Fed by Birds

The Nasa Astrobiology Unit offers this useful service - submit your own, or browse other people's astrobiological queries. An understandable note of exasperation seems to creep into the answers, as the astrobiologist in question is exposed to the full force of the public's stupidity about his subject. In particular the endless drivelling questions about evolution ('Are we from adam or are we from monkey? if we are somehow like a monkey why the other ones couldn't be humans?') and UFO conspiracies push the poor man to his limit:
'Greetings, I cannot help but be skeptical of the govt's ufo claim that they simply do not exist.'
Answer: 'If you choose to disbelieve the opinions millions of experts, that is your choice. But then why do you take the trouble to write to "Ask an astrobiologist"?'
'Sir the life on other plasnet also exista this has came became clear now by the video of aliens on the moon /why u hide these thinmgs from us'
Answer: 'You are badly misinformed...'

Posted by at 3:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This Thirties prediction of what fashion will be like in the year 2000 is surprisingly accurate - the woman in the trouser suit and cantilevered heels in particular could walk about London without attracting a second look. They even predict the use of mobile phones. We're just waiting for the electric head light and the glass wedding dress.

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These extraordinary sounds from Saturn were sent back by the Cassini-Huygens mission (found via Mrs Deane). Thus proving that Delia Derbyshire and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop were completely right about what other planets would sound like.

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In Birds as Individuals, which I've written about before here, Len Howard has made a careful study of the songs composed by the birds in her garden. In particular she hails the blackbird as an 'imaginative genius' for its compositions, and makes notations of the tunes:

Bullfinches are also talented composers:

And she even includes a diagram of the wood warbler's song:

It seems you can still buy Birds as Individuals, here.

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From the Thirties film Stolen Harmony, with George Raft.

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I've just made a visit to the Biennale in its final days, and this is definitely the time to go, when the crowds are gone and you can skip quickly past the more boring stuff (Germany). I recommend speeding things up by making straight for the Korean pavilion to see the cartoon skeletons and magnifying suit of Lee Hyungkoo. Go to the Belgian pavilion for Eric Duyckaerts' glass labyrinth (mind how you go there), the Russian for The Last Riot, a film by AES + F, and the Canadian pavilion for David Altmejd's mad, glass-splintered, squirrel-infested giant.

The best pavilions are those scattered through the city in grand palazzos – Mexico's has both an splendid setting and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's beautiful installation which transforms visitors' heartbeats into flickering lightbulbs.

The Arsenale has an endless stream of war-themed photographs, video art etc, which becomes almost immediately oppressive, but also some highlights such as Angelo Filomeno's beautiful embroideries (shown above), and El-Anatsui of Ghana's delicate wall hangings made of wire and foil and bottletops:

and Christine Hill of Volksboutique lightens things up with Minutes, an installation of steamer trunks containing the detailed trappings of different work personas.

You also get to see Venice with hardly any people in it.

Posted by at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fed by Birds is one year old today.

Greetings to all our wise and discerning readers.

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