The · Affected · Provincial’s · Almanack

The lofty heights of natural philosophy weren't much better: Apparently, even Linnaeus was given to employing off-color names (Clitoria, Fornicata, Vulva, etc). These were discreetly replaced over time (I smell a Victorian). The prudes missed the common limpet, though: Crepidula fornicata.

Oh yes: maidenhair fern isn't referring to the hair on the young lady's head.

One day I'll burn your eyes with the absolutely filthy, delightfully inventive names the Scots-irish gave the rivers in Appalachia. Hoo hoo!

(Source for dandelion nuggets: Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything)

~W

Tell it to the poor little devil I found in my garden. It appears he ran afoul of a Cordyceps fungus.

~W

"Often using little more than a pen-knife, many of these drifters pain-stakingly altered the extremely hard copper-nickel alloy, transforming the Indian's head into profile portraits of friends and loved ones (both male and female), of other hobos, or of themselves. Rare examples also feature alterations of the "buffalo," typically into donkeys or elephants. These "Hobo Nickels" were a way for the vagabonds to increase the value of the coin so that it brought a more advantageous exchange when used to barter for food and drink, or for lodging or transportation."

A Cabinet article on hobo nickels

The Hobo Nickel Society

( Had to open up and tend to my bird automaton, so have a look... )
~W

"Published in 1935, the Secret Museum is a mystery book. It has no author or credits, no copyright, no date, no page numbers, no index. Published by "Manhattan House" and sold by "Metro Publications", both of New York, its "Five Volumes in One" was pure hype: it had never been released in any other form.

"Advertised as "World's Greatest Collection of Strange & Secret Photographs" and marketed mainly to overheated adolescents [...] it consists of nothing but photos and captions with no further exposition. This was not a book published to educate (despite appearing on some public library's shelves), but to titillate [...] it's emphasis was on the female form ("Female Beauty Round the World") and fashion, and it featured as many National-Geographic-style native breasts as possible. But anything lurid, weird, or just plain unusual is fair game. This was a book to gawk at by flashlight under the bedcovers.

"[...] Presented here is the Secret Museum in its entirety, all 564 pages scanned and transcribed-- nothing is omitted or censored."

Enjoy.

Medusa-themed chandelier, a collaboration between friend Adam Wallacavage and the lovely and talented Jodi R., who also lent her face to the effort. The handmade medallion on the ceiling is in an owl motif.

( Details behind cut... )
~W

"Through passive amplification alone, These unique pieces instantly transform any personal music player + earbuds into a sculptural audio console.

"Without the use of external power or batteries and by combining horn acoustics with the audio conductive properties of rigid ceramics, the Phonofone inventively exploits the virtues of horn acoustics to boost the audio output of standard earphones to up to 55 decibels (roughly the maximum volume of laptop speakers).

"Upon connecting active earphones to the Phonofone their trebly buzzing is instantly and profoundly transformed into a warm, rich and resonant sound."

Apparently, Phonofone II has been licensed by a ‘foreign design concern’ and is slated for commercial release in Spring 2008.

Many thanks to thistlelurid for bringing this to my attention.

~W

Many thanks to Mark for sending this link along. More images from this catalog can be seen at Arthur Magazine.

Behold, Lloyd Koulen: A homeless "Inuit" neo-nazi and sometime actor who dresses entirely in white, including white mascara. According to the comment thread below his bizarre interview, he once stabbed and killed a Bronx man on the subway platform not a block from where he is photographed above, but was not convicted. Suffice it to say that the whole package is fairly chilling. I'm actually surprised they ran this piece--but then, if your beat is the street, than what you find there is what you have to work with.

(Oh--and if he's an Inuit, then I'm a Samoan.)

My hat's off to you tonight, New York: You still have a few bona fide freaks lurking up your filthy sleeves.

~W

The Carnivorous Nights Taxidermy Contest: Photo series by dogseat

Many thanks (and congratulations) to my friend Mike of Obscura Antiques and Oddities for sending this link along. His shadowbox mise en scene of albino voles was this year's grand prize winner at the Secret Science Club's third annual Carnivorous Nights Taxidermy Contest at Union Hall in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Wait until you see the one fellow's "rat jacket". It's quite a sight.

~W

Seemed like an ideal surprise gift for my wife when I was in Evolution this morning. I know she needed a coin purse.

( That's nothing--Momus got a raccoon penis bone! )

Someone is continuing where Cornell left off: Brian Dettmer carves into books revealing the artwork inside, creating complex layered three-dimensional sculptures. Would love to see what he'd do to my book.

Go here to find out more.

But wait, there are further developments regarding monowheels: Last time I visited his museum, David Metz mentioned that he and a friend were building a replica of this very kind of bicycle. I was wondering if they ever finished it, and how they would feel about this replica. Upon checking his site, I find out they too have completed their replica--not one, but two!

I must go to Freehold to see these new additions to his collection. More soon!

~W

"Purcell treats old objects with a sense of wonder. Her aesthetic has sometimes been described as pre-Enlightenment. Yet the work is far more contemporary than it first appears. The obsessive focus on selecting, classifying, and repurposing—the culling of favorites from other peoples’ favorites—makes it like some ultracool group projects on the Web… Purcell’s work isn’t speedy, and it doesn’t get e-mailed around the world (not yet, anyway). But she also wrestles with how to structure and restructure image and information in the face of overwhelming abundance. Her bats and beetles are nudging up against the future."

The image posted here is “Mole Skins From the Collection of van Heurn,” from Finders, Keepers: Eight Collectors, by Purcell and Stephen Jay Gould. Purcell’s new book, Bookworm, has just been published. Her work can also be seen in this month’s National Geographic.

~W