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mefi
Anything but clear.
It is well known that panes of stained glass in old European churches are thicker at the bottom because glass is a slow-moving liquid that flows downward over centuries. Well known, yes, but long known to be
wrong. Scientists still disagree about the nature of glass, and researchers continue to try to understand its
dual personality .
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 3:57 PM on July 29, 2008
(15 comments)
Butch Cassidy wanted to call his gang The Train Robber's Syndicate, but the name never stuck. The gang's core members - most notable among them
The Sundance Kid - and a revolving cast of supporting outlaws were most commonly called The
Hole-in-the-Wall Gang and
The Wild Bunch, and their goal was to be the most successful train robbers in history. The
Butch and Sundance site is a comprehensive collection of "the hundreds, if not thousands, of theories, legends and folk tales" surrounding the gang, including an exhaustive
list of biographies of the members, their associates, the lawmen who pursued them and the women who loved them, an
archive of transcribed news articles dating from the 1880s (including a
letter to the editor from Sundance himself), a
picture gallery and more.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 11:39 PM on July 22, 2008
(26 comments)
In November 1943, the
village of Tyneham in Dorset, England, received an
unexpected letter from the War Department, informing residents that the area would soon be "cleared of all civilians" to make way for Army weapons training. A month later, the displaced villagers left a note on their church door:
Please treat the church and houses with care; we have given up our homes where many of us lived for generations to help win the war to keep men free. We shall return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly. Residents were told they would be allowed to reclaim their homes after the war, but that didn't happen, and Tyneham became a
ghost village. Though most of the cottages have been damaged or fallen into disrepair, the church and school have been preserved and restored. Photo galleries
1,
2,
3,
4. Panoramic
tour [Java required]. Video:
Death of a Village [YouTube, 9 mins.]
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 11:11 AM on July 10, 2008
(20 comments)
‘Even to this day the diary has a slight aroma of cocoa,’ says Steve Dickinson about a
diary kept by his uncle Robert Dickinson while a prisoner at
Servigliano, an Italian war camp, in the 1940s. The diary has a cover made of old cocoa tins (hence the smell) with a broadcast aerial design incorporating the title 'Servigliano Calling.' It begins with his capture by the Germans in November 1941, and finishes, about six months before his death, in September 1944. Via
The Diary Junction blog.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 8:54 PM on July 2, 2008
(14 comments)
The Great Moon Hoax of 1835. During the last week of August 1835, the
New York Sun published a six-part article about the discovery - purportedly by renowned astronomer Sir John Herschel - of fantastical life on the moon, including herds of bison, blue unicorns, "a primitive tribe of hut-dwelling, fire-wielding biped beavers, and a race of winged humans living in pastoral harmony around a mysterious, golden-roofed temple." The public's reaction was a mix of credulity and skepticism. Read the full text of the serialized articles:
Part 1,
Part 2,
Part 3,
Part 4,
Part 5,
Part 6.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 11:12 PM on June 24, 2008
(37 comments)
Baby Bust! After 200 years of exponential population growth, and just four decades after overpopulation doomsaying began filling the bestseller lists, the First World is suddenly gripped with underpopulation hysteria. The governments of the developed world have always maintained an interest in birthrates and procreation, but the reasons why are changing, and the ensuing demographic debates about gender, race and culture are "ideologically fraught and scientifically questionable."
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 10:42 AM on June 16, 2008
(120 comments)
I Love My Life The Way It Is. A collection-in-progress of unscratched scratch-off lottery tickets, the project is the brainchild of Ali Alvarez, who hopes to collect at least 8000 tickets, enough to fill a 12x12 room from floor to ceiling. Alvarez is soliciting donations of unscratched tickets from volunteers around the world, and has posted pictures of some of the ones received so far. The idea of an unscratched lottery ticket makes some people "a little crazy," but Alvarez hopes the collection will cause people to explore the ideas of "getting your hopes high, dreaming, escaping, and then usually being let down."
Via.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 9:09 AM on June 14, 2008
(76 comments)
"I have never had an accident where I have pressed a button and accidentally sent seven chapters into cyberspace, never to be seen again. And have you ever tried to hack into my typewriter? It is very secure," says author Frederick Forsyth. In the computer age,
people still love typewriters. BBC News Magazine examines why, with some interesting comments after the article.
Via.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 11:04 PM on June 5, 2008
(80 comments)
From the Bookstalls of a Nigerian Market.
Onitsha Market Literature consists of stories, plays, advice and moral discourses published primarily in the 1960s by local presses in the lively market town of Onitsha [
in then-newly-independent Nigeria]...
