Using a dual process of optical coherence tomography and infrared hyperspectral imaging to eke out characters from carbonised scrolls housed in Herculaneum and preserved after the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD but inaccessible until recently with the aid of artificial intelligence, researchers have been able to more accurately locate the burial place of Plato, student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, in the Academy, destroyed by Roman general Sulla in 86 BC, as well as a previously unknown account of the philosopher’s last days that relates how he found the night’s entertainment, a Thracian musician’s performance, rather grating. We wonder what else might be digitally unwrapped from this trove kept in what’s regarded as one, the site originally designated Villa Suburbana either residence of Lucious Calpurnius Piso Caesonius—the father-in-law of Julius Caesar or the purported author himself, Epicurean Philodemus of Gadara, of the most luxurious and with a well-apportioned library in the Roman world.
Friday 26 April 2024
Sunday 21 April 2024
the waiting room (11. 504)
After learning that director David Lynch (previously) designs furniture as a hobby, Milan Design Week curator Antonio Monda invited him to create an installation for Salone del Mobile—delivering A Thinking Room whose patterned floor evokes the Red Room, an extra-dimensional antechamber accessible through Twin Peaks’ Glastonbury Grove. Whilst meant to be meditative, following Lynch’s practise, the space is also a refuge for relaxation and reflection. Anticipating the demand, two identical rooms were built, according to designer’s specifications, in the historic Piccolo Teatro. The branching metal rods radiating from the oversized wooden are not connected to anything, though perhaps metaphysically, and most of the choices in elements are left unexplained. Read more from Dezeen at the link above.
Saturday 20 April 2024
supercrema gianduja (11. 500)
The first glass jar of the cocoa hazelnut spread by the confectionary manufacturer Ferrero left the factory in Alba on this day in 1964 and marketed throughout the continent became almost an instant international success, having reformulated the recipe several times prior to commercial release, originally a solid block composed of the region’s famous filbert (nocciola) harvest before pitched as a paste, initially twenty percent chocolate and seventy percent hazelnut butter but now the remainder of palm oil and sugar has taken over—to the grave consternation of purists along with other tweaks to the ingredients.
synchronoptica
one year ago: a failed rocket launch plus tiny voxel shops
two years ago: Germany’s Congress for Internal Medicine, a tribute to Freddy Mercury (1992), an un-redaction challenge plus ratings for everything
three years ago: your daily demon: Amon, rope-making, superlative toponymy plus assorted links worth revisiting
four years ago: spot the difference games from museum collections plus Dutch curses
five years ago: the Columbine High School Massacre (1999)
Friday 19 April 2024
9x9 (11. 499)
pumping iron: Technogym invites forty artists to reinterpret its exercise bench for Milan Design Week
wikipedia rectangles: a collage of images sourced from the Commons subdivides one’s screen in increasing smaller sections of disparate pictures—via Web Curios
the microcosm of london: an illustrated three-volume set by Rudolph Ackermann showcasing the public spaces of the capital๐: the massive Quilt for Palestine unveiled at the Met
rundown royale: a look at the family tree of Charlemagne, the Father of Europe—via Miss Cellania
ulnar nerve: the etymology of the expression funny bone and variants—including the Swedish terms enkelstรถt/รคnkestรถt
dua lipa stuns as congressional gerrymander: that and other headlines from Super Punch
from our correspondents: World Press Photo contest captures destruction and devastation
the revolution will not be biennalised: the withdrawal of the Israeli pavilion in Venice was performative and opportunistic
catagories: ๐ฎ๐น, ๐, ๐, ๐จ, ๐♀️, ๐, ๐ท, ๐️, libraries and museums, Middle East, networking and blogging, ⓦ
est! est!! est!!! (11. 498)
The unusual triplicate name of the wine region of Montefiascone in Lazio (Latium) originated in a possibly apocryphal legend from the twelfth century when in April of 1111 bishop Johann Fugger, a noted gourmand and member of a house of prominent bankers and venture capitalists from Augsburg who supplanted the Medici family and controlled much of the economy of Europe through the seventeen hundreds, travelled to Rome to witness the coronation of Henry V, King of Italy, Germany and Burgundy, by Pope Paschal II and sending ahead his prelate, possibly called Martin, as majordomo to scout out places along the route offering the best wine, instructed to write in chalk “there it is” on the doors of the finer establishments serving vinum bonum, and so impressed with the offerings of one local tavern punctuated his rating with urgency for the entourage. Though not heavily exported, the name has certainly proved as good marketing for the Etruscan Montefiascone and with the final resting place of Fugger in the commune’s main church of San Flaviano, with the inscription, “Est est est ∙ Propter nimium est ∙ Johannes de Foucris ∙ dominus meus ∙ mortuus est” (Here, here, here [a common epitaph, or possibly cause of death was ruled too much Est]—because it is too much, my master is dead) it is reported that Fugger decided to stay and not continue the journey. The wine pairs particularly well with Roman cuisine like fried artichokes and calamari.
