
A Room with a View - another
http://bit-player.org/2019/a-room-with-a-view
======
samanator
I'm getting a page not found error. Archive saved the text, but the images
don't render

[https://web.archive.org/web/20190129170122/http://bit-
player...](https://web.archive.org/web/20190129170122/http://bit-
player.org/2019/a-room-with-a-view)

~~~
degenerate
Perhaps the images will load for you when pushed over to Archive.is:
[http://archive.is/ROVub](http://archive.is/ROVub)

For me, they load on both archive sites.

~~~
samanator
Yup, that worked. Thanks :)

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klodolph
Love this.

However, the photograph at the top looks like it has been severely mangled by
post-processing. Maybe it's been damaged by a bad HDR pipeline. There's a
complete lack of large-scale contrast, and all of the objects have weird
"halos" around them. Honestly, it makes me feel a little bit uneasy, even ill,
looking at it. No exaggeration.

This can sometimes happen if you drag your sliders too far in an HDR tone-
mapping application, or if you are heavy-handed with unsharp mask. I don't
want to try and say that this is aesthetically "wrong", but I think that the
reason why amateur photographers make this mistake is because they look at the
post-processed photo too long, and your eyes start to adapt to it. It helps to
look at real-world scenery occasionally, or known good photos, to remind
yourself what the real world (or good photos) looks like, while you are
editing photos. Not because realism is better, but to avoid unintentionally
extreme editing choices like this.

Mixing engineers have the same problem. If you listen to the same song too
much, you start to perceive it as normal, and you have to spend breaks
listening to other things.

~~~
NikolaNovak
Also - leave the photograph and come back to it hours or days later. You may
get the "what was I thinking" vibe and dial back the sliders :)

After doing that a few times, you'll start making better checks on yourself
during actual processing.

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mykowebhn
I really like the top photo of the substation. The composition works for me
and the muted colors draw me in. Something about the grittiness of this photo
feels post-apocalyptic. And I like how you cannot see the horizon, making this
jungle of concrete, brick, and metal seem to go on forever. I also like how
you can clearly read the "Greene Street Station" sign near the bottom. Great
photo!

~~~
klodolph
I'm surprised... I had the opposite reaction. The photo is so heavily mangled
by post-processing that it looks unnatural, and you can see weird halos around
all of the objects.

It looks unnatural, but in an synthetic, post-processed way, rather than a
reflection of the artificiality of the subject.

~~~
mykowebhn
Read your other comment and, thanks, I definitely learned something. I wasn't
able to see the halos until I zoomed in, but they are definitely there, and
yes it does make the photo seem mangled.

That said, I don't usually open blog posts and expect to be moved by a photo,
and this one certainly did and it seemed like someone put the effort to make
it a little more than ordinary. Whereas this photo moved me positively, it
seems to have done the opposite for you.

~~~
klodolph
If you're looking for other evidence of mangling...

Zoom out and squint. The photograph is nearly uniform gray, without light or
dark parts.

Look at the shapes. The cylindrical current-limiting reactors on the right
side look flat, but if you scroll down to see other pictures of them, they
don't look flat in the other pictures.

It's kind of like bad kerning, or JPEG artifacts. You might not mind them much
unless you know that they're there, and once you learn to recognize them it's
too late and you'll never not see them.

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davidscolgan
I love working in rooms that have complicated views out the window.
Cityscapes, forests, busy roads, or a giant power grid complex like this.
Coffee shops and coworking spaces are great for this when getting my own space
with a view is more complicated and expensive.

I'm currently sitting in my apartment that looks out into a wall and wondering
how I can figure out a better arrangement. I feel like especially when working
from home, the view really has an actual effect on my productivity.

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EvanAnderson
If you this blog you might also enjoy the book that the author published a few
years ago, "Infrastructure: A Guide to the Industrial Landscape"
([https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393349837](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393349837)).

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V-2
HN effect has kicked in already (?) - the link is down

~~~
EvanAnderson
Archive.is link: [http://archive.is/nQiJP](http://archive.is/nQiJP)

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ConfusedDog
Using Baltimore's CityView GIS
([http://cityview.baltimorecity.gov/CityView/](http://cityview.baltimorecity.gov/CityView/)),
the aerial photo 2004 looks slightly better than Google's version.
Unfortunately this GIS does not have any electric utility overlay feature.

I share the interest with the author. If I have free time, I'd map out the
infrastructures for fun. Good thing my town is small :-)

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TheSpiceIsLife
> I don’t know whether these switches can be opened when the system is under
> power or whether they are just used to isolate components for maintenance
> after a feeder has been shut down.

That reminds me of one of my all time favourite YouTube videos of a high
voltage switch being opened.

[https://youtu.be/5AwESp8zbcs](https://youtu.be/5AwESp8zbcs)

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tpaschalis
I'm getting an empty page, no text, no images.

    
    
        Not Found
        
        The page you requested cannot be found. Perhaps searching will help.

