10x10 (13. 829)

danse macabre: a detailed and comprehensive exploration of the allegorical art genre—see previously—via Web Curios 

taos hum: the transcendental art of Emil Bisstram was a lure to attract nuclear scientists to Los Alamos—see also 

háskólabíó: Iceland mourns the loss of another beloved glacier—see ptreviously  

glimpse 17775: JWST studies mysterious red dots seeding the early Cosmos, suggesting that they were “black hole stars” 

singularity syllabus: a helpful round-up of recent developments on the AI front 

💂‍♀️: an in depth explainer regarding the controversy over the UK royal guards’ bear-skin hats and their ursine origins  

summa lacticinorum: an 1477 treatise on cheese and dairy—via Strange Company  

they’re all good boys: the canine portraiture of Paolo Veronese that ultimately put him on the wrong side of the Inquisition 

infrasound: the source of the ultra-low frequency global hum that has baffled scientists may be the crashing of waves—see also  

νεῶν κατάλογος: an interactive site of the Achaean fleet epically described in Homer’s Iliad—via Kottke—see also

11x11 (13. 790)

hospoda: Czech tavern etiquette and drinking culture  

70up: following the death of Michael Apted, the cast of longest running documentary series is bowing out after the next and final instalment  

god’s own hand: the role of animacy in English genitive formation, X’s Y vs the Y of X  

area marker balls: those giant fishing bobs on power lines  

hexagonal close-packed: researchers form high pressure, high temperature ice, suspected to be present in the core of Uranus and Neptune 

dermatoglyphics: palm-reading and traditional medicine have always had a common intersection 

tacuini ægritudinum: the journey of a mysterious medical manuscript, supposedly from the legendary island of Hy-Brasil, from Baghdad to Ireland—via Strange Company  

short imaged monologues: Anthropic’s Claude responds to call to slow down AI research to prevent us from being wiped out by a paperclip maximiser—more here   

i pledge to the greatest president in the history of the united states that loves us so much he cant’t even breath: Trump urges crowd at the Republican Midterm convention to cheat like hell    

and although death is represented in the form of a human skeleton, yet this is only an emblem for death is not a being but a state: early modern flap books aimed at young readers with a special format for transformations   

between the sheets: a 1930s recipe for a cognac sour sees a resurgence in popularity

synchronoptica

one year ago: animated vignettes from Plantopia (with synchronoptica), assorted links worth revisiting plus a banger from Hozier

two years ago: more links to enjoy, nights on Earth, the Ig Nobel prize, prayers vs spells plus Cloud Appreciation Day 

three years ago: Putin and Kim meet 

four years ago: the Poet Laureate’s tribute to the Queen, the Beatles’ Apple Electronics venture plus even more links worth the revisit

five years ago: your daily demon: Marchosias, more links to enjoy, the first teenage all music and dance show plus the release of Super Mario Brothers (1985)

six years ago: dissecting the original COVID hotspot, more on radio alphabets, The Stand, the stately manor that inspired Wuthering Heights plus St Venerius

ohratal (13. 770)

Travelling a bit northeast towards Gotha, we visited the community of Luisenthal to see the dam of the river Ohra that flowed west of Oberhof on the edge of a high moor, which from the Middle Ages onward not only was an important for its fisheries but also a precursor to the Industrial Age, the waters powering mills and with abundant timber copper- and ironworks. The reservoir, now used for drinking water, flood-control and hydroelectricity was originally contained in 1957 due to the relative softness and purity, the low calcium content an idea source for steam engines and locomotives (see previously). We walked the circuit of the dam from the town’s centre and hiking back through a rather lush valley on a narrow footpath behind the waterworks and treatment facilities. We could really see how much the levels have been depleted gauging from the intake-tower’s exposed façade. 

