My friend Alan Parker suggested this to me,
Friday, December 31, 2021
RIP Betty White
Hollywood icon Betty White has passed away at age 99. Thank you for being a friend, Betty. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/AI48ImiCjO
— IMDb (@IMDb) December 31, 2021
Heading into 2022
Heading into 2022 pic.twitter.com/pGjK9ewq6D
— Scott Kerr (@scott_kerr) December 21, 2021
New Year's Resolutions 1914
– Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, quoted in the Butler Weekly Times, January 1, 1914
Via Strange Company
Via everlasting blortSea lions surfing big waves, Santa Barbara Island pic.twitter.com/mp51UYBFEC
— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) October 25, 2021
The Piano Has Been Drinking
We've decided to play it safe this year and this means staying home this New Year's Eve instead of the usual celebration with friends. The upside is no hangover tomorrow.
The piano has been drinking, my necktie is asleepAnd the combo went back to new york, the jukebox has to take a leak
And the carpet needs a haircut, and the spotlight looks like a prison break
And the telephone's out of cigarettes, and the balcony is on the make
And the piano has been drinking, not me…
Thursday, December 30, 2021
Self Driving Cars, Yay or Nay?
If I could be convinced to ride in one of these I'd have my finger poised on the emergency stop button. This video was sponsored by Waymo (formerly the Google self-driving car project)
Extraordinary Biscuit Designs
Design historian, author, and artist Ella Hawkins will biscuify almost anything! Previously I posted her sweet tasting Tiffany glass biscuits and a very special patchwork quilt. She's also created biscuits inspired by ancient Greek pottery sherds in the collections of the Ashmolean Museum in England:
Below are illuminated manuscript biscuits inspired by various museum collections:
See more of her beautiful creations here
via MeFi
Claywood Is A Home Designed For Accessibility
"Whilst the house incorporates a lot of specialist items and automation, much of the design was simply about ensuring things are in the right places and set at appropriate heights," explained Gaunt.
Read more: dezeen
2021 in 6 Minutes
2021 has taken us on a wild ride and many of us will be glad to see the back of it. Here are some of the emotional highlights from the past year:
via TwistedSifter
Building a Tiny Tower House from Concrete
In this video OUROBOROS ARQ builds a miniature house using using the same materials and construction methods that would be used on a full-scale one.
Via The Awesomer
Wednesday, December 29, 2021
RIP Jonco
Last night I was scrolling through Facebook and came across a post on Jonco's timeline that looked like an obituary titled 'End of an Era'. I couldn't believe what I was reading - I'd just teased him on Facebook the day before - and I had to read it again. The post was from his family telling his readers that he had passed away unexpectedly. Jonco started his Bits & Pieces blog in 2002 and over the years we combed the same blogger neighbourhood for links and frequently ran into each other online. He was a great guy, friendly, funny as hell and a lover of dogs. He gave the gift of laughter to scores of readers every day and we will miss him very much. My heart goes out to his family on the sudden loss of their dear husband and father. It is indeed the end of an era.
Butterflies Emerging From Their Chrysalis
A lovely slow motion time-lapse video of tropical butterflies at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Living Conservatory.
Why Doesn't Europe Build More Skyscrapers?
The downtown cores of most cities in Asia and North America are composed of soulless concrete canyons while Europe has relatively few skyscrapers. I prefer walkable cities with appealing landscapes, wide sidewalks, grand boulevards and human-scale living environments. However it's hard for large cities to ignore the siren call of modernization.
Read More: Open Culture
The Architect who never goes to school .😍❤️#birds #NaturePhotography pic.twitter.com/dIOua1S7R4
— Beauty Of Nature🍀🐞🌲 (@BeautyNature___) December 27, 2021
How to make salmon sushi
This brilliant stop motion video by animator I Like Home shows how to turn salmon into sushi using Lego bricks instead of fish. He even adds garnishes!
Via Laughing Squid
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
I began to feel unsafe driving a sedan because taller vehicles on the road blocked my view of potential hazards ahead.
What a difference 40 years makes.
— createstreets (@createstreets) December 24, 2021
Less of a problem in Europe than US but maybe there should be upper limits on car sizes? 🚘 ☹️
Via @physicyclist & @_dmoser pic.twitter.com/JTdcNfCucW
Look at the size of this tuba!
This Titanic tuba has been with Carl Fischer Music since about 1900 and is a real conversation starter. It might be a little difficult hauling it around to gigs.
Homesick
This award winning film,written and directed by Koya Kamura, tells the story of Murai who returns to the no-go zone two years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, to spend time with Jun, his eight-year-old son. It's very touching.
