Noted Houdini collector Kevin Connolly has taken down his Houdini website and blog: Houdini Himself.com.
Kevin launched Houdini Himself in May 2010 and used his blog to share rare one-of-kind Houdini images from his collection. In 2012, The Mandala recognized it as one of three "game changer" Houdini blogs. But Kevin found his images were continually lifted and used without permission, and even sold on eBay. Kevin finally gave up the fight to control his images and folded the blog last month.
I understand Kevin's decision. While image reuse can be accidental (I've done it myself), there are image pirates who seek out high resolution images, remove the watermarks, and sell them on eBay as "original reprints." Some even reproduce the images on t-shits and mugs.
One way to protect against image theft is to drop the resolution of any image to 72 dpi. The images will still look great online, but will not print well. Never put a 300 dpi image online or thieves will grab it, if for no other reason than it's the desired dpi for printed reproduction. It's also good to never buy a questionably sourced Houdini image on eBay, or any ephemera sporting Houdini imagery that isn't from a known or trusted source.
Unfortunately, with Houdini Himself now down, the many links I've shared here are now dead, including a link to Kevin's important 2012 post about how Houdini might have been considering a monkey gland transplant.
But it was a treat to have a look inside one of the world's great Houdini collections, if only for a short time.
Related:
What a shame. It's such a fantastic blog. I honestly don't want to sound negative when I say this, but wasn't taking it offline cutting off the nose to spite the face? Why couldn't he continue the blog but just replace the high-resolution images with small, watermarked, low-res versions?
ReplyDeleteAnother solution when you want to share something one-of-a-kind is to not post a scan, just take a photo of it. Post a picture of a picture.
DeleteYeah, a good idea.
DeleteI am relieved that all is well with Kevin and understand his decision. I was dreading some malady.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear all is well. Will miss your site Kevin.
Many thanks for your excellent information,advice and generous look at your collection.
Thanks John for the update.
Kevin's blog was one of my regular destinations after visiting WAH. I recognized its value as a source of biographical information on HH. This is unfortunate.
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat while it lasted. I have Kevin and his blog to thank for many Houdini fixes. Houdini Himself will be missed.
ReplyDeleteI'll second that, Joe.
DeleteI also thought Kevin did a great job policing eBay auctions, calling out fakes and the such. That was one of his niches.
ReplyDeleteYes that was important, especially for newer Houdini enthusiasts. I also remember an auction house that took an item down after Kevin's intervention.
DeleteToo bad. I didn't know of the site until now....and now it's gone. There seems to be a solution or two, so perhaps this site can be back up.
ReplyDeleteI liked it but thought it was kind of self serving
ReplyDeleteYes, Kevin seemed to used the site mainly as a vehicle to buy, sell, and trade Houdini ephemera. But interesting and unknown information about HH crept in there once in while, which still made it worthwhile for those Houdini buffs not interested in collecting.
ReplyDelete