'David Rumsey: A Stranger Quest'

A week ago I featured David Rumsey's nonpareil map collection and associated website.

The collection itself, over 200,000 maps, is located at the David Rumsey Map Center at Stanford University.

Up top is a full-length 90-minute documentary film about him which premiered at the Torino Film Festival on November 30, 2023, and was released to the public in December 2024.

"For David Rumsey, maps constitute the fabric of memory. They carry images of boundless worlds and the people who live there — past, present, and even the future. In this film, David takes us on a journey through time and space as he recalls why he started collecting. Over decades the collection grew into the intricate, innovative, and intimate story of his life and all the lives that have touched him."

Watch it for free — the way we like it.

More?

Your wish is my demand.

Sunny Day Bench — Gabriele Pezzini

It was introduced in April of 2006 at the "Open Your Mind" exhibition in Milan but after twenty years the designer has yet to find a manufacturer.

Wrote Pezzini (pictured above and below with his creation): "It invites only one to sit yet suggests others are welcome, though there is no practical place provided. Sunny Day Bench is a metaphor for contradictions in the human condition: we may dislike the company of others, but we need it. We may hate to be alone, but ultimately we are. We flee crowds, but we are also attracted to them; and, more often than not, we demand a degree of individuality and independence."

Where Things Are and Where They Go

Around ten years ago it occurred to me that when I can't find something, it may not be because I forgot where I put it.

What if things simply disappear from my perceived world, only to reemerge later?

Crazy, right?

Time and again I've looked high and low for something I know was somewhere a moment ago because I saw it — but it's not there!

I find it later, after I've stopped looking for it.

I've never mentioned this theory to anyone.

Only today did it occur to me that since I often do my best thinking in the course of putting it down in words on a screen, I might as well explore this idea here.

I've never read much philosophy but I have no doubt there are schools of thought based on this concept of a world created by thought rather than existing independently.

I was struck by something Einstein wrote in 1921: "It was formerly believed that if all material things disappeared from the universe, time and space would be left. According to relativity theory, however, space and time disappear together with the things."

If Schrödinger's cat can be both alive and dead until you open the box to see which it is, then there's no reason my disappearing stuff can't be winking in and out of existence.

Only recently did I change my behavior to be more in accord with this take on the world.

Long story short: When something "disappears" I no longer look for it: instead I consciously live in that liminal time and space between when the thing went missing until I happen on it.

"Use Your Illusion" is not just a classic Gun N' Roses album.

Left-Hander's Notebook

Fellow southpaws know what a pain in the butt it is to use a conventional spiral notebook, having to contort your writing hand so as to minimize the pain of the spiral pressing into the underside of your wrist.

Here's an assortment of six (6) double spiral notebooks in six (6) colors, each with 50 8"x 5" sheets.

$30.15.

Egyptian Tortoise

Smaller than a bread box — wait a sec, joe, your wires are crossed.

Again.

The Egyptian tortoise is smaller than a raspberry at birth; fully grown, it will measure between 3 and 5 inches long.

Critically endangered in the wild, its only hope for survival from extinction is continued successful breeding of the species in zoos.

Its native habitat is the Mediterranean coastal deserts of Egypt, Eastern Libya, and the western Negev Desert in Israel.

Its numbers have rapidly declined since the 1960s because of the exotic pet trade and destruction of its habitat through development.

When Albert Einstein & Charlie Chaplin Met and Became Fast Friends (1930)

From Open Culture:

.....................................

Albert Einstein became one of the world’s great science communicators by choice, not necessity, and found ways to explain his complex theories to children and the elderly alike. But perhaps, if he'd had his way, he would rather have avoided words altogether, and preferred acrobatic feats of silent daring to get his message across. We might at least conclude so from his reverence for the work of Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin was the only person Einstein wanted to meet in California during his second (1930–31) visit to the U.S., when he was at the height of his fame, with newspapers tracking his every move and academics clamoring for explanations of his theories.

