The Woods: a stop-motion music video for Polly Paulusma, by artist Rima Staines. You can read Rima’s account of her creative process here, at her blog. Paulusma’s song is a sort of bittersweet version of the Hansel and Gretel myth.
What I really want to know is, why is MTV Italy willing to air this kind of magical semi-hallucination, when our MTV churns out nothing but reality shows? Grrr.
3 comments November 10th, 2007
The Zankiwank and the Bletherwitch
Written by S.J.A. Fitz-Gerald, 1896
Illustrated by Arthur Rackham
Maude and Willie felt themselves dropping, dropping, dropping, until the Zankiwank bounced up and caught them both in his arms, saying as he rushed forward:- “Quick, the gates are only open for five seconds once a week, and if we don’t get inside at once we shall be jammed in the door-way.”
So into Shadow Land they tumbled as the porter mumbled and grumbled and shut the gate with a boom and a bang after them.
A truly altruistic, wonderful person at conceptart has posted links to several dozen vintage art books, mostly hosted through archive.org. The list includes instructional books by Bridgman, Ruskin, etc., children’s books illustrated by NC Wyeth, Pyle, etc., and a large selection of delicious work by Arthur Rackham. Come on - who knew Rackham illustrated something as bizarre as “The Zankiwank and the Bletherwitch”?
Add comment November 10th, 2007
I’ve been running across an unusually large number of things I covet lately, and it occurred to me that if you are reading my blog, you (or your friends/family) might have similar tastes. So I thought I’d post a list of gift ideas for those of you who are starting to look. I am NOT getting commissions, I promise. 
First, with GREAT fanfare: Peacay/PK at BibliOdyssey has accomplished what I’d have judged impossible: a book! My mind boggles at the copyright implications. . . it must have been an incredible pain to track down book rights to the images, but what a treasure (and how fitting for the images to go full circle, from old books, to a blog, back to paper). BibliOdyssey - the Book: Amazing Archival Images from the Internet
There is a wonderful interview with PK here, at 3 quarks daily.
Just in: a review of the book here.
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The Undercover Brain Bag by Jun Takahashi: a purse with sulci and gyri. It’s like doing a callosotomy every time you get your wallet out! I found this via Virginia Hughes. Before you get your hopes up, apparently there’s only one of these bags, and I can’t figure out how much it is or how exactly to buy it! Maybe that’s the point: unless your brain is that big, you can’t have it. At (I think) Someday Store.
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Now this is the best. I hope you already know that for Christmas you can give your loved one gonorrhea, herpes, or even Ebola. And they’re so CUTE! Think Geek: Giant Plush Microbes
No explanation why they have a neuron in the list with all the contagions, but I’d like one of those, too.
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Made With Molecules: sterling silver beta-endorphin choker necklace
I know I keep plugging Raven Hanna’s neurotransmitter jewelry, but she just told me her long-awaited endorphin choker has been revealed publicly. This gem is the entire sequence of beta-endorphin. This is the gift for the lady geek who already has everything else - and given the time that goes into one necklace, you will want to order NOW!
Myself, I’m still eyeing Raven’s neurotransmitter charm bracelets. Who knows, it might help with what my boss referred to last week as “your very apparent GABA imbalance.”
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Not everyone knows their endorphin from their estrogen, and non-scientists need gifts too. For non-molecular jewelry, visit my friend Ophelia’s etsy shop (Ophelia herself IS a scientist). I get compliments every time I wear her work - it happened again today - and you know no one else will have the same piece, which is especially nice for me since I and all my friends shop at Ann Taylor, and unfortunately have the same clothes. Ophelia’s Jewels
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The “Science: It Works, Bitches” T-shirt. I have almost bought this like, five times. What is stopping me??? Oh yeah - I’m broke. Blame Ann Taylor. the xkcd.com store: t-shirts
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The “viva la evolution” t-shirt. Che Guevara’s Jurassic doppleganger: what more could you want?? Trilobite clothing
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Pretty things from Walteria Living and emily amey here, and here.
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New! Check out Street Anatomy’s own Christmas list of anatomy-related gifts
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I will be updating this list as more strange things appear on my wishlist. . . for the record, Santa, I have none of these things . . . yet.
Of course, if you really really like me, you’ll buy me this.
2 comments November 10th, 2007
The World’s Fair started a meme to identify phrases for which your blog is the #1 Google result. It seems like there ought to be an algorithm to do this for you, but after much trial and error, bioephemera is the world authority on:
museum lust
sawdust viscera
cephalopodmania
susini anatomical venus (or susini medical venus)
miss piggy gets medieval
and of course, the name of the blog, bioephemera. Because I made it up.
PS. In related news, SCQ/World’s Fair is campaigning to ensure that truth is indeed the #1 Google result for, well, truth. It would have been much easier if they had picked a phrase like “sawdust viscera.” But I guess they just aren’t about easy. Typical scientist overachievers.
Add comment November 10th, 2007
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