Heading back through Ohrdruf through the communities of Schwarzwald and Crawinkel through the former river valley and stopped to see what we could see of one of the old smithies, called Tobiashammer (a forge with a water-driven trip hammer) used to finish machine parts, decommissioned just in 1972, but the museum’s entrance was closed. We spent more time, in fairer weather checking out the grounds of Schloß Ehrenstein, the Renaissance palace commissioned for the counts of Gleichen—a cadet line of the duchy of Pyrmont, and more of the small town’s historical centre.

The site of the moated castle was originally host to the first Christian cloister in Thüringen, founded by Saint Boniface (previously) during his missionary work in Germany. Ohrdruf is proud of this legacy too, as with other native son Bach (see above). Vacated by the Carmelites after the Reformation and fallen into disrepair, the palace took the place of the dissolved community in the mid sixteenth century.

synchronoptica

one year ago: assorted links worth revisiting (with synchronoptica), the funeral of Princess Diana (1997) plus US speaker of the house suggests that Trump was an FBI informant to explain his association with Jeffrey Epstein

two years ago: a nuclear war preparedness exercise 

three years ago: a banger from The Jam, computer artwork from Keith Harring plus a novelty song from Ginette Garcin

four years ago: Boris Johnson returns plus more links to enjoy 

five years ago: even more links,  Jimi Hendrix’ last concert (1970), Leningrad renamed St Petersburg (1991) plus anthropomorphic Roman dice

six years ago: Trump makes the cover of Time magazine plus a tour of Little Switzerland

burg salzburg revisited (13. 757)

In Bad Neustadt an der Saale for a hair appointment and with some time to spare, I parked at my usual spot by Burg Salzburg and took a few moments to walk around the courtyard—of course it’s same as I remembered but I am guessing we hadn’t bothered going inside in years, usually just walking on the paths through the surround woods or along the dry moat, again with the contempt of familiarity and was glad for the spare minutes.

The large castle complex, originally containing seven independent palaces within the fortified curtain wall—a Ganerbenburg, a jointly inherited castle—standing on the edge of a plateau dominating the city below—and is still partially inhabited with not all areas open to the public. Most of the keep, covering an area of almost a hectare, however, is accessible beyond the drawbridge and barbican of the gatehouse. One of the residences has been converted into an Italian restaurant and there is a cafe and a chapel dedicated to St Boniface (built in the 1840s to replace the ruins of an earlier church) off-centre to the Bergfried.

Although presenting with all the elements that one might conjure up in the mental image of a generic castle, most of these commissions added during the twelfth century at the behest of the Bishops of Würzburg (see history above), Burg Salzburg is considered as a projection of power rather than a practical stronghold.

 

synchronoptica

one year ago: an MTV-like channel devoted to novelty songs (with synchronoptica) 

two years ago: the dissolution of East Germany plus a banger from George Harrison 

three years ago: assorted links to revisit 

four years ago: RIP Gorbachev, Street Fighting Man plus more Gorbymania

five years ago: more links to enjoy, numeracy plus vintage animated commercials

six years ago: more knock-off Halloween costumes, the Gdańsk Social Accords (1980), even more links, Lincoln Logs (1920) plus Tom Hiddleson as macaroons

terra deserta (13. 673)

Mid-grade curious as to why the descriptor wilderness was likewise applied to the deserts spaces of the Bible and to our more conventional understanding of untamed forests, we found this excerpt from a new book by Cal Flyn on the savage landscape rather inexhaustibly fascinating. Though these habitats might seem poles apart—with only spirtual challenges lurking in the former, medieval monks in the Europe after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire solidified parallels between the tribulations of the prophets, the desert mothers and fathers, and the rewilding of vast swaths of land in Provence, Bretagne, Burgundy and Transylvania and other former colonies saw a sharp decline in population and many villages, villas and fortifications abandoned along with fallow fields that allowed the return of the forest primeval. Returning from the brink of extinction, with attendant lore and literature surrounding the liminal woodlands at the edge of cultivation and urbanisation became an allegory for the trepidation of earlier time out of mind, causing a stark rebellion against the encroachment of the undomesticated with commiserate suspicion for its denizens both human and non-human, transmogrifying contemporary fears of famine and pestilence to remote dwellers, bears and werewolves, though counter-narratives also prevailed with the ancient masonry of ruins repurposed as churches and city walls.

