“During his time spent in Southern California in the late 1910s and early 1920s, Frank Lloyd Wright accelerated the search for L.A.’s authentic architecture that was suitable to the city’s culture and landscape."
Monday, May 31, 2021
Take Five
I love Dave Brubeck's Take Five, even this version which features a broken air conditioner, a glove box, a door and a trash bin.
Sunday, May 30, 2021
Heartbreaking
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| Image credit |
215 pairs of children’s shoes were placed on the stairs of the Vancouver Art Gallery after the discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of 215 Indigenous children at a former residential school in British Columbia.
Sunday Links
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| Image: Atlantis Sanya/PADI |
People in China are becoming mermaids (photo above) (Via)
River Runner allows you to drop a raindrop anywhere in the contiguous United States and watch where it ends up. (Via MeFi)
Tintin like you've never seen him, a Hergé - Hopper mashup. (Via Memo Of The Air)
What is Brutal Wine? I react to sulfites so I'd definitely give these a try, even though the label features an image of the Grim Reaper. (Via TMN)
The Ayas' Home: A London refuge for South Asian nannies who were abandoned far from home.
Do you want to read something scary? A Thread from @RobertGReeve (Thanks Bruce)
The DEVO short-sleeve button-up shirt collection. Via
Medieval MEME generator (Via Webcurios)
Patented: 1,000 Design Patents for a range of products, including the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile, the Porta Potty, the iPhone to the Mars Rover.
A Brilliant Collection of Behind the Scenes Photos of Alfred Hitchcock Movies
The Mill House Via Things Magazine
Tbilisi's Brutalist Reality: unique Soviet-era structures in the Georgian capital. (Via PfRC)
She performed at Harry Dean Stanton’s deathbed, and is a member of John C Reilly’s roller-skating club: Molly Lewis, professional whistler (Make sure you watch the video. It's awesome.)
The holy grail of card tricks is a mystery that can't be taught.
How some people tried to buy happiness during the pandemic I bought myself Wolverine-like clawed garden gloves and a Japanese omelette pan (still unused a year later) that I might not have bought otherwise. (Thanks Bruce)
Firefighter catches child thrown from building
This article is hilarious: A handheld grater will make guests want to have sex with you.
Did you know that solar housing is actually retro? I didn't.
Jarcuterie is a thing, a very good thing.
The Snob a 1958 educational short.
Rules for Plato's Retreat in NYC in the 1970s.
In May 1971, Chris Searle, a young English teacher was sacked by the governors of Sir John Cass Foundation School in Stepney for publishing Stepney Words, a collection of his students’ poems. Read about The Stepney School Strike
Saturday, May 29, 2021
A mesmerizing timelapse that visualizes the rotation of Earth by stabilizing the sky with a spinning camera, a unique perspective from photographer Bartosz Wojczyński. pic.twitter.com/Cssr0q4w9J
— Wonder of Science (@wonderofscience) May 27, 2021
Pic Of The Day
Trampoline inventor George Nissen (1914-2010) jumping with his Kangaroo pic.twitter.com/FYcUN2iIms
— Flashbak.com (@aflashbak) May 29, 2021
It's National Biscuit Day!
Cookie thread! https://t.co/12pGbL64W7
— madamjujujive (@madamjujujive) May 29, 2021
Friday, May 28, 2021
Salad Mug
Salad Mug is the first episode of Ian Hubert's dystopian sci-fi series, Dynamo Dream. The salad girl has a green thumb and sells salads in mugs.
This Photographer Put His Country On Google Maps
Zimbabwean photographer and digital strategist Tawanda Kanhema documented 500 miles of roads in Zimbabwe after learning his country did not appear on Google Maps.
S. T. Gill - Historic Adelaide Interactive Map
Samuel Thomas Gill was an English-born artist who lived in Adelaide, Australia in the mid 1800s where he painted many street scenes of the city. Systems developer David Coombe has created a “street view” map of Adelaide in the 1840s by pinning Samuel Thomas Gill paintings onto historical maps of the city. Each work's marker has descriptive text and an image where available.
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| Click here to see interactive map |
Via Futility Closet
Thursday, May 27, 2021
Crocs Spurs
3D printed spurs you can attach to the heel strap on your Crocs. I'm serious.
Castellfollit de la Roca
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| Image Credit |
Castellfollit de la Roca is a municipality in Catalonia, Spain, bordered by the confluence of the Fluvià and Toronell rivers. It is built on a narrow basalt cliff over 50 meters high and almost a kilometer long.
Via FB pal Chung Wong. I wish I'd known about it when I was in Catalonia, I definitely would have checked it out.
