Artist Cai Guo-Qiang, designer of the 2008 Beijing Olympics pyrotechnics displays, talks about his unusual artistic medium and showcases some of his biggest outdoor 'explosion events'.
Saturday, December 31, 2022
Unique Game For Party Amusement
Liven up you New Year's Eve celebrations with this DIY party game!
***Caution: Make sure your guests fire their cones at the swinging tuber in an orderly fashion (preferably before they've taken on a bellyfull of beer). You wouldn't want someone to take an eye out.
(A repost from 2010 - I can't believe I've been blogging so long!)
Scottish Christmas Tree Salesperson
You're probably getting ready to toss your tree but it's technically still the holiday season so I thought I'd toss this one at you.
(Via FB pal Hal)
Friday, December 30, 2022
The Originals
"Sometimes you love a place so much, you wanna bring it with you everywhere you go." In this charming video by Christina Constantini and Alfie Koetter five friends reminisce about the old days in their Brooklyn neighbourhood.
Via Laughing Squid
The Most Common Ways People Died Throughout Human History
By combining historical demography and epidemiology, we can (sort of) determine how people throughout history have died.
via The Awesomer
How to Make Roman Concrete.
The fact that anything remains at all of the structures built by the Romans tells us that they were doing something right: specifically, they were doing concrete right. But could we make Roman concrete today?
The Descendants Of The Dogs Abandoned at Chernobyl
Thirty six years ago, the cities surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant were forced to abandon their pets during the world’s worst nuclear disaster. Today, a population of incredible, radioactive dogs needs your help.
Donate to the CFF Dog's of Chernobyl project
via Boing Boing
The Flying Sailor
Two ships collide in a harbour, an explosion shatters a city, and a sailor is blasted skyward. With ears ringing, blood pulsing and guts heaving, he soars high above the mayhem and towards the great unknown.
Thursday, December 29, 2022
Vivienne Westwood, Fashion Legend, Dead at 81
Westwood's fashion career began in the 1970s with the punk explosion, when her radical approach to urban street style took the world by storm. But she went on to enjoy a long career highlighted by a string of triumphant runway shows in London, Paris, Milan and New York.
Read more:CBC News
Wednesday and Enid Cake
Via Laughing Squid
Birdboy
Birdboy is based on a comic entitled Psiconautas written by Alberto Vázquez and published by Bilbao publishing house Astiberri.
Via Kuriositas
Reindeer Eyes Change Color
 photo by Cappan/ iStock |
I've added this one to my 'Things I Did Not Know' file:
Reindeer eyes change color depending on the time of year, which helps them see better in different light levels. Their blue eyes are approximately 1,000 times more sensitive to light than their golden counterparts, a crucial adaptation in the dark days of winter. Only one part changes color, however: the tapetum lucidum, a mirrored layer situated behind the retina. Cats have it, too — it's why their eyes appear to glow in the dark. This part of the reindeer retina shines a different hue depending on the season.
Wednesday, December 28, 2022
The Merry World of Léopold Z
Homemade Bicycle Snowplow
Victoria, BC recently received an unusual amount of snow and plows are having difficulty clearing up the mess. This cyclist came up with his own solution.
Crystal Beach Crystallized
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| An image of one of the houses in Crystal Beach, Ont. (CTV News Toronto/Beth Macdonell) |
Would You Sit On This?
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| image: @factory_m/Twitter |
Japanese stone workshop Factory-M is selling this office chair fashioned from a huge hunk of amethyst crystal. It weighs around 218 pounds and looks very uncomfortable.
Read more: Boing Boing
Tuesday, December 27, 2022
Creature of the Day
The Creatures That Feed On Your Face
Face mites are microscopic arachnids that live on human skin. They are .3mm which is right on the edge of being visible with the naked eye. If they were any larger your face would look pretty disgusting.
The McDonald's Macbeth Sandwich
Did ye work up an appetite unseaming the foes of your lieged lord from the nave to the chaps?
Titanic Survivors Interviews from 1956 & 1970
In a 1979 interview Frank Prentice, an assistant purser on the Titanic, describes his incredible experience. He actually went down with the ship and was in the freezing water. By pure luck a lifeboat that had room for him passed by him and pulled him on board.
