Sunday, July 31, 2022

RIP Lt. Uhura

Nichelle Nichols, groundbreaking 'Star Trek' actor, dead at 89.

 

London Day



This lovely timelapse by urbanTick is a repost from 10 years ago. It was shot with a Canon G9 using the ChDK script and two iPhones a 2G and a 3GS and processed with quickTime.

Music For Sunday Morning

Lately I've had the music of Kate and Anna McGarrigle running through my head - music of my youth. I saw them perform so many times back then. 

Sunday Links

Buckminster Fuller and Shoji Sadao, Project for Floating Cloud Structures (Cloud Nine), c. 1960

Cloud Nine  Could Buckminster Fuller's airborne habitats (above) provide a solution to a housing crisis?

Bunny Heaven inWilliamsburg: A couple transformed an ugly New York City rooftop terrace into a garden oasis for family, friends, birds, beehives, crickets, and … bunnies. (I'd like to see the before pictures.)

Baseten is a free photo restoration application.


From a multi-day trek tracing the routes of a Japanese poet, to a classic clamber in the Argentinian Lake District 23 of the world's best hiking trails 

A video about Japanese art restorer Mayuyama Koji who restores objects in a way that minimizes the repaired damage. It is long (50mins) but I found it fascinating. (via BoingBoing)

Emoji Kitchen Browser (good for when you have mixed feelings)

This battlefield is on fire and exploding 100-year-old ordnance: The First World War ended 104 years ago, but thanks to wildfires burning the European continent, echoes of the Great War are being heard. (via FB pal Hal)
 

John Einarsen's photos of  small buildings of Kyoto (via everlasting blort)

One of Australia’s greatest mysteries may finally be solved, after a professor came forward claiming to have identified a body found on a beach nearly 75 years ago. (via Metafilter)

I envy many things about Europe, one of them being the availability and ease of train travel. How far can you travel in Europe by train in 5 hours?

A Medieval Graphic Novel carved on a 14th century ivory box (not the religious scenes usually depicted in that era).

The portable oasis is heavier than a mask but it gets more attention.

Swan Upping on the River Thames The ancient custom of making a census of the swans.

Saturday, July 30, 2022

Joni Mitchell - Self Portrait 1997



Via JUNK BOAT TRAVELS

Do You Speak Esperanto?

Things haven't turned out the way I hoped they would when I was a kid. I thought we'd all have flying cars and everyone would be speaking Esperanto.

Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot


I prefer to travel in spring or autumn when there are fewer crowds but the French traditionally head down south in the summer for some beachtime. Mr. Hulot's Holiday is a classic 1953 French comedy film starring and directed by Jacques Tati that pays tribute to that French institution, les grandes vacances. Here's a clip:


The breezy jazz score was written by Alain Romans. The film was shot at the Hôtel de la Plage at Saint-Marc-sur-Mer (Saint-Nazaire), France.

Happy Caturday

Andrey Shcherbak's photoshopped giant cats.





via I Have Seen The Whole Of The Internet

Friday, July 29, 2022

The Last Movie Stars - Trailer

I don't usually watch movies about Hollywood stars but this six-part documentary directed by Ethan Hawke might be an exception.

The Floating Water Bridge

When a high voltage difference is applied, a liquid bridge of deionized water can sustain itself between two beakers even when they’re separated by 25 millimeters.


How do painkillers work?

What's the difference between common over-the-counter painkillers like Advil, Tylenol, Paracetamol, Voltaren, and Aspirin? Is access to painkillers a human right?


La Maison Sculptée



British photographer Harley Weir profiles artist Jacques Lucas and his lifelong creation, La Maison Sculptée, a monumental hand-sculpted house in Rennes, France, in a short documentary for Acne Studios.


Via Nowness

An 'Invisible House' In the Desert

From certain angles, this landmark Joshua Tree house completely disappears into its high desert surroundings. From other viewpoints, it acts as a mirror. The ‘horizontal skyscraper’ was designed in 2019 by American Psycho film producer Chris Hanley in collaboration with architect and Frank Gehry collaborator Tomas Osinski.