one year ago: technological anti-solutions, a classic from Blondie (1980) plus Neil Agarwal gives us a stratospheric tour
two years ago: another MST3K classic, persistent COVID denialism plus renovating the Kodak R&D building
three years ago: the Salyut programme (1971), more MST3K, a Google Earth time lapse, shelters build after San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake plus the changing interiors of the Oval Office
four years ago: the Lada, keeping up with the news, Mambo No 5 (1999), more McMansion Hell, Animal Crossing tarot, St Expeditus, a pioneering virologist, failed attempts at wildlife photography plus a goatforsaken place
five years ago: an extended weekend, Mid-Century Modern maps, the bees of Notre Dame, more accidental art plus an optical illusion to parse
Sunday 7 April 2024
macchine da caffรฉ (11. 472)
Via Present /&/ Correct, we thoroughly enjoyed inspecting the various models and designs of coffee and espresso makers collected over three decades by curator and connoisseur Enrico Maltoni celebrating a century of Italian cafe culture with an expansive exhibit to visit virtually. Styles and innovations are presented chronologically and an accompanying coffee-table book tells more about the manufacturers and small businesses that inform this cornerstone of society.
one year ago: pollutants as disease vectors plus Roxanne (1978)
two years ago: Putin apologists plus a sheet-like organism
three years ago: assorted links to revisit plus South Pacific (1949)
four years ago: cell towers and COVID, ghost crashes plus more mudlarking
five years ago: a Finnish term for resilience plus a logograph for the new imperial era
Saturday 6 April 2024
concours eurovision de la chason (11. 470)
With the finale held on this day fifty years ago, held in the arts venue the Dome of Brighton with veteran television personality and presenter Katie Boyle—winner of the 1973 contest Luxembourg having declined the honour of hosting the event consecutive years in a row due to cost constraints for their public broadcaster, Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Tรฉlรฉdiffusion, some of the more memorable acts of the Eurovision Song Contest (previously) with an iconic and transporting recognition owing to the winners’ costuming and performance include an interlude by the Wombles, Olivia Newton-John, Mouth and MacNeal and entrant Pooky from newly admitted Israel, whose prog and jazz fusion would prove enduring. France did not participate that year out of respect for the national mourning period for the death of president Georges Pompidou, withdrawing a few days before, and contest was not aired until several months afterwards for fear that the country’s own submission, “Sรฌ” finishing in second place, might have influenced votes on a confusingly worded nation referendum on whether to keep or rescind newly introduced legislation (see above) that allowed for divorce in country—“yes” being the ballot initiative to outlaw the recently enacted liberty.
synchronoptica
one year ago: the UK tax year plus assorted links to revisit
two years ago: artist Raphael, fungal communication plus playing around with a text-to-image generator
three years ago: Ping-Pong Diplomacy, the first Tony Awards, the Debatable Lands, plans to build the World Trade Center, duelling songs plus the modern Olympic Games (1896)
four years ago: more true facts from Ze Frank plus a cute typing tutor
five years ago: the Bavarian Socialist Republic (1919) plus a community Spring Cleaning
Monday 18 March 2024
7x7 (11. 435)
deadwooding: Banksy acknowledges authorship of a new mural bringing back some greenery to an aggressive prune tree in Finsbury Park
subspace: an ultra high-definition video of a cat chasing a laser-pointer was beamed over thirty million kilometres to improve future video calls to the Moon and Marsrunning-stitch: beautiful embroidered portraits from Karola Pezarro
deadspin: more on the internet’s undead, reanimated by private equity and name recognition—see previously, see more
bunga bunga: Italy’s Foreign Press Association to move into former home of Silvio Berlusconi, who famously disparaged reporters as Communists
honeytrap: Aphra Behn’s intersecting careers as a professional writer and spy
sequoiadendron giganteum: imported by the Victorians as status symbols, Giant Redwoods (see also) are thriving in the UK at more than half-a-million and growing
Sunday 17 March 2024
riding the rails (11. 429)
Via Damn Interesting, the start-up Ironlev demonstrates that it is possible to achieve magnetic levitation on existing train routes, successfully testing a prototype vehicle on the Adria-Mestre line near Venice whose speed topped out at seventy kilometres per hour. No modifications were made to the track to accommodate the maglev test carriage, and given the network of underutilised and in some cases abandoned rail infrastructure linking all parts of the continent, the potential applications, despite technical challenges, are significant for efficient and quick transportation of people and goods. Aside from a levitating service run briefly in Germany (die M-Bahn) to supplement gaps left in public transit following the fall of the Berlin Wall until reunification and a few other proof-of-concept trials, there are only six operational lines in China, South Korea and Japan presently with the biggest expensive and barrier to expansion being the high cost laying new dedicated tracks.