Obsolete Sounds
- Obsolete home entertainment such as VHS tapes, Walkman cassette players, video games consoles and film projectors
- Vintage military equipment like World War II codebreaking machines, warplanes and air raid sirens
- The evocative sounds of old typewriters, Teletype machines and printing presses
- The world of transport - steam trains, vintage racing cars, 100-year-old farm equipment and London Underground C-stock
- Domestic appliances from the past including hand mixers, Bakelite switches, fans, shavers and coffee grinders
- Reflections on the disappearing sounds of the natural world, industrial processes and cultural traditions
via Das Kraftfuttermischwerk
Monday, December 26, 2022
It's St. Stephen's Day
This day commemorates the saint who was the first Christian martyr and was known for his service to the poor and needy.
1830s Peepshow Book
So we heard you like peep shows 👀 This gorgeous glimpse into Les Jardin des Tuileries in the 1830s is a vibrant example of a peepshow book – an accordion-shaped book that creates a sense of depth. pic.twitter.com/QF42YA0zFJ
— typepunchmatrix (@typepunchmatrix) August 24, 2022
The Immediate Present
At 95, an artist paints swiftly to capture the fugitive light.
Making Wagasa Umbrellas
Kotaro Nishibori stays true to the 1,200-year-old process by using traditional methods and materials, including bamboo and washi.
via The Awesomer
Sunday, December 25, 2022
Sunday Links
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| © Kate Abbey |
The Real Santa: Photographer Kate Abbey's images show that being Santa is not all glitz and glamour. (Image above)
The Gentle Author's Annual Christmas Post
Have yourself a kitschy little Christmas with this gem: John Waters Christmas Playlist (You probably won't play it more than once)
Behold! The Very First Christmas Card (1843)
NYC's five boroughs reimagined in gingerbread! It's The Great Borough Bake-Off
"Yes, I had reached the stage of ego death, the loss of identity at the peak of a psychedelic experience. That it happened to coincide with the most insane action sequence of the century underscored just how irrelevant I had become." Watching Avatar on Mushrooms
This Family Gave the World the Snow Globe
Ugly (but cute) sweaters by Icelandic textile designer, Ýrúrarí. (via everlasting blort)
Fame was never in the equation for these guys: Painfully Awkward Band Photos via Memo Of The Air
The Eternal Tree ancient arks of biodiversity that have migrated across the landscape, enduring for millennia.
Colour your favourite Christmas artwork
Tenement Town uncovers Edinburgh’s forgotten lives. Each entry starts with a specific Edinburgh front door and takes us step by step through 200 years or so of the individuals who've lived there. (via Metafilter)
Jenny Ortega is wonderful as Wednesday Addams. Watch her dancing up a storm.
Two groups of 12-year-olds (one boys, the other girls) were left on their own, without adult supervision, for five days. How did that shake out?
Visit to a delusional Qanon family It is hard to watch these kids being brainwashed by their abhorrent parents.
The portrait hung in Joan Didion's home but who painted it? NYT link
"On March 30, 1999, Fabio Lanzoni rode Apollo's Chariot and was hit in the face by a goose. Or was he?" I'd almost forgotten the "Goosegate" incident.
How Did King George V Really Die? His last words were “God damn you” and with good reason.
A Parent's Typical Day as Envisioned by My Child's Preschool
This house in Maine appeals to me: Holiday Home Inspired by Historic New England Farmhouses
Can dogs smell time? Ask Donut the dog! My dog and cat never fail to remind me that they are on strict feeding and walk schedules.
Haute Couture Headwear - most of them are impractical.
6 to 8 Black Men
This story by David Sedaris about the origins of Christmas is one of my favourite seasonal reads. (A repost from 2008)
Saturday, December 24, 2022
Mercedes AVTR
This is the Mercedes AVTR, the coolest concept car in the world. There is only one and it is amazing.
West Side Story
In 1978, ABC aired a 12-minute version of West Side Story with Cher playing all the roles.
via MetaFilter
Friday, December 23, 2022
Skating with Bror Myer
Elegant illustrations by Swedish figure skating Champion, Bror Myer, from A Guide To Dancing On Ice - 1921. Myer felt the guide necessary as in “latter years the art of skating has made such rapid strides”.
