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Gabriel is a seasoned sales and marketing expert with over 25 years in senior positions at Motorola, VeriSign (acquired by Symantec in 2010 for 1.25 billion US$), SecureWorks (acquired by Dell in 2011 for 612 million US$), and Cognitive Security (acquired by Cisco in 2013 for 25 million US$). He is a blockchain entrepreneur, with strengths in international business strategy.
Gabriel has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from McMaster University in Canada and expert knowledge in crypto incubation, cloud computing, IT security, and digital video technology. Gabriel also runs his own company, Euro Tech Startups s.r.o.
Hobbies include photography, video production, motion graphics, digital graphics, photo restoration, carpentry, martial arts, traveling, blogging, and trying to be better than yesterday.
• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November
• My family didn’t share my fascination with animals. My parents didn’t understand how the odor of animals and farmland could fill me with delight. Whenever we traveled through the countryside I’d bath in the smell of freshly fertilized land. My mom found it funny that I liked the smell of manure. As I’d breathe in, my imagination would fly. When I would ride on the train I’d looked out the window and day-dream of galloping horses through the meadow, alongside the rail cars. For my two brothers it was just a countryside stench. My oldest brother Csaba didn’t like animals, but Attila loved them. We were city people. Animals were associated with farming and peasants. In Communist-Socialism, science and engineering were revered far above agricultural disciplines. My parents asked themselves, “How can our child ,from the city, have such rural interests?” They were still supportive of my interests.
• The Slovak countryside is hilly, interspersed with farmland owned mostly by co-op farms. There were many sheep and cows grazing, with peasants bent over tilling the land. In those days horses were used mainly for transporting farm produce. At Hotel Schalkház on Roosevelt Street where I lived, there was a station for horse drawn carriages. I went there frequently to admire them. Seeing how they would stand endlessly for most of the day made me feel sorry for them. Sometimes they’d have bags over their noses. Through my never-ending questions to the coachmen I learned that this was how they were fed. Their bags consisted of grain, or some mixture of molasses.
• Mamička
If you missed other Mamička posts, you can link to them here:
Gabriel is a seasoned sales and marketing expert with over 25 years in senior positions at Motorola, VeriSign (acquired by Symantec in 2010 for 1.25 billion US$), SecureWorks (acquired by Dell in 2011 for 612 million US$), and Cognitive Security (acquired by Cisco in 2013 for 25 million US$). He is a blockchain entrepreneur, with strengths in international business strategy.
Gabriel has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from McMaster University in Canada and expert knowledge in crypto incubation, cloud computing, IT security, and digital video technology. Gabriel also runs his own company, Euro Tech Startups s.r.o.
Hobbies include photography, video production, motion graphics, digital graphics, photo restoration, carpentry, martial arts, traveling, blogging, and trying to be better than yesterday.
• Throughout the 1960’s, both the men’s and women’s judo teams in Košice were far more cohesive than the opposition. During competition they routed for each teammate with far more enthusiasm and passion. It was partially due to their deep routed friendships. Perhaps it was also due to the financial and physical hardships they shared. The team members spent a lot of time on trains – Košice is situated at the extreme East of Slovakia (Czechoslovakia at the time). So traveling from Košice to any tournament was lengthy and taxing. A trip to Prague was over 700 km and took over 11 hours. They would typically travel on overnight trains, and compete the day they arrived. A sleeping car was out of the question, because it was too expensive. An overnight train meant sitting on benches in a cabin that would hold up to eight people. The judoka learned to sleep on overhead luggage racks, or in creative places where there was a chance to stretch out. Friendships survived decades, including post-emigration, and continue to be strong today. Members often participated in many extra-curricular activities, such as hikes, camping, or going to the movies. Many teammates were best friends – Karol Dusil, Pepo Vosecky, and Igor Fridrich were closest to my dad.
• Lokomotíva Košice was the rail company’s sport club. In the communist system, state factories sponsored various sporting sectors. So Lokomotíva had a sports organization spanning over 20 “oddiels” (translated as “sections” or “divisions”) – these oddiels were in judo, wrestling, boxing, European football, handball, basketball, etc. One perk for the judoka was relatively cheap travel costs. For instance, an express train ticket from Košice to Prague in the 1960’s would cost only 20 Czechoslovakian Koruna (around $1 American dollar in today’s exchange rate). That same retail ticket today costs €54 ($76 US$).
• Košice Judo
If you missed previous posts on Košice Judo, you can find them here:
• My dad tried his hand at boxing before seriously taking up judo. When I was a kid I remember watching Mohammad Ali on television, with my dad growing up. I also had the privilege to accompany my dad to the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Ontario, Canada. We attending judo and boxing events. I later learned that Larry Holmes had fought in one of them.
