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Open Culture
Watch 950 Weather Reports Presented by David Lynch, Straight from His Los Angeles Home Los Angeles is hardly a city known for its varied weather, but if one lives there long enough, one...
a month ago
19
a month ago
Los Angeles is hardly a city known for its varied weather, but if one lives there long enough, one does become highly attuned to its many subtleties. (Granted, some of the local phenomena involved, like the notorious Santa Ana winds, can produce far-from-subtle effects.) The late...
Trying to Understand...
Books To Help Us Understand The World? Well, a few, anyway. And a bit.
a year ago
Res Obscura
How well can GPT-4 simulate an acid trip in 1963? An experiment with historical simulation
a year ago
Flashbak
Lightning Strikes: William Jennings’ Early Photographs of Elusive Electricity Anglo-American photographer William Jennings (1860–1946) is best known for his aerial pictures of...
2 months ago
28
2 months ago
Anglo-American photographer William Jennings (1860–1946) is best known for his aerial pictures of his adopted city of Philadelphia and the aeronautical industry, and photographs of lightning. Setting out to prove “lightning bolts were not of the zig-zag form pictured by artists”,...
TheCollector
Arthur Wellesley: The Iron Duke of Wellington Who Beat Napoleon Undoubtedly one of Britain’s greatest heroes, Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, is known...
a week ago
4
a week ago
Undoubtedly one of Britain’s greatest heroes, Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, is known mainly for his victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, which ended over seven centuries of conflict between England and France.   His influence, however, spread...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Secret of the Stoics
6 months ago
Overcoming Bias
What Priority The Innocent? It is good if criminal law avoids punishing the innocent.
2 months ago
Flashbak
Armand Henrion: The Artist Who Always Painted Himself As A Clown Armand Henrion (1875 – 1958) was a Belgian-born artist. He contributed to the Expressionist...
8 months ago
54
8 months ago
Armand Henrion (1875 – 1958) was a Belgian-born artist. He contributed to the Expressionist movement, worked in France and became a French citizen. And he liked to paint self-portraits – hundreds of them – in which he is dressed as a clown (more Pierrot than Bozo).     Pierrot...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Free Will Vs Determinism
5 months ago
TheCollector
The Complex and Contentious History of Crimea The status of the Crimean Peninsula has entered international public consciousness over the past...
2 weeks ago
2
2 weeks ago
The status of the Crimean Peninsula has entered international public consciousness over the past decade. Since the events of 2014, when it was annexed from Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the state has been labeled as occupied by some and liberated by others.   This, however,...
Open Culture
Famous Architects Dress as Their Famous New York City Buildings (1931) On January 13, 1931, the Society of Beaux-Arts Architects held a ball at the Hotel Astor in New York...
2 months ago
54
2 months ago
On January 13, 1931, the Society of Beaux-Arts Architects held a ball at the Hotel Astor in New York City. According to an advertisement for the event, anyone who paid $15 per ticket (big money during the Depression) could see a “hilarious modern art exhibition” and things...
Flashbak
Photos of New York City Stores in 1997 New Yorker Meredith Jacobson Marciano has amassed archive of 35mm film shots, Polaroids and early...
12 months ago
18
12 months ago
New Yorker Meredith Jacobson Marciano has amassed archive of 35mm film shots, Polaroids and early digital photographs in NYC from the mid to late 1970s through the early aughts, “when the city still seemed kind of old”. Much like with Peter Marshall’s pictures of London, Meredith...
TheCollector
Who Was Rudolf Steiner? (Life and Philosophy) Do you ever think about the people who have changed our world and how we think? Rudolf Steiner was...
2 weeks ago
3
2 weeks ago
Do you ever think about the people who have changed our world and how we think? Rudolf Steiner was one such person. He wasn’t just a philosopher or writer, he was an innovative educator, esotericist, artist, and original thinker whose ideas still astound us today. Steiner’s...
History Today Feed
‘The Last Dynasty’ and ‘The Fall of Egypt and the Rise of Rome’ review ‘The Last Dynasty’ and ‘The Fall of Egypt and the Rise of Rome’ review JamesHoare Mon, 10/28/2024 -...
4 months ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Teaching Paradox, Imperator, Part IIb: Built in a Day This is the second half of the second part of our three part (I, IIa) look at Paradox Interactive’s...
7 months ago
33
7 months ago
This is the second half of the second part of our three part (I, IIa) look at Paradox Interactive’s ancient grand strategy game Imperator: Rome which covers the broader Mediterranean and South Asia from the very late fourth century through to the end of the first century BC, the...
History Today Feed
Why the Oracle of Delphi Still Beguiles Why the Oracle of Delphi Still Beguiles j.hoare Wed, 12/13/2023 - 10:08
a year ago
Open Culture
How Stephen King Foretold the Rise of Trump in a 1979 Novel Nobody opens a Stephen King novel expecting to see a reflection of the real world. Then again, as...
a week ago
7
a week ago
Nobody opens a Stephen King novel expecting to see a reflection of the real world. Then again, as those who get hooked on his books can attest, never is his work ever wholly detached from reality. Time and time again, he delivers lurid visions of the macabre, grotesque, and...
Trying to Understand...
Let's Be Enemies Since it seems to be the fashion these days.
over a year ago
African History...
The stone ruins of South Africa: a history of Mapungubwe, Thulamela and Dzata. ca. 1000-1750CE. The dzimbabwe ruins of south-eastern Africa are often described as the largest collection of stone...
6 months ago
Global Inequality...
Powerful, but within the orbit of the empire A review of Clinton Fernandes’ “Subimperial power“
a year ago
CrimethInc.
Resisting Local Authoritarianism and Multipolar Imperialisms in Georgia : A Deeper Look into the... On the one-hundred-year anniversary of the uprising in Georgia against Soviet annexation, the...
3 months ago
23
3 months ago
On the one-hundred-year anniversary of the uprising in Georgia against Soviet annexation, the struggle for independence from Russian rule remains the chief force driving the popular mobilization that has been growing over the past several months. Yet today’s movement points to a...
Flashbak
Jindřich Štreit’s Villge People : Photographs of the Czechoslovak Countryside “I try not to present villages in a romantic way’ – Jindřich Štreit     Jindřich Štreit (born 5...
6 months ago
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6 months ago
“I try not to present villages in a romantic way’ – Jindřich Štreit     Jindřich Štreit (born 5 September 1946 in Vsetín) is a Czech photographer best known for his documentary photography. He concentrates on documenting the rural life and people of Czech villages. His...
African History...
A social history of the Lamu city-state (1370-1885) Journal of African cities chapter 5
over a year ago
Flashbak
Arthur Rackham’s Fantastic Illustrations for The Tempest, 1926 Full fathom five thy father lies Of his bones are coral made: Those are pearls that were his eyes:...
3 months ago
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3 months ago
Full fathom five thy father lies Of his bones are coral made: Those are pearls that were his eyes: Nothing of him that doth fade, But doth suffer a sea-change Into something rich and strange. – William Shakespeare, The Tempest, illustrated by Arthur Rackham 1926       Arthur...
Flashbak
The Kaikidan Ekotoba Monster Scroll from 19th Century Japan The Kaikidan Ekotoba scroll features paintings of 33 monsters, both fantastic and plain odd from...
8 months ago
33
8 months ago
The Kaikidan Ekotoba scroll features paintings of 33 monsters, both fantastic and plain odd from Japan. It’s a subject we’ve visited before with the Yokai Horrors from the 18th Century Bakemono Zukushi Scroll. Thought to originate in the mid 1800s, the artist behind the Kaikidan...
TheCollector
Post-Modern Stoics? The Revival of Stoicism in the Late 20th Century It probably should not be too much of a surprise that Stoicism, one of the most deviant and...
3 weeks ago
2
3 weeks ago
It probably should not be too much of a surprise that Stoicism, one of the most deviant and uncharacteristic branches of ancient philosophy (the Cynics notwithstanding), should attract the attention of late 20th-century intelligentsia. Even Plotinus spoke of the Stoics as being...
TheCollector
Is Capitalism Reliant on Fossil Fuels? Energy-dense ‘fossil fuels’ – such as coal, oil, and natural gas – are derived from fossilized...
5 days ago
4
5 days ago
Energy-dense ‘fossil fuels’ – such as coal, oil, and natural gas – are derived from fossilized organic matter. However, their combustion releases large amounts of carbon dioxide, fuelling global warming on an industrial scale. Indeed, since the Industrial Revolution, the...
Hundred Rabbits
Summary of changes for December 2024 Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects during the month of...
2 months ago
43
2 months ago
Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects during the month of December. Summary Of Changes 100r.co, updated the documentation for our various projects. Left, added support for unicode input(Mastodon). Rabbit Waves, added a page on Air to Ground...
Flashbak
Postcards From The First Bauhaus Exhibition, 1923 To promote their first major exhibition, from 15 August to 30 September 1923, members of Germany’s...
3 months ago
25
3 months ago
To promote their first major exhibition, from 15 August to 30 September 1923, members of Germany’s Bauhaus design school (der Bauhäusler) produced a set of postcards. Fellow lovers of collecting postcards (deltiology) understand the joy of holding these small picturesque moments...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Animals of the Ancient World
9 months ago
Flashbak
British Punks in the 1980s by Shirley Baker British photographer Shirley Baker captured these fabulous portraits of punks on the streets of...
8 months ago
31
8 months ago
British photographer Shirley Baker captured these fabulous portraits of punks on the streets of Manchester, Stockport and London’s Camden Town in the early 1980s. Shirley’s daughter, Nan Levy, spoke to the Museum of of Youth Culture about her mother’s work as part of an...
Trying to Understand...
A Week Off And A New Language See you again soon
a year ago
Open Culture
Flannery O’Connor: Friends Don’t Let Friends Read Ayn Rand In a letter dated May 31, 1960, Flannery O’Connor, the author best known for her classic story, “A...
3 weeks ago
12
3 weeks ago
In a letter dated May 31, 1960, Flannery O’Connor, the author best known for her classic story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” (listen to her read the story here) penned a letter to her friend, the playwright Maryat Lee. It begins rather abruptly, likely because it’s responding to...