The admiration was mutual. Their first meetings happened outside press scrutiny at Universal Studios, where the pair took a tour and had lunch together. They hit it off straight away, sharing quick wits and curious minds. In his autobiography, Chaplin writes that Einstein's wife Elsa finagled an invitation to dinner at Chaplin's house. He was only too happy to oblige, arranging an intimate dinner at which Elsa regaled him with the story of when Einstein came up with his world-changing theory around 1915.

The two continued to correspond, and the big public unveiling of their friendship came when Chaplin invited Einstein to the premiere of City Lights in 1931 (see photo up top) where the mega-celebrities from very different worlds were greeted by reporters, photographers, and adoring crowds.

It's clear Einstein saw something in Charlie Chaplin worth emulating. Chaplin left his mark on Existentialist philosophy, lending the name of his film Modern Times to Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir's influential journal, Les Temps Modernes. He also left a legacy on Beat poetry, lending the name City Lights to Lawrence Ferlinghetti's infamous San Francisco bookstore and publisher.

Hairy Chair — Charles Kaisin

This 2004 piece by the Belgian designer employs an ordinary chair covered with a "new skin" of paper strips from a shredder.

VoiceDot

"Every dot on this globe is a real person's voice — a short story about a place, a memory, a feeling. Tap one and hear someone from the other side of the planet."

If you like, you can record your own voice for others to hear.

Back story here.

Ms. bookofjoetiquette

It's a new feature making its debut today.

Aren't you excited?

Oh.

That's OK, never mind.

This inaugural installment is entitled:

How To Accept A Compliment

Have you ever noticed how most people, when given a compliment, say things like, "It's about time you noticed," or "It's nothing," or "No, not really?"

That's rude.

Because what they're doing is telling the person giving the compliment, in effect, that they're wrong.

How much nicer, more appropriate and gracious to simply say "Thank you."

And yet not one person in a hundred does.

Try it — I promise it will improve the quality of your — and others' — lives.

And isn't that the only reason to use up oxygen, really?

To make life a little better and sweeter for others?

If you don't agree, please don't ask for a jump seat when the mother ship comes to take me back to my home planet.

Life Hack of the Day: Undoing a knot with a fork

I posted this video to YouTube in 2022 and it keeps on giving: about once a month someone comments on it, apparently surprised that it really works.

Over 21,000 views since it went up.

This just in today:

''Your AdSense for YouTube account is now deactivated'

When the first time you knew you had an AdSense for YouTube account is when you're notified (above and below) this morning that it's defunct.

No worries — as long as they don't suspend my YouTube channel, where over 10,000 happy subscribers tune in daily to see what my beloved calico cat Vanta has gotten up to.

The world’s most — and least — livable cities in 2026

The Economist offers up its annual assessment of paradise and hellholes.

There must be peeps reading this who live in some of these places: what say you?

Invisible Bookshelf

This bookshelf appears to suspend a stack of books in mid-air against a wall, without any support.

Mounts to almost any wall with included hardware in minutes.

Metal powder-coated with silver finish.

Set of 3 —Small: $25.49; Large: $45.

Both here.

Loafing — Raymond Carver

'Plein Air*' — Joonas Virtanen

The New York-based designer and creative director's online weather report not only gives you the temperature, humidity, "feels like," and visibility for major cities around the world 24/7/365, but it also lets you use your location for a more precise look.

"It's good news week."

"

"What's the weather like today?"

Doh!

*

'The Listeners'

This excellent four-part 2024 BBC series now on Starz features the nonpareil Rebecca Hall as a young teacher in England who begins hearing a low-pitched hum inaudible to those around her.

It gradually takes over her life and leads her down a rabbit hole of uncertainty and confusion and ultimately to personal catastrophe.

Each of the four episodes is under 45 minutes long so if you're a binge watcher like me, you can take in the entire series in one go.

Hall is among a handful of actors whose presence makes a show or movie worth watching.

Others: Kristin Stewart, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, Daniel Day-Lewis, Michael Caine.

