Ars Nihil

Self Portrait of a Drowned Man , Hippolyte Bayard (1840) I've been flipping through some books about the history of photography and this photo was one of the more striking examples of how strange early photos actually were. It's a considerably famous work not just because it's the first staged photograph ever taken but also because it's one of photography's funniest and pettiest "fuck you" moments. The overall story is that Bayard got robbed of his credit in innovating the fi

I'm fortunate that I've never experienced poverty. So while I don't have lived experience to relate to a thread I saw the other day on Bluesky, it feels important enough to embed and post in full here as a Basic Knowledge Stuff post. I'm also including a non-connected but related Bluesky post with relevant information. Photo by Isaiah Villar ( Unsplash )

Saw this earlier while looking through my feeds and the person who wrote this certainly has a flair for making a story interesting while disclosing certain things about the magic trade. Also adding a video of the 1973 Tonight Show appearance for context, some of the more interesting resources cited in this write-up, and related articles.

This one is personal because I'm the son and grandson of Marines. While I never served and I don't always agree with the mission, I would also feel short with myself if I didn't post something to commemorate this day.

While I knew today was the anniversary, I had always thought the wreck of SS Edmund Fitzgerald was much older (I know someone from Michigan and the way they describe it made it sound like it was in the late 1800s/early 1900s) but apparently it was only 50 years ago: Image from Wikipedia I'm also admittedly not a huge Gordon Lightfoot fan (my mom loved his music, though) but the song is both appropriate and fitting to what happened without making it cheap. Let's remember the

My spouse goes absolutely nuts about edible mushrooms, which is funny since I used to hate them when I was younger. Learning to taste the differences between them and knowing how to actually cook good mushroom recipes was a game changer on my relationship with these edible fungi. Today's National Mushroom Day and I was planning on cooking some tonight for dinner anyways so funny how that works out... 😄🍄 Reminder (since it's very important): there are many poisonous or hallu

Hearing D'Angelo passed away today is in the same category as when I heard the news when David Bowie, Prince, and Anthony Bourdain each died: an unexpected gut punch. I even just posted his debut not too long ago and was thinking about why it had been so long since I last heard anything about him. I wasn't a superfan but his career was built on just three absolute classic albums with no duds (1995's Brown Sugar , 2000's Voodoo , and 2014's Black Messiah ), which is as perfect

"Architecture starts when you put two bricks together." - Mies van der Rohe Architecture, like photography , is usually a passing...

My biggest problem with creativity has never been "writer's block" - I have way too many over-developed ideas to draw from if needed -...

I've been a little lax with my blogging lately but I also didn't want today to pass by without acknowledging that it is National Coffee...

Saw this video earlier from Solar Sands that did a solid job explaining how single panel comics work when done right. The Far Side is...

I'll be upfront: I've been very much Team I Hate This when it comes to the genre now being called "Stomp Clap Hey." Not so much due to...

Job interviews are already a pain in the butt but it helps to know what red flags to look out for when you're churning through them. The...

The things you find when randomly rummaging around the internet... I found a post while combing through the Hobby Drama subreddit tonight...

So I didn't realize today was Star Trek Day (which is appropriate considering how I ranted several months ago about "fan holidays" like...

Extra Credit History has been releasing a number of "Complete Edition" videos lately that have been really enjoyable to watch and last...

A couple months ago, I saw a few posts on the r/zines subreddit written by a user going by u/LadyfingerPress . The aesthetic veered close...

So a couple days ago while reading Reddit, someone had posted in r/ancienthistory a link about how benevolent the Roman dictator...

Brain rot: Mindless digital content; the fixation on it and harmful mental effects of it. - Merriam-Webster Been seeing a lot written and...

Imagine my surprise when I found out today was National Roller Coaster Day: I was obsessed with roller coasters as a kid, to the point...