Photo of the Week

This is the Philip Glass Ensemble at Koerner Hall in Toronto last night. It was an excellent concert and I especially enjoyed hearing the suite of pieces from Glassworks. My view was restricted by the heads of the people in front of me so I couldn't get the two musicians on the far right of the stage in the frame. 

The Philip Glass Ensemble at Koerner Hall

Saturday Sounds - Relisten and Ratdog

Today's musical treat isn't an album or a concert but instead an app: Relisten. 

I have been a fan and a user of the Internet Archive's Live Music Archive for many years. I have downloaded gigabytes of music from the Grateful Dead, Phish, and many other bands. But trying to find a specific show or band is painful. It's not quite like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but it comes close.

Relisten solves that problem. It's a front end to the live music archive and gives you easy browsable and searchable access live music recordings from more than 4,300 artists. You can easily filter by popularity (a list of a few hundred artists), date, or venue, keep a list of favourite songs or performance, and download to your device. There are three verions: a web interface and Android and IOS apps. And it's free and open source.

Note that Relisten doesn't share information between platforms so if you have favourites in your app list, they won't show up in the web version. 

Major failing: The web interface is pretty basic and doesn't seem to offer all the features of the apps. For example, I can't switch from the Featured to All Artists views and I can't find a way to save or view favourites, and there's no searching. 

I found about Relisten from The Intelligence's Cool Tools newsletter. There doesn't seem to be an archive of back issues so I can't share the original newsletter article. If anyone knows how, please leave the info in a comment and I'll update this. 

Relisten is a great way to follow current bands that allow taping and an even better way to delve into a lot of musical history.

Since my Saturday posts usually feature some music, here's a concert from Ratdog at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York on March 2, 2014. It's a soundboard recording and features the great Steve Kimock on lead guitar. 

Spielberg's Disclosure Day Disappoints

On Sunday, Nancy and I drove over to Whitby to see Disclosure Day at the IMAX theatre. Even though we could walk up to the local Crappyplex, seeing big movies on the biggest screen available has become our preference. 

Based on the initial reviews, I was looking forward to seeing Spielberg's latest epic, but it didn't live up to my hopes. It was good, but not great. I enjoyed it, but it was overlong and muddled in the final third. On the positive side, Emily Blunt is really good and some of the action scenes were impressive, especially on the IMAX screen. Unfortunately, the big reveal at the end felt contrived and unrealistically optimistic. Overall, it was more like a long X Files episode than Close Encounters. Let's call it "Disappointment Day". 

As The Guardian reports, I'm not the only one to feel this way. 

Yet if early box office has been solid enough, secondary indices – not least a slew of disappointed foyer texts from friends and loved ones – would suggest the film has itself proved distinctly polarising. In the US, market research firm CinemaScore – which polls opening-day cinemagoers to assess a film’s commercial prospects – graded Disclosure Day a B, the joint second-worst for a Spielberg film, ahead of AI: Artificial Intelligence (recipient of a harsh C), dead level with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Headmaster Haneke again shakes his weary head.

Saturday Sounds - Pharoah Sanders Live

Since I've been featuring jazz saxophonists here recently, I thought it was time to post some performances from the great Pharoah Sanders. I first heard his music when I was in university and his "The Creator Has a Master Plan" has been the soundtrack to much of my life. I was fortunate to have seen him play four times and wish there had been more. 

These are a few of the many videos of his live performances on YouTube.  Four are good quality, pro-shot videos. The Grace Cathedral performance is an audience audio recording but I've included it because of the way Pharoah plays off of the cathedral's acoustics. It's a beautiful and  spiritual performance. Enjoy. 

Pharoah Sanders/John Hicks Live in Frankfurt 1986

Pharoah Sanders Quartet with Tony Hewitt, Live at Dizzy's, 2015/01/31 

Pharoah Sanders - 1995/11/17 - Late Show

Pharoah Sanders & William Henderson - 2006-04-21, Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, CA

Pharoah Sanders - Iowa City Jazz Festival - 2013/07/07

I Finally Ditched Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom

I've been a user of Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom for more than 15 years when I bought my first DSLR, a Nikon D5200. I've since moved on to a Fujifilm X-S10 and a Pixel 8 Pro phone. When I started using Adobe's products the monthly subscription to Photoshop/Lightroom was a reasonable $10/moth. Eventually they raised it to around $15 and then last year to $25 (in Canadian dollar). 

That's a lot of money for a tool that I use only rarely. I have been shooting both RAW and JPEG on my Fujifim X-S10, (Fujifilm names them as RAF files) so using Adobe Camera RAW or Lightroom made sense. But Fujifilm's JPEGs are good enough that most editing can be done using JPEGs in free and simpler tools. 

