Recommended Links of the Week (N°602)

In this week's recommended links: Andy Warhol's Batman, feral cows, nekomatas, logos, and skinheads, among many other things. Plus videos and galleries. An unmissable quote.

Recommended Links

Batman Dracula: Andy Warhol directed the first fan film: "The project was mastodonic. Warhol and Smith shot up to 7 hours of footage, and even then they considered the project unfinished. The artist held screenings during his exhibitions, looking for people to help finance the project. And, of course, news reached DC Comics, who were quick to demand the film be pulled from exhibition and the copies destroyed."

Nekomata, cats in Japanese mythology: "Cats mistreated in life or killed by humans also have the ability to return as specters, called 'Bakeneko (Monster Cats)' or 'Nekomata'. They are often seen at night walking on their hind legs and speaking in human language with their peers. It is also speculated that they can take other forms, like tanukis (raccoons) and kitsune (foxes), or grow in size."

We are more moved by the loss of one individual life than by the loss of thousands of lives: "We have become accustomed to accepting that, daily, COVID-19 victims number in the hundreds. What in other contexts would be a scandal if only a dozen, or even one or two, victims occurred, here does not move us as much, or at least not proportionally."

https://www.youtube.com/embed/4AZB64VBJfA

Windows sound effects (acapella)

The History of Virtual Reality: "The beginnings of virtual reality can be traced to roughly the end of the 19th century, where its first precursors would appear. It could be said that the first precursor of virtual reality was the stereoscope, created in 1838 by Charles Wheatstone. The stereoscope allows us to have a certain illusion of depth when observing a photograph."

50 years of the video game industry explained in a chart by Visualized: "The growth of the video game industry since its origin 50 years ago has been unstoppable. Visualized synthesizes it graphically, understanding each device and its importance to the industry. It also explains how it has changed over time. Access the full image here"

Made in Taiwan: why a single country dominates all innovations?: "Made in Taiwan. We are tired of seeing this phrase on almost all products, especially electronics, that pass through our hands. It is probably a country you will hear very little about, or you might confuse it with its neighbor Thailand, and in fact there are people who think it is part of China, but in reality it has enormous importance, and that is that current and future innovations of the world depend on a single country, whether we like it or not: Taiwan."

Beautiful domino effect with more than 30,000 pieces

Is this the most perfect design in history? The BIC pen hasn't changed in 66 years, except for one thing: "What defines a perfect commercial design? If we value that the product has not aged in 66 years, and no other has managed to improve it, then the design of the BIC Cristal pen surely borders on perfection. Since they began to be manufactured in 1950, BIC pens have been part of our lives. We have all used one of the legendary BIC Cristal pens at some point, even if we have never bought one. In 66 years its design has not changed, except in one thing."

The abandoned cows in Chernobyl became feral: "For three years, biologists working in the area noticed that the animals began to behave in a manner similar to wild animals: they joined together in an organized group, maintain a strict hierarchy, and have adapted perfectly to the climatic conditions of the area, according to the official account of the Reserve's employee community on Facebook."

Children following classes by radio during the 1937 polio epidemic: "During 1937, a severe poliomyelitis epidemic hit the United States. At that time, this contagious virus had no cure (the vaccine was not developed until 1955), and it crippled or paralyzed some of those infected. Across the country, playgrounds and swimming pools were closed, and children were forbidden from attending cinemas and other public spaces. In Chicago, a record 109 cases were recorded in August, which led the Board of Health to postpone the start of classes for three weeks."

Indiana Jones with a cat

Radiography of skinhead culture: the rise of neo-Nazis: "Skinheads have their origin in England in the 1960s. At that time, there were two youth groups that stood out from the rest and that ended up shaping skinhead culture. On one hand, the mods (abbreviation of English modernist), young working-class people who identified with fights, alcohol, and sex, listened to black music like soul or Rhythm & Blues, and were in turn influenced by hippism (a movement more related to the middle classes)."

The astronomer who saw a star explode in the 16th century: "This eccentric Danish astronomer is known for recording in detail the movement of stars and planets across the sky, observations that were of vital importance for Johannes Kepler to lay the foundations of his heliocentric model of the solar system. But a lesser-known work of Tycho was the record of the appearance of a 'new star' in the firmament in the year 1572, in the constellation of Cassiopeia."

Truths and lies about logo grids (and a course on the subject): "When analyzing branding work, the topic of grids has always caused some controversy. Many designers point out (rightly) that many grids are created purely for 'posturing', and the truth is that sometimes that is the case, but other times these guides are especially useful. To try to clarify the matter a little, I have wanted to break down some truths and lies about it."