2024 12 23
While at a holiday party a few nights back, the subject of Ai came up and sent me off into a dark headspace. My animator/editor friend had just seen some new examples of Googleâs Ai video capabilities and it sent her spiraling into doom, declaring her job was now dead and gone. Sadly, I largely agree with her, tho of course itâs more complicated and wonât happen overnight. Iâve been largely ignoring (avoiding) checking in on Ai advancements over the last six months because I know it will only bum me out, and Iâve been too busy anyway, thus had been feeling more optimistic about the state of our creative industry. That moment at the party was like pouring cold water over my head.
This morning, I awoke to a post showcasing a fully-Ai-generated short film (see below). All of the sound, music and editing was done by a human but the visuals are fairly impressive, considering they were made by typing commands into a computer (Iâd love to know how much time he spent repeating commands over and over before throwing his computer out the window). Surely, this will only get much better in the coming months. That said, Iâm still not fully convinced Ai will ever become so good that it replaces all human-made visuals. Art is in the choices, and outsourcing a majority of your decisions to a computer will dilute your art and/or take lots of time to perfect, thus minimizing the advantage it provides in the first place. Also, while impressive for what it is, the film is kind of shit.
The sun setting on my photographic career. St Germain, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
While at a holiday party a few nights back, the subject of Ai came up and sent me off into a dark headspace. My animator/editor friend had just seen some new examples of Googleâs Ai video capabilities and it sent her spiraling into doom, declaring her job was now dead and gone. Sadly, I largely agree with her, tho of course itâs more complicated and wonât happen overnight. Iâve been largely ignoring (avoiding) checking in on Ai advancements over the last six months because I know it will only bum me out, and Iâve been too busy anyway, thus had been feeling more optimistic about the state of our creative industry. That moment at the party was like pouring cold water over my head.
This morning, I awoke to a post showcasing a fully-Ai-generated short film (see below). All of the sound, music and editing was done by a human but the visuals are fairly impressive, considering they were made by typing commands into a computer (Iâd love to know how much time he spent repeating commands over and over before throwing his computer out the window). Surely, this will only get much better in the coming months. That said, Iâm still not fully convinced Ai will ever become so good that it replaces all human-made visuals. Art is in the choices, and outsourcing a majority of your decisions to a computer will dilute your art and/or take lots of time to perfect, thus minimizing the advantage it provides in the first place. Also, while impressive for what it is, the film is kind of shit.
Last week, I hosted a Filmmaker Fridays event at my studio and the topic was film festivals. Two panelists were invited to talk about their roles in choosing which films are accepted to the festivals they work for. My broad takeaway from the event was that there is such a robust and enthusiastic demand for filmmaking generally, that I canât even imagine a world in which the art form is completely outsourced to automation, regardless of how profitable it may become to do so (Iâm not convinced this will be the case, either!). That said, Ai will surely transform the industry in ways comparable or even greater than the recent mega-change from film to digital. That change ushered in an explosion of new participants (myself included) and content is now so plentiful itâs impossible to watch even a small percentage of what is made annually. Sundance supposedly sees fourteen-thousand submissions each year, of which they likely donât even view many of the entrantsâ films because thereâs just not enough time to do so.
At the event, I ran into the younger brother of a friend who I hadnât seen in over a decade. He mentioned that he wrapped a feature horror film which he made for $3,000 and premiered to a sold-out audience at The Music Box. Check out the trailer below. Itâs laughable how much better it is when compared to the Ai-made video above.
None of us have any clue whatâs next. Nuclear war or impending alien invasion may soon make all of this a moot subject. While I will surely still go through periods of depression about how my job is about to be replaced by robots, Iâm choosing to largely disregard these dark proclamations and barrel ahead with a positive mental attitude and the understanding that things will change, perhaps quite dramatically, but the world has a need to remain more or less in balance in order for anything to get accomplished.
-Clayton
2024 12 15
The internet is many things these days, however, it is still a remarkable place to discover new work that you really connect with. Yesterday, through a photography youtube video, I was made aware of Terra Fondriestâs Ozark Life project and really fell in love with it. Filled with such beautiful human moments, itâs a realy special project that fuels my enthusiasm for both photography and life, generally. Being a city boy myself, itâs nice to get such an intimate glimpse into other peoplesâ realities and quality photo essays such as this one are perhaps the best way to communicate other perspectives.
Also, a quick update to yestetdayâs entry (see: 2024 12 14): After posting I was delivered a plate of food, so that comment turned out to be inaccurate. Also, while I did no meet a cat that night, I did run into a buddy and we discussed our cats for a few minutes, so Iâll count it. Then, we ended up at Warlord where I was able to consume one of Chicagoâs best burgers. Iâll count the night as a prophecy granted. Perhaps today I can find a bucket of no-strings-attached money.