Flashbak
Clubbers And Youth Tribes in Post-Punk London : 1978-1986 “As a photographer, I go as the casual observer and stand in the shadows. When I first went to those...
10 months ago
34
10 months ago
“As a photographer, I go as the casual observer and stand in the shadows. When I first went to those Tuesday nights at Billy’s [1978] it was like walking into a Hieronymous Bosch painting – furtive but lively, very decadent reflecting what they were into, and yet with a sense of...
African History...
The General History of Africa a comprehensive look at states and societies across the continent's entire history.
11 months ago
Classical Wisdom
The First Biographers ...and the Surprising Legacy of Ancient Literature
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Quand ça s’arrêtera en Ukraine, qui éteindra les lumières? Another of my essays in French.
2 weeks ago
Flashbak
Harold Lloyd’s Amazing Christmas Tree For American actor Harold Lloyd (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) Christmas was the time to...
2 months ago
44
2 months ago
For American actor Harold Lloyd (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) Christmas was the time to illuminate his home in Beverly Hills, California, with a magnificent tree. His granddaughter Suzanne says preparation began around Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November), when her...
Open Culture
How the Nazis Waged War on Modern Art: Inside the “Degenerate Art” Exhibition of 1937 Before his fateful entry into politics, Adolf Hitler wanted to be an artist. Even to the most...
a week ago
5
a week ago
Before his fateful entry into politics, Adolf Hitler wanted to be an artist. Even to the most neutral imaginable observer, the known examples of the estimated 2,000 to 3,000 paintings and other works of art he produced in his early adulthood would hardly evidence astonishing...
Classical Wisdom
From Caesar's Back to King Tut's Tomb From Caesar's Back to King Tut's Tomb
6 months ago
Flashbak
Great Photos: Le Mariage des Diables Blancs, May 22 1954 On May 22 1954, tightrope walkers Berthy Omankowsky and Roger Decugis married on a rope stretched...
8 months ago
33
8 months ago
On May 22 1954, tightrope walkers Berthy Omankowsky and Roger Decugis married on a rope stretched high above the Place du Capitole in Toulouse, France. The wedding of two members of the Franco-Czechoslovakian (Diables Blancs) White Devils Company was overseen by Father Robert...
A Collection of...
Collections: On the Gracchi, Part I: Tiberius Gracchus This week, we’re going to talk a bit about the brothers Tiberius (trib. 133) and Gaius (trib. 123-2)...
a month ago
59
a month ago
This week, we’re going to talk a bit about the brothers Tiberius (trib. 133) and Gaius (trib. 123-2) Gracchus, the famous Roman reformers of the late second century. There’s actually a fair bit to say about both of them, so we’re going to split this treatment over two weeks,...
History Today Feed
A History of Phantom Pain A History of Phantom Pain j.hoare Mon, 01/15/2024 - 12:44
a year ago
CrimethInc.
Insurgent Survival : Reflections on the Fight Against Sweeps Targeting the Homeless in Austin, Texas In 2019, militants in Austin, Texas started an organization with the aim of defending homeless camps...
3 months ago
16
3 months ago
In 2019, militants in Austin, Texas started an organization with the aim of defending homeless camps against sweeps—forced removals disguised as “cleanups” carried out by cops and work crews. This organization, Stop the Sweeps, intervened in a cycle of struggles that included the...
Trying to Understand...
No End Of A Lesson. If we can only learn it.
5 months ago
Wrong Side of...
Britain’s Project 2029 Can you just do things? We shall find out
a month ago
The Scholar's Stage
Uber is a Poor Replacement for Utopia Two items of interest passed through my feeds this week. The first is the podcast Marc Andreesen and...
7 months ago
9
7 months ago
Two items of interest passed through my feeds this week. The first is the podcast Marc Andreesen and Ben Horowitz released to explain why they are endorsing Trump for president. The second is an evocative and viral internet advertisement for careersbuilttolast.com, a slick...
Trying to Understand...
No Cheers for Authoritarianism Remind me what it was, exactly ....
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Don't Give Peace Too Many Chances. Nothing is more dangerous than a flawed peace treaty.
over a year ago
TheCollector
What Is the History of Arizona’s London Bridge? Many have heard the rhyme “London Bridge is Falling Down,” and many know that the current London...
a week ago
4
a week ago
Many have heard the rhyme “London Bridge is Falling Down,” and many know that the current London Bridge was not the original. However, did you know that a bridge that used to be in London actually took a trip overseas, and now resides on a completely different body of water?  ...
History Today Feed
The Death of Einhard the Historian The Death of Einhard the Historian JamesHoare Thu, 03/14/2024 - 09:28
12 months ago
TheCollector
Nietzsche’s Eternal Recurrence: A Metaphor for Embracing Life Nietzsche’s ideas concerning the eternal recurrence (or eternal return) were far from unique. But...
3 weeks ago
2
3 weeks ago
Nietzsche’s ideas concerning the eternal recurrence (or eternal return) were far from unique. But his own interpretation of the thought that life repeats itself eternally formed the foundation of so much of his own philosophy. Did he mean for us to take it literally or...
History Today Feed
‘Revolusi’ by David Van Reybrouck review ‘Revolusi’ by David Van Reybrouck review JamesHoare Mon, 03/04/2024 - 11:48
a year ago
Flashbak
Oscar Newman Designs For An Atomic City Beneath Manhattan, 1969 In 1969, the Canadian-born American architect Oscar Newman (30 September 1935 – 14 April 2004)...
11 months ago
21
11 months ago
In 1969, the Canadian-born American architect Oscar Newman (30 September 1935 – 14 April 2004) designed a nuclear bomb-proof city beneath Manhattan. In a vast spherical space itself created by a series of nuclear explosions, he’d build a city pretty much like the one above, with...
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, December 8, 2023 Apologies for running a fireside so quickly after the gap week, but with the end of the semester...
a year ago
12
a year ago
Apologies for running a fireside so quickly after the gap week, but with the end of the semester coming as the job market gets busier, I haven’t had time to finish the next post on shield walls just yet. That will come out next week for sure though, as it is close to done. For …...
History Today Feed
How Has Gandhi Influenced Indian History Since His Death? How Has Gandhi Influenced Indian History Since His Death? j.hoare Thu, 01/04/2024 - 09:36
a year ago
History Today Feed
France’s Long March Against Racism France’s Long March Against Racism j.hoare Sun, 12/03/2023 - 01:01
a year ago
TheCollector
10 Oldest Museums in the U.S. Museums have long been places of curiosity and wonder, housing objects that tell the stories of...
a week ago
3
a week ago
Museums have long been places of curiosity and wonder, housing objects that tell the stories of civilizations past. The idea of collecting and displaying artifacts for public study dates back centuries. Consider the Mouseion of Alexandria, an ancient Greek institution devoted to...
Flashbak
Snapshots of London Going Mad For Christmas In the 1980s When they unpacked the 76h Christmas tree sent to the people of London from the City of Oslo as a...
a year ago
15
a year ago
When they unpacked the 76h Christmas tree sent to the people of London from the City of Oslo as a token of gratitude for British support to Norway during the Second World War, it looked bedraggled. So before it went up on Trafalgar Square, the decorators nailed some of the...
Dreams of Space -...
Die Mondexpedition (1966) Die Mondexpedition is the original  German book that was translated into English in 1969 as The Log...
2 weeks ago
14
2 weeks ago
Die Mondexpedition is the original  German book that was translated into English in 1969 as The Log of a Moon Expedition. It's full title at the time was Die Mondexpedition: 14 Mal 24 Stunden auf dem Mond roughly translated as The Lunar Expedition: 14 times on the moon for 24...
Classical Wisdom
Who Were the "Pre-Socratics"? Classical Wisdom Litterae
3 weeks ago
TheCollector
Still-Life: 8 Facts About the Most Underrated Genre Still-life painting is one of the oldest genres in history, yet it is often dismissed as too simple...
6 days ago
3
6 days ago
Still-life painting is one of the oldest genres in history, yet it is often dismissed as too simple and not serious enough to be considered “high” art. Still, this genre has a long history spanning from antiquity. Still-life painting has evolved with human society, adapting to...
Classical Wisdom
Calm in the Face of Crisis Putting the Greek Back into Stoicism
2 months ago
TheCollector
7 of the Most Inhospitable Places on Earth If one thing can be said about the human species, it’s that we are incredibly resourceful. We can...
2 weeks ago
2
2 weeks ago
If one thing can be said about the human species, it’s that we are incredibly resourceful. We can survive and put down roots virtually anywhere we choose, from the icy wastes of the Arctic to the searing heat of the Sahara.   Yet some places on the planet are so inhospitable that...
Trying to Understand...
A Clash Of Symbols They are quite serious, actually.
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup The Essential Greeks Returns!
a year ago
Flashbak
The Last Question: Hear Leonard Nimoy Read Isaac Asimov’s Best Short Story Isaac Asimov (January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992) liked one of his stories above all others – more than...
9 months ago
43
9 months ago
Isaac Asimov (January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992) liked one of his stories above all others – more than the 500 or so stories he wrote or edited, including the bestselling I, Robot, the Foundation series and Lecherous Limericks. The story is The Last Question. First published in the...
History Today Feed
Sex Before Sex Education Sex Before Sex Education JamesHoare Thu, 12/19/2024 - 12:10
2 months ago
Open Culture
The Oldest Beer Receipt (Circa 2050 BC) Above, we have the Alulu Beer Receipt. Written in cuneiform on an old clay tablet, the...
a month ago
21
a month ago
Above, we have the Alulu Beer Receipt. Written in cuneiform on an old clay tablet, the 4,000-year-old receipt documents a transaction. A brewer, named Alulu, delivered “the best” beer to a recipient named Ur-Amma, who apparently also served as the scribe. The Mesopotamians drank...
Trying to Understand...
When Ukraine Is Over ... How will they turn out the lights?
a month ago
Trying to Understand...
The Power Of Absent Things. It explains a lot about Ukraine.
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
The Wages Of Fear Things are going to get sweaty, soon.
11 months ago
Classical Wisdom
How to Celebrate the Love of Learning Give a Graduate the Greatest Gift!