Snow Globe Line Depicts Vengeful Critters
 Bambi's Revenge |
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| Lambs' Picnic |
via Boing Boing
Structures
Tree's Company
Spot, the Boston Dynamics robot, sends holiday greetings. (Spot was teleoperated by professional operators, don't try this at home.)
Joe Strummer died on this day twenty years ago.
Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten is a 2007 documentary film directed by Julien Temple. Here is Part 1.
How to Create a Crossword Puzzle
I love a good word puzzle and will definitely be doing a few over the holidays. Cruciverbalist, David Kwong, shows us how he makes a crossword puzzle.
Thursday, December 22, 2022
Artwork Of The Day
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| Dean Byington, "The Letter" (2022) |
Landshark
I just read an article about shark species that have evolved to walk on land, allowing them to walk between tide pools while hunting for prey. Of course I was reminded of this vintage gem from the golden days of SNL.
Wednesday, December 21, 2022
Tonight Is The Longest Night Of The Year
Tomorrow welcome back the light.
After the longest night of the year…
Balikbayan Boxes
Santa Map
A World of Good Wishes at Christmastime is a pictorial map which was published by the General Drafting Company in 1950. The map shows Santa Claus participating in a range of 'local' activities around the world.
More: Maps Mania
The French Shore Tapestry
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| TOM COCHRANE PHOTO/ GO WESTERN NEWFOUNDLAND |
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| TOM COCHRANE PHOTO/ GO WESTERN NEWFOUNDLAND |
Read more: Atlas Obscura
(Thanks Bruce!)
Danish Revolutionary Santas
Via BoingBoing@workingclasshistory The real Santa gives the best gifts to rich kids, he sucks #christmas #peopleshistory #learnontiktok ♬ Home Alone - Main Theme - Geek Music
Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Christmas Dinner
Christmas dinner on the Apollo VIII (1968) as it headed to the moon.
— Present & Correct (@presentcorrect) December 2, 2022
(Pic via NASA) pic.twitter.com/pWkQ75tmsp
Photos of 'Aliens' Emerging from the Sea Cause Panic
Photographer Jan Vorster captured some bizarre images while walking on Still Bay East beach in South Africa's Western Cape at sunset. When people saw the photos on social media they questioned whether it was safe to go in the water with these "alien sea spiders".
(The ominous photos actually show dead aloe vera plants and not War of the Worlds-type aliens.)
Read more: PetaPixel
Hot Stuff - Zagreb Film and the NFB
CBGBs Comes Alive in This Short Animation
David Godlis was a 25 year old street photographer, dissatisfied with his studio assistant day job. Unable to shoot street pictures by day, he took pictures at night at CBGB's, NYC's iconic punk club in the Bowery.
via Open Culture
Monday, December 19, 2022
'The Color Of Dreams'
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| Three women in Openica, in what is now North Macedonia, in 1913. |
Some 72,000 high-resolution photos from a project called the Archives of the Planet have been made available for download by France’s Albert Kahn Museum. Photographers commissioned by Kahn traveled to more than 50 countries to document the world as it was being transformed by globalization.
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| Two dancers in Seville, Spain, in 1914. |
The Bloody Olive
Short film directed by Vincent Bal in 1996, based on a comic strip by Lewis Trondheim. (English subtitles)
It's #SantaPawsDay
On #SantaPawsDay the dogs at Dogs Trust Ireland get to pick their own Christmas present!
Sunday, December 18, 2022
Sunday Links
Am I the only one who thinks this Retro Shrimp Christmas Tree (photo above) is kind of ghastly?
The Guardian's 20 greatest Christmas albums. Some of these are quite good but my favourite Christmas album (The Bells of Dublin by the Chieftains) didn't make the list.
Isaac Newton, the English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, explainer of celestial mechanics, philosopher and author, once listed 48 sins he has “committed” before and just after Whitsunday, 1662.
Our Liz is eighteen years old and I think she's lovelier than ever. Old Faithful: Studio Portraits of Really Old Dogs (Thanks Bruce)
This looks heavenly to me: A floating sauna experience in the Stockholm archipelago
I want to make this puff pastry with brie appetizer.
Often scavenged from battlefields, Waterloo Teeth looked more realistic than ivory teeth taken from animals.
Her mother’s bouillon de Normandie is her secret weapon. Perpetual Broths That Simmer For Decades
Wacky cake was created as a result of WWII rationing and contains no eggs, butter or milk.