-Clayton
Is that tree stump smiling at me? St Germain, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
The internet is many things these days, however, it is still a remarkable place to discover new work that you really connect with. Yesterday, through a photography youtube video, I was made aware of Terra Fondriestâs Ozark Life project and really fell in love with it. Filled with such beautiful human moments, itâs a really special project that fuels my enthusiasm for both photography and life generally. Being a city boy myself, itâs nice to get such an intimate glimpse into other peoplesâ realities. Quality photo essays, such as this one, are perhaps the best way to communicate other perspectives and a huge part of why Iâm so obsessed with photography.
Also, a quick update to yestetdayâs entry (see: 2024 12 14): After posting, I was delivered a plate of food, so that comment turned out to be inaccurate. Also, while I did not meet a cat that night, I did run into a buddy and we discussed our cats for a few minutes, so it sort of qualifies. Then, we ended up at Warlord where I was able to consume one of Chicagoâs best burgers. Iâll count the night as a prophecy granted. Perhaps today I can find a bucket of no-strings-attached money.
-Clayton
2024 12 13
The drones / UFOs over New Jersey situation is really something. I always suspected that weâd eventually see some kind of UFO / Space Invaders story in my lifetime and it would be an International News Sensation. I never suspected that weâd get nonstop continual UFO stories each and every day and almost zero people would bring it up in real-world conversation. As someone who loves a good internet conspiracy, I want this one to be based in truth. It probably is, but itâs probably not in the way my fantastical brain wishes it to be.
One minor piece of evidence is this image.
Iâve done long exposure night images once a year while up in the Northwoods or Wisconsin and the takeaway Iâve had over the last five-or-so of them is that the sky is filled with shit. Satellites appear in almost every image now. Whatever is flying over NJ these days are not satellites, however, they could be any number of things that are far less interesting than alien beings. My money is on murky government experimenting. Ho hum.
-Clayton
The night sky is full of mystery. St Germain, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
The drones / UFOs over New Jersey situation is really something. I always suspected that weâd eventually see some kind of UFO / Space Invaders story in my lifetime and it would be an International News Sensation. I never suspected that weâd get nonstop continual UFO stories each and every day and almost zero people would bring it up in real-world conversation. As someone who loves a good internet conspiracy, I want this one to be based in truth. It probably is, but itâs probably not in the way my fantastical brain wishes it to be.
One minor piece of evidence is this image.
Iâve done long exposure night images once a year while up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and the takeaway Iâve had over the last five-or-so of them is that the sky is filled with shit. Satellites appear in almost every image now. Whatever is flying over NJ these days are not satellites, however, they could be any number of things that are far less interesting than alien beings. My money is on murky government experimenting. Ho hum.
-Clayton
2024 12 07
Yesterday, while walking to work early in the morning, I was noticing things I hadnât noticed before. This was, I think, because the early-morning light was different from what I normally encounter. It got me thinking about how even myself, who I consider an extremely observant person, will experience things quite differently depending on the details of the moment. The weather, the lighting conditions, your mood, current events and politics, any people around you, these things will all affect your perspective and potentially change it quite dramatically.
Anyway, the reason I didnât post yesterday is because I was at the holiday market (which I organized) the entire day and am still exhausted the following morning even after sleeping nine hours. Iâm not sure what it is about hosting events. They can destroy me mentally and physically, yet I somehow enjoy the abuse and each time only want to come back bigger and better on the next one. Eventually, one of them will break me and Iâll move on to knitting or something a bit more casual. Or maybe photography?
-Clayton
Rainy Brewers stadium. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. August, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
Yesterday, while walking to work early in the morning, I was noticing things I hadnât noticed before. This was, I think, because the early-morning light was different from what I normally encounter. It got me thinking about how even myself, who I consider an extremely observant person, will experience things quite differently depending on the details of the moment. The weather, the lighting conditions, your mood, current events and politics, any people around you, these things will all affect your perspective and potentially change it quite dramatically.
Anyway, the reason I didnât post yesterday is because I was at the holiday market (which I organized) the entire day and am still exhausted the following morning even after sleeping nine hours. Iâm not sure what it is about hosting events. They can destroy me mentally and physically, yet I somehow enjoy the abuse and each time only want to come back bigger and better on the next one. Eventually, one of them will break me and Iâll move on to knitting or something a bit more casual. Or maybe photography?
-Clayton
2024 11 22
Yesterday, I had too many of these bad boys (cocktails) in what was the final night of a wild stretch of eight straight days of working every waking hour. Three big events and five days full of portrait sessions. Today, I enjoyed sleeping in while mending my hangover. I actually attempted to get a post up last night but fell asleep with the laptop in my arms. Yeah, I think itâs time I give myself some well-needed rest. Hopefully part of that rest will be to get a bit more focus into this here blog. Itâs not work if you love doing it, right??!