one year ago: assorted links to revisit, a Gloria Gaynor classic plus “All You Tories”
two years ago: Leipzig After-Hours
three years ago: Joseph of Arimathea, Lost Horizon (1973) plus vaccination campaigns as portrayed in movies and television
four years ago: a homecoming staged for the cameras (1973) plus the art of Edward Hopper speaks to pandemic isolation
five years ago: St Patrick in the Russian Orthodox Church plus The Fourth Dimension and the Bible (1922)
Saturday 16 March 2024
auto sportive (11. 426)
Renowned Italian car designer associated with Gruppo Bertone, producing a number of iconic models for Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari, Marcello Gandini has passed away, aged 85. His signature Stile Bertone developed chiefly in a studio outside of Turin, created many prototypes and concept cars, innovative wedge formats, like the pictured mid-engine mounted Miura, the futuristic flagship of the company in production from 1966 to 1973, scissor doors for the two-seaters, also lending his talents to Volkswagen with the first Polo, Lancia’s rally car and BWM’s 1970 Garmisch—as well as venturing into architecture and interior design. More from designboom at the link up top.
synchronoptica
one year ago: Florida tries to outlaw cabaret shows
two years ago: bicolour
three years ago: your daily demon: Andromalius, global stock markets crash, the bombing of Wรผrzburg (1945) plus proposed repurposing submarines as oil tankers
four years ago: St Urho, a portentous sea monster plus pandemic restrictions and air quality
five years ago: Sushi Singularity, more Olympic pictograms, hydrogen-power plus the Vessel
Tuesday 13 February 2024
9x9 (11.348)
unwanted legacy: Russia puts Estonian prime minister on wanted list for dismantling monuments to Soviet soldiers
banned book rainbow: LeVar Burton hosts a very special episode on books banned by adults who don’t want kids to learn, grow or change—via Kottkeclothesline, skyline: a look at Shanghai’s ubiquitous outdoors drying racks
blinkerwall: ten-thousand year old megastructure in the Baltic could be Europe’s oldest
everynoise: layoffs and downsizing at Spotify spell the end of the serendipitous musical encyclopaedia—see previously
essentially cenobitical: one year in the life of a part time hermit—via the new Shelton wet/dry
running amoc: the trajectory of the climate catastrophe blows past a calamitous tipping-point
clearing the docket: upcoming inflection points in the criminal cases against Trump
portal kombat: French authorities uncover a vast Russian disinformation network designed to overwhelm fact checkers
comet and cupid (11. 347)
Via fellow internet peripatetic Messy Nessy (much more to dsicover there), we are introduced to the eighteenth century artist Michelangelo Maestri and his school through his series of water-colours of putti, cherubs driving chariots pulled by various creatures as an allegory to depict different types and stages of love—agape, eros, xenia, philia. Inspired by the frescos of Ancient Rome, especially the then recent excavation of well-preserved examples in Herculaneum and Pompeii, his studio’s works were extremely popular and produced en masse and were often purchased as souvenirs by those on their Grand Tour.
