Russian Sledges

tussie-mussie:

Grotto of Tiberius

the roof of this place collapsed while Tiberius was eating

somebody book me a show here please, free admission to all citizens of Sperlonga, Terracina, Fondi, Itri and Gaeta

 

Sorry for the white-on-white image here, but behold the triumphant future-weird that is the BurdaStyle Wings Dress.

I kind of love it. A lot. Maybe because the wings are FULL OF POCKET, but probably mostly because I’ve always wanted a carapace. (Tell the truth: you do too.)

This would be a fantastic dress in black, with iridescent green organza wings. Or red, with red-and-black polka-dotted wings. If you extended the skirt length and made the wings of silver lamé, you’d have a great shot at a Space Empress dress (or two: try it in a holographic laminate print). The possibilities: literally without end.

Kilij Sword with Scabbard

• Dated: Blade A.H. 957/ A.D. 1550–1551; mountings, 18th century
• Culture: Turkish
• Medium: steel, horn, wood, leather, gold 
• Measurements: overall length 37 inches (94 cm) 

Source: Copyright 2014 © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

A bar’s cocktail list is an expression of the establishment’s character, a balancing act between the aspirations of the creator and the needs of his guests. With the boom of restaurants around the city, a new crop of talent is emerging to create and curate Boston’s newest bar programs. At Liquid Art House, opening in early May at The Arlington, Dan Lynch is poised to step out of the shadows with a cocktail program that is equal parts inspiration and experimentation.

A veteran of Jackson Cannon’s acclaimed cocktail destination, The Hawthorne, Lynch will be creating a list for Liquid Art House that features his classic sensibility towards the craft as well as a few special concoctions inspired by the restaurant itself. Liquid Art House features more than 1,650 square feet of wall space for a variety of large-format installations, from media displays to painted murals, with a 20 seat circular bar at its center. “I have a strong interest in the arts community in Boston and that’s what drew me to the project,” he says, “the crossing of the two worlds, art and hospitality, was very compelling.” Throughout the process of developing the concept, he was intrigued by the challenge to break down the barriers between the exhibit space, the dining room and bar. “Galleries can be so austere. We want our guests to be fully immersed in the space.” Most cocktail lists are standalone parts of a bar program, but the beverages at Liquid Art House will take their cues from the art on the walls. “I am going to use the exhibits as my muse,” Lynch remarked, “the inspiration is going to be right there in front of me and it will definitely have an effect on my work.”

The first exhibit at Liquid Art House, titled “Street Art—Outside In”, will showcase an international line-up of some of the world’s leading street artists and muralists. As the bar manager, Lynch will undertake the unique task of creating beverages which complement and connect with the spirit of the artist’s work and even their methods. “One of my opening sours gets a bitters garnish on top and our assistant curator is designing a stencil to atomize the bitters over the cocktail, reflecting a technique a lot of street artists use.” He’ll have a variety of tools and talented people at his disposal. “It will be a laboratory of sorts. I am looking forward to working closely with the kitchen as well, especially the pastry department.” Lynch is also eager to demonstrate some of his own molecular mixology techniques and he’ll have his chance at Liquid Art House’s second exhibit, which will focus on the relationship between science and art. “I am definitely planning on getting into foams, infused sorbets and using liquid nitrogen during that exhibit,” he says, “there’s a lot of equipment to play with.”

The cocktail list at Liquid Art House will be comprised of no more than eight beverages, changing both with the exhibits as well as the seasons. “I want it to be concise, very focused on the ingredients and subject matter,” he says. In the spirit of collaboration and curating, the list may feature talent from other bars. “I’m thinking of having a guest cocktail on rotation, like you would have an artist in residence at a university.” Inspiration, creativity and a vast space to bring the two together makes Liquid Art House one of the more unique cultural projects to debut in Boston this year. Much like the art that adorns its walls, the cocktails at the bar will be inventive, expertly made and certainly things to behold.

