Mr. Pikai Chiang's Biography.

'Shanghai, China was the birthplace of my dad in 1958. When he was young, he enjoyed playing soccer, ping-pong, and track. He also enjoyed building model airplanes, model boats, and hanging out with friends. Dad had a bird for a while and some crickets when he was young. His childhood was very interesting...'

More biographies of parents and grandparents by children : http://www.hopkinton.k12.ma.us/middle/teachers/directory/edelson/elderTea/

'Although my grandpa doesn‘t have a great relationship with his parents or his sister, he did eat lunch and talk with them every so often. ': http://www.hopkinton.k12.ma.us/middle/teachers/directory/edelson/elderTea/2007/aruotolo/index.htm

'He is as wise as an owl/He is as informative as an encyclopedia/He hates President Bush/He thinks he is foul': http://www.hopkinton.k12.ma.us/middle/teachers/directory/edelson/elderTea/2007/plevenson/index.htm

'Little did she know that they were just math colleagues, so as she rushed into the Melville class, and passed his chair she stated, "I didn't know you were an English major." Looking up at my grandma with his beautiful blue eyes he told her, "I'm not. I'm a math graduate student." The rest is history. ': http://www.hopkinton.k12.ma.us/middle/teachers/directory/edelson/elderTea/2007/dlamachia/index.htm

'All the sisters in my grandmother family have the word,” Zehra” meaning flower in the Arabic language. ': http://www.hopkinton.k12.ma.us/middle/teachers/directory/edelson/elderTea/2007/mhussain/index.htm




History of London Tube Maps.




Viewing Japanese Prints: Ukiyo-e.

... are among the most widely known and admired arts of the Edo period. With the rise of the merchant class during the 17th century, there followed a demand for images of contemporary urban life in a new style reflecting the lives of the commoners.'




Antique Typewriters.

'Comprised of typewriters from the very beginning of the typewriter industry (1880s & 1890s), it is the
largest of its kind in Canada. The collection contains many rare and historically important typewriters,
showing the remarkable diversity and beauty of the world's first typing machines.'




Dan's Topical Stamps.

Postage stamps on such diverse subjects as detective fiction, Scandinavian flags, the Bayeux Tapestry, South Dakota, the Twelve Days of Christmas, etc.




Vietnamese Propaganda Posters.




65 Years of Photography in Mexico.




Remnants of Kleindeutschland, Lower East Side, NYC.

'At the turn of the century, there were approximately 50,000 German immigrants living in the area surrounding of Tompkins Square Park, which was then known as Kleindeutschland, or Little Germany (now referred to as Alphabet City). German schools, libraries, beer halls and shooting clubs served the cultural needs of a community permanently displaced from their homeland.'

Pretty much wiped out in one night in 1904 by the General Slocum Tragedy.




The Abandoned Boyce Thompson Institute, NYC.

'I recently posted about scouting Alder Manor, a dilapidated yet beautiful abandoned mansion in Yonkers. The manor was owned by William Boyce Thompson, an extremely rich copper magnate in the early 1900’s. This past winter, I had the opportunity to check out the former Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, a beautiful brick structure located across the street from the manor, and in far, far worse condition.'




Travels of a Boy Reporter.

Track Tintin's travels around the world (and the Moon).




Claremont Fashion Plates.

19th century women's fashion, including SWIMSUITS.

"There are three bathing dresses in black and white with no models. The outfit on top is horizontal. It consists of a dark gray short dress with a sailor collar, short sleeves, and a belt, as well as matching knee length cropped pants. White bands decorate at the sleeves, the center front on each side of the buttons, and the hem of the dress, and the hem of the pants as well..."




Naxi Manuscripts of Yunnan.

'Selections from the Naxi Manuscript Collection features ceremonial writings of the Naxi people of Yunnan Province, China. The Library of Congress’s Naxi collection is the largest outside of China and is considered one of the finest in the world.The Naxi language is the only pictographic writing system still in use today. '




The Saxon Mirror, or Medieval German Law.

Manuscript images.

'The Sachsenspiegel (lit. Saxon Mirror) is the original document of German jurisprudence in which the customary laws of Saxony, previously transmitted through an oral tradition, were given permanence and stability in written form.'




1950s-1970s Advertising Images.




Regional World Cities.

'This world map slices up the globe into two egg-shaped pieces and, for some reason, a kidney-shaped one. It purports to show the world’s three panregions (*), and the world cities with which they interact. In all, there are nine of these “regional world cities”: two “panregional centres”, three “major regional centres” and four “minor regional centres”.'



Astro Pics.


Atlantis and Hubble Side by Side.


Unusual Dusty Galaxy NGC 7049.


The Colliding Spiral Galaxies of Arp 274.


Moon Rays over Thurso Castle.


East of Antares.




Memories of Y2K, from Y2K.

MEMORIESSSSSSS.... (I was at work).



Querying the Hive Mind.


'I need a new "big think" book! I just finished Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, and I loved his other books as well. I've read everything Jared Diamond has published (Collapse, Guns, Germs & Steel, The Third Chimpanzee etc.) I like books that stretch your brain and reveal the hidden factors in life, the world and society.'


'What single ingredient can make my cooking more exciting or interesting?'


'You know the feeling you get when you succeed at something you initially thought you weren't capable of? I want to feel that way more often. What things, big or small, do you do in your life which give you the joy of proving your inner pessimist wrong?'