seenlandschaft (12. 649)

Taking advantage of the forest’s shade for a hot, muggy day, we explored more of the trails along the shores of the Müritz—second only to Lake Constance (der Bodensee) in size and the largest body of water entirely within German borders.

The basin (Seenplatte) with several large bays and inlets kept to paths that did not extend past the tree line in order to preserve the relatively intact ecological history of Europe through the last glacial period, the Ice Age that ended about eleven thousand years ago, with primeval beech and pine woods but afforded observation platforms to look out on to the water.

The landscape that extends to Neustrelitz in the south east in made up of moraines, lowlands—including marshes and meadows—and sandur (Sander, from the Icelandic), the outwash of rocks pulverised to sand by the advance and retreat of glaciers that supports the dense forest, and contains about a hundred lesser lakes. The city of Müritz has two sizeable urban bodies of water and we walked through the spa disctrict (Kurviertel) through the Kurwald—an early realisation of the benefits of forest bathing—to take a look at the Feisneck- and Tiefwarensee.

synchronoptica

one year ago: liquid water discovered on Mars (with synchronopticæ) plus a maximal truth-seeking AI

thirteen years ago: WWII week: Pennemünde plus a chance lilly in a glass   

arguably the most famous and celebrated cnidarian of all time (12. 634)

Outliving her discoverers and with a career spanning the Victorian Era, under the care of a succession of Edinburgh naturalists, the beadlet sea anemone (Actini equina), affectionately known as Granny passed away on this day in 1887 at the advanced age of sixty-seven—though reports of her death were embargoed for the public good until October, with lengthy obituaries first published by The Scotsman and then The New York Times. Receiving many distinguished visitors, as evinced by a guest book with over a thousand entries, Granny, whom was collected as a mature specimen off the shores of North Berwick, is credited with educational reform, igniting popular interest in the sciences outside of professional and specialist circles, and inviting Victorians to bring nature into their homes, with various fashions from houseplants to terraria and aquaria and imparted a sense of curiosity, albeit kept, that advanced understanding and appreciation of marine ecology.

9x9 (12. 578)

i’ll get no residuals ‘cause i’m a stateless individual: Trump considers revoking the citizenship of long time show-business foil Rosie O’Donnell  

know thy selfie: from visibility and transformation to the routine, an examination of the custom that’s unlikely to loose currency  

room 237: Stanley Kubric’s last minute change to the ending of The Shining  

from the i sing the scooter electric department: China’s Omo X is a self-driving EV  

turtle spiders of the sea: Ze Frank on the horseshoe crab 

ebb and flow: an underwater turbine off the coast of Scotland demonstrates the viability of tidal energy  

hyborean age: a Red Sonja remake in discussion thirty years in after numerous other reboots  

a common-thread among world-eating types: a literally history of the billionaire—via Nag on the Lake  

off-ramp: unmoved by other atrocities, MAGAist may view Trump’s connection with the sex-pest as a somewhat dignified way to sever connections with the movement

habitués à pêcher (12. 562)

Returning to the Quiberon peninsula, we drove all the way to the southern tip to explore—as much as the oppressive heat would admit—the eponymous fishing village, stopping to marvel at more sites along the rugged coast explored to the Atlantic, unlike the protected eastern shores sheltered by the gulf.

We visited the old harbour of Port-Haliguen, which like all fishing villages in the area benefited greatly from the commerce and catch up through the Belle Époque—particularly Quiberon which had become the world’s first cannery after Nicolas Appert of Châlons-en-Champagne introduced his airtight food preservation process, applying corking techniques and sanitization on an industrial scale and establishing a tinning operation.

The sardine crisis first emerged during the 1902-1903 season and while most communities were able to adapt with deep sea fishing for tuna and mackerel, this unfortunate timing meant that the invention of Appert was no commercial success and the process of food perseveration was gifted to the public. Quiberon maintains canning operations and the port is a marina for leisure and departures for outlying islands.

synchronoptica

one year ago: the Holy Mountain of Varese (with synchronopticæ)

twelve years ago: a visit to Linsengericht plus snooping on NATO partners

fourteen years ago: more on the Greek financial crisis

fifteen years ago: the lowly mosquito 

presqu'île (12. 560)

Returning to the long, narrow peninsula of Gârves opposite Port-Louis via the route sandwiched between two beach fronts, we took in some more views of the harbour and marina of this an storied fishing village and ancient former quarry.