-Clayton
Blurry cocktail at Bryantâs. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
Yesterday, I had too many of these bad boys (cocktails) in what was the final night of a wild stretch of eight straight days of working every waking hour. Three big events and five days full of portrait sessions. Today, I enjoyed sleeping in while mending my hangover. I actually attempted to get a post up last night but fell asleep with the laptop in my arms. Yeah, I think itâs time I give myself some well-needed rest. Hopefully part of that rest will be to get a bit more focus into this here blog. Itâs not work if you love doing it, right??!
-Clayton
2024 11 20
Dearest blog, I remain busy. Too busy to spend time with you. I wake, walk to the studio, make photos, edit photos, think about photos, invoice for photos, plan future events, then walk home, eat supper, and sleep. This has been my life the past five days. Tomorrow, there are no more new photos, so I will begin to catch up on other stuff and spend more time with you, dear blog.
-Clayton
Fellow photographer Carlos Javier Ortiz, out working. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
Dearest blog, I remain busy. Too busy to spend time with you. I wake, walk to the studio, make photos, edit photos, think about photos, invoice for photos, plan future events, then walk home, eat supper, and sleep. This has been my life the past five days. Tomorrow, there are no more new photos, so I will begin to catch up on other stuff and spend more time with you, dear blog.
-Clayton
2024 11 15
This might be the best terrible photo Iâve ever made. Itâs Saturn, as seen through a telescope up in Wisconsinâs Northwoods during our summer cabin getaway.
Can you imagine what it mustâve felt like for the first humans to witness this planet, once telescope technology got good enough to see it with the naked eye?! Sure, it looks like shit as seen in this image. Thatâs not the point. We all know what Saturn looks like in all its magical beauty, through closeup images made via probes, and space telescopes, and NASA image editing, but Iâll tell you what, seeing this with your naked eye is quite a sight. It legitimately changed my perspective on our universe. As you peer into an eyepiece and catch a glimpse of this planet, which in our reality is very very far away, you start to think maybe itâs not actually that far away. Maybe we are part of something bigger. Maybe we will one day be able to easily venture out into our solar system and beyond. The miracles that await us, out there, we can only imagine.
-Clayton
Itâs Saturn! âŠas seen from St Germain, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
This might be the best terrible photo Iâve ever made. Itâs Saturn, as seen through a telescope up in Wisconsinâs Northwoods during our summer cabin getaway.
Can you imagine what it mustâve felt like for the first humans to witness this planet, once telescope technology got good enough to see it with the naked eye?! Sure, it looks like shit as seen in this image. Thatâs not the point. We all know what Saturn looks like in all its magical beauty, through closeup images made via probes, and space telescopes, and NASA image editing, but Iâll tell you what, seeing this with your naked eye is quite a sight. It legitimately changed my perspective on our universe. As you peer into an eyepiece and catch a glimpse of this planet, which in our reality is very very far away, you start to think maybe itâs not actually that far away. Maybe we are part of something bigger. Maybe we will one day be able to easily venture out into our solar system and beyond. The miracles that await us, out there, we can only imagine.
-Clayton
2024 11 14
This is how I feel lately. Doing too much, canât catch up, feeling like not much makes sense. I am, however, excited for a five-day run of studio portrait dates Iâll be setting up starting tomorrow night. Oh yeah, had a big post about that in the works too. Perhaps I will finally get it posted.
-Clayton
Self portrait. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
This is how I feel lately. Doing too much, canât catch up, feeling like not much makes sense. I am, however, excited for a five-day run of studio portrait dates Iâll be setting up starting tomorrow night. Thereâs a new petzval lens heading my way that Iâll be attempting to work into the process, as well. Oh yeah, thereâs also a big post about that in the works too. Perhaps I will finally get it posted.
-Clayton
2024 11 12
Self-promotional post today, because itâs going to be a fun one and you should totally be there! Iâm hosting an event in my studio space next Thursday for the release of Crust Fund Pizzaâs new pizza cookbook, Super Pizza World! Tickets are $75 but that also gets you a copy of the book (which is awesome and I have some writing in there myself!), along with a bunch of food and drinks. Plus, all the money collected is going to benefit a nonprofit organization in the building, Chicago Mobile Makers. As of writing this, there are about ten tickets remaining, so if this sounds fun, click this link asap for more info and to snag a spot!
