10x10 (12. 420)

america’s war: a special report from the Verge for the fiftieth anniversary of the Fall of Saigon   

leaflet: an Art Nouveau study of botanical forms and their application in decor—see previously  

mangajin: an appreciation of the month English-language publication for students of Japanese language and culture—full archives from the entire run from 1988 to 1997 here   

do: inspirational words from artist Sol LeWitt to fellow creative pioneer Eva Hesse 

chisanbop: the Korean technique of fingermath   

i have to push the pram a lot: Monty Python and the Holy Grail at fifty   

animal spirits: what felines, bovines, porcines, etc on the label say about wine quality   

you wouldn’t right-click a car: US anti-piracy campaign filled with hypocrisy, including a stolen font—see also   

bus error collective: a WSIWYG primer on oscilloscope music—via Waxy   

worst one-hundred days: assessments of Trump first months in office for his second term—more here and here

synchronptica

one year ago: Pennsylvania 6-5000 (with synchronoptica) plus naming world wars 

seven years ago: a corollary to the Bechdel test plus a visit to Stockheim

eight years ago: archaeology with trace DNA, Islamic gateways plus responding to nuclear extortion 

nine years ago: crowd control robots, language acquisition plus a hand-held DNA sequencer

ten years ago: visiting FDR’s Georgia retreat, ribald limericks, assorted links to revisit plus pontoon bridges to alleviate traffic congestion

woggele stä (12. 408)

Wandering a bit through the neighbouring market town of Ostheim vor der Rhön and learned our area had a connection—and a celebrated one at that—with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, marking his visits to the town in 1780, accompanying Duke Karl August of Saxe-Weimar, whom ennobled the writer and polymath, in his role as privy councillor and highway commissioner. 

 On one occasion, under the advisement of local economics chair, Goethe directed the construction of two ramparts bridging the river Streu, designed to straighten the flow of the waters and provide irrigation to the meadows, a system used by famers through 1985. Referred to in local dialect as the above (Wackeliege Stege) as the original wooden footbridges, replacing the stepping stones, became wobbly shortly after installation. 

 The master baker Hans Bickert was an avid researcher of local history and was particularly intrigued by the connection to Goethe and acquired in 1970 the old Saxe-Weimar Amtshaus (we have been to a Flöhmarkt inside this building) from the State of Bavaria (see above: Ostheim is historically tied to Thüringen but joined Bavaria in 1947)—restored and renovated the history structure next door and hung signs bearing important transitional dates in the ownership and allegiances of the town. 

The chronicle includes the second visit of Goethe in April of 1782, this time to recruit draftees for the American Revolutionary War, a task which Goethe detested as human thievery and resolved to keep his focus on his earlier project of improving the towns river shallows and apply new irrigation techniques, and adding a basin for wading and ablutions—see also. Not many men were conscripted for Prussia. This minor but lovingly attended to construction together with notable correspondence dispatched from here not only helped the amateur historian to commemorate Goethe’s time in Ostheim with several plaques but also inspired the baker to dress up as the poet laureate while giving guided tours of the town.

infinite quilt (12. 395)

Via fellow internet caretaker and peripatetic, Messy Nessy Chic, having keep this tab open all day as a screen-saver and palette-cleanser, we would be remiss not to share this mediative botanical recursion that slowly zooms through a continuous and unending landscape of branches, leaves, roots and reefs which this halting gif-capture does not do justice. This Webby award winning collaboration from artists Sophia Schomberg and Nikolaus Baumgarten, the title Arkadia/Arcadia refers to the utopian ideal of pastoralism in harmony with Nature, a vision both bucolic and unspoilt by those humans who lightly manage it.

all-hands (12. 377)

Not in attendance myself so I can’t exactly vouch for the veracity, but according to someone present at a virtual US Department of the Interior virtual townhall, the dire wolf has become a political animal. Though I had seen this deextinction pilot circulating regarding the sabre-toothed creature, I was skeptical regarding the claims that the offspring were anything more than a hybrid, like as one commenter put it, breeding a featherless chicken and calling it a dinosaur, and there’s been quite some hype and promise to bring back other megafauna from the Pleistocene for some time. Apparently the lauded accomplishment, taken at face-value, was offered as a reason why the Endangered Species Act and the bureau tasked with enforcing it was obsolete, the department secretary giving a wide-ranging talk on AI, law-enforcement and Jurassic Park. This logic and misplace optimism echoes another cabinet member says that laidoff (read: illegally terminated) government employees could take jobs at all the factories Trump’s tariffs will bring.

ley de aguas (12. 371)

