Twit Archive - 1-9 April 2011

Lots of Libya tweets, and one moon tweet. Above is a detail of a jolly Soviet moon illustration from 1965, one of hundreds of images in this Man in Space! Flickr set, tweeted by Tom Gauld.

Tweets below the fold.

Artblogging: rockets, jackets, and sprockets

Dreams of Space: Non-fiction children’s books about space flight from 1945-’75. The above image is from You and Science (1955). A bibliography here.

Marble River’s Ephemera: 20th century popular illustration, records, toys, and suchlike. Above image from a series of posts on Dell Mapbacks.

genedeitchcredits: Animator Gene Deitch blogs on people “who were vital to my advancement and my growth” as he explains in the Overture. So far I’ve only read his post on Maurice Sendak, which includes a treasure trove of detail on their work together.

The future

Bad as things are, let’s keep some perspective and listen to someone who takes a long view. A view so long it covers several hundred light years in distance. Here’s William Borucki, principal investigator for the Kepler Mission and a space scientist at the NASA-Ames Research Center, talking to Ira Flatow on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, from December 23rd. Asked whether he’s worried about the prospect of future missions in light of economic difficulties and budget cutbacks, Mr Borucki responded:

I believe that in Europe and the United States, we'll look seriously at our problems, and we will solve them and that we will get back to a much more productive, happy time in the future.

No cake today . . .

. . . instead a few links:

Spectacles and symmetries, book burners and asymmetries, tyre burners and fatalities, remembering the book bombers.

Added: An author remembers watching his books being burned, and more.
Added: A book is for reading.

Observe continuing categorisation of convolutions and convulsions on the left(s) at Bob’s place. Confused? Never fear, here’s a guide to the players.

“I believe the children are our future . . .”

More cake tomorrow.

When there was a world outside

When There Was A World Outside, written and performed by Ray Butler. Hear more of Ray’s music at www.myspace.com/johndogsongs.

Images from Attack From Space, available at archive.org.

Ten stars

“I’ll put them on my boots to light my way.”

Dancing on the Moon

Above, from 2007, development designs commissioned for a children’s animation project.

Below, from 1935, the Fleischer Bros. cartoon Dancing on the Moon.

Cheesy crescent (proof)

Oscar finds use for a crescent moon here, with more o’ his moons and many mice here, and there the tail of a star.

Second proof.