In the fresh and vigorous genre of Onitsha Market Literature, the commoner wrote pulp fiction and didactic handbooks for those who perused the bookstalls of Onitsha Market, one of Africa’s largest trading centers. Examples:
How To Write And Reply Letters For Marriage, Engagement Letters, Love Letters And How To Know A Girl To Marry,
Learn To Speak 360 Interesting Proverbs And Know Your True Brother,
Struggle For Money [All full-text links are in pdf format, and some are quite large]. With links to
additional resources.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 7:59 PM on June 4, 2008
(25 comments)
RelationshipFilter, 1873. An online archive of letters from a wife to her husband, which include an intimate look at their relationship crisis.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 8:01 PM on May 26, 2008
(37 comments)
The Doll Games emerged in Berkeley, California, at a time when race, gender, politics, and sexuality were fiercely and publicly debated... The Doll Games held up a funhouse mirror to their times, and what survives of them are historical documents of a wobbly, comical sort. But the Doll Games transcend their epoch. Intricate, obsessional, moral, violent and sexual, funny and tragic... Obedient to no rules except those its practitioners invented for themselves, completely collaborative, the Doll Games defined a truly interactive art form. In this theater of two, every audience member was a co-creator. [some text and pics NSFW]
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 8:26 PM on May 18, 2008
(24 comments)
Let's Pretend With Uncle Russ. From 1948 to 1952, kids at American military bases all over the world tuned in to
Let's Pretend with Uncle Russ on Saturday mornings to hear a variety show of stories and music. Although the majority of listeners were the children of U.S. military personnel who received the program through the
Armed Forces Radio Service, "Uncle Russ" also had a worldwide fan club of listeners from faraway places who tuned in to hone their English skills. The site is maintained by "Uncle Russ" himself, Russ Thompson, who wrote, directed and produced the 30-minute show, as well as providing character voices. The site features
photos,
fan letters (the most popular reason for writing was to join the "Around the World Safety Club"),
celebrity guests and more from the show's run.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 12:15 AM on May 15, 2008
(2 comments)
It stands as one of the more unusual turning points of the Cold War, thanks mostly to the surprise appearance of several naked middle-aged women. Taking The Cure: How a group of British Columbian anarchists inspired democracy in Russia.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 11:25 PM on May 13, 2008
(7 comments)
Pax Corleone Americana? "Can any of the candidates vying to become the next president of the United States match Michael’s cool, dispassionate courage in the face of epochal change? Will they avoid living in the comforting embrace of the past, from which both Tom and Sonny ultimately could not escape? Or will they emulate Michael’s flexibility—to preserve America’s position in a dangerous world?"
The Godfather as metaphor.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 8:28 PM on April 28, 2008
(36 comments)
"As a great architect once said, 'Buildings should look like what they are'." John Jessop became so frustrated with the red tape required for his company to get permission to build a farm shed,
he submitted a sarcastic application . Read his full "Planning Application for Erection of Agricultural Implement Shed"
here [pdf, 3 pages]. No word yet on whether the shed was approved.
Via.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 5:55 PM on April 24, 2008
(27 comments)
The Lighthouse Directory. An information portal for over 9000 lighthouses, and sites of former lighthouses, all around the world. Photos, histories, technical specifications, etc. Most of the links are very thorough, with some including excerpts from keepers' logs. The site also includes links to current news stories and general historical articles related to lighthouses.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 1:33 AM on April 22, 2008
(28 comments)
The Serenader.
Roberto’s long moon-shadow stretches absurdly across the walls of the house as he plucks prettily at his guitar while his drunk client swaggers like a cat... Like many men in San Cristóbal, Roberto holds two jobs. At night he plays and sings the love songs that men use to woo women; in the day he teaches guitar to young men who may someday be his competition. Of the two jobs, serenading is far more lucrative.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 2:49 AM on April 18, 2008
(3 comments)
... I served my time I can speak on it. Fuck this War. American soldiers'
latrine graffiti in Kuwait and Afghanistan. A photo essay.
[Note: most text and one drawing NSFW]
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 9:48 PM on April 15, 2008
(30 comments)
"
Curse Tablets are small
sheets of lead,
inscribed with messages from
individuals seeking to make
gods and spirits act on their behalf and influence the behaviour of others against their will. The motives are usually malign and their expression violent, for example to wreck an opponent’s chariot in the circus,
to compel a person to submit to sex or to take revenge on a thief. Letters and lines written back to front,
magical ‘gibberish’ and arcane words and symbols often lend the texts additional power to persuade. In places where supernatural agents could be contacted, thrown into sacred pools at temples, interred with the dead or hidden by the turning post at the circus, these tablets have survived to be
found by archaeologists."
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 12:47 AM on April 12, 2008
(20 comments)
The Boneyard.
I’ve come to bear witness to American folly, to rest my eyes on the flying machines that flattened the forests of Southeast Asia, poisoned its people, and changed my life. A personal essay about the long-reaching effects of Agent Orange.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 7:35 PM on April 5, 2008
(14 comments)
The End Of The World As We Know It.
If you want to imagine the catastrophe - how you would cope, what would you do to save yourself and your family - where do you turn for advice?... The idea of dying together, all of us, in some ways seems less appalling than the thought of going alone.
