Tuesday, 21 January 2025

the tegos tapes (12. 168)

Via Clive Thompson’s trusty alternative to doomscrolling, we learn that pioneering electronic composer Vangelis (see previously) has not only several film soundtracks to his credit but also, among many side projects, recorded a box-set of rather exclusive twelve hour tapes for doctors to listen to while performing the arduous task of surgeries to keep focused during the monotony—see also. The limited-run 1998 compilation (only twenty were made for partners in the practise) was thought lost to history, until one dedicated fan hunted down, on a tip, a copy of a textbook on micro-neuosurgerical (by the eponymous physician, a close friend of Vangelis, asking him to make these tracks and undergo a magnetic resonance scan of his brain, the latter request politely declined) in a bookstore in Athens with the accompanying music on videotape. Much more at the links above.

Thursday, 9 January 2025

8x8 (12. 159)

a stranger quest: an award-winning documentary about map collector David Rumsey (previously) available in full online 

stimulation clicker: a new distraction from Neal Agarwal—see previouslysee also 

studio city: deadly, life-altering wildfires continue to rage through Los Angeles, reaching Hollywood and threatening landmarks 

lemon8: TikTok ushers US users to sister-site in anticipation of ban 

show bible: a rare copy of the storyboard for Alejandro Jodorowshky’s unmade adaptation of Dune recently sold at auction—see previously  

hangman: a Wordle variant called Phrazle  

camp century: revisiting the Greenland military installation and the US Army Corps of Engineers’ failed Project Iceworm to build a nuclear launch site  

datastorm: a synthesiser with presets from the 1981 arcade game Defender sound-effects—via Pasa Bon!  

not to scale: an illustration of how polar flare and distortions of Mercator projections affect perception—see previously

Friday, 3 January 2025

9x9 (12. 139)

eixample: Barcelona’s nineteenth century urban revival and characteristic octagonal blocks  

๐Ÿšฆ: adding fourth colour to traffic lights for safer sharing of roads with human drivers and autonomous vehicles  

willkommen zu hause: a somewhat older documentary on club culture and techno in former East Germany with a connection to H has made it to Youtube  

ha-ha woman, it’s a crying shame but you ain’t got nobody else to blame: equal rights and urban justice in medieval times  

2-step authenication: secure passwords should require a performance like Liza Minelli tries to turn off a lamp—will a Fosse neck do it? 

the monkey chew tobacco on the street car line: the Meters’ Hand Clapping Song 

lycurgus cup: the fuzzy and fluorescent vases of Maxwell Mustardo evoke Roman amphorae—see previously  

stairwell of the quarter: twelve months of superlative flights and storeys 

beaded curtain: a look at the fragmented nature of the border wall on the US southern frontier—via Super Punch

Monday, 16 December 2024

l’ultima cena nell’arte (12. 087)

Fellow internet caretake and accomplished docent, Weird Universe, treats us to a grand tour of a museum in the border town of Douglas, Arizona that showcases collection of its curator of works inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic masterpiece, The Last Supper (see also). With interpretations ranging from the devotional to the irreverent, skewing to sci-fi and pop cultural with an array of items in place of Jesus and the apostles, it looks like a fun exhibition to visit. We liked this more traditional depiction from a different perspective showing a sleeping dog on the floor. Much more at the links above.

Saturday, 14 December 2024

9x9 (12. 082)

blame on the whiskey: DJ Earworm’s 2024 wrapped  

nhtsa: Trump transition team recommends scrapping crash reporting regulations with Tesla among the biggest offender for car-related fatalities—via the New Shelton wet/dry  

swaddling clothes: removal of a keffiyeh from a creche at the Vatican demonstrates how Nativity Scenes are never neutral  

flashpoint: charting possible frontlines on the continent if Russia pushes further on the NATO alliance  

as above, so below: the ensemble of pyramids of the Giza complex have eight sides, visible only during the equinoxes 

theatre of thought: Werner Herzog contemplates the nature of the mind in his latest documentary  

big band: Glenn Miller’s 1944 disappearance without a trace is an enduring aviation mystery, second to Amelia Earhart’s  

ka$h patel: FBI director’s resignation may hinder Trump loyalist’s succession as head of the bureau 

there ain’t no us in the private trust: a folk protest song about the state of American healthcare

