❄️ (13. 147)

Reminding us of the collection of Vermont meteorologist Snowflake Bentley’s collection, we enjoyed discovering the volume Sekka Zusetsu (雪華図説) published in 1832 by the fourth daimyō of the Koga shogunate, representing two decades of careful observations of snow flowers (sekka, せっか) through the lens of his own microscope imported from the Netherlands. The book, originally privately printed for the feudal lord and his family and friends, was released to general readership soon thereafter in an expanded version with the patterns incorporated as motifs in porcelain and textiles (including decorative elements in local buildings, sidewalks and manholes) throughout Japan. More from Public Domain Review at the link above.

 synchronoptica

one year ago: Andean textiles (with synchronopticæ), demon mode/pious mode plus Wikipedia rabbitholes

twelve years ago: UN critical of the Vatican plus the tense backdrop of the opening of the Winter Games

thirteen years ago: repairing the Greek economy plus living in a computer simulation

fourteen years ago: the Queen’s diamond jubilee  

fifteen years ago: a drive through the Haßberge 

sixteen years ago: holiday overlap 

obit. (13. 146)

The venerable and respected family publication and paper of record purchased by a holding company owned by Jeff Bezos in 2013, appearing at the time to be a genuine act of philanthropy to save the struggling regional daily when the Amazon billionaire seemed to be politically agnostic and more aloof than most of his monied cohort though in retrospect and re-evaluated through the lens of the likes of Elon Musk’s leveraged takeover of another media outlet we have to wonder, announced, at the direction of the executive editor of a massive cut in staff, eliminating one third of reporters and doing away with its sports and literary desks and foreign bureaus. Whilst the Washington Post is again struggling financially after a period of revival and increased engagement owing to the injection of cash and social media savvy—due in no small part to Bezos’ shadow-cum-full-throated endorsement of Trump and currying favour with the administration—and is symptomatic of the journalistic landscape at large, the layoffs, resulting in significant cancellations of subscription, and restructuring do seem like a concession with the dual objective of divesting oneself from a losing venture, although the cuts preserve the core of the capital’s coverage and reporting on DC, which during those golden years above—benefitting from the Trump bump of chaotic publicity during the first term and continuing—which drew his ire, casting aspersions against non-propagandists as enemies of the people. Scaling back foreign correspondents, however, may limit the broader story. The announcement also coincides with the premiere of the expensive flop of a vanity biopic of FLOTUS, a joint project of Amazon Films and MGM Studios (whose box-office comes at the same time as the final release of the Epstein files) as well as previously being a corporate donor to the inauguration and destruction of the White House East Wing.

snake-charmer (13. 145)

Having covered the mistaken medical caduceus (from the Ancient Greek κηρύκειον for “herald’s wand”) and the iconography of the intertwined serpents representing the fleet-footed messenger of the gods Hermes / Mercury and also the brilliant corporate logos of graphic designer Paul Rand previously, we enjoyed this brief missive from the Daily Heller revisiting the two topics. This deviation and arguable misuse as a symbol for healing, rather than the Rod of Asclepius, the deity associated with the medical arts and whose staff only has a single snake with no wings, dates back to a well-documented adoption of the insignia by the US army surgeon general and the decision of a single officer over the objection of scholars and badge bearers in dated to 1902. The abstract corporate logo, one of Rand’s first, is from 1945 and reflects that misapplication (likely also a choice for symmetry though the caduceus is also associated with alchemy) for client Smith, Kline & French, pharmaceutical company specialising originally in geriatric drugs—now part of Glaxo Wellcome.

synchronoptica

one year ago: US tariffs and shipping restrictions for China (with synchronopticæ) plus chromatic wood type

twelve years ago: monuments men plus improving clinical Wikipedia 

thirteen years ago: self-hypnosis plus an abdication in the Netherlands

fourteen years ago: Star Wars abstract art 

sixteen years ago: geometric dreaming 

 

rede an den kleinen mann (13. 144)

Having a passing familiarity with one of the more radical and controversial figures in the field of psychiatry, Wilhelm Reich, we were rather absorbed with his 1945 illustrated essay, Listen, Little Man!—call-out quotations limned by cartoonist William Steig (best known for his 1990 children’s book Shrek! and the basis of the animated movies) a personal friend and originally self-published by Reich’s Orgon Press. Aligned with overarching philosophy that neuroticism, self-destructive behaviours and fascism were rooted in sexual frustrations, the tract, translated with multiple reprintings and influencing the likes of Saul Bellow, William S Burroughs and Norman Mailer and Joan Didion among others as writers of creative non-fiction, documents the evolution of a psychoanalytical session from the point of view of the derided therapist, Reich himself as a stand-in for the whole backlash against the industry and skepticism towards expertise in general, from bemused naïvety, amazement to panic and horror about how resistant the patient can be to being disabused, esteeming his enemies and persecuting allies, becoming crueler than through grievance than the power structure one hopes to supplant. Much more to discover at the links above.