A few weeks ago, I was faced with deciding how to spend exactly 24 hours in London. It was essentially a really long intentional layover, and there was a lot I wanted to do, most namely have lunch and a pint at Eliott's in Borough Market. Secondly though, I was eager to check out the English-made mechanical 'Hands-On' Locomotive watch made by Tender. Tender takes most of its inspiration from the Great British Steam Age and antique workwear, with a focus on thoughtful clothing and well-made accessories. I've said it before, but I think this really is my dream watch—its size, historical design, simplicity, and the fact that it's mechanical, it's perfect. The watch's dial is rotated 45˚ as a reference to how drivers' watches were designed in the early 20th century to allow one to easily read the time without taking their hands off the wheel.
So anyway, I was really determined to see the watch, but unable to find a stockist who currently had one in London. I started emailing with Tender's founder, Willam Kroll, who was so gracious not only to email me back, but he invited me to his house to see the watches the following day (!). Since I was headed back in the morning though, he suggested I'd probably (very ironically) have better luck finding one at Unionmade in Los Angeles. Indeed, Unionmade has a version of the watch with a copper dial that is pretty amazing. It's a small world after all.

I still can't decide which dial I like best, but that gives me time to save up for one of these guys.

9 alarms #296beacon #backbay

This Sunday, two talents who've spent their lives among the stars will join forces as Stewart star in an animated Cosmos segment. He'll be the voice of 19th century astronomer William Herschel, who explains to his young son about how time and gravity affect light — or, in layman's terms, SPACE GHOSTS.

Read more...

Why Wu-Tang Will Release Just One Copy Of Its Secret Album:

Wu-Tang’s aim is to use the album as a springboard for the reconsideration of music as art, hoping that the approach will help restore recorded music to a place alongside visual art—and change the music business in the process.

never reveal the Wu-Tang secrets

Wooooow there was an announcement on BART to not give money to the homeless. This place is so fucked

fuckyeahhistorycrushes:

Beryl Markham (1902-1986).  Aviator, adventurer, writer.  Of her book, West with the Night, Hemingway wrote: "She has written so well, and marvellously well, that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer. I felt that I was simply a carpenter with words, picking up whatever was furnished on the job and nailing them together and sometimes making an okay pig pen. But this girl, who is to my knowledge very unpleasant and we might even say a high-grade bitch, can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves as writers … it really is a bloody wonderful book."

Oh, Ernest. You fucking asshole.  

ESPN unearthed a final paper submitted in one of the fake classes at UNC. It's not a very good paper.

So UNC athletes took sham classes. We've kinda known that for a while. But just how shammy were these sham classes?

Apparently REALLY SHAMMY:

Whistleblower says UNC put athletes in classes that never met and required only one final paper. This one got an A-. pic.twitter.com/HShyr6ivGm

— Bryan Armen Graham (@BryanAGraham) March 26, 2014

Umm... yikes. That's a final paper that's a paragraph long, is riddled with spelling/grammatical mistakes, and doesn't say anything insightful... and got a grade higher than pretty much anything I submitted in four years of college.

That's a screenshot from an very well done video report by ESPN:

A Massachusetts candidate for governor passed a kidney stone during a debate.

Men in North Korea must now all get the same haircut as their leader Kim Jong-un.

Here's an article I wrote you might enjoy.

Two Boston Firefighters Killed In Back Bay

 
This is probably the cleanest example that I have ever seen of a “proper” purple leather used in footwear and it’s quite commendable to be honest. I have always been intrigued by the idea of a proper purple being used on a pair of smart shoes but as it is hard to come by, I sort of just forgot about the idea of how cool it can look if done in an elegant way. Saint Cripsins did a good job of executing the shade and putting it on a nice conservative brogue that can almost make the color look conventional. Another feat not easily done. I have been quite impressed with how SC has just come out of nowhere (actually been around for awhile but only recently recognized by the world as a major player) and just blasted the industry with an array of cool models and vibrant colored leathers. Well done SC! These models here only go on to show that if executed well, even crazy, odd colors can be used in an elegant manner and even if you wouldn’t wear them yourself, it’s hard not to at least respect them.

Pictures courtesy of Leatherfoot, where the shoes can be found.

The new policy is now being rolled out across the country — although some people have reservations about getting the look.

