veni redemptor gentium (12. 064)

Fêted on this day on the anniversary of his consecration as the bishop of Milan in 374 AD, the statesman and theologian Saint Ambrose was a strong and influential proponent of heterodoxy in the Latin rite and was also celebrated for a cycle of Advents hymns and antiphonal chants that inform later traditions of carolling. Along with Augustine of Hippo (whom Ambrose converted), Jerome and Pope Gregory the Great, he is considered in western traditions a Doctor of the Church. Born in Augusta Treverorum around 339, it is said a swarm of bees descended on the infant whilst in his crib, leaving the baby unharmed and anointed with droplets of honey—taken as an auspicious sign and his patronage of apiculturists and by extension candle-makers. Moving to Rome from the provinces, Ambrose would study law and rhetoric and enter public service, like his father, becoming governor of Liguria and Emilia with the captial in Milan. Intervening in a succession crisis for the city’s bishop seat, not standing for the office, the politician accepted the vacancy compelled by popular acclaim of the assembled council, the Church afforded a measure of autonomy by Ambrose’s imperial connections, which tended towards deferment to his decisions and a level of independence. Charitable and advocating a kind of liturgical flexibility and rejecting rigid customs—including tolerance for pagans and other non-Christians, his advice to Augustine about respecting local ways stays with us, distilled as, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

directors’ cut (12. 063)

What an absolute gift to be able to watch an individual being paid tribute while they can still be part of it. Via Nag on the Lake, we are directed to this brilliant music video from Spike Jonze and Mary Wigmore from Coldplay’s new album, Moon Music, for the track “All My Love,” which together with the band they turned into a moving early birthday celebration for Dick Van Dyke (*1925) who sang and danced and was joined by his extended family. Chris Martin on piano delights at the end with an impromptu song about growing old for Van Dyke.

dies iræ, dies illa (12. 052)

Fêted on this day in the Roman and Eastern Orthodox calendar of saints, Zephaniah (Σοφονίας, צְפַנְיָה, Concealed is god) was a priest of the Temple of Solomon during the reign of Josiah (circa 640 to 609 BC) counted among the Twelve Minor Prophets and credited as forecasting the coming of the Messiah, during a time when worship of other deities was popular and widespread, especially that of Baal and Astarte. The incipit of his book that warns of corruption and the imminent destruction of Jerusalem for its moral degeneration for its religious waywardness is the origin of the setting for the liturgical hymn as the sequence from the Requiem Mass—translated in the Vulgate edition of the Bible, “Day of wrath and doom impending!”

30 top chart hits (12. 039)

Conceived by Virgin Records in London and taking its name from a 1920s advertisement for Danish brand bacon (the pig would become the mascot for most of the series, Richard Branson had purchased the poster from a nearby antiques shop), the first compilation album was released in the UK on this day in 1983, with hit tracks including Phil Collins’ You Can’t Hurry Love, Boy George’s Karma Chameleon and Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart, the biggest hits from artists under their own label. An immediate commercial success, anthologies were put out three times per year—with the best-selling edition (seven times platinium) from 1999, NOW! 42 featuring Britney Spears, Shania Twain, Lou Bega, Backstreet Boys, Robbie Williams and Phil Collins’ with You’ll be in my Heart. There have been many spinoffs (and imitations) of the concept including music television channels, Now Dance, Now That’s What I Call X-Mas and NOW! 62 released in 2005 as a digital download.

cp 1919 (12. 037)

Discovered by post-graduate astrophysics student Jocelyn Bell Burnell using the Interplanetary Scintillation Array of Cambridge Observatory on this day in 1967 whilst searching for radio signals in space, because of its precise regularity, it was dismissed by colleagues as terrestrial interference initially,but combing through reams of data, Bell Burnell correctly pinpointed its origins to celestial coordinates of nineteen′ nineteen′′ right ascension, twenty-one° declination, coming from the constellation Vulpecula—for which it was given the designation LGM-1, little green men, supposing it might be an alien beacon of some kind. The discoverer, however, correctly posited that the source was a rapidly rotating neutron star. Fellow researchers received a Nobel prize in 1974 for their work in radioastronomy but Bell Burnell’s contributions were overlooked (for her part, she maintained that she did not believe that the committee should be in the business of honouring research assistants), and the novel class of star is now recognised as a pulsar, emitting beams of radiation from its poles and have proven to be an indispensable lighthouse in the cosmos for detection and triangulation, a throughline for detecting the first exoplanents and the phenomena of gravitational waves among others. In 1979, for their debut studio album, Unknown Pleasures, Joy Division adapted a ridgeline plot of the stars’s radio emissions’ pulses for the cover art.