Arising from necessity over a thousand years ago and held every Thursday up to the present day, the Tribunal of the Waters of Valencia among farmers and public works (nine by tradition called the Comunitat de Regnant) seeking access to the irrigation system of the extensive network of canals diverting water from the Túria sourced from the Iberian Montes Universales watershed to the plain for agricultural and domestic use, it is the oldest customary court in the world also counting as the most venerable democratic institution in Europe. Proceedings are held orally, called by the bailiff to hear out disputes and the council to pass judgment, and no written records are kept, and begun during the age of the Caliphate to manage water resources, the tribunal originally held in the city’s central mosque, the venue replaced by a cathedral during the Reconquista are held out-of-doors and open to the public to ensure all plaintiffs have access to a fair hearing with decisions being final and not up for appeal outside the unique justice system.

snow recedes, mist lingers in the air (12. 303)

Courtesy of the always excellent Web Curios, we get a chance to revisit the topic of microseasons (候, kō) with this guide to the twenty-four solar terms or sekki, a phenomenal calendar in driven by the cycles of nature instead of fixed dates used traditionally for agrarian purposes in China and Japan, timing planting and harvesting. Harmonised nicely with yesterday’s lunar eclipse (see previously here and here), we are presently in Keichitsu or Jingzhe (啓蟄, the going-out of the worms) the days when insects awaken from their winter hiberation. Once I accidentally disturbed a nest of dormant lady bugs checking a barrel for rainwater and was devastated for days that I had interrupted their winter nap, still to this day. Even with the climate catastrophe and global weirding, there’s comfort in looking forward to Seimei (the first rainbows and geese migrate) and Shunbun (the sparrows return and the cherry blossoms bloom), the swallows come back to Capistrano and April showers.

eponym (12. 299)

Born on this day in 1832 in Norfolk, Captain Charles Boycott lent his name (see also here and here and here) to the term during the Irish Land War (Cogadh na Talún, an agrarian uprising that began in 1879 under UK rule) as an agent of an absentee landlord in County Mayo. Ostracised by tenant farmers over rents levied after a bad harvest when he tried to evict the protesters. Rather than resort to violence, the farmers instead organised to socially shun Boycott and his lieutenants, stopping work, causing short-term economic hardship locally and isolating the estate. The tactic worked and Boycott was unable to hire anyone who would work the fields under his charge and the neologism, spread by the press, swiftly entered common-parlance, identifying a linguistic lacuna and the meaning became more generalised.

ambuluwawa temple (12. 290)

Via Messy Nessy Chic’s regular roundup, we discover a singular multi-faith centre in Sri Lanka extending the eponymous peak (අම්බුළුවාව) of the strategically important mountain range separating the north and south of the island nation and protecting the historic capital of Kandy from colonial powers. The spiralling fairytale white tower with a narrowing staircase winding around takes a hour to ascend, affording spectacular vistas of the highlands. At the base of the pinnacle some fifty metres below is a complex opened to the public in 2007 (built at the urging of a former prime minister from this area to uphold both religious tolerance and harmony with nature) including a Buddhist stupa, a Hindu kovil, Muslim mosque and Christian chapel so all denominations can commune together above this biodiversity reserve.

nackte und naturnah (12. 221)

Via fellow internet caretaker Messy Nessy Chic, we are directed to a profile of Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach, whom whilst rubbished by critics as the Kohlrabi (turnip) Apostle is regarded as the forefather alternative movements, championing naturism, vegetarianism and pacifism from a commune outside of Vienna and cooperative on Monte Verità on Lago Maggiore, established by protégés. His first moment of transcendence happened on this day in 1882 came at sunrise in the alpine foreland of Bavaria with the vocation of being a prophetic reformer, travelling to

München shortly thereafter in a woollen habit and sandals (though often unshod) and delivered his message, turning away from society’s institutions. Authorities suppressed his teachings and Diefenbach retreated to the countryside to focus on his paintings, though his fame did not materialise as with another follower’s, Hugo Höppener called Fidus and praise from the contemporaries like Egon Schiele, with the public focused on his unorthodox ways and a series of failed exhibitions though finally establishing a studio on Capri. Much more at the links above.

synchronoptica

one year ago: assorted links to revisit, Lunar New Year plus Death of a Salesman (1949)

seven years ago: rewilding plus notes on adulting

eight years ago: the official White House photographer, parliamentary procedure plus more links to enjoy

nine years ago: a van Gogh retreat and retrospective 

ten years ago: Werner Herzog motivational posters, Deutschland 1983, reputed time-travellers plus social media and net-neutrality

field recording (12. 192)

For COP16 held in Cali, Colombia back in October 2024, a team of scientist and musicians went an expedition to nature reserves across the country to sample the cries and calls of forty-one species of native birds, moneys and whales and transform the cacophony of animals sounds of one of the most biologically diverse places in the world into a natural version of the stirring national anthem, adapted from a 1850 poem set to music to celebrate the dissolution of Gran Colombia and the emergence of the independent nations of Colombia and Panama, whose lyrics unfortunately don’t reference this abundance of wildlife but do mention centaurs and the Battle of Thermopylae. Read more about its making and the environment of the host country from Smithsonian magazine at the link above.

