Oblique Brad
@obliquemedia.bsky.social
Photographer. Videographer. Writer.
Advocate. Optimist. Enthusiast.
I live, work and play on unceded Indigenous land, and that is much more than a token acknowledgement to me.
Advocate. Optimist. Enthusiast.
I live, work and play on unceded Indigenous land, and that is much more than a token acknowledgement to me.
The next societal question: How do we make a society resistant to bully-pulpits?
I need people to have a reckoning with their attraction to artificial certainty.
I need people to have a reckoning with their attraction to artificial certainty.
December 20, 2025 at 10:04 PM
The next societal question: How do we make a society resistant to bully-pulpits?
I need people to have a reckoning with their attraction to artificial certainty.
I need people to have a reckoning with their attraction to artificial certainty.
"Did you learn something today?" -- the question I want to ask every time I see a hot take getting roasted by people still able to think critically. But watching them double-down on their folly means the question is already answered.
December 20, 2025 at 8:47 PM
"Did you learn something today?" -- the question I want to ask every time I see a hot take getting roasted by people still able to think critically. But watching them double-down on their folly means the question is already answered.
I don't know, I just think it's just too perfect -- in a metaphysical sense -- for the publication breaking this particular story to be called Vanity Fair.
December 16, 2025 at 8:23 PM
I don't know, I just think it's just too perfect -- in a metaphysical sense -- for the publication breaking this particular story to be called Vanity Fair.
Reposted by Oblique Brad
Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.
December 15, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.
AI is like if glitter was radioactive.
December 16, 2025 at 1:06 AM
AI is like if glitter was radioactive.
Just a reminder: if he wasn't the president, he'd be blaming the president for everything he's now trying to blame everyone else for.
December 12, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Just a reminder: if he wasn't the president, he'd be blaming the president for everything he's now trying to blame everyone else for.
There is a significant difference between an opinion and a truth claim. Opinions can be wrong and they generally don't hurt anyone. Truth claims turn into something bigger, all the way up to international policy. Truth claims that are wrong regularly cause death tolls. Verifying them is a necessity.
December 12, 2025 at 6:20 PM
There is a significant difference between an opinion and a truth claim. Opinions can be wrong and they generally don't hurt anyone. Truth claims turn into something bigger, all the way up to international policy. Truth claims that are wrong regularly cause death tolls. Verifying them is a necessity.
Cameras don't care how light originated. Light doesn't care what camera it ended up in.
(I'm planning a workshop, and this is my comment on *all* the ongoing conversations about gear, brands, specs, etc.)
(I'm planning a workshop, and this is my comment on *all* the ongoing conversations about gear, brands, specs, etc.)
December 4, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Cameras don't care how light originated. Light doesn't care what camera it ended up in.
(I'm planning a workshop, and this is my comment on *all* the ongoing conversations about gear, brands, specs, etc.)
(I'm planning a workshop, and this is my comment on *all* the ongoing conversations about gear, brands, specs, etc.)
To protect themselves from lawsuits sparked by overpromising the effectiveness of their medications, pharmeceutical companies are now not making any claims at all in their advertising. In some cases, they aren't even identifying what the medication is for.
I'm not sure this is an improvement.
I'm not sure this is an improvement.
November 23, 2025 at 10:33 PM
To protect themselves from lawsuits sparked by overpromising the effectiveness of their medications, pharmeceutical companies are now not making any claims at all in their advertising. In some cases, they aren't even identifying what the medication is for.
I'm not sure this is an improvement.
I'm not sure this is an improvement.
Da Vinci Resolve allows you to copy a clip, and then paste its attributes into a clip in an entirely different project. This just saved me so much time in colour-correcting clips from the same shoot in two different projects!
Thanks, @blackmagicdesign.bsky.social!
Thanks, @blackmagicdesign.bsky.social!
November 20, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Da Vinci Resolve allows you to copy a clip, and then paste its attributes into a clip in an entirely different project. This just saved me so much time in colour-correcting clips from the same shoot in two different projects!
Thanks, @blackmagicdesign.bsky.social!
Thanks, @blackmagicdesign.bsky.social!
Gotta love classified ads that say, "I have to sell this because I got a new one."
Uh-huh. That's doing nothing to tell me why you needed to get a new one.
Uh-huh. That's doing nothing to tell me why you needed to get a new one.
November 20, 2025 at 5:57 AM
Gotta love classified ads that say, "I have to sell this because I got a new one."
Uh-huh. That's doing nothing to tell me why you needed to get a new one.
Uh-huh. That's doing nothing to tell me why you needed to get a new one.
Organisations of pretty much any size have a lot of moving parts. Treasure the people who value consistency!
It's way too easy to cause confusion by referring to one thing with different names.