when the moon is in the seventh house (12. 034)

Courtesy of fellow internet caretaker, Messy Nessy, we are directed to a lavish performance of the medley The Age of Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In by the indomitable Miss Raquel Welch. Filmed in 1968 just one year after Hair and The Fifth Dimension’s popular rendition, it was shot on location at the Pirámide del Sol in Teotihuacán originally to promote the Mexico City Olympic Games (see previously here and here)—but probably more people retain a hazy memory, or fever dream, of this sequence for its inclusion in the 1970 CBS television special Raquel! with extravagant musical numbers set in exotic, cosmopolitan locales. The elaborate zodiac costumes were designed by Bob Mackie—dresser of such icons as Cher, Bette Midler, Barbara Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Tina Turner, Oprah among many other luminaries.

8x8 (12. 033)

this is all i’m asking for: Mariah Carey’s ubiquitous Christmas song in the style of classical composers  

anti-slapp legislation: lawmakers rush to protect journalist and protesters from nuisance lawsuits before Trump takes office  

🍭: experimental lickable devices extend augmented reality—see previously  

don’t bring your zombies to work: ULCA student creates an escape room in their dormitory  

the federation of damanhur: a spiritual commune outside of Turin constructed a spectacular network of secret underground temples in the 1970s, uncovered and protected, despite their illegal building, in 1992  

all delicious mac & cheese recipes are alike; each gross mac & cheese recipe is gross in its own way: a dish from Leo Tolstoy—aka, Mac & Peace—via Kottke  

11 bizarre things the US government actually spent money on: Musk’s mandate to increase efficiency does not add up, is sourced from a Readers’ Digest listicle 

anitra’s dance: quilts inspired by the music of Peer Gynt—see previously—via MetaFilter

hoots mon! (12. 027)

Topping the UK charts on this day in 1958, the song by the ensemble Lord Rockingham’s XI, a group of session musicians fronted saxophonist Harry Robinson were the resident band for Oh Boy!, was based on the traditional Scottish folk jig “One Hundred Pipers.” Mostly instrumental and one of the first rock and roll numbers to feature a Hammond organ, the number is punctuated with four stereotypical Scotts phrases including the titular expression of annoyance or dismissal, och aye—“oh yes” and two well accented phrases, there’s a mouse loose about this house and it’s a fine, bright moonlit night. Disbanded with the end of the television programme, Lord Rockingham’s XI was sued by the descendants of the real marquess of the County of Northhampton for capitalising on the baronet’s title.

*     *     *     *     *

 synchronoptica

one year ago: the Reluctant Bride (with synchronoptica), Band-Aid (1984) plus redesigning the Minnesota state flag

eight years ago: radical redesigns for US flag upon addition of Alaska and Hawaii, the musical stylings of Sigur Rós plus US presidential turkey pardons

nine years ago: assorted links to revisit plus coping with the emergency lockdown in Brussels

ten years ago: the moon Europa plus the development of the Romance languages

eleven years ago: the EU floats idea of negative interest rates

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

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

the holy or the broken (11. 994)

Via our faithful chronicler, we are reminded how on this day in 2016, on the first episode of the show following the US presidential election, Kate McKinnon, appearing in character as Hillary Clinton in their signature white pants suit, performed the cold open for Saturday Night Live singing a sombre and poignant rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah (a moving anthem that famously the artist took five years to finish and had upwards of one hundred eighty draft verses, which cycled in and out of live shows, demonstrating that good things take time), as tribute both to her alter-ego for losing to Trump and the death of Cohen himself, which had occurred in the preceding days as well. “I’m not giving up and neither should you.”

