The picture journal

Start with
what catches your eye.

Every picture belongs to a thought. Open one and see where it goes.

An N95 respirator with its straps spread out on a dark background. — An N95 respirator, photographed in 2013. One of the ordinary objects that became difficult to obtain.Hanabishi · CC0

Stacks of boxed protective equipment in an Oregon warehouse. — Protective equipment in an Oregon warehouse, 17 April 2020: the less glamorous side of the pandemic response.Oregon National Guard from Salem, Oregon, United States · Public domain

October 21, 2026

COVID mask shortages in 2020: the wait that mattered

A motmot perched on a branch in Guatemala, showing its blue eye stripe and long tail. — A motmot photographed in Guatemala in 2011, before the Guatemalan population was recognised as a separate species.Dominic Sherony · CC BY-SA 2.0

The Motagua River and dry surrounding landscape near Zacapa, Guatemala. — The Motagua River near Zacapa in the dry season, 2008. This valley is the newly recognised species’ home.Kymacpherson · CC BY-SA 3.0

October 21, 2026

The Guatemalan motmot gets its own name

A Windows file-attribute dialog showing a nearly full bar and an estimated thirty seconds remaining. — A Windows progress dialog, 2025: the bar and the time estimate make two different promises.OS: Microsoft Corporation Screenshot: PantheraLeo1359531 😺 ( talk ) · Public domain

A Vandal Cleaner progress screen listing completed steps and a remaining step at 32 percent. — Vandal Cleaner shows which steps have finished and which one is still running. A concrete alternative to a bare countdown.Guycn2 (MediaWiki script) MediaWiki developers (MediaWiki software) Creators of the following files, which are included in this screenshot: File:Ajax_loader_metal_512.gif File:Checkmark.svg · CC BY-SA 4.0

October 20, 2026

Why loading bars get stuck at 99%

The Fire OS home screen with Books, Video and Games navigation. — Fire OS on an older Fire tablet, photographed in 2021. A software reference, not a photograph of the 2023 Fire HD 10.DeletedAccount0000 · CC0

A microSD memory card beside a full-sized SD adapter. — A microSD card and adapter. Expandable storage is one of the inexpensive features the post is about.Jacek Halicki · CC BY-SA 4.0

October 20, 2026

Amazon Fire HD tablets: why the cheap option matters

An empty escalator in Shinjuku, Tokyo, with blue side panels and yellow-edged steps. — An escalator in Shinjuku, Tokyo, photographed in 2019.Basile Morin · CC BY-SA 4.0

A closed escalator at Box Hill with a barrier across its entrance. — An escalator out of service at Box Hill, Melbourne, 2024. The steps remain, but the machine has stopped.Philip Mallis · CC BY-SA 2.0

October 20, 2026

A stopped escalator isn’t quite a staircase