Monthly Archives: September 2011

Behind the scenes

Posted on September 30, 2011 by things magazine

A Spatial History of Trapdoors at BLDG BLOG sent us off on this diversion. Apart from bringing to mind the fantastic British animation (which spawned an equally brilliant Spectrum game), there’s also a physical history to be explored in the … Continue reading →

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Moving mountains

Posted on September 29, 2011 by things magazine

Compare and contrast, ‘Beyond the Infinity by Serge Salat (video at last link) and a Menger Sponge built from Post-It notes, by Nicholas Rougeux (via Kottke) / the TDK History Museum. Not a patch on this analog audio tape nostalgia … Continue reading →

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Finding the path

Posted on September 28, 2011 by things magazine

Which games meddle with life? and When Video Games Get Stuck In Your Head (both via MeFi). The bleed between real and virtual has been fictionalised and exploited for decades, ever since the days of Max Headroom and the fumbling, … Continue reading →

Posted in nostalgia | 2 Comments

Peak travel and the love of machines

Posted on September 26, 2011 by things magazine

A salient point comment frpm this post on the Wellcome Collection, now celebrating its 75th anniversary: ‘The Cabinet of Curiosities is sort of a material manifestation of Western Victorian men’s interests in establishing dominion over the entire world, cultural and … Continue reading →

Posted in collections and archives, esoterica | 3 Comments

‘…not a consumer article produced by a genius.’

Posted on September 23, 2011 by things magazine

The Irish Vernacular takes DIY and house-building to a new, ultra-pragmatic level. Devised and produced entirely by the architect Dominic Stevens. The site provides plans and instructions ‘to help you to design and build your own house much like the … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture | 1 Comment

A dog, a panic in a pagoda!

Posted on September 21, 2011 by things magazine

Steel is a symbol of industrial might, so the frisson of schadenfreude that accompanies revelations about substandard Chinese steel is palpable. A few years ago, there was a similar story, and the very latest industry scandal is the tale of … Continue reading →

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At Class Action Park

Posted on September 19, 2011 by things magazine

Porträts Doubles by Niklauss Poerri, a study of (mostly) Swiss look-a-likes. Every country has its celebrity look-a-likes, we suppose, and Switzerland is no different. And the term ‘look-a-like’ is stretching it a bit in most cases (above, Daniel Radcliffe and … Continue reading →

Posted in ephemera | 2 Comments

Concrete (and steel) mountains

Posted on September 16, 2011 by things magazine

A practical joke that has gained strange traction, the Die Berg Komt Er is a suggested 2km-high artificial mountain set in the flat plains of Holland. Suggested by Dutch journalist Thijs Zonneveld, it is intended to fill a great hole … Continue reading →

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Rain, steampunk and speed

Posted on September 15, 2011 by things magazine

The Wacom Inkling looks pretty interesting; a device that translates regular paper drawings into vectors. Slightly more information at Wired / the Revell Ekranoplan model / an Ode to Vinyl, pops and crackles / Find my car, find your car, … Continue reading →

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Island, expeditions and archives

Posted on September 13, 2011 by things magazine

DRB’s Abandoned Disney, part 1 has insights into the forgotten corners of the Mouse’s empire. We especially like the visit to Discovery Island (video), now overrun with vultures / curating a web museum is akin to some form of obsession. … Continue reading →

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