Friday 14 November 2014

Trivia (should have been 31 August)

Lake Nonotuck: 1908
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
Lake Nonotuck: 1908
“Lake Nonotuck boathouse, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass”
Two girls in a rowboat, probably talking about you
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What Causes Auroras?
via How-To Geek

Auroras are quite stunning to behold, but why and how do they happen? Learn what makes these phenomenal wonders of the sky possible in today’s video from SciShow!

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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Fire and brimstone. As old as the concept of hell is the concept of hell-denying. Consider the surprisingly modern theology of Origen of Alexandria… more

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The 25 Greatest Homes in Literature
via Flavorwire by Jason Diamond
Great characters in literature get all the credit, but the fictional spaces they occupy are often just as interesting and can provide an opportunity for the reader to go even deeper into a story.
What would some of your favorite stories be without the creepy old farmhouses, crumbling castles, and estates overlooking a body of water whose waves crash against the rocks at night?
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Today [13 May], as we celebrate the birthday of Daphne du Maurier – a writer who gave us one of the 20th century’s most unforgettable grand old homes, in Rebecca – we’re rounding up the most memorable structures that served as settings for some of our favourite stories.
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Vermeer’s paintings might be 350 year-old colour photographs
via Boing Boing
Tim Jenison, a Texas-based inventor, attempts to solve one of the greatest mysteries in the art world: 
How did Dutch master Johannes Vermeer manage to paint so photo-realistically 150 years before the invention of photography?
Here’s how he conducted his experiment.
Fascinating, absolutely fascinating

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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Why are all the cartoon mothers dead? In animated kids’ movies, the dead-mother plot dominates along with the fantasy of the fabulous single father. There are exceptions, and you should be wary… more

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The working women’s struggle for the vote
via National Archives by Vicky Iglikowski
On 20 June 1914 one of the first deputations of suffragettes met with the Prime Minister Herbert Asquith. Contrary to the popular view of suffragettes it was a group of six working class women.
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Change Your Posture, Change Your Life
via Big Think by Steven Maizie
“The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitude.”
William James
I’m not so sure about James’s claim. Yes, your attitude has a strong effect on the quality and nature of your life.
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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
That science is incommunicable without reference to metaphor reveals an uncomfortable truth, at least for fact fanatics: Physics leans on literature… more

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Beautiful Vintage Annuals for Children
via Abebooks.co.uk

In the late 1800s, children’s stories were published in periodicals and distributed weekly or monthly to readers. To further capitalise on their market, publishing houses put together annuals filled with the best stories, illustrations and games from the year. The book was released for Christmas, and marketed as the perfect gift (both entertaining and educational) for children. The annuals were generally distributed in Britain and its colonies such as Canada and Australia, although sometimes also in the United States.
These vintage annuals are usually large, hardcover books with at least 200 pages and illustrations both in colour, and black and white. Their bright cover art is filled with eye-catching art.
At the turn of the century publishers began to include new, unpublished stories in order to boost sales. Often notable authors like W.E. Johns, Enid Blyton, Angela Brazil, E. Nesbit and P.G. Wodehouse were among the contributors. Each annual had a specific market - girls, or boys, girls and boys, or a certain genre like a cinema club. Today’s equivalent is a teen magazine, or a periodical for a celebrity or band.
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