The Rolls-Royce of Picnic Sets
Only three Rolls-Royce Boat Tails will be made so this is likely the closest you'll get to seeing what's in the trunk. It contains a 'Hosting Suite' containing everything you'd require for a luxe picnic experience:
- A pair of nesting Promemoria stools
- A matching umbrella
- Platinum-ringed porcelain plates
- Engraved silver Christofle Parisian flatware
- A double champagne fridge and flutes
- Climate-controlled bins for snacks
- A piano-hinged cocktail table that opens from either side of the suite
Sumo: Hokusai-inspired tour of the Tokyo Olympics
As Japan prepares for the 2021 Olympics French illustrator Stéphane Levallois and MullenLowe France have created an animated video that pays tribute to Japan.
Via Creative Boom
Tweet Of The Day
this dolphin freaking out at Mariah Carey’s whistle tones is so pure omg?? pic.twitter.com/FK3lJNhYsZ
— themperess 🧝 (@nalaeanais) May 24, 2021
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
I Get Knocked Down
I Get Knocked Down is the untold story of Leeds-based anarcho-pop band Chumbawamba. Here's the trailer:
Blocks
Dāvis Drieska filmed Hong Kong's concrete jungle of public housing blocks with a drone and captured an eerie dystopian feel.
Tweet Of The Day
People building monsters out of discarded Cicada 🪰 shells has now become my new favourite thing! - HolG pic.twitter.com/3m3uCxfZDg
— TheRotatingChair (@RotatingChair) May 19, 2021
The Pavement Surgeon
The Woman Who Stared At The Sun
During World War II Tokyo held frequent drills to prepare citizens for airstrikes. When blackouts came, young Hisako Koyama would sneak outside with a star chart to stargaze. In later life she produced one of the most influential solar observation collections in the last 400 years.
Read more: The Kid Should See This
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
The Undying Hydra
Could the hydra, named after a mythical multiheaded monster, hold the secret to eternal youth?
What the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Destroyed
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| After the Massacre Department of Special Collections and University Archives, McFarlin Library at The University of Tulsa |
Welcome Branwen!
Ravenmaster Chris Skaife holds Branwen, the newest bird to join the Tower of London's roost. According to legend, Britain is secure as long as ravens remain at the Tower, a 1,000-year-old fortress and castle on the banks of the River Thames.
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| (Photo by Jonathan Brady / PA Images via Getty Images) |
Read more: Smithsonian
The Biggest Rock Band on Earth
Rockin' 1000's goal was to “find one thousand musicians, get them to play simultaneously for the biggest rock show ever, collect enough money to make it real, convince the Foo Fighters to play a gig in Cesena.” Watch the thousand member rock band play Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit in Cessina in July 2016:
On November 3rd, 2016 The Foo Fighters performed a unique live show in Cesena.
See more: Open Culture
Monday, May 24, 2021
I Usually Buy Mine Pre-Ironed
Via Everlasting Blort菓製婦は見た pic.twitter.com/2UI53CfUJJ
— Tatsuya Tanaka 田中達也 (@tanaka_tatsuya) May 22, 2021
Massive Banana Ganesh
Each year the Natraj Club in the Indian city of Sambalpur pay tribute to the Hindu god Ganesh by creating a statue of him using different materials. This year they've gone totally bananas. The 25 foot tall figure of the deity took 5.5 tons of bananas and 75 days to complete.
Baby Jumping
The 'Colacho,' a man dressed as a devil, jumps over babies during 'El salto del Colacho', a traditional festival in the village of Castrillo de Murcia in Spain.
A PSA from NAG
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says you should stop kissing your live poultryhttps://t.co/tQFZE0CLJ5
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 22, 2021
Sunday, May 23, 2021
Sunday Links
How to Build a Bird Kite This is a craft tutorial that doubles as a meditative experience.
Operation Cowboy In 1945, a group of American soldiers set out to rescue hundreds of horses from a Nazi farm in Czechoslovakia.
The Lecherous Limericks of Isaac Asimov
The Great Pigeon Relay A post about the rescue of Passenger, a pigeon who showed up in a guy's car.
Are you more ****** Than Average? (via Webcurios)
This week's house envy is a frescoed apartment in beautiful Lisbon.
In 1887, as the Eiffel Tower was being built, a Committee of Three Hundred led by architect Charles Garnier protested the structure: When foreign visitors come to our universal exposition, they will cry out in astonishment, 'Is this the atrocity that the French present to us as the representative of their vaunted national taste?’ (Thanks Bruce!)This egg-laying, venomous, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal. I'm not sure I've ever seen one in the flesh. Have you?
You can see the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale Pavilions online.
