Eggplant.place

45d

Louvre robbery: Could a 50-year-old maths problem have kept the museum safe?

An audacious heist at the Louvre saw thieves make off with priceless crown jewels in broad daylight – here is how a decades-old geometry problem can help museums boost their security.

By Kit Yates

https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20251030-louvre-robbery-the-50-year-old-maths-problem-that-can-boost-museum-security

#art #culture #mathematics

Projet d'aménagement de la Grande Galerie du Louvre (1796).https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hubert_Robert_-_Projet_d%27am%C3%A9nagement_de_la_Grande_Galerie_du_Louvre_(1796).JPG

The viewer is positioned within the gallery looking down its length, giving a strong sense of depth and perspective.

The ceiling appears vaulted, with large arches and perhaps skylights or clerestory windows (suggesting zenithal lighting) that bring in daylight from above. This lighting enhances the sense of a museum space.
quatuor.org

The walls: Both sides of the gallery are lined with paintings hung closely (“touche-touche” style) and shelves or pedestals of sculptures. On the right side, in the foreground, there is an easel with a painting in progress and a figure at work.

The gallery is structured by series of large arches, double columns or pilasters with Corinthian capitals, and regular bays — all giving a rhythm to the space. The floor appears smooth and polished; the walls are neutral, letting the artworks stand out.

In the scene there are a number of visitors or artists: some seated, some standing, some copying works.

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42d

If a landscape ‘speaks’, can we hear it?
10 Nov, Edinburgh, & online. Tickets £6/£2

From the medieval West Highlands & Gaelic society, Prof Aonghus MacKechnie’s talk ranges through Early Modern Scotland, the exploitation of history & the ‘signage’ used by the Stewart monarchy, through to post-1660s classicism, Romanticism, “Improvement”, & militarism

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/if-a-landscape-speaks-can-we-hear-it-with-aonghus-mackechnie-tickets-1733332637579?aff=oddtdtcreator

#Scottish #history #culture #culturalstudies #placenames #Gaelic #Gaidhlig #EarlyModern #Romanticism #militarism

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1y

Good comeback. Checks many boxes of how to respond to comments of this kind:

- call out their bullshit
- respond with kindness
- craft your message not with the edgelord in mind, but write it for the rest of the community (the edgelord will hate it anyway, so no need to pander to them)

#community #socialmedia #internet #culture

Some commenter on Arnold Schwarzenegger's Facebook page: The Special Olympics make no sense. The Olympics are for the best athletes in the world to compete against each other to determine who is the best. Having retards competing is doing the opposite!

Arnold Schwarzenegger: As stupid and evil as this comment is, I'm not going to delete it or ban you (yet) because it's a teachable moment. You have two possible paths ahead. Right now, | guarantee you that these athletes have more courage, compassion, brains, skill — actually more of every positive human quality than you. So take their path — you could learn from them, and try to challenge yourself, to give back, to add something from the world. Or you can stay on your path, and keep being a sad, pitiful, jealous internet troll who adds nothing to the world but mocks anyone who does out of small-minded jealousy. | know what you really want is attention, so let me be clear. If you choose to keep going this way, no one will ever remember you.

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35d

From Tablets to Papyrus: When Was Paper Invented?

The invention of paper as a medium for writing was a revolutionary breakthrough that altered the course of human culture.

by Matt Whittaker

https://www.thecollector.com/when-was-the-invention-of-paper/

Papyrus at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=papyrus

#books #culture

The Heracles Papyrus (Oxford, Sackler Library, Oxyrhynchus Pap. 2331), a fragment of 3rd century Greek manuscript of a poem about the Labors of Heracles.

The image shows a fragmentary piece of ancient papyrus, light brown in tone and worn with age, containing both text and illustrations. The papyrus surface is irregularly shaped, with rough, frayed edges and several missing sections that interrupt the writing and drawings.