*   *   *   *   *

synchronoptica

one year ago: Connections (with synchronoptica) plus Remembrance Sunday

seven years ago: a German true crime mystery that’s partially never been solved 

nine years ago: gasholders plus a photography clearing house

ten years ago: taxi cab confessions plus Roman Mainz

eleven years ago: some nimble and sure-footed goats 

10x10 (11. 988)

the moral arc of the universe is buffering: an update on where we stand 

intermission: Cardhouse’s 2024 mixtape  

chimera: archaeologists re-examine ancient Roman burial and realise skeleton is composed of bones from eight different individuals that died thousands of years apart from one another  

inactivity reboot: Apple quietly introduced a security patch in its latest OS update that makes it harder to police to break into confiscated iPhones—via Super Punch  

plutocracy: the Elites have finally been defeated by the Billionaires 

text-to-brainrot: convert any PDF into an engaging TikTok-style audio summarisation overlaid with video-game footage—see previously—via Web Curios  

ye olde cheshire cheese: a gallery of the pubs of Old London  

changing narratives: new genetic evidence of Pompeii victims suggest that they were strangers comforting each other during the world-ending calamity   

the sounds of ramallah: techno Insomnia Fest in Tromsø rallies for Palestine and Lebanon  

venture alchemists: Wall Street and the broader economy brace for Trump tax-cuts, tariffs and retribution

 synchronoptica

one year ago: paper lanterns for St Martin’s Day (with synchronoptica), Republican primary debates, a banger from Frankie Goes to Hollywood plus assorted links to enjoy

seven years ago: illusion of confidence

eight years ago: snail matchmaking, a national nightmare plus Europe’s Alt-Right

nine years ago: carbon foil that mimics muscles

ten years ago: an art exhibition for octopi plus an abandoned nuclear test site just outside of Paris

woty 2024 (11. 956)

The namesake neologism from the British artist Charli XCX’ phenomenal studio album (which lived a life of its own over the summer) and entered into common parlance has been selected as Collins Dictionaries Word of the Year—see previously. Resonating globally, it is defined as someone having a “confident, independent and hedonistic attitude,” whereas the performer, unapologetically, interprets it a bit differently as someone who is “honest, blunt and a little bit volatile,” reflecting the records’ tracks that deal with the topics of personal strength, womanhood, addiction and vulnerability. The slimy green colour and font of the album’s cover became an easy identifier on social media and injected itself into the contentious US presidential campaign, with surprise candidate vice president Kamala Harris quickly altering her election website’s header to the recognisable theme. Other contenders under consideration were supermajority, anti-tourism, looksmaxxing (specifically male grooming, fitness and diet trends to optimise one’s appearance) and the hybrid literary genre of romantasy.

lay all your blood on me (11. 949)

Writer, actor, musician (multi-hyphenate) and Youtuber Brian David Gilbert, in addition to making a comedy musical out of Stranger Things (Stranger Sings), has released a series of classic monster themed ABBA covers under the label AAH!BBA. His scariest video, by critical and popular consensus was entitled Earn $20K Every Month by Being Your Own Boss in October of 2020, though we think the accolade ought to go to a 2022 overview of the US health care industry.  Check out the artist’s website at the link above to discover the whole anthology.

the rumble in the jungle (11. 946)

Organised by the then relatively unknown Don King in collaboration with record producer Jerry Masucci, sixty thousand fans gathered on this day in 1974 in Kinshasa to watch the championship boxing match between George Forman and Muhammad Ali, hailed as the greatest sporting event of the century. With a purse of five million dollars—an enormous sum of money which the promoters had not yet secured—King sought a venue and sponsor outside of the United States, eventually convinced Mobutu Sese Seko (see previously) to host the event, possibly with the financial assistance of Muammar Gaddafi. A three night long music festival was held at the same stadium beforehand to build excitement and included performances by Miriam Makeba, BB King, James Brown, Bill Withers and the Fania All-Stars, the supergroup of Masucci’s label. Watched by a further television audience of a billion, including many by pay-per-view and in specially reserved theatres, the fight generated over a hundred million dollars in revenue. More from the Avocado at the link up top.