Consistency "sticklers" are generous, solving frustration in advance.
It's way too easy to cause confusion by referring to one thing with different names.
Consistency "sticklers" are generous, solving frustration in advance.
November 19, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Organisations of pretty much any size have a lot of moving parts. Treasure the people who value consistency!
It's way too easy to cause confusion by referring to one thing with different names.
Consistency "sticklers" are generous, solving frustration in advance.
It's way too easy to cause confusion by referring to one thing with different names.
Consistency "sticklers" are generous, solving frustration in advance.
Perhaps the most profound idea I've ever encountered is that life creates the conditions for life. This is the symbiotic origin story we can all marvel at, and it is also more than that.
It is the foundation: everything we do not only conditions everything else we do, it is also contingent on it.
It is the foundation: everything we do not only conditions everything else we do, it is also contingent on it.
November 19, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Perhaps the most profound idea I've ever encountered is that life creates the conditions for life. This is the symbiotic origin story we can all marvel at, and it is also more than that.
It is the foundation: everything we do not only conditions everything else we do, it is also contingent on it.
It is the foundation: everything we do not only conditions everything else we do, it is also contingent on it.
Person ahead of me at the sub shop when asked about sauces: "Just give me all of them."
I watched the person behind the counter confirm that, and then go for it. We were both kinda waiting for him to stop her at any point, but he did not.
Sooo, maybe he's tired of doing all the sub runs...?
I watched the person behind the counter confirm that, and then go for it. We were both kinda waiting for him to stop her at any point, but he did not.
Sooo, maybe he's tired of doing all the sub runs...?
November 15, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Person ahead of me at the sub shop when asked about sauces: "Just give me all of them."
I watched the person behind the counter confirm that, and then go for it. We were both kinda waiting for him to stop her at any point, but he did not.
Sooo, maybe he's tired of doing all the sub runs...?
I watched the person behind the counter confirm that, and then go for it. We were both kinda waiting for him to stop her at any point, but he did not.
Sooo, maybe he's tired of doing all the sub runs...?
"This won't matter..." -- people who are actively deciding in advance that something won't matter.
It takes courage to signal concern -- every signal does actually matter.
It takes courage to signal concern -- every signal does actually matter.
November 12, 2025 at 11:30 PM
"This won't matter..." -- people who are actively deciding in advance that something won't matter.
It takes courage to signal concern -- every signal does actually matter.
It takes courage to signal concern -- every signal does actually matter.
"I know what I have." -- people desperately hoping their classified ad will mean something to someone, somewhere.
November 2, 2025 at 6:14 AM
"I know what I have." -- people desperately hoping their classified ad will mean something to someone, somewhere.
Don't say amoral when you mean immoral.
Rebelling against a moral code isn't the same thing as not having one.
Look at what they say when they believe other folks' immorality affects them somehow: they absolutely have a moral code.
They just don't apply it to themselves.
It's a different thing.
Rebelling against a moral code isn't the same thing as not having one.
Look at what they say when they believe other folks' immorality affects them somehow: they absolutely have a moral code.
They just don't apply it to themselves.
It's a different thing.
October 29, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Don't say amoral when you mean immoral.
Rebelling against a moral code isn't the same thing as not having one.
Look at what they say when they believe other folks' immorality affects them somehow: they absolutely have a moral code.
They just don't apply it to themselves.
It's a different thing.
Rebelling against a moral code isn't the same thing as not having one.
Look at what they say when they believe other folks' immorality affects them somehow: they absolutely have a moral code.
They just don't apply it to themselves.
It's a different thing.
Every kind of ignorance is currently being weaponised. Humanity operates on an interconnected system of trust. It mostly works.
It cannot work indefinitely when efforts to undermine trust hit critical mass.
This isn't solved with more blind trust; we need mutuality, education and accountability.
It cannot work indefinitely when efforts to undermine trust hit critical mass.
This isn't solved with more blind trust; we need mutuality, education and accountability.
October 16, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Every kind of ignorance is currently being weaponised. Humanity operates on an interconnected system of trust. It mostly works.
It cannot work indefinitely when efforts to undermine trust hit critical mass.
This isn't solved with more blind trust; we need mutuality, education and accountability.
It cannot work indefinitely when efforts to undermine trust hit critical mass.
This isn't solved with more blind trust; we need mutuality, education and accountability.
I am a fan of the emerging trend(?) of lenses having names, not just being named for their technical details (eg 24-70mm f/2.8 VR).
It's not common yet, but I've seen a couple of examples (eg Nikon's Plena), and I think it would be fun if this gained momentum.
It's not common yet, but I've seen a couple of examples (eg Nikon's Plena), and I think it would be fun if this gained momentum.
