Peter Yao
@peteryao.bsky.social
CAPSULE REVIEW: Crystallization
#1 way to purify, with a bullet. I don't miss running reactions but I do sometimes miss fixing a finicky cryst with sundry techniques and gadgets. To polymorphism! The cause of, and solution to, many a process chemist's problems.
RATING: ★★★★★
#1 way to purify, with a bullet. I don't miss running reactions but I do sometimes miss fixing a finicky cryst with sundry techniques and gadgets. To polymorphism! The cause of, and solution to, many a process chemist's problems.
RATING: ★★★★★
December 28, 2025 at 1:11 AM
CAPSULE REVIEW: Crystallization
#1 way to purify, with a bullet. I don't miss running reactions but I do sometimes miss fixing a finicky cryst with sundry techniques and gadgets. To polymorphism! The cause of, and solution to, many a process chemist's problems.
RATING: ★★★★★
#1 way to purify, with a bullet. I don't miss running reactions but I do sometimes miss fixing a finicky cryst with sundry techniques and gadgets. To polymorphism! The cause of, and solution to, many a process chemist's problems.
RATING: ★★★★★
CAPSULE REVIEW:
The Age of Revolution: 1789-1848
The Age of Capital: 1848-1875
The Age of Empire: 1875-1914
(Eric Hobsbawm, 1962 / 1975 / 1987)
Glad I finally read them, damned if I can remember a single them from them.
RATING: ★★★★☆
The Age of Revolution: 1789-1848
The Age of Capital: 1848-1875
The Age of Empire: 1875-1914
(Eric Hobsbawm, 1962 / 1975 / 1987)
Glad I finally read them, damned if I can remember a single them from them.
RATING: ★★★★☆
December 27, 2025 at 10:34 PM
CAPSULE REVIEW:
The Age of Revolution: 1789-1848
The Age of Capital: 1848-1875
The Age of Empire: 1875-1914
(Eric Hobsbawm, 1962 / 1975 / 1987)
Glad I finally read them, damned if I can remember a single them from them.
RATING: ★★★★☆
The Age of Revolution: 1789-1848
The Age of Capital: 1848-1875
The Age of Empire: 1875-1914
(Eric Hobsbawm, 1962 / 1975 / 1987)
Glad I finally read them, damned if I can remember a single them from them.
RATING: ★★★★☆
Nikon Z 5
Voigtländer 50mm f2.2
Voigtländer 50mm f2.2
December 27, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Nikon Z 5
Voigtländer 50mm f2.2
Voigtländer 50mm f2.2
Rollei 35SE
Tri-X 400@1600, Ilford DD-X
Tri-X 400@1600, Ilford DD-X
December 27, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Rollei 35SE
Tri-X 400@1600, Ilford DD-X
Tri-X 400@1600, Ilford DD-X
Nikon Z 5
Rokkor 40mm f2 + red filter
Rokkor 40mm f2 + red filter
June 2, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Nikon Z 5
Rokkor 40mm f2 + red filter
Rokkor 40mm f2 + red filter
CAPSULE REVIEW: Minolta (Leica) CL
A delightful device but fragile. The viewfinder eyepiece in mine broke and the light meter functions (uncommon) but is off by +2 stops. With Rokkor 40mm f2 and Voigtländer 50mm f2.2, two nice, affordable lenses.
RATING: ★★★★☆
A delightful device but fragile. The viewfinder eyepiece in mine broke and the light meter functions (uncommon) but is off by +2 stops. With Rokkor 40mm f2 and Voigtländer 50mm f2.2, two nice, affordable lenses.
RATING: ★★★★☆
May 28, 2025 at 3:35 PM
CAPSULE REVIEW: Minolta (Leica) CL
A delightful device but fragile. The viewfinder eyepiece in mine broke and the light meter functions (uncommon) but is off by +2 stops. With Rokkor 40mm f2 and Voigtländer 50mm f2.2, two nice, affordable lenses.
RATING: ★★★★☆
A delightful device but fragile. The viewfinder eyepiece in mine broke and the light meter functions (uncommon) but is off by +2 stops. With Rokkor 40mm f2 and Voigtländer 50mm f2.2, two nice, affordable lenses.
