via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
Washington, D.C., circa 1925
“Family group listening to radio”
A baseball game, maybe. The original caption label for this one has been lost.
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The secret life of Velella jellyfish
via Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder
Steve Haddock of the the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (and author of the fantastic book, Practical Computing for Biologists) sent me a link to MBARI's latest video, about the wonderfully weird Velella jellyfish, aka the by-the-wind sailor.
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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The world is always “more dangerous than it has ever been” – except it isn’t. By most measures – war, homicide, genocide – it’s more peaceful than ever… more
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The 50 Best Documentaries of All Time
via Flavorwire by Jason Bailey
This week, The Criterion Collection is giving a welcome Blu-ray upgrade to F for Fake, Orson Welles’ 1973 documentary exploration of hoaxes, fakery, and magic. It was one of his last completed films, and one of his few documentaries — and, in true Welles form, he went and made one of the greatest nonfiction films of all time. How great? Well, its re-release is as good a time as any to spotlight the finest documentaries ever made. (And just to avoid repetition, we’ll skip the music docs and concert films.)
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Could a Newly Launched Metaphorical Search Engine Really Work?
via Big Think by Neurobonkers
When I first heard of Yossarian Lives, a website that bills itself as the metaphorical search engine, I thought “no way!” Good metaphors are inherently artistic and depend on a nuanced understanding of related topics, both very human qualities. Indeed, when I had a chance to fool around with the alpha version of Yossarian Lives it seemed to function as a glorified “random” button on your average stock photo library.
Some bonkers ideas work out and some don’t, This appears to be one of the latter.
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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
To read with sensitivity for nuance, meaning, and atmosphere is a tricky business. Tim Parks has a few thoughts on how to do it better… more
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The Hollywood battalion
via The National Archives by James Cronan
It’s a line up that would make any film an instant Hollywood blockbuster. In the First World War four home-grown British actors, who would go on to grace stage and screen both in the UK and in America, enlisted in the 14th Battalion, London Regiment (also known as the 14th County of London Battalion and the London Scottish). Ronald Colman was the first to enlist, followed by Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains and Herbert Marshall. The simplest explanation for this is that the London Scottish had their regimental headquarters in the Horseferry Road in Westminster, central London. Their drill hall was at 56 Buckingham Gate, around the corner from Buckingham Palace, both within close proximity to London’s West End theatres.
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Among the Kurds in southeastern Turkey
via 3 Quarks Daily by John Palattella in The Nation
The highway leading from the airport to town is new, or at least has been recently upgraded: four lanes of smooth blacktop running north-south and bordered by broad sidewalks empty under the blistering summer sun. The surrounding area is sparsely populated scrubland, but new businesses hug the edge of the road. There are car dealerships for Citroën, Fiat and Renault, and their big-box showrooms are adorned with logos that gleam as brightly as the latest models in their oversize lots. Gas stations outfitted with enough pumps to fuel a fleet of taxis are scattered along the route; several double as parking lots for idle backhoes and bulldozers. Like the airport, an elegant and airy structure where just two of the eighteen check-in windows are in use, the road is a sign of growth and a promise of more.
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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
“Sea change,” “drop in the bucket,” “give a wide berth” weren’t always clichés. They entered the vocabulary as clever novelties… more
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John Oliver and Cookie Monster, reporting for W-ORD
via Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow
Not the best of the Cookie Monster but comes close!
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