Across the fragment, lines of Greek script are written in dark ink, now faded to brown.

Between the lines of text are small painted scenes depicting episodes from the Labors of Heracles (Herakles), rendered in a simple and expressive linear style.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrus#/media/File:P._Oxy._XXII_2331.jpg

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1y

Once described as “the most beautiful man in the movies,” Alain Delon has died at age 88. The actor was a star of the golden era of French cinema, known for his tough-guy persona on screen in hits including “The Samurai” and “Borsalino.” His health declined in recent years and he became a virtual recluse. “I thought he could never die,” one of Delon’s fans said. Read more from the BBC: https://flip.it/gd8UHt
#Culture #Entertainment #Film #Movies #AlainDelon

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34d

Hamish Henderson (1919–2002) – poet, soldier, intellectual, activist, songwriter – was born #OTD, 11 Nov. A hugely important figure in Scottish culture, Henderson fought in North Africa & Italy in WW2. A 🎂🧵

There were no gods and precious few heroes…
—“Elegies for the Dead in Cyrenaica”

1/10

#Scottish #literature #HamishHenderson #20thcentury #culture #poetry #poem #warpoetry #WW2 #RemembranceDay

Hamish Henderson
from Elegies for the Dead in Cyrenaica

FIRST ELEGY
End of a Campaign

There are many dead in the brutish desert, who lie uneasy
among the scrub in this landscape of half-wit
stunted ill-will. For the dead land is insatiate
and necrophilous. The sand is blowing about still.
Many who for various reasons, or because of mere unanswerable compulsion, came here
and fought among the clutching gravestones, shivered and sweated,
cried out, suffered thirst, were stoically silent, cursed
the spittering machine-guns, were homesick for Europe
and fast embedded in quicksand of Africa agonised and died.
And sleep now. Sleep here the sleep of the dust.

There were our own, there were the others.
Their deaths were like their lives, human and animal.
There were no gods and precious few heroes.
What they regretted when they died had nothing to do with race and leader, realm indivisible,
laboured Augustan speeches or vague imperial heritage.
(They saw through that guff before the axe fell.) Their longing turned to
the lost world glimpsed in the memory of letters:
an evening at the pictures in the friendly dark,
two knowing conspirators smiling and whispering secrets; or else
a family gathering in the homely kitchen
with Mum so proud of her boys in uniform: their thoughts trembled
between moments of estrangement, and ecstatic moments
of reconciliation: and their desire

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crucified itself against the unutterable shadow of someone
whose photo was in their wallets.
Then death made his incision.

There were our own, there were the others.
Therefore, minding the great word of Glencoe’s
son, that we should not disfigure ourselves
with villainy of hatred; and seeing that all
have gone down like curs into anonymous silence,
I will bear witness for I knew the others.
Seeing that littoral and interior are alike indifferent
and the birds are drawn again to our welcoming north
why should I not sing them, the dead, the innocent?

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33d

北京中軸綫（北段）第一部分
Beijing Central Axis (Northern Section) Part One
P1～P2: 鼓樓 Drum Tower
P3: 鐘樓 Bell Tower
P4: 煙袋斜街 Yandai Diagonal Street
P5～P6: 什剎海 / 積水潭 Shichahai / Jishuitan
P7～P10: 勅建火德眞君廟（火神廟） Huode Zhenjun Temple (Temple of the Fire Deity)

#photography #photo #china #beijing #peking #archetecture #chinese #culture #攝影 #撮影 #中國 #大陸 #北京 #建築 #中華 #文化 #中国 #写真 #foto #chinesisch #architektur #kultur #trungquoc #anh #vanhoa #사진 #중국 #문화

