my god, it's full of stars

The inestimable Kottke directs our attention to the half hour National Film Board of Canada 1960 documentary “Universe,” which portrays the Cosmos as it would be experienced by a voyager barrelling through time and space, and was a cinematic touchstone for filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, informing the look and tone of his adaptation of 2001: A Space Odyssey. If the voice of the narrator seems oddly familiar, that’s because it is late actor Douglas Rain, renowned for his role as the voice of HAL 9000.

e mare libertas

We’ve had a passing acquaintance with the Principality of Sealand, one of the constellation of micronations whose territory consists of a disused anti-aircraft platform off of the coast of Suffolk, for a few years and even knew of the coup d’état and the power struggles, but we sorely failed to appreciate the outsized intrigues (recommended by Digg) that this rather long-lived, tiny princely state has experienced—with the overthrow and leadership in exile being a far more dramatic and stranger story than we had supposed.
In addition to this singular offensive, the micronation’s uncertain legal status and sovereignty has been co-opted by a rash of pretenders, including an operation to issue ten of thousands of passports in the name of Sealand, unofficial, unsanctioned internet presences, shell companies and claims of diplomatic immunity by dint of above fabricated associations.
For this dynastic enterprise that began as a pirate radio station to escape the hegemony of the BBC, subsequently proclaiming independence and creating all the trappings of statehood, it’s disheartening that it is yet attended by this persistent and darker, parallel version of itself and we hope that going forward, in keeping with the spirit of staking one’s independence, that the Principality is allowed to tell its own story.

droste effect

Via the always engrossing Kottke, we are introduced to vivid and thoughtful portfolio of artist and photographer Annie Wang through her ongoing series “The Mother as a Creator,” documenting raising her son. Each successive image, layer of her and her growing son contains the snapshot of the past ones—coaxing out many levels all sharing the same surface. Find out more at the links above.

encom

We are enjoying these promotional stills, studio cards from the 1982 production of TRON of cast members posing for candid shots in their uniforms bereft of the benefit of post-production ethereal glow.
It’s worth noting that the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design but was famously disqualified for Oscar consideration in the category of visual effects because the film’s extensive reliance on computer-generated environments and simulations—a rather myopic assessment that the Academy made amends for fourteen years later. Much more to explore at Dangerous Minds at the link up top.