Author Archives: cicada

Eschewing flying cats and cactus girls

Posted on May 29, 2007 by cicada

You’ve probably heard the recent reports of a winged cat. The cat’s Chinese owner says the wings, which contain bones, make her pet look like a ‘cat angel’. Her explanation is that the cat sprouted the wings after being sexually … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Education, Science | 2 Comments

Spoiler Alert

Posted on May 25, 2007 by cicada

I think this might be how Lost is going to end! (C’mon, like you have a better idea?) Original creator of this image unknown – found here.

Posted in Frivolity | 2 Comments

17 praeternatural Rabbits

Posted on May 25, 2007 by cicada

Cunicularii engraving William Hogarth Here’s a gem of weirdness that I somehow missed, courtesy of Providentia: Towards the end of the year 1726, a rather astounding revelation involving a 25-year old maidservant named Mary Tofts came out. Contemporary sources described … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Frivolity | 3 Comments

Poem of the Week: You do not have to be good

Posted on May 25, 2007 by cicada

You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. from … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | 5 Comments

Because you’re curious and smart and bored

Posted on May 24, 2007 by cicada

Good advice. Sometimes I think I should give up trying to plan my life, and just do whatever xkcd says. See the full comic here.

Posted in Department of the Drama, Frivolity | 4 Comments

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