Extreme ironing
2021-02-13
Fallschrimsprung zu langweilig? Bitteschön.
Extreme ironing (also called EI) is an extreme sport in which people take ironing boards to remote locations and iron items of clothing. According to the Extreme Ironing Bureau, extreme ironing is “the latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt.“Part of the attraction and interest the media has shown towards extreme ironing seems to center on the issue of whether it is really a sport or not. It is widely considered to be tongue-in-cheek.Some other locations where such performances have taken place include a mountainside of a difficult climb; a forest; in a canoe; while skiing or snowboarding; on top of large bronze statues; in the middle of a street; underwater; in the middle of the M1 motorway; race; whilst parachuting; and under the ice sheet of a frozen lake. The performances have been conducted solo or by groups.
Quelle: Extreme ironing
Polygraphia (book)
2021-02-11
Frühe Kryptographie? Hier bitte!
Polygraphia is a cryptographic work written by Johannes Trithemius published in 1518 dedicated to the art of steganography.It is the oldest known source of the popular Witches' Alphabet, used at large by modern traditions of witchcraft.
Quelle: Polygraphia (book)
Pantone 448 C
2021-02-07
Die hässlichste Farbe der Welt. Amtlich.
Pantone 448 C, also referred to as “the ugliest colour in the world”, is a colour in the Pantone colour system. Described as a “drab dark brown”, it was selected in 2012 as the colour for plain tobacco and cigarette packaging in Australia, after market researchers determined that it was the least attractive colour. The Australian Department of Health initially referred to the colour as “olive green”, but the name was changed after concerns were expressed by the Australian Olive Association.Since 2016, the same colour has also been used for plain cigarette packaging in many countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Israel, Norway, New Zealand, Slovenia, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Thailand, Turkey, Belgium and the NetherlandsThe colour has also been widely but erroneously reported as being known as “opaque couché”; in fact this is simply French for “layered opaque”, in reference to being used on coated paper. The confusion may have arisen because “PANTONE opaque couché” is the French name of a swatch library (palette) used in Adobe Illustrator containing this colour and intended for printing in solid ink colours on coated paper; in English this library is known as “PANTONE solid coated”.
Quelle: Pantone 448 C
Umlaufgesichertes Geld
2021-02-05
Geld das selbst verfällt. Und wir beschweren uns über Negativzins.
Umlaufgesichertes Geld ist ein Konzept der Freiwirtschaft. Es soll dafür sorgen, dass sich der Umlauf des freiwirtschaftlichen Geldes verstetigt. Diese Umlaufsicherung steht, ebenso wie Negativzinsen der EZB oder der Bundesbank, im Widerspruch zur Wertaufbewahrungsfunktion des Geldes. Umlaufsicherung wird erreicht, indem die Kosten der Geldhaltung gegenüber konventionellem Geld erhöht sind. In der etablierten Volkswirtschaftslehre findet das Konzept allgemein kaum Beachtung.
Quelle: Umlaufgesichertes Geld
Production of Ben Hur (1959 film)
2021-02-03
Der unfassbare Aufwand mit dem 1960 Filme gedreht wurden. Wow!
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) originally announced a remake of the 1925 silent film Ben-Hur in December 1952, ostensibly as a way to spend its Italian assets. Stewart Granger and Robert Taylor were reported to be in the running for the lead. Nine months later, MGM announced it would make the film in CinemaScope, with shooting beginning in 1954. In November 1953, MGM announced it had assigned producer Sam Zimbalist to the picture and hired screenwriter Karl Tunberg to write it. Zimbalist was chosen because he had produced MGM’s Best Picture-nominated Christians-and-lions epic Quo Vadis in 1951. The studio then announced in July 1954 that production would start in March 1955 with 42 speaking parts and 97 sets. MGM said Sidney Franklin would direct, that the script by Tunberg was finished, that shooting would occur in Rome and in Spain, and that Marlon Brando was up for the lead. In September 1955, Zimbalist, who continued to claim that Tunberg’s script was complete, announced that a $7 million, six-to-seven month production would begin in April 1956 in either Israel or Egypt in MGM’s new 65mm widescreen process. MGM, however, suspended production in early 1956.By the late 1950s, court decisions forcing film studios to divest themselves of theater chains and the competitive pressure of television had caused significant financial distress at MGM. In a gamble to save the studio, and inspired by the success of Paramount Pictures' 1956 Biblical epic The Ten Commandments, studio head Joseph Vogel announced in 1957 that MGM would again move forward on a remake of Ben-Hur. Filming started in May 1958 and wrapped in January 1959, and post- production took six months. Although the budget for Ben-Hur was initially $7 million, it was reported to be $10 million by February 1958, reaching $15 million by the time shooting began—making it the costliest film ever produced up to that time. When adjusted for inflation, the budget of Ben Hur was approximately $132 million in constant dollars.One notable change in the film involved the opening titles. Concerned that a roaring Leo the Lion (the MGM mascot) would create the wrong mood for the sensitive and sacred nativity scene, Wyler received permission to replace the traditional logo with one in which Leo the Lion is quiet. It was the first time in MGM history that the lion logo was not seen roaring.