Around the World in 1815.

'Louis Choris, a painter from the Ukraine, was 20 years old when he boarded the Kotzebue in 1815 for a 3 year world tour. He eventually published Voyage pittoresque autour du monde, avec des portraits de sauvages d'Amerique, d'Asie, d'Afrique, et des iles du Grand ocean; des paysages, des vues maritimes, et plusieurs objets d'histoire naturelle in 1822. The text, which makes up about half the nearly 300 pages was by Baron Cuvier and a couple of others.'




Dalit Saint Peddi.

'Urilinga Peddi (C-1150-1200) occupies a unique place in the Virashaiva mvement of India. He belonged to the low caste and was a robber. Once Peddi had gone to steal at the residence of Surayya, a rich man and devotee of Urilingadeva, a great Shaiva Saint. Peddi heard the exposition of scriptures and the way to pious life. Peddi was a changed person onwards and for twelve years he brought firewood to Urilingadeva's hermitage without being noticed.'




Forgotten Illustrator Jiri Trnka.

'Jiri Trnka (1912 - 1969) is well-known (relatively-speaking) for his brilliant animated puppet movies. He has even been dubbed the "Walt Disney of the East." Recently I discovered that this Czech artist also illustrated children's books throughout his career. Many of these books were published in English from the fifties to the seventies, though none are currently in print.'




Forgotten Illustrator Viera Gergel'ova.

'I can't find any information about her, but it appears she was working in Bratislava in the 60s and early 70s.'




Chinese Thumb Rings.

'It is not often that an implement of warfare evolves into an item of jewelry. But that is precisely what happened with Chinese archer’s rings. '




Roadside Characters.

'Remember the roadside characters that used to greet you as you whizzed by? How about the famous Doggie Diner? The Blue Whale off Route 66 in Catoosa? You can't forget Dinah as well as Kadie the Cow.'

'See them here in this index to these roadside characters by region.'




Neon Theatres of the Midwest.




Vintage Postcards of Route 66.



Astro Pics.


Ultraviolet Andromeda.


Moons and Jupiter.


Starburst Galaxy M94.



Querying the Hive Mind.


What are some movies with moral beauty?


'What is the probability of one or both events occurring.'


'Choose Your Own Adventure question.'


'Mefites, please show me the oddest blogs you have ever seen?'


' I need a story about a person who has an uninspiring job but does it in a way that makes a difference people's lives.' (Ikiru, of course!)


'I have a strange question... Assuming that world sea-level rises by 1 metre over the next hundred years - Would it be possible to cordon off a section of land, somewhere in the centre of a continent, and flood it to create an artificial ocean, thus reducing the consequences of the sea rise?'


'Why can't I, and how can I, hear my dad's accent?'


'Does everyone categorise shades of colours in the same way? I'm interested in the way shades of colours are bundled together in different cultures/languages.'


'Please help me convince my 19 year old niece that she shouldn't drop out of her upcoming professional course to become a stripper. '




Why Is Colour?




Hindu Deities' Vehicles.

'Most Hindu Gods have their own vehicles that they use to go about their tasks and responsibilities. We bring you this fascinating exhibition of pictures from Indian mythologies. '




Biloxi, Mississippi Shrimps (1945).




Poetry for Primates.

'There's been increased interest lately in monkey languages after discoveries were made about how putty-nosed monkeys combine sounds to create a basic syntax:
* Hack-hack-hack-hack: "There's an eagle over there!"
* Pyow-hack-hack-pyow-pyow-pyow: "I've seen a leopard, let's move away!"
* Hack-hack-hack-pyow-hack-hack-hack-hack-hack "There's an eagle over
there, let's move away!" ... '




Nageshvara Nataraja.

'Nataraja is called “one of the most popular forms of the god Shiva” by the great scholar of South Indian art and architecture, Dr. Douglas Barrett [1]. Following his and other scholars’ work, many authors support the idea that the Dancing Shiva as Nataraja was a tenth century innovation by Chola artists and architects. A novelty possibly initiated or directed by the Chola queen Sembyan Mahadevi. It has also been suggested by some authors that this development was related to certain political objectives of the Chola dynasty, especially its imperial and expansive ambitions. '




Indian Cinema.




Vintage European Geishas.




Red Dust in Sydney.

'As I write this, there's an insane dust storm that's sweeping over Sydney. I found out about it by seeing a Twitter post from Dan Hill. I'm based in San Francisco but found it so extraordinary I decided to go and see if I could spot pictures coming in and make a little gallery out of them.'

Luna Park: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomhide/3945957994/




Classic Coaches of Wombourne.

'Classic Coaches of Wombourne in Staffordshire ran an odd fleet of old buses and coaches. One of these oddities was EUG885D, an unusual centre-entrance AEC Reliance coach that had been new to the Wallace Arnold coach fleet in 1966. EUG885D is seen in Station Street, Walsall on a shuttle service between Walsall and Bescot. '




Milk Float.

'Saturday job by Lady Wulfrun.
Two young lads pose alongside an old 'Unigate' Morrison 'D1' electric milkfloat in Womboune, Staffordshire one Saturday morning in December 1986, They'd both been helping the local milkman on his rounds to earn a bit of extra pocket money, bless em. '




Sunny Staffordshire.

'Sunny Staffordshire by Lady Wulfrun.
With its windows open, and its passengers enjoying the resulting cool breeze, West Midlands Travel Fleetline 6447 (NOC 447R) roars along Plantation Lane in Himley, Staffordshire, bound for Wolverhampton on a warm and sunny afternoon in June 1989. '




Irish Comics Wiki.