life electric

First isolated in a riverbed in 1987 and quickly recognised for the potential as an agent of bioremediation for their affinity for heavy metals that are otherwise toxic to microbes (see also), geobacter excrete electrons as by-products of their metabolism. In collaboration with the University of Ghent, Dutch designer Teresa van Dongen has created—as a demonstration project—lamps (though the frame of the piece is more reminiscent of the body of a virus rather multiplying proteobacteria) powered by this singular bacterial discharge, quartering a colony in a battery where it can thrive—recharged on a weekly basis with a drink of tap water cut with vinegar.

multicurse

We enjoyed very much contemplating this illustrated history of mazes and labyrinths, a 1922 volume curated by Public Domain Review.
The branching lanes referred to as curses and the turns each a course, these classical pieces of landscaping and iconography from legendary times through to churchyards and engravings and the ornamental gardens of the great estates speak indeed to a collective unconsciousness and present a meditative puzzle, regardless of vantage point though some perspectives might seem more advantageous than others, especially if one is the engineer and architect. Much more to explore at the link above.

what kind of person bokehs a child?

We were extra delighted to learn—via the always brilliant Nag on the Lake—that Apple has taken the very real photographic technique and aesthetic that means blurry or hazy in Japanese, anthimerized (“I’ll unhair thy head” or “the thunder would not peace at my bidding” from Shakespeare or more recently, “Don’t @ me”)—verbified, to demonstrate the depth control, softening focus with the ability to reverse the effect, feature of the camera on their latest smart phone.

hatefulness/impish

On this day at this time in 1971, an erroneous Emergency Action Notification was dispatched to US broadcasters, directing stations to cease regularly scheduled programming immediately at the request of the government but no reason was given.
Listen to WCCO serving Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota area air silence here. The title refers to the codewords to give and them belay that order, and the bungle with the false alarm (the operator picked the wrong tape) revealed a lot endemic faults with the system—including that due to the fact the message coincided with a regularly scheduled systems test and many choose to ignore it and additional safeguards were added.