Histerical Perspective

I've often had discussions on this with colleagues. When does a tragedy stop being tragic and start being a social gag? At which point does society start looking at a unfortunate event in our history and start laughing at it like your neighbour getting accidentally sacked in the nuts? 

We never did come up with an appropriate answer, but it's apparently less than 100 years, according to this trailer: 

On One Hand, You Have Revisionism, On The Other... You Have This

What Do You Get When You Mix Nazis, Robots, and Dinosaurs?

This, apparently...

Weirdness at the Art Institute of Chicago

 Have I ever mentioned I love Van Gogh? *Nerdgasm!*

Whenever I have time to kill in Chicago while waiting for the train, I always make it a point to visit at least one new landmark. This time, a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago was in order. Standing at its present location since 1893, the institute boasts some of the best art in the world, spanning continents and centuries. Sure enough, I kept an eye out for weirdness! Here are a few gems I found (and keep in mind, a full afternoon’s visit wasn’t enough to see even half of their exhibits!)

Peruvian Stewie Griffin?

Description: Jar with Anthropomorphic Figure. Paracas. Ocucaje area, Ica Valley, south coast, Peru. 650/150 B.C. Ceramic with resinous postfire paint.

Lay off the Doritos, Chihuahua.

Description: Figure of a Dog. Colima. Colima, Mexico. A.D. 1/200. Ceramic and Pigment.

Speaking of dogs... the 15th century contender for the World’s Ugliest Dog contest...

Description: Netherlandish. Emperor Heraclius Denied Entry into Jerusalem, 1460/80. Oil on Panel.

Monkey orchestra! Words fail to describe how awesome this is... now, if you give enough instruments to enough simians, will they play Beethoven?

Description: Monkey Band, c. 1765. Germany, Meissen. Moderled after Johann Joachim Kändler (German, 1706-1775) or Peter Reinicke (German, active mid-18th century). Made by Meissen Porcelain Manufactory (founded 1710). Hard-Paste porcelain, polychrome enamels, and gilding.

Our Lady of the Not Impressed....

Description: South German. Triptych of the Virgin and Child with Saints, 1505/15. Oil on Panel.

I also have half a dozen other pictures I’ve decided to submit to Ugly Rennaissance Babies instead. Hopefully we’ll see them there soon!

Art Institute of Chicago. Worth the visit alright!

Photos: Joseph Gagné 2012

Yar... Here Be Pillagers...

It might sound strange to take a moment to rant on a humour-oriented blog, but sometimes the motion is called for. Reality TV showed us before that it can be about more than duck-faced oompa loompas from New Jersey with the likes of this acclaimed French-Canadian series, Destination Nor'Ouest:

But then the very worst rears its ugly head with this moronic atrocity, American Digger:

Behold the stereotypical "Ugly American": a fat tub of lard giggling away with his shovel and fucking backhoe (my apologies to my American colleagues and friends. Or more like my sincerest sympathies). But enough ad hominim attacks, just read these few gems from this polished turd, "We live and breathe the history, we're not out to rape and pillage the ground" (with a wonderful shot of him flinging dirt left and right like a mad animal). "We're historians" to which he adds: "But instead of reading about history [i.e. getting an education] we want to touch [i.e. rape] it". 

Spike TV's website describes the show thus:

Spike TV travels around the country uncovering hidden treasure found in the backyards of everyday Americans in “American Digger.” This new unscripted original series follows former professional wrestler turned modern day relic hunter Ric Savage, as he and his team from American Savage target areas such as battlefields and historic sites in the hopes of striking it rich and capitalizing on unearthing and selling bits of American history. The only thing standing in their way are the homeowners themselves, who Savage must convince to allow them to dig up their property using state-of-the-art metal detectors and heavy-duty excavation equipment. What artifacts they find, they sell for a substantial profit, but not before negotiating a deal to divide the revenue with the property owners. The team from American Savage is comprised of recovery expert Rue Shumate, battlefield historian Bob Buttafuso, Ric’s wife Rita who manages the business and their 25-year old son Giuseppe, who provides tech support and is the “muscle” of the operation. Series premieres, Wednesday, March 21 @ 10:00 PM, ET/PT

Folks, that is not how archaeology is practiced. This is how archaeology is done: http://youtu.be/RK4imdXWkMQ (my apologies for not embedding: seems there's a limit to the amount of clips shown per post). What is the problem you might ask? Real archaeologist will carefully sift through soil to find anything and everything they can. They don't stop at coins and bullets, they look for shards of glass, nails, lead seals, animal bones, hell- even microscopic particles like pollen and seeds. Assembled together with the proper collecting and cataloging methods, all of these finds have the potential to unlock a complex and fascinating history behind the area you are working on. For example, you can determine people's diets and if they lived through times of plenty or famine. Thanks to minuscule traces like beads or leftover fabric, you can establish trade routes and patterns. Etc. Etc. Etc. I could go on writing a book on how the real beauty of archaeology and history goes beyond finding coins and bullets, but plenty of people have done that already, both in print and on TV.  If you're new to your interest of history and archaeology, there is plenty of fine introductory material out there.
And don't get me wrong: metal detecting enthusiasts can be important to archaeology. They happen to stumble across interesting finds all the time. After all, it was thanks to such a hobbyist that Fort Saint-Joseph  in Michigan was found despite professional surveys in the area since the early 1900's. However, any such enthusiasts of metal detecting should be likewise as responsible and report any finds to their local historical society to prevent further degradation of the site of interest. There is a difference between such authentic passionate amateur historians, the pros they befriend and help out, and this...