• 4 minutes 46 seconds
60 – Košice · Igor Fridrich, Miro Brozek, Juraj Mazanek, Berco Allman, Vaclav Dusil, Adolf Kostrian, Jozef Lemak, Šterc, Jozef Arvay, Csaba Kende, Pepo Vosecky
Article – Judisti Lokomotívy Košice nepostúpili
• 4 minutes 13 seconds
62 – Košice · Juraj Bialko, Edo Novak, Csaba Kende, Igor Fridrich, Joe Nalevanko, Vaclav Dusil
• This is the men’s Lokomotiva Košice team. In one tournament, Edo Novak scored a spectacular Ippon against the Czechoslovakian Champion Norbert Pomp using a Ura Nage judo throw.
• 5 minutes 50 seconds
63 – Košice · Honorary Trophy by the City of Košice
• Standing (left to right) – Karol Dusil, Edo Novak, Csaba Kende, Mr. Gonda (secretary of the Lokomotiva Košice Sport Club), Ing. Robert Binder, Pavel Petrivalsky, Juraj Bialko, Dusan Halasz • Lower row (left to right) – Robert Dusil, Vaclav Dusil, & Joe Nalevanko
• Robert Binder was the founder of Slovak Judo in Bratislava in 1954. According to my uncle, he was a fantastic person and a great help to Lokomotiva Košice, and in the development of Košice judo. He “belted” my uncle from yellow to brown. Joe Nalevanko coached Slavia Košice, the second Košice Judo team, consisting of mainly engineering students, but Lokomotiva Košice also retained him.
• In 1965 my dad, Pepo Vosecky, Igor Fridrich, Vlado Makovsky and Stefan Bartus went to Split, Croatia (Yugoslavia at the time). They attended a judo tournament, competing in both individual matches, and five-member team competitions. In the spring of 1967 Lokomotíva Košice men’s team went to Leipzig, East Germany for another judo tournament and a reciprocal tournament was held later that year in Košice.
• Documents & Articles
Article – Šikovní chlapiArticle – Noví majstri v judoArticle – Najlepší oddiel Lokomotívy Košice Judo
• Tags
Adolf Kostrian, Andrej Collak, Anna Collakova, Berco Allman, Csaba Kende, Czechoslovakia, Darina Poprenakova, Digital Restoration, Dusan Halasz, dusil.com, Edo Novak, Gabriel Dusil, Hluchan, Igor Fridrich, Ivan Spisak, Janosik Bastam, Joe Nalevanko, Jozef Arvay, Jozef Grusecky, Jozko Lemak, Julia Tothova, Juraj Bialko, Juraj Mazanek, Karol Dusil, Košice, Ladislav Kende, Lokomotiva Košice, Maria Collakova-Korytkova, Michal Korytko, Miro Brozek, Nyarjas, Orendas, Pavel Petrivalsky, Pepo Vosecky, Pista Oravec, Pozemné Stavby, Robert Binder, Robert Dusil, Sano Drabcak, Slavia Košice, Slavia Žilina, Slavo Sykorsky, Slezan Opava, Slovak Judo, Stefan Bartus, Ura Nage, Vaclav Dusil, Vašek Dusil, Vinohrady Bratislava, Vlado Babilonsky, Vojtech Agyagos
Gabriel is a seasoned sales and marketing expert with over 25 years in senior positions at Motorola, VeriSign (acquired by Symantec in 2010 for 1.25 billion US$), SecureWorks (acquired by Dell in 2011 for 612 million US$), and Cognitive Security (acquired by Cisco in 2013 for 25 million US$). He is a blockchain entrepreneur, with strengths in international business strategy.
Gabriel has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from McMaster University in Canada and expert knowledge in crypto incubation, cloud computing, IT security, and digital video technology. Gabriel also runs his own company, Euro Tech Startups s.r.o.
Hobbies include photography, video production, motion graphics, digital graphics, photo restoration, carpentry, martial arts, traveling, blogging, and trying to be better than yesterday.
• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November
• I met Vašek when I was 21 years old, in my freshman year of veterinary studies. He was in his fifth year at the same university. Without my knowledge my brother Csaba, who trained with Vašek in judo, suggested he ask me out. At the beginning of the 1966 Christmas holidays Vašek came to our apartment and asked if I would go with him to a New Years celebration. At the time I wasn’t very impressed, but I had no other plans. Between Christmas and New Years we went out a couple of times. It was exciting because I was going to a restaurant for the first time in my life. Our New Years celebration began at Dom umenia in Košice. Vašek’s brothers, and their spouses joined us. It was a triple-date. We had a great time. We then went to Slávia, a famous restaurant in Košice. Vašek was very entertaining and funny – pretending to film our date. In one week I was in love with him.
Mamička
If you missed the other posts on Mamička, you can link to them here:
66.Feb – Košice · Vaclav Dusil & Eva Kendeova (carrying #2)66.Feb – Košice · Vaclav Dusil & Eva Kendeova (carrying #1)
• Postscript by Eva Dusil • 2014 November • These photos were taken in the yard where Vašek lived. It is the winter of 1966, soon after we started dating (happy memories).