RATING: ★★★★☆
love too accept terms and conditions every time i turn on my car
May 17, 2025 at 4:54 PM
love too accept terms and conditions every time i turn on my car
"And when I see her in the park
It barely merits a remark
How we stand the standard distance
Distant strangers stand apart"
The last two lines must count as a modern example of chiasmus
It barely merits a remark
How we stand the standard distance
Distant strangers stand apart"
The last two lines must count as a modern example of chiasmus
May 9, 2025 at 4:29 PM
"And when I see her in the park
It barely merits a remark
How we stand the standard distance
Distant strangers stand apart"
The last two lines must count as a modern example of chiasmus
It barely merits a remark
How we stand the standard distance
Distant strangers stand apart"
The last two lines must count as a modern example of chiasmus
Reposted by Peter Yao
giving myself a gold star for this
May 8, 2025 at 4:59 PM
giving myself a gold star for this
Corner market at night
Heliopolis, Cairo
Canonet QL17 GIII
Tri-X, Rodinal
Heliopolis, Cairo
Canonet QL17 GIII
Tri-X, Rodinal
May 7, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Corner market at night
Heliopolis, Cairo
Canonet QL17 GIII
Tri-X, Rodinal
Heliopolis, Cairo
Canonet QL17 GIII
Tri-X, Rodinal
An old VW Beetle that's probably been parked in the same space for over a decade
Heliopolis, Cairo
Yashica MAT 124G
Portra 800
Exposure was messed up for various reasons but it was salvaged in post
Heliopolis, Cairo
Yashica MAT 124G
Portra 800
Exposure was messed up for various reasons but it was salvaged in post
May 6, 2025 at 2:43 PM
An old VW Beetle that's probably been parked in the same space for over a decade
Heliopolis, Cairo
Yashica MAT 124G
Portra 800
Exposure was messed up for various reasons but it was salvaged in post
Heliopolis, Cairo
Yashica MAT 124G
Portra 800
Exposure was messed up for various reasons but it was salvaged in post
Egyptian Museum
Cairo
Canonet QL17 GIII
Tri-X, Rodinal
Cairo
Canonet QL17 GIII
Tri-X, Rodinal
May 4, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Egyptian Museum
Cairo
Canonet QL17 GIII
Tri-X, Rodinal
Cairo
Canonet QL17 GIII
Tri-X, Rodinal
CAPSULE REVIEW: Canonet QL17 GIII
Despite its being my daily camera
for the past few weeks I don't feel much affection for it. I don't love Shutter Priority mode. Better if it had metering in manual mode, and aperture/speed could be set more easily. Still, a solid device.
RATING: ★★★★☆
Despite its being my daily camera
for the past few weeks I don't feel much affection for it. I don't love Shutter Priority mode. Better if it had metering in manual mode, and aperture/speed could be set more easily. Still, a solid device.
RATING: ★★★★☆
April 30, 2025 at 10:48 PM
CAPSULE REVIEW: Canonet QL17 GIII
Despite its being my daily camera
for the past few weeks I don't feel much affection for it. I don't love Shutter Priority mode. Better if it had metering in manual mode, and aperture/speed could be set more easily. Still, a solid device.
RATING: ★★★★☆
Despite its being my daily camera
for the past few weeks I don't feel much affection for it. I don't love Shutter Priority mode. Better if it had metering in manual mode, and aperture/speed could be set more easily. Still, a solid device.
RATING: ★★★★☆
CAPSULE REVIEW: Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union (Vladislav M. Zubok, 2021)
Despite high expectations I was disappointed by it. Points toward main economic causes of Union collapse but they remain hazy. Too much time spent on meeting minutiae.
RATING: ★★☆☆☆
Despite high expectations I was disappointed by it. Points toward main economic causes of Union collapse but they remain hazy. Too much time spent on meeting minutiae.
RATING: ★★☆☆☆
April 18, 2025 at 9:25 PM
CAPSULE REVIEW: Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union (Vladislav M. Zubok, 2021)
Despite high expectations I was disappointed by it. Points toward main economic causes of Union collapse but they remain hazy. Too much time spent on meeting minutiae.