Welcome To Mouseland
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| New One |
I love these meeces to pieces! MousesHouses is an adorable blog created by children's book author and illustrator Maggie Rudy where little felt mice inhabit fantastical settings.
Spread the word, not the virus! This free printable poster is available in 35 languages..download here!
Monday, December 27, 2021
A charming netsuke from 19th century Japan that is made for your #MewseumMonday. (Via @metmuseum) pic.twitter.com/DuLz8FLC5x
— Undine (@HorribleSanity) December 27, 2021
Spike The Potato
New Year's Eve is coming and those darts aren't going to make themselves. Time to get cracking!
Caution: Make sure your guests fire their cones at the swinging tuber in an orderly fashion (preferably before they've taken on a bellyful of beer). You wouldn't want someone to take an eye out!
(Previously posted here in 2010 but this game is begging for a revival)
This Donkey Likes Its Christmas Gift
This sweet little donkey loves to play ball.
Via Das Kraftfuttermischwerk
Reindeer Cyclone
A drone captures amazing footage of reindeer running in a circular pattern. This defense strategy protects them against predators who have difficulty picking out a single animal from the churning swarm.
The Insane Engineering of James Webb Telescope
Thirty years of planning went into this project and it is a remarkable achievement.
Via Memo Of The Air
"are we a joke to you?" pic.twitter.com/AWZFcsNrtn
— Paul Bronks for Lovina Animal Welfare (@slender_sherbet) December 26, 2021
Sunday, December 26, 2021
St Stephen's Day Murders
Saint Stephen, considered the first Christian martyr, was stoned to death on this day in 36 AD. Here in Canada it is a day for shopping the sales and gorging on leftovers.
RIP Desmond Tutu
"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."
— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) December 26, 2021
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 1931-2021 pic.twitter.com/S3TilAdjQw
Sunday Links
Tim Flach's Beautiful Bird Photos (above)
Busy Simulator lets you feign importance with repeating app sounds!
Would this house cure my fear of heights or make it worse?
Best Northern Lights Photos of 2021 (via everlasting blort)
Tis the season for ham sniffing (via Strange Company)
This is cool: Reshape Paris (via Things Magazine)
It's been a tough year. Some of these images are very moving: The Year 2021 In Pictures (Thanks Bruce!)
TYWKIWDBI's first letter to Santa Adorable.
The most brilliantly bilious book reviews of 2021 Jonathan Franzen's new novel is next up for me but I am a little leery after reading this review: "Crossroads is far from the novel that America needs; unfortunately, it is exactly the one it deserves.”
I wear a black patch over my left eye. It has aroused the curiosity of many; no one has suspected the horror that it hides.
Photos of Joan Didion in the 1960s and1970s
December 21 was Crossword Puzzle Day and I missed it! The World's First Crossword Puzzle was by Arthur Wynne, published in The New York World on December 21, 1913. Can you solve it?
Spaghetti got a purple sweater for Christmas Sweet!
Holiday Hero Cats of Old New York (via Strange Company)
Did you know Samuel Beckett used to drive André the Giant to school? I didn't.
Apparently face mask handbags are a thing. I'm serious.
The Tragically Human End of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
A little dynamo: Edith Piaf singing "Milord" on the Ed Sullivan Show (via Facebook pal Hal)The Rabbit Dreams of Dr. Freud's Niece A wonderful book by an author whose life came to a very sad and early end (via everlasting blort)
Adorable pups in PJs visit children in hospital (via Miss Cellania)
The Zeche (Coal Mine Industrial Complex) Zollverein closed in 1986. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Link
Hula-Hooping Making a habit of it.
The American Precision Museum (Thanks Bruce)
Saturday, December 25, 2021
Every Christmas Eve, local school Dutch children come to Holten & Groesbeek Canadian Military Cemeteries in the Netherlands to light a candle in the honour of every Canadian soldier laid to rest. pic.twitter.com/WwAlpGgIqe
— Arry Pottah🇨🇦 (@13murphy66) December 24, 2021
Friday, December 24, 2021
Smurf-like Dogs
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| MIKHAIL SOLUNIN\TASS VIA GETTY IMAGES |
Earlier this year pictures of stray blue dogs in the city of Dzerzhinsk, Russia went viral. It was widely reported that the discolouration was caused by the animals rolling in chemicals at an abandoned factory.
Snopes investigated and found no evidence showing that the dogs’ coats turned blue as a result of chemical exposure, or whether it was the result of a prank gone awry.
But the story had a happy ending as animal rights activists were able to find new homes for the Smurf dogs.