Though stable since the Middle Ages, this tombolo (see previously, the first documented mention cutes three isolated islands) is the outermost reach of the drifting dune massiv and is threatened with erosion, especially in the built up areas.

The fortifications at Pohr-Puns was build at the end of the seventeenth century as advance defence for Port-Louis and Lorient and the batteries in the sparsely populated areas along the dunes were an experimental training grounds in the 1800s to test the range and effectiveness of artillery on battleships, known as the Gârves Commission, ballistic research continues here to this day under the auspices of a nearby naval base.

synchronoptica

one year ago: a visit to the Rocco di Caldè (with synchronopticæ) 

twelve years ago: plugging leaks 

thirteen years ago: redefining the second 

fourteen years ago: the introduction of the bar code 

fifteen years ago: busting a Russian spy ring 

hohenwartetalsperre iv (12. 500)

We took a short drive to look at the Hohenwarte dam wall (Staumauer, see previously) and took a nice long walk with the dogs down a trail through an enchanted forest (there were a lot activities set up for kids hidden amongst the trees, like our own Zwergweg) and across the basis by a former cardboard factory. We could see the Pumpspecicherwerk (pumped hydroelectric energy storage plant in the far distance, a gravitational sink that is a source of potential energy, channelling water uphill to a higher holding basis during off-peak hours and releasing it during higher periods of demand to generate electricity in the turbines.

Such a plant also allows excess energy from intermittent sources—like solar and wind—to be saved. The lake and surrounding area were full of recreational opportunities, more wandering and cruises over the length and breath of reservoir.

hohenwartetalsperre i (12.495)

 

Taking advantage of the holiday and Brückentag, H and I (with the dogs) went caravaning, returning to the reservoir created by the damming of the Saale river valley in the 1930s (see previously here and here) to chiefly mitigate flooding and found a campsite centrally located in the eighty-kilometre long lake with five successive cascading basins outside the village of Neumannshof on the water’s edge. 

The village and the municipality of Gössitz lying on a higher plateau of the foothills of the southern Schefergebirges (Slate range) is surrounded by thick woods and the Slavic name means “forest mountain.” Commissioned by optics manufacturer Carl Zeiss of Jena later for its potential for electricity production, the feat of engineering is a major source of hydropower to this day.

9x9 (12. 412)

crytophasia: eye-witnesses to an accident, twins speaking in unison yield insights about language acquisition   

keep your cool: a 1967 garage rock number appropriate for our times by Terry and the Chain Reaction   

swiss pavilion: the country’s contribution to the Osaka Expo evokes the spirit of the original venue—see previously here and here   

all dams are temporary: an interesting look at the limitations of hydrological regimes   

universi dominici gregis: the faithful and world leaders gather at the Vatican for the pontiff’s funeral   

buying access: Trump offers largest holders of his meme coin exclusive dinner date 

 hilma’s ghost: a monumental glass mosaic installed in New York’s Grand Central Station—in homage to the mystic artist   

on the corner: Myles Davis’ rock and funk, at first panned but now considered a masterpiece 

rampant pedantry: an overview of prescriptivism and hyper-correction

synchronoptica

one year ago: assorted links worth revisiting (with synchronoptica), a massive gallery of Star Trek images plus ancient scrolls deciphered with the help of AI

seven years ago: Brutalist Tetris, Macron addresses the US congress, the mythological namesakes of the Chinese lunar programme plus conspicuous consumption and the Diderot effect

eight years ago: Japanese manhole covers, journalism from Wikipedia, more links to enjoy, the Turkish-Syrian border, a Nazi-era bronze back on display plus more persuasive maps

nine years ago: bat nurse, the Sykes-Picot agreement, US tax-havens plus cataclysmic anniversaries (caution flashing image)

ten years ago: American founding fables

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.

laguna hainersee oder living lagovida (12. 399)

Returning to the Störmthaler See campgrounds for Easter weekend with a view of the floating, phantom steeple, the Vineta created to evoke the leveled settlements during the height of mining and mechanisation, we visited some neighbouring lakes and marinas reclaimed from a heavily industralised landscape like all of the Leipziger Neuseenland, the Haubitzer, Hainer and Kahnsdorfer lakes were developed in the early to mid-1990s when a large open-cast lignite coal extraction operation was flooded and slowly converted into beach-front properties with resorts and recreational boating.  

