Thursday, November 29, 2018

Hello! Here’s something for the past, the present, and the future.

Past: Unicorns were real! But they were not beautiful delicate things, and climate change killed them.

Present: Ohio has 88 counties, the same number as keys on a piano, so you know what someone had to do. Thanks to Andy Woodruff, you can play a route, play a song, play anything on Ohio as a piano. (Possibly unnecessary warning: this site makes noise once you click on the map.)

Future: Next year, the Bauhaus art movement will celebrate its 100th birthday (anniversary? birthday? centennial? how does one properly note such things?) but the website is already up and looks gorgeous.

Folderol will probably not update tomorrow due to work commitments, so have a safe and spiffy weekend, and we’ll be back next week!

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Today we say farewell to Harry Leslie Smith, who was 95, a WWII veteran, and an activist up to the very end. His Twitter account (yes, he was on Twitter!) was fantastic, and here’s an example of his writing. Godspeed, Harry.

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

I just discovered The Decolonial Atlas, which is awesome, and I especially love this world map showing how very recent so many borders are. The world is constantly changing.

Madame Tussaud was impressing visitors back in 1883 with her realistic waxworks!

Monday, November 26, 2018

Hello and happy Monday!

Over the holiday, we watched the Edwardian Farm series (we’re working our way through all of the farm series), and the episodes on the moor reminded me of Robert Macfarlane’s tale on the spookiness of the English countryside. 

Closer to home, we also talked about the great Plummet Mall prank commercials of the mid-1980s. This is a very localized memory, but fortunately the ads are still around on YouTube!

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Transgender Day of Remembrance was yesterday, but any day is a good one to explore the Digital Transgender Archive; there are so many fascinating individuals and stories to find there.

From Holly: Girl Scouts learn about mortuary science! Yes! Future Spooky People of America!

The 2018 Disruptive Innovation Festival has been going on all month – see what the future may bring. 

Have a happy Thanksgiving and/or weekend, everyone! See you next week.

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Tobias Till makes linocuts which look like they’re from another time, but they’re current and awesome.

Suzanne Treister has created hundreds of amazing pieces, but I’m especially in love with her Hexen 2.0 Tarot cards, all about alternative futures, past visionaries, and secret societies. 

Frank Turner makes music, and here is “I Still Believe,” which still works as an anthem in these increasingly odd times.

 

Monday, November 19, 2018

Happy Monday!

As the Brexit omnishambles continues, Scarfolk Council has a new poster for sale, reflecting the times. (If you like the look of the poster, there’s a site dedicated to Abram Games, the artist who designed the original, which is most definitely worth a look. I love this style of art.)

From Holly: Behold the Lottie Fossil Hunter doll! It’s about time!

Friday, November 16, 2018

Happy Friday! Next week will be a short one due to Thanksgiving. In my neck of the woods, this means multiple utterances of “as God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly,” among other lines… 

La Machine is back with another amazing steampunk creation. This time it’s a giant minotaur prowling the streets! 

If you want to feel old (or young, depending on the day), check out Exactly As Old, which tells you what others were doing on this date.

Tatsuya Tanaka creates amazing daily images for the Miniature Calendar website, and has done so for years. Talk about inspiring!

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

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Well, Thursdays, we meet again.

While I was at Internet Librarian, I got to meet Dewey, a robot at the Palo Alto Public Library. He’s quite popular!

Cities are experimenting with “memory towns” to help older people with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

The BBC has a lovely piece on the last velvet merchant in Venice.

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

The London Library has found the books Bram Stoker used for reference while writing Dracula. How awesome is that?

On the other side of the horror writing spectrum, we find M.R. James, who thought Stoker was a bit too much. He wrote sparse, uncanny stories set mostly in tiny English towns, and there’s even a podcast on his work now.

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Hello! Important news (well, sort of, in the grand scheme of things): the definition of a kilogram is being revised. (Did you know the true kilogram resides in a triple-locked vault near Paris? It’s true!) 

The Victoria and Albert Museum offers several themed tours, and one of them happens to be LGBTQ-themed. This is delightful! And if you’re nowhere near the museum, fret not, you can take the tour online! 

 At long last, someone has invented glasses that block you from seeing computer screens. (It’s not John Carpenter, although the inventors wouldn’t mind a word from him.)

Monday, November 12, 2018

Hello, and happy Monday. Let’s go to Mars, shall we?

No one’s made it to Mars yet, but six people are living in a geodesic dome atop a volcano in an effort to test the conditions.

If/when we do get to Mars, we will, unfortunately, still be flawed humans. How does one police on Mars? Well...

Friday, November 09, 2018

Happy Friday!

Ghost of the Doll is a UK-based website with details on toys (mostly dolls, unsurprisingly) of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Wow, there were some seriously weird dolls out there back in the day.

Proxxi is a piece of wearable technology which warns the wearer if they’re too close to high voltages. Neat!

Beijing has a whole underground city thriving beneath the streets. The former bunkers make it all look like one of the Vaults from Fallout. 

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

Thursday, November 08, 2018

Grab bag of links today, in the midst of world chaos. (Heal up quick, RBG!)

What happened to the Nancy Drew video games? Well, it’s a story of twists and turns… 

Even cats did their part to help during the race to space!

I loved Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and am glad to see a few others liked it too. 

This Lithuanian wine cellar, built in an old bunker, is a thing of steampunkian beauty.

Wednesday, November 07, 2018

We’re coming up on 100 years since Armistice Day, the end of World War I, and here’s what’s going on in the world:

- The WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City is holding an Armistice Commemoration;

- The Tower of London is lit up with 10,000 torches as part of a week-long remembrance ceremony;

- Many war photos have been colorized by Tom Marshall and others (they have a Facebook page with more details);

- and, in Germany, it’s understandably a pretty subdued scene. 

If you like your history older than a hundred years, fear not! The Public Medievalist is doing a special series on gender and sexism during the Middle Ages! (Paging Cassandra…)

Tuesday, November 06, 2018

Hello, and GO VOTE if you’re in the USA today! In the meantime, we’re featuring a bonus Links from Others day. Thanks to all!

From Satori: “I didn't get a chance to try an arepa until we moved to NYC. Now there are MULTIPLE places in Cincy to get them!

From Cassandra: Trauma and stress can affect people years down the road, and maybe even longer. 

Ever wonder why company names go in and out of style? Here’s a look at how and why that happens!

I know the spooky season is technically over, but I didn’t get a chance to post this fantastic AI Weirdness Halloween costume algorithm! It’s even interactive. SO good.

Monday, November 05, 2018

Happy Guy Fawkes Day, a day to remember! We are back, in body if not in spirit. Stay tuned for more links, and if you're in the US, don't forget to vote tomorrow.