Obsolescence Project

Day 166 – American Furniture Nails

Furniture Nails

Box of American Furniture Nails.

American Furniture Nails

This box is small. So it seems marketed towards the individual, rather than a furniture making company. Which makes me wonder who bought these and for what purpose — reupholstering a side of a chair that the car scratched loose?

Box of Furniture Nails

Status: Borrowed. I vote for making something with them.

Kill-ratio: 28:3 or ~9:1

Alt-title: American Furniture Nails for Untitled Upholsterer No. 166

Alt-title, as per usual thanks given to Richard, John for this Untitled malarkey. I’m retiring the  Leonard Cohen references for the moment.

Posted on by Deanne in Objects

Day 165 – CD Case

CD holder

CD Holder / Case.

There are 12 slots for cds. 3 are occupied.

In a sense, the case is much less obsolete than the cds. They await digitization and until then the case could be useful. Although 3 out of 12 slots isn’t a very good case for keeping the case, if you’ll pardon the pun. Awaiting digitization is a type of digital purgatory methinks.

I gave this as a gift to Mr. OP – bought it in New York city a the Museum of Modern Art’s gift shop. It has liquid in the lining and so moves around. You can have the whole world in your hand.

CD Case

Status: Recommend burning those 3 cds, as they must have been important.

Kill-ratio: 18:2 / 9:1

Alt-title: Untitled Case No. 165 For Holding Unknown Objects

Alt-title, as per usual thanks given to Richard, John for this Untitled poppycock, and Ben  for the ‘joke’. (this alt barely eeks out as a joke, but hey, it’s my blog…)

Posted on by Deanne in Objects

Day 164 – Inkwell

Inkwell

Antique Brass Inkwell.

Is it a goblin, or merely an imp?

I would like to do a survey of writers and find out how many of them compose their tales with pen and ink. There must be a few. There is a Society of Inkwell Collectors and they have annual conventions. I should contact them and ask for stats.

inkwell

Inkwell

Status: Not mine to decide. I found a very similar one on eBay for £80, so it’s not a Craigslister. He does have a certain rakish charm, if not borderline scary. Would be good for a mystery novelist.

Another alternative would be to actually use it. There is a bottle of ink (right now qualifying as clutter) nearby.

And of course what with letter openers also nearby, this could set the stage for setting up a film noir still. All that is needed is an ink blotter thingamabob.

Kill-ratio: 17:2 ~8:1

Alt-title: Untitled Inkwell No.164 For Brassy Writers.

My page was too white
My ink was too thin
The day wouldn’t write
What the night penciled in

From The Book of Longing, Poems by Leonard Cohen

Alt-title, as per usual thanks given to Richard, John for this Untitled balderdash, and Ben  for the ‘joke’. (this alt almost qualifies as a joke).

Posted on by Deanne in Objects

Day 163 – Postcard from Jamaica

Vintage Postcard

Vintage postcard from Port Antonio Harbour and Navy Island, Jamaica W.I. Sent on March 4th, 1977 to Eileen and Philip in Toronto, Canada.

I blurred out their address just in case they still live there.

The postcard is in a plastic envelope. It was like that when I bought it. I doubt it is archival plastic. I like the ripples.

Postcard from Jamaica

Status: All postcards are keep. It’s a question now of display.

Kill-ratio: 17:2 ~8:1

Alt-title: Untitled Postcard No. 163 from Jamaica With Love

So I figured that Leonard Cohen must have done a song with the word postcard in it somewhere. But alas, if that is the case, I could not unearth it. I did discover he worked on a song called “There’s a Light in Jamaica” a tribute to Bob Marley, but that’s all I found. So the Alt title must stand without Mr. LC.

As usual Untitled Alt Titles were originally inspired by John’s blog (read original title post ) and Richard’s posts at The Future is Papier Mache.

Posted on by Deanne in Paper

Day 163 – Letter Opener

Letter Opener

Maori Letter Opener.

Purchased at a garage sale in Ottawa by Mr. OP. What else is there to say about letter openers than I said on Day 99? This one is not as potentially dangerous, although there is something sinister about those eyes. Only one close up photo out of about 18 came out in focus. I want to attribute this to something, but what I don’t know. It was image number 1867, so perhaps I could stretch the suspension of disbelief and make up a story about 1867 and New Zealand. I had a landlord from their once.  In another universe I am phoning him.

Letter Opener

Letter Opener

Status: Not mine to decide. Phew.

Kill-ratio: 35:3 ~12:1

Alt Title:  Ode to An Untitled Letter Opener No. 163

You never liked to get
The letters that I sent.
But now you’ve got the gist
Of what my letters meant.
You’re reading them again,
The ones you didn’t burn.

The Letters, Leonard Cohen.

As usual Untitled Flights of Fancy were originally inspired by John’s blog (read original title post ) and Richard’s posts at The Future is Papier Mache.

Posted on by Deanne in Objects