It's Friday night and you're bored? Head over to #whitenoise and enjoy a few laughs with the folks there. They'll even show you how to make the world a better place using Folding@home. (To learn more about that, head to this commenter-maintained Google Doc.) More »
Nile Delta at Night As Seen From Orbit
"From 220 miles above Earth, one of the Expedition 25 crew members on the International Space Station took this night time photo featuring the bright lights of Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt on the Mediterranean coast. The Nile River and its delta stand out clearly as well. On the horizon, the airglow of the atmosphere is seen across the Mediterranean. The Sinai Peninsula, at right, is outlined with lights highlighting the Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba."
"Tall Tales of the Totem Pole: The Intercultural Biography of an Icon" with Aaron Glass tonight at Observatory! Hope to see you there.
Tall Tales of the Totem Pole: The Intercultural Biography of an Icon
An illustrated talk by anthropologist Aaron Glass
Date: TONIGHT! Sunday, October 24
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Books will be available for sale and signing
To mark the release of The Totem Pole: An Intercultural History, co-author Aaron Glass will discuss how carved heraldic monuments from the Northwest Coast have become central symbols for the Native American at large. Dispelling many common myths, he reconstructs the intercultural history of the art form from the late 1700s—when Europeans first arrived on the coast—to the present, and describes how two centuries of colonial encounter transformed these indigenous carvings into a category of popular imagination and souvenir kitsch. Glass presents theories on the origin of the totem pole; its spread from the Northwest Coast to World’s Fairs and global theme parks; the history of tourism and its appropriation as a signifier of place; the role of governments, museums, and anthropologists in collecting and restoring poles; and the part that these carvings have continuously played in Native struggles for sovereignty over their cultures and lands. From the (many) world’s tallest totem pole(s) to the smallest, from depictions of whites on poles to the use of poles in advertising, this talk will explore the multifarious histories of these iconic forms.Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Aaron Glass is an anthropologist and artist who works with indigenous people in British Columbia and Alaska. His past research, along with a companion film “In Search of the Hamat’sa” examined the ethnographic representation and performance history of the Kwakwaka’wakw “Cannibal Dance.” He has published widely on various aspects of First Nations art, media, and performance on the Northwest Coast, and was recently involved in the restoration of Edward Curtis’s 1914 silent film, “In the Land of the Headhunters.” Glass is currently an Assistant Professor at the Bard Graduate Center in New York City, where he is curating the exhibit “Objects of Exchange,” opening in January 2011.
To find out more, click here. You can read more about "The Material Transformation of a Cultural Icon" on Aaron Glass' blog Material World by clicking here. You can get directions to Observatory--which is next door to the Morbid Anatomy Library (more on that here)--by clicking here. You can find out more about Observatory here, join our mailing list by clicking here, and join us on Facebook by clicking here.
Image: Model pole by Charlie James, now in the UBC Museum of Anthropology, via Material World.
I have just been alerted to the launching of a new exhibit at the British Museum, "Journey Through the Afterlife: The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead." The exhibit, as the British Museum website explains, will show not only examples of the Book of the Dead never before seen, but also funerary figures, statues and coffins illustrating "the the many stages of the journey from death to the afterlife, including the day of burial, protection in the tomb, judgement, and entering the hereafter," all with the aim of discovering "the important mythical and spiritual ideas of ancient Egyptian life and death."
Following is the full text description from the British Museum Website:
Journey Through the Afterlife:
The Ancient Egyptian Book of the DeadFollow the ancient Egyptians’ journey from death to the afterlife in this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition focusing on the Book of the Dead.
The ‘Book’ was not a single text but a compilation of spells designed to guide the deceased through the dangers of the underworld, ultimately ensuring eternal life.
Many of the examples of the Book of the Dead in the exhibition have never been seen before, and many are from the British Museum’s unparalleled collection. These beautifully illustrated spells on papyrus and linen were used for over 1,000 years, and the oldest examples are over 3,500 years old.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see these fascinating and fragile objects on display.
In addition to the unique works on papyrus and linen, superbly crafted funerary figurines (shabtis), amulets, jewellery, statues and coffins illustrate the many stages of the journey from death to the afterlife, including the day of burial, protection in the tomb, judgement, and entering the hereafter.
Digital media and recent research will be used to interactively interpret the Book of the Dead and complete scrolls will be reassembled and presented in their original form for the first time.
Journey with the Book of the Dead to discover the important mythical and spiritual ideas of ancient Egyptian life and death.
You can find out more about the exhibit--which runs from November 4 until March 6-- on the British Museum homepage by clicking here, can watch a short video introduction to the exhibition by clicking here, and can read more about it in today's Guardian by clicking here.