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33d

北京中軸綫（北段）第二部分
Beijing Central Axis (Northern Section) Part Two
P1～P2: 故宮角樓 Corner Tower of the Forbidden City
P3～P4: 正陽門城樓 Zhengyangmen Gate Tower
P5～P6: 正陽門箭樓 Zhengyangmen Archery Tower
P7: 中國鐵道博物館正陽門展館（京奉鐵路正陽門東車站舊址） China Railway Museum Zhengyangmen Branch (Former Site of Peking-Mukden Railway Zhengyangmen East Station)
P8: 國家大劇院和人民大會堂 National Centre for the Performing Arts and Great Hall of the People
P9～P10: 「玉德金聲」硯臺主題展 “Virtue of Jade, Resonance of Gold” Inkstone Thematic Exhibition
P11～P13: 萬寧橋及澄清上閘遺址 Wanning Bridge and Site of the Upper Chengqing Lock

#photography #photo #china #beijing #peking #archetecture #chinese #culture #攝影 #撮影 #中國 #大陸 #北京 #建築 #中華 #文化 #中国 #写真 #foto #chinesisch #architektur #kultur #trungquoc #anh #vanhoa #사진 #중국 #문화

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33d

Africa and The Mercator Map | Encyclopaedia Britannica

"The African Union has endorsed a campaign calling for the use of a world map that reflects countries' true sizes. Why doesn't our current world map do that?"

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OAG1zk1SAPQ

#cartography #culture #africa

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31d

In our magazine: Weeks after a transphobic attack, dozens of #trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming folks gathered on the “free side” of #Austin’s Barton Springs to swim, celebrate, and fearlessly take up space.

Kit @oconnell was there to witness this moment of #queer joy and resilience... https://www.texasobserver.org/protect-trans-joy-barton-springs/

#LGBTQIA+ #water #Texas #photography #CentralTexas #culture

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31d

“Trans visibility is important, but also trans people deserve to have fun.”

For @TexasObserver magazine, I teamed up with photojournalist Harmon Li to document a "Trans Takeover" on the free side of #Austin's Barton Springs swimming hole. It was a moment of queer and #trans joy that came weeks after a violent attack. https://www.texasobserver.org/protect-trans-joy-barton-springs/

#LGBTQIA #queer #culture #photography #Texas #CentralTexas #transgender #water

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34d

“Come as you are, come walk with us, come hang out, and you hopefully make some really good friends out of the whole process.”

There's a growing number of #Queer Social Clubs that offer sober alternatives to the bar scene, from hiking to yoga to line dancing and soup. My first for "Big and Bright," The Barbed Wire's #LGBTQIA news section. https://thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/10/queer-community-outside-the-bar-texas/

#LGBTQ #news #culture #Austin #Dallas #Texas #NorthTexas #CentralTexas #sober #hiking

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24d

Rethinking where language comes from: Framework reveals complex interplay of biology and culture

by Max Planck Society

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-rethinking-language-framework-reveals-complex.html#google_vignette

#books #culture #biology #language

The Tower of Babel by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Oil on board, 1563.

Humans have speculated about the origins of language throughout history. The Biblical myth of the Tower of Babel is one such account; other cultures have different stories of how language arose.

The painting shows Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s The Tower of Babel (1563), depicting a colossal, spiraling tower under construction. The structure dominates the landscape, its arches and stacked tiers resembling a monumental, half-finished coliseum. Workers and scaffolding cling to the tower’s surface, emphasizing the scale and ambition of the project.

In the foreground, a gathering of figures appear to be overseeing the construction. The surrounding landscape shows a bustling port city, with ships, houses, and fields extending toward the horizon. The sky is partly cloudy, contrasting the monumental tower with the smallness of human activity below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language#/media/File:Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder_-_The_Tower_of_Babel_(Vienna)_-_Google_Art_Project_-_edited.jpg

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5d

“Love is an act of resistance, and our community is so brave and resilient.”

