In September of 2008, we made a quick stop in the Altstadt (Old Town) in Salzburg, as we were traveling through Austria. It was raining and cold, and in spite of my camera not being waterproof to any degree, I insisted on taking some photos. I kept it under my raincoat and I'd take it [...]
About me
Life is what we make of it. My aim is to make mine worth it. My name is Raoul Pop. I am an author, photographer, architectural conservator-restorer, entrepreneur, filmmaker and consultant. I am half Romanian, half Hungarian by birth and American by upbringing. I emigrated to the United States with my family in 1991 and grew [...]
Chasing RFI Waves
Back in 2005, I started writing what I’d planned to be a non-fiction book about NRAO (the National Radio Astronomy Observatory), based on visits, photos and interviews to this interesting place. My contact was Wesley Sizemore, NRAO’s public face and “Keeper of the Quiet”, a term which will make more sense to you once you [...]
The Potomac River and C&O Canal
My wife and I lived in Maryland for several years and one of our favorite places to visit was the Potomac River and its little brother, the C&O Canal. We traveled to various spots along the river, mostly on the Maryland side, hiking through the forest, trudging through the marshland, biking alongside the Canal and [...]
Commissioned work
You can commission me to photograph products, food and locations (restaurants, hotels, businesses), or for portraiture. Please be advised, I don't photograph weddings or parties. The terms of my commercial photography licenses usually apply but we can arrange the particulars when we talk about the work that I will do. For product photography or portraits, you can [...]
On gardening and civilized society
Ever since we've begun the restoration work on the historical monuments in the Transylvanian countryside (see Asociatia P.A.T.R.U. for the details), I've had to tend to the landscaping, among other things. And if there's one thing you learn when you garden, is that you have to prune the weeds constantly. Some weeds you simply cannot [...]
A repair to my wife’s Mac Mini
My wife's computer is a unibody, late-2012 Mac Mini, model A1347 with Fusion Drive, which we've had since then, having ordered it to our specs directly from Apple. We're happy with it. It's a lovely little computer with more than enough oomph for my wife's needs (she is an author). The HDD on her Mac [...]
To split or not to split your Mac’s Fusion Drive
In a recent post, I wrote about upgrading the original (and failing) blade SSD in my iMac to a bigger and faster NVMe module. During that upgrade process, I wondered whether splitting my Mac's Fusion Drive would result in better performance, but decided against it for simplicity's sake. Even though I decided against splitting my [...]
A snowstorm in early autumn
We were driving on the Felbertauern Strasse, a scenic alpine road in Austria known for its beautiful views and its tunnels, when the weather turned foggy and chilly. We stopped for a bit at a place called Rastplatz Elisabethsee to have a look around, and we were treated to these wonderful views of the mountains [...]
A 1960s Libelle Watch (NOS)
This is a 1960s Libelle watch with an Ancre 17 jewel manual winding movement. Not much is known about the brand, but these watches are likely Italian-assembled with Swiss movements. I bought it NOS from a small store in Italy and had it checked and lubricated at my watchmaker's. https://youtu.be/Rp_EJ2cXHV0
An upgrade to my 2013 iMac
I've worked on a few upgrades to our family computers in recent months: my 2008 MacBook Pro, my mom's 2007 iMac and my own late-2013 iMac (A1419, EMC 2639). This is the tale I'd like to recount for you now, because it's something that I've had to deal with since last autumn (october of 2018), [...]
A 1970s Tressa Automatic Watch
This is a 1970s Tressa Automatic wristwatch with an Incabloc 25 jewel movement and date function, serial number 81272. I purchased it in the autumn of 2016 and had it fully serviced by my watchmaker. This watch keeps incredibly accurate time and is very sturdy, in spite of its currently low market price. It has [...]
Learning English
This is the fifth video in a new series where I talk about the people, experiences and things that have helped me in life. Who knows, perhaps they'll help you as well! In this one, I talk about how learning English well has shaped my experience as an immigrant to the United States, about how [...]
A 1950s MuDu Doublematic Watch
This is a 1950-60s (more likely 1950s) MuDu wristwatch with a 25 jewel Doublematic movement. It has a fairly unique metal mesh band that clasps securely around the wrist. It was gold-plated but most of that has worn off. I've had it cleaned, serviced and polished and it looks pretty good now. I've also had [...]
