1971 Edition, “How to Play: The Most Complete and Simple Step by Step Explanation”, copyright Ed Munroe.
In the interests of keeping up with this daily obsession, I’m posting Part I of this post today.
I’ve been busy dealing with the hassle of contesting a business phone charge to a soulless corporation and that sucked up the extra time normally devoted to this pleasure.
So I’ll be back with Part II tomorrow.
My status: Frustrated, but not bowed.
Deck of playing cards.
We have several decks, including an artists-edition which can never be used. There’s something comforting about the idea of sitting around the table playing cards, instead of sitting around the table staring into the box. But it tends to remain an idea. The box always wins.
From the World Of Playing Cards: http://www.wopc.co.uk/
In Parisian court card games. (~16th C) Judith was the name for the Queen of Hearts, Pallas for the Queen of Spades, Rachel for the Queen of Diamonds and Argine for the Queen of Clubs. Argine may be an anagram for Regina, or possibly refers to Argia, one of the Oceanids – a character in Greek mythology. The Oceanids were the three thousand daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. Argia was a nymph of the Asian region. But lest that seem adequate arcane information, there were also three other Argias. You’ll have to go to Wikipedia and look them up.
Three thousand daughters. And only one gets her name on a court card.
Status: Find out more about Argia. I may have just found a title for the Sea Monster. Or at least a middle name.
Kill-ratio: 18:3: / 6:1
Alt-title: Untitled Object No. 262 For Keeping Your Hands Busy.
Alt-title credits etc here.
Glass Sugar Dispenser. It’s only retro, not vintage. Although I did buy it second-hand.
It’s a prop from a project I never fully realized, circa 2003.
When do you declare a project dead? Is it the amount of time it’s been laying around unfinished, the degree of enthusiasm you feel for it, or some other marker that measures its viability in the present.
Of course, I don’t know the answer to that, it being in one sense, the whole quest of this obsolescence project.
Status: Donate
Kill-ratio: 18:3 / 6:1
Alt-title: Untitled Object No. 261 For Pouring Out The Old.
Alt-titles unraveled here.
How to Make Good Pictures: The Kodak Manual for Amateur Photographers.
Kodak House, Kingsway, London WC2, 1942 Edition.
When this edition was published, Kodak had released the Target BROWNIE Six-16 and the Six-20 in 1941. Kodacolor Film for print was introduced in 1942. There are two colour images in this book, or one page. One is of a woman waterskiing, a pretty lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer type of thing to be doing in 1942, all things considered.
When thinking about how to make a good picture, and then how to take a good picture of a picture, I wondered which is better — the representation that gives the viewer the sense of the book, or the image that is blown up, blurred and aspires to be something else?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/radioripster/3296498860/ – Noticed this person gives 1946 as the date of production, but I got the 1942 date from Kodak’s website…
Status: A) Jealous. I want to own this Brownie Target Six-20.
B) Consider re-photographing favourite images from this book, following the tips.
Kill-ratio: 26: 4 /~6:1
Alt-title: Untitled Tome No. 260 For Being A Better Person.
OT post on Untitled/Alt-Titled stuff.
Airline Headset from Air Canada. August 2012.
I do own a pair of earbuds, but don’t use them on a daily basis. I like to hear what’s going on around me.
So when I traveled this summer, I forgot to bring them with me.
I had to take 3 flights each way, for a total of about 18 hours of flying time (Canada is big), so going without felt like a sacrifice I wasn’t willing to make, so I purchased them.
The little sponge part falls off very easily and as soon as it falls off, they are the most uncomfortable things to have in your ear. The sound quality is pretty bad too.
At least the airlines force you to buy them now, rather than just handing them out for free. It’s the only thing I agree with paying for as an extra. That way there is much less waste I hope.
In 2011, there were approximately 110 prisoners working on the task of recycling airline headsets in England and Wales.
I wonder what the global statistic is, and who performs most of this labour?
Brandes radio headphones, circa 1920
Status: Recycle:) But first take a photo that echoes this Brandes radio one I just found on Wikipedia.
Kill-ratio: 18:2 / 9:1
Alt-title: Untitled Object No. 259 For Keeping Your Distance From Strangers.
New to this blog? Read all about alt-titles and kill-ratio here.
Obsolescence Project 