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Why are MYTHS Important? Podcast with Stephen Fry
9 months ago
History Today Feed
‘Final Verdict’ by Tobias Buck review ‘Final Verdict’ by Tobias Buck review JamesHoare Tue, 07/23/2024 - 09:44
7 months ago
TheCollector
10 Must-Visit Historic Towns in Mississippi From its early indigenous cultures to European settlement and its role in pivotal moments like the...
2 weeks ago
3
2 weeks ago
From its early indigenous cultures to European settlement and its role in pivotal moments like the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement, the Magnolia State has been at the heart of American history. Known for its Delta blues, rich literary tradition, and Southern hospitality,...
Flashbak
Far Out Images from Johann Zahn’s Oculus Artificialis (1685) “A complete treatment of the construction and use of lensed optical instruments. Presented in three...
2 months ago
36
2 months ago
“A complete treatment of the construction and use of lensed optical instruments. Presented in three fundamentals, that is, bases: the physical, the mathematical, and the practical or mechanical” – Oculus Artificialis Teledioptricus sive Telescopium     The German student of light...
History Today Feed
Ronald Reagan’s European Tour Ronald Reagan’s European Tour JamesHoare Tue, 06/04/2024 - 10:11
9 months ago
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, November 15, 2024 Hey folks, Fireside this week! For the musing this week, I want to talk about, at least for a...
3 months ago
30
3 months ago
Hey folks, Fireside this week! For the musing this week, I want to talk about, at least for a humanities field, what ‘research support’ from a university means and why it is valuable, but before we get to that, I just want to make a note going forward. In particular, there have...
Dr Alun Withey
The ‘Celebrated Inventions’ of Alexander Ross. One thing that has continually fascinated me throughout all of my research on medical practitioners,...
over a year ago
30
over a year ago
One thing that has continually fascinated me throughout all of my research on medical practitioners, barbers and retailers in the long eighteenth century, is the extent of what historians call ‘occupational diversity’. Rather than having one occupation, people might have...
African History...
A complete history of Abomey: capital of Dahomey (ca. 1650-1894) Urbanism in the forest region.
a year ago
Flashbak
1980s Birmingham – Portraits of A City Under Thee Cosh “The City Centre is unrecognisable from the 1980s. Everything is glass. Birmingham doesn’t feel like...
11 months ago
29
11 months ago
“The City Centre is unrecognisable from the 1980s. Everything is glass. Birmingham doesn’t feel like home anymore.” – Richard Davis   We’re back looking at 1980s Britain’s through Richard Davis’s photographs. This time we join him in Birmingham, the country’s ‘shabby not chic‘...
History Today Feed
History Today Review of the Year History Today Review of the Year j.hoare Thu, 12/28/2023 - 00:00
a year ago
Open Culture
The World in a Cloverleaf: A World Map from 1581 In 1581, the medieval cartographer and Protestant theologian Heinrich Bünting created a symbolic map...
2 months ago
33
2 months ago
In 1581, the medieval cartographer and Protestant theologian Heinrich Bünting created a symbolic map of the world that adorned his book Itinerarium Sacrae Scripturae (Travel Through Holy Scripture). Hand-colored and shaped like a three-leaf clover, the map put Jerusalem at its...
History Today Feed
When Nostalgia Was Deadly When Nostalgia Was Deadly JamesHoare Thu, 04/11/2024 - 08:00
11 months ago
African History...
Seafaring, trade and travel in the African Atlantic. ca. 1100-1900. historical links between West Africa and Central Africa. (Africans exploring Africa chapter 4)
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
La politique de l’épuisement et l’épuisement de la politique. Another of my essays in French.
3 months ago
Classical Wisdom
How do we know what’s True? How can we decipher what is real among lies? “Triple Threat at Suez Canal, Panama Canal, & Mexico Attack Freight”
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Plato On Knowledge What is True?
10 months ago
Flashbak
Brick Lane 1978: The Turning Point On 4 May 1978, Altab Ali (24 Oct 1953 – 4 May 1978), a Bangladesh-born textile worker in an area off...
10 months ago
30
10 months ago
On 4 May 1978, Altab Ali (24 Oct 1953 – 4 May 1978), a Bangladesh-born textile worker in an area off Brick Lane, was stabbed to death in London, in a racially motivated attack. Paul Trevor’ photographs mark how East London’s Bengali activists fought for survival and the right to...
Flashbak
The Coming of the Unconscious: JG Ballard’s Guide To Surrealism In Science Fiction In 1966, readers of issue 164 of New Worlds magazine (1946 – 1997) could enjoy writer JG Ballard’s...
7 months ago
33
7 months ago
In 1966, readers of issue 164 of New Worlds magazine (1946 – 1997) could enjoy writer JG Ballard’s (15 November 1930 – 19 April 2009)review of La Jetée, the time-travel short by Chris Marker about time and memory which was receiving its first London screenings and his essay ‘The...
Patterns in Humanity
The Rise of the West I track the historical rise of West Europe by quantitatively analyzing the birth of notable people...
a year ago
13
a year ago
I track the historical rise of West Europe by quantitatively analyzing the birth of notable people of science, and then I put it in context with other indicators of historical development. The data together show that West Europe had developmentally surpassed the rest of the world...
Flashbak
Dear Goldprick: Ian Fleming’s James Bond Letters “This, dear boy, not to put too fine a point on it, is a f***ing lie. When it is 11am in Jamaica, it...
10 months ago
31
10 months ago
“This, dear boy, not to put too fine a point on it, is a f***ing lie. When it is 11am in Jamaica, it is 4pm in dear old England and it is carelessness of this kind that makes my eyes steel slits of blue. – Letter to James Bond author Ian Fleming     Many … Continue reading "Dear...
Flashbak
Magnifying The Moment: Joni Sternbach’s Pictures of NYC Subway Passengers 1976–1981 “Part of the reason I was drawn to the Subway was that it was a perfect unchoreographed stage....
3 months ago
25
3 months ago
“Part of the reason I was drawn to the Subway was that it was a perfect unchoreographed stage. Chance brought me together with a crowd of unknowns. It was up to me to parse them out and magnify the moment.” – Joni Sternbach on her pictures of NYC Subway Passengers in the 1970s  ...
Classical Wisdom
Do You Need Children to Care About the Future? Shady Trees or Empty Branches?
7 months ago
African History...
The ancient city of Meroe: the capital of Kush (ca. 950 BC-350 CE) Journal of African cities: chapter 15
5 months ago
Dr Alun Withey
Victorian Swappers! Adverts for exchange in the 19th century. Victorians were inveterate 'swappers' (NB: this might not be what you think!). Newspapers and...
4 months ago
38
4 months ago
Victorians were inveterate 'swappers' (NB: this might not be what you think!). Newspapers and journals were full of ads for objects sought and to be exchanged. These offer a fascinating insight into what was considered desirable, the value of objects, and the processes of...
History Today Feed
Orkney’s Saga: the Islands between Kingdoms Orkney’s Saga: the Islands between Kingdoms JamesHoare Wed, 04/24/2024 - 08:00
10 months ago
African History...
The role of firearms in African military history, and the guns of the Benin kingdom. "The Zulus appeared almost to grow out of the earth.
4 months ago
History Today Feed
‘Spice’ by Roger Crowley review ‘Spice’ by Roger Crowley review JamesHoare Tue, 06/18/2024 - 09:03
8 months ago
Open Culture
The Ingenious Engineering of Leonardo da Vinci’s Self-Supporting Bridge, Explained The video above from Sabins Civil Engineering promises to reveal “the MAGIC behind Da Vinci’s Self...
2 months ago
42
2 months ago
The video above from Sabins Civil Engineering promises to reveal “the MAGIC behind Da Vinci’s Self Supporting Bridge.” That sounds like a typical example of YouTube hyperbole, though on first glance, it isn’t at all obvious how the fragile-looking structure can stay up, much less...
History Today Feed
The Road from East Germany to North Korea The Road from East Germany to North Korea JamesHoare Wed, 10/23/2024 - 09:15
4 months ago
TheCollector
The Expulsion of Polish Jews From Nazi Germany: Polenaktion Explained In the early hours of October 28, 1938, Berlin resident Mendel Max Karp was still sleeping when...
4 days ago
3
4 days ago
In the early hours of October 28, 1938, Berlin resident Mendel Max Karp was still sleeping when police officers burst into his apartment to order him to leave the territory of the German Reich. He was then arrested and deported to the German-Polish border on a special train. Mr....
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Ancient Advice on Health & Fitness
7 months ago
African History...
A political history of the Kotoko city states (ca. 1000-1900) Urbanism and state building in the lake chad basin..
over a year ago
History Today Feed
Was Portugal’s Carnation Revolution Inevitable? Was Portugal’s Carnation Revolution Inevitable? JamesHoare Thu, 04/25/2024 - 08:56
10 months ago
Flashbak
Historical Figures in Ridiculous Frippery: Ruff Love For Old Masters “If you spent your life concentrating on what everyone else thought of you, would you forget who you...
2 months ago
34
2 months ago
“If you spent your life concentrating on what everyone else thought of you, would you forget who you really were? What if the face you showed the world turned out to be a mask… with nothing beneath it?” — Jodi Picoult, Nineteen Minutes     Volker Hermes lampoons traditional...
Flashbak
Watch The Alphabet, David Lynch’s horrific 1968 short, “There’s a connection between music, film, painting, writing, everything, you’re into, the more...
a month ago
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a month ago
“There’s a connection between music, film, painting, writing, everything, you’re into, the more they’re going to help each other” – David Lynch     David Lynch’s 1968 short The Alphabet was inspired by his first wife Peggy’s niece reciting her ABCs during a nightmare then waking...
Open Culture
Coursera Offers $200 Off of Coursera Plus (Until January 27), Giving You Unlimited Access to Courses... A new deal to start a new year: Coursera is offering a $200 discount on its annual subscription plan...
2 months ago
36
2 months ago
A new deal to start a new year: Coursera is offering a $200 discount on its annual subscription plan called “Coursera Plus.” Normally priced at $399, Coursera Plus (now available for $199) gives you access to 90% of Coursera’s courses, Guided Projects, Specializations, and...
