We live in New York City because it’s New York City, and there isn’t anywhere else that has what we have here. We are an A-list city, the best city in the world, and that is why the rent is too damn high.

— 6 Essential Reasons Why We Pay To Live In NYC

Not all of these are exclusive to my adoptive home town, but I still wouldn’t give this town up for anything. You can have your quiet, your nature, your 2 hour commutes by car. I’ll enjoy my 24/7 bodegas and subways, culture, history, and food from pretty much everywhere.

Here is what Carolyn Walworth, a junior at Palo Alto High School, recently wrote: “As I sit in my room staring at the list of colleges I’ve resolved to try to get into, trying to determine my odds of getting into each, I can’t help but feel desolate.”

She confessed to panic attacks in class, to menstrual periods missed as a result of exhaustion. “We are not teenagers,” she added. “We are lifeless bodies in a system that breeds competition, hatred, and discourages teamwork and genuine learning.”

— Best, Brightest — and Saddest? – NYTimes.com

While I’m long past this stage in my life, I can sympathize with the feeling. The pressure wasn’t nearly as heavy on me as a teenager, and yet I still feel like I’m not living up to expectations as a thirty-one year old adult. That kids in the Valley and elsewhere are jumping in front of trains should be a wake up call about the pressures of modern American life.

And more camera feedback, this time from Matt Birchler:

I understand the feeling that our phones currently take pictures that are good enough, but I doubt we’ll look back on these photos as great in 10 or 20 years time. Even looking back at photos I took with my iPhone 4 just 3 years ago, I’m already seeing the cracks in the flaws in those images. I have pictures of my wife and I that don’t look that great anymore. Almost all of the images of us from the first few years we were together were taken with smartphones that were considered “good enough” at the time.

— The Human Reason for Wanting Nicer Tech | BirchTree

I’m not sure I agree that the pictures I take with my phone won’t look as good to me in 10-20 years, but that’s only me. It’s a compelling argument for someone to get a “real camera.” It just isn’t for me.

Casey Liss, rightfully, chimes in on my camera remarks too.

The reason that no one complained about “badly exposed 35mm prints” is because that was the best (or at the least, most approachable) option at the time, short of spending serious money on a camera body and lenses. Today, one can spend comparatively little money and get a camera setup that is, in my estimation, vastly superior to the iPhone camera.

As someone who just bought a semi-fancy camera for this very reason, I can tell you that I could not possibly be more happy that I did. While I absolutely can take acceptable shots using my iPhone, I much prefer the results from the Olympus. The shots are unequivocally better. I say that as someone who does not have a strong artistic eye.

— On Nerd Elitism — Liss is More

While $600 is pretty dear for a camera by my estimation, I’m not going to throw Casey under the bus for his reasoning. (And I only linked him about the ice because his piece on it is well written, not to attack. He’s too nice of a guy for that.)

My fault for not explaining that my problem with camera talk is talk about the camera rather than the photos you take with it. It’s a problem that isn’t limited to cameras, but it was the jumping-off point my brain towards a larger issue, and I’m glad the responses have picked up on that.

Thanks, Casey.

Álvaro Serrano has a damn good counterpoint to my statement on high-end cameras in geekdom.

I don’t mean that the intensity with which I love photography somehow justifies my obsession, that it’s OK for me to do it because I love it more than you do. Nothing like that. What I mean is that I probably think of photography in a different way than you do. To me, a camera is not just a memory-making machine: it’s a creative tool. It’s not just about capturing moments, it’s about creating the images I see in my head, much like a painter creates an image on an empty canvas.

— On cameras, smartphones, smug superiority and the geek’s pissing contest – Analog Senses

When photography is something you care about, passionately, be it a hobby or a profession, then care about your tools all the way. You’ll want a real camera with all the appropriate kit…

But that doesn’t mean it has to be “the best” camera, either. All it takes is a minimum of manual controls — ISO, aperture and shutter speed — and, depending on your preference as a photographer, the possibility to use interchangeable lenses. That’s it.

The vibe I get from so many blog posts I see on cameras—though not Álvaro’s—isn’t love of photography, it’s about love of cameras. That’s a huge difference, and the sort of thing that irks me.