Thursday, 28 November 2024

9x9 (12. 036)

to john dillinger and hope he is still alive: William S Burroughs’ Thanksgiving Prayer  

sampler-sized: iconic electronic music remixes by year  

silent poems: a weird and wondrous, non-WYSIWYG word processor from graphic designer Lavinia Petrache—via Clive Thompson’s Linkfest 

blacklisted: Musk publishes names of federal workers he wants to eliminate, a terror-inducing tactic that may force them to resign in lieu of being fired  

well, please post the rebuttal—then community notes will take care of the rest: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg explains to Elon Musk how EV charging works 

sortes vergilianae: a particular form of bibliomancy drawing random passages from The Aeneid (see also here and here) and other works by Roman poet Virgil  

anacyclosis: the rise and fall of civilisation and the undermining of democracy  

the nine lives of dr mabuse: avant garde pop band Propaganda celebrate the filmology of the chaotic villain—see previously  

pay no attention to that man behind the curtain: a political reading of Wicked

synchronoptica

one year ago: the Battle of Versailles (1973—with synchronoptica) plus assorted links worth the revisit 

seven years ago: Tom Baker returns as Dr Who plus Trump celebrates Native American Heritage Month

eight years ago: emoluments and more

eleven years ago: the debut of MST3K (1998) plus Germany’s Goldfinger tax-model

twelve years ago: :D for Dรผsseldorf

Sunday, 24 November 2024

aeolian vamp (12. 026)

Via Misscellania, we are let in on a little secret as how remix artists can accomplish such peerless mashups by paying attention to chord progressions in songs, as with the lede example in this demonstration of In the Air Tonight X My Heart Will Go On, which make lyrics interchangeable and key and tempo easy to flatten out. The Beatles’ Yesterday and Mister Blue Sky from ELO have the same harmonic succession as do Michael Jackson’s Black or White and I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For by U2, and most other pop-songs have a much simpler foundation as their signature structure. A variant on the title rotation I-V-vi-IV (tonic, the major fifth, minor sixth to the major sixth) is a hit parade including Toto’s Africa, Beast of Burden, Despacito, Dragostea Din Tei, Lady Gaga’s Poker Face and Paparazzi, Otherside and Snow (Hey Oh) by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Zombie and We Didn’t Start the Fire as well as a number of gospels and Christian rock ballads. Songs using the so called ‘50s progression (I-vi-IV-V) include any number of doo-wop standards, Stand by Me, Blue Moon, Heart and Soul, Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, Avril Lavigne’s Complicated, Unchained Melody, D’yer Mak’er, Crocodile Rock, Walking in Memphis, Monster Mash and Total Eclipse of the Heart. Sometimes I flatter myself thinking I have an ear for such correspondence but I do sometimes hear and can imagine medleys bleeding into each other.


*      *      *      *      *

 synchronoptica

one year ago: one-night houses (with synchronoptica),  the discovery of Lucy (1974), Diamond Geezer plus It’s Black Friday, Charlie Brown!

seven years ago: more urban bird houses, life at the edge of sight, competing Thanksgivings plus a cabinet of linguistic curiosities

eight years ago: assorted links worth revisiting, the bluetooth rune plus national novel-generation month

nine years ago: on the origins of species plus more on the centenary of Einstein

ten years ago: a treasury of rhetorical devices

Thursday, 24 October 2024

9x9 (11. 928)

star crystal, 1986: the manifesto of the Committee to Abolish Outer Space—via jwz 

sorry charlie: a 1961 patent for advertising on fish—perfect for aquariums in waiting rooms  

ghost mall: the story of Spirit Halloween bear and lampshade: an electronic medley of Queen songs 

bear and lampshade: an electronic medley of hits from Queen

ghost with the most: the psychological profile of people who cut off communication 

carbon capture: a covalent organic framework that binds CO₂ in ambient air—via Damn Interesting’s Curated Links 

vแป™i vร ng: the legacy of Edgar Allen Poe in Vietnam  

extra-toppings: Pizza Hut is offering to print one’s CV on a box and deliver it (along with a pizza) to prospective employers—via Pasa Bon!   

the city of orion: Hannsjorg Voth’s monumental structures in the Moroccan desert like the Earth and sky—via Messy Nessy Chic

synchronoptica

one year ago: Bob Sinclair’s Stardust (with synchronoptica) plus a data-poisoning tool to fight against AI scraping

seven years ago: the typography of Vinicius Araujo, cheese in China, innovative underground maps, an underwater restaurant in the works, Japanese delivery boxes plus more presidential merchandise

eight years ago: problem-solving paradigms plus a thriving orchid

nine years ago: grand tours, assorted links to revisit plus a Lenin monument transformed

eleven years ago: German chancellor’s phone tapped

Saturday, 14 September 2024

karaoke nights (11. 843)

