Thursday, May 31, 2018

Today we’re getting caught up on what I missed earlier in the week. (It’s Summer Associate Season in the land of the law firms and my attention is somewhat divided.)

First, and most importantly, a report on the annual Gloucestershire Cheese Race, plus a three-minute video of the most spectacular falls/bounces of the race. (Ouch.)

The Museum of Bad Art may have been linked before here, but it’s worth a second look!

The Catholic Church is slowly coming to terms with death…or, at least, how people handle remains after death. (Cremation rates are way up, evidently.)

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Hello, and Happy Otter Awareness Day! It’s good to be aware of otters.

It’s also the anniversary of Joan of Arc’s death, and Dorian Cope commemorates the girl from Donremy. 

SALt is a new product, providing “Sustainable Alternative Lighting” via lanterns powered by saltwater. 

And in local news, we have a major league soccer team in town now!

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Good morning! As we get caught up from the long weekend, here is a VERY long post about hauntology music. If you’re looking for even more after that, the AV Club dives into the Boards of Canada discography. (I had not heard of Boards of Canada until now. Looking forward to exploring!)

Friday, May 25, 2018

Happy Friday, everyone. It’s been a week, hasn’t it?

From Julie: Watch out for zombies, warns a Florida town! Oh wait, never mind, just a power outage. (Um…)

Via Twitter: We Are the Mutants examines the Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble’s 1977 work with Nebraska Public Television. It’s pretty wild.

Some brave souls have been streaming the volcanic activity from Kilauea for days now – you can watch it live right now. 

And finally, many thanks to Holly for taking us out into the long weekend with this absolutely brilliant Sesame Street ‘80s homage! Have a spiffy and safe weekend, everyone. See you next week.


Thursday, May 24, 2018

The Smithsonian’s weblog brings interesting historical news, like this discovery of a cache of tablets written in Meroitic, one of Africa’s oldest written languages, and also of the effect climate change is having on Mongolian burial sites. 

In related news, how do we protect our rare books from the climate, going forward?

I follow a lot of authors on Twitter, including some dead ones like Shakespeare. There are many more out there, some automated, some curated by the living. It makes for some fun interruptions in the day.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

World Goth Day was yesterday, but it’s never too late to enjoy some spooky words, courtesy of Merriam-Webster. 

The Order of the Good Death talks about Aztec mothers. Cassandra and I were discussing this and the concept of your afterlife being determined by the nature of your death. (Cassandra: “If you died by drowning, would you just hang out at the beach and wait to help others along?”)

Cities and Memory has a great soundscape project going on. (If you like this sort of thing, check out the Imaginary Soundscape!)

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

How We Get to Next has a new series, titled A Visual History of the Future, and it looks like it’s going to be fantastic.

Speaking of futures and history, here’s a 1922 concept of color television. Loudspeakers weren’t invented yet, so you have a Victrola-like contraption for audio!

Monday, May 21, 2018

Friday, May 18, 2018

Happy Friday!

From Julie: Time travelers are welcome at Stephen Hawking’s memorial service in June. 

Also from Julie: Scientists may have found a drug to combat the common cold! 

From Cassandra: Working class people are more empathic. Also more fatalistic. Well, you’ll have that.

From the people behind Retronaut: Freevious, high-quality public domain photographs!

From Twitter: The hockey playoffs have extended to a (friendly) Twitter war between the Winnipeg and Las Vegas public libraries. 

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

Thursday, May 17, 2018

It’s that time of year when the ranking of baby names comes out! Liam and Emma are at the top. I am pleased to report that my name is getting rarer every year. At some point today there will also be a state-by-state breakdown. 

Here’s something useful on Twitter for those of us in the legal world: Big Cases Bot posts downloaded filings of important ongoing cases. Very helpful, and free!

The Vatican has warned nuns “not to overindulge” in social media. Pfft. Good luck with that.

Bill E. Lytton had the brilliant idea to layer hundreds of photos together to create a visualization of London’s iconic landmarks. It looks like an Impressionist gallery.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Oooo, go check out today’s Google Doodle of Tamara de Lempicka, and then go learn about her, because both the art and the woman behind the art are fascinating.

The world’s first online Sikh museum is on the way!

Did you know about burial shoes? They’re a little different than regular shoes, due to, well, rigor mortis and the like.

