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Thursday, 23 January 2025
Kamishibai Photography
Kamishibai, a strange, beautiful beast, isn’t just a form of storytelling—it’s a metaphor for how we perceive, manipulate, and distort time itself. It’s as if someone had taken the concept of memory, the delicate fluidity of history, and packed it all into a set of illustrated cards. The storyteller, often a lone, ragged figure with a voice that could rip through the air like a bullet, flips these cards in a frantic, jittery rhythm. Each picture is a snapshot of a moment—fragmented, incomplete, and yet, somehow, more vivid than the real thing. It’s an art form that eschews the mundane constraints of time and instead invites you to dive headfirst into a fever dream, where the lines between the past, present, and future aren’t just blurred—they dissolve into a chaotic haze of images and words.
You could say Kamishibai is a hallucinogenic collage of history, of storytelling that refuses to bow to conventional forms. The storyteller stands as a harbinger of this madness, wielding their voice and the images like a mad scientist, intent on breaking your perception of reality. Time doesn’t behave in Kamishibai. It doesn’t sit neatly in its little box, with a beginning, middle, and end. No. It’s far more visceral than that. The flicking of a card, the drumbeat of a voice—suddenly, you’re not sure if you’re caught in the moment or drifting through layers of time that stretch and contort, flickering and fading, only to reappear with a renewed, disorienting intensity.
This is where Kamishibai does what no other form of art can do. It takes the conventional notion of time—the hours that stretch between now and then—and shatters it. It isn’t linear; it’s episodic. It’s episodic in the way memories are episodic—vivid, scattered fragments that collide and interact. And as each card flips over, each story accelerates, races forward, stumbles, then spins back into a different direction. You’re caught in the spin, in the ceaseless rush of time, but there’s no escape. Not that you’d want one.
Kamishibai becomes a microcosm of the universe in this sense. Time isn’t just something that happens to us—it’s something we live in, something that surrounds us, shapes us, and distorts us, depending on the moment. These fleeting, breathless snapshots that pass before your eyes on those illustrated cards are not just stories. They are symbols of the fractured nature of our existence.
Just as a photograph can be a flash, a single instant caught in time, Kamishibai takes those flashes and projects them out, each one fleeting, each one powerful. The story doesn’t wait. It demands your attention, but only for a moment. And then it’s gone. Time doesn’t give you the luxury of lingering. What Kamishibai offers is a glimpse into something larger—something chaotic and raw, a reflection of life itself. The storyteller, as much as the art form, speaks to the madness of existence, with the flick of a card, the rhythm of a voice, and a warning that time will never, ever be what we want it to be.
Why a Used Business Laptop is Better than a NEW Consumer Laptop (For Mos...
Analysis of Comments on 'Why a Used Business Laptop is Better than a NEW Consumer Laptop'
1. Warranty & Longevity of Business Laptops
@SalemTechsperts: "A lot of these laptops will STILL be under manufacturer warranty. The T16 is under warranty for another 24 months... It's insane."
@forzatoro89: "I got a broken Thinkpad W500... saw from the Lenovo site that was still in warranty and with the service at home, the Lenovo technician came at my place with the spare parts and fixed it for free."
@DavidLee-cr4xv: "Business-class laptops tend to be sold with rather extensive service contracts—typically 3 years with on-site service."
Analysis: These comments highlight one of the key advantages of purchasing a used business-class laptop—the extended manufacturer warranty and robust service contracts. Unlike consumer laptops, which often have limited warranties, business laptops are built for longevity and reliability, reducing maintenance costs for secondary owners.
2. Value & Performance Gains from Upgrading Used Laptops
@clawbo92: "I got a used Asus gaming laptop for $600... retails for $2000+ new. I upgraded RAM, cleaned the fans, applied thermal pads, and it works great."
@JosephDri21: "I took a non-working Acer Nitro 5, fixed multiple hardware and software issues, and now it works perfectly. I'm an archaeology student, not an IT professional."
@mariodiy4517: "Salvaged an HP EliteBook G5 from my old job. Upgraded RAM, SSD, battery, WiFi card, and now it runs my IT course with no issues."
Analysis: Many users find immense value in purchasing and refurbishing used business laptops. With minor investments in RAM, SSDs, and cooling systems, these machines can match or even surpass the performance of new consumer laptops. This also democratizes access to powerful computing for students and professionals who might otherwise be unable to afford high-end new models.
3. Environmental & Ethical Considerations
@DarthMizaru: "Working in big corporations, it saddens me how we destroy so much good hardware... I almost cried when I had to send 80TB of perfectly good and working drives to heaven."
@Psikeomega: "I miss working at an electronics recycling center. They used to hand me my paycheck, and I would hand it back to them and buy all sorts of servers, workstations, and business laptops."
@insertech2600: "We're a Canadian non-profit refurbishing business computers for the community for 26 years!"
Analysis: These comments underscore the wastefulness of corporate electronics disposal policies and highlight the environmental benefits of repurposing business laptops. Organizations dedicated to refurbishing and redistributing these machines help reduce e-waste while providing affordable tech to underserved communities.
4. Sentimental & Personal Connections to Business Laptops
@PapaVanTwee5: "A friend gave me a T14, and I gave it to my daughter's robotics team. It’s still running strong after I fixed a minor issue."
@DeputatKaktus: "Typing this comment on a T440 I literally pulled out of an e-waste dumpster two years ago. New thermal paste and batteries later, and it's still a workhorse."
@AvengeTheBlade: "Bought a T480 on eBay yesterday—32GB RAM, i5-8350u, IPS display for $135. What a steal!"
Analysis: These stories reveal the deep appreciation and attachment users develop toward their business-class laptops. Whether salvaged, gifted, or acquired at bargain prices, these devices often become long-term workhorses, proving their durability and emotional value to their owners.
Conclusion: The overwhelming consensus in the comments affirms that used business laptops provide superior build quality, serviceability, and longevity compared to new consumer laptops. The ability to upgrade these machines, their environmental benefits, and their sentimental value further solidify their appeal. These insights should encourage more people to consider refurbished business-class laptops over new consumer-grade alternatives.