boss level

Airing for four seasons from 1982 to 1984 on the Turner Broadcasting System and then in syndication, the competitive arcade game show was moderated first by Mark Richards and Geoff Edwards, but for this unaired pilot screened for a test audience, it was hosted by the accomplished Alex Trebek.

blocked-chain

The coalition of all that’s grift and gimmick—courtesy of Web Curios whose latest editions contains a plethora of examined scum and scams besides—we are directed towards an NTF minting operation that affords one the opportunity to document the irrefutable proof that one has been by excommunicated by our social betters. Ma’am, this is a Wendy’s.

8x8

i just think they’re neat: an orchestral ballad extolling the qualities of the tuber—via Pasa Bon! 

pulsar: a mysterious, suspected white dwarf star called GLEAML-X is far more energetic than physically possible  

eurhythmics: the greatest music teacher of the twentieth century, Nadia Boulanger whose pupils included Igor Stravinsky and Quincy Jones  

nu descendant un escalier № 2: the Marcel Duchamp research portal  

great green wall: an ongoing project to grow a corridor of trees across Africa 

meta-maps: gazetteers that interpret atlases from the collection of David Rumsey 

 bande dessinée: Belgium’s new passport design pays homage to the country’s comic artists  

fire sale: a curious inventory of lots for sale with the closure of the Drury Lane theatre  

his father’s eyes: a giant New Zealand potato, Dug, is subjected to genetic-testing for proof that it is a tuber

esolang

A portmanteau of esoteric and programming language that arose in the 1990s by the hacker, coding enthusiast community as a form of artistic expression (see also), Hyperallergic contributor Daniel Temkin offers several points of entry into the conceptual interface that limns the boundaries of software art, communications and instruction that defy through definition the current obsession with non-fungibility as the direction of digital art. The pictured bitmap execution is a rendering of “Hello World” in the above mentioned Piet. Much more to explore with the various categories and movements in the link above.

a boy named charlie brown

We were saddened to learn of the death of Peter Robbins (*1956, Louis Nanasi) by suicide and reading about his mental health and addiction struggles over the course of decades in his obituary. The real estate agent and former child actor, his first role from another comic strip in the televised adaptation of Blondie as the Dagwoods’ son, was the voice talent behind Charlie Brown for the Peanuts animated specials of the 1960s—including A Charlie Brown Christmas and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown with his final role as the character in 1969 a reprise of his 1963 debut. Never forget how to talk to people.

7x7

reset: audiences of a hugely popular show in China about a video game programmer stuck in a time loop are upset about its positive ending  

országos kéktúra: Hungary’s national long distance walking route (see also) from Irottkő to the Austrian border 

the book of fate: an 1822 edition that appealed to contemporary British preoccupation with Ancient Egypt and Napoleon  

we only remember ‘long polio’: contemplating the lingering, debilitating effect of severe cases  

boharat cairo: a foundry explores the possibilities of Arabic script expression 

 encanto: we need to talk about Bruno  

where is my mind: an edit of problematic fav Fight Club available for streaming in China follows some different rules

corporate identity

We thoroughly enjoyed this object lesson in the importance of logos and branding via this collaborative work-space application called Kapwing taught by filtering iconic emblems through a suite of different graphical eras and movements—from Art Nouveau to Bauhaus, Psychedelic, Pop Art, Retro 80s and 3D. Check out the full matrix of iterations and various big name brands at the link above.

rax—you can eat here

Having previously run the gamut of fast-food mascots from Mac Tonight, the Hamburglar, Sexy Colonel Sanders to the Quiznos’ Spongmonkey, we appreciated learning this truly inexplicable spokesman in Mister Delicious, a conflicted mid-life crisis of a mascot that came off less than palatable and was the ruin of an American franchise that couldn’t quite on its identity. Check out the original commercials and a promotional documentary produced to alleviate franchisees’ fears.