Monday, July 31, 2023
The Tender Game 1958
This 1958 film by independent animators John and Faith Hubley features the music of Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson.
Fancy Notions via Perfect for Roquefort Cheese
Survival in Likely Target Areas In The Event of Nuclear Attack
The Cuban Missile Crisis lasted from 16 to 28 October 1962. The Soviet Union had stationed nuclear missiles in Cuba and that action brought the world to the edge of nuclear war. Canadian armed forces were placed on heightened alert. As a young child I remember air raid alerts, duck and cover drills and the Diefenbunker. I was certain that the commies were going to blow us all to kingdom come.
The Emergency Measures Organization prepared publications to assist Canadians in major cities which might be target areas in the event of nuclear war. Survival in LikelyTarget Areas is the fifth in the series. I don’t remember seeing it but, if I had, I doubt that it would have made me feel any safer.
Vintage Ad Of The Day (1953)
Ladies, now you don’t have to get married to open that ketchup bottle! A woman can open it easily -- without a knife blade, a bottle opener, or even a husband!
Sunday, July 30, 2023
Sunday Links
Hybrid modernism The colourful churches of Kerala.(image above)
The epitome of retro cool! The AZ Barbie Dreamhouse could be yours for just $549,900US.
Advice of the day: Don’t start clicking through Wonders of Street View. It’s a real rabbit hole.
The Perpetual Stew The flavour depends on the ingredients offered by the public on any given day. (If your name is Stew, you will be the guest of honour)
Is this the world's best cast iron skillet? At $400US I would expect it to be pretty darn good.
The house of my dreams: It’s hard to believe that this oasis is close to the heart of Kentish Town, London.
DIY Party Hats
What time do Americans eat their evening meal? We usually sit down at the table sometime between 6:30 and 7pm. How about you?
Just waiting for a mate (Sure you are)
LOOSE ENDS keeps your loved ones close by completing the projects they’ve left behind.
Nothing says “I do” like a small blood sacrifice: How I Survived a Wedding in a Jungle That Tried to Eat Me Alive (via TMN)
Someone in Paris, France Is Thinking of You A poem by Alex Dimitrov
I’ve posted songs by Karen Dalton several times here over the years. She had a haunting voice and a complicated life that ended far too young. I came across this full documentary on TVO but it may not be viewable for those outside of Canada due to geo-restrictions. It is also available on various streaming services. Here’s the trailer.
Saturday, July 29, 2023
Oppenheimer’s Secret City
In 1942 Los Alamos, New Mexico, was officially a non-existent community and the perfect place where research on the atomic bomb could be conducted in secret. Virtually overnight Los Alamos became a frontier boomtown, as scientists and their families, along with experimental equipment arrived at the Santa Fe railroad station and made their way up to the mesa.
Architect’s mid-century house and studio harnesses the sun
Neat old fashioned pencil sharpeners…Rotten Tomatoes Critics Choose The Best Movies of the Last 25 Years
Rotten Tomatoes sent out a survey to individually approved Tomatometer critics, asking them to choose (in no particular order) their top five movies released in the last 25 years. These votes were narrowed down the most popular 25 titles. Here are clips from the top ten:
They also rated the top tv shows.
(via Kottke)
Friday, July 28, 2023
Thursday, July 27, 2023
Sister Sinead - Kris Kristofferson
“Sister Sinéad” is about the time Sinéad O’Connor was booed during Bob Dylan’s 30th anniversary concert. On Saturday Night Live the night before while singing the lyrics, “good over evil,” she had pulled out a photo of Pope John Paul II and tore it apart three times and tossed the pieces in the air saying: “Fight the real enemy.” The audience loudly expressed their disapproval of her action and Kristofferson came on stage to comfort her. I was touched by his support and her courage.
A decade later, when the epidemic of child abusers in the priesthood was exposed, she was proven correct.
Hokusai Drawings Are Being Carved Onto Woodblocks & Printed for the First Time
In 2020, the British Museum acquired 103 drawings by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) titled The Great Picture Book of Everything. The drawings had been in a private collection in France and forgotten before resurfacing in 2019. The museum is collaborating with Tokyo-based Canadian printmaker David Bull to bring Hokusai's unpublished drawings to life.
Read more: Open Culture
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Making Ice Cream From a WW2 Era Recipe
Fresh eggs and milk were in short supply during WW2 so this recipe from The Navy Cookbook calls for powdered versions.
(Thanks Bruce!)
