Monday, April 30, 2018

Happy Monday. It looks like it’s going to be another exhausting week, so take a few minutes and travel down some of America’s quietest routes, thanks to Geotab and Google Maps.

Friday, April 27, 2018

Happy Friday! And a belated happy birthday to this weblog, which turned eighteen earlier in the month. Yes, 18 years of Folderol. It’s a legal adult now and can go its own way! (I’m not sure how much longer this will go on. Maybe we’ll shoot for an even 20 years?)

Anyway. Thanks so much for reading over the years. On to links from others!

From Bunny: “I Was Alive and I Waited For This” – an look back on what it meant to be a teenager in America as the Berlin Wall fell, and how events since then have not really turned out the way we thought.

From Cassandra: Alexa, please tell everyone the details of my private life. 

Also from Cassandra: Lou Reed and David Bowie in the age of Transformer

Found via Metafilter: Corey Press features medieval-like woodcuts of Lovecraftian monstrosities and more! It’s amazing, and I am seriously considering the purchase of a “Volo Credere” t-shirt. 

Found via Twitter: There was a horror-themed nightclub in Columbus, Ohio in the early 1940s. I had no idea, and think it should make a comeback ASAP!

Have a safe and spiffy weekend, everyone. See you next week.

Thursday, April 26, 2018

If you’ve got a way with words and are free in May, get thee to Austin for the 41st Annual O.Henry Museum Pun-Off World Championships! (I am terrible at puns, but appreciate them.)

Looking for something to read? Here are a hundred books about libraries. I have read a few, but not many, so am creating a summer reading list!

The Shigir Idol is much older than archaeologists first thought – older even than the pyramids. This is so cool.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Hello! Today I am captivated by Dale Bigford’s creation, Immortality for Sale. There are 20 lots of handmade props, each with a story behind it (here's the first one, for example)!

For those of you not so much into the spooky, fear not: It’s also World Penguin Day!

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

What’s the birdcast for tonight? If you’re in the United States, find out with the help of real time migration maps! 

Meanwhile, in Abu Dhabi, the Louvre has created a roadside art gallerywith the help of local radio stations.

Tedium takes you through the history of the robotic arm. 

Retronaut has returned! (It never really went away. It’s a long story.)

Monday, April 23, 2018

Happy Shakespeare Day (and Monday)!

A David Bowie installation is now in a NYC subway station. Go check it out if you’re in the area. 

Mondo Mascots is one of the best Twitter accounts out there. Now there’s an article on the man behind all the crazy photos!

Friday, April 20, 2018

Happy Friday!

Janelle Monae is awesome. This is an unarguable fact. Here’s a NY Times article about her which also includes several of her videos!

Want better acoustics in your home/studio/gallery? Why not bury a horse skull under the floor? Seriously, that’s what was done back in the day, and it worked. From this same link, I found David Byrne’s “Playing the Building,” which is super cool.

Have a safe and spiffy weekend, everyone. See you next week.

Thursday, April 19, 2018

What’s it like to go into an Amazon bookstore – a real, brick and mortar Amazon bookstore? Chuck Wendig has investigated and reported on his findings! 

Curator John Overholt does a daily roundup of special collections images on Twitter, such as this one. It'sa great idea.

I know it’s Squirrel Week, but take a moment to consider participating in MuttMix, where you try to identify which breeds are in a dog. It’s for science, it's free, and you don’t have to be a dog breed connoisseur to take part!

Chrome has a lot of hidden (and surprisingly useful) bells and whistles. I didn't know many of these, so I'm spreading the word.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

An update from yesterday’s post: The angry badger has left the castle. Its demands, and (dis)satisfaction thereof, were not made public.

Britain From Above shows a panorama of 20th century Britain as seen from the air. (No word as to whether any badgers are in the photos.)

New York City stopped building subway systems in the 1940s. What’s up with that? Citylab investigates. 

Archaeologists have found the skeleton of a medieval man who not only survived an amputation, he even sported a knife as a prosthesis. You go, medieval knifehand man.

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

It is Squirrel Week! How well do you know squirrels? (I, apparently, do not know squirrels well, even though I thought I had learned a lot during March Mammal Madness. Back to the books!)

In probably unrelated news, an angry badger has shut down part of a Scottish castle. Best line: “There was no indication as to why it was angry.” (Perhaps it’s upset there is no Badger Week?)

UPDATE: There is indeed a Badger Week, and it's Scottish Badger Week, at that! Calm down, angry badger, you'll have your time in the spotlight next month.

Monday, April 16, 2018

Happy Monday! We’re all still here, it seems.

I have not seen Muppet Guys Talking yet, but I will soon, and everyone else should, too.

In the meantime, here's a cheerful news item from Julie: Half of your body is not human. More than half, even!

Friday, April 13, 2018

Happy Friday the 13th!

In honor of the spookiness of the day, here's a long article about growing up in the 1970s and the “hauntology” aesthetic that resulted for many people, myself included. (This is all about Britain, but I think it was true for parts of America, too, at least in rural areas.)

From Satori: Just another day as a public librarian, getting punched in the face and all.

Have a safe and spiffy weekend, everyone! See you next week.

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Take some time to read about it, or to talk, or whatever suits your own situation.

When local newspapers shut down, we lose a lot of history – and also lose information about the spread of disease, for instance. 

Archive.org’s Magazine Rack has thousands of issues, all for free! I am partial to Smash Hits, but they have everything from Playboy to Soldier of Fortune to Atari Club.

From a coworker: a list of fierce fictional librarians. (Anyone else remember Rex Libris?)

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Hi there. I got blindsided by a bronchial infection out of nowhere and have been out for a few days. While I work on properly breathing again, check out Adam Hall's art!

Friday, April 06, 2018

Friday, hooray!

Most of April 1st’s pranks and hoaxes were minimized by it being Easter Sunday, but Satori points to the Mutter Museum’s announcement as one that was especially well done. I agree!

From Twitter: Tokyo Fashion, which finds amazing people nearly every day.

Who owns 221B Baker Street these days? It’s a mystery worthy of former occupant Sherlock Holmes.

Have a safe and spiffy weekend, everyone. See you next week.

Thursday, April 05, 2018

March Mammal Madness has come to an end! You even get to see a tiny clip of us at the end. Many thanks to everyone for watching and encouraging us to participate in this wonderful performance science.


 



And now, for something totally different and for the library-oriented among us, check out the winners of the Edible Book Festival. You will not be disappointed!

Tuesday, April 03, 2018

Hello! Unexpectedly busy today. Here are two links:

First, for the inventive and cheerful: Today's Google Doodle celebrates John Harrison's marine chronometer. 

Second, for the romantic and/or gloomy: A couple married for almost 73 years arranges to die together with medical assistance.

And also, here's the penultimate Rodent Recap:


Monday, April 02, 2018

Happy Monday!

Architecture: Should the Union Carbide building in Manhattan make way for something new? A fierce debate is raging. Meanwhile, here’s some information about Natalie de Blois, the architect of the building.

Art: In New Orleans, Kara Walker’s “Katastwóf Karavan” is finally in place. Listen for the calliope! 

Theatre: In that Scottish play, is the dagger Macbeth sees before him real or illusory? And how do you handle that on the stage?