I was also finding it harder to use Adobe's products. My vision has deteriorated over the last few years and I now find using Photoshop or Lightroom difficult because icons are too small and text and interface text lacks contrast. 

Last month I finally gave up after getting a renewal notice from Adobe. If I kept the subscription, I'd have to wait another year to cancel it or pay a substantial cancellation fee. So I cancelled my subscription. 

By that point, I had identified several free alternatives to Adobe's software.. Here I'm going to briefly describe several tools that I looked at. 

Adobe Express Photos (formerly Photoshop Express)

Adobe Express Photos offers a good selection of basic editing tools and limited AI functions including object removal. RAW files can be edited but have to be saved in another format, and there's no support for Fujifilm's film simulations. There is a mobile version. It's probably what I will use most for simple edits. 

Adobe Photos Express

Canva Affinity

Affinity has a similar interface to Photoshop and contains all of the tools I'm likely to need and more. However I find the interface difficult to use because of the small interface text and icons, although it's a bit better than Photoshop.  It can open and modify RAW files but the image has to be saved in a different format. I'm still going to play around with it, but it won't be my first choice of tools. 

Canva Affinity

Capture One Fujifilm RAW Converter

This is a free tool offered by Capture One to convert Fujifilm's RAF files to other formats. It offers a basic subset of the features in the full Capture One and support Fujifilm's film simulations. Unfortunately, the interface was unusable due to small text and icons. Finding no way to customize the interface for my needs, I uninstalled it. 

Fujifilm X RAW Studio

Fujifilm X RAW Studio is a bit of an odd duck as it uses your Fujifilm camera for processing RAW files with the camera connected to your computer by a USB cable. Processing is limited to whatever functions are built into the camera. The advantage of this approach is that it allows you to use film recipes (modified film simulations). For my purposes, it's easier to use Silkypix's converter. 

Microsoft Photos

Microsoft Photos is the built-in photo editor for Windows 11, offering the usual selection of basic editing tools, with a few extras like background selection and generative erase. There's a good selection of filters which also include a handy slider for controlling intensity. I find the icon-based interface awkward to use, given my vision. Still, it includes enough functionality that it may be all that many people may need. As for RAW files, you can open and edit them, but changes have to be saved in another format. 

Microsoft Photos

Pixlr Express

Pixlr Express is a web-based tool with free and paid subscription versions. Pixlr Express is a basic editor similar to Adobe Express Photos but with more features including some AI tools with 20 AI credits/month. (Subscription plans offer more AI credits). It won't open RAW files. 

Pixlr Express

Pixlr Editor

Pixlr Editor is a more advanced web-based tool with free and paid subscription versions. The interface uses a side panel and menus with a level of features comparable to Affinity or Photoshop. Given that it's web-based, I find easier to use. As with Pixlr Express, the free version includes 20 AI credits/month with subscription plans  offering more credits so you can use the advanced AI functions. It won't open RAW files. This will likely be my choice for more advanced editing of JPEGs. 

Pixlr Editpr

Silkypix RAW File Converter EX

Siklypix RAW File Converter EX is provided free to Fujifilm camera users. It's similar in features and functionality to Adobe Camera RAW. There's a full range of editing tools available and because it's made for Fujifilm cameras, you can access film simulations and modify camera settings. Changes to RAW files are saved in a separ .spd file. Skins are available for different monitor resolutions and I was able to find one that I could use. This will probably be my first choice for working directly with RAW files, although it's probably overkill for what I usually need to do.

Silkypix RAW File Converter EX

Summary

So to summarize:

• For simple editing of JPGs, Adobe Express Photos or Pixlr Express.
• For advanced editing of JPGs, Pixlr Editor or Affinity
• For direct editing or conversion of RAW/RAF files, Silkypix RAW File Converter EX

I may do more detailed write-ups on the programs mentioned above after I've had more time to use them.

61st (2025) Nebula Award Winners

SFWA (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association) has announced the winners of the 61st Nebula Awards for works published in 2025. 

These are the novel and short fiction awards,

• Best Novel: The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, by Stephen Graham Jones 
• Best Novella: The River Has Roots, by Amal El-Mohtar 
• Best Novelette: “Uncertain Sons”, by Thomas Ha 
• Best Short Story: “Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything”,

Photo of the Week -- June 7, 2026

The photo this week is one I took a couple of years ago with my Fujifilm X-S10. I used Silkpix RAW File Converter to switch the film simulation from Velvia to Acros + G Filter, boost the contrast, and crop. I thought this one worked better in black and white than the original colour exposure. 

Fujifilm X-S10 with Fujinon 27mm/F2.8 WR at F8, 1/450 second, ISO 320, Acros + R Filter film simulation

Tree roots in black and white

For contrast, this is the JPG of the original image, straight out of the camera. Which do you think is better?