A Chicago company that makes alcoholic energy drinks, including Four Loko, has agreed to stop producing them, Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced Tuesday.

Not the leek. This tall, slender and often-overlooked allium is quiet. Subtle, even.

With ivory-white lower halves and green tops, leeks are lookers. The cultivated cousin to the wild ramp, a leek resembles a grown-up scallion, but with a sweeter, more complex flavor. The French have long appreciated leeks: in classic soups (think vichyssoise, or leek and potato) and salads (leek vinaigrette) and as a sweet base for stews, braises and gratins. Lately, American chefs have been using them in everything from savory tarts and bread puddings to toppings for ramen, sushi and pizza.

Leeks arrived in North America with the early colonists, says ethnobotanist John Forti. “In the old herbals and books of husbandry-slash-housewifery brought here by the first generations of immigrants in the 17th century, they recommend planting leeks like a palisade or border around your garden to help keep the critters out.”

Forti, the curator of the historic gardens at Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, says: “The gardener would plant leeks so that they fanned into one another and formed a tight border.”

Leeks are traditionally planted in early spring, by directly sowing seeds or using small sets (seeds that have germinated). The only trick to growing leeks is that you need to regularly mound the earth around them as they mature, keeping the root hidden from the sun and protected by the soil — a technique called blanching. This gives the delicate bottom half of the leek (called the shank) its pure-white color. The tougher green upper half has a stronger flavor, but is still edible (excellent in stocks and soups) and need not be buried.

Leeks prefer soil with plenty of compost and nitrogen and do best planted in trenches about 6 inches deep. They like a good amount of water while the seeds or sets are taking root. (Thirsty leeks tend to grow unevenly and have a pithy, unpleasant texture.)

Thin your rows of leeks in the early summer, removing tiny, slender leeks to give each plant at least 3 inches of space. Chop these small specimens finely and add them raw to salads or dressings, or use them as the base of a sauce instead of garlic or onion. In late summer, harvest leeks as you need them. If the earth is moist, you can carefully pull them up with your hands. But you’ll likely need a spading fork to loosen the soil before slowly pulling leeks up by the base.

Leeks are resistant to cold and frost. They are one of the last plants in the garden; I’ve pulled some up on Thanksgiving Day to use in holiday stuffing. Thorough cleaning is important, also. Because you’ve been mounding soil around the base, you’ll find dirt caught in the layers. Cut the leek down the middle, then rinse it under cold running water.

Once leeks are clean, slice the white section and very slowly sauté in olive oil. Add young potatoes along with chives and thyme and finally some stock. One swirl in the blender and you’ve got a beautiful soup to celebrate spring.

Move over, ramps. Your cultivated, quiet cousin is ready for her close-up.

Leek and Potato Soup With a Spring Chive Puree

The post A Closer Look at Leeks appeared first on Modern Farmer.

That’s a bitcoin kiosk at Clover HSQ.

I was approached by Chris and Kyle. Chris is a former MIT student and the two of them are building a new business called Liberty Teller. Liberty Teller is deploying “Bitcoin ATMS.” They asked is we could pilot the ATM at one of the Clover restaurants. I thought why not. They are paying us $220/ month, which is slightly less than we pay Harvard for that space.

What is Bitcoin? Bitcoin is a “virtual” currency. Some programmers figured out how to create a platform that would allow people to hold and trade a “currency” called Bitcoin. The idea is that this virtual currency would allow for less friction in transactions. In this case friction mostly means banks. It’s an interesting idea and it harkens back to pre-1792, when the US Mint was first created. Back then, and for years after, money was decentralized. There have been minor experiments in local and alternative currencies over the years, but nothing as large as Bitcoin. This is an interesting time, and a lot of people, including me, are curious to see what happens.

How does it work? You put cash into the ATM, Bitcoin is then transferred to your “wallet” which is something you’ve already set up online or, if you’re not already a bitcoin person, a piece of paper you pick up at the machine. You then own these “bits of coin” that you can transfer or sell in the future. We’re working to figure out how to accept bitcoin at Clover. It’s not as easy as I was hoping, but I think we’ll work it out. Right now I don’t know of any retailer in Boston that accepts bitcoin. So locally you can’t do much with your bit. But there are online services and exchanges that let you trade with others.