*    *    *    *    *

synchronoptica

one year ago: Eastern European vintage animation (with synchronoptica) plus the passage of different units of time

seven years ago: surveying 1950s Americans about the Cold War, unfolding tweetstorms, US dispensaries making their own generic versions of drugs plus Brexit commemorate stamps

eight years ago: defeating an internet censorship bill but speech is still under assault, psychic warriors plus legislating and/or

nine years ago: teletext pages plus the carillon of Oslo’s city hall honours recently departed musicians

ten years ago: Marilyn Monroe building drones plus AI card tricks

frickenhäuser see (12. 119)

Incorporated as part of the town of Mellrichstadt since secularisation, the parish village falling previously under the authority of the monastic community of Kloster Wechterswinkel, we took a little walk around the namesake lake, a bit more than a hectare and the largest natural body of water in Lower Franconia—this flooded funnel shaped crater (a sinkhole from a collapsed cave with no tributaries or outflows) and not originally a mine shaft like many of the ponds in the area. 

 Dating from the triassic era and rich in fossils across strata of limestone, the lake is designated as a protected geotope (Geotop, compared to Biotop or biome) and is counted among the hundred finest geological formations that gives insight on the history of the Earth and the course of development of life on it.

overwintered (12. 041)

Hardly redemptive though having read about municipalities getting dual-use out of the massive amounts of energy expended on bitcoin mining before, it took me a couple of readings to get how this news article was a “bit too on the nose,” about how a Dutch tulip farmer was offsetting their heating costs by hosting crypto servers in the greenhouse. We realised however reading the completely unironic reportage that it was a very apt commentary on the original mania, speculative bubble (see also) albeit now a relatively benign one is being fuelled by one in the series of benighted ventures.

8x8 (12. 012)

hundreds of beavers: an anarchic slapstick comedy about a drunken salesman lost in the wilderness who has to trap his way out  

this is for you, human: a student seeking homework help from a chatbot receives a chilling threat  

fold, spindle and mutilate: after five years in development, LG introduces a prototype stretchable digital screen  

i got the worms workin’ under my skirt: Nate and Hila the Earth compose raps about composing and ecology—via MetaFilter 

worry stone: pre-fab pet rocks with a name, backstory and MTBI personality type are the latest craze among China’s youth  

zoom room: in 1916, just a year after the first transcontinental telephone call, the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (predecessor to the IEEE) held a teleconference with over five thousand attendees across the US—via tmn  

butlerian jihad: Dune-franchise television series finally portrays the rise and downfall of the Thinking Machines—see previously 

dr horrible’s sing-along blog: a fun, definitive listing of best movie musicals

die osingverlosung (12. 011)

Inscribed on the UNESCO register of intangible cultural heritage in 2016, we had never heard of this five hundred year old custom, that takes place every decade (in years ending with four) on the arable plateau called the Osing near Bad Windsheim in Middle Frankonia after the harvest when lots are drawn by farmers of the four villages that share the land to determine who will work which parcel for the next ten years, until the next lottery. This unique system dates back to the late Middle Ages and ensures that fertile and less desirable fields are distributed equitably, this tradition surviving no where else in Germany has been upheld as the community appreciates the element of fairness—one farmer consigned to a poor allotment will have an equal chance to work more high-yielding patch of land next time, instead of selling off the commons to the highest bidder. Even taking place in 1944 when other long-standing traditions were put on hiatus, the custom is said to date back to around the year 1020 when Kaiserin Kunigunde von Luxemburg went on a hunting expedition in the then densely forested area of the Osing. Her party got lost but thanks to the pealing of church bells of the four villages surrounding the woods at the cardinal points, Herbolzheim, Humprechtsau, Krautostheim and Rüdisbronn, they were able to find their way, and in gratitude, the empress deeded the land to the people to share in perpetuity.

*    *    *    *   *

 

synchronoptica

one year ago: terraforming Mars (with synchronoptica)

seven years ago: bioluminescence

eight years ago: majestic sandcastles, a particular aesthetic, the uncanny mantis shrimp, digitising archival photos plus a collapsing bike helmet

nine years ago: saving the bees  

ten years ago: linguistic redundancy plus high-fructose foods

manna from heaven (11. 938)