67.Dec – Košice · Eva Kendeova & Vaclav Dusil (statue)67.Dec – Košice · Eva Kendeova & Vaclav Dusil (park)67.Dec – Košice · Eva Kendeova & Vaclav Dusil (fence)
Gabriel is a seasoned sales and marketing expert with over 25 years in senior positions at Motorola, VeriSign (acquired by Symantec in 2010 for 1.25 billion US$), SecureWorks (acquired by Dell in 2011 for 612 million US$), and Cognitive Security (acquired by Cisco in 2013 for 25 million US$). He is a blockchain entrepreneur, with strengths in international business strategy.
Gabriel has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from McMaster University in Canada and expert knowledge in crypto incubation, cloud computing, IT security, and digital video technology. Gabriel also runs his own company, Euro Tech Startups s.r.o.
Hobbies include photography, video production, motion graphics, digital graphics, photo restoration, carpentry, martial arts, traveling, blogging, and trying to be better than yesterday.
• In 1963 my father was granted permission to travel abroad. He visited Belgium, the Netherlands and France. At the time his younger brother didn’t know if he would return, but he did, to finish his veterinary studies. And he didn’t want to break his mother’s heart. She died the following year of breast cancer.
• After the Warsaw Pact invasion, on the 21st of August 1968, over 300,000 Czechoslovakians would leave during a relaxed 13 month window. Many escaped without proper documentation – on foot, through tunnels, swimming across channels, or by other creative means. Some paid with their lives.
• For most of my life I described the event as “escaping”, but that wasn’t the case. We legally crossed Eastern and Western borders with proper documentation. The basis of our travel was vacation, but we simply didn’t return. The act of Unauthorized Emigration, i.e. “failure to return”, was a crime. My parents and others that did not return within the approved timetable were considered political criminals. They were subsequently “convicted in absentia” and would have been jailed if they returned to Czechoslovakia. On the 22nd of August 1969 a new, so-called “Truncheon Law” was approved and signed in secrecy. It was not publicized at the time. But a renewed grip on travel restrictions meant that the borders were essentially closed. My family learned of the new travel restrictions when they arrived in Paris on the 5th of September 1969. In hindsight it was fateful timing. That day we also celebrated my father’s 27th birthday.
• Dusil
If you missed the previous posts on Dusil, then click on these links:
49.May.22 – Ostrava · Karol, Vaclav, Robert Jr. & Sr. Dusil49.May.22 – Ostrava · Maria, Robert Jr., Vaclav, Robert Sr., Karol Dusil
• 4 minutes 7 seconds
57 – Košice · Robert Dusil, Robert Dusil Sr., Karol Dusil, Maria Dusilova, Vaclav Dusil
• This photo was taken in Košice in the garden of the house where the Dusil’s lived. The house is still standing today, across from the main police station on Moyzesova street, but has since been converted to offices.
61 – Košice · Robert jr., Maria, Robert sr., Karol Dusil
61.Apr – Stankovce · Vaclav Dusil, Robert Dusil, Andrej Collak, Maria Collakova-Korytkova, Michal Korytko, Karol Dusil, Michal Korytoko Jr, Orendas, Anna Collakova
• Anna Collakova stayed with the Dusil’s when she attended high school in Košice. She was from Stankovce, a village around 25km east of Košice.
62 – Opava · Zsigmondy, Csaba Kende, x, Karol Dusil, x, Igor Fridrich, Nalevanko, Sano Drabcak, Robert Dusil, Vaclav Dusil
• My uncle did his military service from Aug 1961 to Aug 1963 in Opava together with Sano Drabcak, another judoka from Košice. The other two soldiers just happened to walk by, so they have not been identified.
• 8 minutes 12 seconds
64.Sep – Košice · Maria Dusilova64.Sep – Košice · Karol, Vaclav, Maria, Robert Sr., Robert Jr. Dusil64.Sep – Košice · Maria & Vaclav Dusil
• This photo was taken in front of “Dom umenia, Centrá kultúry” situated beside the Dusil family residence. That day my dad came to Košice from Brno where he studied veterinary medicine for one year. It was an emergency visit because his mother had terminal cancer. One breast was removed in February of 1964, but her cancer had metastasized to her entire body. She died on the 24th of October, 1964.
63 – Plzeň · Vaclav, Maria & Karol Dusil
• The Dusil brothers, with their mom visiting their father in Plzeň-Bory, while also competing in a judo event.
