indelible

In circulation from 1883 to 2011, Inland Printer was among the first periodical to change its cover with every new issue and was instrumental in spreading the Art Nouveau movement in the US, itself launched in response to the booming Mid-Western print industry. The venerable trade magazine highlighted and heralded changes in design and style, showcasing new talent, and helped usher in other movements as it kept publishers abreast of the latest advances in colour printing and engraving—both for promotional ephemera and books meant to last. Check out a whole gallery of cover art and vintage advertisements from the magazine curated by Dangerous Minds at the link up top.

in the temple of science there are many mansions

To mark what would have been his one hundred-thirty-ninth birthday, Aeon magazine features an engrossing and retrospective essay on the life and times of Albert Einstein and his contributions to science and social justice and his rather fraught and puzzled relationship to fame and celebrity. Speculating on why such rarified pursuits touching the nature of the Cosmos with rather destructive practical application resonated with the public, Einstein eschewed worship and was himself highly skeptical of appeal to authority, though owning he’d been duly punished for his distrust by becoming the expert witness for himself.

grøtmelet or the breakfast of champions

We enjoyed learning of the great Norwegian Porridge Feud of the mid-nineteenth century that was sparked by “scientific” thought encroaching on traditional foods. Domestic science—which did not always ascribe rigorously to the scientific method with opium and cocaine and sugar considered safe active ingredients or breakfast cereals promoted as a remedy against autoerotic excess and has a history of crazes, ulterior motives and a rather spotty reputation—sought to overhaul kitchen-witchery and folkways.
The first perceived assault came in the form of a cookbook that presumed to tell housewives that they’ve been making their porridge (grøt) and other staples wrong all along, authored by the well-meaning Peter Christen Asbjørnsen (under the pseudonym Clemens Bonifacius—the Gentle Helper). Would you have taken sides? This controversy, seen by many to be a grave insult to homemakers but alternately drew many to companion the new science, forwarded the debate between traditional wisdom and expert application in view of the evolving realities of the way we live and eat—both ushering in a greater variety for Scandinavian diets but also the ills of processed and refined foods.

ad astra

As we mark the passing of Professor Hawking, we are confident that his legacy and inspiration will endure for ages to come and it’s a testament to human perseverance and advances in health care that he survived and thrived for decades and upheld a career both as a scientist and personality.
While we’re of course privileged and richer for having shared this existence with Professor Hawking, it is also a bit disheartening to imagine what’s left unfinished, bittersweet knowing there are others to come to champion mathematics and the sciences and take up the gauntlet of pondering the mysteries of the Universe. Although plenty of marvels (some by his own contributions) have been revealed—like our conception of Black Holes, gravitational waves and the profusion of exoplanets—we had hoped that Professor Hawking would have lived to see planetary colonisation and first contact. And while most of his charismatic appearances have been cameos, Professor Hawking’s final role (that we were just enjoying yesterday, in fact) was playing the next edition of the eponymous Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy (the audio book version of the guide) in BBC’s radio drama of Douglas Adams’ work—reprised with continuing adventures forty years after the original serialisation. Per aspera ad astra. Per ardua ad astra.

elemental

First shown as part of a comprehensive exhibition on the artist in the Victoria & Albert Museum in 2013, Open Culture pays a tribute to Paul Robertson’s Periodic Table of David Bowie as its twelve city gallery tour is coming to a close in Brooklyn. Each period and series feature figures that Bowie has either inspired or credits as influencers. Be sure to visit the link above to learn more and to watch a video summary of the arrangement.