Day 258 – Maxwell Hi8 Tape

Maxwell Tape

Another tape that has yet to be captured. It’s different than the other one, but I can’t remember how. Either it’s only hi-8 or it’s only digital. Either way it contains an unworked art project.

I went to conference this weekend called Institutions by Artists. My head is full now of too many notes. Somehow a whitish image feels appropriate.

Maxwell Tape

Status: Capture by November  30th, 2012 or  let go of the unrealized project. Alternately have a show of uncaptured tapes. Perform release ceremony.

Kill-ratio: 18:2 / 9:1

Alt-title: Untitled Object No. 258 For Storing Guilt.

More about alt-titles/kill-ratio here.

Day 257 – Alphabet Stencil

Stencil

Plastic Alphabet Stencil. Chipped.

This is the third humble stencil featured in #projectObso.  Interestingly, neither of them are the same font.
What I love about them is the traces left behind.
This one has clear fingerprints.

A brief history of the modern lettering stencil, tells me that in the 1930’s, a schoolteacher in Baltimore named Ruth Hormats noticed “that the brass stencils she gave to her students to use in creative projects were giving them problems.” The crayons they used were too fat for the brass stencils, so she came up with two (cardboard) prototypes which had fatter registration. She had them made for ten dollars each. The F.W. Woolworth Company® placed the initial order, Macy’s featured the stencil, sales grew, and in 1942 she was awarded a patent for the design.

Cribbing all this from their website, but I wanted to tell you the story myself.   I am quite cheered to find out a woman schoolteacher came up with this invention.

Stencil

Status: Does the chip justify the discard, or is there something to be stencilled out with a partial A and B?

Kill-ratio: 16: 3/ ~5:1
[This time I am including the captioned image, because of my alteration of the source image – I can break the rules I make]

Alt-title: Untitled Object No. 257 For Stenciling Out An Ode to Handwriting

Another shout out to Russel  Howze , who wrote a book about stencils.

Alt-title / Kill-ratio nonsense explained here.

 

Ruth Hormats (nee Libauer) passed away on Sunday, October 3rd, 2004. She was 95 years old. RIP.

Day 256 – Smell Me Stationery

Strawberry Stationery

Strawberry Gingham “Smell Me! – Je Sens Bon” Scented Sheets. No. 7520.
4 Sheets Remaining in Original Paper Band.

I checked, and the company who made this stationery is still in business. They were founded in 1912 and are based in Hamilton, Canada.

So, if you scratch the strawberries, there is a faint scent (still!) of strawberries. I’m allergic to them. The real ones.

Strawberry Stationery 3

If you’ve ever wondered how to remember how to spell stationery, the “e” is for envelope. I got this tip from a post which mentions the obsolete meaning of the word.

Both stationary and stationery have the same root in Latin stationarius, “for a person who was based at a military station. In medieval times a stationarius was a trader who had a fixed station — a shop — rather than travelling from fair to fair, like a pedlar. These were usually booksellers” Full article here.

This stationery reminds me of Holly Hobbie, which I discovered is now a Mattel doll (since 2006).

 

Strawberry Stationery 2

Status: Scan for future need of pink gingham pattern.

Kill-ratio: 27:3 / 9:1

Alt-title: Untitled Object No. 256 For Helping You Remember to Stop and Smell The Strawberries.

What’s this Alt-title / Kill-ratio stuff all about and who is responsible for heading me down this garden path? Read all about it here.

 

Taking these photographs also reminded me of pen pals and handwriting. I recently read an excellent article about why  handwriting  matters. “Handwriting is what registers our individuality, and the mark which our culture has made on us”.

“People  who don’t work with their hands are parasites” — Jenny Holzer Truism.

 

Day 255 – Nikon Lithium Battery

Nikon Battery

Nikon Lithium Battery. The new replacement battery for the Nikon Coolpix P2, which did not fix the problem with the camera. As I said then, Nikon used proprietary batteries and so it was a tad pricey mistake to find out the camera still wouldn’t work with a new battery. It strikes me that any proprietary technology, part, etc has obsolescence built right into it from the start. Curses.

Nikon Battery 1

Nikon Battery 3

Status: Recycle. There is a depot nearby that now takes these types of things.

Kill-ratio: 18:3 / 6:1

Alt-title: Untitled Object No. 255 For Powering Up Futile Resistance.

Read more about Alt-titles & kill-ratio logic here.

Day 253 – A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Clases

Cookery Book Cover

A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes by Charles Elmé Francatelli.

This book is in the public domain and is part of the gutenberg projet. Nothing says obsolete like being in the public domain.

Cookery Book Back Cover

Cookery Book Inside Advertisement

An advertisement inside the first few pages. Is this the way e-books will go as they drop in price?

Sample Recipes:

No. 29. How to make the most of a Pig, after it is killed.
No. 36. How to Melt down the Seam, or Loose Fat.
No. 53. Stewed Eels.
No. 59. Toad in the Hole.
No. 112. To make Elder Wine.

Cookery Book Recipe

Baked Bullock’s Heart.

Status: Choose 3 recipes (if any can be found without meat) and throw a plain party.

Kill-ratio: 28:2 / 14:1
(captioned pix don’t count towards ratio)

Alt-title: Untitled Tome No. 247 For  Meals With Lots of Heart.

Wondering what this alt-title stuff is all about: Read all about it here > Notes and credits for Alt-titles