A new Apple campaign features accessible tech: a deaf mother is alerted to her child crying, a performer uses his camera to access the stage door, and a man makes various facial expressions to edit photos.
Spitalfields artist Robson Cezar makes wee Whitechapel houses from wooden fruit boxes.
Becoming a chatbot For one year I was a person pretending to be a computer pretending to be a person.
This year's Bulwer-Lytton prize for worst opening sentence for a bad novel is appropriately awful.
Fly Like The King In 1976, Elvis Presley added a 1962 Lockheed 1329 JetStar to his collection of private jets for the hefty sum of $840,000. This plane will be auctioned off in January.
Otaku Altar To Open in Osaka where fans can hold traditional Japanese funerals for their favorite anime/game/2D characters, mourn idol groups that break up, or hold other traditional ceremonies (weddings, anniversaries, etc.) related to otaku/geek culture.
I'd totally forgotten that white dog poop was ubiquitous when I was a kid. Now I know why.
Old catflaps, including a 14th century one that is possibly the oldest catflap in Britain.
Two holiday links from Perfect for Roquefort Cheese: A slew of big batch hot cocktail recipes for the festive season and a list of poorly considered gift ideas.
Saturday, December 17, 2022
Snowglobe Of The Day
Snow Day in St. Louis, Missouri makes bespoke snowglobes using 3D-printed objects. The one above, depicting a black cat using a litter box, is a perfect gift for the person in your household who is the designated pooper scooper. (CA$214.13)
Via Boing Boing
An Animated Version of the Opening Credits of 'Better Call Saul'
Animator Martin Woutisseth has created an animated version of the opening credits from the television show Better Call Saul that includes all your favourite characters and items from the series.
via Laughing Squid
Earthquake Bed
Chinese inventor Wang Wenxi has designed an 'earthquake bed.' Note: Claustrophobics might not be keen on this invention.
Three Salons At The Seaside
We're off to Blackpool for a shampoo and set! This 1994 slice of documentary gold focuses on the staff and customers of three Blackpool hairdressing salons.
Friday, December 16, 2022
Love at First Sight is an Oscar short-listed film about true love
Do you believe in love at first sight? This lovely short film features wonderful performances from Sir John Hurt and Phyllida Law.
"I Built a Wildlife Pond - here's what happened."
A patch of grass became a healthy, thriving ecosystem.
An A Cappella Cover of Flight of the Conchords Song 'Friends'
Vocalist Anne Reburn performed an a cappella cover of the Flight of the Conchords song “Friends”, accompanying herself in different iterations on various vocal tracks.
A Place To Stand
This video, produced by Christopher Chapman for the Ontario Department of Economics and Development, premiered at the Ontario Pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal. It was a groundbreaking multiple screen, variable picture presentation. I was very young but I remember being blown away when I saw it. Canadians were so proud of that world's fair. Many felt it defined our identity.
via Kottke
Thursday, December 15, 2022
Artwork Of The Day
At the age of 9 American artist Edward Hopper drew this picture in his school report card.
Remember To Switch Off This Christmas
Don't end up spending Christmas like this guy.
Hilarious Christmas horror film that would help you remember to switch off and join your loved ones, while also putting an entirely new spin to "stuck in a zoom call" :)
— Karthik 🇮🇳 (@beastoftraal) December 15, 2021
By Wonderhood Studios, and directed by Joe & Tim through Odelay Films. pic.twitter.com/fGAlgTGU9z
Violator
In Violator, Los Angeles-based filmmaker Edward Robles details his father’s upbringing – one that included severe childhood abuse, violent criminality, rehabilitation and, ultimately, a path to love through helping others, art and fatherhood.
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Photo Of The Day
Women and men sit on Umbrella Rock on Lookout Mountain at the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is said that seven states could be viewed from that perch – Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.
Barbie-tecture
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| Photo: Evelyn Pustka |
Barbie Dreamhouse: An Architectural Survey, a limited edition 152-page book produced by Felix Burrichter, Whitney Mallett, and designer Ben Ganz, takes a look at the architecture and design created around the plastic design icon. (image above) It charts the fantasy home’s evolution, from its first appearance in 1962 to its latest iteration in 2021.
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| Photo: Evelyn Pustka |
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