RATING: ★★☆☆☆
Despite high expectations I was disappointed by it. Points toward main economic causes of Union collapse but they remain hazy. Too much time spent on meeting minutiae.
RATING: ★★☆☆☆
CAPSULE REVIEW: Seiko SNK809
I used to spend a lot of time looking at watches but turned my obsession with obsolete mechanical devices to film cameras. The SNK809 is the only mechanical watch I own. Fond of it, good size and design, even if it runs +30s per day.
RATING: ★★★☆☆
I used to spend a lot of time looking at watches but turned my obsession with obsolete mechanical devices to film cameras. The SNK809 is the only mechanical watch I own. Fond of it, good size and design, even if it runs +30s per day.
RATING: ★★★☆☆
April 2, 2025 at 5:15 PM
CAPSULE REVIEW: Seiko SNK809
I used to spend a lot of time looking at watches but turned my obsession with obsolete mechanical devices to film cameras. The SNK809 is the only mechanical watch I own. Fond of it, good size and design, even if it runs +30s per day.
RATING: ★★★☆☆
I used to spend a lot of time looking at watches but turned my obsession with obsolete mechanical devices to film cameras. The SNK809 is the only mechanical watch I own. Fond of it, good size and design, even if it runs +30s per day.
RATING: ★★★☆☆
CAPSULE REVIEW: jupyter notebooks
Hate-love relationship. Their use encourages bad coding habits, tolerable in one-off analyses, but often a mix of notebooks turns into a pipeline and there's no time to fix it. The "ju" and "r" parts are superfluous; 99% must be in python.
RATING: ★★★☆☆
Hate-love relationship. Their use encourages bad coding habits, tolerable in one-off analyses, but often a mix of notebooks turns into a pipeline and there's no time to fix it. The "ju" and "r" parts are superfluous; 99% must be in python.
RATING: ★★★☆☆
April 1, 2025 at 10:00 PM
CAPSULE REVIEW: jupyter notebooks
Hate-love relationship. Their use encourages bad coding habits, tolerable in one-off analyses, but often a mix of notebooks turns into a pipeline and there's no time to fix it. The "ju" and "r" parts are superfluous; 99% must be in python.
RATING: ★★★☆☆
Hate-love relationship. Their use encourages bad coding habits, tolerable in one-off analyses, but often a mix of notebooks turns into a pipeline and there's no time to fix it. The "ju" and "r" parts are superfluous; 99% must be in python.
RATING: ★★★☆☆
CAPSULE REVIEW: Minolta SRT 303b
Got it for 100 CHF as a backup when my Nikon FM had a stuck shutter. Already had a nice Rokkor 50mm f1.4, from a Minolta X700 (which also died with a stuck shutter). Only annoying point: twisting the knurled underside piece to turn on the meter.
RATING: ★★★☆☆
Got it for 100 CHF as a backup when my Nikon FM had a stuck shutter. Already had a nice Rokkor 50mm f1.4, from a Minolta X700 (which also died with a stuck shutter). Only annoying point: twisting the knurled underside piece to turn on the meter.
RATING: ★★★☆☆
March 31, 2025 at 9:35 PM
CAPSULE REVIEW: Minolta SRT 303b
Got it for 100 CHF as a backup when my Nikon FM had a stuck shutter. Already had a nice Rokkor 50mm f1.4, from a Minolta X700 (which also died with a stuck shutter). Only annoying point: twisting the knurled underside piece to turn on the meter.
RATING: ★★★☆☆
Got it for 100 CHF as a backup when my Nikon FM had a stuck shutter. Already had a nice Rokkor 50mm f1.4, from a Minolta X700 (which also died with a stuck shutter). Only annoying point: twisting the knurled underside piece to turn on the meter.
RATING: ★★★☆☆
CAPSULE REVIEW: Canon AF35 ML
Pleasantly surprised by my first autofocus (and first Canon), having read some so-so reviews. Great lens and form factor, only missed focus on 1 shot of 36 (no worse than manual focus). Quartz date only up to 2010 so I just set it at '85 instead of '25.
RATING: ★★★★☆
Pleasantly surprised by my first autofocus (and first Canon), having read some so-so reviews. Great lens and form factor, only missed focus on 1 shot of 36 (no worse than manual focus). Quartz date only up to 2010 so I just set it at '85 instead of '25.
