The People of 1926 - A Year Through the Lives of Those We Never Knew

Introduction

A hundred years ago, the world was just as much of a mess as it is today.  Yet, people still (like today) found the time to sing, dance – and live the fullest of lives.  That included, of course, posing for photographs.  In this snapshot of time (a follow-up to last year's The People of 1925), let’s take a look at the faces, fashions, and fragments of ordinary lives from 1926.

Image

We’ll begin with one man and his dog, as it were – and set the tone for the post.  This is CD (Charles Douglas) Barnard and his canine co-pilot, whose name has unfortunately been lost to history.  After the First World War, Barnard became involved in civil aviation, air racing and record-breaking flights.  This picture was to publicise the new London Aviation Club, which had been set up the previous year to try and make flying lessons accessible to ordinary people, rather than leaving it to wealthy private owners and the military. 

In the photo, Barnard is fitting the dog with goggles, presumably to protect its eyes from wind and airborne debris.  Whether or not they proceeded to take off and fly around London is not recorded, but I would suspect it was not the case…

A quick note before we continue

As last year, I used Flickr’s The Commons and Wikimedia Commons for this project.  Many photos from this era are not marked with exact dates or even years and so unless they were associated with a specific event, then the curators had to be vague (between 1920 and 1930 and so on), so that excluded many fantastic pictures. 

When I have included people who were well known or even celebrated in 1926, it is in more informal settings wherever possible. The decision to select only photographs with verifiable dates was a good one – I hope you agree that I have managed to source some wonderful pictures that are verifiably and indubitably from 1926!

Photography in 1926 was affordable enough for many ordinary families to participate but still a small luxury, especially when compared to how easy and cheap digital photos are today. Each shot counted, and people often took photos to capture special moments rather than daily life.  So, many of these photos will seem arranged, organized and posed for a good reason: they were!

I hope you enjoy this gallery of (some of) the humans of 1926.

 

JANUARY

Image

Clement Whirlwind Soldier, a full blooded Sioux Indian from the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, who as sworn in as a member of the Washington police force. He is the first Indian ever to serve on that body.  The picture here is taken with William Henry McMaster, who served as a U.S. senator for South Dakota from 1925 to 1931.  We don’t know how long Clement served with the police, but considering that the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act, which gave citizenship to all indigenous people born within the US, was just a few years old, this is a remarkable achievement for Whirlwind Solider.  The pros and cons of the act are still debated to this day.

He was born in Nebraska, the son of Whirlwind Soldier (aka “Hugh”) and Julia, but he was also the grandson of the famous Chief Spotted Tail, who was a highly influential Brulé Lakota leader.  Although he was only 61 when he died in 1933, Clement Whirlwind Soldier he had been, throughout his adult life, a prominent representative for the Rosebud Lakota community and helped his people to navigate the difficult transition period of reservation life in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.  The name Whirlwind Soldier is still in use by members of his (extended) family to this day.

Inside the V&A’s Spooky Collection of Skulls, Skeletons and Death Jewellery

Skeletons and skulls have always appeared, throughout the history of art, as emblems of something that awaits us all, when we slip off our mortal coil and leave behind the remnants of our time on the planet.  I suppose that’s a long-winded way of saying that we have celebrated the advent of death by making art out of our fears. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has amassed a rather spooky collection of momento mori over the course of its 174 year history.  Why not have some fun while accepting the inevitability of death?  It’s not so much a case of getting out the play-doh, however.  Some of these pieces are eye-poppingly intricate (not to mention exquisite to look at).

Ruth Hibbard, Curator of Art, Architecture, Photography and  Design at the museum guides us through some of the highlights of the collection.  She is enamoured with a box of lithographic prints produced in Victorian times – and they are fascinating.  However, for me the highlight is the stunning sixteenth century skull and crossbones ring which is made of gold enamel and encrusted with rubies (you can see it on the video front below).  It pre-dates the use of the skull and crossbones by pirates so wasn’t owned by Bluebeard or Long John Silver – rather by someone from the Elizabethan upper classes with proto-goth tendencies.   There’s also a ring with a whole skeleton wrapped around it, and I can’t quite forget the pendant in the shape of a tiny coffin.  Macabre but fascinating. Watch the fascinating video below.

Tafoni – Nature's Rock Art

Tafoni – you may not have heard the term but the chance are, if you have visited an ocean shore, (or less likely a desert!) that you have seen them with your own eyes. Essentially they are caves (mostly in miniature) and their formation can often result in beautiful patterns. Yet why are they formed in the first place?

Image Credit Flickr User Dawn Endico

Growing an Instagram Following: A Helping Hand for Creators

One of the most annoying things about building an Instagram audience is how long it can take.  You’re producing brilliant posts but only have a few hundred followers – annoying!  Of course, building an Instagram audience takes time – as well as creativity and consistency.  If you are a gamer, sharing memorable match highlights is a great starting point, as well as posting edited playthroughs.  In other words, individuals develop a personal brand, but reaching new people is vital when it comes to growing an online presence.