Image: Depiction of the weighing of the heart ritual from the papyrus of Ani, c1275 BC. © The Trustees of the British Museum; from The Gaurdian
Morbid Anatomy is very excited to announce two wonderful Day of the Dead celebrations taking place this upcoming Day of the Dead and Halloween weekend!
On Saturday October 30th, Philadelphia's incomparable Mütter Museum will be hosting their 3rd Annual Day of the Dead Festival, where I will be giving two lectures as keynote speaker. The very next day--Sunday October 31st, aka Halloween proper--Morbid Anatomy will be co-hosting the Second Annual Observatory Day of the Dead Party, replete with authetic Red Hook Latin food vendors, a death piñata, traditional food and drinks, sugar skulls, a José Posada (see above) inspired community altar, costumes, Negra Modelo, live music and much, much more.
Hope to see you at one or both of these fantastic events (detailed below)! But either way, Feliz Dia de Muertos from Morbid Anatomy at our favorite time of the year!
Saturday October 30th [link]
The Mütter Museum’s 3nd Annual Day of the Dead FestivalCome celebrate this traditional Mexican holiday with an all-day event at the Mütter Museum! Decorate sugar skulls, enjoy traditional food and drink, visit the Museum, hear from guest speaker, artist Joanna Ebenstein and see an exclusive show by local personality Grover Silcox!
- 10AM: Museum opens and sugar skull decorating begins
- 12PM and 4PM: Talk by Artist Joanna Ebenstein
- 5 - 6:30PM: Guided museum tour, exclusively for Friends of the Mütter
- 6:30 - 8PM: Exclusive performance by Grover SilcoxSponsored by the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
(NOTE: Registration is not required for daytime festivities and is free with Museum admission; registration IS required, with additional cost for admission, to Silcox production.)
Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) Party
Admission: $5
Date: Sunday, October 31st
Time: 5 PM - ?
Please R.S.V.P. to salvador.olguin@gmail.com for party planning purposes.Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated annually in Mexico during the last days of October and the first days of November. It is a party to honor the dearly departed by presenting offerings to them, building an altar, and inviting them to reunite with the living in a nightly feast including their favorite dishes and drinks. It has deep roots in ancient, pre-Hispanic celebrations, but it also integrates the Christian traditions brought to the country by the Spanish –the main celebration takes place on November 2nd, coinciding with All Saints Day.
On Sunday, October 31th, and for the second year in a row, Morbid Anatomy and Observatory will host a Day of the Dead party in tandem with author and scholar Salvador Olguin. This year, we will build an altar dedicated to the Economy. Traditionally, the Day of the Dead altar is dedicated to a person whose death is deeply felt by the people building it; in spite of some hopeful reports by some cheerful voices, our global Economy does not seem to be recovering quickly enough from its recent collapse. This year, we will bring her some offerings, attract her with a few bottles of tequila, and lure her back to the realm of the living with the fragrant smell of incense and marigolds. Feel free to collaborate with our altar building by bringing objects that express how deeply felt the departure of the Economy was for you and your close ones. We want to entice the ghost of the Economy to walk again among the living, to come back from the afterworld and celebrate with us, Mexican style.
Many of this year’s features are based in the art of Jose Guadalupe Posada, a Mexican printer and illustrator who worked around the time of the Mexican Revolution (1910), and who used his art to satirize prominent figures of his era. His best-known works are his calaveras (skulls), etchings depicting dancing skeletons, skulls dressed up as Revolucionarios and politicians, etc. Since this November we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution, it felt natural to honor Posada by having a live version of one of his most famous calaveras: La Catrina. Made by Posada as a depiction of the skeleton of a rich lady, La Catrina has come to represent a satirical version of Death herself in Mexico. At our party, La Catrina will mingle with our guests, and people will be able to have their picture taken with her, in front of our altar.
At this year’s Dia De Muertos party, you will also find pan de muerto, champurrado (a traditional Mexican beverage), sugar skulls, marigolds, Negra Modelo, traditional foods and crafts, a community altar, a piñata of death herself to dash to bits, live traditional music, a death themed slide show produced by Morbid Anatomy, and, of course, Redhook vendors taco truck supplying delicious and authentic foodstuffs. If you would like to dress appropriately for the occasion, you only need to take an old suit or dress, or wear the clothes of a person whose death means something for you, or simply wear your everyday clothes: everything works, as long as you add a touch of the hereafter to it –some make up to look a little pale, a skeleton suit, some dirt under your fingernails. Or you can go all the way and dress up like one of Posada’s Calaveras.
We hope you can join us! Feliz Dia de Muertos!