-Clayton
Sipping a tasty Wisconsin Old Fashioned in summer. St Germain, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
Self-promotional post today, because itâs going to be a fun one and you should totally be there! Iâm hosting an event in my studio space next Thursday for the release of Crust Fund Pizzaâs new pizza cookbook, Super Pizza World! Tickets are $75 but that also gets you a copy of the book (which is awesome and I have some writing in there myself!), along with a bunch of food and drinks. Plus, all the money collected is going to benefit a nonprofit organization in the building, Chicago Mobile Makers. As of writing this, there are about ten tickets remaining, so if this sounds fun, click this link asap for more info and to snag a spot!
-Clayton
2024 11 05
Itâs election day. Please make sure you vote! I wonât get into the politics beyond this, aside to say this will be a historic day in American history, regardless the outcome.
Be safe, be kind, and good luck to all.
-Clayton
Trump fan on the roll during the RNC in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
Itâs election day. Please make sure you vote! While far from a perfect candidate, I think Kamala is the clear choice for the top job. I wonât get into the politics beyond this, aside to say this will be a historic day in American, regardless the outcome.
Be safe, be kind, and good luck to all.
-Clayton
2024 11 02
The other day, I asked a friend if she wanted to get involved in one of my endless list of side projects. She politely declined by saying she was âunderwaterâ. This caused me to realize Iâve been fully submerged myself for three years now, like a fish swimming around towards whatever task it deems most important or most interesting any given day or moment. Iâm starting to wonder how sustainable this approach to life is!
That said, the last three years of my life have been perhaps the best (recency bias may play a factor, sure, but this is an honest assessment!) as Iâve gotten married, explored a ton of new things, built out my studio which Iâm incredible proud of, made endless new contacts, focused more on my creative outlets (was just out working on a personal project yesterday), ditched a bunch of less-healthy distractions (stock market, politics and geopolitics, largely), and a bunch more Iâm probably not thinking of. On top of all this, however, the last few years have also easily been the most stressful of my adult life from a financial perspective. I often wonder if these two divergent trends are related (I think they are, to an extent) and how my happiness might be affected if I was rolling in cash (happiness is over-rated but money is even more so, imo!).
Anyway.
These are some thoughts I should further explore in writing in the months ahead. Today, I attempt to swim to the surface to catch a view of things.
-Clayton
Staying aflot to catch some lunch. St Germain, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
The other day, I asked a friend if she wanted to get involved in one of my endless list of side projects. She politely declined by saying she was âunderwaterâ. This caused me to realize Iâve been fully submerged myself for three years now, like a fish swimming around towards whatever task it deems most important or most interesting any given day or moment. Iâm starting to wonder how sustainable this approach to life is!
That said, the last three years of my life have been perhaps the best (recency bias may play a factor, sure, but this is an honest assessment!) as Iâve gotten married, explored a ton of new things, built out my studio which Iâm incredible proud of, made endless new contacts, focused more on my creative outlets (was just out working on a personal project yesterday), ditched a bunch of less-healthy distractions (stock market, politics and geopolitics, largely), and a bunch more Iâm probably not thinking of. On top of all this, however, the last few years have also easily been the most stressful of my adult life from a financial perspective. I often wonder if these two divergent trends are related (I think they are, to an extent) and how my happiness might be affected if I was rolling in cash (happiness is over-rated but money is even more so, imo!).
Anyway.
These are some thoughts I should further explore in writing in the months ahead. Today, I attempt to swim to the surface to catch a view of things.
-Clayton
2024 10 28
Recently I stumbled upon a tweet that really resonated with me. Someone had posted some clips of basketball games in Europe, with wildly enthusiastic fans, loud chanting, dancing, yelling, etc. The poster was wondering why NBA games in the US have nowhere near the same level of enthusiasm. Youâd think that the worldâs premiere league, in the country basketball was invented, being played by the worldâs best players, would inspire fans to raise their level of enthusiasm to match. Brilliantly, someone responded with the most eloquently-simple reply that completely summed up the sole reason crowds in the US are often tame: a screen shot of ticket prices for an NBA game; each seat costing hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
Back in 2016, I was fortunate enough to be a dedicated Cubs fan. That season, I attended a few dozen games at Wrigley Field (including game five!) and the atmosphere was usually incredible. Of course, the Cubs went on to win the World Series to conclude their storybook season. I recall a few days after they beat Cleveland, while coming off a massive life hangover with Trump winning the election to become president, I had a realization that really cheered me up. The Cubs roster was young and all of the contracts had many years remaining on them. The idea that the Cubs might be a new baseball dynasty, providing me with entertaining ball for years to come, really cheered me up.