For The Barbed Wire and the 19th, I covered the Big #Queer Wedding Party, a joyous and defiant, glitter-soaked protest and party where ten couples from around #Texas (& Oklahoma!) got married or renewed their vows, officiated by Judge Denise Hernández a queer judge from here in #Austin. https://thebarbedwire.com/2025/12/10/big-queer-wedding-party-in-texas/

#Oklahoma #photography #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #culture #journalism #activism

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25d

‪It's official! I can announce that I'm now the Newsletter Writer and Contributor to Big & Bright from The Barbed Wire (https://thebarbedwire.com/category/culture/big-bright/)

I'll be creating a twice-monthly newsletter and regular stories about the highs & lows of #LGBTQ+ Texas life, with an emphasis on #queer and trans joy.

🏳️‍🌈⭐👏 Subscribe for free: https://thebarbedwire.com/subscribe/

#journalism #Texas #LGBTQIA+ #news #culture #queer #trans

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1y

"My hidden agenda in the book club is to get people excited about reading stories about members of the #LGBTQ+ community who are different than them."

I'm pleased to share my first story for The Advocate, about the joy of #queer folks reading together: https://www.advocate.com/news/lgbtq-book-clubs

#books #bookstodon #Austin #Texas #LGBTQIA+ #culture #Richmond #Virginia @bookstodon

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20d

‘A Tartan Belle’: Jane, Duchess of Gordon and the Romanticisation of Scottish Identity in London, c.1780–1812
25 Nov, online – free

At a time when markers of Scottish identity were still viewed with suspicion in England, Jane, Duchess of Gordon used her social influence to make Scottish culture interesting & romantic to the British elite

https://www.history.ac.uk/news-events/events/tartan-belle-jane-duchess-gordon-romanticisation-scottish-identity-london-c1780-1812

#Scottish #literature #history #culture #identity #18thcentury #romanticism

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21d

Reading Scotland with Margaret Bennet
Why Scotland Celebrates St Andrew's Day
2 Dec, online – free

Dr Margaret Bennet talks about the relevance of celebrating St Andrew’s Day today & dives into the origins of this national holiday

https://www.scotland.uni-mainz.de/reading-scotland/

#Scotland #Scottish #literature #culture #StAndrewsDay

READING SCOTLAND
with Margaret Bennett

Why Scotland Celebrates St Andrew's Day

Tuesday 2nd December 2025
6.00–7.30 pm (German time) on MS Teams

www.scotland.uni-mainz.de

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1y

16 Great Sculptors Who Changed the History of Art, from Michelangelo to Rodin

From the ancient Greeks to 20th-century Modernists, this look at 16 famous sculptors is a timeline of the development of Western art.

By Jessica Stewart via @mymodernmet

https://mymodernmet.com/famous-sculptors-art-history/

About sculptures at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=sculpture&submit_search=Go%21

#art #culture #sculpture #books #literature

“Aphrodite of Knidos” Marble, Roman copy after a Greek original of the 4th century by Praxiteles. (Photo: Museo Nazionale Romano di Palazzo Altemps via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

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“Psyche Revived by the Kiss of Love” by Antonio Canova (Photo: Jean-Pol Grandmont via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

