The latest Linkfest introduces us to the previously unpublished early music of Carola Baer, a UK-extract relocated to San Francisco in 1990. Homesick and isolated, Baer recorded an album over the course of several months on cassette and gave it the studio treatment, photocopying a cover for The Story of Valerie. Never releasing it, Baer lost the only copy—for it only to turn up in a rummage bin of a charity shop in Oregon twenty six years, and with the finder’s help, Baer was not only reunited with this personal artefact, it was also given a limited release with five hundred vinyl pressings. Much more at the links above.
Tuesday 21 November 2023
we already feel (11. 130)
Sunday 19 November 2023
laserium (11. 127)
Premiering on this night in 1973 at the Griffith Observatory in San Francisco when Ivan Dryer arranged to lease a laser projector from CalTech after disappointment upon reviewing a film he had commissioned as a laser-light show, insisting the audience experience the beauty and brilliance first hand, his presentation inspired companies and individuals to produce their own versions for various venues while launching his own national tour that lasted until 2002 and continues as special events through to the present. Though not certain if it was a part of the officially sanctioned road-show, I recall somewhere in East Texas circa 1992 seeing a rather nice spectacle beamed onto the faรงade of a court house or some big brick municipal building in the lead-up to Christmas when we’d drive around looking at decorations with musical accompaniment by the Indigo Girls (possibly just on the car’s radio though I’d like to remember it as on the PA, synchronized to the music nonetheless and that made me gay). I call on the resting soul of Galileo, king of night vision, king of insight.
Sunday 22 October 2023
11x11 (11. 070)
post-amazon era: monopsonic retailer’s workers’ are writing about the dystopian company to fight back—via Slashdot
sublet: tech startups are relinquishing office space office space back to their landlords
stop making sense: negative manifestos, rule-breaking and by defined by what one is not

dancing delicacies: 3-D printed plate and nano technologies promise interactive meals
primer simposium tecno: a 1981 electronic music concert in Madrid
piramida: updated plans for the restoration of Tirana’s Brutalist landmark
destroilet: an automatic combustion plumbing solution popular in the 1960s and 70s
down in the underground: agencies of the subsurface
fiver: a new adaptation of Watership Down as a graphic novel
proposition m: San Francisco passes a punitive tax of vacant housing speculation
the faanmg index: the blush has worn off Amazon’s rose—via Nag on the Lake’s Sunday Links (lot’s more to explore there)
synchronoptica
one year ago: brittle egos bristling at Karen’s Garden plus modern sundials
two years ago: the International Meridian Conference of 1884, The Last Picture Show plus an early alternative currency
three years ago: the father of psychophysics, red food dye, another failed doomsday prophecy plus the Humument series
five years ago: the US Gun Control Act of 1968, the WWII bombing of Kassel, the spread of disinformation, anticipatory libraries for other worlds plus RIP to the inventor of the Little Library
Thursday 17 August 2023
9x9 (10. 948)
?: JWST captures an image of a distinct punctuation mark from the emerging Cosmos
a/v: a history of corporate presentations from slide-shows to Power Point—via Things Magazine
index librorum prohibitorum: an American school district is using ChapGTP to help it decide which books to ban
an unacceptable grindset: driven to produce quantity over quality has yielded some high-profile errors in popular YouTube channelsone on one: legendary interviewer and television presenter Michael Parkinson passes away, aged 88
emerald and stone: an ethereal track by Brian Eno (previously) visualised with water, soap and paint
bart: a trove of Kodachrome slides found discarded in San Francisco reveal the construction of the Bay Area Rapid Transit—see also
einstein’s crosses: astronomers probe the effects of gravitational lensing
synchronoptica
one year ago: ABBA’s last collaboration plus assorted links to revisit
two years ago: more links to enjoy, the first animated film (1908), the constant ฯ plus terra incognito
three years ago: a tragedy in Australia in 1980, Operation Warp Speed plus the Turkic dotted-i
four years ago: some links worth the revisit plus the Cosmos prior to the Big Bang
five years ago: Animal Farm (1945) plus the complex genes of food crops
Monday 17 July 2023
tรชte de pont (10. 891)
Within hours of the announcement that a deal brokered by Tรผrkiye that would allow vital Ukrainian grain shipments would be allowed to resume from Black Sea ports, forces attacked (sabotaged for the second time) the bridge linking the Russian mainland to the peninsula illegally annexed by Russian in 2014, prompting the Kremlin to call off the deal and continue its naval blockade. The overland corridor across the Kerch straits which allows would-be vacation-goers to bypass most of the war zone is also, according to Ukrainian military intelligence, a logistics hub for moving men and materiel deeper into Ukrainian territory and the multi-billion dollar, nineteen kilometres long bridge was considered a prestige project. The EU and UN accuse Russia of weaponising food staples as the embargo will only exacerbate shortage and inflation in developing nations dependent on these exports.
Sunday 28 May 2023
7x7 (10. 771)
schachtรผrke: a fraudulent chess-playing automaton launched the AI debate in 1770

