deepest, darkest

We here at PfRC have been previously acquainted with fantastic pigment library of Harvard and its collection which conserves the intersection of chemistry and art, curating the most curious of artisanal hues with often the strangest compositions from deadly toxins to cattle fed on a specific diet.
And naturally, we were pleased to learn it had of late acquired a specimen of Vantablack. This substance, Vertically Aligned Nano Tube Arrays, absorbs nearly one hundred percent of visible light—less than a tenth of a percent away from absorbing all the incident light compared to conventional black’s mere ninety-seven percent, making it as dark as empty space and contours appear flat to the eye. As it’s not a very easy medium to work with and grants are limited, Vantablack hasn’t yet been used on many artists’ palette and its chief application has been in the aerospace and defence industry. Thanks to its inclusion, however, at least its formula will be part of the spectrum.

tchin tchin!

UNESCO is adding the beers of Belgium to its representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity, this rich tradition matriculating with Uzbek humour, the pottery of Portugal and falconry in the UK and joins the ranks of champagne and an array of French wine and the cuisine of Mexico. How nice that we can raise a glass to this deserved accolade, though absolute purists may not exactly appreciate that this currant beer is the only one we have on hand.

5x5

piscine matrix: a fish’s virtual swim is neurologically no different than the authentic experience

koyaanisqatsi: time-lapse of satellite telemetry shows urban-sprawl and changing landscapes over the past thirty-two years

ill-will ambassador: for ten years a Turkish and Ghanaian crime syndicate operated a phoney US embassy in Accra selling thousands of fake visas and passports, via Super Punch

and that’s a fact: a preview of fifty-two things consultant Tom Whitwell shared learning this past year from Kottke – how many mentioned did you learn about as well?

fête: bon viviant Messy Nessy Chic crashes a surreal party held in an abandoned warehouse in Paris

lux or southern-exposure

On many old brick buildings across England, one might find the notice bracketing window-sills of “Ancient Lights.”

Dating back to 1663 and then later codified after the Great Fire, the property rights law stated that if a window providing occupants of tenement natural light for a period of twenty years unimpeded, then neighbouring properties could not be granted permission to build or landscape in a manner that might obscure said ancient window, but the onus was on the owners to mark it as such. Throughout the Victorian era up until modern times when home were electrified, there was a lot of serious study devoted to the minimum candlepower (lux) that humans needed to be kept in humane conditions. Be sure to visit the link up top to see a gallery of strategically placed portals. Maybe there is something more to be found beyond these thresholds.

triple point

Earlier this year, researchers at the Max Planck Institute’s Mainz campus discovered how infectious agency of the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae operates to allow it to establish itself and spread in vegetation in a very novel and unexpected way—by producing their own frost that damages leaves and steams.
Specialised proteins on the cellular membranes of the bacteria align water molecules into the crystalline structure they’d assume at the freezing point and then the bacteria flagellates itself to dissipate the surrounding heat and make its own ice. The physics are different but the clever trick of the bacteria made me think about this other recent sleight of hand that demonstrates that a vanishingly small column of water will freeze solid even at boiling temperatures. Apparently the bacteria even propagates itself by seeding clouds with ice crystals and comes down with the rain. That’s pretty amazing and I wonder if these bacteria might have applications in cryogenics.

cigalike

I understand that a rather innovative hybrid cigarette from a major manufacturer has come to British markets, and while I’m not endorsing any part of a nasty addictive habit, I did however find the system—which is not like an e-cigarette or vaping which I originally found pretty unsatisfying but rather almost like a pipe insofar as the tobacco is toasted and the experience is “smokeless”—interestingly self-destructive, almost as much as being hooked itself by in the opposite direction.
I can appreciate the industry’s motivation to turn towards what might be honestly touted as less unhealthy and I was really surprised that once I tried it out in May (it came to Germany in late Spring and was previously only available in Switzerland and Japan) I never once had the urge to switch back to regular cigarettes. I continued through the end of October, finding myself smoking less—just keeping up the ritual and the pretence and was ultimately, gladly able to leave it altogether, reconciling to myself that the glamour of it all was still costing me the same amount per tiny pack—like those cigarettes that were mostly filter from The Fifth Element. The holder itself could be mistaken for a home pregnancy-test kit. Like I said, I wouldn’t recommend such a product but am grateful for it weening me off the habit, which was something I would have never imagined.

postfaktische o post-verità

Whether the European political status quo can weather the trends that first emerged with the Brexit with the encore number, dénouement of the Trump ascendancy will see its first stress test this weekend with the run-off election in Austria and a contested referendum in Italy that could spark a constitutional crisis equally if it passes or fails. Even if the concept of polling hadn’t lost all its credence, the outcomes of both votes are highly uncertain.
What sort of precedent has already been struck and what would this shift bode more broadly? If elected, the conservative candidate of the Freedom Party Norbert Hofer will hold a plebiscite on continued EU membership, touted as Öxit. This protracted drama was too close to call in April of this year and a second vote was called for October—but delayed until now due to an issue with the glue on ballots mailed out. Meanwhile in Rome, Matteo Renzi’s government is pledging to dissolve itself if a sweeping reform bill engineered to reduce the gridlock that’s inchoate in the Italian parliament by divesting one chamber of its veto power. Even though that does smack as pretty much antidisestablishmentarian, populist elements oppose the change and its failure (and the resignation of the incumbent) are seen as an opportunity for social and economic conservatives to gain control.