October 14, 2025 at 10:18 PM
I am a fan of the emerging trend(?) of lenses having names, not just being named for their technical details (eg 24-70mm f/2.8 VR).
It's not common yet, but I've seen a couple of examples (eg Nikon's Plena), and I think it would be fun if this gained momentum.
It's not common yet, but I've seen a couple of examples (eg Nikon's Plena), and I think it would be fun if this gained momentum.
There are a lot of people in various kinds of leadership who do not appreciate how serious or important trust is.
They operate with supposed impunity, thinking trust is secondary to power. Eventually they all discover that power doesn't exist without trust indefinitely.
They operate with supposed impunity, thinking trust is secondary to power. Eventually they all discover that power doesn't exist without trust indefinitely.
October 14, 2025 at 6:08 AM
There are a lot of people in various kinds of leadership who do not appreciate how serious or important trust is.
They operate with supposed impunity, thinking trust is secondary to power. Eventually they all discover that power doesn't exist without trust indefinitely.
They operate with supposed impunity, thinking trust is secondary to power. Eventually they all discover that power doesn't exist without trust indefinitely.
The world is set up for specialists, but needs generalists.
Indeed, the best specialists are the people who are conversant with the big picture, and can accurately see where their specialty fits in.
This sometimes gets missed when people are educated and/or trained with laser focus.
Indeed, the best specialists are the people who are conversant with the big picture, and can accurately see where their specialty fits in.
This sometimes gets missed when people are educated and/or trained with laser focus.
October 6, 2025 at 7:48 PM
The world is set up for specialists, but needs generalists.
Indeed, the best specialists are the people who are conversant with the big picture, and can accurately see where their specialty fits in.
This sometimes gets missed when people are educated and/or trained with laser focus.
Indeed, the best specialists are the people who are conversant with the big picture, and can accurately see where their specialty fits in.
This sometimes gets missed when people are educated and/or trained with laser focus.
I'm a regular on a channel that constantly posts "ads are annoying" ads to encourage people to go pro.
Not only is this a blatant bully strategy ("do the thing we want, or we'll keep doing the thing you don't want"); if I was a paying advertiser, I would feel this disrespect viscerally.
Not only is this a blatant bully strategy ("do the thing we want, or we'll keep doing the thing you don't want"); if I was a paying advertiser, I would feel this disrespect viscerally.
October 3, 2025 at 8:46 PM
I'm a regular on a channel that constantly posts "ads are annoying" ads to encourage people to go pro.
Not only is this a blatant bully strategy ("do the thing we want, or we'll keep doing the thing you don't want"); if I was a paying advertiser, I would feel this disrespect viscerally.
Not only is this a blatant bully strategy ("do the thing we want, or we'll keep doing the thing you don't want"); if I was a paying advertiser, I would feel this disrespect viscerally.
"...a deterrent only works if you don't use it...Happy Liberation Day, folks."
If you don't follow Pluralistic, you should! :-)
pluralistic.net/2025/10/02/t...
If you don't follow Pluralistic, you should! :-)
pluralistic.net/2025/10/02/t...
Pluralistic: Decarbonization at a distance (02 Oct 2025) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
pluralistic.net
October 2, 2025 at 11:27 PM
"...a deterrent only works if you don't use it...Happy Liberation Day, folks."
If you don't follow Pluralistic, you should! :-)
pluralistic.net/2025/10/02/t...
If you don't follow Pluralistic, you should! :-)
pluralistic.net/2025/10/02/t...
I remember years back when they started offering books as an option instead of toys in Happy Meals. The newspaper headline I saw at the time mournfully declared that Happy Meals were getting a little less happy.
That's the moment I knew that the decline of civilisation was locked in.
That's the moment I knew that the decline of civilisation was locked in.
October 1, 2025 at 9:25 PM
I remember years back when they started offering books as an option instead of toys in Happy Meals. The newspaper headline I saw at the time mournfully declared that Happy Meals were getting a little less happy.
That's the moment I knew that the decline of civilisation was locked in.
That's the moment I knew that the decline of civilisation was locked in.
News headline: "Almonds Are in Crisis."
Me in my 30s: "Psh, find a real news story!"
Me in my 50s: "Well, I guess now I know how I'm gonna die."
Me in my 30s: "Psh, find a real news story!"
Me in my 50s: "Well, I guess now I know how I'm gonna die."
September 29, 2025 at 10:58 PM
News headline: "Almonds Are in Crisis."
Me in my 30s: "Psh, find a real news story!"
Me in my 50s: "Well, I guess now I know how I'm gonna die."
Me in my 30s: "Psh, find a real news story!"
Me in my 50s: "Well, I guess now I know how I'm gonna die."