infinite diversity in infinite combinations (13. 897)

As our faithful chronicler reminds, S3:E5 of Star Trek: TOS was first broadcast this day in 1968 with the return of actor Diana Muldaur in the franchise, this time as psychologist Dr Miranda Jones—whom would later portray medical officer Katherine Pulaski on the Enterprise as the second season replacement for Dr Crusher, who was brought back for the third season (casting producers were unaware of Muldaur’s previous roles when McFadden was written out of the script—see also here and here) accompanying Medusan ambassador Kollos (transported around in a cooler) and the crew assigned to escort the two to a rendezvous point with a Medusan star cruiser. The non-humanoid aliens described as so repulsive, their outward appearance leads to death by insanity, though Spock may observe the ombudsman by shielding a direct gaze with a visor, as can Jones, crediting it to Vulcan like mental discipline from living among them and psychic abilities. Spock and Jones collaborate throughout the mission to first return to known space and then save the science officer’s sanity when he catches a glimpse of Kollos unfiltered. During the denouement, Spock appears in Starfleet dress uniform as they greet the Medusan delegation, featuring a medallion that represents Vulcan philosophy, prompting Jones to ask during the formal function if that badge was a subtle note that he as a Vulcan could mind-meld with the Medusans far better than she could. Spock replied to the contrary, that it represented, “The glory of creation is in its infinite diversity—and the ways our difference combine to create meaning and beauty,” pinning the medal on Jones to honour her achievements and skill. The speech was controversial and disliked by cast members who saw the exchange as a merchandising ploy for Roddenberry to see replicas of the IDIC badge through the mail-order memorabilia company Lincoln Enterprises (see also) run by his Roddenberry’s wife, Majel Barrett—which is precisely what it was. The slogan’s next appearance was in the TAS episode The Infinite Vulcan and has since become canonical.

the devil in the details (13. 896)

Via { feuilleton }, we learn that at the film’s centenary, a recently rediscovered scrapbook of sketches and on-set photographs help limn the creative process of F W Murnau and his masterwork Faust. Very protective of his directorial methods, the production bible—a prop in the actual film—consigned to the hearth in a moment of despair by the itinerant alchemist, art directors rescued this artefact from the ashes and filled in with storyboards and stills to present to Murnau as a keepsake on the premiere. Leaving it behind when invited to Hollywood in Berlin, the leather bound tome was never retrieved and thought lost during WWII. After much searching, the Faust Bible reappeared and was acquired by Cinémathèque Française, who restored it and made it available to researchers and archivists, offering a unique insight into Murnau’s techniques and collaboration. More from the Guardian at the link above and see the whole silent classic as well. O lente, lente currite noctis equi!

khn et klek (13. 895)

Via ibīdem, we are introduced to the Québécois experimental math rock—the genre typified for complex and surprising rhythmical structures, changing time signatures, syncopation and counter-punctual arrangements include bands like Yes, Rush, Soundgarden and Polvo) duo Angine de Poitrine by means a tribute executed in LEGO to the group’s stage costumes and performance, oversized papier-mâché masks and pantomime between sets that preserve their anonymity. The name is French for cardiac arrest, joking that the dissonance and urgency of their songs might induce angina, and the elaborate headdress, which also was a gag to lure audiences to attend back-to-back bookings at a local venue in their hometown of Saguenay, is inspired by the pyramid monument built to commemorate the catastrophic flooding of the Ha! Ha! river (named for the landscaping feature)—displacing tens of thousands of residents—in 1996 as a form of art therapy, the faces tiled with three thousand yield signs—céder being homophonous with s’aider, to help each one another. More from Laughing Squid at the link above.

children of albion (13. 894)

Courtesy of Things Magazine, we thoroughly enjoyed this annotated gallery of British folklore in art including the docent’s own composition, the 2025 painting by Ben Edge, the North London based artist whose portfolio explores lore-building and rituals and their intersectionality with societal relations and stewardship of the natural environment and is an ethnographic inquiry through the mythopoetic lens, references the spirit of Albion of William Blake, who sought to liberate the national character from the “mind-forged manacles” of imperium and industrialisation and the dense and diligent fairy-folk of Richard Dadd, repeating the obsessively minuscule details—Freddy Mercury first songs were inspired by Dadd’s work, completed exclusively whilst institutionalised, as well—is a reframing for those founding fables, couched in the past and present and informed by heritage and tradition and defined by migration and progress. How many symbols, legendary creatures can you spot? A favourite seems to be the Green Man. Leonora Carrington and the Cornish standing stones referred to as the Nine Maidens, petrified for dancing on the Sabbath are also included in the curation.