You cannot use the ATM to get cash. Basically when you use the ATM you are buying Bitcoin that Kyle and Erik already own at a price that they set. They are getting your cash. You are getting their bitcoin.

Why would you want to use this? I can only speculate on what folks are using this for. I used $5 to buy bitcoin for Lucia (Dir of Communications) because we were curious. I don’t know what, if anything, she’ll ever do with that coin. Others have made very large (greater than $500) purchases. It’s occurred to me that this would be a great way to launder money. White collar money laundering, right? I’m not saying I know that anybody is doing that, but it would work really well. You deposit cash. And you have a transferrable and untraceable asset. Crazy, right? Legal yet untraceable. You can imagine tax evasion, purchasing illegal goods, etc. White collar of course. But you know what, cash can be used for all of those things too, right?

The IRS just issued guidance yesterday on bitcoin. It is being treated not as currency, but as a speculative asset. This means that you owe the IRS on any gains you achieve if you sell bitcoin for more than you paid for it, just like a stock. It’s subject to capital gains.

The post Bitcoin at Clover appeared first on Clover Food Lab.

In the days since Ted Gioia published his essay in the Daily Beast, alleging that music criticism has devolved into lifestyle reporting, with little or no attention paid to how the music itself works, I've been challenged by friends on Facebook to write a “not boring” piece that explains a successful pop song using music theory. My bet is that it’ll be boring, but I'm going to do my best not to bore you!

No more Santa-themed ads.

As part of a legal agreement with 20 states, Four Loko — or "blackout in a can," as it was charmingly known in its glory days — has agreed to seriously curtail marketing to underage and college-age kids. Per the agreement, it's quite the neutering: no more college promotions, no using models under 25, all of the states' $400,000 legal fees — even no "depictions or descriptions" of Santa Claus.

Most important is that Phusion Projects, Four Loko's manufacturer, also agreed never to make another "CAB" — that is, "caffeine-alcohol beverage" — but that was sort of just salt in the wound. Four Loko hasn't had its 150-milligram caffeine jolt since 2010, when the FDA banned concoctions with this really ignorant mix.

To show Loko's still got bite, the company did work a middle finger to the Man into its official statement on the changes: "Phusion continues to believe, however, as do many people throughout the world, that the combination of alcohol and caffeine can be consumed safely and responsibly."

There's no word on when the energy drink's zippy new ad campaign, featuring senior citizens chugging cans in regular, non-festive cardigans, will hit retirement homes.

Maker of Four Loko Flavored Malt Liquor Accepts Marketing Limits [Reuters]

Read more posts by Clint Rainey

Filed Under: amped, energy drinks, four loko

In  this tutorial I will be showing you a method for a 2-piece sleeve placket (also known as a 'gauntlet') that is used by many Custom Shirtmakers and Traditional tailors. I did not invent this method, it was  (drilled into my head during weeks of practice)  kindly passed along to me during my shirt-making apprenticeship. This is the method we use in my shirtmaking studio/shop every day, with every fabric...from the lightest cottons and linens to bulky denim, corduroy, and flannel.  We do this placket completely while at the machine, using a fingernail to "Crease and Press".  Yes of course, the finished placket is given a final hard press with an iron before the cuff is applied.  Keep in mind that there are many ways to make sleeve plackets. Those made in factories are different from the method I show here. Other custom-shirtmakers may use different methods. I have found that this process gives me the most consistent results among a broad range of fabrics, and is already used by  (or easy to teach to)  the tailors I employ to assist me.

Why bother with a 2-piece placket?  Beyond that it's fast, easy and can be done completely at the machine, countless design opportunities exist.  Because the overlap and underlap are separates pieces, they can be cut from different fabrics and the directions of the grainline of one or both pieces can be changed to achieve a unique look.

Rather than a one piece placket made from a single square piece ot fabric with an array of fussy difficult angles and edges to turn, this method uses 2 rectangles to which a single seam allowance is added to one side of each piece. The 2 simple pattern pieces are shown below on a 1" grid for you to copy.