Twicsy is certainly a route many creators have taken when they want to give their Instagram profile a much needed boost.  They have follower packages based around lots of different account needs.  These include standard, active-follower and VIP options.  What is good is that the service provides flexibility on an individual basis for those looking for ways to expand their audience.  It has a stated focus on real participants in its nextwork – and so the last thing that creators need to worry about is fabricated profiles (and anyone on Instagram, creator or lurker, knows that these exist in huge numbers!).

Twicsy also offers some great customer service, such as around the clock assistance.  Each customer has a point of contact where they can ask questions or if their order encounters difficulties.  It also has a full-refund policy if orders fail to complete which adds another level of reassurance if you are looking to expand your own user base.

Delivery is pretty fast with orders being specified for delivery withing 24 hours often arriving sooner.  Of course, as with any audience-growth service, the speed of delivery and long-term engagement are different things.  Followers don’t always interact with every post and audience engagement naturally varies according to what you are posting.  Services like Twicsy are not a panacea for your Instagram woes – follower growth always works alongside strong content!

If you want the best results alongside services, then eye-catching opening moments, clear captions and a recognisable style and regular uploads will all help to turn a first visit into a lasting interest in your brand.  As such, you should always review package terms before ordering.  If any service ever asks you for your Instagram password or login codes, avoid it like the plague!

If you are exploring ways to broaden your profile’s reach, then Twicsy combines a choice of packages together with accessible customer support (and, of course, the aforementioned order protection).   When used with a thoughtful content strategy, it can form one part of a wider approach to developing a bigger Instagram presence.

Matcha Mountain: A Surreal, Whimsical Animated Short Full of Matcha and Balloon Animals

Matcha Mountain is ever so slightly bonkers.  My suggestion is don’t try and use logic (Boolean or otherwise) in an attempt to explain this, just sit back and enjoy the experience.  Anything else may well result in the (hopefully) temporary loss of your liberty as nice men in white coats take you away for some special treatment.  Back to the animation – and it’s great to see an elderly protagonist for once!  Granny lives alone on Matcha Mountain, which is, as it suggests, a mountain made out of matcha (that’s “a finely ground, bright green powder made from specially grown and processed green tea leaves” according to Wikipedia).

Well, one day as luck would have it, she rescues an injured dog made out of balloons – and the dog is overjoyed as it is addicted to matcha desserts.  They’re happy together, but danger looms – as do lots more balloon animals.  And there you have it – deliciously and weirdly bonkers mad.  The film was made by a group of students at Gobelins - Seiya Carpentier, Zijin Chen, Pauline Gisèle Gautschi, Jiamin Li, Yuanxin Ling, and Alexane Pierrot-Zago and is receiving a lot of attention online – maybe because this is the natural successor to The Magic Roundabout that so many people have been searching for over the decades or perhaps because it’s just a lovely watch. 

Boolean Logic Explained: From Pub Conversations to George Boole and Modern AI

I was sitting in a pub last week (like you do) and Boolean logic came up.  So, the Boolean expression for this scenario evaluates to True because I was sitting in a pub at that precise moment in time talking about it!  If we wanted to model the general probability of this niche conversation happening in a British pub, we can express it through the following logical conditions:

Chances=(NerdInPub\lor (ExamCram\land \neg LastOrders))\land \neg FootballIsOn\

And if that leaves you a little nonplussed, then maybe some Boolean 101 is in order.  Fear not – BBC Ideas have already imagined that very scenario and prepared the video below to satisfy your curiosity.  It’s a great, straightforward, video – and one of the things I like most about it is that it doesn’t overlook George Boole’s wife, Mary Everest.  Yes, that last name is familiar – the mountain was named for her uncle, Sir George Everest.   Mary helped to edit George’s seminal work The Laws of Thought.  Genius travels, apparently – the Boole’s great-great-grandson, Geoffrey Hinton, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2024 for his work on artificial neural networks. 

Top 10 Male Ballet Dancers to Watch Today: The World’s Rising Stars

One of the things I like about this video essay from Deep Dive Dance is that the list you will see below is not definitive and there is even acknowledgement that perhaps there are some dancers who have been overlooked.  So, don’t worry too much if your favourite male ballet dancer does not make it into this video – there is still plenty of time!  Another reason for including this video on Kuriositas is that we get extensive clips of each of the featured dancers, so we can compare and contrast as the video progresses.  Of course, we have featured Giorgi Potskhishvili several times, so his positioning at number one is exactly where he should be right here, right now.

The young ballet dancers featured are a remarkable collection of rising stars and exceptional talents from some of the world’s most prestigious ballet companies. Among them are Marco Masciari and Taisuke Nakao of The Royal Ballet, Gabriel Figueredo of Stuttgart Ballet, Shale Wagman of Paris Opera Ballet, Davi Ramos of The Australian Ballet, Takumi Miyake of American Ballet Theatre, Guillaume Diop of Paris Opera Ballet, Dmitry Smilevsky of Bolshoi Ballet, António Casalinho of Vienna State Ballet, and Giorgi Potskhishvili of Dutch National Ballet. Each brings their own distinctive artistry, technical brilliance and stage presence, showcasing the exciting future of classical ballet.

10 Amazing Places to Visit in India that Aren’t the Taj Mahal

If you are planning on doing some India travel as a tourist then the likelihood is that at some point during your stay you will find yourself at the Taj Mahal.  This glorious white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh remains one of the country’s sites that simply should not be missed.  Yet in this vast subcontinent there are hundreds of other places that could crown a visit for one reason or another.  They may be less well known than the mausoleum built by Shah Jahan but they linger in the minds and hearts of all who visit them. Here are just ten of those amazing places you could visit while in India that aren’t the Taj Mahal.

Meenakshi Amman Temple

Image Credit Flicrk User Natacha Cornaz

Image Credit Flickr User Nav A

While the Taj Mahal dazzles with its vast marble sheen, the Meenakshi Amman Temple is resplendent in a blaze of colors. The city of Madurai in the South Eastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world and has been a functioning metropolis for over two thousand years.

Courseval’s Bardcore Version of ABBA’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” – A Medieval Pop Hit

There are a few bardcore groups around, but I think the most successful is Courseval.  Their cheeky medieval twists on modern(ish) pop songs have continued to grow in popularity over the last few years.  Here, they give Abba’s Gimme, Gimme, Gimme their own signature treatment, resulting in a toe-tapping number which only goes to show that Benny and Bjorn’s songwriting talents do indeed transcend the time in which they were written.  I do wonder what future historians might say about this – will they get their timelines in a twist two thousand years from now and imagine that this version is how we danced to it? Doubtful, but a fun thought anyway.

I think what gives this video the finishing touch is the fact that the band perform it in front of the incredible Mont-Saint-Michel, in Normandy, France, which has been a monastic settlement since the 8^th Century.  I wonder what the monks would have made of this little ditty?

Pulse – An Animated Short About Whaling, Tradition and Change

Traditions change.  This is transparently obvious as otherwise we’d still all be sitting around campfires telling stories. Wait, bad example.  We do, though, often take for granted that while our traditions may change, others are simply not questions by those who adhere to them.  So, the annual culling of whales, for example, had to be stopped by external forces rather than from decisions made within a community.  Perhaps that is the modern way of doing things, but I would have to question that acceptance of cultural calcification.  It often takes a single person to take a step in another direction for things to begin to change.

Perhaps that might be the case in Pulse, an animated short beautifully created by students at Rubika in Valenciennes, France.  It tells the story of Jonas (and perhaps this would have been too blithely titled, had it been called Jonas and the Whale), who discovers the carcass of a whale on a beach.  Shaken by the experience, he feels the terror that the dead creature must have felt and his empathy for the whale creates a schism between how he now perceives his village’s tradition and the slaughter that it (read we) leave in our wake.  Directed by Sarah Forest, Cécile Floucat, Pauline Javelot, Thibaut Wambre, Juliette Gales, and Kevin De Garidel with music by Kévin Bardin, watch Pulse below.

Renoir: The Impressionist Who Painted Happiness, Love and Paris

Renoir was once accused by his art teacher of only painting for his own enjoyment.  Renoir replied that is he didn’t enjoy it, then he wouldn’t do it.  I think that is fair enough.  This video by the National Gallery in London was created to coincide with their exhibition of many of Renoir’s works created between 1860 and 1880 – in other words when he was experimenting with them and style and becoming one of the Innovators of Impressionism.  It tells the story of both Renoir and his adopted home city, Paris, which was itself undergoing a transformation at the time Renoir created some of the most important paintings of the 19^th  century.

Yet he never really engaged with what was going on around him in the way, say, Dickens did in literature.  His paintings are full of friends, family, lovers – and nothing of the gritty reality of urban life finds its way into his art.  This has sometimes led to finger pointing – that his need to paint happy pictures somehow makes him more frivolous than some of his contemporaries.  That may well be so, but perhaps his vision was more profound – he was fascinated by love and the way that we socialise with each other – and he wanted to capture that in his work.  He was also fascinated by food, or rather the way with which we create culture from what we eat, how we eat and with whom.  Many of his most famous works feature meals, almost all of which are over (perhaps he felt the need to fill his belly before he put paint to canvas?).  I am now blathering on – take a look at this insightful video created by the National Gallery.  It includes a section on the incomparable exquisiteness of what I think is his masterpiece of masterpieces – Dance at the Moulin de la Galette.

Holder's Farm: Where You Can Pay to Scream Your Head Off - Argh!

Do you sometimes want to rush out of a room and find somewhere to just scream your head off until it isn’t a metaphor anymore?  The problem is, of course, that wherever you turn (if you live in a town or city), there are too many people around – and they all have a certain look on their face which implies that they, too, are looking for somewhere to try and set the record for the highest number of decibels to be expelled from the human larynx.  If that is you, then look  no further. Down at Holder’s Farm, they have given up on alternative crops and have opened up their fields to a new… revenue stream.

For a small fee, you can position yourself in one of the fields on Holder’s Farm and scream and scream and scream!  Well, if this isn’t real life, it certainly should be!  Argh! Is an award-winning British comedy short that stars Tom Crowley as the rather hapless Mr Adlerbrook, one of Holder’s Farm’s frequent visitors – almost a one-man revenue stream for the farmers, who are quite happy to divest him of his (no doubt hard-earned) money.  Written by James Bugg and directed by Toryn Westcott, Aegh! may be fiction, but I can see no reason why this kind of set-up shouldn’t exist in real life!

What is the Oldest Pub in England? This One!

Pubs (from Public Houses) evolved over centuries in England and, if you really need to know, can be separated into three categories – these are inns, taverns and ale houses.  Each had a slightly different purpose, which the video below by Historic England explains really well.  However, if you go to any town or city in the UK that has been around for a thousand years or more (and there are many of those!), then you will often find this pub or that pub being mooted as the oldest in the land.  Sometimes, the reasons for the claim are stretched beyond the credulity of even the sympathetic of tourists, but we at last have an answer for which is the oldest pub in the UK.

It’s gorgeous too – just dripping with history that would make a location scout for a costume drama swoon with that adrenaline rush that comes when you have found something that would fit almost any occasion.  The George Inn (in Norton St Philip, Somerset) fits that exactly – built in the 14^th century for the monks of Hinton Charterhouse, it served to give merchants attending the monastery’s markets and fairs a place to stay and get drunk after a hard day of merchandising.  Lots of features have been added over the course of the centuries – all to enhance the original and extract more profit.  That makes me wonder – how much money has The George Inn made over the six centuries it has been in existence? Now I’m beginning to swoon.  Watch the video about the pub below. 

The Amazing Hummingbird Hawk Moth

It hovers, it hums – but it is not a hummingbird. Take a look at one of, if not the most amazing, certainly the coolest insects on the planet - The Hummingbird Hawk Moth.  The Ark in Space has a great feature on this very unusual species, an example of what is known as convergent evolution.  When you see the full screen pictures this little guy will take your breath away.

Image Credit Flickr User ComputerHotline

Why Are the Giant Trees of the Tropics Dying? And Why Is One Species Thriving?

When the Panama Canal was created, so was an island.  The island of Barro Colorado sprang into being when the surrounding mountainous terrain was turned into a lake thanks to the canal.  Since then, the island has become on of the most studied on the planet, because its isolation allows scientists to see what is happening to our flora and fauna when they are not still being impacted by constant human intervention. And, oh dear, we do have a problem.  Many of the islands giant trees seem to be dying – and this is a pattern being repeated around the tropics.

This will have a massive impact on the environment as these giant trees are responsible for holding so much carbon and releasing it back due to premature death is not exactly what we want. And we don’t understand what is happening either.  Yet among the trees on the island of Barro Colorado, one giant is doing something unexpected.  Dipteryx Oleifera is thriving, not dying. Hosted by Joe Hanson, this video (which using stunning drone footage to reveal the forest on the island) explains what is happening – and what, perhaps, could be the solution.

Pixar’s Fruit & Nut: A Wild Ride Through the Dark Underbelly of the Snack World

When it comes to bonkers animated shorts, Pixar’s Fruit & Nut must come somewhere near the top of the list.  It tells the story of a peanut, down on his luck and desperate for the love of a good strawberry.  Things don’t seem to be going his way until one day, he picks up a hitchhiker and the connection is immediate.  Unfortunately for him, his new fruity girlfriend is intent on leading him astray in the pursuit of bread – and soon they become the Bonnie and Clyde of the snack world.  With a great ending that I didn’t see coming at all (stick around for it – it gives you one of those “aha” moments), Fruit & Nut is a great showcase for the talents of the Pixar animators who created it.

The short was written and directed by Rej Bourdages and Tony Maki and shows what can happen when animators are allowed to throw off their constraints for approximately seven minutes.  It is a joy to watch, and I am sure that all the team involved will continue to have thriving careers, whether at Pixar or elsewhere.  Watch Fruit & Nut below.

The Bicheno Blowhole: Geology at its Most Playful

Nature may often be cruel but from time to time it can also be almost sublimely daft.  Close to the small town of Bicheno on the east coast of the Australian island of Tasmania, a rare geological feature known as a blowhole provides endless hours of fun for visitors. Each time the blowhole ‘erupts’ you never quite know what you are going to get in terms of the shape and size of the water.  One thing is for sure, though: you are going to get wet.
Image Credit Flickr User  ScottWeatherson

A blowhole is a sea cave which grows inwards and up, resulting in a perpendicular shaft open at the surface. They occur when there is a weak joint in the rock and as the waves pound and erode the rock just above the waterline a cave is slowly but surely formed.

This can get to quite a length but if, as it develops, it hits a vertical weakness in the rock then it will head upwards – until it breaks the surface and hits daylight.

Blackadder: The Cavalier Years – Watch The Hilarious Blackadder Special Set in the English Civil War

Ask anyone of a certain age and disposition in the UK about Blackadder, and they will be able to trot off several facts. It was spread over four series, each in a different time, culminating in Blackadder Goes Forth, set at the height of the First World War.  They might also add – although opinion on this is somewhat divided - that contrary to the law of diminishing return, each series was better than the last (and the first was bloody good to start with). What they sometimes overlook, of course, is that there were two short specials made for charity, with Blackadder – The Cavalier Years being the one this little post is about.

Now, chronologically it nestles between seasons 2 (Elizabethan) and 3 (Georgian), being set at the time of the English Civil War – and you can watch it in full below.  However, it was filmed after the third series had aired. Created for the Comic Relief charity in 1988 (good grief, has it really been almost forty years?), it tells the story of how Edmund Blackadder and his “trusty” manservant Sodoff Baldrick shelter King Charles I, who has been defeated in the civil war.  Unfortunately, the shelter is shortlived and King Charles is sentenced to death by Oliver Cromwell (here played by Warrem Clarke) and his roundheads.    

So, of course, Blackadder and Baldrick hatch a cunning plan to replace the head of the monarch with a pumpkin during the process of his execution by beheading.  What happens, you will have to watch the video below. However, as well as the usual brilliant turns by Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson, Blackadder The Cavalier Years has a great supporting cast, notably Stephen Fry as the beleaguered soon-to-be ex-monarch.  He based his performance on the characteristics of the (then) Prince Charles, who in 2022 would become King Charles III.  For example, when he is asked "Are you ready to meet your maker?"  he replies with "Well, I'm always absolutely fascinated to meet people from all walks of life... yes, particularly manufacturing industries."  Perfect.  

The cast is rounded off by Harry Enfield, who serves as narrator.

Watch the full minisode of Blackadder The Cavalier Years below.

Butter Boy: A Delightful 2-Minute Animated Musical

Fancy an animated musical, but don’t have the time to fit one in to your busy schedule?  The try Butter Boy, the new project from Amelia Kim.  The story is simple – and so I will keep this quicj to allow you to enjoy the video.  There’s a boy made of butter, whose life is less than perfect because basically he is unhygienic and sticky.  In the great tradition of young heroes of animated musicals, he bursts into song to wonder what his life would be like if he wasn’t… made of butter.  That’s it – it’s that simple – and in less than two minutes you have a wholly satisfying complete animated musical with a great little ending.  It’s adorable, quite frankly. The music, lyrics and song performance are all supplied by teenage wunderkind Oliver Richman, who you may remember from his debut video of Defying Gravity almost a decade ago.

Watch Butter Boy below.

Why do Data Centers Use So Much Electricity and Water?

My real-world job is as an English lecturer and every time I use even a little AI to enhance a resource (it avoids copyright and it’s, well, free), I am met by waves (occasionally the odd tsunami) of approbation by my students that I am single-handedly killing the planet.  I would wearily point out the hypocrisy of their statements – so many of the digital devices that they cover end up in landfill because they are hard to recycle – and that’s just a starter), but I refrain.  However, the question does come up in my mind – why is it that data centers (especially those who are hosting AI platforms) use up so much electricity – not to mention water?

1,000 huge warehouse-sized data centers have popped up around the world since 2019 and the resources they use are staggering.  This Ted-Ed video has popped up in my stream just when I wanted the answers.  I might just play this to my students – these customised complexes come with a whole new set of complications.  Will my students have the tenacity to sit through six whole minutes of explanation? I hope so – I found this video revelatory.  Watch it below.

The Boy Who Rode the Wind

A simple story can have so many layers, it’s sometimes difficult to keep up.  Whatever layer you get from The Boy Who Rode the Wind, this animated short by Spaghetti Tree Productions is a rewarding watch, but, if, like me, you are easily brought to tears, then have your handkerchief ready.  That makes this sound like a very drab watch, but honestly, the workmanship that has gone into this is nothing short of astounding (using tools such as Higgsfield, Adobe, Suno, Claude, Davinci) and I love the use of colour in this short.  Now, yes, this makes the animation something of a hybrid, but the company’s blurb on YouTube reassuringly tells us that their processes keep “human intent and the animator's touch firmly at the center”.

The story, written by Tanem Davidson, is about a boy and his father – in that particular state of limbo that bereavement often brings and the necessary urge to carry on living (in fact to celebrate life) that hopefully will emerge at some point in the process of grieving.  It’s a lovely story, and honestly made my day.  I do wonder if this short represents the coming together of AI and human “talents”.  Who can say – perhaps leave your own thoughts in the comments.

How the Moon Formed: The Giant Impact Theory Explained by Its Creators

In the 1980s there was a conference held in Hawaii, its main objective being to come to a collective decision about how the moon had been formed.  As Hawaii is not unknown for its desirability as a holiday destination, it wasn’t long before there was a queue of astronomers asking to attend the conference.  It was in Hawaii that the giant impact hypothesis finally won out.

The astronomer referred to as Bill throughout the video is William Hartmann. Alongside his colleague Don Davis, he is credited with developing the giant impact hypothesis in the 1970s, which proposes that the Moon formed from debris following a massive collision between Earth and another smaller planet.  In this video, the two reminisce about the fateful Hawaii conference, as well as talking about three theories about the moon’s remaining mystery (you need to watch the video to discover what that it!).

Take a Flight through Shanghai at Night

This amazing footage of the extraordinary Chinese city of Shanghai was captured by China Photography and LaLin Photography and gives us a drone-driven close up of the city, perhaps the most Blade Runneresque on the planet.  You can take in all the views from wherever you are – from The Bund – the historic waterfront promenade with famous colonial-era architecture and views across the Huangpu River to the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, one of Shanghai's most recognizable landmarks, standing 468 metres tall.

It’s an exhilarating site, made more so by the fact that this was all shot at night, giving the city an almost ethereal (yet still elegant) look.  Watch the video below. 

Troye Sivan’s “Party” Video: Medieval France, Sir Ian McKellen and Incredible Choreography

This is rather naughty, but I think you might enjoy it.  Troye Sivan’s new track Party is a mix of infectious musical joie de vivre (even throwing a little old school Madonna in at certain points). So, why not spend a million bucks on a music video for it, set it in medieval France and get Sir Ian McKellen to do the voiceover at the beginning?  It’s outrageous, flamboyant and sensual – and at its centre is Sivan, loving every moment of it.  You have to admit, he’s come a long way since he appeared as the young James “Logan” Howlett in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  The video was directed, as have many of his others, by Gordon von Steiner.

The image above from the video is like a lost Caravaggio painting - and gives you some idea what to expect - some.  While the song itself may be overshadowed a little by the visuals, I cannot help but think that this track must be filling the dancefloors of clubs around the world because of the "Party in the park, party in the bush, party under the bridge, party at the restaurant, party at the club," - and so on until it comes full circle back to the park .  For dancing, it's a banger.

Talking of which, it's the dancing that stands out (among other things!) about the video – and I thought I recognised a certain style.  Sergio Reis, whose Bohemian Rhapsody dance video was featured on Kuriositas earlier this year, was responsible for the choreography and it’s elegant and raucous in equal measures. As a precursor to his new album ‘She’s The Best,’ , Sivan has released Party to a great deal of acclaim.  One YoutTube commenter has gushed “this is why music videos were invented”, while another admits it is a little to, erm, flamboyant for him but that “the cinematography, choreography, set design and outfits are insanely cool.”  I like this one the most – “Game of Thrones if Renly Baratheon had become King of the Seven Kingdoms."   Watch the video below - and don't say you weren't warned.

Moving Day: A Charming Animated Short About Change, Courage and New Beginnings

As a moving truck veers through woodland roads, a few boxes tumble from its back.  In one is  a pet mouse, thrown into a world it has never known – one with, for example, a sky that throws down soft globules of water…  He has a typical reaction for a city dweller thrown into an unknow forest.  At first terrified, the mouse is drawn out by a friendly ladybird who shows him around a little until he begins to find his feet.  Yes, that’s it.  That’s all there is to this animated short.  But it does it in such a gently entrancing way that the minutes fly by, and we’re caught up in the situation.   As such, it’s a lovely little metaphor for the unexpected difficulties and changes that we experience through life’s journey – and how we can overcome them with a little spirited tenacity.

This was Ye-won Kim’s graduation project, which she created during her time at Hongik University (홍익대학교) in South Korea.  The comments on YouTube may put it better than I have.  One says “Simple, profound, and full of tenderness. What a beautiful combination! Beautiful animation. Thank you for conveying so much,” while another says “Simple, profound, and full of tenderness. What a beautiful combination! Beautiful animation. Thank you for conveying so much”.  Have a lovely time watching Moving Day. 

Why Tom Baker Was the Perfect Doctor Who: Memories of a 1970s Childhood

Everyone in the UK has their doctor and Tom Baker was mine.  When he took on the role of Doctor Who, I was nine years old.  I already loved the show but his appearance as the doctor took my appreciation to another level – one that would last for many years and still has its moments.  My parents did not have a colour TV (they were not badly off by any means, but having been brought up in the war, they made do with things until they fell apart).  My brother and I would ultimately pour enough water down the back of the television set for it not to be noticed but nevertheless be render it defunct – but that’s another story.  I was allowed to go and watch the show at the house next door – an elderly childless widower (Mr Taylor) in his late eighties, who enjoyed the company and who had – miracle of miracles – a very large colour TV.