As it played out, the Cubs did not maintain their level of excellence and the team ownership pulled their games from television (unless you subscribed to their own service), so I was no longer even able to watch games. I havenât been much of a Cubs fan since then, but I bring all of this up because perhaps the even bigger reason I lost interest in maintaining my fandom was that going to games was no longer fun! After the team won their first Series in a century, the tickets become hot. Everyone wanted to hang out at Wrigley to watch the lovable no-longer-losers. As a result, ticket prices went way up. Ownership was thrilled and making tons of money, surely. Vast sections of the stadium, once open to anyone, got roped off and turned into special-access sections at elevated prices. All of this change severely rubbed off on the vibe inside the stadium. You could clearly feel it, if you were paying attention, as many people filling the seats no longer were. The wild enthusiasm from the previous season was severely muted and the team struggled to win games.
This idea that expensive things are obviously better is something that I have rejected, thankfully, my entire life. In fact, expensive things are often far worse than whatever you can grab in the discount bin. While my concept of how and why money ruins things is still quite vague and undefined, I do think it goes a long way in explaining why this country, specifically, is going through some shit right now (to put it lightly). Too many people have far too much money. And this is not to say I think socialism is the answer, because I donât. But clearly you canât buy taste and right now weâve got thousands of people out there thinking their money can buy whatever influence they want it to without realizing it doesnât quite work like that.
-Clayton
Busted car, creative decoration. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
Recently I stumbled upon a tweet that really resonated with me. Someone had posted some clips of basketball games in Europe, with wildly enthusiastic fans, loud chanting, dancing, yelling, etc. The poster was wondering why NBA games in the US have nowhere near the same level of enthusiasm. Youâd think that the worldâs premiere league, in the country basketball was invented, being played by the worldâs best players, would inspire fans to raise their level of enthusiasm to match. Brilliantly, someone responded with the most eloquently-simple reply that completely summed up the sole reason crowds in the US are often tame: a screen shot of ticket prices for an NBA game; each seat costing hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
Back in 2016, I was fortunate enough to be a dedicated Cubs fan. That season, I attended a few dozen games at Wrigley Field (including the game five!) and the atmosphere was usually incredible. Of course, the Cubs went on to win the World Series to conclude their storybook season. I recall a few days after they beat Cleveland, while coming off a massive life hangover with Trump winning the election to become president, I had a realization that really cheered me up. The Cubs roster was young and all of the contracts had many years remaining on them. The idea that the Cubs might be a new baseball dynasty, providing me with entertaining ball for years to come, really cheered me up.
As it played out, the Cubs did not maintain their level of excellence and the team ownership pulled their games from television (unless you subscribed to their own service), so I was no longer even able to watch games. I havenât been much of a Cubs fan since then, but I bring all of this up because perhaps the even bigger reason I lost interest in maintaining my fandom was that going to games was no longer fun! After the team won their first Series in a century, the tickets become hot. Everyone wanted to hang out at Wrigley to watch the lovable no-longer-losers. As a result, ticket prices went way up. Ownership was thrilled and making tons of money, surely. Vast sections of the stadium, once open to anyone, got roped off and turned into special-access sections at elevated prices. All of this change severely rubbed off on the vibe inside the stadium. You could clearly feel it, if you were paying attention, as many people filling the seats no longer were. The wild enthusiasm from the previous season was severely muted and the team struggled to win games.
This idea that expensive things are obviously better is something that I have rejected, thankfully, my entire life. In fact, expensive things are often far worse than whatever you can grab in the discount bin. While my concept of how and why money ruins things is still quite vague and undefined, I do think it goes a long way in explaining why this country, specifically, is going through some shit right now (to put it lightly). Too many people have far too much money. And this is not to say I think socialism is the answer, because I donât. But clearly you canât buy taste and right now weâve got thousands of people out there thinking their money can buy whatever influence they want it to without realizing it doesnât quite work like that.
So many of us are clinging to our cash, willing to overlook whatever traces of morals we have left after decades of excess, in a desperate attempt to continue to attend bland sporting events.
-Clayton
2024 10 25
Todayâs picture comes from the future! This is because I posted it the day after I was supposed to. Donât tell anyone.
Depending on how you look at it, though, it was actually early. People seeing this post from a far-away galaxy wonât have access for it for perhaps millions of years.
My audience is huge on Planet Clayborg in the Zxx3 system.
-Clayton
Star-filled night sky over St Germain, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
Todayâs picture comes from the future! This is because I posted it the day after I was supposed to. Donât tell anyone.
Depending on how you look at it, though, it was actually early. People seeing this post from a far-away galaxy wonât have access for it for perhaps millions of years.
My audience is huge on Planet Clayborg in the Zxx3 system.
-Clayton
2024 10 13
Off day today. That said, I woke up early and watched the worldâs largest rocket launch and then immediately land back on the tower it launched from. Space X is truly game-changing technology and, I think, far less appreciated (for better or for worse) than it should be. The things they are now making routine will change the world in ways we canât yet imagine, far beyond simply putting things into space or going to Mars.