7x7 (11. 943)

kenopsia: from the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, dead mall walking evokes a fear of empty spaces  

korg-n-nord sound: an interview with the electro-synth band The Faint 

tiki-torch nazi, go back to high school: another mysterious sculpture appears in DC—see previously  

pegged: more clothesline creations from artist Helga Stentzel—previously 

touchpad: an wearable device that turns any surface into an extension of one’s desktop  

wake up babe, a new waltz just dropped: a lost work of Frederic Chopin discovered  

account of a terrible superstition: an 1865 study on lycanthropy and its origins—see also

ghosta nova (11. 935)

The latest musical animation from Louie Zong (see previously) brings back our departed duo for a harmonising session under the Brazilian moonlight with a distinct Rio bossa nova flair—including the nice detail of a looming ghostly statue in the background towards the end. Find all the iterations of this seasonal serenade at the artist’s Youtube channel and website. ¡Laiálaiá!

time to head for, golden lights (11. 920)

Discovered amidst footage for a media event for the grand opening of a McDonald’s in Boca Raton, Florida attended by the fast food franchise’s new crooning mascot (previously) arriving in the JFK limousine—whatever that means, at timestamp 06:08 (the rest of the coverage is interesting and encapsulates the time), you can hear a full-minute rendition of Mac Tonight from actor Doug Jones. A lawsuit brought about by the estate of Bobby Darrin and the alt-right’s unfortunate and revolting adoption of the Moon Man meme contemporarily sort of ruins the chances we’ll see another debut like this one, regardless of the success of the campaign in terms of increased dinner-traffic but a good excuse too to listen to the original.

let’s not do any more questions. let’s just listen to music—let’s make it into a music (11. 905)

During a campaign rally in suburban Philadelphia—hosted by former potential running-mate South Dakota governor Kristi Noem who was withdrawn from consideration for executing a family dog— Donald Trump requested the air-conditioning be turned on after two attendees collapsed apparently due to the heat. On learning that that was not possible, Trump decided to turn the town hall meeting into an impromptu dance party as the crowd slowly departed over the next forty minutes, with Trump swaying and bouncing on his heels, the moderator joining him on stage. The playlist on repeat featured Trump’s standards—many songs whose artists disavow Trump’s use of their music and have threatened legal action to stop him (see previously), including Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Rufus Wainwright, ABBA and Celine Dion. Afterwards, Trump commended the two people who had fainted as patriots, “We love them and because of them, we ended up with some great music, right?”

 synchronoptica

one year ago: hyperinflation in Germany (with synchronoptica), performer Adelaide Hall plus the Battle of the Chinese Farm

seven years ago: elections in Austria

eight years ago: a wine fountain for thirsty pilgrims, Memphis-Milano style, the history of the selfie plus the US retaliates in kind over Russian meddling in the election

nine years ago: refugee politics in Europe plus social distance

twelve years ago: European disunity plus font-branding

say what again! say what again—i dare you, i double dog dare you (11. 902)

Having premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Quentin Tarantino’s follow-up film to Reservoir Dogs went into general release in the United States on this day in 1994. The independent crime film, both a critical and commercial success garnering both Oscars for screen play and best picture as well as the Palme d’Or, it reinvigorated the careers of John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Tim Roth and introduced Uma Thurmond. Despite the iconic status of the soundtrack, no score was composed, using a mix of soul, classic ballads and surf music. Fragmented exploitation and heralded as defining both the genre of neo-noir and gangland camp like its source material, Pulp Fiction’s homage to other movies and cinematic devices is considered essential to the film.

*     *     *     *     *

synchronoptica

one year ago: unredacting classified documents with AI (with synchronoptica)

seven years ago: software writing itself, more on the search for dark matter, offloading surplus energy plus the Snoopy airport of Sonoma County

eight years ago: a Simpsons’ meta-reference to welcome Yoko Ono in Iceland, aversion to jargon plus a tree-spade for construction sites

nine years ago: assorted links worth revisiting plus a trip to the Wasserkuppe

twelve years ago: Atoms for Peace