(Thanks Bruce!)
SantaLand Diaries
This essay was my introduction to the work of David Sedaris and I've read everything he's written since. It's a touchingly twisted monologue about his work as Crumpet the Elf at Macy's Department Store during the Christmas season.
Communist Kittens Wish You A Merry Christmas
'Cos there's a red star up on the Christmas treeA hammer for you, and a sickle for meGood will to all men, let's celebrateBy purging the enemies of the state
(I first posted this way back in 2010)
Thursday, December 23, 2021
"Christmas miracle" as cat missing for nine YEARS reunited with family 🐾 https://t.co/LhzlXEgrco pic.twitter.com/kp5bCoqD2W
— Manchester News MEN (@MENnewsdesk) December 22, 2021
Office Christmas Party (1925)
December 1925. "Washington, D.C. - Western Electric Co. group." National Photo Company glass negative.
The Construction of the Empire State Building in Colour
This footage of the Empire State Building’s construction gathers clips from contemporary newsreels and other sources and presents them in “restored, enhanced and colourized” form.
Read More: Open Culture
'Stag in the birches' by printmaker Celia Lewis #womensart #WinterSolstice pic.twitter.com/54zSouvsvO
— #WOMENSART (@womensart1) December 21, 2021
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
A Heart-Felt Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
An adorable needle-felted Christmas video directed by illustrator Phoebe Wahl and stop-motion animator Andrea Love with vocals by Ingrid Michaelson and Zooey Deschanel.
Mini Gingerbread House Mug Toppers
A friend of mine made these sweet gingerbread houses that sit on the edge of your cup. They don't look too difficult but they require a steady hand and quite a bit of time. I don't know if I'll get around to it this Christmas but I'd like to give it a try.
Delivering a Package
— Canadian Paintings (@CanadaPaintings) December 20, 2021
Thomas Wilberforce Mitchell
1931 pic.twitter.com/MOgedqhbdo
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Gene Krupa & Ethel Smith on Hammond Organ 1945
If you want a relaxing evening at home don't listen to this. It is meant for frenzied dancing.
via Memo Of The Air
Visit the Originals
Bolmen is a beautiful lake in Sweden. It is also the name of a cheap IKEA toilet brush. IKEA products Toftan, Ektorp, Voxnan, Hemsjö and Kallax are also named after scenic Swedish locales. Visit Sweden wants you to come see them.
Happy Noir Christmas: The Bloody Olive
Short film directed by Vincent Bal in 1996, based on a comic strip by Lewis Trondheim. (English subtitles)
Winter Solstice At The Dowth Megalithic Passage Tomb
Dowth Monument in Ireland is aligned to the setting sun of the winter solstice. The sun illuminates the passage and chamber about 3pm on the days around the winter solstice. The beam travels first over the sill stone, then enters the chamber and finally shines directly onto the stones at the back of the chamber. The rays then recede slowly along the right side of the passage and after about two hours the sun withdraws.
Invincible Summer
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| Sunlight from the Mediterranean |
In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. - Albert Camus
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| The blackboard |
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| The husking of the peas |
Monday, December 20, 2021
It's a tough job but somebody has to do it.
Via my friend Alan who informs us that only about 60 cats were used in the shoot with the rest computer-generated. Can you imagine wrangling 60 cats?
Migrants: A Short Film About Polar Bears
Two polar bears are driven into exile due to global warming.
Via Miss Cellania
Boathouses on the Ottawa River
— Canadian Paintings (@CanadaPaintings) December 20, 2021
George Pepper
1930 pic.twitter.com/ihKsCSVOU8
A Cunning Wee Pig Porn Charm
Here's something you didn't know you needed in your life: teeny tiny pig porn.
— Dr Chelsea Nichols (@museumweirdo) December 17, 2021
Made in the early 20th century, this little gold-painted pig charm hides a tiny erotic photo viewed by peering into the pig's butthole.
[A thread] pic.twitter.com/YIBaKClv7T
Christmas Song
I'm not a big fan of most Christmas tunes but I like this oldie by Danish indie rock duo, the Raveonettes.
Snowstorm is another wintry song they put out last year
Dave Cooks The Turkey
Canadian radio broadcaster Stewart McLean passed away in 2017 and I still miss him. Fortunately we can still listen to episodes of his show The Vinyl Cafe. This one is a favourite of mine.
Sunday, December 19, 2021
Sunday Links
Weighing approximately 1,500 kg (more than 3,300 pounds), the 23 foot wide snowflake made by Ingo Maurer in 2005 for UNICEF’s annual Snowflake Ball is still the largest crystal snowflake made to date.