-Clayton
Chilling on the lake. St Germain, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
Off day today. That said, I woke up early and watched the worldâs largest rocket launch and then immediately land back on the tower it launched from. Space X is truly game-changing technology and, I think, far less appreciated (for better or for worse) than it should be. The things they are now making routine will change the world in ways we canât yet imagine, far beyond simply putting things into space or going to Mars.
-Clayton
2024 10 09
This morning, I was reading the newsletter of one of my favorite photographers, delivered conveniently to my inbox, and the last line hit me as being very nice. Spoiler alert, the line is this: Maybe the real adventure isn't in escaping to breathtaking vistas, but in finding wonder in the places everyone else is trying to leave behind.
I love the sentiment. Maybe one day I will deliver profound insights directly to your inbox. Until then, you have to come to this here blog to find whatever it is Iâm putting down.
Oh yeah, you can find Noahâs newsletter here.
-Clayton
Artist's rendering of what photographer Noah Kalina might look like. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
This morning, I was reading the newsletter of one of my favorite photographers, delivered conveniently to my inbox, and the last line hit me as being very nice. Spoiler alert, the line is this: Maybe the real adventure isn't in escaping to breathtaking vistas, but in finding wonder in the places everyone else is trying to leave behind.
Being a midwest boy for life, I love the sentiment. Maybe one day I will deliver profound insights directly to your inbox. Until then, you have to come to this here blog to find whatever it is Iâm putting down.
Oh yeah, you can find Noahâs newsletter here.
-Clayton
2024 10 07
The clock just struck midnight and I havenât posted yet today (yesterday). Been a busy boy, still.
Itâs been a minute since Iâve posted a Busted Carâąïž and this might be my favorite one yet! This was photographed while briefly in downtown Milwaukee on our way home from vacation in the Northwoods. The RNC was happening and this is probably the best photo I made in the few hours we spent in the hellscape that it was.
On a semi-related note, I canât believe the election is right around the corner. Fuck.
-Clayton
Another busted car. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
The clock just struck midnight and I havenât posted yet today (yesterday). Been a busy boy, still.
Itâs been a minute since Iâve posted a Busted Carâąïž and this might be my favorite one yet! This was photographed while briefly in downtown Milwaukee on our way home from vacation in the Northwoods. The RNC was happening and this is probably the best photo I made in the few hours we spent in the hellscape that it was.
On a semi-related note, I canât believe the election is right around the corner. Fuck.
-Clayton
2024 10 06
The recent flooding caused from Hurricane Helene was obviously disastrous. One depressing observation Iâve had since then is the discourse on social media. A large number of people (and/or bots, influencer accounts, foreign hostile disinformation campaigns, conspiracy theorists, etc, etc) have been commenting about how the government has been either actively involved in âcontrollingâ the weather or delaying the response, for any number of reasons.
My current thinking is that I need to finally rid myself of the twitter app, as it seems to be actively working to increase tensions ahead of the election. The videos being fed to me are wild, terrifying, grim, and hard to turn away from. All this to say, the video below popped into my youtube feed while editing images tonight and, while also intense, was a rather authentic representation of what it was like to live through the current disaster from a first person perspective. It was definitely eye opening in a number of ways.
If you are curious about what went down but want to avoid the extreme social media spin takes, the video below is worth your time.
-Clayton
Water. It is you, yet it will kill you every chance it gets. St Germain, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
The recent flooding caused from Hurricane Helene was obviously disastrous. One depressing observation Iâve had since then is the discourse on social media. A large number of people (and/or bots, influencer accounts, foreign hostile disinformation campaigns, conspiracy theorists, etc, etc) have been commenting about how the government has been either actively involved in âcontrollingâ the weather or delaying the response, for any number of reasons.
My current thinking is that I need to finally rid myself of the twitter app, as it seems to be actively working to increase tensions ahead of the election. The videos being fed to me are wild, terrifying, grim, and hard to turn away from. All this to say, the video below popped into my youtube feed while editing images tonight and, while also intense, was a rather authentic representation of what it was like to live through the current disaster from a first person perspective. It was definitely eye opening in a number of ways.
If you are curious about what went down but want to avoid the extreme social media spin takes, the video below is worth your time.
-Clayton
2024 10 05
I started writing this after hearing Jon Stewartâs interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates and continued writing it this morning while listening to a This American Lifeâs episode from firsthand accounts of the kidnappings in Israel/Gaza, along with seeing this tweet about a possible impending strike or invasion of Iran happening right now.
I wonât claim to have any answers or point any fingers. I am merely trying to better understand, which, if I did have any ideas on what to do, it would be this (while acknowledging that mass-understanding is a remarkably hard, if not impossible, task).
