Trivia (should have been 23 November)

River City: 1901
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave

Detroit circa 1901
“Excursion steamers Tashmoo and Idlewild at wharf”
No loafing allowed!
8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co
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The history of Christian art and architecture
via OUP blog
Although basilisks, griffins, and phoenixes summon ideas of myth and lore, they are three of several fantastic beings displayed in a Christian context. From the anti-Christian Roman emperor Diocletian to the legendary Knights of the Templar, a variety of unexpected subjects, movements, themes, and artists emerge in the history of Christian art and architecture.
To get an idea of its scope, we mined The Oxford Dictionary of Christian Art and Architecture for information to test your knowledge.
Go to OUP to try for yourself
The one thing I love about OUP quizzes is that you get a score but also the correct answers and a brief paragraph about the question.

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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Uses of art
Like a Victorian social reformer, Alain de Botton wants to lead the masses away from shallow consumerism. And he wants to make buck… more

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25 Insanely Unique and Mind-Blowing Buildings Around the World
via Lifehack by Alicia Prince

Throughout history, architecture has remained a crucial expression of cultural and societal growth. Today, innovative building techniques plus new materials and ways of thinking give us almost unlimited potential when it comes to this art form. Mixing old and new, natural and modern, the following 25 mind-blowing buildings from around the world might make your head spin and your jaw drop.
See for yourself

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Five Tribes – a twist on the worker placement game
via Boing Boing by Matt M Casey

Cathala’s Five Tribes inverts the popular worker placement game genre. In worker placement games, players use tokens (commonly called “workers”) to claim the exclusive right to perform a specific action.
Continue reading and watch the video

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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Culture and internet
People who want to make a living in arts and letters are screwed. It’s a sad fact worthy of attention. It’s also not at all unsurprising… more

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50 Cultural Icons on Their Favorite Books
via Flavorwire by Emily Temple
Everybody loves a good book. Yes, everybody – even the rich, famous and culturally relevant. And since there’s nothing better than a book recommendation from someone you already idolise, why not check out which ones they count as their favourites? Maybe you’ll wind up finding out that you have even more in common with Lady Gaga than you thought.
Continue reading

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How Sound Waves Help Deliver Medicine to the Brain
via Big Think by Robert Montenegro

The fact that your brain is protected by both the skull and a thick barrier of discerning cells is, for the most part, a good thing. One can only imagine how lousy it would be if every little toxin or substance could infiltrate your body's central processing centre.
But sometimes the brain’s blessing can also be a doctor’s curse, especially when trying to treat disorders such as Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. This is because just as your head’s defenses keep pathogen out from the sensitive areas of the brain, they also set up a roadblock for vital medicines needed to fight disease.
Continue reading

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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate

Architecture of (commercial) desire
Packaged pleasures. The “tubularization” of society – cigarettes, tin cans, soda bottles, lipstick – marked a radical shift in human experience… more

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Qwerkywriter: a mechanical typewriter keyboard
via Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow

Shipping in summer 2015, Qwerkywriter is a $300 computer keyboard that uses mechanisms that mimic the keys of an old-fashioned manual, mechanical keyboard.
The Qwerkywriter was funded through a very successful Kickstarter campaign, and can be pre-ordered with US/UK/Spanish/French/German layouts. It connects to your devices through Bluetooth or USB.
Qwerkywriter (via Core 77)