Francesca Forrest's Blog, page 37

Art exhibition in Boston: Firelei Báez

Magically, I'm able to read this New York Times article by Siddhartha Mitter about this simply gorgeous exhibition by Firelei (beautiful name) Báez.

The tagline for the article says, "History meets flamboyant fantasy in the work of Firelei Báez, whose installation on the waterfront reasserts the importance of the Caribbean in world history."

It's at the Watershed, an exhibition hall in East Boston run by the Institute of Contemporary Art. I'd like to see it. sovay , I thought of you instantly, and ...

two very different sorts of cool things

The first is something that Wakanomori saw on Twitter and decided to try making himself: speakers for a smartphone, made from a paper towel tube and paper cups. It was very easy to make, and it really works! The sound becomes much more rich and deep!



The second is a pencil drawing a friend of mine did, inspired by Lagoonfire. I was amazed and delighted. (In an unbelievable, but in fact true, piece of irony, she showed it to me directly after I'd been having a conversation with osprey_archer about...

animals of the Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge

All taxonomies are insane if you're not part of the culture that created them, and sometimes even if you are (US Census racial/ethnic categories are nuts, for instance). If you've ever tried to set up a taxonomy for anything, you realize it's harder than you might think. That said, Borges's classification of animals from the fictional Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge really plays up the craziness you can get in taxonomies. Here they are, courtesy of this very basic web page

1. those ...

a couple of photos, some burros, The Expanse

I was so thrilled to be using the old giant bubble maker on Saturday that I took it out early on Sunday morning to use up some of the extra soapy water, and Wakanomori took some photos. Here's one:



Here's a picture of Koffing I drew for L as a thank-you for the Pokemon card he gave me. KOFFING!!



And here's something fun: replacing "Bureau" with "Burro" for federal agencies. I thought they should be illustrated, so I found some images:

Burro of Land Management

Burro of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms

C...

delightful gang of four

One of my little neighbors drew these amazing characters.



Don't they look like they should have a TV show? That they should be out solving mysteries or outwitting villains or recovering stolen treasure or exploring the cosmos?

I love the attention to individual detail. The pink one's hair has two shades of pink, and she has a unicorn horn:



The red one has a ladybug vibe--tiny and wise and helpful:



The purple one has pink AND purple hair and an asymmetrical pattern on her dress



And I feel like the rai...

Short Story: "Embracing the Movement," in Clarkesworld 177

If the three stories I've read so far are any indication, this issue of Clarkesworld is crackerjack, but the story that's really blown me away is "Embracing the Movement," by Cristina Jurado, translated by Sue Burke (who writes a little about her process here ).

It's the story of a powerful, intelligent collective alien species trying, with increasing frustration, to communicate with a lone explorer who, as described and seen by the aliens, reads very human. The communication issues and disjunctio...

TITANIC WEEK, DAY 5

We have come to the end of the Titanic week! My final question for Doug regards further reading.

You have a great reading list at the back of your book. Is there one book that you keep coming back to over and over again, and if so, which one and why?

Doug's reply:

I read all of those books listed at one time or another, some of them twice, in addition to several other books related to Titanic and ocean liner travel. I think one which I could read over and over again like the bible is David Brown’s ...

TITANIC WEEK, DAY 4

Today's question for Doug involves a resource in our area, the Titanic Historical Society. It was created in 1963 by Edward Kamuda, who back in the 1950s reached out to the survivors of the Titanic, asking them if they would be willing to share their memories. He created the first LP album recording of them sharing those memories. Various people also donated their souvenirs--including a square of carpet from the ship!

Have you been to the Titanic Historical Society's museum in Indian Orchard [a...

TITANIC WEEK, DAY 3

Today's question for Doug Ross concerns the Titanic community. As you know, wherever there is an enthusiasm, there is a community of enthusiasts....

Can you tell us a little bit about the Titanic community? I know some of the other scholars have been very helpful and supportive.

Doug's reply:

The Titanic community of today is as complex as the story of Titanic herself. There are the historians and scholars who study Titanic like an academic discipline, the hardcore enthusiasts who are as knowledgab...

TITANIC WEEK, DAY 2!

Today my question for Titanic enthusiast Douglas Ross is this:

You've been interested in the Titanic for a long time. How (if at all) has your focus changed?

Doug's answer:

I have always been interested in the general story of Titanic and the lessons incorporated into maritime law, which I call the Civil Rights Act of the sea for its groundbreaking and world-shattering changes that endure until this very day, but now my focus has slightly shifted to incorporate the broader world, such as how raci...