Links for December 31, 2016

Finding North America’s lost medieval city

When Cahokians dug, they often found old projectile points and other items from the Woodland peoples who lived in the area before the city was built. They treasured these items, the same way people today treasure ancient objects from Cahokia. This impulse explains why we found a Woodland projectile point in the ceremonial fires buried in the layers of EB1. It’s as if people were embracing retro styles or traditional values. In the final revitalization period, people took this obsession with the past even further. They rebuilt their homes using the courtyard neighborhood layouts from Cahokia’s earliest days. They were obviously re-examining history and seeing it in a different light.


Cartography Tools – WWII-era mapmaking tools.

The Cartography Section of General William Donovan’s Office of Strategic Services (OSS) produced some 8,000 hand-drawn maps and 64 plaster topographic 3-D models in support of the war effort. Many of their products played crucial roles in the planning and execution of major military operations in the European, North African, and Asian Theaters. On display here are just some of the many tools that OSS cartographers employed in their production process.


Behold the greatest spirographs in the world

Bleackley told Ars that people like his gears because they’re transparent, so you can see the art emerging as you make it. But mostly they love the nutty creativity of his gears, which come in basic round gear sets, but also in “strange” shapes and snap-together pieces that allow you to create your own gears. One of his recent sets even does something that spirograph fans thought impossible: it allows you to create parallel lines in your design.


To be or not to be - Shakespeare Live