When Peasants, Cooks and Market Workers Replaced The Aristocracy In Art
From the Middle Ages through the Renaissance painters worked for the church and a wealthy aristocracy and the subjects they depicted were either religious or wealthy. The 16th century brought reformation and the development of a merchant class. This led to more realistic and less idealized art that found expression through working class subjects.
Inside A Super Yacht Designed For And By An Architect
This super yacht is an architectural home that offers not just a refuge but an experience.
Schwer - an altered version of reality.
“Schwer” builds as an ongoing loop of scenes from everyday life. Each scene appears normal at first, but every time we revisit a scene the content slightly alters, gradually becoming totally absurd.
The Human Camera
British artist Stephen Wiltshire draws detailed accurate impressions of cities, skylines and street scenes after having observed them only briefly. He was awarded Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to the art world in 2006.
Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Mural at River of Life, Masjid Jamek
1894 Singer sewing machine restoration
This 1894 Singer sewing machine had been left to rust in a henhouse. It looked like it was beyond repair but after two months of restoration it was in working condition again.
Restoring a Scottish Castle Home
Homeowner Karen Ellington opens up the doors of Towie Barclay Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, which she and her husband purchased for £4,000 in 1972 and restored.
Via
Chris Thompson - Houses
The British artist explains: “My paintings are a celebration of the everyday, the half noticed and the overlooked. From an isolated building next to a silent canal, an unremarkable row of houses to hidden passageways. These are all parts of London but they could be anywhere.”
Gathering together all the houses I have painted so far... pic.twitter.com/AKeqTrUuDJ
— ChrisThompson (@cthompson_art) July 22, 2023
The One And Only 1960 DiDia 150
The 1960 DiDia 150 was a luxury, custom-designed, handmade car also known as the “Dream Car”. Built in Detroit, Michigan, clothing designer Andrew “Andy” Di Dia designed this unique automobile. Only one example was ever built. It was owned by actor/singer Bobby Darin who drove his wife, Sandra Dee, to the Academy Awards in it in 1961.
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| Bobby Darin and his DiDia150 |
Monday, July 24, 2023
1965 NASA Robot
It was one of two that were made. One sold for $80,000 at auction in 2016. The other is at the Smithsonian.
via Tacky Raccoons
Penguins Making Landfall
via everlasting blortPenguins making landfall.. 😅 pic.twitter.com/QrWD5OQuiw
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) July 4, 2023
Apocalypse Clown - Trailer
When a mysterious technological blackout plunges Ireland into anarchy and chaos, a group of failed washed up clowns are forced to traverse the country for one last shot at their dreams.
Sunday, July 23, 2023
Sunday Links
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The Big Lebowski Themed Bowling Alley (above), designed by Cowboy Creative, is pretty cool. Make sure to scroll down to see the clip from the movie that provided the inspiration. I never tire of this film.
Dutch art director and visual designer Toon Joosen makes collages that are both amusing and thought provoking. His Instagram account is pretty special and you can purchase his work at his Etsy shop. (Via Rusty’s Electric Dreams)
The year is 1958 and you are in the international section of the universal European exhibition in Brussels. (via)
After a former resident abandoned a pair of pet rabbits that bred dozens more a small Florida community has begun efforts to save and re-home the growing colony. Those bunnies are beyond cute. (NYT link)
A sweet video of a gathering of 488 goldens at the 155th anniversary celebration of the breed’s founding in Guisachan, Scotland. Via
3 Quarks Daily posted this link to Tarkovsky's Solaris (full film). I saw a stage version in Edinburgh a few years ago and found it intriguing (Mr. Nag didn’t concur) but I haven’t seen the film. I will set aside some time to watch it.
Don’t have enough dough to buy that BMW? I have a solution for you (thanks Bruce)
The most charming fraudster in GTA real estate? The story behind the scammer who collected millions in deposits through illegitimate transactions.
“Upon entering Ron's Place for the first time, I’m unprepared for the feeling of being subsumed by a man’s imagination. The flat is dusty, strange, and wonderful.”
Paris Fashion Week, where street wear rivals runway fashion.
Saturday, July 22, 2023
Big Croc!
This picture by Steve Curle was fact checked and is probably not digitally manipulated. It shows a 5 meter crocodile killed in Zimbabwe after attacking and killing fully grown cows.
Aerial photography of China’s Fanjing Mountain
Fanjing Mountain is one of the five famous Buddhist mountains in China and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the highest peak of the Wuling Mountains in southeastern China, at an elevation of 2,570 m.
Bach Adagio BWV 974
A lovely short video by my long-time blogger buddy Hanan who reviews a lot of movies.
