This week's links. Enjoy.
Nesting Newbies
I've recently been having a look at the new digital shelter magazine Nesting Newbies, which has just released its second issue. It's beautifully designed — and for the Winter issue they're debuting the Bluebird Bag contest, which they describe as their version of a swag bag (this issue’s value is $1,514). They also cover food and entertaining as well as decor, so it's a really lovely all round read.
Kidnapped: The True Story
Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure story Kidnapped was, amazingly enough, based on a true story — that of James Annesley, whose true history is finally revealed in award-winning American historian Roger Ekirch's new and impeccably researched (though still dramatic) biography, Birthright. A truly extraordinary story.
A Neuroscientist's Argument for Saving Music School Programs
In 2007 Neuroscientist Nina Kraus and her team of researchers demonstrated that training in music as a youngster helps boost speech and reading abilities, as the pathways used for learning music are also used for language. Another strong argument for keeping arts and music in schools.
Fashion Bloggers in the Spotlight
Women's Wear Daily examines the phenomenon of the fashion blogger. From the article by Cate T. Corcoran: "At Rodarte, 13-year-old blogger Tavi Gevinson of Style Rookie and her mother, Berit Engem, were besieged by the paparazzi and camera crews the second the show was over, while Kirsten Dunst walked through the crowd relatively unaccosted."
Infographic: Mega Shark
Designer Stephen Taubman recently came across the super cheesy film Mega Shark Vs Giant Octopus — and was so impressed with the scene where Mega Shark leaps out of the ocean and takes down a commercial airliner cruising at cloud level (I know!) that he created an infographic for it. Brilliant.
Trampoline
This wonderful Etsy shop has a great selection of vintage housewares, decor, textiles, industrial pieces, furniture and more — in fact, I've just splurged on a set of three late 19th century wooden mashers that are like little modern sculptures. A must visit!
Delicious Days
A beautifully designed food blog by Munich-based Nicky Stich that has a (very!) large and devoted following, Delicious Days offers great food with an international flavour (plus a generous helping of wonderful recipes from Nicky's native Germany, too).
The Flour Art Museum
A museum devoted to the art of flour bags. Wish there were more pix on their site, but such a fascinating idea, nonetheless. Via @brainpicker .
(photograph from the March 2008 issue of LivingEtc)