ōdako (13. 143)

Dedicated to a legendary giant octopus guarding a sacred sword at the bottom of the sea in the nearby Straits of Hayasui, the Hayasuhime shrine in Oita prefecture is unique Japan and popular with locals and prayed to for good fortune and safety on the water. Enshirement of a new deity recently crafted, however, was delayed due to neighbourhood cats, who used the cardboard sculpture as a scratching post and as a shelter during the winter cold and now installed, the sculptor may have found himself committed to an unending task of upkeep with these feline devotees. The kraken-like sea monster (see also) is called the Akkorokamui (アッコロカム) from Ainu folklore and has a variety of myths associated with it—a mostly benevolent kami in the Shinto tradition, it does have a chaotic side and must be approached carefully—much like a cat. More from Spoon & Tamago at the link up top.

 

synchronoptica

one year ago: real estate development plans for Gaza (with synchronopticæ)

twelve years ago: hardwired for social media 

fourteen years ago: Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement plus an antiquing side project

fifteen years ago: biofuels 

sixteen years ago: Iranian space ambitions 

doughcon 4 (13. 142)

Via Quantum of Sollazo, we gain more of a purchase into the Pentagon Pizza Index and how spikes in ordering and deviation from the routine of usual business can give away a busy night at the US department of war, like DEFCOM despite all other OPSEC precautions. While US command and control has several concessionaires and a central barista called Ground-Zero, there are no on-base amenities to fulfil a late night wargaming and local franchises step in. This monitor also tracks open-source intelligence (OSINT), relevant newsfeeds and the pulse of betting, predictions markets to calibrate their own minute by minute Doomsday clock—for those who might be inclined to wager on geopolitical outcomes.

rëşt ộf wŏrld (13. 141)

DJ Earworm’s (previously) reprised mashup, Tops of the World, features the number one song in one hundred forty nine countries from the past twelve months, showcasing some one hundred five hits (obliviously some cross-over) is back online. This lesson in geography, music and culture expressed through dance, instrumentation and fashion as a global exchange is ambitious and inevitably ran into some legal entanglements and take-down notices due to the range of copyright laws that one would expect to have to navigate. Annotated, click through for a full listing of the samples and learn more about each source track and artist and inclusion methodology. This compilation might end the need for international song competitions. Let us know your new favourites and what you have learnt.

money feeds my music machine (13. 140)

Though the success of the single was unmatched by the short-lived Lemon Pipers, the song topping the Billboard charts on this day in 1968, the band could not be fairly classified as merely a one-hit wonder as “Green Tambourine” is regarded as the breakthrough song for bubblegum pop and psychedelia, exposing the listening public to both seemingly disparate genres in one track. Cowritten by Shelley Pinz, a writer and lyricist working at the Brill Building in Manhattan’s historic Tin Pan Alley neighbourhood—housing offices of industry executives and studios, producing the American songbook of influential and popular music from the Big Band era through the 1970s with the address bestowing a signature sound—the words were inspired by a busker Pinz saw on the street one day and wrote a verse wondering what happened to him. Arranged for tambourine and electric sitar, it introduces the dechronicisation elements of time signature changes, fades and tape echo that no one was certain would be received well in a mainstream release. The Lemon Pipers had some moderate follow up success with “Jelly Jungle,” “Rice is Nice” and “Blueberry Blue”—also by Pinz but did not like working for a label after they were discovered feeling stereotyped and only allowed to record what was intended to capitalise on their initial hit and disbanded in 1969. Outside of US markets, more radio play was given to a cover version that appeared on the eponymous debut album Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo.

*    *    *    *    *

synchronoptica

one year ago: the acting FBI director (with synchronopticæ) plus assorted links worth the revisit

twelve years ago: cross-border pizza deliveries 

thirteen years ago: Shakespearian words 

fourteen years ago: tensions in the Middle East 

fifteen years ago: the Twitter revolutions 

sixteen years ago: US military embraces social media 

seventeen years ago: chain-of-command