MetaFilter posts tagged with defenestration

What divorced readers did with their wedding rings

Blasdelb — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 16:06:35 -0800

A Magazine article on when to take off a wedding ring after a marriage fails generated a large response from readers. The feature asked when it was appropriate to remove the band, and explored the symbolism of doing so. Here, readers share their stories about the dilemma of what to do with a symbol of marriage once the relationship has broken down.

Defenestration

roll truck roll — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 13:52:23 -0800

In November, the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency accepted a bid from Kennerly Architecture and Planning for an affordable housing complex at Sixth Street and Howard. The plans for the new building (PDF) are striking, but fans of public art will notice that a few things are missing. Brian Goggin's site-specific sculpture Defenestration was originally intended to be up for only six months. Thirteen years and three restorations later, it's become a landmark and symbol of the neighborhood. Graffiti art gallery 1AM has championed Defenestration, raising money for the most recent restoration with an exhibition of works inspired by it. Goggin and 1AM offered to help recreate Defenestration in the new building, but there's been no response thus far. Goggin has agreed to remove the furniture by December 31, 2011. Watch clips from the day of madcap performances that accompanied Defenestration's unveiling in 1997: Part 1 Part 2 Previously: 1 2

1006 Navy Chair

Paragon — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 12:37:41 -0800

"The design brief had at least one interesting bulletpoint: The chair had to be 'torpedo-proof.'" Making, testing, more testing, history, design, redesign. The Emeco 1006 navy chair Wikipedia more history specs at Princeton on Flikr under Keanu

Defenestration Defined

bwg — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 07:03:38 -0800

Defenestration: we've seen posts mentioning it in the Blue, but not one dedicated to the idea in full. Even Mefi's own defenestration hasn't done a proper post on it (but please, Sir, no need to throw yourself out the window over it). The first thing to note is just how awesome the word defenestrate is, from the Latin de- (out of) + fenestra (window), which came to fame via Prague (live reenactment in July 2009; plus a nifty Lego version) and in this movie clip (actual defenestrations begin at 6.39), but history is filled with notable defenestrations (Wiki), such as the one in 1993 where "Toronto lawyer Garry Hoy fell to his death after attempting to demonstrate the strength of his office tower's windows", and of course someone has cobbled together a Top 10 List (and let's not forget the opening credits of SCTV or the fate of one John Locke). We don't hear much of it these days (although in October 2010 the news reported a story of mass self-defenestration owing to Satanism, a tale that that later was, er… thrown out the window), but defenestration has become an art landmark in San Francisco, and naturally it is classic Hollywood staple (Ten Memorable Movie Defenestrations). It has even been used at xkcd. While I have at times defenestrated objects, I am pleased to say I have never been defenestrated myself. And lastly, you have to appreciate the clever geek pun of defenestrating your computer, which doesn't mean tossing it out the window, but instead replacing Windows with an alternative OS such as Linux.

No film is complete without the sound of breaking glass

bwg — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 17:30:40 -0800

Defenestration: The Movie

The Surprisingly Accurately Named Thirty Years War

Kattullus — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:32:07 -0800

The Thirty Years War is a website covers that ginormous kerfuffle that consumed Europe in the first half of the 17th Century from the Second Defenestration of Prague to the Peace of Westphalia. It has a handy map with a place locator which will help you tell your Schweidnitz from your Schweinfurt. Here are some other maps, The Religious Situation in Central Europe about 1618, Principal Seats of War, 1618-1660 and Europe in 1648 - Peace of Westphalia.

It's Down At The End of Lonely Street

fandango_matt — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:56:11 -0800

San Francisco's Hugo Hotel, the current home of Brian Goggin's Defenestration, has been seized by eminent domian and will probably be demolished. Fear not; San Francisco has many other ancient hotels.

Teachers gone Wild

Debaser626 — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 13:01:49 -0800

Teacher gone wild. Again. While not as crazy as this, (discussed here previously) Mrs. Miller definitely needs some therapy. Perhaps these 4th graders should have had camera phones like these kids... Though at least the U.S. isn't as tolerant of teachers behavior as Moroccans. Frankly my dear, they don't give a damn!

the drugs don't work

charlesv — Sat, 14 Dec 2002 10:40:05 -0800

In some places, they have firing squads or electric chairs. In Prague, they have defenestration. Defenestration, or the tossing of people from windows, is a tradition there, popularized first by the defenestration of 1419 and later by the defenestrations of 1618 and 1948. William Safire name-checked it in in his column a few weeks back, and another mention of it can found in the Houston Chronicle.