Rusty Blazenhoff visited that rare blooming corpse flower at the abandoned gas station in Alameda, California and has pictures to prove it.
Milo might be the cutest dog you have ever seen but his habits are simple and revolting. (Hilarious but not for the squeamish) via MeFi
The secretary who turned Liquid Paper into a multimillion-dollar business You knew she was Mike Nesmith's mum didn't you? (Thanks Bruce)
"Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble"? Nope. 50 Common Misquotations
Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Underground Railroad has been made into a ten-part series and it is one of the most harrowing things I have ever watched. The novel was built on recognizable historical moments but how much of it is actually true? Link
What does it mean to be untouchable? Class and caste in India during covid.
Worst Responders Thanks Bruce!
14 larger than life TV characters we never saw onscreen. (Via Miss Cellania)
344 Marilyn Monroe covers Via Memo Of The Air
Fashion forward or fashion fail? Just $528US!
A new word for you: The F-150 Lightning, an electric pickup truck, has a frunk.
The jade burial suits of China (Via Strange Company)
I adore this set of handmade William Morris ceramic buttons. Etsy
In 1984 this British TV Show demonstrated internet shopping and how to check your email on the go.
Tweet Of The Day
"That's his chicken" pic.twitter.com/KHh6Qo2Z7s
— Emma (@CampbellxEmma) October 14, 2020
Saturday, May 22, 2021
Do All Bees Look The Same?
Wildlife camera and drone operator Josh Forwood built a bee hotel and took close-up portraits of bees. He found that they actually look very different from one another.
Meteor Diorama Lamp
Artist 4THECRAFT shows us how to make a diorama lamp of a meteor hitting a city building.
Tweet Of The Day
Via Everlasting BlortIs Saturday still caturday...let’s have a day!
— Wu-Tang Is For The Children (@WUTangKids) May 15, 2021
Via IG:tunefullymusic pic.twitter.com/UEYuudPX5X
Friday, May 21, 2021
Dating Vintage NYC Photos
Jordan Liles explains how he figured out exactly when these New York City photos were taken.
Mother of 200 Pigs
Let us pause for a moment to honor Polly, Mother of 200 Pigs. (Strand Magazine, Vol. 29) pic.twitter.com/8xtIa51ZTR
— Undine (@HorribleSanity) May 19, 2021
1,200 trees to grow during the Venice Architecture Biennale
Danish architecture studio EFFEKT has planted hundreds of pine seedlings around seven architectural models at the Venice Biennale using a hydroponics system that's remote-controlled from Copenhagen.
Tweet Of The Day
The last moments of a bag of potato crisps. https://t.co/E8FuVNZfkm
— nazimbharmal (@nazimbharmal) May 20, 2021
Lost In Time
The 153 Mile Store in northern British Columbia was abandoned in 1963 and has remained perfectly preserved ever since. It's as if time stood still.
Thursday, May 20, 2021
A rare case of modern real estate demolished to rebuild heritage
The Butchers' Guild Hall in Hildesheim (Germany) is a half-timbered building originally built in 1529. Prior to WW2 officials, fearing that the building would be bombed, wanted to dismantle it but after finding this was not an option they took pictures and gypsoplasts of its complex sculptures to enable rebuilding in the event of its destruction. The construction plans were put in safekeeping.
Sadly, the Guild Hall was destroyed on March 22, 1945 and not rebuilt at that time. A hotel was built on the site in 1962-64 but it went bankrupt. The City decided to demolish the hotel and rebuild the original historic marketplace. Locals donated photos, drawings and money and it was rebuilt 1987-89. The total costs of reconstructing the Butcher's and Bakers' Guild Halls amounted to DM 13.6 million (€7 million).
Story via FB friend Chung Wong who posts all sorts of interesting stuff on his page.
Everyone is Awesome
More: Boing Boing
Tweet Of The Day
“Owners of small pets have outfitted little dogs and cats in spiked collars and armor-like vests to keep them from becoming bird food” for bald eagles https://t.co/JmnCvyhWtV pic.twitter.com/n0YGain4yn
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 15, 2021
Via Neatorama
The Great Wave Off Kanagawa in 15 Minutes
Japanese woodcut artist Katsushika Hokusai's iconic work explained by James Payne, a curator, gallerist and a passionate art lover.
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Pedestrians Flee Shaking Skyscraper
The 300 metre (980ft) high SEG Plaza in Shenzhen,southern China began to shake at around 1pm, prompting an evacuation of people inside.