(Photography: Engel & Völkers Santa Monica / Petr Mašek)

The house is currently for rent for $150,000 per month with Engel & Volkers Santa Monica.

More: The Spaces

A Rare Old Photography Studio For Sale

This traveling daylight photography studio that was pulled around the English seaside by horses from the 1860s onwards will go up for auction. It is believed to be the only existing example of such a studio.


Via PetaPixel

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Stray - Tilt Shifted

 I have never played a video game in my life but I might be tempted to play this one.


Via Waxy

An Honest Liar: The Life Story Of James Randi

World-renowned magician, escape artist and professional debunker, James "The Amazing" Randi, dedicated his life to exposing fake psychics and others who claim paranormal powers.


Randi passed away in 2020.

My Cat, Carmen

I found this kitten in my garden four years ago. She turned our household upside down for a few years but eventually settled down and has become a beloved pet.



Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Porcelain Unicorn

Repost: A 3-minute tearjerker from a decade ago.

 

'Punk rock flophouse'

A crafter won first place in the Calgary Stampede crafts competition for the 'punk rock flophouse' she made from a Victorian-style dollhouse kit.


Distilled Oreos

The Crowded Barrel Whiskey Company in Austin, Texas, attempts to turn Oreo cookies into alcohol. Will it distill?


Blue Island Trailer


Director Chan Tze Woon uses documentary and reenactment to confront the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. He draws parallels between today's struggle and the arrival of refugees from mainland China 50 years ago fleeing the Cultural Revolution, while also looking at the impact of Tiananmen Square.


Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Opera spoilers


Wrong Hands

The Story Of Anthrax Island

In 1942, during the Second World War, a biological warfare test was carried out on Gruinard Island in Scotland by British military scientists. Their goal was to develop an anthrax bomb. Things went awry.

No Room to Rhumba In a Sports Car

  

 Thanks Bruce!

Monday, July 25, 2022

Image of the Day

 Is it hot where you are? 



On Gossamer Wings



Bibian Blue designs gorgeous butterfly dresses you can buy!

 


via everlasting blort

Welcome!


For this art intervention, Pejac chose the entrance of a building in Aberdeen, Scotland that houses charities as well as homes for vulnerable residents facing social exclusion. It was part of the Nuart Festival 2022 whose theme was to reconnect the relationship between the city and its people.


Read more Cultura Inquieta

AI Weirdness


When my sons were very little I used to soothe them to sleep with the charming story by Margaret Wise Brown. This version, imagined by AI, would have induced nightmares.


via Miss Cellania

Talking Chins


In this film by Tanya Weinberger upside-down chins compete in a spelling bee. (It's as weird as it sounds.)


Well-Armed Peasants

Here's a bit of medieval madness to take your mind off modern madness.
 

Photo Blending

The Doors, 1969 in Los Angeles CA. Photo by Henry Diltz.

Since 2010 photographer Steve Birnbaum has been matching up existing photos of musicians with the exact locations where they were shot. 

Woody Guthrie, 1943 at McSorley’s Old Ale House for LIFE Magazine. Photo by Eric Schaal


The Grateful Dead, May 5th 1968 at the bandshell in Central Park. Photo by Joe Sia

His project is aptly named thebandwashere.

Sunday, July 24, 2022

Old But Bold

Well played dudes!

via everlasting blort 

Sunday Links

James McNeill Whistler's Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl, 1861–1863 National Gallery of Art

Woman in White: Joanna Hiffernan and James McNeill Whistler is a new exhibition about the artist's relationship with a much younger woman.

How cartoonists are chronicling the Jan. 6 hearings - The Washington Post (paywall)



Senator Josh Hawley fled the very mob he incited and people are having a little fun with it: Josh Hawley is a bitch and other poetic mockeries

Are you uncertain how long those leftovers have been in the refrigerator but afraid that subjecting them to the sniff test will set off your gag reflex? Snoot aroma detector works out freshness of food to eliminate waste.


The Nap Box allows you to snatch 40 winks at the office in privacy (but you have to sleep in the pod like a flamingo, standing upright.)