Ta-Nehisi Coates said something on Jon Stewart that really stuck with me. On his recent trip to Lebanon, he was struck by the simple act of hearing, from Palestinians, what their issues are. Itâs a common-sense idea that usually goes ignored. Hearing, and understanding, the perspective of the other side. Once you realize they are also humans with similar thoughts and concerns as yourself, it becomes quite hard to justify the endless bombing campaign being made against them.
Tit for tat forever.
The conflicts in the Middle East are vastly complicated to the point they have become a cliche. Personally, Iâve been critical of Israelâs handling of their response to the brutal invasion of their territory, in large part because I have been to Lebanon and talked with Palestinians myself. They were sane, and logical, and passionate. One guy, roughly my age, told me he would never in his lifetime be okay with Israel⊠existing. Then we went and casually grabbed beers at a bar (where he also described horrific events that happened during the previous war). These extreme thoughts and ideas are commonplace on both sides because of the decades of back-and-forth violence and escalation.
Once you see this perspective firsthand, you realize the price that will need to be paid in order for one side to get their way, and it quickly becomes untenable. Surely, diplomacy is the only possible solution, and for that you need give, not just take.
This is all to say, I also think Israel has been right and justified to an extent. Both sides are guilty of horrible behavior and both sides have been victims of it as well. When you are the clearly dominant force, as is Israel and the United States in most conflicts to have taken place in our lifetime, if you act as the bully you should expect the bruise to your reputation. What worries me most about this conflict, which gets largely ignored, is that itâs not as one-sided as most people realize. Iran is an active participant. That is where things can snowball, quickly. That is where I now fear Israel sees an âopportunityâ to act, now, swiftly and dramatically, in order to cease the moment, regardless the consequences.
Weâll eventually reach a tipping point and opinions will change. Possibly after millions of people are dead â but letâs pray it doesnât come to that. Itâs ironic that religion is so much at the core of these issues because praying is really the only option for most of us looking on in horror at what is now playing out. Praying, and hopefully, despite the darkness, a bit of understanding.
-Clayton
Money: the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems! St Germain, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
I started writing this after hearing Jon Stewartâs interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates and continued writing it this morning while listening to a This American Lifeâs episode from firsthand accounts of the kidnappings in Israel/Gaza, along with seeing this tweet about a possible impending strike or invasion of Iran happening right now.
I wonât claim to have any answers or point any fingers. I am merely trying to better understand, which, if I did have any ideas on what to do, it would be this (while acknowledging that mass-understanding is a remarkably hard, if not impossible, task).
Ta-Nehisi Coates said something on Jon Stewart that really stuck with me. On his recent trip to Lebanon, he was struck by the simple act of hearing, from Palestinians, what their issues are. Itâs a common-sense idea that usually goes ignored. Hearing, and understanding, the perspective of the other side. Once you realize they are also humans with similar thoughts and concerns as yourself, it becomes quite hard to justify the endless bombing campaign being made against them.
Tit for tat forever.
The conflicts in the Middle East are vastly complicated to the point they have become a cliche. Personally, Iâve been critical of Israelâs handling of their response to the brutal invasion of their territory, in large part because I have been to Lebanon and talked with Palestinians myself. They were sane, and logical, and passionate. One guy, roughly my age, told me he would never in his lifetime be okay with Israel⊠existing. Then we went and casually grabbed beers at a bar (where he also described horrific events that happened during the previous war). These extreme thoughts and ideas are commonplace on both sides because of the decades of back-and-forth violence and escalation.
Once you see this perspective firsthand, you realize the price that will need to be paid in order for one side to get their way, and it quickly becomes untenable. Surely, diplomacy is the only possible solution, and for that you need give, not just take.
This is all to say, I also think Israel has been right and justified to an extent. Both sides are guilty of horrible behavior and both sides have been victims of it as well. When you are the clearly dominant force, as is Israel and the United States in most conflicts to have taken place in our lifetime, if you act as the bully you should expect the bruise to your reputation. What worries me most about this conflict, which gets largely ignored, is that itâs not as one-sided as most people realize. Iran is an active participant. That is where things can snowball, quickly. That is where I now fear Israel sees an âopportunityâ to act, now, swiftly and dramatically, in order to cease the moment, regardless the consequences.
Weâll eventually reach a tipping point and opinions will change. Possibly after millions of people are dead â but letâs pray it doesnât come to that. Itâs ironic that religion is so much at the core of these issues because praying is really the only option for most of us looking on in horror at what is now playing out. Praying, and hopefully, despite the darkness, a bit of understanding.