Via.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 11:32 PM on April 1, 2008
(29 comments)
The Pajamas Letter.
I recently came upon a mysterious, unsigned letter in the deposit-envelope receptacle of a downtown ATM machine requesting that I draw a picture of my "normal pajamas" and send it back in an included self-addressed stamped envelope. Part Two.
Slideshow.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 12:24 AM on March 30, 2008
(23 comments)
The Truth Is Still Out There [link includes embedded video, scroll down for article]. Members of The X-Files' cast and crew
(minus Anderson/Scully and Duchovny/Mulder) discuss the myths and legends surrounding the show, as well as the upcoming new movie, at the
2008 Paley Festival, sponsored by
The Paley Center for Media (named for broadcaster
William S. Paley, and formerly known as The Museum of Television & Radio).
[Previous X-Files-related posts here.]
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 10:41 PM on March 27, 2008
(23 comments)
If you were a North American kid (well, a kid stuck at home, younger than driving age) in the late 70s/early 80s, your Saturday nights were likely spent in front of the television watching
The Love Boat. The show subsequently gained worldwide popularity. Did you know that the
Pacific Princess is still ferrying the lovelorn across the blue abyss, and that she has a
bridgecam? Did you know there were Love Boat
action figures? For your nostalgic pleasure: complete
episode guide, complete
guest star list,
theme song video (variations
1,
2,
3),
lyrics and chords, and
song facts.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 11:33 PM on March 22, 2008
(47 comments)
Bad Gift Emporium. Can't stand to look at that glittery unicorn statue from Aunt Ethel any longer? Can't bear to wear the hand-knitted sweater from Grandma Agnes (made from her own cat's hair)? Want to offer your horrific gift items to people who can truly appreciate them, or just share the misery? The Bad Gift Emporium is for you.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 7:32 PM on March 19, 2008
(13 comments)
"It's just like
judging a beautiful girl," said Fowzan al-Madr. "You look for big eyes, long lashes and a long neck." The art and science of Saudi Arabian
camel beauty pageants. More Riyadh market photos
here. Lots of information about Dromedary (Arabian) camels
here and
here. Listen to Dromedary camel sounds and read about Saudi camel history at
this site.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 8:08 PM on March 17, 2008
(33 comments)
I wanted to call you tonight. Predictably enough I was in one of those confusing states of mind somewhere between desperation and liberation--too wound up to do anything about my condition. So, me being me, and me being in some city where the street corners don't mean shit to me, I set off walking trying to find God in the neighborhoods or in traffic or in the laugh of some homeless guy. Mainly though, I was trying to get lost... From
Letters I Never Sent, a site "for Lovers. Liars. Crybabies. Sweetheats. Strangers. Best Friends. Old Friends. Exes. Enemies. Night Owls. Loners. Inmates. Vampires. Surfers. Soldiers. Jumpers. Writers. Widows. Ballerinas. Bastards. Gods."
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 11:46 PM on March 5, 2008
(8 comments)
Where does recalled beef go? Last month, the largest beef recall in U.S. history (143 million pounds) occured after the Humane Society released footage of sick cows at a meat processing plant in California. Before it was recalled, most of the beef had already been sent to school lunch programs and other public nutrition programs.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 8:12 PM on March 3, 2008
(59 comments)
"You want to do WHAT?" said the British Army – or as their oh-so-polite upper crust officers probably put it: "Sorry, ol’ chap, but we don’t seem to have an urgent need for magicians right at this very moment." But
Jasper Maskelyne proved to be very useful. Tales of his service are a mixture of
fact and legend.
First link via.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 7:35 PM on March 1, 2008
(15 comments)
Frozen Dead Guy Days.
Thousands of waving spectators line the streets of Nederland, Colo. (pop. 1,394), as a parade filled with skeletons, helmeted Vikings, pompadoured Elvises and antique hearses makes its way down First Street to mark the beginning of Frozen Dead Guy Days—a celebration that’s part Mardi Gras, part county fair, and all tongue-in-cheek. The
2008 celebration will be held March 7-9.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 10:23 PM on February 23, 2008
(9 comments)
Affairs of the Lips. "We kiss furtively, lasciviously, gently, shyly, hungrily and exuberantly. We kiss in broad daylight and in the dead of night. We give ceremonial kisses, affectionate kisses, Hollywood air kisses, kisses of death and, at least in fairytales, pecks that revive princesses." But,
why do we kiss?
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 7:34 PM on February 21, 2008
(40 comments)
Before Alex Steinweiss invented the album cover in 1938, at the age of 23, all albums came in plain brown wrappers. Steinweiss's idea to create a package that had something visual on the outside to lure the consumer was a huge success. A
tribute show for the 90-year-old Steinweiss will be held at the Robert Berman Gallery in Santa Monica, California, until February 23, 2008. More about Steinweiss
here and
here.
First link via.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms
at 12:18 AM on February 19, 2008
(13 comments)
