freudenfreude (12. 960)

First coined circa 2022, the German neologism formulated in English in response to the popular rediscovery of the concept of Schadenfreude (see more here plus an obscure native synonym) has through variants. The apotheosis of its source, word connotes the contagious nature of joy—whose own English equivalent is the uncommon confelicity—is also sparking compound snowclones to express appreciation for tiny victories: Parkenfreude, Schlangefreude, Platzenfreude, etc. Alternatively, there is the nascent Schadenfreudeschaden, for the compounded misery experienced by witness the former delight in one’s misfortune. Can you come up with some more examples?

for full measure, agitate lever (12. 959)

The always interesting Present /&/ Correct (do check out their sundries), directs our an auction catalogue of antique vending and gum-ball machines (see also). Though such coin-op delivery systems, and the logistical network to keep them stocked has been supplanted to some extent in many markets, there still are notable hold-outs and arguably a renaissance of such retail modes in delivery robots and roving cornershops. The modern introduction of automats for bottled beverages, newspapers and convenient snacks that began in the 1880s, proliferating into all sectors, is a revival itself that is rooted in some very ancient engineering with Hero of Alexandria credited with inventing the first vending machine in the second century A.D. with a contraption of weighs and counter-balances that dispensed a measure of wine—or perhaps holy water—in exchange for a coin. The second-wave rediscovery saw its earliest prototypes in selling tobacco and stamps with first recognisable machines for envelopes, postcards and other stationary items.

synchronoptica

one year ago: 1924’s first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade (with synchronopticæ), assorted links to revisit, the fabulous Miss Raquel Welch plus impoundment of appropriated funds

thirteen years ago: Spectropia 

fourteen years ago: Black Friday goes international 

paris du nuit (12. 958)

Through the lens of his nocturnal series documenting the comings and goings, rushing from haunt to haunt and the desolation of the darkness that created some of the most iconic pictures of the City of Lights of the 1920s, we appreciated this introduction to photographer and filmmaker Gyula Halász, of Transylvanian extraction and know professionally as Brassaï, the pseudonym after his home village. Wandering the streets of Montparnasse with a cadre of young artists, writers and expatriates, his collection ranged from the seedier side of night life to high society and portraits of his circle of friends that included Matisse, Picasso and Dalí, from cabarets to opera houses to those liminal places bereft of foot traffic—see also here and here—every image is quite arresting and enveloping, like the representative picture of a figure inspecting the beacon of a Litfass column. At first only trying to supplement his irregular income with commissions, Brassaï went on to become an advisor and founding member of the first press agency specialising in street photography in 1933, which enabled him and compatriots to license their work and secure royalties. There’s a whole gallery of photographs curated by Messy Nessy Chic at the link above.

personally, i’ve always wondered why alchemists didn’t think that through a little more (12. 957)

Via Kottke, we are directed to a thoughtful essay by Josh Collinsworth comparing the quest for the Philosophers’ Stone (previously here and here) with the present obsession of spinning straw into gold through creating art with artificial intelligence—with parallels to other useful commodities precious by medieval standards yet now considered nearly disposable for their ubiquity and effortless extraction, like salt and spices or clean water—like how aluminium foil was once such a rarity until the refinement process was perfected, thanks in large part to this forerunner of chemistry. Making the valuable commonplace for the temporary enrichment of a few is nothing sustainable.  The value of creative expression is derived by the work that goes into it, the artist and their motivation, not the output itself, derivative, uninspired and only glancingly aesthetic (with diminishing returns) in application. It’s a doomed venture—this approach—but perhaps like these earlier pursuits will eventually yield useful results re-directed towards turning a real scarcity into something abundant, or maybe getting rid of something we have too much of.

synchronoptica

one year ago: the literature of Prairie Dawn (with synchronopticæ), a pirated television signal plus Macquarie Dictionary’s Word of the Year

thirteen years ago: the Pope’s biography of Jesus plus PfRC goes social

fifteen years ago: tuition rate hikes in the UK plus seasonal traditions 

 

 

kunstkammer (12. 956)

Having written on the subject of curio cabinets quite extensively beforehand (see here and here), exhibits public and private exhibits of one’s collection, we very much appreciated the chance to revisit the topic of presentation (and preservation) through the lens of the seventeenth century genre of gallery painting originating in Antwerp introduced by Public Domain Review contributor Thea Applebaum Licht. There’s a curated assortment of these exuberant canvases, recursive and metaphysical, of artefacts and artworks in a idealised reception space, whose study in detail, whether or not such assemblages existed outside of the commission’s imagination whose symbolic imagery and iconodules convey the refinement and erudition they not only hope to express in their collections but also aspirations from a uncategorised cornucopia by today’s standards of accessioning.

i am the great american body—full of corn and consequence (12. 955)

In anticipation of the bizarre US ritual involving the president pardoning two turkeys ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday—an equally bizarre celebration—we enjoyed this short imagined monologue from McSweeney’s contributor John Leahy narrating the internal thoughts of a sycophantic, sacrificial fowl proudly refusing clemency and appealing to Trump’s by narcissism.  The saying goes that turkeys vote for Christmas but maybe face-eating leopards, and their backers, deserve their own special day as well.

synchronoptica

one year ago: the musical stylings of Lord Rickingham’s XI (with synchronopticæ) plus assorted links worth the revisit

thirteen years ago: eavesdropping mannequins  

fourteen years ago: trending topics 

cabina telefónica (12. 954)

Shortly following a reversal of government policy seen to have been an abuse of public resources and encouraged waste with free running water for household use (now limited through use of meters to 20 litres per person per day), Cuba ended its practise, in place since the 1959 Revolution, on this day in 1976 of allowing toll-free calls from public telephones—see also. Local calls would now cost five cents for a three-minute conversation.

9x9 (12. 953)

architectural digest: a guided two-hour walking tour of New York City’s most iconic buildings  

1999 a.d.: a paleo-future vision from 1967 that asks if the cusp year will be too computerised, too cold  

shinbun: a hypnotic, phrenetic collage of Japanese newspaper clippings from 1991 to the present—see also  

meet the aphantasics: more on those who don’t form mental images 

i wool survive: a flock of ostracised gay rams from Germany have a haute-couture debut on a Manhattan catwalk  

electric pentacle: the occult detective Thomas Carnacki created by William Hope Hodgson who despite his supernatural inclinations has a skeptical side and is unafraid to use nascent technology as his red-herring or MacGuffin 

doge: the US Department of Government Efficiency quietly closed down 

field-expedient gadgets: preparing meals in maximum security plus other prison inventions  

diorama: Theria Sofia reworks Polly Pocket sets—originally fashioned from a makeup compact as a toy