Children’s author and musician Michael Hearst, expanding on a project to teach his young son about music from the 1980s, began recording his own cover versions of the classics and enlisting help from melodic friends from The Magnetic Fields, They Might Be Giants, creative commons session artist Jonathan Coulton and many others. There’s some new orchestration with a diverse range of unconventional instruments like the theremin, accordion and daxophone (a kind of friction-based idiophon, like a musical band saw) and is releasing a song a week for the next eighty weeks with the first batch recorded, ’Til Tuesday’s “Voices Carry,” Gap Band’s “You Dropped a Bomb on Me,” “In My Room” by Yazoo, “Don’t Dream It’s Over” from Crowded House and The Cure’s “Lovecats.” Watch the whole discography unfold at the promotional video below.


*    *    *   *   *
 
synchronoptica
 
one year ago: storms and floods in Greece and Turkey (with synchronoptica) plus the US congress ousts the Speaker of the House

 
 
 
eleven years ago: Bavaria votes

Sunday, 8 September 2024

summermash (11. 826)

Though admittedly not familiar with the majority of the songs in this medley, this latest instalment from DJ Earworm (previously) is a masterpiece of remixing with some outstanding transitions—including key changes—and editing that really bops, despite of the kind of unoriginal material that the artist had to work with for Brat Summer.

Saturday, 31 August 2024

halleluja, hare, hare (11. 804)

As our faithful chronicler reminds, George Harrison was found guilty of unintentional plagiarism on this day in 1976 for his 1970 hit single My Sweet Lord (previously) of The Chiffon’s, Ronnie Mack 1963 song He’s So Fine recorded with an ensemble from Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Bad Finger, becoming the top release in the US and UK of any ex-Beatles artist. Produced by Phil Spector, whom had underwritten the hits of many girl groups from the 1950s through the seventies, there was a failure to note this inspiration—which Harrison subsequently attributed to the out-of-copyright gospel hymn “Oh Happy Day” during sessions for the triple album, All Things Must Pass. Despite the judgment in favour of infringement and later cases to define homage and sampling, the tune of universal religiosity and discovery endures.

Friday, 23 August 2024

hao long, hao long will isley seppe raes mai saeed (11. 788)

Via Web Curios and reminiscent of these made-up, misheard lyrical videos (courtesy of Miss Cellania—wish her a happy blogoversary), we are treated to this wonderful TikTok account that that matches a snippet of popular songs to the names of people on LinkedIn. It is a little hard to explain, a sort backmasking effect, but will become readily apparent. This really made me laugh a little too much. Listen to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” first for some epic pulls then try Red Hot Chili Peppers “Otherside” above.

Saturday, 17 August 2024

9x9 (11. 776)

reduced to rubble: the razing and rebuilding of Gaza—via Maps Mania  

anniversary vinyl: Andy Baio presses a limited edition of his chiptune homage, Kind of Bloop—see previously  

hooked on phonics: New Zealand’s requirement for structured literacy in the classroom threatens bilingualism—see previously  

dnc: parallels between the 1968 Chicago convention and the upcoming one 

isogloss: the geography of the pronunciation of scone in Britain—see previously here and here—rhymes with gone  

fredkin’s paradox: thirty useful concepts to help understand the world—via Duck Soupsee also

triplicate: researchers find that the brain keeps three copies of each memory—via the new Shelton wet/dry 

von trapp: overtouristed Salzburgers air their ambivalence about the sixtieth anniversary of The Sound of Music (see also here and here)  

east jerusalem: Israeli finance minister renews call for the annexation of the West Bank

Sunday, 11 August 2024

the herculoids (11. 759)

Better known by his stage name of DJ Kool Herc, Clive Campbell of the Bronx is credited with the invention of hip-hop, alternating between two turn-tables to isolate percussive instrumental portions of recordings, switching from one breakbeat to another overlayed with his rhythmic, syncopated announcements and exhortations to his dance troupe of break- boys and girls (further anticipating rap and competitive breakdancing when the house parties were taken to the streets) on this day in 1973, co-hosting an event in their apartment building’s recreation room with his younger sister Cindy to raise some funds (with a small entrance fee) for back-to-school shopping. Herc played staggered copies of James Brown’s funk album Sex Machine and his emceeing indelibly influenced artists like Grandmaster Flash and the Sugarhill Gang who forwarded the genre. His crew were named after the 1967 Hanna-Barbera animated series about space barbarians.