• Tags
Andrej Collak, Anna Collakova, Attila Kende, Csaba Kende, Darina Poprenakova, Digital Restoration, Dusil Family, dusil.com, Edo Novak, Erika Dusil, Eva Dusil, Gabriel Dusil, Ivan Spisak, Iveta Kende, Juraj Bialko, Karol Dusil, Kende Family, Ladislav Kende, Maria Collakova-Korytkova, Maria Dusilova, Michal Jr, Michal Korytko, Nyarjas, Orendas, Pepo Vesecky, Robert Dusil, Robert Dusil sr., Slavo Sykorsky, Stefan Kende, Vaclav Dusil, Valeria Kendeova, Vera Kendeova
Gabriel is a seasoned sales and marketing expert with over 25 years in senior positions at Motorola, VeriSign (acquired by Symantec in 2010 for 1.25 billion US$), SecureWorks (acquired by Dell in 2011 for 612 million US$), and Cognitive Security (acquired by Cisco in 2013 for 25 million US$). He is a blockchain entrepreneur, with strengths in international business strategy.
Gabriel has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from McMaster University in Canada and expert knowledge in crypto incubation, cloud computing, IT security, and digital video technology. Gabriel also runs his own company, Euro Tech Startups s.r.o.
Hobbies include photography, video production, motion graphics, digital graphics, photo restoration, carpentry, martial arts, traveling, blogging, and trying to be better than yesterday.
• Our nickname for my dad came about when I was a toddler. I wasn’t able to pronounce “Tati” – Slovak for “Dad”. The best I could do was “Taci”, pronounced “Tat-see” so it stuck for everyone among the extended family. I had many miss-pronunciations throughout my childhood. They were never corrected and became part of my household vocabulary. It eventually became a problem when we visited other friends of my parents. I was around eight years old when we visited a Czech family and I asked the lady if I could “pikat”. She looked at me with confusion, and I repeated the request. I started to get nervous as she still didn’t understand me. So I said in English if I could please have a drink. To my horror she laughed uncontrollably, and said something along the lines of, “chceš niečo pit? (Do you want something to drink?)” Suddenly, with this one mistake it occurred to me that my Slovak was terrible, and I would barely speak a word of Slovak until my mid-20’s when I moved to Prague, Czech Republic.
• My dad died 35 years ago today. I miss him tremendously.
I love you, Taci
• Technical Notes
• I don’t like scratch removal solutions provided by scanners. Even though they offer a quick-fix in removing unwanted damage, I find that it degrades the overall image significantly in the process. My methodology is to always preserve as much detail and texture in the photo as possible, and manually manipulate the images in Adobe Photoshop instead. Even though I sharpen the images, the process will never restore lost data (contrary to what we see on CSI TV shows). Sharpening results in an increase of grain, but I prefer grain over a blurry image.
• My approach is to scan all images without any fancy correction tools, and make the corrections on a pixel by pixel basis in Photoshop. In some cases I will add content around the edges in order to correct composition issues. I will also paint detail that may be completely damaged. I call this “digital restoration with creative license”. The entire process requires a lot of patience, but at the same time, while I am restoring the images, I feel that I am apart of that moment in time, and that makes the work more adoring.
• Taci
If you missed the other Taci posts, you can link to them here:
• Prior to matriculation (graduation) from the agricultural middle School in Barca (now a part of Košice), students had a mini-scientific conference. My dad won the first prize, and in this photo he is presenting his findings. In the background is one of his teachers. My mother graduated from the same school.
• Postscript from my Mom • 2014 September • We commuted by streetcar, which took about half an hour. Taci would be around 18 years old in this photo. This high school was focused on veterinary studies. The table is covered with velvet, so it must have been a special event.
Article – Prečo Práve Poľnohospodárstvo
60.Jun – Košice · Document, Vaclav Dusil (High School class photo)
• My dad went on a trip to Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris in the summer of 1966. These are a selection of photos from that trip. I still have the leather jacket that he has on in these pictures.
• Tags
Andrej Collak, Anna Collakova, Attila Kende, Csaba Kende, Darina Poprenakova, Digital Restoration, Dusil Family, dusil.com, Edo Novak, Erika Dusil, Eva Dusil, Gabriel Dusil, Ivan Spisak, Iveta Kende, Juraj Bialko, Karol Dusil, Kende Family, Ladislav Kende, Maria Collakova-Korytkova, Maria Dusilova, Michal Jr, Michal Korytko, Nyarjas, Orendas, Pepo Vesecky, Robert Dusil, Robert Dusil sr., Slavo Sykorsky, Stefan Kende, Vaclav Dusil, Valeria Kendeova, Vera Kendeova
Gabriel is a seasoned sales and marketing expert with over 25 years in senior positions at Motorola, VeriSign (acquired by Symantec in 2010 for 1.25 billion US$), SecureWorks (acquired by Dell in 2011 for 612 million US$), and Cognitive Security (acquired by Cisco in 2013 for 25 million US$). He is a blockchain entrepreneur, with strengths in international business strategy.
Gabriel has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from McMaster University in Canada and expert knowledge in crypto incubation, cloud computing, IT security, and digital video technology. Gabriel also runs his own company, Euro Tech Startups s.r.o.
Hobbies include photography, video production, motion graphics, digital graphics, photo restoration, carpentry, martial arts, traveling, blogging, and trying to be better than yesterday.
• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November
• From the time I was three years old, my mother and I would visit my grandmother in Keszthely, Hungary, during our summer holidays. Throughout the 1950’s the communist government allowed visits to neighboring socialist countries, only once every three years. In the 1960’s they changed it to every second year. We could only stay for three weeks at a time because my mother needed to return to work in Košice. I was raised along the lines of what would be considered a latchkey child – high strung with a lot of energy. My Hungarian cousins, Zsuzsi and Tibor were younger than me, and weren’t ideal playmates. Furthermore, my aunt and uncle were very protective of their children. They wouldn’t allow anything that would ‘endanger their health’. So I would often go exploring by myself.
• In the summer of ’58, when I was twelve years old, I discovered there was a stud farm in the center of town. I wandered off to the stables many times to watch the horses as they went about their daily activities. Hungary was famous for breeding Arabian horses and other warmblooded horses. I watched these magnificent animals running and jumping in the fields. Soon enough the stablemen saw my curiosity and came to chat with me at the edge of their property. After a few visits they let me get a closer look. My ears would fill with their stories. This began a new chapter of my life.
• We returned to Keszthely in the summer of 1960. When my uncle Geza learned of my passion for horses, he managed to enroll me in the Keszthely farm’s riding school. By this time I had been riding for two years in Košice. My daily routine was to wake up at 5:30, and ride my cousin’s bicycle four kilometers to the stud farm. The mornings were cool and the uphill ride was arduous, but my heart beat with anticipation every time. My throat and lungs would hurt as I rode up to the farm. Every day I would clean the horses, saddle them, and out we went to the countryside. We would ride as a group through alleys lined with linden trees, green meadows, and eventually down to Lake Balaton to cool our horse’s legs. I tried my best to keep up with the adults who were mostly caretakers, maintaining the stables on behalf of the state. In those early days I was given calmer mares. As time passed I became one of the team. They treated me kindly, and held me in high regard, despite my young age. Throughout my teens I returned many times to this sanctuary. I fell in love with the farm, and it still fills me with fond memories. The saddest day was always our departure. For my mother, it was leaving her mother behind. For me I had to say goodbye to the horses, and to my friends. I always knew that I would not see them for at least two more years.
• When I was sixteen I again returned to Keszthely. On this visit the farm included me in an equestrian exhibition in Nagyvázsony. There was a parade for the tourists. We also presented historical scenes in period costumes that included horses, such as war scenes. I also took part in parkour jumping for the onlookers. As a guest participant and foreigner, I was privileged to be part of this celebration. I was even paid for my participation.
Mamička
If you missed the other posts on Mamička, you can link to them here:
60.Jul – Keszthely · Eva Kendeova (Cafe on Lake Balaton)
• 1960 • Toporec, Slovakia • Winning 1st in ‘L’ class Parkour jumping with Lisa
60 – Toporec · Eva Kendeova (Winning 1st in L class Parkour jumping with Lisa)60.Jul – Toporec · Eva Kendeova (horses, winning 1st competition)
• Postscript from my Mom • 2014 November • This was taken after after my first competition at the age of 14. I won with my horse Lisa, who happened to be in good spirits that day. I received a crystal vase trophy.
• My mother won in the ‘L’ class competition that day. These were jumps ranging from 100cm to 110cm. The girl to her right was a fellow equestrian rider, around three years older than my mother.
• 1960 • Košice, Slovakia • Competing at the Veterinary College with Lisa
60 – Košice · Eva Kendeova (Competing at the Veterinary College with Lisa)
• 1963 • Barca, Slovakia • On a filly at the Poľnohospodárska Technická School
63 – Barca · Eva Kendeova (On a filly at the park of Poľnohospodárska Technická Škola)
• My mother was breaking young horses for her own use with the permission of the coop at the Poľnohospodárska Technická Škola in Barca. In all, she would break four horses during her studies there, and this was one of them. My mom would ride the filly to the local pub where the farmers and peasants would sit outside and enjoy their beer. When she touched the filly’s back it made him kick, since she was ticklish there. It was an amusing sight to the onlooking farmers.
• 1964 June • Barca, Slovakia • Poľnohospodárska Technická Škola
64 – Košice · Eva Kendeova (high school photo)
65.Jun – Barca · Eva Kendeova (Poľnohospodárska Technická Škola, class photo)
• My mother designed the layout for this class photo, and drew the school in the bottom right. The early days of a budding artist.
Gabriel is a seasoned sales and marketing expert with over 25 years in senior positions at Motorola, VeriSign (acquired by Symantec in 2010 for 1.25 billion US$), SecureWorks (acquired by Dell in 2011 for 612 million US$), and Cognitive Security (acquired by Cisco in 2013 for 25 million US$). He is a blockchain entrepreneur, with strengths in international business strategy.
Gabriel has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from McMaster University in Canada and expert knowledge in crypto incubation, cloud computing, IT security, and digital video technology. Gabriel also runs his own company, Euro Tech Startups s.r.o.