Buckminster Fuller explains Einstein's theory of relativity in a telegram to Isamu Noguchi

In 1936 Noguchi, inspired like Fuller by Einstein's theory of relativity, worked on his first major public sculpture in Mexico.

It was a seventy-two-foot-long wall, part of which would be a figure of an Indian boy observing Einstein's equation for energy.

Noguchi forgot the exact equation and wired to Fuller for help.

Fuller sent back a telegram (above) explaining E=mc².

Yeah, I figured you'd want to me do that — here's the plain text.

Einstein's formula determination individual specifics relativity reads quote energy equals mass times the speed of light squared unquote speed of light identical speed all radiation cosmic gamma x ultra violet infra red rays etcetera one hundred eighty six thousand miles per second which squared is top or perfect speed giving science a finite value for basic factor in motion universe stop speed of radiant energy being directional outward all directions expanding wave surface diametric polar speed away from self is twice speed in one direction and speed of volume increase is square of speed in one direction approximately thirty five billion volumetric miles per second stop formula is written quote letter e followed closely by equation mark followed by letter m followed by letter c followed closely by elevated small figure two symbol of squaring unquote only variable in formula is specific mass speed is a unit of rate which is an integrated ratio of both time and space and no greater rate of speed than that provided by its cause which is pure energy latent or radiant is attainable stop the formula therefore provides a unit and a rate of perfection to which the relative imperfection of inefficiency of energy release in radiant or confined direction of all temporal space phenomena may be compared by actual calculation stop significance stop specific quality of animates is control willful or otherwise of rate and direction energy release and application not only of self mechanism but of from self machine divided mechanisms and relativity of all animates and inanimates is potential of establishment through einstein formula

bucky

Brick Hanger

I've been looking at these in catalogs for years but only yesterday did I realize that many people have brick interior walls and so might find them of use.

My outside walls are almost entirely brick but hanging things from them doesn't appeal to me.

From websites:

Hang almost anything on brick, without drilling or hammering

Spring-steel brick hangers snap easily onto a brick wall to support up to 25 lbs.

No anchors to hang, no holes to drill, no damage to brick or mortar.

When you redecorate, just unclip it and use it elsewhere!




































Use outdoors (rust-resistant) to hang climbing vines, or for stringing lights.

Use indoors over a brick fireplace to hang picture frames, wreaths, or clocks.

Teeth grip standard brick 2-1/4" to 2-3/8" tall.

1/8" minimum mortar recess needed.

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Brown alloy steel.

Set of 12: $12.99.

BeyondTheMedspeak: In the MRI machine, not all metals are created equal[ly dangerous]

A New York Times science Q&A by the nonpareil C. Claiborne Ray gave a clear, succinct explanation of something many non-radiologist doctors don't know.

Here's the piece.

Magnetic Metals

Q. I have a titanium screw in my skull for a bone-anchored hearing aid. Does this mean I cannot have an M.R.I.? What elements make something attractive to a magnet?

A. You can still have magnetic resonance imaging with a titanium implant.

In fact, titanium is used for many medical implants because it does not interfere with CT scans and M.R.I.s the way steel implants can, implant manufacturers say.

Titanium may obscure specific areas of an image, but it is not affected by even strong magnetic fields.

Not all metallic elements are attracted to magnets, and most orthopedic implants are made of nonmagnetic alloys.

The four strongly magnetic elements are iron, nickel, cobalt, and gadolinium.

The strength of magnetic attraction depends on the way moving electrons are aligned in the atoms of a substance, sometimes forming minuscule internal magnets.

In some substances, the tiny magnetic fields cancel one another out or are always randomly oriented.

In materials attracted to magnets, the internal magnets within the material line up with the magnetic field of the magnet.

That gives the material a magnetic field, and it is then pulled toward the magnet.

The fields vary with temperature, becoming stronger as it grows colder and disappearing at high enough temperatures.

In the four ferromagnetic elements, the internal magnetic fields can stay aligned even at room temperature.

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Some disasters in the MRI suite involve anesthesiology equipment such as ferromagnetic steel cylinders containing compressed gas (the dark object in the photo below)

which become bomb-like projectiles once the MRI machine is turned on.