RATING: ★★★★☆
March 31, 2025 at 1:34 PM
CAPSULE REVIEW: Canon AF35 ML
Pleasantly surprised by my first autofocus (and first Canon), having read some so-so reviews. Great lens and form factor, only missed focus on 1 shot of 36 (no worse than manual focus). Quartz date only up to 2010 so I just set it at '85 instead of '25.
RATING: ★★★★☆
Pleasantly surprised by my first autofocus (and first Canon), having read some so-so reviews. Great lens and form factor, only missed focus on 1 shot of 36 (no worse than manual focus). Quartz date only up to 2010 so I just set it at '85 instead of '25.
RATING: ★★★★☆
CAPSULE REVIEW: Yashica Mat 124G
A somewhat cheap way to try out medium format though getting less cheap with time. Equal parts clunky and delightful. Requires a lot of light and/or patience–not until I used it did I realize how spoiled I had been with lenses faster than f3.5.
RATING: ★★★☆☆
A somewhat cheap way to try out medium format though getting less cheap with time. Equal parts clunky and delightful. Requires a lot of light and/or patience–not until I used it did I realize how spoiled I had been with lenses faster than f3.5.
RATING: ★★★☆☆
March 29, 2025 at 11:51 PM
CAPSULE REVIEW: Yashica Mat 124G
A somewhat cheap way to try out medium format though getting less cheap with time. Equal parts clunky and delightful. Requires a lot of light and/or patience–not until I used it did I realize how spoiled I had been with lenses faster than f3.5.
RATING: ★★★☆☆
A somewhat cheap way to try out medium format though getting less cheap with time. Equal parts clunky and delightful. Requires a lot of light and/or patience–not until I used it did I realize how spoiled I had been with lenses faster than f3.5.
RATING: ★★★☆☆
CAPSULE REVIEW: Nikon FM
If I had to pick only one camera to keep out of my collection I would probably choose this one. In principle it's more versatile than the compacts but the Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AIS might as well be fixed to the body.
RATING: ★★★★★
If I had to pick only one camera to keep out of my collection I would probably choose this one. In principle it's more versatile than the compacts but the Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AIS might as well be fixed to the body.
RATING: ★★★★★
March 29, 2025 at 2:56 PM
CAPSULE REVIEW: Nikon FM
If I had to pick only one camera to keep out of my collection I would probably choose this one. In principle it's more versatile than the compacts but the Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AIS might as well be fixed to the body.
RATING: ★★★★★
If I had to pick only one camera to keep out of my collection I would probably choose this one. In principle it's more versatile than the compacts but the Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AIS might as well be fixed to the body.
RATING: ★★★★★
CAPSULE REVIEW: German
Is Schmetterling truly uglier than butterfly or papillon? Among the finest poems in any language fits in this post:
Über allen Gipfeln
Ist Ruh,
In allen Wipfeln
Spürest du
Kaum einen Hauch;
Die Vögelein schweigen im Walde.
Warte nur, balde
Ruhest du auch.
RATING: ★★★★☆
Is Schmetterling truly uglier than butterfly or papillon? Among the finest poems in any language fits in this post:
Über allen Gipfeln
Ist Ruh,
In allen Wipfeln
Spürest du
Kaum einen Hauch;
Die Vögelein schweigen im Walde.
Warte nur, balde
Ruhest du auch.
RATING: ★★★★☆
March 29, 2025 at 1:20 PM
CAPSULE REVIEW: German
Is Schmetterling truly uglier than butterfly or papillon? Among the finest poems in any language fits in this post:
Über allen Gipfeln
Ist Ruh,
In allen Wipfeln
Spürest du
Kaum einen Hauch;
Die Vögelein schweigen im Walde.
Warte nur, balde
Ruhest du auch.
RATING: ★★★★☆
Is Schmetterling truly uglier than butterfly or papillon? Among the finest poems in any language fits in this post:
Über allen Gipfeln
Ist Ruh,
In allen Wipfeln
Spürest du
Kaum einen Hauch;
Die Vögelein schweigen im Walde.
Warte nur, balde
Ruhest du auch.
RATING: ★★★★☆