The Museum of British Folklore.




Pat & Mat.

'Pat & Mat, lovable Czech puppetmen who have complex solutions to simple problems'. YouTube links.




The Big Picture: Recent Hindu Festivals and Rituals.




Jan Janszoon Van Haarlem, aka Murad Reis: The Pirate King of the Barbary Coast.

'About 1575 a child, later christened Jan, was born in the city of Haarlem, North Holland, the Netherlands. Jan grew up an average Dutch boy, and when he reached maturity, he married a local girl whose name is unknown. Lysbeth Van Salee was born to this union in 1596. There were likely other children...'

'He was destined to become a pirate king on the Barbary Coast in North Africa. Jan was known in the English speaking world as Captain John, John Barber and Little John Ward. His Arabic names were Caid Morato, Morat, Morat Rais, Murad, Murad Reis, Mutare Reis, Morato Reis and Murat Reis. Reis or rais in Arabic means captain.'




The Year 2038 Bug.




20th Century Magazine Covers from Japan.

'These covers come from Bookcover Design in Japan 1910s-40s (ISBN 4-89444-426-7) edited by Masayo Matsubara. Published in 2005 by PIE Books, this incredible book is already out-of-print and becoming hard to find (it was actually hard for me to find and I spend hours per day searching for rare books). This book is in Japanese only, but of course you need it for the 650 illustrations.'




Book Cover Design in India 1964-1984.




Slang and the Great Depression.

'Much slang from the era comes out as a response to the Great Depression: from words referring to President Herbert Hoover, to Okies fleeing the Dust Bowl, to Apple Annies trying to make ends meet. When Franklin D. Roosevelt became president in 1932, Americans talked of a New Deal and its slew of programs, known by their initials.'

'Those who wanted to get away from it all could hit the road... or the tracks. Auto Touring was the new way to vacation, but hoboes who couldn't travel by car jumped the blinds or went on thumb.'




Historical Playing Cards.




Dore's Engravings for the Old Testament.

'Woodcuts by Gustave Doré (1832-1883)'.




Dore's Engravings for the New Testament.




Roadside America: Tiny Churches.

'Tiny churches are adorable symbols of understated Christianity. For the small communities that built them, they are perfect for small weddings or quiet contemplation. For frazzled travelers, fending off road rage or interstate ennui, wee houses of worship poke up suddenly from the asphalt firmament like little miracles.'




Historical Photos of Central Asia.




Roadside America: Big Coffee Pots.

'One of the few towns with a semi-legitimate coffee claim-to-fame, Stanton is the home of "Mrs. Olson." Or, at least, was the home of an actress -- stage name Virginia Christine -- made famous as Folgers' Mrs. Olson, hawking their "mountain grown" coffee in TV commercials and on the sides of coffee cans. She'd long since departed the Iowa, but returned for the town's Centennial celebration in 1970 as parade Grand Marshal. Stanton celebrated the connection, along with its own Scandinavian coffee roots, with a 120-ft. Coffee Pot Water Tower erected in 1971. '



Astro Pics.


Despina, Moon of Neptune.


Shadows of Saturn.


Beneath the South Pole of Saturn.


Jupiter over the Mediterranean.



Querying the Hive Mind.


'Favorite Ramen Recipes? I am looking to augment my Ramen meals. '


'Do you have a soft heart? How did you get one?'




Tennis, Anyone?

'Washington, D.C., circa 1915. "Women's tennis league section leaders." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative.'




A Book of Moss.

'So this 1950 King Penguin book by Professor P.W. Richards might be of interest. Professor Richards complains that moss is unjustly neglected, quoting botanist John Bartram: "Before Dr Dillenius gave me a hint of it, I took no particular notice of mosses, but looked upon them as a cow looks at a pair of new barn doors."'




Prancing Knights.

'More medieval catwalk posing than stereotypical jousting scenes perhaps, this group of illustrations precedes an historically significant text, Ludwig von Eyb's 'Turnierbuch'.'




The Blasket Islands.

'Island of Sorrows. On the far western tip of continental Europe lie The Blasket Islands, picturesque in the sunlight. Great Blasket produced a great wealth (scroll down) of oral and written folk history from personages such as Peig Sayers (photo); and Tomas O'Crohan and Maurice O'Sullivan. '




Junko Mizuno Fans.

'Born 1973 in Tokyo, Japan, Junko Mizuno is one of the most promising young artists in Japan's fast-moving manga (comics) scene. Her instantly recognizable illustrations blending the cute and the grotesque grace everything in Tokyo from T-shirts to CD jackets to nightclub décor.'




Festivals of Kerala, India.




Someone's Photos of Shanghai.




Chicago Street Art.