Via the New Shelton wet/dry we are directed to an omnibus article on the research and development of producing food out of air, profiling some of the two dozen firms around the world seeking to transform carbon dioxide and water (see previously here and here) into an alternative protein-source, flavouring a substrate of desiccated cell walls of autotrophic, soil-dwelling bacteria. Using a fermentation process already well established in the production of insulin and the rennet enzymes for cheesemaking (eliminating the need to harvest it from the stomach lining of calves), scientists working for these biotech startups have isolated a highly palatable bacterium that thrives in captivity and have launched demonstration farms to show the concept’s viability to mill a nutritious flour and meal using a fraction of the land—allowing more opportunities for the rewilding of fields and pastures—and resources it required for traditional farming. While commercial-scale production is in sight, the largest hurdle remaining may be convincing the public to adopt such a diet of microbes that foregoes the folkways of cooking.

allium sativum (11. 913)

Via Strange Company’s Weekly Link Dump, we were intrigued by this herbarium of apotropaic plants that goes beyond one’s standard staple of garlic to ward off or disempower malign forces and how these superstitions intersect with traditional healing and culinary arts. For instance, testimony from witch trials during the sixteenth century in the Gulf of Trieste revealed the widespread belief that good witches (called Benandanti—see also) engaged in nightly parasomnic battles with their evil counterparts wielding wands made of rue and fennel. Dill was also held to have disenchanting properties and hedges of hawthorn (Weißdorne) were said to be protective barriers where dark magic could not enter. Much more at the links above.

late-bloomer (11. 900)

Once the peonies (Pfingstrosen) had sprouted and flowered in Spring, we cut the ones growing in the bed off the front door back lest they take too much water from the lavender and other neighbours. A few weeks ago, however, another one emerged, well out of season.
Renewal buds develop in the summertime underground, becoming stems with primordia, anlage differentiating but remaining dormant, normally. We watched this one outlier grow and waited and waited for weeks to see what would happen. Has anyone else experienced this?  Being this far out of sync seems to suggest something.  It did finally bloom, but while we were away on vacation and the strong winds destroyed it right away.

the sammies (11. 853)

Via tmn, we learn of the awards ceremony hosted by the US Partnership for Public Service that acknowledges the seen and unnoticed efforts by contentious bureaucrats of the federal government, who many are presently reviling as the Deep State. Named for the late benefactor Samel J Heyman, businessman and philanthropist who encouraged recent graduates to pursue a career in government, the gala has been hosted annually during the first week in October in Washington, DC and a selection committee of journalists, politicians, educators and corporate executives nominates individuals in the categories of emerging leaders, citizen services, science and the environment and safety, security and international affairs plus employee of the year out of the pool of the two-and-a-half million who work for America’s largest employer. The awards ceremony is surprising moving and deserving of its monicker as the Oscars of government work.

synchronoptica

one year ago: rotating ramen (with synchronoptica)

seven years ago: a sanctuary of internet freedom, navel-gazing, antique Japanese hoardings, bacterial phages fight tumours plus more unbuilt architecture

eight years ago: more on the pioneers of Information Theory

ten years ago: more on Scottish secession 

eleven years ago: the US debt ceiling

to honour achievements that make people laugh and then make them think (11. 840)

The laureates of the Ig Noble Prize (see previously) have been announced in a competition organised by the scientific humorist society Annals of Improbable Research since 1991 and hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who arrange the ceremony with awards in ten categories, celebrating the best in unusual or seemingly trivial studies, presented by their Noble-winning counterparts. The botany prize was awarded to a team of researchers that found that the leaves of the parasitic chameleon vine (Boquila trifoliolata) will imitate an artificial host plant in order to blend in. Building on the effects of the placebo and the nocebo, the award for medicine went to an experiment demonstrating that fake drugs with painful side effects can be more effective than real treatments with none, and as has been widely reported, the prize in demographics was awarded for research that helped debunk some of the mystique of the so called Blue Zones, areas famous for having supercentenarians, also excel in bad record keeping.

where we’re going we don’t need stroads (11. 820)

Whilst happy to live in a country that has not privileged cars over pedestrians completely where services are walkable and there’s a robust network of public transportation, there is always room for improvement at the margins—parking lots take up a lot of real estate and can be sweltering heat islands that could surely be put to a better use and there’s signs that some mid-sized cities in Germany are tending towards their American counterparts with the same horrendous corridors of strip malls, gas stations, automobile lots and fast food and plenty of investment in infrastructure has been invested in making the car king. Courtesy of Kottke, we are directed towards this reflection on how the car-centric focus of the US is like an addiction impossible to kick because of all the sunk costs and the ingrained and perpetuating cycle of more roads, more traffic and more destinations. The urban planning for the overwhelming majority of places built up post the introduction of the car is going to take a long process of unbuilding to make them liveable, and this is the American experience with hardly any exception—the article quoting Tennessee Williams’ observation that the country only has three cities: “New York, San Francisco and New Orleans—everywhere else is Cleveland,” which unfortunately rings very true for all that are consigned to be stuck in congestion and forever en route and whose errands and commute affords no chance for serendipity, divergence or nature. The title portmanteau of “street” and “road” was coined in criticism to the spreading failures of American civil engineering.