An Outburst of Beethoven

via David Thompson

I think this is marvelous.


notice at 3:50 the blue shirted French horn player who, unlike his fellow French horners, is not playing his instrument. It is very possible he had a reason but it seems like instruments are played in unison so I think he might have gotten caught on camera loafing.

one of these things is not like the others

notice at 5:21 I obsessively watched this looking for the cameramen once I realized that there were multiple views but I hadn't noticed the cameramen. There are a couple cameramen. One in dark clothing in the upper left and another in a white shirt going across the front of the crowd. I think a third one is in a white shirt next to the building  Editing away the cameramen makes the people's reactions seem more authentic despite the reality that there were guys with big camera pointing them at people's faces.

I'm not sure if this was edited in a linear way. the white shirt cameraman running in front of the crowd at 5:21 can also be seen running in front of the same crowd at 5:16. Did he do it twice or did they use the footage of the same event twice?

Also notice the little girl at 1:01 who sits next to a boy and she seems to be trying to mimic his way of sitting. And there is the little conductor at 3:35.

Update June, 6, 2014
Hmmmm, at the woman with dangling earrings is watching and then at the next scene at 2:14 she teleports so she is talking to a guy with a newspaper.

Likewise, at 2:30 the sunglasses guy is seen in the crowd behind the bassist and at 2:33 (the next scene) he teleports to the cafe area.

satyr tripod

"A tripod with ithyphallic Pans; the sinuous and virile Pans balance a basin upon their heads as they gesture caution. This object was very influential and was used as a model by many neoclassical designers." from the book The Lost World of Pompeii (2002)

ithyphallic : the prefix ithy- means straight or erect

Perhaps the designer wanted to give people who approach the basin plenty of hooks for them to hang their purses or whatever while they wash their hands.


The elongation of the satyr's legs is a distotrtion that seems to work probably because they aren't human.

Temptation of Saint Anthony by Salvador Dali (1946)

Popeye's Flying Boat

Popeye's flying boat (more flying boat than seaplane) from the Fleisher Studios color 2 reeler "Popeye The Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves" (1937)

Popeye's Flying Boat in the water (with Olive Oyl on the pier and Wimpy at the radio)

Popeye's Flying Boat lifting off from the water

Popeye's Flying Boat in flight (no seat belts)

hummus vs humus

Before ordering or eating hummus one should always be sure that it is hummus and not humus. Spelling matters.

The first time I came across hummus on a menu I wasn't familiar with it although I was familiar with the term humus and I thought they were the same thing (at the time I also wasn't aware that they are pronounced differently).

hummus (noun)
a paste of pureed chickpeas usually mixed with sesame oil or sesame paste and eaten as a dip or sandwich spread

humus (noun)
Nonliving, finely divided organic matter in soil, derived from microbial decomposition of plant and animal substances. Ranging in colour from brown to black, it consists primarily of carbon but also contains nitrogen and smaller amounts of phosphorus and sulfur. As it decomposes, its components are changed into forms usable by plants. Humus is classified according to how well it is incorporated into the mineral soil, the types of organisms involved in its decomposition, and the vegetation from which it is derived. It is valued by farmers and gardeners because it provides nutrients essential for plant growth, increases the soil's water absorption, and improves soil workability.

explosion

Explosion of the Spanish flagship during the Battle of Gibraltar, 25 April 1607 by Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen, c1621

The explosion isn't in Industrial Light and Magic style but it is interesting that the flames are in Spanish red and yellow. Note the sails of each ship are blown to the left while the Spanish ship's sails are all blown away from the center of the explosion

detail #1 (from near the top of the painting)
a brush for cleaning a cannon bore and 2.5 people

detail #2
a drum, 2 men and, likely, the other half of the guy seen in detail #1 (that must be one tight fitting hat). The guy at the bottom left appears to wear a bandolier of cartridges for his rifle or arquebus

Word of the Day : pandiculate

Self-Portrait, Yawning, Joseph Ducreux, before 1783. Oil on canvas, 45 x 35 in. 

pandiculate : To fully stretch the torso and upper limbs, typically accompanied by yawning.