synchronoptica
one year ago: spec scripts for Star Trek: TNG plus a webring to check out
two years ago: more Excel art, West African musical artists plus separated by a common language
three years ago: assorted links to revisit, a dinosaur park plus animation techniques
four years ago: more links to enjoy
five years ago: out-of-place archaeology, Sony World Photography winners, Mandombe script plus more links worth revisiting
Sunday 24 December 2023
aรฏda (11. 211)
When originally approached by the Ottoman Pasha Isma’il of the Khedive of Egypt to produce an opera celebrating the opening of the Suez Canal—see also, Giuseppe Verdi declined. Later, however, presented a libretto set sometime in the Old Kingdom, a stretch of three millennia, by famed French Egyptologist and archeological authority Auguste Mariette, the composer ultimately conceded. Delayed by the ongoing Franco-Prussian War (see above) that prevented the elaborate scenery and costumes from being shipped from Paris, the opera eventually debuted in Cairo on this day in 1871. Egyptians forces have captured the titular Ethiopian princess and her captor, military commander Radamรจs, is caught in a love triangle with the pharaoh’s daughter, whose affections go unrequited, his desire for his prisoner and loyalty to his king and country. One of the most famously choreographed scenes is the Grand March from act II, below, when Radamรจs enters triumphantly, the chorus chanting “Gloria all’Egitto, ad Iside (Glory to Egypt and to Isis),” through the Gates of Thebes and is granted anything he wishes as a reward for his services.
Tuesday 7 November 2023
9x9 (11. 101)
dark universe: Euclid space mission to map the Cosmos and glean insights into the mysterious majority of matter and energy composing it
the earth dies screaming: an effective but bare-bones 1964 British apocalyptic horror flick from 1964go fish: the (possibly apocryphal) origin of the name of the city of Slow Low, Arizona
qr-monster: the artistry of AI prompters—see previously
๐: a teaser for a Backrooms-like game taking place in the Tokyo metro Shinjuku station
lignum vitae: looted leaves of the Golden Tree of Lucignano recovered
purity pals: new US Speaker of the House of Representative announces that he and his seventeen year old son monitor each other’s web consumption
future imperfect: a strangely engaging 1974 series of filmstrips warning against the utopian novel and utopian-thinking orbital plane: an exoplanet’s singular path around a binary star system—via Damn Interesting’s Curated Links
synchronoptica
one year ago: Operation Able Archer (1983), Ukraine to change the date on which Christmas is observed plus a gallery of bad Jane Austen book covers
two years ago: a documentary on picking the wrong venue, a bombing in the US capitol plus the Riace bronzes
three years ago: your daily demon: Bifrons, awaiting US election results, the collection point for cataloguing art looted by the Nazis plus the first female US vice-presidential candidate announced
four years ago: an unused deck of tarot cards by Salvatore Dalรญ
five years ago: assorted links to revisit, Nixon’s concession speech (1962) plus more from the Center for American Politics and Design
Tuesday 31 October 2023
thrifty business (11. 086)
First observed on this day in 1925 as the result of an initiative of the First International Savings Bank Congress (see also)—a summit of some three hundred fifty delegates from twenty-seven countries held in Milan—held the year prior, World Savings Day was promoted as not just an occasion to encourage home economics but to promote financial literacy. While the original motivation came in response to the end of World War I and has always emphasised education, the perceived over-commercialisation of the holiday has been subject to criticism for inculcating young people as early and loyal clients (traditionally accounts opened at this time, shifted according when and where the date fell on a bank holiday, included calendars as giveaways and other enticements) and bundling the cause with other premiums, like insurance and investment instruments.
one year ago: St Quintinus
two years ago: suffrage in Switzerland, a Brazilian monopod, dancing security dogs, assorted links to revisit plus Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses
three years ago: a collection of strange classical music compositions, Frestonia, police propaganda plus more links to enjoy
four years ago: Halloween greetings, a collection of metro logos, a Cornish holiday, the Speaker of the House steps down plus the Trump impeachment
five years ago: more of the season’s salutations, an October Surprise plus the March of Folly
Monday 16 October 2023
a venezia…undicembre rosso shocking (11. 062)
Adapted from the short story by Daphne du Maurier and starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie, the classic occult thriller Don’t Look Now premiered on this day in the UK and Italy. Grieving over the accidental and tragic drowning death of their daughter, the couple accept a commission from a bishop to restore an ancient church in Venice. The wife Laura encounters two elder sisters, one of who claims psychic sight and persuades the mother to hold a sรฉance to contact the deceased daughter, behind the back of her husband, John. The latter begins to experience premonitions as he continues to work on his project and the former begins to interpret everything as an omen. Atmospheric and disorienting, this enduring horror film explores the psychology of loss and the fragility of the mind. A quite explicit sex scene between Sutherland and Christie prompted her then-boyfriend Warren Beaty to travel to the set and demand it be cut but the director successfully championed it to Beaty and to the censors as non-gratuitous and as integral to the movie as the Venetian setting. In general release a few weeks later, it was often screened as a part of a double feature with the equally iconic The Wicker Man.