synchronoptica

one year ago: Trump’s weaponisation of the justice department (with synchronoptica), West Side Story (1961) plus No Kings redux

two years ago: animated artefacts plus a collection of apotropaic plants  

three years ago: Republican conference in US congress remains leaderless plus a treasury of pointless websites

four years ago: the BBC at 100, rallying against the totalitarian regime in Iran plus a gallery of nightmare art

five years ago: an obtunded opportunity, your daily demon: Velar, Toto’s Africa plus Video Killed the Radio Star

six years ago: International Necktie Day, more musical mashups, more mushrooming, drills for the zombie apocalypse plus put our service to the test

seven years ago: the Peaceful Revolution of East Germany,  a font inspired by Greta Thunberg, more US gun violence plus prayer goes digital

eight years ago: International Credit Union Day, Big Bird retires plus the Postal Illuminati

 

day two hundred twenty three (13. 893)

The US sanctions Cuban banks for financial dealings with Iran—the US secretary of state also defending the pause on the embargo for Russian diesel, arguing it will offer global price relief. Tehran denies it is behind the Houthi insurgency in Yemen and attacks on Riyadh and has repeatedly offered to mediate talks with Saudi Arabia as a reconnaissance helicopter is downed in Najran and drones strike eastern provinces. Ahead of Monday’s independence referendum, a major fire breaks out at a military base in Alberta as Carney accuses Washington of trying to break Canada. A series of drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea bring war closer to NATO coastlines. Protests continue across France with looting and arson and thousands of arrest as students demonstrate against quality of educational opportunities, cost of living, the historic town hall of Limoges set ablaze. Ukraine hits oil facilities in the port of St Petersburg as Russia continues to target bridges and roads in Kyiv.

precursor (13. 892)

Broadcast on BBC2 in late September of 1990, the fifty-minute-long documentary written by and costarring Douglas Adams as a computer user with Doctor Who’s Tom Baker as a personification of agentic software. Exploring existent but nascent technology like Apple’s hypercard and Knowledge Navigator, Douglas, bored with the tedium and the passivity of television, disposes his TV in a rubbish kip, where he encounters Baker, who introduces him to interactive media—acting as a docent inside a virtual space shows Douglas the potential of linked text, sounds, images and video, a daisy-chain of connected topics to discover. Whilst Adams browses, clicking the animated icons, various historic figures related to the concept of hypertext—like Vannevar Bush and the Memex, the graphical narratives of Kurt Vonnegut are presented as Adams connects the Atlantic Ocean to Xanadu and back again—two and a half years ahead Tim Berners-Lee releasing hypertext markup language protocol to the public domain.

9x9 (13. 891)

lazy sunday: filmmaker Greta Gerwig’s next project is the adaptation of C S Lewis’ first book in the Naria tetralogy—more here  

glazing: a series of skits push back on the indignities of being interviewed by a sycophantic AI agent

the holy rus(e): much like evangelicalism is a hand maiden of right wing America, the Russian Orthodox Church is an instrument of the Kremlin’s hybrid influence 

the spetses players: the 1970s performance group that turned the Greek island into a stage  

ann putnam, jr: the long afterlife of a debunked theory behind the Salem Witch Trials—via Strange Company—see also  

[citation needed]: an engrossing article about Wikipedia’s gastronomical lacunas and attempts to fix them—I often look up what I am eating—via Web Curios  

the hierophant: tarot cards for teachers 

frontier training: how a “hardwired” pause on AI development could work by phasing in inference only chips  

sanatorium pod klepsydrą: ten unhinged international (mostly) horror homages as selected by the Eternal Family—including Funeral Parade of Roses

a new stance for tomorrow (13. 890)

Whilst not exactly mass-produced, the Futuro House (see a current listing here) by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen was more than just a custom build and demonstration prototype—whose further success and adoption was thwarted in part by the oil crisis of 1973 that greatly increased the cost of the plastic it was moulded from—occupying a sort of liminal space in pre-fabricated, tiny dwellings more like the Raygun Gothic designs of one off cars, monuments and distributed around the world for preservation, like graffitied slabs of the Berlin Wall or remnants of the Tokyo capsule hotel in various states of upkeep. Only one hundred were produced. With a flying-saucer shape and an aircraft hatch entrance, Suuronen’s concept for a modular, mobile ski chalet was reflective of the prevailing post-war attitude of unlimited economic and technological growth. More from { feuilleton } at the link above including related projects and a link to a 1998 documentary on their conservation.

synchronoptica

one year ago: global twinned-towns (with synchronoptica) plus a time capsule to be unsealed in six thousand years

two years ago: the first private rocket company, first presidential photo-op (1924) plus the Fool’s Cap Map 

three years ago: one the world’s first photovoltaic power plants plus assorted links to revisit

four years ago: St Andrew of Crete,  more links to enjoy plus RRR

five years ago: the tragical death of an apple pie

six years ago: the taking of Harper’s Ferry (1859), the 1973 OPEC oil embargo, change what the bunny is holding plus even more links worth the revisit

seven years ago: The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago

eight years ago: pumpkin spice in everything, early Uber, The Republican Club plus assorted links to enjoy