Category Archives: Snapshots & Fragments

Randome photos

Perplexity on Snapshots & Fragments

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I asked Perplexity to read through 258 posts in my “Snapshots & Fragments” category — the catch‑all bin I’ve used for photos and ephemera over the years — and tell me what it thought was going on. I had a hunch an outside lens might spot patterns I only sense in the gut. Here’s the result, unedited.

Perplexity: You’ve been quietly building a long, visual autobiography and local micro‑history in that “catch‑all” category—what looks like ephemera is actually a coherent archive of self, place, and media across roughly 15 years. Continue reading →

We were so much older then

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I came across this photo from the late ’70s and the lyric above popped into my head. For no particular reason, I shared the photo and the lyric with Gemini.

(Gemini) We’re younger than that now. It’s funny how Bob Dylan managed to capture a universal truth in “My Back Pages.” There’s a certain brand of youthful certainty that feels incredibly heavy and “old”—that phase where you feel like you have to have a definitive, hardened stance on everything. 

Realizing you don’t actually have all the answers is usually the moment you start to lighten up. It’s the ultimate “growing down.”

Microphones

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Nothing is more emblematic of the Golden Age of Radio than the microphones of that era. I asked ChatGPT to identify a few that were used at KBOA.

RCA 77-M (early) or RCA 77-A / 77-B variant. This is an earlier RCA 77, before the D / DX refinements. These were extremely common in regional stations transitioning from prewar gear.

Shure 55A or 55B (pre-“Elvis” Unidyne). This is the earlier Shure 55, before the iconic chrome “Elvis” look (the 55S). Radio stations used these constantly in the late ’40s–early ’50s. Key tells:

  • End-address (announcer speaking into the top)
  • Horizontal grille rings
  • Small-diameter cylindrical body
  • Cable exiting low, angled

RCA 44-BX ribbon microphone. The 44-BX was the mic for Groups, Music, Dramatic readings, Anything needing that huge ribbon warmth

Birthday Party (1956)

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The mother of my friend John was a dedicated scrapbooker. I believe this photo actually appeared in the local newspaper (it was that kind of small town). It was taken at John’s birthday party, probably 1957.

Top row, R-L: Chris Jones, Otis Mitchell, Joe Browning, Jim Blankenship, unknown, David Covey, Steve Watson
Bottom row, R-L: Jim Robison, John Robison, Steve Mays, Terry Hunter, unknown, Jane Robison

More birthday photos here and here.

Robison Family Photos

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My friend John’s brother Jim passed away earlier this year and left a number of flash drives with family photos that Jim had scanned (ScanCafe) from family photos lovingly maintained by their mother, Betty Jane. There are 851 photos in this first album (with several more to come)

The screenshot below is an example of this treasure trove. I made John listen to my spiel on get-them-in-the-cloud-and-let-the-Universe-take-it-from-there. I find these fascinating as-is, with no information about the photos.

Prison photo a “liminal space”

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In 2013 I posted this photo to my Flickr account. About a year ago someone commented:  “This image is now famous on the internet for being known as a liminal space and a ‘level of the backrooms’ called “Electrical Substation” theres even video games or maps based off this image.”

I didn’t notice the comment at the time but when I came across it today I became curious about the “liminal space” reference and went to ChatGPT for some background. Continue reading →