beyond the yellow brick road: the reading that The Wizard of Oz is a Populist political allegory is kind of an incoherent mess, suggested over six decades after it was written—via Strange Company
buena vista social club: a restored, enhanced 1972 tour of Disney World
priority road: one individual’s quest to document the unusual, confusing traffic signs of Japan
lexus nexus: lawyer turns to ChatGPT for help in finding precedence a client’s case, citing a wholly fabricated disputes and settlements—via Waxy—see also
Saturday 8 April 2023
10x10 (10. 662)
never fearing guns or numbers like a tiger to its meat, the stranger then attacked the pirate fleet: a space-age sea-shanty by Duane Elms of Carmen Miranda’s Ghost, courtesy of Shadow Manor
sorcerer’s apprentice: angry to have been out-manoeuvred by Disney’s lawyers, Florida governor declares all-out war against the theme park

shelling out: a gallery of vintage Easter confections family album: being first on the scene to document shipwrecks is a generational business
the tiffany network: an all-star roll for the 1978 fiftieth anniversary of the Columbia Broadcasting System
blogoversary: a belated congratulations to Map Room as it reaches the milestone of twenty years of blogging
late-stage sea-monkeys: targeted ads are generally promoting the worst possible version of a product
bohemian grove: the secretive club back in the headlines after revelations of US Supreme Court Justice Thomas’ gifts included a trip to the exclusive retreat
falmouth: the annual, international festival of maritime music returns in June
the egg war of the farallon islands (10. 660)
Regaling us with the strange tales of real and artificial scarcity and runaway inflation for the city of San Francisco flush with money owing to the Gold Rush (see previously) which seems like an apt allegory for modern San Francisco with the boom and bust of the native tech sector and the real estate market, Lit Hub contributor Lizzy Stark—via Strange Company—surveys the shortage of women and perishables through the price of eggs in California territory, the untenable fickleness of domesticated hens and turning to a seabird sanctuary for scavenging that dedicimated the local wild populations of auks, gulls and of pinnipeds from a rocky, treacherous outcropping in the bay. The cost of a dozen eggs in American markets today exacerbated by the tumultuous economy has nothing from back during the frontier days.
Sunday 5 March 2023
8x8 (10. 594)
parasols: brief animations on Marie Paccou’s sun-shades when spun
the misalignment museum: an art installation dedicated to the future AI apocalypse serves as a warning to the present

banana for scale: a handy converter—via Pasa Bon!
curious crumbs of history: rating Nation Trust sites by their scones
future archeologists: Funko Pop! is disposing of hundreds of thousands chibi pop-culture icons
eliza doolittle: a 1966 chatbot had the same warnings as out modern experiments
grand canons: stop-motion of everyday objects by Alain Biet
catagories: ๐, ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ, ๐ฑ, ๐, ๐ค, libraries and museums
Monday 23 January 2023
6x6 (10. 492)
zhengyue 2: the second day of the Lunar New Year is considered the birthday of all dogs