Fesshole: Let Twitter absolve your sins.

Zebreo? Loafox? These are some of the surreal hybrids that photo manipulation artist Ronald Ong created in his surreal mashups of animals with food and other unexpected items. Link

RunawayWives: what it took for a woman to leave an abusive husband in medieval London. (via TMN)

Sphinx Hill Unique Egyptian style house for sale.


The surprisingly competitive world of France’s humblest bistro staple: The Oeuf Mayo World Championship

Working from home and missing the ambience of the workplace? Sound Of Colleagues is a white noise machine that emulates the sound of an office. (via bookofjoe)


This rose survived WW2 bombing and has probably witnessed much more over the past thousand years.

The Great Salt Lake in Utah is drying up due to global warming.

How crazy is this? Two dozen New York models competed in a hair pulling contest at the Palisades Amusement Park on July 11, 1940. 

Frankly I'm over summer and looking forward to crisp autumn days but here is a list of Summer Songs for those who enjoy the suffocating heat.

Nick Cave was asked Who do you want to win Love Island? His response is lovely. (via Things Magazine)

Music For Sunday Morning


Saturday, July 23, 2022

Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel


The Imperial Hotel was demolished in 1967.  Frank Lloyd Wright: The Lost Works has recreated a comprehensive digitally-animated version of his masterpiece.


Via things magazine

Cursed Bowl Of Fruit

YouTuber Adam demonstrates how to make spooky fruit with tentacles and teeth.

Happy Caturday

These cats sound a lot like Arnold Schwarzenegger.


Via Miss Cellania

Friday, July 22, 2022

If Famous Painters Had Company Logos

Leonardo Davinci

Artist Milton Omena has imagined what the unique brand images of some of the most famous painters in history might look like.



Whoever invented this can go straight to hell

I engaged in hand-to-hand combat with one of these yesterday and had the same thought.


Via 

Lego set based on The Office


The Office is a mockumentary sitcom television series that depicted the everyday work lives of office employees at the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It aired for nine seasons and those of us who watched it from 2005 - 2013 got to know the characters pretty well. Now you can purchase a 1,164-piece Lego set featuring the whole gang.


Michael Scott’s “World’s Best Boss” mug? It’s there. Dwight’s stapler in jello? Yup. Is Stanley snacking on a pretzel? He sure is. That painting above the chair in the foyer? Looks like a Lego version of Pam’s watercolor painting of the office. Kevin has even spilled his chili on the floor.

 More: TheVerge 

Happy Friday!


Thursday, July 21, 2022

Photo Of The Day

Woman in kitchen, circa 1930s Photograph (Seattle Municipal Archives)

Via




 

James Webb Space Telescope zooms in on the Southern Ring Nebula

This video zooms through space to reveal Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) image of the Southern Ring Nebula.


Via TYWKIWDBI

Surfer Negotiates His Way Through A Human Obstacle Course

 Can this surfer in Uluwatu, Bali avoid hitting 25 people who are paddling out?

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Stair-Climbing Wheelchair

Stairs are the biggest impediment for wheelchair users. JerryRigEverything tests this self-balancing, stair-climbing wheelchair that brings technology into the world of accessible equipment. It's pretty amazing.
 

Via The Awesomer

How to program a robot dog to teach itself to walk in just one hour.

Morti is a quadruped robot with passive elastic legs, inspired by animals.


Via The Morning News

Image of the day

Alex Prager, Face in the Crowd, 2013

Angel Origami From Single Sheet of Paper



This detailed figure by origami artist Chris Conrad took 15 hours to fold and without using scissors or glue.


Bathing Machines



Victorian beach life included bathing machines drawn by horses or humans that allowed women to change into swimsuits modestly, right next to the water. Apparently they were meant to preserve common decency but we don't really know what shenanigans they got up to inside these cabanas.



More photos: Vintage Everyday

Monday, July 18, 2022

The Strangest Bus Ever Built?


Via LangweileDich.net

Another Nelson Mandela Link

The Ndlovu Youth Choir perform on Nelson Mandela Day 2020.