Hobbies include photography, video production, motion graphics, digital graphics, photo restoration, carpentry, martial arts, traveling, blogging, and trying to be better than yesterday.
• The physical presence of our lives inevitably disintegrates with time. In a few short generations our living legacy will be retold exclusively on a computer screen. Any photo albums that survive will be relegated to a museum. In fact our imprint on society is already being stored digitally, and in the cloud. Whether it’s through social networking, blogs, or cloud storage services.
• Technology is progressing at a pace where each decade increases expectations of quality by another order of magnitude. What does this mean for our children’s children? It’s about realizing that what we think is excessive today, will be average for the next generation, and for their children may our efforts will be substandard. In other words, “technology overkill” in preserving historical content should be the mantra. Hopefully our offspring will appreciate the effort we have made in preserving history.
• Restoration of photographs archives precious family photos in the best quality possible. In digital form photos no longer degrade and aren’t subjected to nature’s elements that destroy photographs – light, moisture, and heat – or even a natural disaster. Once a photo is restored and saved digitally it can be printed over again at its maximum quality. Restoration include several stages of repair, depending on the age, wear, or type of image. It’s up to the client to draw the line between strict preservation of history verses improving the image even further with artistic expression. Each stage is demonstrated below, accompanied by an animated GIF showing a few sample images.:
Correcting colors
Fixing damaged images
Removing unwanted objects or people
Correcting composition
Restoration of historical photos.
• Color Correction
Correcting colors is necessary due to the degradation of ink over time. Color photos often lose their blues resulting in photos that shift towards yellow. In other cases the original photo service may have incorrectly balanced the image’s color. Or they may be over-saturated or under-saturated by the development studio. Positive and negative film also require special care in restoring colors. Digital correction can completely restore images back to the intended look of the photographer or the captured scene.
• Damaged Images
Damage may include rips, liquid stains, scratches, dust spots, or development errors that have ruined the image. Paper on which the photo was printed may include a texture that can otherwise ruin the image. Depending on the extent, much of this damage can be reversed to reveal the image underneath.
• Object Removal
In some cases a perfectly good photograph is ruined by someone entering the frame, or an object that is distracting the photo from its focal point. Depending on the position and size of the object, many of these distractions can be removed to regain the desired focus of the image.
• Composition Corrections
An excellent photo may be ruined by poor composition. Maybe the image was improperly balanced because the horizon isn’t level. Other photos may cut out important detail from the image, such as the top of someone’s head, or the space around the main subject has resulted in a cramped feel. Maybe the subject is centered when a preferred composition is the thirds rule. Digital restoration can correct many composition errors. In some cases missing details can be manually “painted in” to properly compose an image.
• Historical Restoration
Precious family photos inevitably degrade over time. In the same way that a photo represents a moment in time, a digital scan stops that image from degrading further, and protects it forever in a virtual form.
Studios in the 19th century and early 20th century accented their portraits by manually brushing eyes, lips, or hair. This technique is called hand-coloring or Pictorialism. To some, these manual touch-ups can be annoying and detracting from an otherwise perfect historical image. Some historians may feel that these touch-ups should remain in the image as part of preserving its historical record. The choice is subjective, and both versions could often be generated from the original image. Sepia effects were also used to artistically accent photographs. These effects can also be restored in the restoration process. Why not keep a sepia and black & white version to accommodate both aesthetic alternatives?
• Ask for a Quotation
Digital restoration services are priced on a project basis. Contact us if you have any questions, or would like an estimate on restoring all or part of your family archive. For generations that follow, start today by preserving your family heritage.
The recommended resolution for scanning photos is 1200dpi and 48bit color (16 bits per RGB color) saved in the Tagged Image File Format (TIF). TIF supports up to 2GB file sizes, allowing for quite large resolution images. Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) is not be used for two main reasons: 1. the bit depth for standard JPEG is only 8bits per color (although JPEG2000 supports 16bits per color it is not as widely adopted). 2. JPEG photos have lossy compression. File sizes between TIF and JPEG are significant – A typical compression ratio is anywhere between 200:1 and 500:1 (TIF:JPEG). This gives some indication of how progressively JPEG compresses the image. In the interest of preserving history, the lossless TIF format is ideal.
All scanner enhancements such as “unsharpen mask”, auto exposure, and Digital ICE should be turned off. Editing should be left to the restoration service, for maximum control over the original image.
Positive or negative film should be scanned between 6000dpi and 9600dpi at 48bit color depth when possible to capture the maximum detail of the image.
If the approach above seems excessive then consider that as little as ten years ago 5 Megapixel (MP) cameras was the largest sensor in SLR cameras. Now there are 16MP cameras on smartphones that exceeding great quality. Ten years ago camcorders recorded video in 0.45 million pixels per frame (784×576 PAL). Now smartphones support 4K video (3840×2160, UHD) that support over 8 million pixels/frame. A similar progression has occurred in the digital audio industry. Technology is progressing at an unprecedented pace. Restoration services therefore need to look into future generation’s expectations of quality – not in what is considered normal today. Besides, a 8TB hard drives sells for 280 US$ (as of July 2015) – the storage cost is only 3¢ per TIF image.