i shot the serif: US Department of State drops the typeface Times New Roman in favour of the more legible Calibri font
yellow magic orchestra: watch performances by the Japanese group that created some of the most innovative and influential acts in electronic music
odonymy: more open etymological street maps—see also
tet: a short, hand-drawn game about cooking and serving a Vietnamese holiday meal—via Waxy
Wednesday 18 January 2023
9x9 (10. 479)
under the gavel: a distressed Twitter is auctioning off office furnishings from its San Francisco headquarters
best mates: a meta-study of attracting and retaining intimate partners
demidecimate: Microsoft announces layoff five percent of its workforce

style guide: an eccentric alternate spelling circulated in a newspaper for three decades—without explanation or apology
wellipets: frog-faced galoshes make a haute couture return
©: Getty Images is filing suite against an AI art tool for scraping its content—via the new shelton wet/dry
fechtbรผcher: early Renaissance depicts of duels between men and women
silicon valley: a tech bust might be a net positive for the city
Sunday 15 January 2023
shaken, not stirred (10. 417)
Here’s a selection of signature martinis to fit every mood and every palette of this spirit animal constructed on the template of gin—or vodka—and vermouth plus a bit of garnish. Namesake of the special drink of patrons of the Occidental Hotel of San Francisco would be offered before embarking on the ferry to Martinez in Contra Costa, the cocktail has undertaken, with the famous variant occurring in a dialogue the spy has with a barman in Casino Royale, changing his order from a dry martini to a special recipe of his own invention. “Just a moment: three measures of Gordon’s [gin], one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet; shake it very well until its ice cold, then add a large, thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?” Bond adds, “I’m going to patent it when I think of a good name.” Later, he names it in honour of MI6 coworker and double-agent Vesper Lynd. Though perhaps with a bit less of provenance and backstory, we did nonetheless like the inverted variations of the Astoria and Lifetime Ban and elegant Martini Sauvage—gin with chinato liqueur and orange bitters, mixed and chilled overnight.
Saturday 14 January 2023
human be-in (10. 414)
Considered an overture to the city’s Summer of Love, the 1967 counterculture event—the focus of the hippie movement’s rejection of staid, middle-class morality, occurred on this day on the Polo Fields of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, drawing a crowd of some thirty-thousand. In turn inspired by sit-in and teach-in protests to erode vestigial segregationist practises in institutes of higher learning, the gathering took its name from an off-hand remark made by psychedelic artist Michael Brown Bowen the Love Pageant Rally, held the previous October in the Haight-Ashbury district to demonstrate against the outlawing of LSD—where thousands showed up and dropped acid in unison, the above organiser bringing the Grateful Dead, Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters and Janis Joplin to the event. Among invited speakers and performers—also arranged by Bowen—were Ram Dass, Dick Gregory, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti with Timothy Leary making the declaration “Turn on, tune in and drop out” and local bands Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and the Dead, staple acts of the Avalon Ballroom concert. Follow-on events included the Fly-In, Sweep-In, Yip-In, Love-In and John and Yoko Ono Lennon’s Bed-In.
Saturday 7 January 2023
dei gratia, emperor of the united states and protector of mexico (10. 394)
Via JWZ, we are directed towards a recently uncovered cache of proclamations, carried in the newspapers no less, from Norton I (previously) on the 1868 smallpox epidemic that had arrived in San Francisco, commanding authorities of all cities on the Pacific ensure, under severe penality that 1) every person be vaccinated and that 2) teamsters driving persons to hospital shall not get drunk and leave their charges on the streets to spread contagion, and moreover 3) physicians shall change their clothing after attending patients and lastly that churches 4) expose and punish all persons who administer poisonous food and drinks during religious or political discussions. Much more at the links above.
Tuesday 20 December 2022
and if you want to be free, be free (10. 347)
Premiering on this day in 1971, as our faithful chronicler informs, the
romantic black comedy by Hal Ashby and Colin Higgins relates the narrative
of Harold Chasen, an adolescent obsessed with the macabre, staging elaborate
fake suicides, driving a hearse and attending the funerals of random
strangers to the dismay of his wealthy, socialite mother, who goes to great
lengths to try to make him more respectable, and Dame Marjorie Chardin, a
seventy-nine year old he meets at a funeral mass, who counters his morbid
demeanor and teaches him joie de vivre for the first time as their
relationship develops into a more intimate one. The film’s soundtrack is
provided by Yusuf Stevens. Producer and writer Higgins had expressed an
interest later the decade after his work attained cult status after its
initial mixed reviews in both a prequel, Grover and Maude wherein Maude
learns how to break into cars and fence stolen property and a sequel,
Harold’s Story about his life after meeting Maude though neither were
pursued though was adapted into a Broadway stage play, a French
made-for-tv-movie and a musical version.
Wednesday 30 November 2022
8x8 (10. 347)
da ba dee: a bardcore version of Eiffel 65’s ‘Blue’
palace intrigue: a cracked encoded missive sent by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to his French ambassador—via Language Log

