bookofjoe

Juno flies past Jupiter's moon Ganymede

YouTube caption:

On June 7, 2021, NASA's Juno spacecraft flew closer to Jupiter's ice-encrusted moon Ganymede than any spacecraft in more than two decades.

Less than a day later, Juno made its 34th flyby of Jupiter.

This animation provides a "starship captain" point of view of each flyby.

For both worlds, JunoCam images were orthographically projected onto a digital sphere and used to create the flyby animation.

Synthetic frames were added to provide views of approach and departure for both Ganymede and Jupiter.

AirPods are why I would never, ever buy a Tesla

Both are:

• Best in class

• Prone to sudden unfixable failure

When you want to listen to music but can't, it's not the end of the world.

When your Tesla going 80 on the Interstate suddenly leaves its lane heading for the median, that may well herald the end of your world.

Up top, my fanboi bona fides: three (3) Apple Watches and two (2) sets of AirPods, various permutations of which failed to connect during nearly an hour of failed attempts before I was finally able to listen to music from a watch.

nuf sed*

*my rap name

Spanish Shawl

Possibly the world's most beautiful sea slug.

Kraft Boxed Mac 'n' Cheese

[Original 1937 Kraft Dinner package]

It was introduced in 1937 — 84 years ago — following the Great Depression and at 19 cents for a serving for 4, was an instant hit, selling over 8 million in its first year.

[1939 ad for Kraft Dinner: "Good News For Lent! Now only 9 minutes to make macaroni-and-cheese"]

It has been a staple of American dinner since then.

FunFacts: It's still called Kraft Dinner (KD) in Canada, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in the U.S. and Australia, and Cheesey Pasta in the U.K.

[via Wikipedia]

2021 Ferrari Portofino M

This is Ferrari's entry level car.

The twin-turbo V8 puts out 612 horsepower — up from 591 in last year's model — and hits 60 mph in the low-three-second range.

In 15 seconds you can stow the retractable hardtop and listen to the roaring exhaust fight the wind for your attention.

Just the thing for tooling around Portofino or San Francisco.

From $245,000.

Japanese Playgrounds

 

 

 

 

 

[via Colossal]

'Veiled Lady' — Rafaelle Monti

We cannot see through stone, but using tricks of light and polish, sculptor Rafaelle Monti [1818-1881] created the illusion that we can.

On his "Veiled Lady" (1860), the top of the head and shoulders are polished smooth, to reflect light.

But where the veil falls across the face, the marble is less polished.

It reflects less light, suggesting the texture of fabric.

Sculptures of veiled figures peaked in popularity during the 1700s in Italy, an opportunity for sculptors to show their technical mastery over marble.

About a century later, Monti and other artists revived this technically demanding tradition. 

The sculpture is in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

The utter failure of 'Push button until something happens'

Shame on you, Apple.

While this fanboi gently weeps.

'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' — Elton John and Ru Paul

This happened at the 1994 Brit Awards.

Black 3.0 — 'The blackest black paint in the world'

While Anish Kapoor seeks a restraining order to take this product off the market,

there's a limited supply for sale.

$23.99.

'The Serpent'

This 8-part Netflix series, inspired by true events, is set in Thailand (primarily Bangkok), in the mid-1970s.

What an immersion in the Asia of hippies and easy travel.

"The Serpent" reveals the story of serial conman and killer Charles Sobhraj and remarkable, extraordinary attempts to bring him to justice.

It's a perfect accompaniment to Lawrence Osborne's magnificent 2020 novel, "The Glass Kingdom," set in Bangkok, if, like me, you find Bangkok endlessly fascinating without ever having set foot there.

Surf's Up!

Penniless: why a Victoria man has gone two decades without money

That's Victoria in the province of British Columbia, Canada.

David Johnston (above) won't touch money, except to destroy it.

Tori Marlan's penetrating profile of this singular man appeared in the July 14, 2021 edition of the Capital Daily.

It's very long.

I read every word and stopped quite frequently to think about what I was reading.

Your experience may differ.

Björk x PJ Harvey — 'I Can't Get No Satisfaction'

This happened in 1994 at the BRIT awards.

Super Mario Piranha Plant Slippers

From the website:

Do you need the right footwear for your next round of Mario Party?

The Super Mario Piranha Plant Slippers are here for you!

They come in a Warp Pipe stand that will turn the set into a truly unique decorative item whenever you store the slippers, and of course they look amazing on your feet as well.

Impress your friends with this fun and comfortable item for your Super Mario collection while keeping your feet warm during those extended Nintendo gaming sessions.

Features and Details:

• Dimensions with stand: 10.2"x 8.3"Ø

• Size: 23-26cm (U.S. shoe size: 6-9)

• Materials: Polyester, EVA

• Weight: 14.1 oz.

$77.