• Sending & Receiving Photos
If you already only a few scanned images then they could be sent by email up (gmail for instance supports up to 25MB). But email is not ideal because some applications will automatically compress the images before sending, resulting in significant image degradation. The sender thinks they have sent a high resolution image, but the receiver gets a very low resolution version. A better approach is to send images via a cloud-based service such as Dropbox, which supports 2GB of cloud storage for free. Other cloud services have even higher capacities, up to 10GB for free.
If the client does not have scanning capabilities then the original photographs can also be sent for restoration processing. It’s recommended to send photos by registered post or a courier that will track the shipment to its destination. Photos will be carefully scanned at the resolutions specified above and returned to the owner once the restoration service has completed.
Restored images can be sent back to the client in several formats using a cloud service. As mentioned above, the recommended format is uncompressed TIF for archiving purposes. But several additional images can be provided in various resolutions and file formats as requested by the client.
Printing is provided on the Epson Stylus R3000. Supported services include:
Up to A3+ (329mm x 483mm, 12.95″ x 19.02″) paper size.
9 color inks are supported using the Epson UltraChrome K3 Ink technology. According to Epson, “UltraChrome K3 ink has improved print permanence characteristics that provide lightfastness ratings of up to 108 years for color and over 200 years for black and white.”
Paper grade is 250 grams or above.
Clients can choose premium glossy photo or matte stock paper.
Border-less printing is supported (i.e. no white border – ink bleeds to the edge).
Black & white or color printing is supported
Video capture of the restoration process can also be offered with each of the images, upon request.
For more information click here for more information on the capabilities of this printer: Epson – R3000 (brochure)
Gabriel is a seasoned sales and marketing expert with over 25 years in senior positions at Motorola, VeriSign (acquired by Symantec in 2010 for 1.25 billion US$), SecureWorks (acquired by Dell in 2011 for 612 million US$), and Cognitive Security (acquired by Cisco in 2013 for 25 million US$). He is a blockchain entrepreneur, with strengths in international business strategy.
Gabriel has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from McMaster University in Canada and expert knowledge in crypto incubation, cloud computing, IT security, and digital video technology. Gabriel also runs his own company, Euro Tech Startups s.r.o.
Hobbies include photography, video production, motion graphics, digital graphics, photo restoration, carpentry, martial arts, traveling, blogging, and trying to be better than yesterday.
• In the 1960’s, Slovak judo clubs were not good enough to advance to the Czechoslovakian league. The Czech’s already had a standardized belt promotion (white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown and black belts) and a relegation system. For this reason Slovakia began to set up a separate league in 1967, in order to improve the quality of their teams. Fighters advanced their skills faster when they fought someone at their own level (or slightly higher), rather than an opponent that who would completely dominate them on the mat. Eight Košice clubs organized their own league: Lokomotiva Košice, Slavia Košice, Slávia Prešov, Lokomotiva Zvolen, Slavia Žilina, Vinohrady Bratislava, Pozemné Stavby Bratislava and Martin. At a regional level, Košice dominated men’s judo in Slovakia, and had one of the best women’s team in Czechoslovakia for several years. In forming their own league, Košice gained a lot of experience, since each team fought an opposing team at least three times. Their plan to narrow the gap between Czech and Slovak judo was gradually accomplished throughout the 1960’s and early 70’s.
• During his military service in Opava, Czech Republic, from 1961-63, my uncle had an opportunity to fight for the Slezan Opava team in the Czechoslovakian Team Championship (Slezan Opava were part of the official Judo League of Czechoslovakia). He received special permission from the army to train with a civilian club because the military owned sport clubs in virtually every sport. He returned as the first black belt in Košice judo with a wealth of experience. Csaba Kende, my father and his younger brother were awarded their black belts (Shodan) shortly afterwards. In 1968, my father was one of the first to get his 2nd degree black belt (Nidan).
• Then came the Warsaw Pact invasion, where approximately 500,000 Russian troops invaded Czechoslovakia, on the night of 20–21 August 1968, and within one year nearly half the men’s team from Lokomotiva Košice emigrated. Those who stayed had to re-build the Lokomotiva Košice judo club.
• Košice Judo
• If you missed the previous post on Košice Judo, you will find it here:
• This is my dad and his brother in their back yard, in Košice. The house is still standing, on Moyzesova in Košice, just across from the city’s main police station. It currently houses university facilities. The Dusil’s lived behind the ornamental fence to the right of my dad. Behind them (in the dark “tunnel”, in the photo) was the main entrance to the house. Around ten families lived there.