Flashbak
Found Vintage Photobooth Pictures “Collecting the photobooth strip (approximate size 8 inches by 1.5 inches) has been an adventure,”...
7 months ago
39
7 months ago
“Collecting the photobooth strip (approximate size 8 inches by 1.5 inches) has been an adventure,” says vintage photography collector Robert E. Jackson. “If you see or own an amazing photobooth, you can pretty much figure it used to be part of a 4-pose strip. The individual...
Overcoming Bias
What Culture Can You Trust? Star Wars came out when I was 17, and made a big impression on me; I loved it.
2 months ago
Open Culture
Warner Bros. Lets You Watch 31 Films Free Online: David Byrne’s True Stories, Christopher Guest’s... It’s Friday, which means that tonight, many of us will sit down to watch a movie with our family,...
a month ago
25
a month ago
It’s Friday, which means that tonight, many of us will sit down to watch a movie with our family, our friends, our significant other, or — for some cinephiles, best of all — by ourselves. If you haven’t yet lined up any home-cinematic experience in particular, consider taking a...
Open Culture
The Junky’s Christmas: William S. Burrough’s Dark Claymation Christmas Film Produced by Francis Ford... Back in 1993, the Beat writer William S. Burroughs wrote and narrated a 21-minute claymation...
2 months ago
51
2 months ago
Back in 1993, the Beat writer William S. Burroughs wrote and narrated a 21-minute claymation Christmas film oddly produced by Francis Ford Coppola. And, as you can well imagine, it’s not your normal happy Christmas flick. Nope, this film – The Junky’s Christmas – is all about...
Flashbak
Glasgow in the 1980s: ‘From An Insider’s Point of View’ The Cranhill Arts Project has been collecting pictures of Glasgow, Scotland, to show the place ...
2 months ago
37
2 months ago
The Cranhill Arts Project has been collecting pictures of Glasgow, Scotland, to show the place  “from an insider’s point of view”. Among its growing collection of Glasgow peoples’ photographs are these from the 1980s. All these snapshots have been labelled by the people who...
History Today Feed
On the Spot: Eugene Rogan On the Spot: Eugene Rogan JamesHoare Tue, 05/14/2024 - 09:43
10 months ago
Dr Alun Withey
Barbers and (the lack of!) Polite Advertising Over the past few years, I have spent much time looking at ‘polite’ advertising in the 18th century....
over a year ago
53
over a year ago
Over the past few years, I have spent much time looking at ‘polite’ advertising in the 18th century. During this period, a whole range of retailers advertised their goods and services to appeal to ladies and gentlemen of taste. Without discussing anything so base as price or...
weird medieval guys
Why did medieval people invent so many collective nouns? A pride of lions, a paddling of ducks, and....a herd of harlots?
a year ago
Open Culture
When Charlie Chaplin Entered a Chaplin Look-Alike Contest & Came in 20th Place Charlie Chaplin started appearing in his first films in 1914—40 films, to be precise—and, by 1915,...
a month ago
16
a month ago
Charlie Chaplin started appearing in his first films in 1914—40 films, to be precise—and, by 1915, the United States had a major case of “Chaplinitis.” Chaplin mustaches were suddenly popping up everywhere–as were Chaplin imitators and Chaplin look-alike contests. A young Bob...
Trying to Understand...
Don't Confuse Me With Facts. They know what they think.
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Rome's Worst General? And the Mystery of the Cursed Gold
11 months ago
Overcoming Bias
Futarchy As Meta Governance While anyone can buy stock in public firms, private equity firms are instead held by a more...
a week ago
6
a week ago
While anyone can buy stock in public firms, private equity firms are instead held by a more concentrated and exclusive set of owners.
Wrong Side of...
The beautiful rebirth of Dresden (1) The Florence on the Elbe
3 weeks ago
African History...
How Africans wrote their own history: Debates and dialogues between four west African historians in... Facts, myths and royal propaganda.
a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: On the Reign of Alexander III of Macedon, the Great? This week, in part as a follow-on to our series on the contest between Hellenistic armies and Roman...
9 months ago
78
9 months ago
This week, in part as a follow-on to our series on the contest between Hellenistic armies and Roman legions, I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about Alexander III, who you almost certainly know as Alexander the Great. But I want to discuss his reign with that title, ‘the...
TheCollector
Satyrs in Greek Art: Rowdy Party Animals Satyrs were creatures linked strongly with Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, pleasure, and theater....
2 weeks ago
3
2 weeks ago
Satyrs were creatures linked strongly with Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, pleasure, and theater. These party-loving, mischievous, and uninhibited creatures were an exception in ancient Greek art because there was no solid mythological tradition around satyrs. Instead, they were...
Wrong Side of...
Travels in Vietnam In my father's footsteps
a month ago
History Today Feed
Was the Trojan Horse Real? Was the Trojan Horse Real? JamesHoare Thu, 02/29/2024 - 09:35
a year ago
Dreams of Space -...
Rockets and Space Coloring Book (1960) Some nice space pictures (to color) for you today.  Coloring books may be one of the ultimate forms...
5 days ago
6
5 days ago
Some nice space pictures (to color) for you today.  Coloring books may be one of the ultimate forms of ephemera. There were meant to be used, admired? and then thrown away. Yet many children owned them and there were at least 40 issued between 1950 and 1970 on space themes. If...
TheCollector
Joya de Cerén: A Glimpse at the Mayan Pompeii While numerous Mayan discoveries and archeological sites can be found throughout Central America,...
a week ago
3
a week ago
While numerous Mayan discoveries and archeological sites can be found throughout Central America, the distinctiveness of Joya de Cerén provides a peek at Mayan life in a small farming settlement over 1,500 years ago. A volcanic eruption and the resulting ash that froze the city...
Dr Alun Withey
How Much?! Barbers & the Price of Shaving. One of the central themes of my new book is how the practice of shaving has changed over time and,...
over a year ago
49
over a year ago
One of the central themes of my new book is how the practice of shaving has changed over time and, more importantly, who has been responsible for it. From the second half of the eighteenth century, individual men began to take more responsibility for shaving themselves, helped on...
African History...
A history of the Rozvi kingdom (1680-1830) From Changamire's expulsion of the Portuguese to the ruined cities of Zimbabwe.
a year ago
Dr Alun Withey
Health and the Habitual Traveller in the 19th Century Recently I’ve been contributing to a new series of stories, drawing on the archives of Lloyds’...
over a year ago
26
over a year ago
Recently I’ve been contributing to a new series of stories, drawing on the archives of Lloyds’ Register – a fantastic archive, with a wealth of sources on many aspects of maritime, but also broader social, history. The full series can be found here:...
Hidden History
Museum Ship Destroyer USS Kidd The Fletcher-class destroyer USS Kidd was named, not after the famous British pirate, but after a...
3 months ago
9
3 months ago
The Fletcher-class destroyer USS Kidd was named, not after the famous British pirate, but after a Rear Admiral who was killed on board the Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Kidd served in both the Second World War and the Korean War. The destroyer USS Kidd  was...
African History...
Reversing the Sail: a brief note on African travelers in the western Indian Ocean The Swahili in Arabia and the Persian gulf
a year ago
Flashbak
Malice In Wonderland – the Trippy Cartoon Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Story, 1982 “These days, it’s, ‘Dude, what the fuck is that shit?’ Whereas back then, it was, ‘You are...
a month ago
11
a month ago
“These days, it’s, ‘Dude, what the fuck is that shit?’ Whereas back then, it was, ‘You are exploiting women, you filthy sexist pig!'” – Vince Collins on his shot animation Malice In Wonderland     When Vince Collins made Malice in Wonderland in 1982, his hallucinatory,...
Open Culture
How Frank Lloyd Wright Became Frank Lloyd Wright: A Video Introduction Frank Lloyd Wright is unlikely to be displaced as the archetype of the genius architect anytime...
a month ago
15
a month ago
Frank Lloyd Wright is unlikely to be displaced as the archetype of the genius architect anytime soon, at least in America, but even he had to start somewhere. At nine years old, as architecture YouTuber Stewart Hicks explains in the video above, Wright received a set of blocks...
Classical Wisdom
The Ancient World's Greatest Disaster And Most Mysterious...
4 months ago
Flashbak
How Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat Met And Created Their Two-Heads, Four-Hands Art ”It was like some crazy-art world marriage and they were the odd couple. The relationship was...
a year ago
9
a year ago
”It was like some crazy-art world marriage and they were the odd couple. The relationship was symbiotic. Jean-Michel thought he needed Andy’s fame, and Andy thought he needed Jean-Michel’s new blood. Jean Michel gave Andy a rebellious image again.” — Andy Warhol’s longtime studio...
Classical Wisdom
Seamus Heaney A Lifetime of Ancient Poetry
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Little People With Agency. No, not that Agency.
5 months ago
History Today Feed
How the British Council Made a Soft Power Superpower How the British Council Made a Soft Power Superpower j.hoare Mon, 12/11/2023 - 11:26
a year ago
Flashbak
Photos of Britain’s Post-War Youth By Roger Mayne British photographer Roger Mayne (1929 – 2014) documented the lives of young people growing-up in...
7 months ago
44
7 months ago
British photographer Roger Mayne (1929 – 2014) documented the lives of young people growing-up in Britain in the mid-1950s and ‘60s.     Self-taught and influential in the acceptance of photography as an art form, Mayne was passionate about photographing human life as he found...
Flashbak
‘Look at Me’: Scot Sothern’s powerful photographs of life on LA’s streets In amongst the crowds drifting along Hollywood Boulevard there’s an old guy sitting on an orange...
10 months ago
57
10 months ago
In amongst the crowds drifting along Hollywood Boulevard there’s an old guy sitting on an orange bucket. He’s wearing dirty jeans and a grey hoodie. The guy’s in his seventies. Weather-worn. Grizzled beard. Walking stick. Back trouble caused by “old spinal injuries and bad...