Tree roots in colour

Saturday Sounds -- Sonny Rollins

Sadly, the great jazz saxophonist, Sonny Rollins, died recently. I never got to see him perform but have listened to and enjoyed many of his albums. For this week's musical treat, here are three concert videos of his performances, starting with a BBC recoding of a 1974 gig at Ronnie Scott's famous London club. 

Next up, the Sonny Rollins Quintet Live at Jazz Festival Bern, Kursaal, Bern, Switzerland - 1985.

Finally, here's the Sonny Rollins Sextet live in Munich in 1992.

A Deep Dive Into Alberta Separatism

The possibility of Alberta separating from Canada and becoming an independent state has suddenly become a major news item in Canada. I've posted about this quite frequently in the last year, including links to several articles discussing US interference in our politics. 

Now there will be a referendum in Alberta in October with one of the questions being: ""Should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?"

Distrust of the federal government and resentment about Alberta's place in the Canadian federation has long been a part of politics in Alberta. I lived in Grande Prairie for five years in the early 1980s and it was certainly evident then but there was no serious discussion of separating on the part of the Alberta government. That has changed with the rise of the UCP and Premier Danielle Smith. 

The best article about the subject that I have seen so far is Alberta: the jilted lover of Confederation, by Jared Wesley, who is a professor of political science at the University of Alberta. The article is the text of a speech that he delivered to the Rideau Club Roundtable in Ottawa, on June 3, 2026.

The talk is divided into these sections:

• So, where are we?
• So, how did we get here?
• So, what can we do?
• What can the rest of Canada do?

In conclusion, he says:

The overall message should be simple: Alberta is not a problem to be managed. Alberta is not a spoiled child to be disciplined or dismissed. Alberta is not an alien province to be decoded from afar. Alberta is a respected, heard, and valued partner in Confederation.

That is the message Canadians need to send. And it is the message Albertans need to hear from one another. Because the choice before Alberta this fall is not simply whether to remain in Canada. It is whether we can imagine a version of Alberta big enough to include all of us. And whether Canada can imagine a version of itself that has room for Alberta not at the margins, not alone at the centre, but in a leadership role in creating a better country.

 It is a long article but you won't find a better analysis of the current situation in any of the major news outlets.

More Scams to Watch Out For

The internet is a dangerous place these days and there's always one more new thing to watch out for. Right now, it's fake  CAPTCHAs. 

A real CAPTCHA (which stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart,” by the way — just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?) runs in your browser. It might ask you to click a box, identify images, or wait for a quick verification. What it shouldn’t do is ask you to send a text message, open your phone’s SMS app, tell you to press a strange combination of keys, or ask you to copy and paste anything into your computer.

Take a couple of minutes to read the article. It may save you a lot of grief later.  

2026 Locus Awards Winners

 The winners of the 2026 Locus Awards have been announced. The awards are voted on by subscribers and readers of Locus, the long-running newsmagazine of the science fiction and fantasy field. 

SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL:  Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor 

FANTASY NOVEL: The Everlasting, Alix E. Harrow 

NOVELLA: The River Has Roots, Amal El-Mohtar

NOVELETTE: “We Begin Where Infinity Ends“, Somto Ihezue 

SHORT STORY: “In My Country“, Thomas Ha

The full list, including nominees, are listed on the Locus site.

Movie and TV Reviews - May 2026

Short reviews of movies and TV shows I watched in May. Now that we're watching the Blue Jays, there won't be as much here.

Movies

• Greenland 2: Migration. I saw a review that suggested that this was better than the first movie. It wasn't. 
• Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War. Yet another Jack Ryan thriller. Lots of action and not a lot of plausibility, as usual. This one was OK until about halfway through, then started to run off the rails. I did enjoy the parts that were set in Dubai.  (Amazon Prime)
• The Mandalorian and Grogu. See my review from last week. (IMAX)

TV Shows

• Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (season 2). Lots of big monster battles in the middle of a muddled plot with too many jumps in time. The final episode ended with a setup for the next season, but I don't really care.(Apple TV)
• Dept. Q: This is a police procedural billed as "tartan noir" and it is indeed gloomy and you'll probably want closed captioning on. Unfortunately the plot stretches my "willing suspension of disbelief" past the breaking point and the characters are mostly standard tropes. (Netflix)
• A Taste for Murder: A grieving British detective travels to Italy to restore the relationship with his daughter and gets involved in all sorts of crimes. The best parts are the setting (Naples and Croatia, subbing for Capri) and Patricia Logan, of Downton Abbey fame. (BritBox)
• Good Omens (season 3): A one episode, 97-minute season, largely because Neil Gaiman wasn't involved. And it shows. You can probably skip this one. 
• Law and Order: Criminal Intent: Toronto (season 3). It's very formulaic. We like it for the Toronto settings and the stories that are sometimes taken from local news. (City TV)