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1h

先農壇·北京古代建築博物館 Xiannongtan (Altar of the God of Agriculture) & Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum
P1–P9: 太歲殿院落·中國古代建築展 Taisui Courtyard & Exhibition on Ancient Chinese Architecture
P1: 北京隆福寺毗盧殿明間蟠龍藻井 Longfu Temple: Coiled Dragon Caisson Ceiling from the Central Bay of the Hall of Vairocana (Pilu Hall)
P2: 北京隆福寺萬善正覺殿明間天宮藻井 Longfu Temple: “Heavenly Palace” Caisson Ceiling from the Central Bay of the Hall of Wanshan Zhengjue
P3: 北京隆福寺萬善正覺殿次間藻井 Longfu Temple: Caisson Ceiling from the Secondary Bay of the Hall of Wanshan Zhengjue
P4: 拜殿 Prayer Hall (Baidian)
P5–P6: 太歲殿 Taisui Hall
P7: 木結構建築模型及斗拱模型 Models of Timber Structures and Dougong (Bracket Sets)
P8: 斗拱模型 Models of Dougong
P10: 神廚院落·先農壇歷史文化展 Divine Kitchen Courtyard & Exhibition on Xiannongtan History and Culture
P11: 井亭 Well Pavilion
P12: 宰牲亭——重檐懸山頂，明代官式建築之孤例 Slaughter Pavilion (Zaisheng Pavilion) – Double-eave Xuanshan (overhanging gable) roof (The sole surviving example of this style in Ming Dynasty official architecture)
P13: 焚帛爐及具服殿 Silk Prayer Burner & Dressing Hall of the Emperor
P14: 漢代鴞形陶罐 Han Dynasty Owl-shaped Pottery Jar
P15: 清代皇帝親耕位次圖（近處矩形爲耤田「一畝三分地」，遠處爲觀耕臺） Diagram of the Qing Emperor's Ploughing Positions (Foreground: Imperial Farming Field
/ “One Mu and Three Fen”; Background: The Viewing Platform)

#photography #photo #china #beijing #peking #archetecture #chinese #culture #攝影 #撮影 #中國 #大陸 #北京 #建築 #中華 #文化 #中国 #写真 #snow #雪 #altar #museum #壇 #博物館

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138d

Venez profiter de la traditionnelle #Randonnée nocturne de #Ally43 #ActionAlly2000 #SurLePlateauDAlly avec la potée de Marie-Paule la présidente de l'association !

https://mobilizon.fr/events/4b858e73-7979-43b3-af9d-4ca61425c748

Une belle occasion de découvrir le #Patrimoine local d' #Auvergne en famille ou entre amis, dans une ambiance conviviale et authentique 😉

https://surleplateaudally.com/actualites/

#mobilizon #HauteLoire #France #Culture #Rando #RandonnéeMontagne #Hike #Trek #Trekking #Hiking #Trail #Moulin #RandoNocturne #RandonnéeNocturne

ALT: 807 caractères. L'image est une affiche pour un événement intitulé "Rando-Nocturne d'Ally" qui aura lieu le vendredi 8 août. L'affiche présente le programme de l'événement :

• À 20h : Départ de la randonnée depuis la Salle Polyvalente d'Ally (43380). La randonnée est d'environ 7 km et est adaptée aux familles. Un repas potée auvergnate sera servi.

Les prix sont indiqués comme suit :

• Balade + potée : 15€ pour les adultes et 12€ pour les enfants.
• Balade seule : 5€.
• Potée seule : 12€ pour les adultes et 5€ pour les enfants.

Les réservations peuvent être faites par téléphone au 06 51 54 43 69 ou par email à surleplateaudally@gmail.com.

L'affiche est décorée avec des illustrations de nuages, de la lune, d'étoiles, et d'un moulin à vent, évoquant une ambiance nocturne et champêtre.

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1y

Elizabeth Siddal, the Real-Life “Ophelia”

A working-class woman with artistic aspirations of her own, Siddal nearly died of pneumonia after posing for John Everett Millais’s iconic painting.

By: Emily Zarevich via @JSTOR_Daily

https://daily.jstor.org/elizabeth-siddal-the-real-life-ophelia/

About John Everett Millais at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=John+Everett+Millais&submit_search=Go%21

#art #culture #painting

Detail from Ophelia by John Everett Millais, c. 1851 via Wikimedia Commons

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1y

Study Shows That Viewing Real Art in Museums Stimulates Brain Much More Than Reproductions.

Art lovers travel far and wide to see their favorite paintings in real life. Surely, they may have seen them dozens of times online or in books, but getting to witness the real thing just hits differently.

By Regina Sienra via @mymodernmet

https://mymodernmet.com/real-art-in-museums-stimulates-brain/

#art #culture #painting