gakuponi (12. 726)

From the Japanese portmanteau for frame plus aquaponics (額ポニ), we enjoyed this rather lovely prototype by designer Keisuke Hatakenaka that creates a self-sustaining system of fish and plants with the ecosystems supporting one another—especially enjoying this correspondence, spotted first by Messy Nessy Chic, for a comparable arrangement in this circa 1880 combination of a bird cage, aquarium and plant stand. Of course a bit of intervention and caretaking is needed to keep the loop alive and healthy, but waste from the fish provide nutrients for the garden, which in turn purifies and oxygenates the water, and the installation is designed to educate in an aesthetic way (see previously) natural symbiosis. Much more from Spoon & Tamago at the link above.

synchronoptica

one year ago: eighty bangers from the 80s (with synchronopticæ) plus a novel wildfire detection device

thirteen years ago: Franconian churches 

fourteen years ago: a cosmological map 

fifteen years ago: Mount Athos and the Greek economy 

motor city agate (12. 721)

Recalling a recent look at the much accelerated process of synthetic geology, we quite enjoyed this introduction to this gem of industrial inefficiency (which illustrates how the push for optimisation comes at a cost, though waste and pollution is to be avoid, the drag and misalignment that meant non-targeted ads for everyone was what enabled journalism and broadcast entertainment in the first place—which are no longer free and still serve commercials and designed obsolescence and the inability to repair and upgrade over replacing) that by dent of its relative scarcity and specific epoch has become one of the most appealing media for jewellery makers. Technically a cabochon, from the French to distinguish a stone that is not cut and faceted but rather shaped and polished, the agate was the byproduct of applying enamel coats to automobiles by hand, with overspray accumulating in paint bays and the layers of slag, ages within epochs, particularly from the late 1960s and early 1970s, when “high impact” colours were in fashion, have become highly sought after. Changes in bodywork by the 1980s saw the adoption of electrostatic painting, basically magnetising the enamel to the chassis, meant the end of this era.

8x8 (12. 679)

short imagined monologues: the abandoned new Cracker Barrel logo speaks out  

internet caretaker: Messy Nessy returns from vacation with another roundup of things found on-line—no notes  

 ticker-tape: a 1967 home computer—via Damn Interesting  cybersitter: a look back on the ways of filtering the web

ai upscaling: multimedia artists complain about unbidden tweaks to their signature videos—via the New Shelton wet/dry

dark dwarves: astrophysicists theorise a new class of stars that may never exhaust their fuel  

🖇️: an annotated collection donated to Present /&/ Correct 

divertimento № 198: assorted links amid gustatory delights from the Minnesota State Fair 

the united states is not made up of well-adjusted adults—it’s made up of americans: simulation and simulacrum in the USA—via Miss Cellania

synchronoptica

one year ago: the introduction of Pepsi (with synchronopticæ)

thirteen years ago: the evolution of screen-time plus frozen fireworks

fourteen years ago: reimagining Space Oddity 

seventeen years ago: driving on autopilot 

consumable and durable goods (12. 660)

We are directed to a rather engaging evolution of a logo via the Chicago-based trade journal, formerly published under the titles Business Equipment and National Stationer, Office Appliances: The Magazine of Office Equipment, in regular circulation from 1904 to 1993. 

 The long history documents changing styles in formatting and typography in pace with technology, from neoclassical to Art Deco to Bauhaus and beyond but the key, the work space conclave, is ever-present. 

These cover-to-cover periodicals come courtesy of the Internet Archives’ microfiche scanning operations, which one can watch live with the accompaniment of lofi soundtrack and a sidebar of the latest digitalisation, now particularly focused on livestreaming the release and preservation of US government records with off-hour montages of highlights from their public domain collections. More from Tenth Letter of the Alphabet at the link up top.

synchronoptica

one year ago: cellular pathology (with synchronopticæ) plus vice president Nelson Rockefeller 

thirteen years ago: the German energy revolution 

seventeen years ago: an old car tuckers out 

8x8 (12. 601)

field office: Trump withdraws the US from UNESCO for a second time 

vidi, quod aperuisset agnus: the Four Horsemen in art  

shoulder-top secretary: indirect communication, etiquette filters and letting the parrot speak for one  

symphonies of glass and steel: a century on, the spirit of Art Deco has shifted from enlightenment to oppression through the lens of a new property listing  

interlockers: chunky sandals that mimic zig-zag paver blocks 

game genie: a 1990 video game cheat cartridge for the Nintendo Entertainment System and its landmark legacy establishing reverse-engineering (see also) as fair-use and in-play premiums

velvet sundown: responding to the public backlash of AI slop on the internet, some companies are deplatforming or at least threatening to demonetise such tedious content crowding out everything else  

anamorphic sculpture: Thomas Medicus’ 2014 Emulsifier—the term, in the main, refers to the cinematography technique for translating the widescreen to narrower native aspect ratios 

national governing body: US Olympic Committee bars trans individuals from the teams in order to conform with Trump’s directives about protecting women on the anniversary of the 2001 found of the American Paralympics