Happy Caturday
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| Image: Marilyn Bellamy |
The photo above is my own beautiful black cat, Carmen, who was left on my doorstep by Satan five years ago.
Friday, July 21, 2023
Canada’s Only* Car-Free Neighbourhood
When I first moved to Toronto I had many picnics there with friends. The Mariposa Folk Festival was held on the island from 1968 until 1979 and I saw some of the best acts of the time there.
Who knows, they might even become as good, civilised and enlightened – almost – as we white people.
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| Boys at Kamloops Indian Residential School, probably before the 1920s - Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at the University of British Columbia |
“Between 1890 and 1978, at Kamloops Indian Residential School in the Canadian province of British Columbia, thousands of Indigenous children were taught to ‘forget’. Separated from their families, these children were compelled to forget their languages, their identities and their cultures. Through separation and forgetting, settler governments and teachers believed they were not only helping Indigenous children, but the nation itself. Canada would make progress, settlers hoped, if Indigenous children could just be made more like white people.”
Sound-Activated Lingerie
Do you think this invention was designed by a man?
The female's boyfriend or husband could clap his hand and the bra would automatically open.
Thursday, July 20, 2023
Floor and wall fashions by Sloane
Some years ago blogger Rusty Blazenhoff came across a small wooden dresser at a thrift store. Someone had tacked vintage western-themed linoleum pieces onto this wee piece of furniture and Rusty was smitten. Now she’s thinking about re-homing it and came across the source of the tile in this 1952 catalogue of floor and wall fashions by Sloane.
See more fabulous vintage linoleum at Internet Archive. (I have some floral patterned lino from the same era hidden preserved under carpet in one of my bedrooms).
12,795 photos of 12,795 objects
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| Objects from Iweins’ bathroom |
It took Belgian photographer Barbara Iweins four years to take pictures of every single object in her home - all 12,795 of them! Safety pins, clingfilm, screws, hooks, toilet rolls, hangers, keys, socks, pants and plates! She realised she could live without 99% of them.
Her most treasured belonging is a dahlia (below), at once delicate and invulnerable, preserved in a jar of formalin. She is drawn to its permanence.
Her most treasured belonging is a dahlia (below), at once delicate and invulnerable, preserved in a jar of formalin. She is drawn to its permanence.
Read more: The Guardian
Hong Kong's Monster Building
Yesterday I posted a photo of the Yick Fat Building in Hong Kong’s Quarry Bay District.Here is a video about what it's like to live there.
Cloud Forest Fungi
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| Aurapex penicilliata |
How to Make a 2000-Year-Old "Pizza"
A Pompeian fresco depicting what might be an ancient ancestor of pizza has been found. Max Miller, of the Youtube channel Tasting History, decided to recreate the dish using the unclear picture rather than an actual recipe.
(Open Culture)
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Photo Of The Day
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| Yick Fat Building, 1048-1056 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Eastern District, Hong Kong. |
via @BrianRoemmele
The collective noun for a group of butterflies is kaleidoscope
How apt.
A group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope.pic.twitter.com/TXS1Kq4PI4
— Wonder of Science (@wonderofscience) July 14, 2023
Jet Engine/ Liquor Cabinet
What would you do if you were given the nacelle from a decommissioned jet engine as a gift? Artist and maker Hassan Abu-Izmero built a cool place to store his booze.
Sci-fi Vehicles Presented as Vintage Magazine Covers
This series of illustrations by Austin artist Chet Phillips reimagines sci-fi vehicles from cult movies and classic TV as Modern Mechanix covers from the 1930s and 40s. Above is Dr. Who’s Tardis. Below is a slideshow of all six illustrations in the series:
The Line architects explain the biggest infrastructure project in history (full documentary)
Architects including Thom Mayne, Peter Cook and Reinier de Graaf explain the thinking behind the planned megacity The Line in a recently released, 45-minute-long documentary. This project envisions a city of a million residents with a length of 170 km that preserves 95% of nature, with zero cars, zero streets and zero carbon emissions.
(Dezeen)
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Nelson Mandela was born 105 years ago today
On this day in 1918 Nelson Mandela was born to Nosekeni Fanny and Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, Chief Counsellor to the Chief of the Tembu tribe. He was a South African anti-apartheid activist and president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was that country’s first president elected in a fully representative democratic election.
Exquisite stop-motion paper-cut video
Andrew Benincasa, a stop-motion animator and paper-cut artist, creates videos, illustrations, light boxes, portraits, album art, and shadow puppetry.
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