-Clayton
2024 10 04
95 50 (random) Opinions:
roller coasters are fun
pizza is delicious
tacos are delicious and equally as good as pizza
trains are severely underrated in the US
Europe, while great, is an overrated American tourist travel destination
Rome is much better than Florence
cats are better than dogs, but the best dogs are better than average cats
photography is amazing, however, steadily losing its edge
if I dedicated my entire life to being a musician, I could probably make it work
being very poor and being very rich can give people similar carefree mindsets, while being middle class can be a constant hassle
My half-drank Wisconsin Old Fashioned at Blink Bonnie, the best supper club in all the land. St Germain, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
95 50 (random) Opinions:
roller coasters are fun
pizza is delicious
tacos are delicious and equally as good as pizza
trains are severely underrated in the US
Europe, while great, is an overrated American tourist travel destination
Rome is much better than Florence
cats are better than dogs, but the best dogs are better than average cats
photography is amazing, however, steadily losing its edge
if I dedicated my entire life to being a musician, I could probably make it work
being very poor and being very rich can give people similar carefree mindsets, while being middle class can be a constant hassle
my opinions are getting longer as I go
simple is usually better
Mexico is a massively underrated country
Japan is easily one of the best countries
Pittsburgh is one of the best cities in America
bitcoin is fascinating, while polarizing, no matter what the origin actually is
Ai will change the world, but more so in the less obvious ways that currently worry us
nuclear power should be far more utilized by modern society
nuclear fusion power generation will eventually be figured out and either solve all worldâs big problems or create a human-induced hellscape
the sun is amazing. like, how does that even happen?!
the fact that the sun is one of trillions of other suns doesnât make any sense
this very well could be some kind of simulation
god, which ever one you believe in, likely isnât a thing, but surely something god-like exists, beyond our comprehension
the best US state is probably California
Texas is good, but Iâd never want to live there
the best city in Texas is Houston, actually maybe itâs Austin?
Chicago is leagues better than Houston
San Antonio is an underrated city
Austin is an overrated city
professional sports leagues have lost some of their charms as theyâve become such big business
baseball is the best sport, but far from the most entertaining one
books are better than movies but movies are far more accessible
shows are really just long ass movies
one fun thing to do in a city you are visiting is take the train to the last stop and get off
opinions are like, your opinion, man
The Big Lebowski is not the Coen Brothersâ best film, but it is great
Barton Fink is the Coen Brothersâ best film
There Will Be Blood is probably my favorite film
acting, as a job, is a crazy job
rivers are neat
massive solar flare is a natural disaster that worries me, probably because I live in Chicago and donât have to worry about the obvious ones
Chicago is an underrated city
rivers are better than lakes
the US relies far too heavily on cars and trucks and should better utilize our waterways
China is a fascinating place
Russia is a fascinating place
both China and Russia will look far different than they do now in a few decades in ways we probably canât predict
history is written by the winners
school is overrated but also very important for a functioning society
Jet Lag the game on youtube is one of my favorite shows and I wish I came up with the idea and did it myself
-Clayton
2024 10 03
One weird abstract thought I often revisit is the sheer amount of events happening all over our solar system at any given moment. Like a tree falling in the woods with nobody around to see it, there are so many epic and amazing things happening right now, as you read this, that nobody will ever know about. Massive storms on Jupiter bigger than our entire planet; rocks colliding into other rocks at speeds we can only imagine; long-scrapped human-made exploration devices so remote and lonely, existing in a void without any planet nearby to give them a sense of belonging. And all of this just within our own home system, which, while relatively close, still remains largely a mystery to us due to the remarkable size and distance.
Once you start to view the Milky Way in the sky and get a better sense of the scale we exist in, things quickly get impossible to comprehend. Then, when you consider our galaxy system is one of billions of other galaxy systems, each comprised of billions of stars and likely trillions of planets, itâs no wonder we mere humans have a countless number of Gods we call on to meekely attempt to make some sense of the whole thing.
-Clayton
Brian setting up his telescope. St Germain, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
One weird abstract thought I often revisit is the sheer amount of events happening all over our solar system at any given moment. Like a tree falling in the woods with nobody around to see it, there are so many epic and amazing things happening right now, as you read this, that nobody will ever know about. Massive storms on Jupiter bigger than our entire planet; rocks colliding into other rocks at speeds we can only imagine; long-scrapped human-made exploration devices so remote and lonely, existing in a void without any planet nearby to give them a sense of belonging. And all of this just within our own home system, which, while relatively close, still remains largely a mystery to us due to the remarkable size and distance.
Once you start to view the Milky Way in the sky and get a better sense of the scale we exist in, things quickly get impossible to comprehend. Then, when you consider our galaxy system is one of billions of other galaxy systems, each comprised of billions of stars and likely trillions of planets, itâs no wonder we mere humans have a countless number of Gods we call on to meekely attempt to make some sense of the whole thing.
-Clayton