correctional facility: unearthed cache of photographs of San Quentin prison taken by inmates—via tmn
circumnavigation: a recreation to explore Ferdinand Magellan’s trip around the world—via Pasa Bon!
antidisestablishmentarianism: the UK is demographically no longer a majority Christian country
still-life: a study of meta-trolling—see also
eadburg: eight century individual scribbles in a medieval manuscript
boards of canada: psychedelic ‘Aquarius’ remixed with Deforum Stable Diffusion
catagories: ⚖️, ✝️, ๐, ๐, ๐️, ๐ถ, Middle Ages, networking and blogging
Tuesday 15 November 2022
6x6 (10. 306)
honkbal hoofdklasse: Dutch for ‘Major League Baseball’
fragrant, acid, burnt and caprylic: the Crocker-Henderson odour classification system

the floor is lava: a fun looking arcade experience though the best part was climbing over the furniture and leaping from place to place
pontifex: the cathedral-like under-girding of the bridges of Seoul
phryge-fest: Paris unveils its Olympic and Paralympics mascots—anthropomorphic hats
Thursday 10 November 2022
my teenage fall out queen (10. 290)
Whilst a tad kitschy, we have to give George McKelvey’s 1964 scopitone video (see also) ‘Radiation Baby’ compliments on being so acutely self-aware of its lampooning those typical morbid teen tragedy genre of the decade. Particularly parodying Sonny Bono for his—justifiably—doomsaying protest songs, McKelvey was also a member of the influential comedy improv troupe, the Committee, based in San Francisco.
Wednesday 12 October 2022
eurobruggen (10. 217)
Via Pasa Bon! we learn that one Dutch town called Spijkenisse, part of Rotterdam, has managed to claim all the anonymous, composite bridges on Euro banknotes for the Netherlands by building the spans over one waterway in the residential area Het Land from 2011 to 2013. The community was also in the headlines more recently at the beginning of November 2020 when a metro car that jumped the track was saved by a whale tail sculpture after pummetting ten meters.
Saturday 17 September 2022
norton i (10. 143)
Resident of San Francisco and at one point being one of the richest citizens of the city after some successful real estate speculation and commodities trades—though through over-estimating his acumen and downplaying the role of luck, overplayed his hand on a shipment of rice (due to a famine in China), precipitating a collapse in the market, Joseph Abraham Norton, originally from Deptford, England and growing up in South Africa, declared himself Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico on this day in 1859, coincidentally the anniversary of the signing of the US constitution in Philadelphia in 1787. After bankruptcy in 1852, unsuccessful in rebuffing his debtors, Norton faded from public notice as a business magnate and grew increasingly cynical about local and federal governance—launching a failed bid for congress. In his adopted hometown, however, Norton returned with a flourish first issuing a manifesto in the San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin that broadly outlined the “national crisis,” in his summation, and how to address it, and second—in the same publication, decreeing:

— NORTON I., Emperor of the United States.
Orders and summons were ignored by the US congress and the armed forces, but Norton’s reign was received with tolerance and bemusement to genuine affection by some fellow residents who continue to embrace his legacy and even token recognition by the local establishments that Norton frequented that accepted his currency and even by the federal government that allowed him to enter his occupation as “Emperor.” A trust established in 1939 and continuing through the present day have petitioned naming the Bay Bridge in honour of Norton I, his imminence having suggested that a span be built linking Oakland and San Francisco as early as 1872.