 The bulk of the land too polluted to be rehabilitated, the fields of Witnitz II stretching for kilometre in every direction, now forms the largest photovoltaic park in Europe—the endless array not being quite so photogenic under overcast skies and at speed but impressive nonetheless. Inland, Kahnsdorf features a manorial estate owned once by the scholarly family of theologians, the Ernestis of Leipzig, the property, suffering years of neglect and near demolition during the DDR era as a relict of feudalism, celebrated for hosting the introductory meeting of Friedrich Schiller and jurist Christian Gottfried Körner of Dresden, of an established household of patrons of the arts and culture who entertained Goethe, Hiller and Mozart, on the first of July 1785.  

 Later a financial backer who saved the poet from wrack and ruin, Schiller dedicated An der Freudschaft (“On Friendship”) to Körner and the pivotal moment marking the turn around of Schiller’s fortunes was the inspiration, according to the premises, for Ode to Joy. The surrounding grounds are a park and a pasture for a local group of alpaca enthusiasts who sell wool products in the cafe of the main building.

synchronoptica

one year ago: a wine so nice they named it thrice (with synchronoptica) plus assorted links to revisit

seven years ago: robots assembling IKEA furniture, the Paris riots of 1968 plus springtime in Wiesbaden

eight years ago: an appreciation of edutainment, AI and implicit bias plus a profile of a North Korea day

nine years ago: a termite tent, the Sea-Monkey kingdom plus another experimental chatbot

eleven years ago: a light installation in Oberhausen, an arctic henge in Iceland plus EU lend-lease policy for Ukraine

great calamary (12. 396)

Published as literature to educate and to disabuse attendees of the 1883 International Fisheries Exhibition held on the campus of the Royal Horticultural Society in South Kensington, the event running from May to October perhaps not as storied as other Victorian world’s fairs but heretofore attracting the most visitors and exhibitors due to its rather well-apportioned aquaria on a scale never before seen and menagerie of sea birds and marine mammals gathered from all over the Empire. Distributed by the Literary Committee, also charged with documenting the proceedings of the exhibit, the pair of illustrated guides commissioned of one Henry Lee, “sometimes naturalist of the Brighton Aquarium,” were meant to unmask the mythos of the deep by glossing the monsters and fables of the sea and tempering the imagination with scientific reason and technological and exploratory advances that left little room for the leviathans and merfolk. Demonstrating how such encounters could be explained away while expressing concern over less fantastic natural treasures and how our penchant for conquest could be their undoing as well, it’s interesting timing to come across these handbooks as the first documented footage of a colossal squid, a Kraken albeit a baby one, has been captured and shared. More from Public Domain Review at the link above, with an array of fantastical sightings including the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary and barnacle geese.

synchronoptica

one year ago: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (with synchronoptica)

seven years ago: oceanic microplastic plus Britain from Above 

eight years ago: leek pasta plus the Turkish expatriate vote

nine years ago: worlds out of balance plus auditory hallucinations

eleven years ago: a night at the opera

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.

9x9 (12. 314)

👀: a “half-swipe” feature that allows recipients to screen messages with them being marked as read is exacerbating dating anxiety amongst teens—via Superpunch 

rabbithole: global styles of curiosity survey as revealed by Wikipedia app usage—via Clive Thompson’s Linkfest—are you a hunter, dancer or busybody?   

we have urinated in our beds—there was no chamber pot: a survey of the graffiti of Ancient Rome that’s very much like a contemporary comments section 

quotidiano: Italian news paper prints all-AI edition   

derezz: local club hosts a TRON party during a gaming developers’ conference as a history lesson   

gulf-stream: a mesmerising overview of the world’s ocean currents and eddies   

let your fingers do the walking: the typography of the telephone directory, the Yellow Pages, and its antecedents 

patrimonialism: running a state as one’s family business   

forbidden unlawful representation of roleplaying in education: legislation in Texas would outlaw students presenting as other than human, check out the acronyms of the bill, including fursonæ

synchronoptica

one year ago: the science behind sippy-birds (with synchronoptica), another 3D rendering challenge plus assorted links worth revisiting

seven years ago: the allure of old books,  The Gods of Japan (1943), more links to enjoy plus artist Grant Wood

eight years ago: the architecture of choice,  Trump defunds agencies plus Trump’s foreign policy

nine years ago: more on state fossils plus collected quotations

ten years ago: the new EU central bank headquarters, job redundancy, even more links, animals on trial plus local galleries