8x8 (12. 594)

; ): the correct use of the semicolon—see also  

if you try to humanise the place, you will lose your mind: a journalist reflects on her unconscionable trip to Dubai  

dream logic: the surreal illustrations of Garrett Davis  

bubble house: space age, Mid-Century Modern brownstone off Central Park on the market for the first time in half a century—see also  

the sounds of summer: the soundtrack of nostalgic memories of the season by prolific composer Joe Hisaishi (久石 譲) reimagined as a short visual film  

jumbotron: Coldplay concert kiss-cam incident (and memes) underscore the practice’s awkward history  

kiss of death: US vice president flew to Montana for a secret meeting with News Corp head Rupert Murdoch, aged 94, to discuss reporting of Trump—maybe he dies soon like when Vance had an audience with the Pope—or fawning MAGA fan Truss with the Queen  

the only free cheese is in a mousetrap: the Ukrainian equivalent of the English idiom there is no such thing as a free lunch

cristalleries de nancy (12. 476)

Via fellow internet peripatetic and caretaker Messy Nessy Chic, we directed towards an archive of antique blueprints for perfume bottles from a forgotten French crystal works was rescued from an abandoned factory. The firm, rising to prominence and one of the nation’s leading glass manufacturers after the end of World War I and the following the emancipation of women with the right for political representation was active from 1921 until dissolution in 1936 during the Great Depression when demand for fineries and luxury items collapsed. The illustrations that include exquisitely detailed of Art Deco cut-glass bottles and atomisers made for fragrances all over the world as well as the company’s catalogue of vases and drinkware. Much more at the links above.

synchronoptica

one year ago: the national park of Greenland (with synchronoptica), newest batch of emoji, the perishable internet plus a hospital’s wine cellars 

seven years ago: all equal under the law plus a missile launch facility immediately mothballed

eight years ago: Trump in the Middle East, the people’s pope plus an elevated walkway in Seoul

nine years ago: art in transit, early USSR rocket tests plus a visit to Seaford

ten years ago: a visit to Dotzheim, more on keyboard dining tray inserts plus memeplexes

the bronx is up and the battery’s down (12. 469)

Reminiscent of this other etiquette campaign for the metro’s ridership, we enjoyed this exhibitions of the mock newspaper editions of the Subway Sun that lined cars from 1936 to 1965, featuring the illustrations of Fred Cooper (among the inaugeral inductees of the Society of Illustrators and also know for his miniatures and illuminated drop-caps for Life magazine and letterer behind the Cooper Black typeface) and Amelia Ross Opdyke “Oppy” Jones, who together promoted polite and considerate behaviour (the latter coining the word litterbug as a play on “jitterbug”) and NewYork City’s museums and special events as an enticement for residents and visitors to use the Interborough mass transit system. Much more from Hyperallergic at the link above.

… (12. 446)

At the end of last month, one of the few remaining telegraph stations in China prepared to shut down, thousands traveled to Hangzhou in far eastern Zhejiang province to pay their respects and dispatch last missives (see previously). We enjoyed the shared memories of workers and patrons as told through the story of one individual who undertook a rather epic journey on a slow train east to send his first and last messages. Writing out their notes by hand, character by character, people sent telegrams to themselves, friends and relatives both yet to be born and departed and operators recalled the echoing cadence of the office and specific numerical sequences used to encode words and phrases. The once vital communications network has all but disappeared, although during the last day of operation, the station, which had in recent years only been sending an average of twenty-five a year, processed nearly six-thousand telegrams. Memories are not so far removed as China has had telegraphy technology since the nineteenth century, it remained popular and the only guaranteed method of reaching someone urgently until peaking in the late 1980s when more than forty million messages were sent annually, individual stations handling on average a hundred thousand each.