Now let's make a perfect placket!

(Please note that I am writing this tutorial as if you have never made a sleeve placket before. I am going to show it to you one very detailed step at a time with many detailed photos. So, at first glance it may seem complicated, but in reality after your first practice-placket it just takes 5 minutes --or even less-- to complete)

First, you will notice that I am demonstrating this method using two rather "soft and spongy"  quilting cottons that are not of the best quality... not bad, but rather thick as compared to traditonal shirting fabric. Why? It was a good way to clearly show the right and wrong sides of the fabrics for demonstration purposes, and I wanted you to see that even on lower-priced fabrics, you can get great results.


PLACKET PATTERN-- grid is 1" square.
 
I apologize that this is not a sophisticated rendering. But it does not have to be.  If your pattern pieces are close to this size, this method will work.  Seam allowances and fold lines are 1/4". All this will become clear as you see the stitching method. And in the future when you work with this method, you can choose to make the pieces a little wider or more narrow/longer or shorter,  depending on the look you want.  This method is very versatile! In fact, you will see that in this example I did not take extraordinary care when cutting these pieces from my fabric...they are a tiny bit rough...just like what might happen to you when cutting your placket pieces.

NOTE--
Pattern and Slit Length are based on a 1/4" sleeve-to-cuff seam allowance.
If your pattern has 5/8" seam allowances, lengthen the Placket Pattern (at the bottom by about 3/8", and cut the sleeve-slit about 3/8" longer. That said, please remember the length and width of the placket (and accompanying slit in the sleeve) is not set in stone. Make a sample placket and change the dimensions if you want to do so.

Cut the PLACKET Pieces from fabric--- Cut 2 of the larger (overlap) placket, right sides together. Cut 2 of the smaller (underlap) placket, right sides together. Try very hard to cut them as straight as possible. 

1. Little placket goes on the Little Side, Big Placket goes on the Big Side. 
2. Everything you see you at this point is Wrong side up.

You will start from the bottom and then stitch until you are 1/4” above the end of the slit, then pivot and sew to the edge of the placket piece as shown (and this is why we cut the slit first...it so easy to align cut edge to cut edge...no guessing).  Remember...everything you see is wrong side up!

I love the look of Chevron details on a shirt or other garment, don't you?   I like the added interest they give to the Pockets and the Yokes of the shirts I design, and so do my clients.



But it can get fiddly and frustrating to cut one one piece on the diagonal, then move it (without stretching), to cut its opposite "twin"..all the while trying to cut the second piece so that all the stripes match exactly after it is sewn!

In my studio, getting it right the first time is important because time is of the essence and I don't like to waste fabric. So, I'll show you a method I've used for most of my shirt-making career to create these kinds of bias details.  
(You may click any of the photos to enlarge them.)

After laying out the pattern, I find that there is usually some extra fabric left, or that there are large enough scraps after the pattern is cut out.  For this method I start with 2 rectangular pieces that are about 10-12" wide, and about 13-16" long--


Then I lay them on top of of each other, right sides together. I try my best to match the grain-lines, but having it perfectly straight at this point is just a goal, not a strict necessity. If it looks good to my eye, (as shown below), it's "perfect" enough.


Now...to decide the angle to cut...hmm. Do I want a 45-degree angle...or Not? It's up to you to decide. There is no rule that a chevron must be at a 45-degree angle. So I don't stress over it.   I just place my ruler on an angle as shown below, and cut off a triangle with my rotary cutter--

Discard the small cut-off triangle pieces, you will be working with the larger pieces.  
Now is when some precision is needed.  Move the top piece down so that it is about 1/4-inch away from the angled edge of the bottom piece, as shown below. Move it a little bit to the left if needed. The Top piece shown below is now about 1/4-inch away from the bottom piece along their angled edges. 

(Tip-- If I am losing you here at this step...take 2 pieces of paper, lay them on top of each other, cut off a triangle through both layers, and then move the top piece down a bit...see? The top angled edge is now also  "moved over" and you can see the bottom angled edge...just like in the example in fabric that I show here.) 

