Pitt Rivers Museum

Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford.

“This High-Victorian display hall, opened in 1884, is built like an engine shed decked with three storeys of wrought-iron verandas stuffed with the handmade objects from a thousand lost cultures.”

The museum is founded on the 20,000 artifacts donated by Lieutenant-General Augustus Lane Fox Pitt Rivers 125 years ago. These include trepanning tools, taxidermy of extinct animals, and other oddities.

“elbowed” Magnapinna squid

A mile and a half  underwater in the Gulf of Mexico,  an “elbowed” Magnapinna squid was captured on camera by a Shell oil company ROV late last year.

More HERE.

Crass: There Is No Authority But Yourself

Any “punk” aficionado is well aware of Crass. They far outweigh their peers in The Clash and The Sex Pistols in terms of influence by promoting anarcho-pacifism and a staunch spirit of independence. Here is a nice little documentary that breaks down the band for those who don’t know their story.

Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson recently directed Brad Pitt in a commercial for a Japanese Cell Phone.

It’s almost as if Anderson has become a caricature of himself.

Museum of Funeral Customs

If you ever find yourself in Springfield, Illinois may I suggest the Museum of Funeral Customs.

1440 Monument Avenue
Springfield, Illinois 62702

Black/Death Metal Study II

A study of Black/Death Metal logos.

See the first study here.

Secret Junk

In Kaufdorf, Switzerland there exists an untouched junkyard filled with cars from the 30s  through the 60s.

“The now overgrown relics were originally bought for their parts by a car dealer who – not wanting to see the vehicles pressed and shredded – parked them cheek by jowl on his lot.The dealer retired in the 1970s and passed the business on to his son, who left the old cars where they were.”

Looks like the Swiss government is planning on paving over the site to prevent toxic seepage into the ground.

More info here and here.

Village Pet Store & Charcoal Grill

Banksy took it up a notch with his Village Pet Store & Charcoal Grill that was in New York through October. Here’s a nice little video documenting the thing if you weren’t able to see it in person.

Obama Headlines the World

Here is the front page from every newspaper in the world from November 5, 2008!

pictured above: Al Watan, published in Damascus, Syria

Antiques Rockshow

WFMU’s (perhaps the greatest radio station on the planet) annual record fair is right around the corner. October 24, 25 and 26th at Manhattan’s Metropolitan Pavilion to be exact. Here’s a little video for all you record nerds about last years fair.