There was a time when I did collect things such as insect specimens and medical ephemera. I still pick up the occasional syringe or hand blown glass eye, but really those days are over. And for good reason. But just recently I was overtaken with the feeling that I had somehow lost these three specimen boxes along with a weird and truly wonderful array of hydrometers (more on that later), all purchased over the years during trips to Paris. I searched a little, but mostly forgot about them, not wanting to imagine where and when I had mistakenly thrown them in the trash. Well, I should have known, the other day I looked up at my shelves and there, in a box clearly labeled Bug Specimens and Hydrometers, they were. And, it turns out that the boxes themselves were from Deyrolle. I didn’t notice until just today.

Most forms of work possess a certain level of artistry. Wiring and plumbing are no exceptions. Like most of us, I have a fear of my home catching fire or of the pipes bursting. I don’t think about it all that often until I come face to face with evidence of a really bad job. Or, for that matter, a really good job. Regardless, I am fascinated by schematics, and especially so with those that either represent a system that is highly functioning or one that is on the verge of failure.

It doesn’t smell, we can’t taste it and we definitely can’t see it, so it only makes sense that there would be a whole host of devices to aid in its detection. I speak, of course, of radiation. This exceptional collection of monitors and scalers is the property of Oak Ridge Associated Universities. Their Health Physics Historical Instrumentation Museum has a somewhat singular purpose: to chronicle the scientific and commercial history of radioactivity and radiation. I wonder if Dieter Rams would like these?

I keep meaning to take photos of the various packing materials that accompany most computers and electronics. I ordered a new Magic Mouse the other day and was finally driven to take out the camera. I like how abstract the shapes are.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic (about which I am sure you have not yet heard quite enough) I thought I would post these photos. Apparently, in Newfoundland and Labrador, it’s quite common for icebergs to hit the shoreline or come mighty close to it. How bizarre to look out the window and see one of these instead of the usual tree or playset. Via The Daily Mail, These Things Happen… and Tony Seaward.