Look closely at the photo below. Note that the reason for moving the top piece is so that the stripes match almost perfectly along the angled edges. All that matters now are those angled edges. This is important.


Next, take your pieces to the machine....no, don't bother to pin anything. I told you that this is an easy method and it is, I promise!  For one thing, there will be no guessing if the stripes are going to match...because we can See them, and since we can See both edges of the angled pieces that are about to be sewn together...Yippee...there is No "blind" matching!

So then, at the machine....start to line up your stripes....and start to sew a 1/4-inch seam on the TOP layer, as shown below. As you continue to sew, shift the layers a bit if necessary, so that the stripes match....and since we can actually see them, it is not hard to match them.


This is what the sewn piece will look like when the stitching is complete--

...and below, a close-up photo of the stitched seam--
(What? It doesn't look like those stripes are matched along the cut edges (seam allowances)? They were when I shifted the piece when sewing, but then afterwards the bias edges relaxed and naturally shifted a bit, while the stitching is holding the matched stripes firmly in place. Wait until you see the finished piece <<smile>>)

Next, press the seam allowances flat, being careful not the stretch the seam. Yes, one seam allowance is bigger (wider) than the other. You can trim it...I usually do. It's just one quick-but-careful cut with my rotary cutter.

Then press the seam allowance open...again being careful not to stretch the seam.  

This is what the seam looks like from the Wrong (back) Side, after pressing--

And this is what the entire piece looks like from the Right (front) Side--

...and here is a close-up of the nicely matched chevron seam--

So here we have a piece of fabric with a chevron (mitered/angled) seam running through it, now what?  All that is left to do is place the center of the yoke pattern piece along that stitched seam (as shown below), and cut it out!   I even had room for a pocket!


And when cut out, there is a lovely bias-seamed chevron striped yoke, ready to be sewn to the rest of the shirt pieces--

Just one more thing....yes, of course you can cut your yoke or pocket or whatever pattern piece so that the chevron stripes are "pointed" in the opposite direction than what I've demonstrated here. If you look at the yellow pocket shown near the top of this tutorial, you'll see that I chose to have the points of those angles run "down" rather than "up".

So, what do you think?  Is this fast easy method one that you might try the next time you add bias-seamed (chevron) details to a garment?

Lucy Valena owns Voltage Coffee & Art, in Cambridge. As its name suggests, it is an energetic space that’s equals parts coffee shop and art gallery, where one can sip rosewater lattes between paintings and card catalogs. We sat down with her in a cozy booth at nearby State Park, over tree-themed cocktails and a mountain of fried things.

Orson Welles, Macbeth, 1948

Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC), an educational and charitable organization, celebrates the contributions of “the dames of the bar” by looking back to the recipes and traditions of this great American invention. LUPEC-DC offers a toast to the modern cocktail’s intrepid and inventive foremothers in a program featuring mixologists and LUPEC members Lynnette Marrero and Meaghan Dorman from the New York chapter and Misty Kalkofen and Kristen "Kitty" Amann from the Boston chapter. They highlight trailblazers such as Ada Coleman, head bartender at the Savoy Hotel’s famed American Bar from 1903 to 1924, and Helen David, who opened Michigan’s now-legendary Brass Rail during the Depression. They also look at the social changes that Prohibition and World War II brought to female barkeeps, as well as the work of their modern-day counterparts. Members of LUPEC-DC mix up some dame-created cocktails. Cheers to the ladies!

March 24, 2014 – Patrons who spend enough time in the Widener Library stacks are accustom to its many large, bright red signs. The signs read "Sprinkler Valve Through Door." They point to the building's fire suppression systems, but what they don't reveal are the many treasures contained within the more than 50 miles of shelving beyond those same passageways. The signage took new meaning in early 2014 when librarians started a Tumblr blog, named "Sprinkler Valve Through Door," to act as a window into the collections, spaces and services of Widener.

Still hoping this is somehow not true.

The post GWAR’s Dave Brockie, a.k.a. Oderus Urungus, Dead at Age Fifty appeared first on MetalSucks.