Flashbak
Taking A Subway Ride Through New York City In 1981 1970s New York City was where Fernando played truant, chopper gangs hogged the sidewalks, sex was...
a year ago
21
a year ago
1970s New York City was where Fernando played truant, chopper gangs hogged the sidewalks, sex was sold, women raged in raucous nightclubs, gay rights found its voice, Madonna joined her first band, BLADE used trains as his canvas and  In 1981, 22-year-old Christopher Morris was...
Wrong Side of...
Journey to the Imperial City Travels in Vietnam, Part 2
a month ago
Patterns in Humanity
The myth of the Nordic rehabilitative paradise Interpreting recidivism rates and understanding their causes
9 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Love and Death
a year ago
Flashbak
Photos of America’s Most Muscular Bodybuilders – A World of Buttock Make-Up Artists, Sinew and Spray... The year is young – and your commitment to fitness and that new you for the year has begun to fade....
a year ago
12
a year ago
The year is young – and your commitment to fitness and that new you for the year has begun to fade. Time then to see what you could become if you persevere with photographer Brian Finke’s  series on bodybuilding contests. In Most Muscular, Finke, who started his project when he...
History Today Feed
On the Spot: Chris Clark On the Spot: Chris Clark j.hoare Wed, 12/27/2023 - 00:00
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Another Of My Essays in French And some bits and pieces.
6 months ago
Hundred Rabbits
a home for pino We left Shimizu on a sunny morning, pushing off the dock at 6am. Early. We wanted to make sure we'd...
over a year ago
6
over a year ago
We left Shimizu on a sunny morning, pushing off the dock at 6am. Early. We wanted to make sure we'd arrive at our destination on time. There was 126nm between us and Shima Yacht harbor, a distance we needed to do in part at night. This wasn't ideal. We knew that. Many people...
Trying to Understand...
Useless in Gaza As always, if you don't know what you're doing.
a year ago
Flashbak
The Amy Carter ‘Love Doll’ – Playing With The President’s Daughter In 1977 Reporter: Do you, Amy Carter, have a message for the children of America? Amy Carter: “No.”   In...
a year ago
12
a year ago
Reporter: Do you, Amy Carter, have a message for the children of America? Amy Carter: “No.”   In 1976, nine-year-old Amy Carter left her home in Plains, Georgia, and moved into the White House. People noticed the first child to live at the White House since the days of JFK. And...
Classical Wisdom
What Government Governs Best? Is Democracy Still Our Best Bet?
a year ago
The Universe of...
Claude helps me find more presidential emoji A couple of years back I tried to make a list of emoji representing the U.S. presidents. Many of...
4 months ago
5
4 months ago
A couple of years back I tried to make a list of emoji representing the U.S. presidents. Many of them were fun and easy, or at least amused me. But for some I was stumped. What emoji represents Zachary Taylor? I've been playing around with Anthropic's LLM “Claude” for a while,...
Classical Wisdom
Is Subjective Equal to Objective? Dear Classical Wisdom Reader, I remember the day vividly. I had moved to Moscow unwisely in the...
a year ago
20
a year ago
Dear Classical Wisdom Reader, I remember the day vividly. I had moved to Moscow unwisely in the middle of winter, and finally, around four months later, the first real spring day had arrived. The sun bore her rays magnificently, forcing the city’s residents into an ant-like...
History Today Feed
On the Spot: Nicholas Radburn On the Spot: Nicholas Radburn JamesHoare Mon, 12/30/2024 - 11:40
2 months ago
Hundred Rabbits
Summary of changes for November 2024 Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects during the month of...
3 months ago
14
3 months ago
Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects during the month of November. Summary Of Changes 100r.co, added an article named A Shining Place Built Upon The Sand, and Week 6 to the Victoria to Sitka Logbook. Rabbit Waves, added a page on Morse Code...
Open Culture
10,000+ Free Online Certificates & Badges: A Resource for Lifelong Learners For those looking to boost their skills or explore new fields without breaking the bank, Class...
a month ago
37
a month ago
For those looking to boost their skills or explore new fields without breaking the bank, Class Central has done the heavy lifting. Known as a search engine for online courses, Class Central has compiled what might be the largest collection of free online certificates and badges...
Overcoming Bias
Romantic Decay As Cultural Drift For the last year or so I’ve focused on the idea that our world’s dominant monoculture is slowly...
3 days ago
4
3 days ago
For the last year or so I’ve focused on the idea that our world’s dominant monoculture is slowly going maladaptive, due to cultural drift.
Patterns in Humanity
When few do great harm Power laws in criminal behavior
a year ago
History Today Feed
The Death of a Mnemonist The Death of a Mnemonist JamesHoare Wed, 05/01/2024 - 10:07
10 months ago
Flashbak
East of the Sun and West of the Moon With Illustrations by Kay Nielsen, 1914 Kay Nielsen (March 12, 1886 – June 21, 1957) was a Danish illustrator best known for his work for...
10 months ago
40
10 months ago
Kay Nielsen (March 12, 1886 – June 21, 1957) was a Danish illustrator best known for his work for Disney, for whom he contributed many story sketches and illustrations, not least the nightmarish, eerie and delicate Bald Mountain scenes for the animated movie Fantasia (1940). But...
Flashbak
Roadside Relics of the USSR We’re back on the road though the former Soviet Union. This time our guide is French photographer...
4 months ago
32
4 months ago
We’re back on the road though the former Soviet Union. This time our guide is French photographer Jason Guilbeau whose pointing out objects along the roadside, like tractors stuck atop poles, a pavement that turns into a jet’s trail, a tank on a plinth and more reminders of...
History Today Feed
Curbing the Power of the Popes Curbing the Power of the Popes JamesHoare Fri, 02/21/2025 - 07:00
2 weeks ago
Flashbak
Magic Reality: The Eyes of Arthur Tress – in Pictures “A photographer could be considered a kind of magician. As a trained observer he can foretell the...
a month ago
13
a month ago
“A photographer could be considered a kind of magician. As a trained observer he can foretell the potential movements of his subjects and perhaps even by some mental intimidation… actually cause them to happen.” – Arthur Tress   Arthur Tress (Nov. 24, 1940- ) was born in...
Trying to Understand...
The Water Is Rising. But slowly ...
4 months ago
History Today Feed
‘The Tree Hunters’ by Thomas Pakenham review ‘The Tree Hunters’ by Thomas Pakenham review JamesHoare Tue, 01/07/2025 - 09:36
2 months ago
History Today Feed
The Great Fire of Smyrna The Great Fire of Smyrna JamesHoare Fri, 09/13/2024 - 07:00
6 months ago
Flashbak
16 Characters From A Film Never Made : Found Photos From The American Dream Film noir was coined in 1946 by the Italian-born French critic Nino Frank to describe the crime...
4 months ago
26
4 months ago
Film noir was coined in 1946 by the Italian-born French critic Nino Frank to describe the crime thrillers laced with smoky cynicism, femme fatales and amoral ambiguity first produced by Hollywood in the 1940s. “These ‘dark’ films, these films noirs, no longer have anything in...
Flashbak
Gas Mask Photos: An Alternative Mask for the Halloween Season The idea of disguise and wearing masks is central to art. From Saul Steinberg’s paper bag masks to...
5 months ago
25
5 months ago
The idea of disguise and wearing masks is central to art. From Saul Steinberg’s paper bag masks to those incredible masks of the African phantom, Wladyslaw T. Benda’s living masks and William Mortensen’s haunting portraits from West of Zanzibar, appearances are changed to deceive...
Flashbak
A Trip To Butlin’s In 1982 ‘Our true intent is all for your delight’… – Butlin’s holiday camp motto     Photographer Barry...
a month ago
37
a month ago
‘Our true intent is all for your delight’… – Butlin’s holiday camp motto     Photographer Barry Lewis takes us on a holiday to Butlin’s Skegness in 1982. This was first ever Billy Butlin holiday camp. It opened at Skegness in 1936 – and still exists today. Lewis had worked for...
History Today Feed
‘The Tame and the Wild’ by Marcy Norton review ‘The Tame and the Wild’ by Marcy Norton review JamesHoare Tue, 08/20/2024 - 09:18
6 months ago
Res Obscura
Do painters subconsciously paint themselves into their work? The Renaissance history of automimesis, and a proposal for research
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
And Now for Something Completely Different. Am I me? Are You you? ?
over a year ago
TheCollector
Coherentism and Its Limits: Definition & Criticism Imagine waking up on a seemingly normal morning and discovering that all the knowledge you—and most...
2 weeks ago
2
2 weeks ago
Imagine waking up on a seemingly normal morning and discovering that all the knowledge you—and most of the world—held accountable up to that moment was inaccurate and unreliable. While this seems like an implausible scenario, it is logically possible for some groundbreaking...
Patterns in Humanity
When Lightning Strikes... Literally A quantification of the risk of dying from a lightning strike and other external sources of harm
a year ago
The Scholar's Stage
Five Fundamentals of Chinese Grand Strategy Last month Civic Future invited me to join a panel at their annual policy forum. The topic: what the...
6 months ago
7
6 months ago
Last month Civic Future invited me to join a panel at their annual policy forum. The topic: what the United Kingdom should do about China. As I am neither a British citizen nor an expert in British affairs, I thought it impolitic to lecture my hosts on how they should be...
Flashbak
The Months: Gardens of Art by Eugène Grasset In 1894, Eugène Grasset (25 May 1845 – 23 October 1917) received a commission from the French...
2 months ago
59
2 months ago
In 1894, Eugène Grasset (25 May 1845 – 23 October 1917) received a commission from the French department store La Belle Jardinière to create 12 original works of art to be used as a calendar. Grasset’s woodcuts show women in fashionable costumes of the period each bearing a sign...
Global Inequality...
The life of Maynard K. A review of Zach Carter’s “The Price of Peace”
9 months ago
History Today Feed
How to Revive Wassailing How to Revive Wassailing j.hoare Wed, 01/03/2024 - 09:24
a year ago
Flashbak
Stanley Kubrick’s Photos of Chicago (Volume 2), 1949 In 1949, Look magazine sent its young photojournalist Stanley Kubrick on assignment to shoot...
9 months ago
34
9 months ago
In 1949, Look magazine sent its young photojournalist Stanley Kubrick on assignment to shoot pictures for a story documenting people’s life in the city of Chicago. You can see Volume 1 of his photos here. The series of photographs was accompanied by an essay from the Chicago...