11x11 (12. 431)

hot, cold, clash and burn: some performances from candidates for the 2025 Dance Your PhD contest with real EuroVision vibes—see previously 

man in motion: a biography of Eadweard Muybridge (previously) as a graphic novel   

pc connection: the raccoon mascot that made the catalogue stand out amongst industry uniformity—via Nag on the Lake   

popemobile: the pontiff’s conveyance used for his 2014 visit to Bethlehem to be converted into a mobile health clinic for Gaza   

oaf of office: arguing that due process is cumbersome, Trump defers to his legal team on whether it his duty to uphold the constitution 

pamflyt compiled of cheese, contayninge the differences, nature, qualities, and goodnes, of the same: an early Renaissance book on the staple food digitised and made available to the public

architecture of choice: AI buttons and the fat-finger economy pushing redesign and showhorning of non-options into everything   

sustained presence: Israel expands operations, evictions in the occupied territory   

papabili: the College of Cardinals’ report and coverage of the upcoming conclave—via Web Curios 

mingkwai: the rediscovery of an incredible antique mechanical typewriter prototype for printing Chinese characters—via Neatorama—with a video demonstration 

marge inalia: alert the grammar police, the Errorist strikes again

synchronoptica

one year ago: Expo '74 (with synchronoptica), the Cabbage Patch Kids’ maternity ward, assorted links worth revisiting plus the Grammies

seven years ago: more links to enjoy, lampooning mid-morning television, doggie bags plus election by Borda count

eight years ago: potential jail time for protesting the US attorney general, the Cornell carillon plays a tribute to the Grateful Dead plus even more links

nine years ago: gorillas sing little tunes as they eat, maps of Middle Earth, a market hall in Rotterdam plus a popular French tonic wine

ten years ago: Hee-Haw and the cancellation of Star Trek plus utopian thinking

street where the riches of ages are stowed (12. 418)

Via our peripatetic companion, Messy Nessy Chic, we learn that the iconic anchor antique shop, Alice’s, of the famous fleamarket mile of London’s Portobello Road—the scene sadly a bit diminished in recent years with gentrification—is on the market. The business had been in the same family for three generations and was featured in the original Italian Job movie as well as in the Paddington Bear stories. The property consists not only of the retail space but the maisonette also has a spacious living quarters above. Much more at the links above—anything and everything a chap can unload is sold off the barrow in Portobello Road.

etsomnia (12. 370)

Via Marco McClean’s Memo of the Air, we are introduced to the very long-standing tradition (for which we were woefully remiss about perusing beforehand) of My One Beautiful Thing’s weekly curation of a sampling of some of the strange crafts discovered on the e-commerce site (see also here and here) with an emphasis on handmade jewellery, totes and home decor. The above disorder leading to sleep deprivation is a self-diagnosis from obsessive browsing of said upcycling marketplace, whose name itself comes from etsi—Italian for oh yes and French and Latin for what if. Frequent themes include taxidermied plush animals, ceramics, inspired doormats and wall signage and overly-accessorised charm bracelets and bedazzled garments.

9x9 (12. 340)

us agency for global media: Voice of America director files lawsuit over ordered closure—a federal judge issues a temporary stay   

pecksniffian paragraph: Trump as a Dickens’ stock character over his sermonising on transgender military service members   

entomological adultery: the 1912 Cameraman’s Revenge painstakingly animated by Władysław Starevicz 

deterministic bit generator: a financial institution’s experiment with quantum computing generates certifiably random numbers with applications in auditing and encryption—see also   

the memes have entered the chat: the internet responds to Signalgate (aka whiskeyleaks)

arts décoratifs: rediscovering Betty Joel, Britain’s forgotten maven of Art Deco design—part of a centenary celebration of the movement—see previously

the population of an old pear tree: an 1870 work by Belgian author Ernest van Bruyssel celebrating biodiversity and insect life 

import/export: ahead of the planned tariff action for 2 April “Day of Liberty” Trump announces twenty-five percent duties on foreign cars and components, triggering retaliation 

are you sure ms kerger—because he is red: NPR and PBS testify before congress with its federal funding at stake—see previously

synchronoptica

one year ago: anatomised police lineups (with synchronoptica), assorted links to revisit, a classic from U2 plus a Nordic Easter witch

seven years ago: the dynamic Cosmos, more links to enjoy plus Everything’s Coming Up Simpsons

eight years ago: backmasking and the Satanic panic, the show with the mouse plus the Bombay Sapphire distillery

nine years ago: Easter greetings, revisiting the Leipzig Panometer plus a canting dialect

ten years ago: Holy Blood, Holy Grail, even more links, poet Paul Verlaine plus affecting a holiday accent

