybody

         2. Photography becomes progressively easier, faster, and more reliable

            1. Cameras get smaller and more portable

            2. Engineered failsafes

               1. Prevent double or skipped exposures

                  1. Harder to waste film

            3. Cameras get automated: easier to make okay pictures

               1. Exposure

               2. Focus

         3. Early development of digital techniques

            1. But not yet for everyone

      4. 2000s: going digital

         1. Digital techniques overtake analog

            1. Render analog techniques obsolete

   2. How photography changes the ephemeral

      1. Photography makes a copy of a view of a moment of light

         1. It makes a static image of something that will inevitably change

         2. It captures a present and stores it for later review

            1. Images that might only be in future memory can be reliably saved while they are in the present

               1. Photos can show a youthful grandparent to younger generations who might only know the grandparent as an old person

         3. However, the light-image is only one view and does not capture all dimensions of reality

            1. It is just as constrained in terms of point of view as a person

               1. It will contain their biases regarding

                  1. What looks good

                  2. What to show

                  3. What to hide

            2. It does not capture an objective reality, as it only usually captures a view in width and height, not depth

               1. The depth is approximated due to optics causing depth of field

                  1. Depth of field can direct the attention of the viewer

         4. Photography as a way of making notes

            1. Documenting the past

            2. Photography as a shorthand to recall memories

               1. Group photos following an event that show the participants

                  1. Seeing the photograph some time later can remind a participant

                     1. Of the event

                     2. Of who was there

   3. Two machines to make a photograph

      1. The automatic cameras (point and shoot/phone-camera)

         1. The machine does it all

            1. The machine won’t forget a step

               1. No human error

               2. Less knowledge necessary for use

            2. It will give decent results enough of the time

            3. It makes the choices

         2. What happens when the machine doesn’t work

            1. You can't control its choices

            2. It can have errors

            3. It can break

         3. You don’t know how it works

            1. The automation makes it more complicated

               1. It is harder to fix

            2. You don't know the choices it makes

      2. The manual cameras

         1. When the machine does not do it all

            1. You must do more

               1. You must make choices

            2. You can mess up because you're human

               1. You can make a bad choice

               2. You can make mistakes

         2. You have to learn how to use it

            1. More knowledge needed

            2. You have to know (some of) how it works

               1. It might have some quirks that you have to learn to work with

         3. It can be a simpler machine

            1. Which can make it more fixable

            2. Which can make it cheaper to replace

   4. Technical basics

      1. Two elements dictate the quality of an image

         1. The lens controls:

            1. Brightness of image

            2. Sharpness of image

         2. The size of the photosensitive material

            1. How much light can be recorded

            2. How big the final image can be

      2. The two work with each other

   5. Photography in the early days (large format)

      1. Photosensitive material

         1. Complicated to work with

         2. Not very sensitive

            1. Images are only possible with a lot of time (long exposures) and light (bright scene)

         3. Was often on glass or metal plates

            1. Daguerrotypes

            2. Wet plates

            3. Dry plates

            4. Tintypes

      2. Many early processes produced either

         1. A positive, unique image

            1. The larger the photosensitive area

               1. The larger the final image

         2. Or a negative, which needs printing

            1. Could produce multiples of the same image

            2. Contact printing was a standard way of making prints

               1. Larger negative makes a larger contact print

      3. Cameras were large to accommodate the plates

         1. Needed lenses with a large image circle

         2. Necessitated a lot of equipment (and people)

            1. Only could take 1-2 images per cassette

               1. Each cassette took space

               2. Each image took equipment

      4. Many technical improvements occurred in parallel, resulting in more sensitive and convenient processes

      5. Let there be roll film!

         1. Photosensitive chemistry on a flexible base

            1. Smaller surface area per image than large format

         2. Made for consumers rather than professionals

            1. In early consumer cameras, the lens was of poor quality

               1. This was not a big problem because images were often intended for contact prints

               2. A problem for people who want to enlarge the negatives

            2. Professionals often still often worked large format

         3. Made cameras more convenient

            1. Could take many photos

               1. Film was rolled onto the spool

               2. Unexposed film would be ready for the next image

            2. Cameras for professionals with good lenses

               1. New possibilities for professionals

                  1. Freed from the inconvenient large format

                  2. Rendered large format obsolete over time

         4. Could be easily enlarged

            1. So the print could be much larger than the original image

4. Post-obsolescence

   1. Obsolete techniques

      1. Techniques whose ability to perform original purpose has been outperformed

         1. Processes and machines are developed for a specific purpose

            1. That purpose guides the majority of use and further development

            2. Development continues and finds a better method to do something

               1. The original method becomes obsolete

         2. Can these techniques still have importance and value once obsolete?

   2. Once obsolete, other properties are freed

      1. They provide a reason to keep obsolete methods around

      2. Photography makes an image of the real world more readily than painting

         1. Painting always was just paint

         2. The fact that it is paint now opens other possibilities

   3. Obsolete means of travel: American passenger rail

      1. The least efficient way to go anywhere

         1. If it even goes there

            1. It probably doesn’t

         2. Can takes twice the driving time

            1. If not more

         3. Almost always delayed

            1. Due to systemic underfunding

            2. Due to renting the rights to use tracks from freight companies

         4. (US Passenger) trains have the inconveniences of both cars and planes

            1. Planes go on a shared machine at a scheduled time to specific places

               1. Trains are on a timetable that probably doesn't suit you

               2. Sharing space with strangers

               3. Gross tiny toilets

            2. Cars exist for going slower but on your own time where you want

               1. These trains are even slower

            3. Trains are communal and slow

               1. Placing less importance on speed

