What is the true identity of the world’s first superhero? Should we look back to Gilgamesh? Achilles? Hanuman? Samson? Robin Hood? Ōgon Bat? Buck Rogers?… Read More »Popeye and Bluto: film’s first superheroes?
This and other scenes from Singapore in the 70s in Singapore, My Singapore highlights how much places and cultures can change in a generation. Also:… Read More »Not long ago; or, Little by little (8): Singapore market, early 1970s
This lecture – from the exceptional Wang Gungwu – is tremendous on all of the above and more besides. Wang is the embodiment of a… Read More »Wang Gungwu on Overseas Chinese identity and assimilation in Southeast Asia, Singaporean exceptionalism, European and Asian maritime history
This footage from 1979 shows how much Health and Safety culture has changed in less than a generation. Not a safety harness or carabiner in… Read More »Not long ago; or, Little by little (7): Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack – health and safety edition
The evolution of Mickey Mouse’s appearance is interesting… but not nearly as interesting as his pre-history and the business and technical factors wrapped up in… Read More »Animation History: The Surprising History of Mickey Mouse
Aux armes, citoyens,To arms, citizens, Formez vos bataillons,Form your battalions, Marchons, marchons !March, march! Qu’un sang impurAbreuve nos sillons !Let an impure bloodWater our furrows!… Read More »Blood, Bones and Building; or, Love’s Labours
On The Inevitability of Inequality Since practical ability differs from person to person, the majority of such abilities, in nearly all societies, is gathered in… Read More »Will and Ariel Durant on Inequality, Redistribution, Revolution and the Nature of Society’s Wealth
Sorry to email subscribers receiving this twice due to a scheduling error. The extra bit at the bottom is interesting! The previous post in this… Read More »Technology (16): Clustering Technologies, Clustering People (v2)
This extract comes from a much longer piece on Jerry Neumann’s blog, Reaction Wheel. Highly recommended. A Technological System is a set of technologies that… Read More »Technology (15): Jerry Neumann on technological systems and constellations of innovations
… for me, the only real case, or the only real evidence for what a world without technology looks like is the past and the… Read More »Technology (14): Only Forward? Kevin Kelly on tech and cities as possibility factories