Oh, and did I forget to mention: a fucking backhoe???

What can you do to stop this show? Boycott it: don't watch it. Studios are very twitchy when it comes to ratings and will drop any new show like a rock if it doesn't show any promise of future audience augmentation. Also, you can write to Spike TV to express your disgust. Finally, spread the news: archaeology is cool! Grab a friend, spend a few hours in a museum, especially if he or she has never set foot in one. The more people  are aware of the stakes involved in such nefarious activities, the more likely they are to boot such pirates off their property. 

Further reading: 

• Petition: Stop Spike TV from looting our collective past!
• American Digger: Show notes
• 'Diggers,' 'American Digger' TV Shows Said To Promote Looting Of Archaeological Sites
• Archaeologists Protest 'Glamorization' of Looting on TV
• Detroit preservationists oppose 'American Diggers' TV show
• Cable show host pleased with relics found in St. Augustine, scoffs at critics
• Facebook group: People against Spike TV's "American Digger"

Weird Walt Disney

Stumbled on this gem for anyone fascinated by museums and archives:

 

Read up on the creepy Mickey Mouse gas mask here: 

http://io9.com/5888018/behold-the-mickey-mouse-gas-mask-from-world-war-ii

Is Squishy!

Check out the blasphamously ugly artwork at http://squishyjesus.blogspot.com/

Holy Typo, Batman!

In my last post, I noticed the artist wrote "Can me and Bobby...". My brain automatically screamed "Can Bobby and I..."! Which led to remembering this image:

Sometimes History and Manga Shouldn't Mix... Part 2

Source: http://pictureisunrelated.memebase.com/

Definitely Not A Flat Read!

Title: Flat Earth: The History of an Infamous Idea
Author: Christine Garwood
Publisher: Pan
Published in: 2008 (Paperback edition)
Pages: 436

If you're a sucker for weird ideas and strange people, this book is for you! As the title obviously points out, Garwood recounts the fascinating history behind the erroneous idea that the earth is flat. While reading this book, one can't stop making a parallel between fanatical "flat earthers" and the creationism crowd still fighting science in the classroom today. This should come to no surprise, since Garwood immediately links the two in her introduction. As you read on, she immediately dispels the myth that Christopher Columbus was the first man to prove the world was round (in fact, by the Renaissance,  everyone -  or at least, anyone who could read and write - knew our planet was a beach ball in space, rather than a free-floating Frisbee). Nope, notch one for the Greeks for first figuring out the circumference of the planet à la MacGyver, all without the fancy schmancy satellites of today. And yet, even with today's technology that has not only proven the Greeks right but also corrected their measurements to minute exactitude, there are still people fighting reality to this day... Never has the proverb "truth is stranger than fiction" rung more true than in this book. So find a nice flat spot to lay down, and enjoy a good read!

By the way, someone might want to buy this guy a copy...

If Michael Crichton Wrote About The Civil War...

Sorry if the image is a bit big for the frame...
More at: www.amazingsuperpowers.com 

Oops...

Well, seems the Mythbusters had a little "whoopsy daisy" moment this week: 

A stunt for the TV show "MythBusters" sent an errant cannonball through a California family's house and into a parked minivan a few hundred feet away.

[...] 

The cannonball was supposed to go through a few water-filled barrels and a concrete wall. Instead, it passed over the barrels, through the wall, and then took a "very unfortunate bounce that sent the ball skyward [...]. 

About 700 feet away, it bounced in front of the Dublin home, then tore through the front door and out a wall on the back of the house. The projectile then bounced at least once more and crossed the road before smashing the window and dashboard of the minivan, where it came to rest.

All I can wonder is: was the myth busted? I know this wall is!

PS guys, you're still my heros malgré the snaffu... and besides, no one got hurt. It could have been much worse...

Original news items here and here.

Who Says History Doesn't Help You Pick Up Women?

I love Barats & Bareta, even though their humour is often hit and miss. But I will admit some of these pick-up lines made me laugh a lot:

It Sparta History Now...

Robot Chicken + 300 = Win:

Sometimes History and Manga Shouldn't Mix...

Proof:

More at: http://pictureisunrelated.memebase.com/