nightgaunts (11. 906)

Via Fancy Notions, we are directed towards a quirky, creepy featurette that definitely has the look and feel of a silent work from the 1920s, an homage to the great puppet animator Władysław Starewicz and by extension, inspiration Tim Burton, but was only made in 1998. From studio Screen Novelties’ Seamus Walsh and Mark Caballero in this stop-motion animation—with fitting accompaniment—a weird little old man is captured by flying demons (the titular creatures based on an HP Lovecraft story) and taken to the goblins’ lair. Watching the cartoon was reminiscent of perennially viewing of Disney’s Halloween Treat and the inclusion of the 1929 Silly Symphony The Skeleton Dance but much better crafted and with a spookier soundtrack best left on repeat.

let’s not do any more questions. let’s just listen to music—let’s make it into a music (11. 905)

During a campaign rally in suburban Philadelphia—hosted by former potential running-mate South Dakota governor Kristi Noem who was withdrawn from consideration for executing a family dog— Donald Trump requested the air-conditioning be turned on after two attendees collapsed apparently due to the heat. On learning that that was not possible, Trump decided to turn the town hall meeting into an impromptu dance party as the crowd slowly departed over the next forty minutes, with Trump swaying and bouncing on his heels, the moderator joining him on stage. The playlist on repeat featured Trump’s standards—many songs whose artists disavow Trump’s use of their music and have threatened legal action to stop him (see previously), including Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Rufus Wainwright, ABBA and Celine Dion. Afterwards, Trump commended the two people who had fainted as patriots, “We love them and because of them, we ended up with some great music, right?”

 synchronoptica

one year ago: hyperinflation in Germany (with synchronoptica), performer Adelaide Hall plus the Battle of the Chinese Farm

seven years ago: elections in Austria

eight years ago: a wine fountain for thirsty pilgrims, Memphis-Milano style, the history of the selfie plus the US retaliates in kind over Russian meddling in the election

nine years ago: refugee politics in Europe plus social distance

twelve years ago: European disunity plus font-branding

the difference engine (11. 904)

Courtesy of ibīdem and following the same steampunk theme, we are directed to a presentation and pitch delivered by Charles Babbage (previously), disgraced and dismissed by his domestic backers to recuperate trust in his project, that addressed the concepts of software and programmable computers back in mid-September of 1840, couched in of course much plainer language as no one had such vocabulary in their quiver beforehand and discovered while researching an alternate history by the co-author of the above speculative work of science fiction. Building off the analogous punch-cards of the Jacquard loom, Babbage seemingly convinced his audience of prestigious and influential figures of the potential of his proposal, but having deposited such a world-changing idea, the outreach proves to be a dud and goes nowhere—with possibly some intrigue and industrial espionage behind this ultimate reception and protectionism over progress. Much more at the links above.

interchangeable electric display apparatus (11. 903)

Via Clive Thompson’s Linkfest (much more to explore there), we learn about inventor George Lafayette Mason’s 1898 twenty-one segment display (see previously) that could produce all the letters of the alphabet, though making different choices than the LED standard that arose with a fussy Victorian typeface that preserves serifs and other typographical fiddly bits. Several hardware engineers have recently rediscovered Mason’s contributions and have made functioning, steampunk versions of his patent.

say what again! say what again—i dare you, i double dog dare you (11. 902)

Having premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Quentin Tarantino’s follow-up film to Reservoir Dogs went into general release in the United States on this day in 1994. The independent crime film, both a critical and commercial success garnering both Oscars for screen play and best picture as well as the Palme d’Or, it reinvigorated the careers of John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Tim Roth and introduced Uma Thurmond. Despite the iconic status of the soundtrack, no score was composed, using a mix of soul, classic ballads and surf music. Fragmented exploitation and heralded as defining both the genre of neo-noir and gangland camp like its source material, Pulp Fiction’s homage to other movies and cinematic devices is considered essential to the film.

*     *     *     *     *

synchronoptica

one year ago: unredacting classified documents with AI (with synchronoptica)

seven years ago: software writing itself, more on the search for dark matter, offloading surplus energy plus the Snoopy airport of Sonoma County

eight years ago: a Simpsons’ meta-reference to welcome Yoko Ono in Iceland, aversion to jargon plus a tree-spade for construction sites

nine years ago: assorted links worth revisiting plus a trip to the Wasserkuppe

twelve years ago: Atoms for Peace

roll for insight (11. 901)

As Dungeons & Dragons marks its fiftieth anniversary—the tabletop role-playing game that invites players to invent and articulate their own narrative arcs, psychiatrists are increasingly prone to recognise the benefit of play as a heuristic for group therapy. Whilst research is ongoing regarding improving social skills and empathy, many patients and counsellors (in the loose role of Dungeon Master, despite or because of the attendant Satanic Panic) alike have accepted the approach as effective.

late-bloomer (11. 900)

Once the peonies (Pfingstrosen) had sprouted and flowered in Spring, we cut the ones growing in the bed off the front door back lest they take too much water from the lavender and other neighbours. A few weeks ago, however, another one emerged, well out of season.
Renewal buds develop in the summertime underground, becoming stems with primordia, anlage differentiating but remaining dormant, normally. We watched this one outlier grow and waited and waited for weeks to see what would happen. Has anyone else experienced this?  Being this far out of sync seems to suggest something.  It did finally bloom, but while we were away on vacation and the strong winds destroyed it right away.

peabody visual aids (11. 899)

Courtesy of Messy Nessy Chic, we enjoyed perusing this gallery of antique library infographics salvaged from the trash in 2003. Making use of the Dewey decimal system, the reference and the periodical desk less daunting for students, these posters which date from the 1930s and 1940s (see also) and were designed by Professor Ruby Ethel Cundiff who pioneered the use of multimedia and cooperation between school libraries and the classroom in a career spanning five decades, defining reference collections and library science during her tenure at the Peabody College for Teachers, now part of Vanderbilt University.