Salvador Olguin’s work has been published in magazines both in Mexico and in the US. He is the author of Seven Days, a multimedia theatrical piece that celebrates the convergence of traditions and hybridism that characterizes Mexico’s fascination with mortality. He has worked extensively with Mexican cultural artifacts related with death. He is currently performing research on the metaphoric uses of prostheses in literature and the visual arts, at New York University, as well as writing poems about the life of plants and the genealogy of intelligent machines. He was born in Monterrey, Mexico and is currently based in Brooklyn.
For more information on the Mütter Museum 3rd Annual Day of the Dead Festival, click here; for more information about the Observatory Dia de Muertos party, click here. To see photos from last year's Dia de Muertos Observatory Party--which will give you a sense of what you're in for--click here.
Images: Top: “Happy Dance and Wild Party of All the Skeletons,” by José Guadalupe Posada, via Radio Free Mike. Mütter image: From Anatomical Theatre Exhibition
Radiolab's Sharon Shattuck on parasites tonight at Observatory! Full details below; hope to see you there.
Parasites: A User’s Guide
A Short Film Screening with Filmmaker and Ecologist Sharon Shattuck, Radiolab Affiliate
Date: Tuesday, October 26
Time: 8:00
Admission: $5The word “parasite” comes with loads of vile connotations, but in nature, nothing is purely good or evil. In the 27-minute experimental documentary “Parasites: A User’s Guide,” filmmaker Sharon Shattuck embarks on a journey to decode some of the most misunderstood creatures on earth.
The dramatic rise in autoimmune diseases, asthma, and allergies since the turn of the last century has confounded scientists, but some researchers think they have uncovered the key to controlling the skyrocketing rates: tiny parasitic worms called ‘helminths.’ Using a blend of handmade and digital animation, film, and music, Sharon dives headlong into the controversial discourse surrounding ‘helminthic therapy,’ with help from scientific researchers, proactive patients and a renegade entrepreneur named Jasper Lawrence. Through the seeming oxymoron of the ‘helpful parasite,’ Sharon questions the nature of our relationship with parasites–and suggests a new paradigm for the future. “Parasites: A User’s Guide” is a film about ecology, healing, and worms.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker and an active helminth patient.
Check out the film’s website for more info: http://www.parasites-film.com
Bio: Before moving to Brooklyn, Sharon Shattuck studied tropical botany, and worked as a researcher with the Field Museum and the Smithsonian Institute in Panama. Following a grad stint in documentary media, she now works as an animator with Wicked Delicate Films (producers of “King Corn,” 2007) in Brooklyn, and is a contributor to the WNYC science show ‘Radiolab.’ Now, Sharon is touring the mainstream film fest circuit with her quirky science film “Parasites: A User’s Guide,” demonstrating that science can be both informative AND entertaining.
You can find out more about this event on the Observatory website by clicking here. You can get directions to Observatory--which is next door to the Morbid Anatomy Library (more on that here)--by clicking here. You can find out more about Observatory here, join our mailing list by clicking here, and join us on Facebook by clicking here.
Yes, the rumors, bizarre as they are, are true. Obscura Antiques and Oddities--my absolute favorite store in the world, see images above--is now the base, inspiration, location, and cast-provider for "Oddities," a new reality TV show (sic) that will be shown on The Discovery Channel starting next Thursday. The show stars not only friends and friends-of-the-blog Evan Michelson (Morbid Anatomy Library scholar in residence) and Mike Zohn--the proprietors or the inimitable Obscura Antiques--but also an array of other fascinating friends and collectors who travel in their circle.
With this cast, setting, and array of possible situations, "Oddities" will doubtless make unusually compelling reality television. I, for one--and please note, I generally HATE reality TV!--can't wait to see it!
More about the show--which premieres next Thursday, November 4th--from today's New York Post (which, although it seems to miss the point somewhat, provides a good description of the action):
Manhattan's own Obscura Antiques & Oddities and its owners, Mike Zohn and Evan Michelson, are the focus of a new series, "Oddities," premiering Nov. 4 at 9:30 p.m. on Discovery Channel. It'll air Thursdays at 9 p.m. thereafter.
The shop, located at 280 East 10th (between 1st Avenue and Avenue A) has a cornucopia of just-plain-weird stuff, like human gallstones, late 19th century poison bottles and bizarre medical instruments. And Zohn and Michelson seem just as colorful (he's a "creative taxidermy" winner; she's into Victorian mourning jewelry and was in a "Goth fetish band," whatever that is).
In the first episode, Mike finds a mummified cat in the private collection of "an eccentric artist" (ya think?) but worries it might be putrefying. Yeeeccchh. He also informs a customer, who thought he had a collection of musket balls, that they're actually something else entirely. I won't spoil it for you.
