Tuesday, I shared some photos of our recent visit to the Nasher Museum of Art. There was also a display of African masks and helmets there; I figured I’d save that up for its own post.
All rights to artifacts remain with current holders.
Category Archives: Miscellanea
Independence Day, September 2026!
Back in 1819, the government commissioned a printer to make copies of the Declaration of Independence. When one of them showed up at the Nasher Museum of Art last month, TYG and I went to take a look.
As TYG says, it’s remarkable such a landmark document is so brief. And how amazing the penmanship is given it was written with a quill pen — hell, I couldn’t write that neatly with any pen.
Of course we took in the other exhibits too. Starting with MamaRay by Wangechi Mutu, which looks even better outdoors.
Clodion’s Vestal Virgin.
Walter Quirt’s Death Wish.
Persephone Returns by Helen Lundeberg
The Blood-Soaked South by Lynette Yiadom Boakye
And this memorable photo by Bruce Davidson, Time of Change.
All rights to images remain with current holders.
Filed under Miscellanea, Personal
Asphalt!
Durham recently did some road repair. They left the old asphalt in a pile on our corner until the end of the day.
I found it an interesting sight, obviously. So did the Plush One.
Plushie being Plushie, I think he would happily have licked the edges to see what they taste like. I did not give him the opportunity.
Filed under Miscellanea, The Dog Ate My Homework
Piano and auditorium
Recently TYG took me to see the Salix Piano Trio at Duke’s Baldwin Auditorium. As I’m rushed for time, today’s post is some photos I took of Baldwin. The performance was excellent too, particularly the Mozart.
Filed under Miscellanea, Personal
Science links that aren’t about LLMs
Because there’s cool science stuff out there too. To start with, Popular Science tackled a question I’m sure we’ve all wondered about: what kind of animal is the Muppet Gonzo the Great?
Meet the tilcayo, the first new cat species identified in a century.
Scientists are trying to recreate the sounds of Jurassic era insect life.
How about practical science: how often should you replace your kitchen sponge?
A completely 100 percent serious documentary will answer the big science question: “Amid claims that the Sun sustains life on Earth, despite the fact that it vanishes with staggering regularity, the series asks: Where does the Sun really go every night? How is it apparently massive but looks smaller than your hand? And is there any truth in one of humanity’s greatest fears: that it keeps getting eaten by a dragon?” Yes, it’s a parody.
Space X’s satellite network may be leaking radio signals so badly they’re interfering with radio telescopes. And satellites in general are proving an easy way to hack into private data.
“Thankfully, radium-coated cookware never gained great popularity. Promising to be impervious to acid and grease, to never burn or stick, X-Radium Cooking Utensils (below) were advertised at a moment when the element was finding its way into all sorts of consumer products, whether as an additive or just as a futuristic name.” — from an article about the science of cookware.
Cheryl Rofer on why Havana Syndrome is not the result of a Russian super-weapon.
Kamandi cover by Jack Kirby. All rights to images remain with current holders.
Filed under Miscellanea
I love finding a hidden mustache in my wine!
I know I blogged about wine labels Wednesday but I figured I’d save these three matching labels for today.
As with so many labels, I’m not sure the mustache and glasses scream Drink Me. But then we get this one—
Here we do indeed have the mustache hidden. But then there’s the third photograph—
Am I right the woman’s glasses are the hidden mustache? Or is it so hidden we can’t see it? Also this is the first time I noticed the label catchphrase, “I mustache you a question.”
All rights to label images remain with current holders.
Filed under Miscellanea
I will blog about no wine before it’s time`
Title riffs on Orson Welles’ commercials for Paul Masson wine. Because yes, it’s another wine label photography post.
I’m puzzled how that image suggests “Bodyguard” or for that matter wine. Though it is pretty.
This one looks very vineyard though it’s also less memorable.
This one is more memorable but again, what’s the connection between storm spirits and wine?
My favorite of this week’s labels, though I’m not sure “Rabble” really screams Drink Me. Nor do I see the kind of mob scene I’d associate with Rabble on the label.
Rights to all label images remain with current holders.
Filed under Miscellanea
The bow tie of mystery
I saw this in the street a couple of weeks back.
I have no more idea why it’s there than those shoes I saw a while ago.
Filed under Miscellanea
I like that these tarot decks exist
From a recent trip to Barnes & Noble. If I had the cash, I might have picked one of them up, just to see what the cards look like.
Who is the King of Swords in Lovecraft’s tarot? Or do they have things like the Page of Tentacles instead? Does the Austen deck use characters from her novels or is it just generic images from that era?
Perhaps someday I’ll find out.
Filed under Miscellanea
Our cats shed
Recently I was using our Roomba only to discover the brushes needed cleaning. Take a look.
We didn’t use to have this problem. Trixie and Dudley aren’t much for shedding but the cats? So I cut the hair off the brushes and got this pile.
Happily it paid off and Roomba thrives again.
Filed under Miscellanea, Personal