Wil Wheaton spoke to NAMI Ohio about chronic depression, and it’s very close to personal experience (except for the fame angle!). Take some time and read it if you can.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Today we look at world history, in an oblique sort of way.

In Egypt, scientific instruments have determined that there are no secret passages in King Tutankhamun’s tomb. How disappointing.

In Myanmar, women are educating children about health and hygiene with the help of traditional marionettes. 

Originally from Argentina, Arturo Bonafont’s treatise on cane defense is now available in English!

Friday, May 11, 2018

Happy Friday!

From Satori via Save Ellis Island: Did you know Chef Boyardee was a real person? It’s true!

From Cassandra: Historical gynecological tools. This is a New York Times article and it locked me out after I saw a few images due to the paywall, and honestly, that was perfectly all right with me. 

From Retronaut: London street style circa 1906. I would kill for some of these skirts and shoes. Can we bring back Edwardian fashion?

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

Thursday, May 10, 2018

It’s Thursday and that means, as per usual, that it’s busy. But here, I found something that can entertain for hours: Make Your Own Bayeux Tapestry! You can add and delete people, animals and more, and create intricate battlefields or total chaos, depending on your mood.

Cambridge University’s mysterious library tower is going to open for an exhibit! This looks like so much fun. 

For genealogists and historical researchers: Here’s a handy guide to phrases and abbreviations used back in the day.

Wednesday, May 09, 2018

Here we go on a quick trip round the globe!

The long-discussed underwater hotel in the Maldives is on its way to completion. I would love to see it, but think I would be terrified the whole time.

Behold the beautiful bird palaces of Turkey! 

In London, The Cauldron offers an immersive lesson in magical potion-making. Or cocktail-making. Same thing, really.

No matter where you are, you can enjoy the Cemetery Mixtape podcast. History and music! What’s not to love?

Tuesday, May 08, 2018

More art! Pete Amachree creates beautiful steampunk scenes – less gears, more atmosphere.

In a similar vein, bioluminescent insects have moved into an abandoned railroad tunnel in Australia, making it spooky and gorgeous. 

Over in the Netherlands, manmade earthquakes happen in Groningen as a byproduct of the nearby gas plants. Artist Sissel Marie Tonn has created The Intimate Earthquake Archive in response.

Monday, May 07, 2018

Happy Monday! Here are two artists for you.

Nick Georgiou makes incredible art out of books, and recently created scenes for Dolce & Gabbana. 

Masha Ivashintsova took over 30,000 photos of Soviet Russia; her daughter discovered them after Masha died and is putting them online, with accompanying stories. It’s amazing.

Friday, May 04, 2018

Happy Friday, and May the Fourth be with you! 

From Julie: Speaking of Star Wars, have you seen the plethora of Yoda-like creatures in medieval manuscripts? Seven hundred years old, he truly is!

Also from Julie: A postcard allegedly written by Jack the Ripper made a mint at auction.

Also also from Julie (thanks so much for sending all these great links, Julie!): “Corn much higher than an elephant’s eye,” thanks to an ingenious agricultural scientist!

March Mammal Madness may be over, but the alt-champion tardigrade (also known as TardiGandalf) is still winning over hearts and artists – take a look at the new swag available! 

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

Wednesday, May 02, 2018

Today, let’s talk about ghosts.

Ghost nations: For a brief few years after the Bolshevik uprising, there were several dozen new nations in the former Russia. Here’s a look at many of them, complete with flags! 

Ghosts on campus: There are a few at the University of Vermont. 

Possible ghosts of ancient history: Archaeologists have discovered what looks like a mass child (and young animal) sacrifice in Peru, and are trying to figure out why the sacrifice occurred.

Ghost chickens! Well, not really. This is all about the Chicken of Tomorrow campaign, which aimed at (and succeeded in) getting more Americans to eat chicken. It also led to a delightful documentary. (Clicking on either link is not recommended for vegetarians, however.)

Tuesday, May 01, 2018

Happy May Day! 

Did the Victorians have faster reactions than 21st century individuals? Maybe….but probably not, although it leads to some fascinating theories.

Paleofuture takes a look back at the life of the 1930s radio-equipped police officer. 

If you love space art, like Bunny, you will be thrilled by this IndieGogo campaign for a documentary on NASA artists!