9x9 (12. 339)

debonair: an amazing and comprehensive collection of flight attendant uniforms—via Things Magazine  

contrapoints: a documentary contextualising misinformation to point out it is misinformation 

shortened itinerary: second lady’s tour of Greenland (now joined by her husband) is limited to inspecting the troops at Pituffik Space Base  

seagram’s vo: pallets of American alcohol being returned to the manufacturer  

jug band: a fun cover of Beat It!—with a powerful solo bridge by the Bottle Boys 

boilerfaker: a new trend in microdosing alcohol—via tmn  

duty to report: the 1890 attempt to coerce Canada into joining the US backfired spectacularly  

signalgate: The Atlantic editor inadvertently added to a national security counsel group chat publishes transcript in full after Trump administration downplayed the seriousness of the breach 

hmnd: an incomplete bestiary of humanoid robots

7x7 (12. 280)

yarn-bomb: a collection of museums and monuments around the world for knitting and craft enthusiasts   

defying democracy: Randy Rainbow breaks into the ballad from Wicked during an interview   

the living? the miraculous task of it: Joseph Fasano’s short poetic response to a student who used AI to write a paper 

eight million dollars to promote lgbtqi+ in the african nation of lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of: all you need to know about the southern African enclave (the only one outside of Italy) landlocked by South Africa   

fission chips: a survey of Mid-Century Modernism   

spinsrÿche: a mashup of “Jet City Woman” and prog metal   

mullet talley: cross-referencing hair-styles with football club fans in Australia—from the Annals of Improbable Research (previously)—via Pasa Bon!

synchronoptica

one year ago: the mental radio interceptions of Grant Wallace (with synchronoptica) plus more on endonyms and exonyms

seven years ago: Teen Look magazine plus a demonic backlog of unfinished business

eight years ago:  presidential pets, animator Tom Oreb, separating migrant families plus NASA’s style guide

ten years ago: assorted links to enjoy 

eleven years ago: neglected bestiaries

i haven’t had this many people in my garage since the vice squad raided fang’s going-out-of-marriage party (11. 578)

We enjoyed this fun 1987 VHS guide from legendary comedian Phyllis Diller (see previously) on how to have a successful yard sale—we’ve been thinking of the same but one generally finds centralised Flohmärkte over here rather than individual sales at homes and to participate takes some planning, organisation and an entire weekend of committent—and really presents some practical advice on decluttering and culling as well as the importance of presentation and merchandising. More tips from Boing Boing at the link above.

* * * * *

synchronoptica

one year ago: the Judgment of Paris (1976) plus assorted links to revisit

two years ago: Mystery Park in Interlaken plus an earlier version of “don’t say gay” legislation overturned

three years ago: St Joanna, more links to enjoy, a classic film montage plus phonetic courtesy characters

four years ago: the Kola Superdeep Bore Hole, Diamond Dogs (1974), obituaries, more links worth the revisit, a walk in the woods, city fonts plus plutodemocracy

five years ago: even more links, Queen Victoria, a Prime Minister steps down, more bad flags plus a unique house in Oklahoma

mikiphone (10. 702)

Via Strange Company, we are directed to the engineering, miniaturisation marvel of the early 1920s in the first pocket phonograph—long predating but seemingly not prefiguring other mobile players that came decades later. Designed by brothers Miklós and Étienne Vadász and licensed for production by Maison Paillard of St Croix, formerly of the music box industry, it required a bit of self-assembly and a some hand-cranking to get the turn-table to spin. More, including a demonstration at Danny Dutch’s Blog at the link above.

hofatelier elvira (10. 680)

Fellow internet peripatetic Messy Nessy Chic directs our attention to the former nexus of Germany’s pacifist and feminist movement in the photography studio and artists’ salon in glorious Jugenstil. Ultimately demolished and the address on Von-der-Tann-Strasse now occupied by the US Consulate of Munich after its stylised dragon façade was vandalised during the war years, the property used provisionally as a canteen kitchen, the enterprise spanning from 1898 to 1928 was notable as the first company in Germany founded by women, jurist, suffragist, writer and actress Anita Theodora Johanna Sophie Augsprung partnering with entrepreneur and photographer Sophia N J Goudstikker, and an important meeting place for avant garde artists in parallel with its primary business of taking pictures of celebrities and the aristocracy.

7x7 (10. 560)

posse: Cory Doctorow’s Pluralistic turns three  

surprise visit: President Biden makes unannounced appearance in Kyiv, just ahead of the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine  

meta verified: other social media networks want to sell you blue checks 

the hawthorne effect: one of the most influential social studies of the past century is also the one of the worst—via Damn Interesting’s Curated Links  

architectural follies: a strangely satisfying collection of faux ruins—via Messy Nessy Chic  

msc: key points from the Munich Security Conference  

e pluribus unum: the numismatics of coppers and silver coinage of the American colonies

castillo del diablo (10. 184)

While visiting Rosarito in Baja California, friend of the blog, Fancy Notions, stumbled upon a most usual six-storey beach house bedecked with gargoyles and monstrous statuary and crammed to the brim with antiques that is yet uncompleted obsession of a real estate developer called Tony Wells. This Gothic residence chocked full of period furnishings, coffins and chandeliers has become quite the draw for tourists and there are plans to convert property into a museum, relenting to the throngs of visitors who wanted a peek inside. Much more at the link above.