Monthly Archives: May 2007

Gilded autochrome

Posted on May 23, 2007 by cicada

Portrait (thought to be of Charlotte Spaulding) autochrome photograph Edward Steichen, circa 1908 This is almost as good as discovering an unknown Klimt! Two Steichen autochromes (primitive color photographs) were recently donated to the George Eastman House collection of historic … Continue reading →

Posted in Photography, Retrotechnology | Comments Off

Queen and House

Posted on May 23, 2007 by cicada

Wonderful Hugh Laurie (of House, M.D.) was honored by the Queen today. Between this and the season finale of Lost, it’s a good night for the only two television shows I bother following anymore.

Posted in Frivolity | Comments Off

“Poems, like birds, are everywhere”

Posted on May 23, 2007 by cicada

Animal Locomotion plate 770 (detail) collotype Eadweard Muybridge, 1887 The latest edition of I and the Bird is presented by Via Negativa as a fine found poem: The afternoon lull had set in, but we pressed on. We spotted the … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogs and Blogging, Poetry | 1 Comment

Comments problem

Posted on May 22, 2007 by cicada

Final update: unless I hear otherwise I’m going to assume the comment bug is fixed. Let me know if you have any further problems anywhere on the site, and thanks to everyone who helped me troubleshoot.

Posted in Blogs and Blogging | 6 Comments

Muskrat (Skull) Love

Posted on May 21, 2007 by cicada

Muskrat Box Ron Pippin I have not gotten a single thing done today, because I’ve spent hours browsing the archive of assemblage artist Ron Pippin. Has there ever been a more charming collection of steampunk-influenced taxidermical wonder-boxes?

Posted in Artists & Art, Museum Lust, Wonder Cabinets | 5 Comments

New art from old

Posted on May 20, 2007 by cicada

One of my favorite authors (read Winter’s Tale if you read nothing else of his), Mark Helprin, has written an editorial (NYT) arguing that the copyright on works of art should extend indefinitely. Helprin’s arguments seem logical – art doesn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Books | Comments Off

One thing I want: not to be a toad

Posted on May 19, 2007 by cicada

“How many twigs in a bird’s nest?” asked the enchantress suddenly. “Answer quickly. There, you see,” she added. “Poor chicks, you don’t even know that. How could you be expected to know what you really want out of life?” “One … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Comments Off

A little late for Mother’s Day, but. . .

Posted on May 18, 2007 by cicada

Mother David Hochbaum, 2006 David Hochbaum rocks. Enough said.

Posted in Artists & Art, Cephalopodmania | Comments Off

Cannibalism, Then and Now

Posted on May 16, 2007 by cicada

Where else but in the blogosphere could one learn that the medieval practice of consuming powdered human corpses has experienced a questionably legal (and questionably real) renaissance? A testimonial from the Modern Man-Eater website: “My bones were just plain getting … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Blogs and Blogging, Frivolity, Science | Comments Off

Our chances become slightly less remote

Posted on May 15, 2007 by cicada

The venerable lit journal Poetry has the following invitation on its site: In June, July, and August 2007, POETRY will only consider work from poets who have not previously appeared in the magazine. We encourage writers new to these pages … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Comments Off