Monday 9 October 2023
7x7 (11. 047)
haus zum walfisch: explore horror film shooting locations of 1970s and 1980s classics, including Suspiria filmed in a townhouse in Freiburg im Breisgau
concrete feats: a tour of Italy’s Brutalist architecture
rapid electric vehicle retrofits: an Australian student wins James Dyson Award for an inexpensive conversion kit to make gas-powered vehicles hybridearthshapes: fantastic geography from pilot Joseph N Portney
larva convivialis: the miniature dancing skeletons of Roman banquets—via Strange Company
jungian individuation: the Swiss psychoanalyst on the predictive power of Tarot cards
tune-on: veteran television producer and director on the revival of his Laugh-In spin-off five decades afterwards
31 days: a month long celebration of the Spooky Season from Laura E Hall—via Waxy
synchronoptica
one year ago: assorted links to revisit, World Postal Day plus to slander one’s good reputation
two years ago: more links to enjoy, happy birthday John Lennon, Karl-Marx-Stadt, drag queen tarot plus a visit to the Osterburg
three years ago: The Watcher in the Woods, more Phantom plus more links worth revisiting
four years ago: major military exercise in Germany planned by US forces plus other European trade colonies in China
five years ago: Trump’s legacy of failed businesses, more on the fight to save an ancient woodland plus moving Tokyo’s historic fish market
Monday 2 October 2023
via xx settembre (11. 035)
The decisive battle marking the concession of Pope Pius IX and the unification of the Italian peninsula with the capture of Rome and the dissolution of the Papal States, in existence since 756, donations of various Frankish rulers to the Church over the centuries occurring a couple of weeks prior, the Italian prime minister organised a plebiscite to legitimise the annexation of Rome as the newly formed kingdom’s capital on this day in 1870. An overwhelming majority of eligible voters assented to being incorporated, with the pontiff left jurisdiction to the area surrounded by the ninth century enclosures built on the orders of Pope Leo IV to protect St Peter’s Basilica, but Pius protested, calling himself captivus vaticani. His predecessors took on the mantle until the matter—whether the pope was a subject of the Kingdom of Italy or whether the Holy See was an independent body without territory—was resolved by the Lateran Treaty of 1929, with no diplomatic relations existing between Italy and the Vatican prior and Italian royals and supporters of the Risorgimento summarily excommunicated.
one year ago: assorted links to revisit, more on snail compasses plus Gulf War II (2001)
two years ago: Peanuts remixed, more on US exceptionalism plus a classic from Musical Youth
three years ago: Colonialism and Abstract Art (1936), more musical mashup annuals from Hood Internet, Trump contracts the COVID-19 virus plus the caretaker presidency of Edith Wilson
four years ago: more links worth revisiting
five years ago: the fight to save a remnant of ancient forest in Germany plus thumbnails of terrain
Monday 14 August 2023
balum balum (10. 942)
Via Fancy Notions, we enjoyed this short of the La Linea (previously) created by cartoonist Osvaldo Cavadoli accompanied by the background tune composed by Franco Godi. Because the characters of this interstitial talk in grammelot (see above), responsive gibberish used to convey teasing and frustration, it’s hard to say if rabbits habitually mock humans that they encounter but the exchange brings to mind the murderous bunnies of medieval manuscript marginalia.
one year ago: Some Enchanted Wavelength (1978), assorted links to revisit plus Tears for Fears with the brass section
two years ago: the historical Macbeth, kaleidoscopic mandalas plus “I Got You, Babe” (1965)
three years ago: assorted links worth revisiting, Saint Arnold, the second major book printed in the West plus a bookshelf that can be transformed into a casket
four years ago: TopPop
five years ago: the Blackout of 1968, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), more links to check out plus the history of the Turner Broadcasting System
Tuesday 1 August 2023
7x7 (10. 919)
istj: while gladly gone the way of Harry Potter House in many circles, Chinese placement agencies are obsessing with Myers-Briggs personality types
hapsburg ai: generative chat programmes trained on derivative synthetic output becomes recursive and untenable—via Kottke
pittura infamante: the Florentine legal tradition of the rogues’ gallery—via Miss Cellania๐: flashing sign with new logo dismantled in San Francisco’s Twitter headquarters after neighbours complain
‡:a font family inspired by an Ancient Roman typeface continues a centuries’ long dialogue of the printed word
watermark: to distinguish generative writing from human, we could possible assign it its own Unicode alphabets—via Language Log
the belt and road initiative: Italy is vocal with its regrets over signing on to China’s foreign policy push and infrastructure development programme