Author Archives: Brian Lawler

About Brian Lawler

Brian Lawler is an Emeritus Professor of Graphic Communication at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and was a Guest Professor at Hochschule München from September, 2021 to September, 2022. He writes about graphic arts processes and technologies for various industry publications, and on his blog, The Blognosticator.

I have gone to the dogs

I had the opportunity to photograph dog racing this weekend. I have never seen this activity before, so it was intriguing to me. The event was a gathering of several members of a dog racing group called CCASH – The … Continue reading

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I wasn’t asking the right questions
about Mini DisplayPort connections

I finally reached the point where my Mac Pro cylinder computer would no longer work for me. I bought it new 10 years ago, then modified it about five years later to expand its internal working memory. When I bought … Continue reading

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Turning my new lathe into a really nice lathe

My plan was to write about some graphic arts subjects. I attended two terrific events related to printing recently, and I will write about my experiences – soon. But instead, I want to write about my new lathe. I have … Continue reading

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Completing my transition to mirrorless cameras

I take thousands of photos: birds, kayaking adventures, landscapes, panoramas, travel photos, and classical music. Lots of classical music. For 13 years I have been the staff photographer for Festival Mozaic, an international music festival held here in San Luis … Continue reading

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Thank you to my readers!

The Blognosticator will reach 450,000 all-time readers tonight. That’s pretty cool. I started writing this blog on July 26, 2011, after writing for a while on WhatTheyThink.com and for several years in Graphic Arts Monthly before that. Since “going private” … Continue reading

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Musings on pinhole photography

If you’ve been reading this blog, you know that last week I returned from the 2023 Burning Man festival in northern Nevada. It was a terrific event, full of excitement and artistic energy – until it rained. Then it became … Continue reading

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The generator at Burning Man

This is the final chapter of a five-chapter story about designing and building a trailer to carry a military surplus generator for our camp at Burning Man. To read the previous chapter, click here. Armed with my Work Pass, a … Continue reading

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A long visit to the DMV
and traveling to Burning Man

This is Part 4 of a series of stories about designing and building a trailer to hold a generator for Burning Man. To read the previous story, please click here. I had the trailer, minus its load, ready to be … Continue reading

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A tale of trailer wiring

This is Part 3 of a multi-part story about making a trailer for carrying a generator to Burning Man. To read the previous episode, please click here. The trailer is ready for licensing, so I have gathered the necessary paperwork, … Continue reading

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Trailering the generator

I left my detailed plans for the generator trailer with my friend Hank Van Gaale, who is the best welder in the universe. Then I flew to France, and went on to Switzerland and Germany for four weeks. While I … Continue reading

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