Moving An Historic Home By Boat 1957
Turning the Tide is a documentary consisting of eight short films that tells the story of citizens who stopped a 1950's project to fill in part of the San Francisco Bay. In this video historic Lyford House is moved from Strawberry Point to Rogers Beach in Tiburon CA in December 1957 to save it from demolition.
Here's a related video about the history of the house.
Darwin's Arch Collapses
Darwin’s Arch, a rock formation south-east of Darwin Island in the Galápagos archipelago, has collapsed due to natural erosion leaving just the two pillars standing.
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Tokyo Nude
Tokyo-based artist Rumi Ando has removed people, electric poles, windows, advertising and trash from her photographs of the city, reducing it to its basic forms. The resulting photographs look like imaginary cityscapes.
The Man With A Seven Second Memory
The fascinating story of Clive Wearing, a British former musicologist, conductor, tenor and keyboardist who suffers from chronic anterograde and retrograde amnesia.
Gender-bending, Death-zombie Fungus Causes Cicadas' Butts To Fall Off
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| Gene Kritsky, a professor at the College of Mount St. Joseph, took this photo of the bright eyes of an adult periodical 17-year cicada in 2004. |
“Imagine if, after a lifetime underground, you only had a few glorious weeks to live in the sun, eat and mate and then your butt fell off.”
Read more southbendtribune
Via FB friend Florie
Tweet Of The Day
Via KottkeMount Rainier, ready for her close up. pic.twitter.com/QFOCHEBy9E
— Chelan (@freckles) May 17, 2021
Monday, May 17, 2021
2021 Canadian Census Soundtrack
The 2021 Canadian census has its own soundtrack that you can listen to as you complete your questionnaire.The previous government made a decision to make the long form census voluntary which was overturned by the current government who made it mandatory again and has taken a more innovative approach. Indigenous, Francophone, hip hop, country and classic rock- there's something for everyone here, including this video from Digging Roots. Shoshona Kish is the daughter of friends and I first met her the day she was born:
Tweet Of The Day
Overhead video of trаin rolling through Maeklong Railway Market, Bangkok. Six times a day vendors quickly fold up their awnings as the train slides through. pic.twitter.com/Lhfxn0eere
— Scott Kerr (@scott_kerr) May 16, 2021
Sunday, May 16, 2021
Tweet Of The Day
Cat latte. ₍⸍⸌̣ ʷ̣̫ ⸍̣⸌₎ pic.twitter.com/JIz3spe3OA
— Olivia When (@usuallyawake) May 15, 2021
Sunday Links
Paper Crane Bonsai Trees created by Japanese artist Naoki Onogawa
How many artists overshadow their band after going solo?
The world's oldest home is 1.8 million years old.
A roundup of the country's built heritage: List of the oldest buildings in Canada
Which country's Emergency Alert System siren is the most alarming? I guess that would be mine.
I'd hate to turn him in but I could use the dough.
I second this emotion: I wish that Pee-wee Herman was my neighbor by Goblin Bones!
This week's house envy is a holiday home in Ljusdal, Sweden. Those murals!
I Mailed an AirTag and Tracked Its Progress; Here's What Happened Thanks Bruce!
Faded grandeur: A selection of ceilings shot in abandoned places.
Meet the quarrelsome, stubborn, greedy, vain and noisy individuals recorded in the 1911 census ...
Looking for something to do for the next ten hours? How about watching this video of a hummingbird pool party
Trompe L'Oeil murals by Peeta.
Create your own Vintage Map
A Brief History of PEZ My son's extensive PEZ collection is gathering dust in my attic.
Nice legs: The Fashionable Mark Bryan
Every room in The Dive Motel in Nashville has a "Party Switch" that activates a disco ball and music! Via Rusty's Electric Dreams
List of Lists Via Perfect for Roquefort Cheese
The extraordinary story of Lady Meux, a banjo-playing barmaid who was driven around London in a carriage drawn by zebras.
For Sale: A $1 Million Bottle of Bordeaux Aged in Space
He was a merchant of death: Like Uber but for cremations
Lights at sea is an interactive map which shows the location of lighthouses around the world. The map uses different colored flashing markers to show the light characteristics of each lighthouse shown on the map. More here. Thanks Bruce!
A Slideshow of Crafts Made by New York Times Readers So many good ones. I like Frog and Toad the best.
nightnight Is my blog keeping you up at night? Maybe I should put it to sleep at bedtime.Via Kraftfuttermischwerk
Sorry, but if you own these things you are cheugy
They came from space: The visitors from deep space baffling scientists Thanks Bruce!
Saturday, May 15, 2021
Cheerful Sculptures
These pieces by Japan based sculptor Hirosuke Yabe bring a smile to my face. He creates wooden sculptures using a nata, a Japanese hatchet.
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