9x9 (13. 633)

scrubbed launch: SpaceX has lost over a trillion dollars since its initial public offering on 12 June  

off-sides: the extensive rules and regulations governing tournaments in the Middle Ages—via Strange Company  

outside the far side: a short biography of comic creator Gary Larson—see previously 

two birds, one stone: alkaline thermal treatment of plastic waste produces high purity hydrogen as a fuel source 

memento: how memories and stored in the brain and how retrieval alters them  

street view: gorgeous photologs of San Diego in the 1970s plus more about this municipal mapping method  

the king’s great fortune: a fairy tale written in classic style with contemporary resonance 

from the chinagate hoax department: documents Trump ordered declassified to demonstrate meddling from Beijing cost him the 2020 presidential race show instead that Moscow was championing his re-election  

vikram-1: India’s first private rocket reaches low Earth orbit and deploys a satellite

karlstadt am main (13. 590)

 

 

Next we travelled further into the Franconian wine-growing region of Main-Spessart to Karlstadt facing the Karlsburg, the village of Mühlbach hosting the castle ruins (destroyed during the Bauernkrieg in 1625) and harbour on the opposite bank of the river. The thirteenth century town on the eastern shore was founded by the bishopric of Würzburg to defend its territories against the marauding Counts if Rieneck, the streets of the Altstadt laid out like a chessboard.

 

We hiked up to the remains of the spur fortress, built sometime before the eighth century, perhaps at the direction of Charles Martel, situated on the broad rocky promontory overlooking the river and valley below, the landscape of fields, pastures and vineyards now dominated by huge silos where agricultural products are stored, staged and loaded onto barges.  Though I did not capture it in the best light, we appreciated the photogenic signage that the town had on display at the river bank, like they have for Amsterdam, Gdańsk, etc.

gemünden am main (13. 587)

 

For the long weekend, H and I returned to Gemünden on the Main river for an extended stay at a campsite at the confluence of the three chief tributaries. I wondered about the coat of arms, that seems to show an architecturally impossible cast with elevated turrets on the crenellated walls—though it’s meant to convey perspective, behind the greater tower—something which heraldry does not generally do, representing the hilltop ruin of Schloss Scherenburg and the other fortifications (see above) built by the Counts of Rieneck to collect tolls.

Officially (amtlich), we also noticed that it is rendered a.Main, like other towns in the area—rather than Gemünden ª/ Main or Gemünden (Main), which I am pretty sure it used to be—perhaps to avoid confusing computers, see previously. Despite being in the middle of the war-torn region of the Peasants’ Revolt (Bauernkrieg, 1524 to 1525), the town survived in part due to the revenue that the important navigable juncture brought. Gemünden’s strategic location on the waterway, however, caused it to be a target of Allied air raids during World War II, over sixty percent of the Altstadt destroyed but rebuilt according to its original character in the 1950s and 60s.

9x9 (13. 539)

criterion collection: a roundup of dirigible-themed movies, featuring, among others, Fay Wray and Ronald Reagan as secret agent Brass Bancroft  

the camelot of africa: a tour Ethiopia’s Gondar castles 

binomial coefficients: some numbers in Pascal’s triangle make very few cameos and no one is sure why  

lost world: museum docent Louis Gratacap pioneered the genre—see previously  

fast-track enlargement: talks begin for EU accession for Ukraine and Moldova  

ger:gre: Monty Python’s Ancients v Moderns football match  

planetary-mass companion: the famous Pink Planet may be a failed binary star system  

a tisket, a tasket: an update on the headquarters building of Longaberger baskets—see previously  

sac pour mal de l’air: a collection of air sickness bags from a variety of airlines