Princess Walking

 A painting by William Wray from his Superheroes collection.

Link 

Via everlasting blort

On This Day

Nelson Mandela was born on this day in 1918 in Mvezo, South Africa.


How Does Venice Work?

How do the tides in the lagoon behave? How are the canals formed? And the embankments? What’s under the buildings?

The Wormhole

This time-lapse video showcases Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, Dubai, Doha, Singapore and Shanghai in kaleidoscopic views.

*Warning: Flashing Lights*

Talking Heads Performing 'Life During Wartime' (1983)

It's next to impossible to name my all-time favourite band but if someone were holding a gun to my head I would have to say it was these guys. 


Chinese Dragon Boat Festival

The Guilin Dragon Boat Festival is held every 3 years on China’s Yulong River. The Golden Dragon boat is comprised of 80 interconnected rafts which form a 2300-foot-long dragon’s tail as it sails down the river.


Link

Sunday, July 17, 2022

Music For Sunday Morning

 

The Shed Door


The garden in July

 

Sunday Links



Cylinder Homes by Guy Dessauges, 1966 Sadly they never got past the scale model stage. (photo above)

Titanic Survivor Interviews

Absurd Trolley Problems (via Memo Of The Air

The Unhealthiest Dog Breeds - I had three Cavalier King Charles Spaniels who all died too early of mitral valve disease. Each time our hearts were broken. Though no beloved pet lives long enough I am now a strong proponent of mixed breed dogs. 

I love IKEA Hacks. Here are 10 good ones.

The Statue of Liberty’s disembodied arm stood in Madison Square from 1876 to 1882 to help inspire contributions. 

Pruning the Movies - a film censorship satire (1915)

"They were the kind of thing you'd keep on your desk next to the inkwell and blotting paper"  A collection of pocket globes.


They'd rather die than have universal healthcare: American Men Are Sicker, Die Earlier Than Their Global Peers

It began with a couple of slices of bread: Sandwiches of History


"He fixes the viewer with an intense stare, the right side of his face in shadow and his left ear clearly visible". Hidden Van Gogh self-portrait found behind painting in Scotland


I love these mini monuments to big memories made from trash.

Homes of the Future: modern, minimal, and futuristic homes that could exist in different environments through the power of CGI and Architectural Visualization.

My Christmas shopping has just been made easier. I hope everyone likes  their Bubble Wrap Tissues.

A Toronto man is alive because of the heroic efforts of five men who risked their lives to save him. (via Memo Of The Air)

On a mission to make marketing great again: Best Ads Of All Time 


This Precision Packaging Machine reduces waste.

Saturday, July 16, 2022

Beluga Whale Live Cam Event

Footage of the beluga whales captured by the beluga research vessel, Delphi

Every summer, 55,000 beluga whales migrate from the Arctic Ocean to the Churchill River in southern Canada. Footage of the whales is captured by the research vessel Delphi that uses two cameras, one underwater and one above deck, to observe the migrating mammals.
Here's the above deck cam:


Widdershins

In this animated short film by Simon Biggs an automated gentleman's orderly existence is thrown into chaos when he chooses to pursue a free-spirited woman.


Via Facebook pal Hal.

Peruvian Whistling Vessels

An exploration of the physics and fluid dynamics of a whistling vessel.


Read more:  TYWKIWDBI

How to Survive a Snake Bite

 

Tree House

Creative pruning.

 


Via

Friday, July 15, 2022

The Finding of Pier Paolo Pasolini's Body


The Finding of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Body 2020 by Nicola Verlato


App Allows Users To See Ancient Statues In Original Colour


Chroma: Ancient Sculpture in Color is an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art, that showcases the sphinx in its original vibrant form, one of 14 painted reconstructions of Ancient Greek and Roman statues. (Through March 23 of 2023)
Ancient sculptors never intended their creations to be seen without colour, yet that's how most of us have experienced their work. The Chroma AR app allows users to virtually recreate ancient sculptures as they originally appeared and as they look today.


Read more: Open Culture