Article – Judisti sú agilným oddielom
Article – Tohoročně majstrovstvá nášho kraja v Judo
60 – Brno · Dusan Halasz, Robert Dusil, Nyarjas, Edo Novak, Csaba Kende, Vaclav Dusil
60 – Prague · Vaclav & Robert Dusil
60 – Brno · Igor Fridrich, Nyarjas, Robert Dusil, Edo Novak, Vaclav Dusil, Csaba Kende, Dusan Halasz
• 6 minutes 27 seconds
61 – Košice · Lokomotiva Kosice, Men’s judo team
• Top row – x, Dusan Halasz, x, Jozef Grusecky, Joe Nalevanko, Csaba Kende • Next row – Nyaryas, Ivan Spisak, Juraj Mazanek, Vlado Babilonsky, Pavel Petrivalsky, x • Kneeling – x, Urban, Vojtech Agyagos, Hluchan, x • Laying: Vaclav Dusil and Robert Dusil with the emblem of the Lokomotiva Košice Judo Club.
• Ivan Spisak was the junior judo champion with my uncle, in 1961. Hluchan wanted to lead the club in the early 1960’s, during a crisis in leadership. But he did not succeed against the three Dusil brothers.
• 4 minutes 12 seconds
60.May.1 – Košice · International Workers’ Day
• This parade was for the International Workers’ Day. The photo was taken on the main street of Košice. The communist regime “encouraged” citizens to participate. In other words, they were required to participate in the parade. The judo team did not attend with fellow students or co-workers, but rather as sportsmen, as it was far more fun. My dad is holding the Czechoslovakian flag. Second from the right in Judo sweats and dark glasses is Joseph Nalevanko. Ivan Spisak is scratching his nose, and to the left of him is Dusan Halasz.
• Publications & Documents
68.Aug.17 – Toronto · Document, Vaclav Dusil (Judo, 2nd Dan black belt, Nidan)
Article – Judo aj v našom kraji
• Tags
Adolf Kostrian, Andrej Collak, Anna Collakova, Berco Allman, Csaba Kende, Czechoslovakia, Darina Poprenakova, Digital Restoration, Dusan Halasz, dusil.com, Edo Novak, Gabriel Dusil, Hluchan, Igor Fridrich, Ivan Spisak, Janosik Bastam, Joe Nalevanko, Jozef Arvay, Jozef Grusecky, Jozko Lemak, Julia Tothova, Juraj Bialko, Juraj Mazanek, Karol Dusil, Košice, Ladislav Kende, Lokomotiva Košice, Maria Collakova-Korytkova, Michal Korytko, Miro Brozek, Nyarjas, Orendas, Pavel Petrivalsky, Pepo Vesecky, Pepo Vosecky, Pista Oravec, Pozemné Stavby, Robert Binder, Robert Dusil, Sano Drabcak, Slavia Košice, Slavia Žilina, Slavo Sykorsky, Slezan Opava, Slovak Judo, Stefan Bartus, Ura Nage, Vaclav Dusil, Vašek Dusil, Vinohrady Bratislava, Vlado Babilonsky, Vojtech Agyagos
Gabriel is a seasoned sales and marketing expert with over 25 years in senior positions at Motorola, VeriSign (acquired by Symantec in 2010 for 1.25 billion US$), SecureWorks (acquired by Dell in 2011 for 612 million US$), and Cognitive Security (acquired by Cisco in 2013 for 25 million US$). He is a blockchain entrepreneur, with strengths in international business strategy.
Gabriel has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from McMaster University in Canada and expert knowledge in crypto incubation, cloud computing, IT security, and digital video technology. Gabriel also runs his own company, Euro Tech Startups s.r.o.
Hobbies include photography, video production, motion graphics, digital graphics, photo restoration, carpentry, martial arts, traveling, blogging, and trying to be better than yesterday.
Here is my latest mini-project – A 2015 calendar with old family photos. I set out to test my Adobe InDesign skills, and this is the end result. The calendar has a selection of photos that will be released on my blog over the next twelve months. I hope you like it. You can download the calendar in a high resolution pdf here, or click on the image below. The file is 174MB, so expect a fairly long download time, depending on your internet bandwidth.
Gabriel is a seasoned sales and marketing expert with over 25 years in senior positions at Motorola, VeriSign (acquired by Symantec in 2010 for 1.25 billion US$), SecureWorks (acquired by Dell in 2011 for 612 million US$), and Cognitive Security (acquired by Cisco in 2013 for 25 million US$). He is a blockchain entrepreneur, with strengths in international business strategy.
Gabriel has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from McMaster University in Canada and expert knowledge in crypto incubation, cloud computing, IT security, and digital video technology. Gabriel also runs his own company, Euro Tech Startups s.r.o.
Hobbies include photography, video production, motion graphics, digital graphics, photo restoration, carpentry, martial arts, traveling, blogging, and trying to be better than yesterday.
Gabriel Dusil • Time Is Relentless 