November has arrived. it has brought storms along just to add to that authentic winter apocalyptic vibe. Yuk, no fun. Why not huddle up under a blankie with something sweet and someone warm, and enjoy this week’s cavalcade of curiousity?
AC/DC! Witchcraft! Ragging on Elon Musk! And several other links!
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
Featured image is a still from the 2016 Studio Ghibli film The Red Turtle.
Let’s get a drink in us to start. The Vesper is legendary in martini circles but not drunk that much. The problem: one of the key ingredients is no longer available. Which means some lateral thinking is required from mixologists when they’re asked to make one. The question should be ‘Do you really want a Vesper or, you know, something nice?’
Star Trek has always been a foody show. The cast certainly make a big deal about their hot drinks: Picard’s Earl Grey, Janeway’s quest for coffee in the Delta Quadrant. This is before we get into the questionable delights of gagh (championed by two of our Cut Crushes, Jack Monroe and Nigella Lawson). And of course, Neelix from Voyager was a chef. Of course there are Star Trek cookbooks out there. Which brings the true flavour, and which tastes of badly-replicated tube grub?
Brendan from Semi-Rad is effortlessly knocking it out of the park with his recent writings. This bit on how the soundtrack for a life can form without any real intention is beautifully written and heartfelt, but also incredibly funny. Also it’s about AC/DC, which is always good.
A putter is a craftsperson who makes scissors. Putter is short for putter-togetherer. But, as Jason Watkins says in the excellent BBC 100 promo – there’s more to it than that. This short film going through the process of enscissoration with master putter Cliff Denton will, we think, put you in a better mood than the one you’re in now. It’s a lovely way to spend four minutes.
Our heads are still firmly in spooky season, and we have been thinking a lot about witches. The stereotypical figure, all green of skin and hooked of nose, is many steps removed from the reality for the women who were accused, tried and executed for no good reason. Here’s a handy primer of what it would take to be strapped to the ducking stool…
So you’ve been accused of witchcraft…
You may have heard something in the news about the world’s richest man buying a social network. Most people seem to be in agreement that it is Quite A Bad Thing. The funny bit is, the worst thing about the whole hilarious situation is going to happen to the aforementioned multi-billionaire. Careful what you wish for, Elon…
We’ve spoken in the past about the dying art of film projection. The romance, the glamour, the years spent in a dark sweaty booth with a machine the size of a Buick clattering away right next to your ear. While the age of the cinema may be moving to the closing credits, we should not forget the folks who put the magic on the silver screen. And if we’re talking IMAX, we’re looking at big magic…
A Day In The Life Of An IMAX Projectionist
A lot of graphic designers are deeply unhappy with Pantone. The colour specialist has disabled free access to their palettes which were bundled with Adobe products—leading to the situation where old projects would open with only one colour available. Black.
Stuart Semple, artist and colour revolutionary, makes the very valid point that no-one should claim ownership of a particular shade. He’s come up with a swathe of Pantone-like colours which are and will remain free forever. If you’re in the design trade and finding you’ve gone back to black, this could be a get-out-of-jail-free card.
The Book Desk insists we make this excellent primer to the work of Joe R. Lansdale available to y’awl. The guy is a machine, hugely prolific and influential. His work includes everything from horror to Southern Gothic thrillers to elegiac historical drama. He’s almost certainly written something you’d like. It’s quite possible you’ve seen a film or show based on his work. Get in the truck, Readership. We’re going for a ride.
And finally. Back, momentarily, to the Twitter foolishness. Many users of the service are making loud noises about moving elsewhere. There are options out there, for sure. But here’s another thought. It’s really not that complicated, if you’re prepared to put a little work in, to build and run your own social network for you and a group of pals or family. It won’t make you any money—but then neither has Twitter.
We Exit with Music from The Modified Toy Orchestra. Silfurberg, the band’s first album in twelve years, is filled with eccentric but lovely music. Louder Than War has a bit more detail. We think this could be the soundtrack to the winter. Wind it up and let it run.
See you next Saturday, playmates.
EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS 