Content Catnip
Quirky Internet Wunderkammer
Comforting Thought
Bite-sized comfort and spirituality in a turmultuous world
Comforting Thought: Describing versus experiencing places
“Describing something is like using it – it destroys; the colours wear off, the corners lose their definition, and in the end what’s been described begins to fade, to disappear. This applies most of all to places. Enormous damage has been done by travel literature – a veritable scourge, an epidemic. Guidebooks have conclusively ruinedContinue reading “Comforting Thought: Describing versus experiencing places”
Comforting Thought: The gods survive in the quiet nooks and crannies of our bodies
“We have seen, ladies and gentlemen, how self-hood has grown and gained a foothold, become increasingly distinct and affecting. Previously barely marked, prone to being blurred, subjugated to the collective. Imprisoned in the stays of roles, conventions, flattened in the press of traditions, subjugated to demands. Now it swells and annexes the world. “Once theContinue reading “Comforting Thought: The gods survive in the quiet nooks and crannies of our bodies”
Comforting Thought: Some things will be outside of your control
Some things will be outside of your control. Don’t waste energy on fighting, do what you can to use them to your advantage. Even the fiercest of winds will eventually lose it strength. This is when you will be able to use yours. Googie McCabe
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Ancient Word of the Day
Words dredged up from the pelagic zone of language
Ancient word of the day: Adder
Snakes, serpents, vipers, adders – they all convey ancient power of life over death, of emerging in ones full power to take back what belongs to them, of transformation and return. A potent ancestral spirit and augur from the Land of the Dead. Adder The Adder Vipera berus is the only venomous snake in Britain.Continue reading “Ancient word of the day: Adder”
Eight words in Polish that have no English equivalent
Around ten years ago now I tasked myself with learning Polish. Not for shits and giggles or just to challenge myself but for the very practical reason of being able to communicate with my partner’s family who live in Poland. It was a hard slog and some even consider Polish to be the hardest ofContinue reading “Eight words in Polish that have no English equivalent”
Ancient word of the day: Algorithm
The ancient Muslim empire in the city of Baghdad was the birthplace of the word (and the concept of the) algorithm. In the year 820 AD, a Persian genius named Muhammed ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi created the concept of the algorithm and algebra in an ancient book called Kitab al-Jebr. The book Kitab al-Jebr (later latinisedContinue reading “Ancient word of the day: Algorithm”
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10 Cool Things I Found On the Internet
A weekly palate cleanser of quirky wonder
10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #69
I am not above smutty double-entendres on this blog. Therefore edition 69 is a risque and cheeky selection of pseudo-sordid antics. I hope you all enjoy it. Spencer Tunick Behind-the-Scenes Known for his epic, conspicuous, sprawling arrays of human bodies as geography, these behind-the-scenes shots of Spenser Tunick wading through the bodies of models areContinue reading “10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #69”
10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #68
Hello gorgeous friends, thanks for joining me again for another weird and wonderful tip-toe through a surreal realm, here are 10 things that looked good to me this week. Stay cool, stay inspired, stay cosy… Tiny and enchanting book necklaces from 19th century Ethiopia Via Incunabula on Twitter Here’s some books on a necklace forContinue reading “10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #68”
10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #67
Roll-up, roll-up for another big top edition of 10 Interesting Things I Found, edition number 67, it’s a strange world we live in filled with strange, half-human half-creature beings that inhabit positions of power. Needless to say all we can do is escape into a world of our own making, so here it is… ElegantContinue reading “10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #67”
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Book Reviews
Mind-expanding fantasy, quirky history books and more
Book Review: The Introvert’s Way: Living a Quiet Life in a Noisy World by Sophia Dembling
Publisher: Penguin Genre: Non-Fiction, Psychology Rating: 🌟 This book about introversion was profoundly disappointing. After having recently read ‘The Highly Sensitive Person;’ by Elaine Aron and all of the immense insights this book contained, I felt that The Introvert’s Way was lacking in psychological insights and research and was instead focused on flimsy personal anecdotesContinue reading “Book Review: The Introvert’s Way: Living a Quiet Life in a Noisy World by Sophia Dembling”
Book Review: Grace Jones, I’ll Never Write My Memoirs
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 This is the life story of one of the most iconic musicians and fashionistas in history. She’s a rebel, an iconoclast. A bit mannish, a bit womanish, a bit old, a bit young. Completely unpredictable, indefinable and wild in heart and soul. I am speaking ofContinue reading “Book Review: Grace Jones, I’ll Never Write My Memoirs”
Book Review: All that Remains: A Life in Death by Sue Black
* No Spoilers Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Scottish Forensic Anthropologist and Professor Sue Black’s memoir about her life confronting death won the Saltire Book of the Year in 2018. Forensic anthropology (in case you are wondering) is the study of human remains in order to solve criminal cases. I was very excited to read this book. YetContinue reading “Book Review: All that Remains: A Life in Death by Sue Black”
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Artists, Writers & Musicians In Their Own Words
Unique and inspiring art by interesting people
Artists and Writers In Their Own Words: Jane Cornwell
Jane Cornwell creates soothing and emotional art that speaks to the soul I was accepted for Glasgow School of Art age 16 and I loved it… I have a notebook from school, age 5, with a little drawing of me standing at an easel. I’ve always had a compulsive need to draw, paint and makeContinue reading “Artists and Writers In Their Own Words: Jane Cornwell”
Artists and Writers In Their Own Words: Wayne Wolfson
Northern Californian artist and writer Wayne H.W. Wolfson is completely self-taught and has had an expansive career. He has amassed a large body of work in a riot of colours and eclectic styles. This makes him one of the most striking, interesting and chameleon-like artists around. I have written and compulsively doodled since my earliestContinue reading “Artists and Writers In Their Own Words: Wayne Wolfson”
Artists & Writers in their Own Words: Monica Olivia
Introducing my poetic, spiritual, wise and beautiful friend from Norwegian Lapland Monica Olivia. She is a self-taught Sámi artist who makes art of mind-blowing beauty using a palette of vivid hues found in the most northerly regions of the earth. Monica also has a spiritually nourishing and beautiful blog ‘Ask the Mountains‘ where she writesContinue reading “Artists & Writers in their Own Words: Monica Olivia”
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The Natural World
Organisms, real, imagined, extinct and extant.
