Day 278 – iPhone Case

Silcone iphone case for the iphone 3G.

It’s really the phone that’s obsolete. This just ripped the other day and is pushing forward the agenda to upgrade my iPhone 3. As are all the apps and general slowness of the iPhone. I haven’t upgraded to ios6 yet as that will seal the deal.

I loved this case for its colour and that it’s made from silicone, fooling me into believing I am being more green.

Status: Reluctantly discard. It just falls off the phone and is rendered useless.

Kill-ratio: 22: 2/ 11:1

Alt-title: Untitled Object No. 278 For Holding Out Hope.

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Deanne in Objects, Technology

Day 277 – Mouse

Mouse. It’s a mini-mouse! I forget the actual marketing name, but it’s a smaller mouse, possibly supposed to be ergonomically friendly.

Obsolescence factor: In one sense, anything tethered to a cable has this status. Also, it’s broken.

There’s a dash of Canadian history woven into the history of the mouse I was pleased to discover. The trackball, invented in 1952 (un-patented because it was a military hush hush thing) used a standard Canadian five-pin bowling ball. Nine years later, Douglas Englebart and his assistant independently came up with the first mouse prototype and christened the device a mouse. Mr. Englebart is now 87 years old.

From the Mousesite Gallery > http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/gallery/index.html

Status: Open up for parts to sea monster, who dammit, is getting impatient.

Kill-ratio: 16:2 / 8:1

Alt-title: Untitled Object No. 277 For Navigating New Territory.

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Deanne in Objects, Technology

Day 276 – Power Ring

I’m calling this a power ring as that’s what it felt like when I bought it. About 10 years ago.

I’m not sure exactly the technique used for making this is, but it reminds me of pressed flowers in a book. It’s a big honking cheap plastic ring and feels tacky and flashy.

Status: Give it the old college try and wear to an elegant event where this would be totally inappropriate. Step 1 > Conjure up invitation to said event.

Kill-ratio: 23: 2 / ~12:1

Alt-title: Untitled Object No. 276 For Using Super Power No. 276.

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Deanne in Jewellery

Day 275 – Rose Pin Clip

Rose pin clip. Clasp. Brooch.

Worn twice. Once at a wedding as a decorative item in my hair. Once as part of a Hallowe’en costume where I went as Carmen Miranda Devil. That’s how it got the purple glitter on some of the petals. Sadly that was before 2008, and it seems those pix were lost with the great hard drive crash of 2010. I now back up three times a week and every six months or so back up to another hard drive which sits in a safety deposit box at the bank.

Status: Donate.

Kill-ratio: 16: 2 / 8:1

Alt-title: Untitled Object No. 275 For Clasping Together Dashed Hopes.

So today I found out the universe might be a computer simulation. Scientists are buying into this, not just philosophers who like to spin this stuff for fun. My first reaction was to get dizzy. Really, a wave of dizziness came over me. I figure I was being re-programmed.

Also possibly attributable to a sudden memory of reading Foucault.

Alt-title #275: Untitled Object No. 275 For Clasping Together Fragments of Reality.

A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Deanne in Jewellery

Day 274 – Photo Album

Photo Album. This one might have “archival” plastic holding the images in, or then again, it might be that cheap plastic that clings to the surface of the photograph and gradually wears away the image.

Either way, I haven’t really looked at these pics in quite some time.

Two other albums were also featured in this Obso madness, one tacky and one even more deliciously vintage.

“From a sober, leather-bound volume, the album became a decorative object: gilded, chased, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and sometimes garishly decorated with three-dimensional motifs. At once modern and conservative, the photographic album was set to function as an aide-mémoire for personal and collective storytelling.” A Short History of the Photographic Album 1860 – 1960 McCord Museum

I downloaded the 1873 edition of the Canadian Illustrated News, but alas, was unable to find the “lady readers” column the McCord Museum refers to. It’s over 400 pages, so perhaps I missed it, but there is a search feature. I looked for lady, carte-de-visite, botanical, lady readers, ideas, etc…

I also skimmed well over 100 pages and seeing as the “News” is mainly filled with advertising (plus ça change…) I don’t think I missed the column.

The moral of the story: don’t trust everything you read on the interwebs – even if published by a museum:)
I will gleefully await to be corrected and read the original column however.