Kim Basinger Postage Stamps — Collect 'em all!

Not The Onion — this is for realz.

Issued by Turkmenistan in 1999, there are nine different stamps, each labeled with a value of 50.00 M and featuring the actress in one of her movie roles.

The sheet of nine in mint condition cost $6.58 when issued.

You can get a set for $2 (+ $5.67 shipping from the UK) here.

Sleep as a Quantum Phenomenon

Reading Amy X. Wang's recent New York Times story about the latest sleep enhancing technology, this sentence caught my attention: "Some 42 per cent of Americans use a wearable fitness tracker — like an Apple Watch or Oura Ring — that alerts them to how they've been sleeping."

Once you decide to measure your sleep quality and quantity, you automatically alter it from what it would have been: the very act of paying attention to numbers in the sleep space changes them.

I know this firsthand because even though I was convinced from the get-go that such "quantified self" measures are useless at best, I gave them a go for a few nights by wearing my Apple Watch and then checking the results in the morning on my phone.

What a crock.

Screen after screen of graphs and charts and tables and numbers comparing this to that, all of it not worth the pixels bringing me the data.

Quantum theory tells us it is impossible to measure both the momentum and position of a particle simultaneously: once you quantify one, the other variable is unknowable.

So with sleep: once you measure markers of aspects of sleep (time/stage/depth/movement etc.), the results incorporate the fact you decided to measure them, altering your prospective slumber.

As for wearing a watch in bed so as to know what time it is if you should happen to wake up earlier than you wanted to: bad idea.

Once you see what time it is, you're dismayed because you know it's not enough sleep.

On the other wrist/hand, if you have no watch to tell you the time, it could be any time — that means there are a zillion different paths back into slumber, each starting at a different time.

Should you choose not to know, that allows for any one of those myriad world-lines to carry you off to dreamland.

Thus, you're much more likely to get back to sleep if you've adopted this no-watch strategy.

Up top: a terrific 2002 film.

Ultimate Historical Maps — David Rumsey

                                                          [1917 map of Berlin]

Wrote Kevin Kelly:

...............................

Imagine having access to all the ancient maps of the world, and being able to explore them with AI, including searching the words etched in the maps, or concepts about the maps — for instance "give me all the maps showing the routes of Roman aqueducts."

All this and more are available online for free [the way we like it] at the David Rumsey Map Collection. 

For 25 years Rumsey has been scanning over 140,000 maps of all kinds from his insane collection from around the world. 

He then innovates ways to share them.

When you find a map you particularly like, you can tap a button and have it printed out on a large scale and mailed to you for a reasonable fee. 

This is an international treasure.

EVERLASTING BLÖRT FTW!

Years before boj's August 2004 inception there was EVERLASTING BLÖRT.

Remarkably, it persists!

You could look it up.

I have a special warm place in my psyche and heart for EB because since forever it's featured boj on its homepage blogroll aka "smorgasblort" (above) and from time to time reposts choice items from boj.

I know this because when I look at where my readership comes from EB is always among the top referrers (below).

It's run by one madamjujujive.

You could look it up.

Let Us Now Praise Mark Ruffalo

It's taken me decades of watching him play the same disheveled, goofy, stoner-ish, mildly out-of-it character in countless films to appreciate just how natural he is on screen.

The penny dropped last night while I watched his latest, "Crime 101," in which he plays a burned-out Los Angeles police detective trying to solve a series of seemingly related high-value burglaries all of which have occurred near the 101 freeway.

I'm sure he won't win any awards for his performance, just as he's never won an Academy Award though he's been nominated four times; he's been nominated seven times for a Golden Globe and did win once, in 2021, for "Best Actor" in  "I Know This Much is True."

I must say I was astonished at his great performance opposite Emma Stone in 2023's "Poor Things," in which he played a debauched lawyer as far as is conceivable from his typical roles.

'Love is the mistaken belief that one person is substantially different than another' — George Bernard Shaw