What time is it? It's Literature O'Clock
Toffs and Toughs -The sad story of a photo that illustrates the class divide in Britain, 1937
The 50 Best Bars In the World I imagine a round in any of them would cost a pretty penny.
London lamp-post art: homemade notices people display in their windows and the protest stickers attached to every available surface along the pavement.
These Christmas Tree Cocktails might be a little too festive for my liking.
Is your cat a psychopath? Probably. (via Strange Company)
Magical miniature worlds The therapeutic benefits of terrariums have proven to be a particular attraction in the recent lockdowns. (Thanks Bruce)
Ex-McDonald's worker disturbed by Ronald McDonald toy (Frankly so am I)
When I was a kid I watched a lot of old movies on tv with my grandmother. A lot of them featured classy characters drinking exotic cocktails and champagne in swanky lounges. I thought that I would do the same when I grew up but I ended up drinking draft beer and cheap wine in dive bars. Vintage Postcards of Mid-Century American Cocktail Lounges (via Memo Of The Air)
The 78 Best Documentaries of All Time I've seen 17 of these and I enjoyed all of them. Lots more to watch. (Thanks Bruce!)
A cult Christmas classic: Beatnik's Wish (via Everlasting Blort)
If you don't want to see a seagull eating a rat don't look at this
The turkey is too big for the oven! Your niece is suddenly vegan! How to survive the 12 disasters of Christmas
Dinosaur, Colorado (thanks Bruce)
Did the Chrome Hearts Family Forget They Owned a Townhouse? I wonder if I might have a $14m property that I've forgotten about…
The Bloomberg Jealousy List 2021 (Thanks Bruce)
A great big load of awesome: Guns N Helmets (via Memo Of The Air)
Swedish Mitten Museum. https://t.co/m18yfcdpjg
— Present & Correct (@presentcorrect) December 17, 2021
You’re welcome. pic.twitter.com/5x03ZWIgk8
Saturday, December 18, 2021
Surgeon in London performs operation on banana in California
It was an exercise in telemedicine to demonstrate remote surgery possibilities. I wonder if the banana lived.
Printable Wrapping Paper
Toronto Public Library has transformed 9 digitized design items into festive wrapping paper that you can print at home.
Pup Is Smarter Than Some People I Know
This very clever dog arranges tires so he can carry four at once. I am impressed.
Via: Boing Boing
Hunky Dory
I am astonished that it's been half a century since this album was released. It has aged well. Here is the full album via perfect for roquefort cheese
Happy Caturday
Baffling Mysteries (1955) pic.twitter.com/6er0Y1YOf5
— Panel Pulp (@panelpulp) December 13, 2021
Friday, December 17, 2021
Bringing 110-Year-Old Photos to Life Using AI
French photographer and filmmaker Mathieu Stern scanned, restored, colorized, and animated two glass plate negatives from 1910 with the help of artificial intelligence (AI).
Songs of Disappearance
Created by BirdLife Australia, an album made up entirely of the tweets of endangered Australian birds has debuted in the top five of the country's music charts.
Thursday, December 16, 2021
A Storefront Made From Champagne Bottles
Architecture studio MVRDV created this glittery jade-coloured facade for the Bulgari Shanghai store using recycled champagne and beer bottles.
Dinner For Horses (1918)
From Facebook friend Simon Alexander Besteman:
Dinner For Horses
Free Feed at Haymarket on Day Before Christmas
Arrangements have been completed for the Christmas dinner for horses to be given by the Washington Animal Rescue League at Twelfth and Little B streets northwest on Tuesday, the day before Christmas. The Haymarket space has been devoted to the equine holiday, and there will be a tree loaded with such delicacies as hay, corn, carrots, and apples. Each horse will get a substantial feed of oats. The drivers will be served with free hot coffee, and there will be music. - Washington Post, Dec 22, 1918
American Diners - Armand Montagard
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arnaudmontagard Somewhere in New Mexico. |
Arnaud Montagard, a French photographer based in NYC, drove thousands of miles from South Dakota to Louisiana, Pennsylvania to California to capture images of American Diners before they vanished. His photographs bring to mind the work of American realist painters like Edward Hopper.
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arnaudmontagard A vanilla shake and the check please. |
Kiss Of The Oceans
'Kiss of the Oceans', a postcard image created to celebrate the Panama Canal, depicting the meeting of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans as two mermaids kissing (Maduro, 1932).#cartography #pictorialmap #maps #mapping #gischat pic.twitter.com/jRXrmF5b2L
— cartogeek (@cartogeek) December 15, 2021
Do you remember the world’s very first nuclear meltdown? That time the US President, an expert in nuclear physics, heroically lowered himself into the reactor and saved Ottawa, Canada’s capital?