               2. Taking in the landscape while on tracks in the middle of nowhere

               3. No cars around you, just people who you can talk to

                  1. And while they might not be your people

                     1. Good to find humanity

                     2. Good to see other people and views

               4. You don’t have to drive

                  1. Or worry about other drivers

               5. You can enjoy the landscape

            4. Isn’t it wonderful?

      2. A celebration of the in-between space created by travel

         1. You can’t pause the journey on a whim and investigate

            1. À la road-trip

         2. The journey will take a length of time that is out of your control

            1. Long distance routes almost always have hours of delays

         3. The bubble created by the train creates a different experience each time

            1. Just like the water in the time-river, there are never the same fellow passengers

   4. Obsolete means of picture making: analog photography

      1. Digital photography is better at capturing an image than analog photography

         1. Digital sensors and image processing reduce many limitations of analog processes

            1. Minimum necessary amount of light for an image

            2. Direct relationship between image quality and film size

         2. With digital photography as a tool and context

            1. We can explore interesting aspects of analog photo

               1. Light sensitive materials

               2. Old imperfect optics

            2. We can transfer and scan images between media and other processes

               1. Digitize negatives for different print techniques

      2. Glass lenses are better at making a photograph than a pinhole

         1. Work at faster shutter speeds under the same light

         2. Can make clearer images

         3. They can differentiate subjects using depth of field

            1. A subject in focus with a nice blurry background

            2. With pinhole, all is equally focused

               1. Depending on the size of hole

               2. If you want a brighter image at the same light, make the hole larger

                  1. But with a larger hole/aperture it is less focused

         4. Pinhole is dead simple

            1. Simple to understand

               1. Light travels in a straight line

                  1. Which renders a tiny hole a functional image-maker

                     1. Any point in space receives light that bounced off all the surrounding objects

                     2. In this tiny point, everything is in focus

                  2. A cool and simple physical fact of the world

            2. Simple to make

               1. Make a tiny hole:

                  1. Can be as simple or sophisticated as you want

                     1. Poke a tiny hole in a thin sheet of metal

                        1. Sheet metal is great because it does not let light through

                        2. Sand it down so it is as flat and thin as possible

                     2. Or laser etch the hole

               2. Mount the hole on a bigger hole in a light tight box:

                  1. With some way of holding a photosensitive surface

                  2. Box can be as complicated as desired

                     1. Can have mechanisms for film transport

                     2. Can have bellows for folding or (changing) focal length

                  3. Box can be anything

                     1. Tin can

                     2. iPhone packaging

               3. Make something that can close the hole (a shutter):

                  1. Can be complicated or simple

                     1. Slider

                     2. Flap of tape

                     3. A finger

                     4. Magnets

            3. Simple to use, depending on complexity of parts and mechanisms

               1. Load sensitive surface in camera in dark

               2. Bring it somewhere bright

               3. Measure light

               4. Open shutter

               5. Close shutter

               6. Go back to the dark

               7. Unload

               8. Process exposed sensitive material

            4. Extremely satisfying

               1. Might not be that easy to use, but each step is understandable

               2. By making a camera oneself, demystifies what is often thought of as a complicated machine and process

                  1. Makes it less daunting

                  2. Provides insight on how other cameras work

                     1. Allows for new possibilities

         5. Because it is a slow process, it changes the human relationship with cameras and photos and light

         6. The possibilities for error also allow for experimentation and tinkering

      3. Pinhole in analog

         1. Two understandable phenomenon

            1. Tiny hole makes image

            2. Photosensitive material records image

         2. Pinhole in digital simplifies only one aspect of the camera

            1. Easily done by putting a pinhole in a body-cap of a Digital SLR

               1. But you didn’t make the rest of the camera

               2. The body gets confused and doesn’t know what to do with this “lens”

                  1. There aren’t tools in the camera to help you

            2. Digital sensors are complicated and difficult to understand

            3. Image processing is also complicated and difficult to understand

         3. With analog there is much more room for interesting errors

            1. Errors allow new experimentation and different possibilities

            2. You need to be able to make those errors

               1. If it’s too foolproof, there’s less fun to be had

      4. Large format photography

         1. Rendered obsolete by roll film

         2. Still used by people who want the best image quality

         3. More accessible in analog than digital

            1. Digital sensors are on a race to being small

               1. Phone camera sensors are tiny

            2. Even medium format digital is many thousands

            3. Large format is not available in digital

         4. Still as inconvenient as ever

            1. But can produce amazing images

            2. A different way to slow down image making

               1. The inconvenience makes you think

   5. Obsolete techniques show us how to slow down

      1. It is interesting to play with unintended properties

         1. Unexpected realities

         2. Errors can be interesting

      2. Rest is important

         1. Constantly working for improvement

            1. Towards a goal

               1. A goal you feel obligated to

                  1. Otherwise have no motivation for working towards it

         2. The world won't care about you

            1. You have to care about you

5. Conclusions

   1. Time and space are the deeply intertwined dimensions in which we live

      1. By synchronizing the world, we have lost the importance of natural feeling and sensing of time

   2. We have been altering our interactions with time and space through various inventions

      1. When they connected our world, trains necessitated synchronized and standardized clocks

         1. So the trains would not run into each other

         2. But those clocks have come to rule our lives

      2. Photography copies a view of space and freezes it in time

         1. This can make memories concrete

            1. Though it is not an objective view of the time, space, and situation

   3. Over time, new inventions render old methods obsolete

      1. But those old methods still are important to save

         1. Their differences with the new method can be valuable

            1. They can provide different insights

               1. Which we can learn from