Sunday Links

Solar System Quilt by Ellen Harding Baker (1874)
Source: Public Domain Review

Two years after a naked-eye comet pierced the blanket of night in the spring of 1874, Ellen Harding Baker (1847–1886) began a near decade-long project to bring the stars farther down to Earth: an appliqué quilt depicting the solar system, complete with a green-tailed comet, its slingshot course plotted around the Sun. (image above)

This Nail Art totally grossed me out! 

If we are able to visit London this spring  BBC Earth Experience will be on my to do list.

Stephen Hawking's Party for Time Travellers (an oldie)

You might think the last few years have been really tough. You'd be right but the year 536 was worse.

The Map of Stories is an interactive map which allows you to discover and listen to tales of Scotland.

A pair of life-long friends and show-business partners sit down together to have a much-needed conversation. A sweet, sad video. Watch it here. (via my friend Mike)

One Night in Paris: A Ghost Story That Wasn't This story appeared in the “Occult Review” for January 1920, under the title “An Extraordinary Experience.”

Famous authors reassure debut author after lonely book launch: Join the club

Please urinate with precision and elegance: A Museum Dedicated to Mistranslated Japanese Phrases 

Do you want to take a vacation but don't have time to plan? Now you can simply Pack Up And Go. (Don't ask where you're going. It's a surprise.) Via Rusty's Electric Dreams 

“Tartarian Empire” conspiracy theorists believe that most architectural styles and technology associated with Western Europe are actually the ancient capital cities of a fictional empire. Read: Inside Architecture's Wildest Conspiracy Theory  (h/t Things Magazine)

See ten small-scale projects that add space to existing homes.

Behind The Cover: One intersection, 72 celebrities, 10,912 clicks of the shutter.

The Twisty History of Montreal's Outdoor Staircases I grew up in Montreal and always wondered why these staircases were ever considered a wise architectural choice in that climate.

Steel magnate Charles M. Schwab's $8m mansion at Riverside Drive, New York, being demolished to make way for a 2,000 room apartment building (1948). British Pathé

Some tips on getting the most out of your trip abroad: Immerse Yourself in Local Culture When Travelling

Their guiding principle was to include as many types of books as possible, because a great picture book is just as worthy as Proust. 222 Best Books of All Time - a very good list via my friend Lori Dunn.

Sound Effects No. 13 - Death & Horror Upon release, this album drew controversy regarding its violent content. (Via )

The last Tasmanian tiger died on September 7, 1936. There is film footage of this lone creature pacing in its cage at the Beaumaris Zoo in Tasmania that I find incredibly moving. This story about its remains also breaks my heart.

Steven Hammel transformed his New York City apartment into a throwback to his Minnesota farmland youth, complete with painted timberlined walls, faux patio trellises, brick, plaid, and all manner of trompe-l’oeil confections. Take a tour

6 of the World's Most Intelligent Animals They are definitely brighter than some of the people I've seen online.