Six Things, Volume 143

Wikipedia | Memory | Sweets | Audubon | Bird Radio | Beans

Thing 1 – Wikipedia

For all its faults and foibles, Wikipedia is a remarkable thing – still the go-to place if you’re after such arcana as the annual ‘Best Baguette in Paris’ challenge, a list of premature obituaries, Earth’s extreme locations, or a list of lists of lists.

It’s 25 years old now, and to celebrate, they did a nice little presentation about it.

Meanwhile, the estimable Bluesky account, Depths of Wikipedia (the source of the links above), has celebrated in appropriate fashion, sharing some early highlights, for example the first version of the ‘Europe’ page.

Chess sounds an interesting game – I might have a go at learning— oh.

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Thing 2 – Memory

You’ve probably already seen this – it does the rounds from time to time – but it’s worth sharing anyway. Great pianist Maria João Pires, standing in at the last minute for an ‘open rehearsal’ (there were 2,000 people in the audience, so it would have had, in many ways, a similar vibe to a formal concert), discovers that she’s expecting to play a different concerto to the one the orchestra are playing. Encouraged by the conductor, Ricardo Chailly, she goes ahead and does it anyway.

A remarkable recovery, of course, but even more interesting, in my view, is this interview, in which Pires talks about the experience, with what I’m going to call “the three hums”: humility, humour and humanity.

She’s particularly interesting about the nature of memory – which, in this case, is a matter not just of the mental but of the physical too. She’s also remarkably tactful, I think, about Chailly’s cavalier “of course you can do it!” approach. It seems that the option of stopping and explaining the situation to the audience didn’t occur to him – easy enough to do if all you’re doing is waving your arms around (I speak as an arm-waver, and I know precisely whose shoes I would have preferred to be in on that occasion – put it this way: of the two of them, the music would have been ruined by the absence of one of them, and it wasn’t him).

I’m pretty sure that Pires has got pretty sick of people talking about that incident, so by way of balance here she is playing some more Mozart with another phenomenal pianist, Martha Argerich. Just delightful.

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Thing 3 – Sweets

I love absolutely everything about this 20-minute film, made by the late, great Martin Parr in 2011. It’s about Teddy Gray’s sweet factory in Dudley – a Black Country institution celebrating its 200th anniversary this year – and rather than say anything about it, I’ll just say watch it, watch it, watch it.

If you’re now in need of a herbal tablet, some strawberries and cream or a bit of pineapple rock, Teddy Gray’s (despite the insistence of their owners that they wouldn’t modernise) has a website.

Thanks to Caught By The River for sharing.

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Thing 4 – Audubon

I’m a bit torn about this one. On the one hand, amazing artwork and a lifetime of groundbreaking ornithological research; but on the other, a litany of accusations of scientific misconduct, plagiarism and unabashed racism that are convincing enough for a prominent New York conservation group to remove his name.

The art, though. Published in sections between 1827 and 1838, John James Audubon’s Birds of America remains one of the most impressive (and yes, sometimes extravagant and outlandish) representations of birds around. And the original book is quite the thing – printed on ‘Double Elephant’ (ca. 100 x 67 cm) size paper.

For many people, these illustrations – for example the American Flamingo, the American White Pelican or the Great Cinereous Owl – are their gateway to a lifetime love of birds.

The entire collection is available on the National Audubon Society’s website, with potted guides and recordings for each bird. And all the illustrations are freely downloadable in hi-res versions. Hours of happy exploration for bird-lovers. So that’s all good. Just don’t mention the racism.

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Thing 5 – Bird radio

While we’re on birds, Bird Radio is a lovely idea – just tune in to bird sounds from all over the world.

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Thing 6 – Beans

Continuing the restful theme, here’s a gentle little game. Just sort the coffee beans into single-colour columns.