Here we are now … and I’m wondering how to start this thing off. Basically, I just wanted to write about the things and topics I’m interested in. And hell yeah, there would be a shipload of those. So, how to limit the scope? And especially without limiting my freedom to choose random topics I’m fired up for? I guess it is about giving the whole thing a name and bending it as much as possible for whatever there comes. Let the snake bite its tail, after wrapping itself around the world.
While thinking about a name that subtly describes the path for this journey, a lot of my thoughts led in one direction. Technology and outdated. And the definition of technology (or at least my personal impression of that term) goes far beyond robots and smartphones. Besides, these examples are as far away from “outdated” as a Gaius Iulius Caesar from Captain Picard. It is about techniques in crafting, cooking, doing things. It is about things you believed you would never take in your hands again. It is about the things and practices pushed aside. But none of these are gone for good. And I love to reignite these types of forgotten treasures. However, I guess it will be easier to tell the story by example. So take this and see what spins around in my head:
Analog photography – just trying to get the touch of it in a very experimental way.
Retro video gaming – be it playing or creating, I’m fascinated by the old video game technology and how to get the max out of it.
Old media like vinyl, cassettes and floppy disks – old but far away from outdated in my opinion. You may even call it a comeback in some circumstances.
Crochet, sewing and alike – definitely not outdated, more like pertaining to basic crafting skills.
Folk instruments – as much as I love making electronic music, folk instruments are just the purest form.
Modular analog synthesizers – just overwriting the last mentioned point with technology, so to say.
Vintage kitchen equipment – cooking with the soul, not with the 10th fancy gadget.
The list could go on and on and on. And it will. But for all those examples the crafting, tinkering and creating part is most probably the biggest. And here is where I’d like to put a kind of statement: reusing, reinventing, recycling by upcycling.
I’m very aware that not everyone will be interested in every topic ever covered here. But maybe, just maybe, there is a slight chance that I can give someone an understanding of things and ideas never recognized before. Simply like I’m on a daily hunt for bygone things and ways that are worth being rediscovered. Just consider giving it a try.
Ah yes, I wanted to tell you about the name of this blog. Almost forgot. Shortly put, LoFi as in low fidelity, the opposite of HiFi, made a term in the last decades. Most likely for audio material (since this is the field where the term itself kinda came from). But its core message resembles everything else outdated, with lower resolution than we are used to nowadays. The second part of the name, well guess, it’s my last name. Clear and official. Maybe not pronounceable for everyone, but hey, it is what it is. And as a tiny fun fact, I just recognized the abbreviation L.F.O. is the short form for low-frequency oscillator. Often used in electronic audio design. Slower than what you can hear, but very essential. Slow down and concentrate on the interesting things in life.
So much for the wrap-up.
Enjoy reading, exploring and maybe even recreating.