African History...
The forts and castles of Africa: a brief architectural history. For much of African history, the construction of fortresses and fortified structures was a mostly...
a month ago
41
a month ago
For much of African history, the construction of fortresses and fortified structures was a mostly urban phenomenon associated with large states.
Open Culture
Why David Lynch’s Dune Went Wrong: A Comparison with Denis Villeneuve’s Hit Adaptation Denis Villeneuve’s recent film adaptation of Dune is generally considered to be superior to the late...
a month ago
23
a month ago
Denis Villeneuve’s recent film adaptation of Dune is generally considered to be superior to the late David Lynch’s, from 1984 — though even according to many of Lynch’s fans, it could hardly have been worse. In a 1996 piece for Premiere magazine, David Foster Wallace described...
The Universe of...
Jonathan Chait [ Content warning: angry, contemptuous ranting that accomplishes nothing. ] I didn't really know who...
3 months ago
2
3 months ago
[ Content warning: angry, contemptuous ranting that accomplishes nothing. ] I didn't really know who Jonathan Chait was until last week when I unfortunately read this essay of his (from February 2016) on “Why Liberals Should Support a Trump Republican Nomination”. I've said a lot...
Wrong Side of...
Progressive realism and Perfidious Albion Britain's foreign policy is woefully naive and self-defeating
3 months ago
Open Culture
Hear the Evolution of Electronic Music: A Sonic Journey from 1929 to 2019 It’s easy to get the impression that enthusiasts of electronic music listen to nothing else. (Not...
3 months ago
36
3 months ago
It’s easy to get the impression that enthusiasts of electronic music listen to nothing else. (Not that it isn’t true for some of them, who tend to relegate themselves to smaller subgenres: consult Ishkur’s Guide to Electronic Music for a map of the sonic territory.) And it’s...
Classical Wisdom
Beyond Stoicism New Event: January 7th, 2025
2 months ago
History Today Feed
‘As Gods Among Men’ by Guido Alfani review ‘As Gods Among Men’ by Guido Alfani review JamesHoare Tue, 02/06/2024 - 11:03
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Let's Hear It For The "Underlying Causes." Here's the answer. What was the question again?
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Gaius Marius ... and the Fall of the Republic
a year ago
TheCollector
5 Women in Epistemology You Should Know Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that deals with knowledge, belief, and the relationship...
3 weeks ago
3
3 weeks ago
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that deals with knowledge, belief, and the relationship between the two. Being one of the core philosophical disciplines from antiquity, epistemology has always been dominated by men. Nonetheless, in the last decades, almost all novelties...
Trying to Understand...
No More Heroes. Pity the nation that needs someone else's.
4 months ago
Trying to Understand...
One Way Or Another .... We're going to get you.
a year ago
Flashbak
American Photographs: A Journey Down The Blue Highways, 1970s You see, I’ve been through The desert on a horse with no name It felt good to be out of the rain In...
4 months ago
27
4 months ago
You see, I’ve been through The desert on a horse with no name It felt good to be out of the rain In the desert you can remember your name ‘Cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain – America, A Horse With No Name     We don’t know where British … Continue reading "American...
History Today Feed
The ‘Experts’ from Afghanistan The ‘Experts’ from Afghanistan JamesHoare Fri, 07/19/2024 - 08:00
7 months ago
A Collection of...
Collections: The Afterlife of the Roman Republic This week we are taking a look at what ended up being the ‘runner-up’ in the latest ACOUP Senate...
4 months ago
34
4 months ago
This week we are taking a look at what ended up being the ‘runner-up’ in the latest ACOUP Senate poll (we’ll also do the winner, “The Problem with Sci-Fi Body armor” before year’s end, worry not), the “Afterlife of the Roman Republic,” which is to say a look at the continued...
Classical Wisdom
Should We Follow a Person’s Words... or Actions? What should we do with Seneca?
a year ago
Global Inequality...
The order of inequality Review of Tongdong Bai’s “Against political equality: The Confucian case"
11 months ago
History Today Feed
In Defence of Boring Books In Defence of Boring Books JamesHoare Thu, 04/04/2024 - 00:00
11 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Mothers of the Ancient World
10 months ago
Flashbak
Ernest Hemingway’s Guide to Writing A Book From Start to Finish “The more he learns from experience the more truly he can imagine” – Ernst Hemingway on writing,...
10 months ago
28
10 months ago
“The more he learns from experience the more truly he can imagine” – Ernst Hemingway on writing, 1935     In his October 1935 column for Esquire magazine called Monologue to the Maestro: A High Seas Letter, Ernest Hemingway (July 21, 1899–July 2, 1961) shared his tips for writing...
Flashbak
Hunter S Thompson Sets Fire To His Christmas Tree (1990) “’NO, HUNTER, NO! PLEASE, HUNTER, DON’T DO IT!'” – Hunter S. Thompson’s secretary Deborah Fuller...
2 months ago
37
2 months ago
“’NO, HUNTER, NO! PLEASE, HUNTER, DON’T DO IT!'” – Hunter S. Thompson’s secretary Deborah Fuller before the writer torched his Christmas Tree     In January 1990, Sam Allis was on assignment for TIME magazine at writer Hunter S. Thompson’s (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) home...
Hidden History
The Ancient Egyptian Game of Mehen Mehen may be the oldest true board game in the world, and dates back to at least 3000 BCE. But...
4 months ago
9
4 months ago
Mehen may be the oldest true board game in the world, and dates back to at least 3000 BCE. But recent study has completely changed the way we think about this game. History In 1861, French archaeologists Auguste Mariette and Jacques de Morgan found a tomb at Saqqara that was...
Flashbak
Highlights From Free Drawing by Franz Čižek & Herman Kastner (1925) The text book Free drawing: a way of teaching drawing based on natural and everyday objects was...
a year ago
13
a year ago
The text book Free drawing: a way of teaching drawing based on natural and everyday objects was illustrated by artist Franz Čižek and edited by Hermann Kastner in 1925. The book features 80 plates of rich ornamental compositions.     Franz Čižek – Champion of Creative Art For...
Global Inequality...
To be young, perchance to dream A review of Miloš Vojinović's “The political ideas of the Young Bosnia”
2 months ago
Open Culture
Bob Dylan Explains Why Music Has Been Getting Worse One often hears that there’s no money to be made in music anymore. But then, there was no money to...
19 hours ago
1
19 hours ago
One often hears that there’s no money to be made in music anymore. But then, there was no money to be made in music when Bob Dylan started his career either—at least according to Bob Dylan. “If you could just support yourself, you were doin’ good,” he says in an interview clip...
History Today Feed
‘The World at War’ and the Holocaust at 50 ‘The World at War’ and the Holocaust at 50 JamesHoare Thu, 03/07/2024 - 09:43
a year ago
The Scholar's Stage
The Euro-American Split (I): Dread Possibility THERE ARE DECADES WHEN possibility is constrained in a narrow frame. The terrain has been surveyed,...
2 weeks ago
12
2 weeks ago
THERE ARE DECADES WHEN possibility is constrained in a narrow frame. The terrain has been surveyed, boundaries have been laid, and rules have been established. In such an age there is still room for high drama: The decisive round of a boxing match draws the eye despite the...
Trying to Understand...
Stories We Tell Each Other. Because contingency frightens us.
4 weeks ago
TheCollector
Who Won the Battle of Hampton Roads? The Union blockaded the Confederate coast during the American Civil War as part of the Anaconda...
a week ago
4
a week ago
The Union blockaded the Confederate coast during the American Civil War as part of the Anaconda Plan. To fight the overwhelming Union advantage in manpower and ships, the Confederacy adopted a new technology: the ironclad vessel. These low-profile ships were covered in metal...
History Today Feed
‘Theoderic the Great’ by Hans-Ulrich Wiemer review ‘Theoderic the Great’ by Hans-Ulrich Wiemer review j.hoare Tue, 12/26/2023 - 00:00
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Aeneas: Founder of Rome The Most Important Myth Ever Told?
a year ago
African History...
Early civilizations of ancient Africa and the pre-Aksumite civilization of the northern Horn. In the closing decades of the 20th century, archaeologists working to uncover the foundations of...
5 months ago
35
5 months ago
In the closing decades of the 20th century, archaeologists working to uncover the foundations of urbanism and complex societies in West Africa discovered a vast cluster of stone ruins in southern Mauritania.
History Today Feed
How ASEAN Lost its Way How ASEAN Lost its Way JamesHoare Wed, 01/24/2024 - 09:53
a year ago
History Today Feed
The Englishman Who Cried ‘Let Ireland Go’ The Englishman Who Cried ‘Let Ireland Go’ JamesHoare Wed, 02/05/2025 - 09:31
a month ago
Classical Wisdom
What’s the Role of Education? For the Individual... and for Society?
a week ago
Patterns in Humanity
Immigration and crime: Sweden Worrying crime trends in the land of Pippi Longstocking
6 months ago
History Today Feed
Pompey’s Greatest Show on Earth Pompey’s Greatest Show on Earth JamesHoare Tue, 03/04/2025 - 09:08
a week ago
Open Culture
Noam Chomsky Defines What It Means to Be a Truly Educated Person There may be no more contentious an issue at the level of local U.S. government than education. All...
a month ago
18
a month ago
There may be no more contentious an issue at the level of local U.S. government than education. All of the socioeconomic and cultural fault lines communities would rather paper over become fully exposed in debates over funding, curriculum, districting, etc. But we rarely hear...
TheCollector
North America to Get its First Leonardo da Vinci Museum Leonardo lovers in North America are soon in for a rare treat. Following complex collaborations...
2 weeks ago
3
2 weeks ago
Leonardo lovers in North America are soon in for a rare treat. Following complex collaborations between international parties, the first-of-its-kind Leonardo da Vinci Museum of North America is officially heading to Pueblo, Colorado.   Leonardo da Vinci Museum Set to Open in...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Quiz Time!
a month ago
History Today Feed
Arguing with the Dead Arguing with the Dead JamesHoare Wed, 01/31/2024 - 10:37
a year ago
Overcoming Bias
Drift Poll Winner: Rational Culture Over the last day, I did two sets of polls comparing 16 cultural drift scenarios (detailed here) re...
