Author Archives: Kirk's Universe

Adventures in Half Frame Negative Scanning: Roll #2

Posted on 2019-02-27 by Kirk's Universe

I scanned another roll of negatives from the Olympus Pen half frame camera, this time using old expired black and white film that I found at a thrift store. It was cheap so I thought I’d try it and get … Continue reading →

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Don’t Read The Fine Print

Posted on 2018-03-03 by Kirk's Universe

I updated my iPhone astronomy app, “My Messier”. Check it out. The text size can now be adjusted, and it supports the iPhone X screen size.  I read somewhere that you can determine a person’s age pretty accurately by the … Continue reading →

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Kirk is 101

Posted on 2017-12-09 by Kirk's Universe

The actor Kirk Douglas is one hundred and one years old today and reportedly doing great. This year I read his autobiography, “The Ragman’s Son”. It was another of my parent’s old books, a yellowing paperback that had been on … Continue reading →

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Read, read, read.

Posted on 2017-11-05 by Kirk's Universe

  I finished reading the book “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck. It’s about a family struggling to survive,  leaving Oklahoma during the Dustbowl and Great Depression and their journey to California.  I’m not writing a book report or … Continue reading →

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Adventures in Half Frame Negative Scanning

Posted on 2017-09-17 by Kirk's Universe

I still shoot on film, and I recently scanned my own negatives for the first time. I use an Olympus Pen FT single lens reflex camera, which takes photos in half-frame format. Using a roll of 135 format 35mm film, … Continue reading →

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I Made An App.

Posted on 2017-02-20 by Kirk's Universe

I released my first app.  Check it out. It’s an astronomy quick reference, called  “My Messier”,  for iPhone and Apple Watch. When Apple Watch was announced, I thought I’d write an app for it (as an excuse for getting one.) … Continue reading →

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Sad Shoes

Posted on 2016-11-28 by Kirk's Universe

I wore out a pair of hiking boots and have to say goodbye to them.  I know I shouldn’t get attached to things, but I keep thinking of all the places they took me.

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Fun with an 80 year old camera

Posted on 2016-11-06 by Kirk's Universe

I recently inherited a camera, a 1936 Roland Kleinbild made by Plasmat in Germany. It uses medium format 120 film in a 645 ratio with a 70mm f2.7 lens. The shutter appeared to be working so I was eager to put in a roll and see what this 80 year old camera could do. Continue reading →

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Rainbows on Eyelashes 睫毛の虹

Posted on 2016-10-26 by Kirk's Universe

I bought a book of Japanese poems, Rainbows on Eyelashes (睫毛の虹), by Misuzu Kaneko. The book has the poems in Japanese characters along with English translations and beautiful watercolor illustrations by Midori Yoshida.  It is children’s poetry, really, but at my … Continue reading →

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Kubrick

Posted on 2016-10-23 by Kirk's Universe

Last week I went to Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition. I have seen his movies many times and own most of them. What can one say about his movies–  they have style.  And impact.  It was really thrilling for me to … Continue reading →

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