Wednesday, 10 July 2024

surrรฉalisme (11. 679)

In anticipation of the centenary of the publication of the rival manifestos of opposing factions of the art movement in October of 1924 by Yvan Goll and Andrรฉ Breton, we learn via PRINT magazine that there’s been a call for submissions to reinterpret modern corporate logos in the style of the multidisciplinary group following arising from the liminal space between full awareness and the subconscious (see also),
all emergent after the horrors of the Great War, the 1918 Pandemic and the popular psychiatry of Sigmund Freud. We especially liked the Magritte-inspired reimaging of the Youtube brand with reference to Salvador Dalรญ and the Belgian artist’s own 1929 “False Mirror,” Le faux miroir, which was also the inspiration for the American television network CBS eye logo.  Much more at the links above.

Tuesday, 7 May 2024

7x7 (11. 544)

group tape №1: a 1981 compilation from the International Electronic Music Association collective  

the light eaters: plant cognition and agency—see previously  

hardfork: the duality of Vernor Vinge’s Singularity 

to share something is to risk losing it: an update on the beloved Broccoli Tree (not pictured), which was loved to death—see also  

mai-1: Microsofts new AI model could potentially over take rivals 

pod squad: Project CETI gains more insights into whale communication  

haus 33: a ride on the Techno Train that loops from Nรผrnberg to Wรผrzburg

synchronoptica

one year ago: the Devil’s Bible

two years ago: a classic from Spandau Ballet

three years ago: cheugy plus Kraft Television Theatre

four years ago: cereal and straw craft, Kraftwerk plus Shelter-in-Place

five years ago: the long-delayed passage of a US constitutional amendment, designer Georg Elliot Olden, the unending attraction of nature plus haunted dolls 


 

Friday, 9 February 2024

argumentum ad baculum (11. 337)

Via ibฤซdem, we appreciated these logic lessons (an educational project going for a decade now) that presents concepts of dialogue, rhetoric and debate as well as biases and fallacies, like the below Ad Hominem attack between Lieutenants Sulu Arex Na Eth, with Mister Spock moderating for the rest of the cast of Star Trek: The Animated Series as interlocutors (redubbed—see above—and using footage from the cartoons). The dozens of episodes include short tutorials on petitio principii (circular reasoning), the Straw Man Fallacy, Confirmation Bias and the Sunk Cost Fallacy, the Halo Effect and the benefit of hindsight, various appeals, Tu Quoque (whataboutism) and many more. See how Vulcan logic can put more in your philosophical quiver against sophistry and misinformation.

Thursday, 1 February 2024

heptarchy (11. 313)

Whilst regularly reviewing what was posted three and four years ago, I can’t say that I haven’t given the bardcore trend any thoughts recently, but we were nonetheless pleased to have come across this medieval-style cover of the White Stripe’s anthem. Though as the songwriter Jack White retells, the title comes from a childhood memory of mishearing “Salvation Army,” the lyrics could indeed refer to the seven petty kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon era England, which were eventually subdued, consolidated and united, with some notable resistance, by the ninth century under Alfred the Great.

Sunday, 21 January 2024

8x8 (11. 285)

80s chillpill: a nostalgic, slow-dance playlist 

topdressing: an appreciation of the world’s “ugliest” utility airplane, the Airtruk, designed for crop-dusting in New Zealand—via Clive Thompson’s Linkfest  

future-proof: an advertising campaign from a pen company in the early 1960s strangely forecasts our technological present 

these children aren’t french—they’re american: a retrospective look at the BBC’s language learning mascot Muzzy 

night-climbers: John Bulmer’s photographs of a secretive group that scaled the campus of Cambridge under the cover of darkness—more here  

crochet coral: an evolving nature and craft hybrid project to memorialise and raise awareness about our disappearing reef—see previously—via Nag on the Lake’s Sunday Links 

money pit: a tour of the world’s abandoned airports  

doses & mimosas: a remix by Vintage Culture featuring Zerky

Saturday, 13 January 2024

nuance (11. 264)


Via Kottke, we discover the Emoji Kitchen by Jennifer Daniels that allows one to combine and remix emoji (see previously here and here) as symbols for different accents, ranges of expressions and moods for angry kisses, pensive cowboys and forlorn robots to capture all the feels as well as some truly surreal abstractions (available directly only for certain platforms), like monkey cactus or monocled dustbin. See what you can come up with.