4 months ago
12
4 months ago
Over the last day, I did two sets of polls comparing 16 cultural drift scenarios (detailed here) re their likelihood and desirability. (I later added influence.) Here are best fit priorities (relative to 100 max), sorted by priority sum:
African History...
a brief note on Africa's Scientific Manuscripts plus; the history of Medicine in Africa.
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Sappho: The Lost Poetess Watch now (1 min) | Now FREE with a Classical Wisdom Kids Yearly Membership
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Tyrannical Hell or Harmonious Utopia? Plato’s Vision of an Ideal State
a year ago
History Today Feed
Korea’s War of Prisoners Korea’s War of Prisoners JamesHoare Tue, 06/18/2024 - 09:01
8 months ago
Classical Wisdom
What to Expect When You're Dead *New Event* April 2nd, 2025
a week ago
Res Obscura
"He spoke of computers with some awe" Margaret Mead, John von Neumann, and the prehistory of AI
11 months ago
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Roman Republic 101, Part I: SPQR This is the first of a planned five-part series looking at the structure of the Roman Republic as...
a year ago
21
a year ago
This is the first of a planned five-part series looking at the structure of the Roman Republic as another example of civic governance structures in antiquity, to match our series on the Greek polis. As with that series, we’re going to start by defining our community and its...
Open Culture
Has SpaceX Done Anything NASA Hasn’t? Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains His “Feud” with Elon Musk One would count neither Elon Musk nor Neil deGrasse Tyson among the most reserved public figures of...
a month ago
12
a month ago
One would count neither Elon Musk nor Neil deGrasse Tyson among the most reserved public figures of the twenty-first century. Given the efforts Musk has been making to push into the business of outer space, which has long been Tyson’s intellectual domain, it’s only natural that...
Overcoming Bias
Betrayed By Culture Like most humans ever, I love my culture.
5 months ago
Trying to Understand...
Understanding What's Happening in France. The kinetic phase may come next.
a year ago
Flashbak
Très Parisien: The Height Of French Chic 1920-1936 Très Parisien magazine sold itself as ‘chic’ and ‘elegant’. Published between 1920 and 1936 it...
4 months ago
26
4 months ago
Très Parisien magazine sold itself as ‘chic’ and ‘elegant’. Published between 1920 and 1936 it presented creations by such couturiers as Louise Chéruit, Premet (best known for La Garconne, or The Flapper, a black dress with a white collar and cuffs introduced in 1923, Philip et...
TheCollector
Collection of Old Masters Poised to Break Auction Records With discerning taste and a sprawling Park Avenue apartment to fill, American philanthropists Jordan...
a week ago
2
a week ago
With discerning taste and a sprawling Park Avenue apartment to fill, American philanthropists Jordan and Thomas A. Saunders III spent decades acquiring a storied collection of European Old Master paintings. Now, this collection is heading to Sotheby’s, where it is likely to set...
Flashbak
Len Deighton’s Action Cookbook : How To Seduce With An Omelette (1965) Len Deighton’s Action Cookbook (1965) began life as cookery strips (aka ‘cookstrips’) when Leighton...
8 months ago
26
8 months ago
Len Deighton’s Action Cookbook (1965) began life as cookery strips (aka ‘cookstrips’) when Leighton was a student at London’s  Royal Academy and St Martin’s art school, and living with classmate Bob Hyde. Aimed at “an audience of men unskilled at knowing their way around the...
History Today Feed
Ireland and Palestine: United by Partition? Ireland and Palestine: United by Partition? JamesHoare Wed, 05/22/2024 - 09:47
9 months ago
Open Culture
Andrei Tarkovsky’s Message to Young People: “Learn to Be Alone,” Enjoy Solitude I remember the first time I sat down and watched Andrei Tarkovsky’s lyrical, meandering sci-fi epic...
a week ago
8
a week ago
I remember the first time I sat down and watched Andrei Tarkovsky’s lyrical, meandering sci-fi epic Stalker. It was a long time ago, before the advent of smartphones and tablets. I watched a beat-up VHS copy on a non-“smart” TV, and had no ability to pause every few minutes and...
TheCollector
What Are the Origins of the Folk Horror Genre? Originating in British cinema during the 1960s and 1970s, classic works of folk horror such as The...
6 days ago
4
6 days ago
Originating in British cinema during the 1960s and 1970s, classic works of folk horror such as The Wicker Man (1973), have created their own set of features usually used as shorthand by folk horror creators in many mediums. Featuring isolated, rural communities grappling with the...
Flashbak
A Day In The Life Of C.S. Lewis – Author of The Chronicle of Narnia “I am a product of long corridors, empty sunlit rooms, upstairs indoor silences, attics explored in...
a year ago
14
a year ago
“I am a product of long corridors, empty sunlit rooms, upstairs indoor silences, attics explored in solitude, distant noises of gurgling cisterns and pipes, and the noise of wind under the tiles. Also, of endless books.” ― C.S. Lewis     In his 1955 book Surprised by joy : the...
Classical Wisdom
The Death of Literary Fiction.... And its Resurrection? A New -different- Event
a year ago
The Universe of...
Claude and Merle Miller let me down Claude My relationship with Claude has its ups and downs, and I'm still trying to figure out what to...
3 months ago
1
3 months ago
Claude My relationship with Claude has its ups and downs, and I'm still trying to figure out what to use it for and what not. It's great at rewriting my job application cover letters to sound less like an awkward nerd. Last week I was in the supermarket and decided to try asking...
The Universe of...
Polish Spam Content warning: mass killing of farmed animals Today I complained that my email provider had...
4 months ago
4
4 months ago
Content warning: mass killing of farmed animals Today I complained that my email provider had delivered a spam message to me that was in Polish. I understand that spam can be hard to identify, but Polish isn't, I don't know Polish, and any message sent to me in Polish can be...
Classical Wisdom
Sophocles' Swansong Oedipus at Colonus
a year ago
African History...
A history of Zanzibar before the Omanis (600-1873) Journal of African cities chapter 7
a year ago
Wrong Side of...
The case for a Global Sanctuary City What if the Syrians can’t return home?
3 months ago
Wrong Side of...
Hearing the language of Christ on the road to Damascus Notes on Christian Syria
2 months ago
History Today Feed
Who Was the Real Henry III? Who Was the Real Henry III? JamesHoare Wed, 01/15/2025 - 09:30
a month ago
Flashbak
Edmund Dulac’s American Weekly Covers – 1924-1951 Edmund Dulac is remembered today as one of the founding fathers of the Golden Age of Illustration,...
8 months ago
55
8 months ago
Edmund Dulac is remembered today as one of the founding fathers of the Golden Age of Illustration, roughly from 1875-1925, writes Albert Seligman. His luxurious Gift Books of the early 20th century were covered in vellum and issued in signed limited editions with tipped-in color...
History Today Feed
The Nabataeans are Coming The Nabataeans are Coming JamesHoare Thu, 02/27/2025 - 09:00
a week ago
Open Culture
Watch the Surrealist Glass Harmonica, the Only Animated Film Ever Banned by Soviet Censors (1968) The Soviet Union’s repressive state censorship went to absurd lengths to control what its citizens...
3 months ago
55
3 months ago
The Soviet Union’s repressive state censorship went to absurd lengths to control what its citizens read, viewed, and listened to, such as the almost comical removal of purged former comrades from photographs during Stalin’s reign. When it came to aesthetics, Stalinism mostly...
Open Culture
Revisit Pop-Up Video: The VH1 Series That Reinvented Music Videos & Pop Culture In the eighties, people lamented the attention-span-shortening “MTV-ization” of visual culture. By...
a month ago
19
a month ago
In the eighties, people lamented the attention-span-shortening “MTV-ization” of visual culture. By the mid-nineties, networks were trying to figure out how to get viewers to sit through music videos at all. A solution arrived in the form of Pop-Up Video, a program pitched by...
History Today Feed
How Did the First World War Change the Arts? How Did the First World War Change the Arts? JamesHoare Thu, 10/10/2024 - 09:11
5 months ago
A Collection of...
Collections: How Many People? Ancient Demography One of the first questions anyone asks about past societies is, ‘how many people were there?’ It is...
a year ago
13
a year ago
One of the first questions anyone asks about past societies is, ‘how many people were there?’ It is one of those basic bits of information and generally speaking those of us who teach these societies are usually prepared with an estimate to answer the question. But what we often...
Trying to Understand...
Getting Used To Being Weak. It's worse than you probably imagine.
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Eternal Glory Homer and Kleos
4 months ago
Flashbak
The Wonder Of Soviet Bus Stops “The bus stops are disappearing so fast. If I come back a year from now, they could be gone,...
5 months ago
26
5 months ago
“The bus stops are disappearing so fast. If I come back a year from now, they could be gone, demolished, or rebuilt. These pictures may be all that’s left in the end. I want to give them some kind of immortality.” — Christopher Herwig, Photographer and Soviet Bus Stop Hunter  ...
TheCollector
Goryeo Celadon: The Famed Ceramics of Medieval Korean Art The precise craft of making celadon ceramics in Korea from the 10th century until the 14th century...
a week ago
4
a week ago
The precise craft of making celadon ceramics in Korea from the 10th century until the 14th century produced timeless art objects that are still admired today. They were created with a jade-green glaze on top of painstakingly etched inlay, the pinnacle of technological advancement...
Flashbak
A Book of Dreams: 25 Vintage Visions To Awaken Your Mind We’re dreaming today with collector Robert E Jackson. Triggered by the undertow of memory and fed by...
10 months ago
62
10 months ago
We’re dreaming today with collector Robert E Jackson. Triggered by the undertow of memory and fed by desire, our dreams are visions of other lives, possible clues to the future. “The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the...
Hundred Rabbits
Summary of changes for January Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects and apps during the...
over a year ago
8
over a year ago
Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects and apps during the month of January. We'll also be reporting in our on position in the world, and on our future plans. Summary Of Changes Left, re-wrote documentation, redesigned the UX for...