The second episode finds Evan encountering a puppeteer who's looking for a prosthetic limb, and a customer who has what appears to be a dead body in the trunk of his car.
Good times.
The show premieres Nov. 4 at 9:30 p.m. on Discovery Channel; after the launch, it will air Thursdays at 9 PM. You can find out more about Obscura Antiques and Oddities by clicking here; you can see a recent MA Post on the story by clicking here.
Thanks to Lord Whimsy for alerting me to the official announcement.
The Oceanographer position has been updated. Qualified candidates will have some academic education in oceanography or related disciplines. In addition, applicants should have a moderate level of knowledge and experience working with GIS. The position is also now a 6-month project (up from 3-month).
For more information about the Oceanography/GIS Researcher position, please visit the official job posting.
A recent article in Slate.com characterized seasteading thus:
Seasteading, a movement to create law-free floating communes based on voluntary association. Led by Milton Friedman's pajama-wearing grandson, this may be the most elaborate effort ever devised by a group of computer nerds to get invited to an orgy.
In Jody Shapiro’s documentary, How to Start Your Own Country, The Seasteading Institute discusses the importance of opening the oceans as a new frontier for the founding of autonomous communities. An eight-minute portion of the documentary is dedicated to interviews with executive director Patri Friedman and seasteading engineers, with examples of seastead designs from our design contest.
Just a quick reminder that if you'd like to read drafts of the seasteading book outline, book proposal (including sample chapters), and eventually the book itself, subscribe to the TSI Book Feedback Mailing List. Participants have already reviewed the first half: "Why Seastead?", and are about to review the second half: "How to Seastead". Your feedback can help make this book a success!
Subscribe to tsi-book-feedback
Email:
O. Shane Balloun has crafted an extremely comprehensive yet very readable 29-page essay on the legal ramifications of American maritime law jurisdiction as it applies to seasteading.
I like finding out about different ways to enjoy the ocean and when I saw this video of a team of surfers riding waves in Hangzhou’s Quiantang Tidal Bore I thought, wow, that must be one amazing way to see the city of Hangzhou. When the conditions are perfect, the tidal bore comes down into Hangzhou Bay and you can literally surf into the city. The waves are large but so is the adventure. Surfing the tidal bore started in 2007. Originally, no one was allowed into the water but by pulling a few strings these intrepid surfers managed to ride what seems to be an endless wave. This video is by Vimeo user Charles Lanceplaine.
Here is a brief description of the video:
Twice every year the Qiantang Tidal bore thunders down the river from the Hangzhou Bay almost 30 miles past the city of Hangzhou.
Since 2007 Surfing China and Wabsono, with the permission of the Chinese government, has invited Pro surfers to surf the bore known as the “Silver Dragon”.
This year the team included Jamie Sterling, Mikala Jones, Robert Wingnut Weaver and Mary Osborne. Mary had the honor of being the first woman ever to have surfed the “Silver Dragon” and Wingnut, the honor of first “headstand”.
The last 2 weeks have been rather quiet as far as jellyfish reports are concerned. Usually I get two to five reports a week. But suddenly a large number of box jellyfish are being reported in the surf off Volusia County, Florida beaches. Photographer and artist Kem McNair has generously shared the photos he took [...]
This Saturday, October 23rd, 2010, I’ll be giving a 30 minute slide show presentation on Florida jellyfish during the 15th Annual International Seabean Symposium. It’s FREE! I’ll be showing many of the jellyfish photos that people have emailed to me over the last 5 years–and there are some really good ones! My presentation will begin [...]
Yawn - Seal pup saying hello to the world (Graeme Duncan)
Our first second-coat pup - success (already!)
My island now - a Bull seal saying hello to Jason (Graeme Duncan) 
fight club - two bull seals getting to know each other (Graeme Duncan)
Double trouble - a Meadow Pipit flies for its life against two Merlins (Graeme Duncan)However it’s been a frustrating time on the islands as strong winds from the north (we weren’t expecting it!), have prevented movement to the colonies (we’ve been cut off since Monday). However the wind is expected to ease tomorrow and so our seal mission will begin and as usual, I’ll bring you all the news.
Whether traveling for pleasure or for any of his other endeavors, especially the Asante Kenyan Charity, Brendan Harding has taken (in his words) “snapshots of life in different places” and written about them. He is a writer, graphic designer, activist, singer in a band and all around “good guy” Check him out!
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Brendan Harding’s Trivial World of Travel |
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Steve Skabrat admits he’s a “meat & potatoes” kind of guy. He’s also one who is ready to give up the “meat & potatoes” cube life for something more exciting. Hmmm… Could be travel… Well, only if he can find tasty food, figure out directions and how to leave the very large iguana statue to fend for itself.
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Escape from Cube Land |
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