— Jeff Lundeen (@LundeenOttawa) December 15, 2021
Sounds like schlocky action movie, but it actually happened! pic.twitter.com/LtAQYC79QZ
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
The Arrow Always Points Right
Because you like a good illusion.
Devised bt Meiji Institute mathematician Kokichi Sugihara
via Futility Closet
This 1949 Toaster Is Better Than Yours
Many years ago I had a friend who owned one of these. It was a very good toaster and the expensive toasters I have bought over the years can't hold a candle to it.
via Things Magazine
Paris Mon Amour
A #Parisian café unchanged since 1954 on Boulevard St Germain, owned by the same family since 1930. Not chichi, nor bobo, not even chic, just perfect. Le Rouquet. pic.twitter.com/OHbcoZUS55
— Agnes C. Poirier (@AgnesCPoirier) December 14, 2021
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
Rare sighting of the giant ghost jellyfish
Its scientific name is Stygiomedusa Gigantea, but it is better known as a giant ghost jellyfish because its tentacles can reach up to 10 meters in length.
Posture Pals
Who will be the king, queen, prince and princess of posture? Their chances of being cool are ruined for life.
Le Cochon Danseur (1907)
In the original black and white silent film, produced by Pathé Frères, a grotesque pig in gentleman's clothing interrupts a young woman's picnic. The girl rips off his clothes and makes him dance. The film has now been restored and colourized by Lobster Films. I can't decide whether it is more creepy in colour.
Monday, December 13, 2021
Window to the World
Live streams from around the world in a window frame, controlled by moving a magnetic plane around a world map.
Read this!
Via Memo Of The AirI am begging you to read this engagement announcement from my parents’ local paper pic.twitter.com/3u0smQPRfX
— Atom Atkinson (@AtomAtkinson) December 9, 2021
Which Glass Suits Which Wine
Sommelier André Hueston Mack explains how the glass used for a specific wine affects our experience. (Personally I'm content to drink any wine out of a Duralex Picardie juice glass)
Thanks Bruce!
Sunday, December 12, 2021
Ditto
You can compete with your neighbour on Christmas decorations — or you can play along with them.
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| Chris Boechler and Mandie Scrivens worked together to put up a simple 'ditto' display in response to their neighbour's elaborate Christmas decorations. (Don Somers/CBC) |
Sunday Links
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| The Old Boathouse, Alexandra Park by Robert Littleford (above) |
Don't know what to buy that special someone for Christmas? You can never go wrong with a cozy sweater.
Retro cool. Betamaxmas takes you back to your parents basement to watch all the holiday television of the 1980's from news to Ninja Turtles. (via Perfect for Roquefort Cheese)
Would you like a vintage-looking car with a modern drivetrain? Of course you would! This Chinese Carmaker Is Building Cars From Alternate History (via Memo Of The Air)
Peter Sagal's 10 Rules of Twitter (each was learned by violating it repeatedly over the years)
Feeling crafty? Make this papercraft globe (via The Map Room)
From Ayn Rand to The Village People: The 10 Least Successful Holiday Specials of All Time (I posted this in 2004 and it's still funny)
Earth's Black Box will record scientific data to give future civilizations insight on how exactly humanity fell.
We Eat at The Worst Michelin Starred Restaurant, Ever "Another course – a citrus foam – was served in a plaster cast of the chef’s mouth. Absent utensils, we were told to lick it out of the chef’s mouth in a scene that I’m pretty sure was stolen from an eastern European horror film."
The Fab Four interpreted by black artists: Black Beatles: R&B Covers 1963-1972
Instagram account of the day: Surreal Practitioner (Thanks Bruce!)
The invention of the Christmas Cracker
Word of the Year Shortlist: Dignity suit, menty-b, porch pirate, wokescold and more… (via Perfect for Roquefort Cheese)
46 of the Most Beautiful Streets in the World I was surprised to see how many of these I've walked along over the years.
Is this weird or what? Lick Your Cat
In 1970 Amerika, a U.S. government Cold War propaganda publication, hired photographer David Attie to shoot photos of a new TV show for kids. The recently discovered photos are part of a new book called The Unseen Photos of Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street, the official companion book to a feature-length documentary of the same name. (Thanks Bruce)
Chill out: Jelly Cam at Monterey Bay Aquarium
The peculiar fad for Little Switzerlands where the Romantic sublime meets countryside kitsch.
Take a soothing trip down the river: Islands of the St. Lawrence (1919)
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