10x10 (13. 523)

nine days in june: landmark US supreme court decisions of years past and upcoming cases during this busy time of the year  

mcmodernslopecore: AI-generated architecture—via Miss Cellania  

photovoltaic: a brief tutorial on how solar panels work—via Kottke  

linguist fingerprints: every AI talks with an accent  

i am not on harry mudd’s client list—stop talking about it, i don’t even know him: the Federation’s war with the Romulans was a total success 

defender of the realm: profiles of medieval warrior women  

dialog society: a trove of leaked documents reveals the activities of Peter Thiel’s secretive cult, prepping for WWIII with a breeding programme—see previously  

spacex: a plan to deploy a million satellites in Earth orbit would ruin the night sky for everyone  

parc güell: Antoni Gaudí’s 1926 failed housing estate has become one of Barcelona’s public spaces  

51st state: rural Illinois citizens petition to eject Chicago and split into two polities—see also 

synchronoptica

one year ago: the G7 in Alberta and the Israeli-Iran war (with synchronoptica) plus the Trump phone 

two years ago: a synthesiser performance piece , OJ Simpson flees police (1994) plus tragic children’s names

three years ago: NASCAR celebrates Pride plus a werewolf exorcism (1983)

four years ago: Star Trek: TAS retcon, the Watergate break-in (1972) plus assorted links to revisit

five years ago: Iceland reforms its naming rules, ASCII standards published (1963), the musical stylings of the Sons of Kemet plus calendrical dating formats

six years ago: US supreme court erodes the Civil Rights Act, the East German uprising of 1953, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls plus Trump sues to stop publication of a tell-all exposé

bechbretha (13. 506)

The codex of customary law, fénechas, in medieval Ireland included quite a sophisticated and substantial register of “bee-judgments,” as apiculture was recognised on par with other forms of animal husbandry, requiring regulation and legislation. The concept of justice under Brehon legal traditions privileged the restorative, remunerative and rectifying behaviour over the punitive and provided a framework for the plaintiff and defendant to work out compensation for injuries sustained—whether from an errant sting or bee-trespass, supposedly pilfering a neighbour’s nectar, or stolen hives. More from The Conversation at the link above.

day ninety-two (13. 475)

Whilst the Iranian front of the US-Israeli war of choice has remained frustratingly frozen since the ceasefire, hostilities in Lebanon have continued apace with ground fighting and forced evacuations. The IDF announces it has captured the symbolic if not strategically important Beauford castle, a fortress built during the Crusades with a commanding view of the Litani river, retaking the promontory held during the eighteen year occupation that ended in 2000. Fighting and territorial encroachment also continues in Gaza and Syria, with Israel posed to seize the historic city of Nabatieh next as clashes with Hezbollah intensify in the Beirut suburbs.

vom berg zum burg (13. 400)

For our last full day in the area this time around, H and I visited a pair of nearby palaces in Schloss Weißenstein in Pommersfelden, a Baroque three-winged complex built for the counts of Schönborn as the summer Residenz of the Prince-Bishop electors, delegates who represented the interests of the imperial estates of the Holy Roman Empire.

Whilst the commission, Lothar Franz, future archbishop, had inherited a medieval moated castle in the vicinity—described as “robbers’ den”—he felt those confines did not suit the grandeur of his office and an ongoing feudal territory dispute between Bamberg and Bayreuth split the property was a major distraction, undertaking design for the project with architect Johann Dientzenthofer personally for a palace and grounds that would rival the construction’s imprint in Versailles.

Contemporary peers upon visiting the palace had some critical impressions about its portions and planning and surplus of golden embellishments, and although tours can be arranged, the property remains in the hands of the Schönborn family. We were nonetheless impressed by the courtyard and roosting storks that made their clapping noises as we had the place essentially all to ourselves. We explored the extensive enclosed gardens, an artificial deer-run with a colony (Wilddam) still living there and a protective habitat for frogs. We were a bit hesitant to take the dog but she failed to see the deer resting in the shade of a tree. Afterwards we revisited Schloss Seehof (see previously) in Mememelsdorf, another Baroque retreat, more modest and based off the quadrilateral Johannisburg of Aschaffenburg by Balthasar Neumann but also with the input of Lothar Franz for later landscaping.