optimisation of manual labour

Eighteen types of elemental motions to study the economy of movement and exertion in the workplace as with a flow-chart, therblig units are intended as controls for eliminating unneeded steps. Created by industrial psychologists Lillian Moller Gilbreth and Frank Bunker Gilbreth (as near reversals of their surname), they first appeared in a 1915 trade paper article as “the elements of a cycle of decisions and motions” the scheme famously and indelibly suggesting that it be common protocol that a surgeon is handed their implements and that various checklist are put in place. Purposefully, the last step prior to execution is the admonition “to think” (not depicted as a diagrammatic symbol) rather than the first.

saut de loup

Via Miss Cellania’s links, we learn about the ingenious landscaping technique that goes by the above or more commonly hâ-hâ, thought either to reflect the element of surprise by those coming across the invisible barriers or an abbreviation of half retaining wall, half-ditch, which creates walls and controls access without interrupting the view, see also here and here. See several examples from Amusing Planet at the link above.

strong and prosperous nation

Negotiating the divide between cultural and historic points of reference and by being generally agreeable and approachable, former war correspondent turned photographer Stephan Gladieu was able to recently travel to North Korea and was allowed to capture portraits of the people in a captivating series. Learn more and peruse a curated gallery of scenes from North Korea at It’s Nice That at the link above.

zea mays

Having recently posted about the original by the Hot Butter ensemble, we quite enjoyed discovering—courtesy of Pasa Bon!—this clever, well-arranged medieval cover (see previously) of Pop Corn. Many more covers versions to be found clicking through at the link up top or by letting the play-list cycle through below.

zehn thesen für gutes design

Via Present /&/ Correct, we rather enjoyed this fine visual homage to the palette and aesthetic of industrial design artist Dieter Rams from Chad Ashley and Grey Scale Gorilla studios. The Wiesbaden native who famously articulated the principles of good design and called obsolescence a crime, and tried to adhere to these guidelines of innovation, utility, accessibility, honestly, durability and minimalism in everything he created is best known for his work for Braun, which in turn is paid tribute in Apple’s operating environment, including the skeuomorph for the calculator, the reel-to-reel tape recorder in the podcast icon and the World Clock (see also), praising Apple as one of the few company’s upholding excellence in design.

spoiler alert

Via TYWKIWDBI, we quite enjoyed this cinematic, recursive juxtaposition curated and edited by Jacob T. Swinney that displays the first frames of a film side-by-side with the final scene. Where there is a correspondence between the visual milieu of the beginning and the end, I think it must register with the audience even on an unconscious level, even if we’ve forgotten the establishing shots. More at the link above.

your house is on fire and your children are alone

Courtesy of a film recommendation by one of our favourite podcasts, The Flop House, we learn of the 1963, Oscar-nominated film by Frank Perry that analyses the psycho-social toll of the Cold War that really speaks to the uncertainty and the fears harboured over our current collective crisis and what totems we rally to preserve through selective ignorance. Set during the Cuban Missile Crisis (previously) from just a year prior, following the protocol of classroom drills, teachers escort their students home at a rural elemental school after a warning siren sounds. Absent independent verification on the veracity of the alarm, no one is sure whether it is a false warning, a test or not. Some of the students’ parents dismiss these distant, abstract events as they frantically search for a fall-out shelter that can accommodate them all. One girl is ejected, with the claim there is not enough space and goes off to take refuge in a discarded refrigerator—introducing that trope, though her classmates don’t abandon her or forget about her altogether.

cult of personality

Along with the birthday of his father, founder of the nation of North Korea, this Day of the Shining Star (광명성) falling on the anniversary of the birth of its second leader Kim Jong-il, 16 February, 31 Juche, according to party lore, is among the most important public holidays, codified since his 2012 death. While Kim was likely born in Siberia during his father’s exile for inciting an uprising, the foundational mythos places Kim’s birth at a secret guerrilla camp (run by Kim Il-sung) on the slopes of Mount Paektu, a place in antiquity considered holy and the origin of the Korea people, his nativity heralded by a shooting star. With celebrations spanning two days including mass gymnastics, fireworks and military demonstrations, many couples also choose this day to marry. Like a Communist version of Lent, the two-month gap between the birthday of the founder (see above) and second leader is known as Loyalty Festival Period and is interspersed with spontaneous acts of devotion and festivities throughout.