CrimethInc.
How to Organize an Assembly : Preparing to Respond in an Era of Disasters and Despotism There are times when people who have kept to themselves, counting on politicians and specialists to...
4 months ago
11
4 months ago
There are times when people who have kept to themselves, counting on politicians and specialists to solve their problems, suddenly realize that their only hope is to make contact with others like themselves and work together. Perhaps a hurricane has just torn through the state,...
Classical Wisdom
How Can We Separate History from Myth? And does it need to be true to be important?
a year ago
Open Culture
The 48 Laws of Power Explained in 30 Minutes: “Never Outshine the Master,” “Re-Create Yourself,” and... Robert Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power has been a popular book since its first publication over a...
2 weeks ago
9
2 weeks ago
Robert Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power has been a popular book since its first publication over a quarter-century ago. Judging by the discussion that continues among its fervent (and often proselytizing) fans, it’s easy to forget that its title isn’t How to Become Powerful....
History Today Feed
US President or American Caesar? US President or American Caesar? JamesHoare Thu, 09/26/2024 - 08:00
5 months ago
History Today Feed
‘Broken Archangel’ by Roland Philipps review ‘Broken Archangel’ by Roland Philipps review JamesHoare Mon, 06/24/2024 - 10:22
8 months ago
Flashbak
Through the Looking Glass with Robert Cumming – Pictures American artist Robert Cumming (October 7, 1943 – December 16, 2021) appreciated fun. He saw no...
a year ago
17
a year ago
American artist Robert Cumming (October 7, 1943 – December 16, 2021) appreciated fun. He saw no point in trying to achieve anything else in life. As he put it: “If it’s not fun, there’s no point!” A new book of his conceptual photographs illustrates the point. Above, you can see...
Open Culture
Watch an Avant-Garde Bauhaus Ballet in Brilliant Color, First Staged in 1922 We credit the Bauhaus school, founded by German architect Walter Gropius in 1919, for the aesthetic...
a month ago
18
a month ago
We credit the Bauhaus school, founded by German architect Walter Gropius in 1919, for the aesthetic principles that have guided so much modern design and architecture in the 20th and 21st centuries. The school’s relationships with artists like Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Laszlo...
Flashbak
The Incredible And True Story Of How Elvis Presley Became Orion, The Masked Singer Destined to be a leading light to the world, James Hodges Ellis (born James Hughes Bell, February...
a year ago
34
a year ago
Destined to be a leading light to the world, James Hodges Ellis (born James Hughes Bell, February 26, 1945 – December 12, 1998) was known to his fans as Orion. To others he was Elvis Presley. Ellis appeared with many artists, including Loretta Lynn, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tammy...
Flashbak
Richard Teschner And His Magical World of Puppets And Dreams Richard Teschner (1879 – 1948), a graphic designer, artist and artisan in the Wiener Werkstätte...
10 months ago
30
10 months ago
Richard Teschner (1879 – 1948), a graphic designer, artist and artisan in the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshops), is best known for his puppetry, especially that inspired by Wayang (“shadow”), the classical Javanese puppet drama that uses the shadows thrown by puppets...
Global Inequality...
Freedom by North-West The obscurantist nature of East European nationalisms
5 months ago
Open Culture
How Leonardo da Vinci Painted The Last Supper: A Deep Dive Into a Masterpiece When Leonardo da Vinci was 42 years old, he hadn’t yet completed any major publicly viewable work....
2 months ago
74
2 months ago
When Leonardo da Vinci was 42 years old, he hadn’t yet completed any major publicly viewable work. Not that he’d been idle: in that same era, while working for the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, he “developed, organized, and directed productions for festival pageants, triumphal...
Flashbak
Ernest Hemingway’s Six-Word Short Story “For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.” – the six-word story attributed to Ernest Hemingway   You might...
11 months ago
29
11 months ago
“For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.” – the six-word story attributed to Ernest Hemingway   You might have heard that Ernest Hemingway wrote a six-word short story in response to a $10 bet that so few words could make the reader cry. Hemingway won with: “For sale: Baby shoes. Never...
History Today Feed
The Capetians: Medieval France’s Greatest Dynasty The Capetians: Medieval France’s Greatest Dynasty JamesHoare Wed, 03/20/2024 - 10:17
11 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Olympics Special
7 months ago
Open Culture
Bertrand Russell’s Message to People Living in the Year 2959: “Love is Wise, Hatred is Foolish” Bertrand Russell, the great British philosopher and social critic, appeared on the BBC program...
2 months ago
35
2 months ago
Bertrand Russell, the great British philosopher and social critic, appeared on the BBC program Face-to-Face in 1959 and was asked a closing question: What would you tell a generation living 1,000 years from now about the life you’ve lived and the lessons you’ve learned? His...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup The Mystery of the Mind
a year ago
History Today Feed
Pasternak and Stalin: What Was Said? Pasternak and Stalin: What Was Said? JamesHoare Mon, 01/29/2024 - 11:56
a year ago
TheCollector
Leahy Law: Context, Overview, & History During the Cold War, the United States became a major exporter of weapons to countries fighting...
2 weeks ago
3
2 weeks ago
During the Cold War, the United States became a major exporter of weapons to countries fighting communism around the world. The issue of US arms sales to foreign militaries accused of human rights violations has been the subject of intense debate in the American political arena...
Classical Wisdom
Stoicism and Stress Go Stress-Free with Philosophy
10 months ago
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Roman Republic, Part V: The Courts This is the fifth part of our five part series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IV) on the structure of the...
a year ago
61
a year ago
This is the fifth part of our five part series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IV) on the structure of the Roman Republic during the third and second centuries BC, the ‘Middle Republic.’ Last time we looked at the odd but very important role played by the ROman Senate as the central...
Classical Wisdom
The Roman Socrates The Feminist Stoic?
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
The Pompeii Mosaics Frozen by Fire
2 months ago
Trying to Understand...
The Long Run. The future belongs to them.
2 months ago
Trying to Understand...
In the Shallows Of The Deep State. But is there anything there?
3 months ago
CrimethInc.
The Case for Resistance : What We’re Up Against—and What It Could Look Like to Fight In the following analysis, we explore what we can expect from Donald Trump’s second term and how we...
3 months ago
8
3 months ago
In the following analysis, we explore what we can expect from Donald Trump’s second term and how we can prepare to confront it. If you only have time to read one part, read the proposals for what we can do to resist. It’s understandable that many people feel exhausted at the...
History Today Feed
An Uyghur Chieftain in China’s Civil War An Uyghur Chieftain in China’s Civil War j.hoare Thu, 12/21/2023 - 00:00
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Plato on Political Polarization
4 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Are Propaganda and Politics Inevitable Bedfellows? And Does Democracy Make It Worse?
4 months ago
Dreams of Space -...
Our Defenders (1976) Even if a bit inappropriate, given politics, here is a cool Russian pop-up book. Not really space...
a month ago
8
a month ago
Even if a bit inappropriate, given politics, here is a cool Russian pop-up book. Not really space flight oriented but still interesting. Our Defenders was a book illustrating the Russian military including battlefield rockets. The images are stereotypical of Soviet times and an...
Dreams of Space -...
Skyjets for Fliers of Tomorrow (1954) So this is one of the stranger books I have found over the years. It is about a future in which...
a year ago
4
a year ago
So this is one of the stranger books I have found over the years. It is about a future in which people will get individual jet-powered wings to fly. It is set a little like a fantasy and a little like a dream. It has "perfect" 1950s illustrations about how the future might...
Trying to Understand...
Too Much of Not A Lot Winning the day and losing the war.
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Winged Victory Art of the Hellenistic Period
a year ago
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, August 16, 2024 Fireside this week! I find I have my thoughts more or less together for the last part of the...
6 months ago
44
6 months ago
Fireside this week! I find I have my thoughts more or less together for the last part of the Imperator series, but I have not yet gotten them into a satisfying order – a common hazard of writing – so they will have to wait for next week. It’s not yet clear to me if … Continue...
Flashbak
Real Family Photos: A Mother of Photographs Her Seven Children’s Chaotic Coming Of Age “These photographs are mostly not posed: I just butted into my kids’ personal business and, a lot of...
6 months ago
31
6 months ago
“These photographs are mostly not posed: I just butted into my kids’ personal business and, a lot of times, they weren’t that happy about it. I went to three or four Lollapalooza concerts with my camera when they were there – I busted into things not to supervise them but to take...
Flashbak
Notes on the Sexual Habits of the ‘Astonishingly Depraved’ Adélie Penguin, 1911 “There seems to be no crime too low for these Penguins” – Dr. George Murray Levick, notes on the...
2 weeks ago
9
2 weeks ago
“There seems to be no crime too low for these Penguins” – Dr. George Murray Levick, notes on the sexual habits of the Adélie penguin, Antarctica, 1911     Back in 1911, a select group of readers learned of the “astonishing depravity” and “hooligan males” of the Adélie penguins...
Flashbak
London By Tube, DLR and Overground in The Early 1990s Today, I’m gonna take my bike ‘Cause once again the Tube’s on strike The greedy bastards want extra...
7 months ago
28
7 months ago
Today, I’m gonna take my bike ‘Cause once again the Tube’s on strike The greedy bastards want extra pay For sitting on their arse all day! – London Underground by The Amateur Transplants Peter Marshall shows us pictures of stations on the London Underground, Docklands light...
Flashbak
A Fabulous Collection of Antique Espresso Coffee Machines “I saw an ‘historical’ espresso machine for the first time in Arezzo in 1988 whilst visiting the...
3 months ago
30
3 months ago
“I saw an ‘historical’ espresso machine for the first time in Arezzo in 1988 whilst visiting the oldest antiques market in Italy,” says collector Enrico Maltoni. His interest in antique espresso coffee makers became a labour of love means. He’s written extensively on the subject...
Classical Wisdom
Confessions from a Classics Lover How to learn -or relearn- from the ancients
8 months ago
History Today Feed
‘The Writers’ Castle’ by Uwe Nuehmahr review ‘The Writers’ Castle’ by Uwe Nuehmahr review JamesHoare Wed, 10/23/2024 - 09:34
4 months ago