His house was like a time capsule – he had bought it in the 1920s and it hadn’t really changed. No gas fire – coal.  Lamps used to light the rooms – dark, thick curtain, giant aspidistras.  You  get the idea – so going to watch Doctor Who there was like being in an episode of it myself, in many ways.  When the show had a slightly gothic turn, the setting was perfect, much better than my parents' house with its bright lights and modern furniture - Mr Taylor's house, with its low lighting and bygone-age decor, the old paintings on the wall - perfect.  Even the walk up his driveway was like a prologue to the episode – dark and more than a little spooky, with trees creaking overhead and the lights of his house shining dimly in the near-distance.

He (always dapper in a suit and tie, even at his age, and looking more than a little like the first doctor, William Harnell) positioned two high-backed chairs in front of the TV and always made sure that we didn’t miss a second. We kept the Saturday evening visits going for years – even after my parents had reluctantly had to buy their own colour TV, due to the mysterious demise of their black and white.

I would regularly stay for the next couple of Saturday night shows, and both of us were usually fast asleep by about 8pm – the only light in the room coming from the fire.  In the early days of my visitations, when it got a little late for a nine-year old, my father sometimes came and picked my recumbent form up from where I was dozing, carrying me home and depositing me safely on my bed.

The visits went on for a few years, until one day on my return home from school, I learned that Mr Taylor had had a fall.  He had stood on a kitchen stool to reach a tin from the top of a cupboard and had fallen.  He had managed to reach the tin – that was on the kitchen floor, but so was he. I was reassured by my mum that he wouldn’t have felt a thing, and it was a very speedy death – something the old man had always said he wanted anyway – no hanging around in hospitals waiting for the inevitable for him.

So, a nine year old and a ninety year old (rounding up) brought together by the love of Doctor Who (he had adored it since it began).  Of course, there were always three people in the room.  Mr Taylor, me and Tom Baker.  That brings me to this video.  Baker has always had a larger-than-life presence in anything he does, and coming across the video below in my feed was a nice bit of serendipity, so I thought I would share (it is made by Eat My Shorts).  It brought me back to those autumn and winter nights in the 1970s, sat in the chair next to the lovely Mr Taylor, scared out of my wits over the daleks, the wirrrn and other assorted monsters.  Not that I ever felt in any danger – Tom Baker (sorry, Doctor Who) would always triumph in the end.  And even if he didn’t, I suspected that Mr Taylor had a Tardis of his own secreted somewhere in his house…  Take a look at what made Tom Baker an amazing choice for Doctor Who.

The greatest gaming sites around the world

Some places are worth visiting for the games they offer, while others turn the experience into something much bigger. Around the world, casino resorts have become destinations in their own right, combining gaming with spectacular architecture, restaurants, entertainment, shopping and some seriously impressive hotels. From the bright lights of Las Vegas to the grand surroundings of Monaco, these physical gaming destinations have made a lasting impression.

For anyone looking for a casino experience with plenty happening beyond the gaming floor, Macau is difficult to overlook. The Venetian Macao is enormous, with its own canals, gondola rides, restaurants, shopping and extensive recreational facilities. Its casino features around 3,000 slot machines and 750 table games, while the resort itself covers almost 10.8 million square feet. For visitors who want something equally striking but more contemporary, the Morpheus Hotel at City of Dreams features the distinctive architecture associated with Zaha Hadid, along with restaurants, bars, a spa, an art gallery and a rooftop pool. Put simply, there is no doubt all your favourite casino games will be here.

Las Vegas naturally has several names that belong in any conversation about famous gaming destinations. Bellagio is instantly recognisable for its spectacular fountains, but inside it also has a casino with around 2,000 slot machines and high-end poker rooms. It has even appeared in films including Ocean's Eleven. MGM Grand offers another huge experience, with a 171,500-square-foot gaming floor containing 139 gaming tables and 2,500 slot machines. Then there is Caesars Palace, where Roman-inspired architecture, marble statues, fountains and an enormous gaming space create a very different atmosphere.

The Letters of Claudius Terentianus: A 2nd-Century Roman Soldier’s Life

Claudius Terentianus (imagined above) was a Roman soldier who lived almost two thousand years ago, but what did it take to become a part of the Roman legions?  Well, for a start, it was a hard life but because he couldn’t get a good enough letter of recommendation, poor old Claudius couldn’t get in except as an auxiliary – and then he had to write a begging letter to his father asking for equipment.  Amazingly, this letter - and others from the son - still survives to this day. 

The letters of Claudius Terentianus survived because they were written on papyrus and preserved by the unusually dry conditions of Roman Egypt (he was a Greek speaking Egyptian, not uncommon at the time).  They tell a story of a fairly miserable time, but because he could read and write, this was the key to his advancement.  His letters to his father were probably discarded at some point, buried in a rubbish heap among dry sands where the conditions allowed them to survive for almost two thousand years.

What's particularly interesting is that Terentianus' letters contain numerous spelling and grammatical mistakes, which gives historians evidence of how ordinary people actually wrote Latin, as opposed to the polished Latin found in literature.  And yes, he would have been called Terentianus rather than Claudius by his friends.  In the Roman naming system, Claudius was his nomen (clan or family name), while Terentianus was his cognomen (the more personal identifier). In everyday life, Romans were often known by their cognomen, especially when the nomen was very common.

His friends, when calling him would have cried Terentiane! (it’s the vocative form of his name, don’t you know).  Perhaps close friends would call him Tere – whether they did is certainly lost to history.  However, as many people who gained citizenship in Egypt were given the Latin name Claudius, we don’t know anything else about him except for the things he mentions (like getting himself a woman) in his letters.  Well, almost...

The video below is by the British Museum and features curators Richard Abdy and Carolina Rangel de Lima, who walk us through the life of Claudius Terentianus – and give some wonderful insight into what life was like as a Roman soldier at that time – as well as what ultimately happened to poor old Tere!

Confused by AI? 6 Key Concepts Explained in Plain English

If you are at a funny age, as I am, then you are probably not unaware of Artificial Intelligence (AI).  You probably even use it to one extent or another.  However, this area of technology – both attractive and scary as hell at the same time, develops so quickly that perhaps a lot of us simply shrug our shoulders and let the tsunami of terminology flow over us, nod knowingly (or give our best approximation of being fully savvy with it all) and carry on regardless.  If you are nodding knowingly right now, then perhaps it’s time to have a look at the video below, which compartmentalises AI into six core concepts and then continues by explaining them in words that most of us will understand.  It all boils down to trying to make a computer as smart or smarter than we are. 

The six core concepts covered are LLM, Model Training, RAG, Agents, MCP and System Prompt.  If these mean little or nothing to you, then hang around, perhaps.  Or, as my grandmother probably would have done, suck on a sherbet lemon, tut loudly, and walk away.

This video is presented by Jeff Crume of IBM, whose job title is apparently Distinguished Engineer.  I think I am going to start putting distinguished before my own job title – it seems like a good idea to me (in fact, an excellent one).  Crome uses an analogy (us!) to explain AI and I definitely felt a little the wiser by the end of it.  However, why did I keep on thinking Terminator as it played?  Watch the video explaining AI below.

Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Opener Review: A Bold New Era Begins in Series 24

The Strictly Come Dancing series opener for 2026 has now been broadcast – and it is something else.  The show, which is now in its 24^th season, opened with a launch show complete with celebrities, presenters, judges and professional dancers taking to the stage to present an opener which fans will be talking about for years to come.  Like another of the BBC’s flagship shows, Doctor Who, Strictly has just undergone something of a regeneration. For readers outside the UK, Strictly is the British format that inspired the American hit Dancing with the Stars.  This opener reflects the rebirth (renaissance?) of the show by introducing us (eventually) to the show’s new presenters, Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe.  This change was reflected in the sharing of presenting duties during the show, which created a distinctly new feel.

Back to the opener, a clapboard announces the show and the opening notes of Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer (was that chosen deliberately to indicate the sledgehammer that might be taken to the show’s format? Who can say!) and off we go into a dizzyingly colourful Hollywood set, where cast and crew are preparing to put on the show – and they’re already putting on the show. The opening number (well, numbers as it is a montage, after all) is kicked off by Motsi Mabuse, is a long-standing professional dancer and is part of the show's returning judging panel alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, and Anton Du Beke for this 24th series.

The focus quickly shifts to a vibrant, rhythmic musical production. The mood transitions from the news studio into a stylized, high-production performance space.  Then, of course, we have to have the elaborate ballroom dance sequences, to give a taste of the professional artistry, synchronization, and the scale of the production for the new series.  Some of the returning dancers are Dianne Buswell, Nikita Kuzmin, Katya Jones and Jowita Przystał who all strut their stuff in this remarkable opener. If this is anything to go by, this series will be the most expensive – my grandmother would have said “they’ve spent a bob or two on that” while she sucked on a sherbet lemon.

I doubt very much that she would have recognised many of the celebrities who have joined the show this year.  If there were any in the opener, they didn't register with me.  Perhaps I am not up enough on my Eastenders actors, ex-footballers and YouTubers - but I suspect that many will be seeing Strictlty as positive exposure for their not-so-glittering careers. OK, I'm sure they're all lovely people and I probably have been hiding under a rock!

The performance culminates in an enthusiastic, choreographed routine that confirms the start of the new series with the iconic show sign-off, now proclaimed by Emma Willis: "This is Strictly Come Dancing".    Loud, yes? Gorgeous? Absolutely? Is this regeneration going to satisfy the fans? Only time will tell, but the BBC isn’t going half-measures on the show, if this is anything to go by! Here is the entire opener for Season 24 (2026) of Strictly Come Dancing.