The Anatomy of Fantastical Creatures
Do you know what the juicy interior of a Kraken looks like? Have you ever seen the inside of a unicorn’s magical horn? What about the biochemical transformation of a man into a a werewolf? Here are some marvellous anatomical figures from French Chimerologist Camille Renversade who in 2014 combined zoology charts, anatomy boards andContinue reading “The Anatomy of Fantastical Creatures”
Six Quirky Facts About Red Pandas
Red pandas are sweet looking, unobtrusive and stunning mammals that live in the mountainous forests in the Himalayas. With their lustrous and vibrant reddish brown fur and round sweet faces; they have the vague appearance of a fox rather than a Giant Panda. Here’s more about a mysterious animal that my boyfriend and I fellContinue reading “Six Quirky Facts About Red Pandas”
The Sky Bastard Who Ate My Ancestors in New Zealand
Here is another rough diamond plucked from the caverns of Content Catnip’s vault, this post from 2014 and resuscitated for your enjoyment. I still love megafauna just as much, even now. Introducing the Sky Bastard who once sparked universal terror in the hearts of my Māori ancestors. Common Name: Haast’s Eagle Scientific Name: Harpagornis moorei (DiscoveredContinue reading “The Sky Bastard Who Ate My Ancestors in New Zealand”
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Te Ao Māori
All about the indigenous culture of Aotearoa, New Zealand
Words and Music: Call on a karakia
Kua rongo ake au… Mā te karakia mā te īnoi, mā te noho puku Ka taea e au ngā mea katoa I have learned… That I can call upon a karakia When I look for solutions to the Challenges that face me.
Words and Music: Earth the slumbering pūriri
In the Beginning Earth Breath on me Earth the cool breath of life Earth the slumbering pūriri Earth the misty valley Earth the departed sun Earth the tingling blue sky Earth the dark sheen of a woman river Earth the mottling tides tumbling ashore Earth the sweeping godwits Earth our home Earth the giving landContinue reading “Words and Music: Earth the slumbering pūriri”
Comforting Thought: Dwell on the past to reclaim the hidden depths of your culture
If you want to be everywhere at once, then you can’t stand firm anywhere. ‘The engrossed are concerned with the present time alone, and it is so brief that it cannot be grasped, even this is filched away from them distracted as they are by many things. The mind that is untroubled and tranquil hasContinue reading “Comforting Thought: Dwell on the past to reclaim the hidden depths of your culture”
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Content Catnip TV
Transportative videos made by Content Catnip
Content Catnip TV: Team Lab Borderless, Tokyo
TeamLab Borderless in Tokyo is a remarkable audio-visual attraction in Tokyo and a must-see in the city if you ever visit. It’s on expansive, harbour-facing area of Odaiba which is encircled by the very scenic train ride, along with excellent shopping centre Diver City, which features a showcase level of award-winning ramen restaurants from throughoutContinue reading “Content Catnip TV: Team Lab Borderless, Tokyo”
Enoshima Dreaming on Content Catnip TV
This surfy, ultra chill and slightly magical island was more amazing than we imagined.
Travel: Arashiyama boat ride, Kyoto
This is a nostalgic trip down memory lane for me and the Polish Bear, we went on a boat tour in Arashiyama in Kyoto in 2019, it was unforgettable. I took a lot of footage from my Canon and used a gimbal to smooth out the rocking on the boat and put it together asContinue reading “Travel: Arashiyama boat ride, Kyoto”
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Travel Tales
Nostalgic travel from the time before ‘you know what‘ happened
Travel: The Beautiful Terrace Windows of Triana, Sevilla
Back in 2010 during a particularly sweltering summer, I visited Andalucia and soaked in the beautiful architecture in Sevilla. The best way to see all of the charming neighbourhoods and historic monuments was going the tourist routes with an open-top bus. This also afforded me excellent views onto all of the terrace houses with theirContinue reading “Travel: The Beautiful Terrace Windows of Triana, Sevilla”
Travel: Kolejcowo is a cute and creepy version of Poland in miniature
When I was in Poland in 2019, I didn’t hesitate to visit the Kolejcowo in Świebodzki Station in Wrocław. This is the largest model railway in Poland, but also a rather amazing depiction of how life in Poland actually looks. Everything, right down to the petrol stations, graffiti, and the shops actually exists in realContinue reading “Travel: Kolejcowo is a cute and creepy version of Poland in miniature”
Cuba Dupa Wellington 2021
Each year at the end of March there is a street festival in Wellington. Cuba Dupa is always vibrant, vibrational and brings out the wild and vivacious side of the little city. Even though I’m a total introvert, strangely enough I really like loud concerts and street festivals where I can dance and have aContinue reading “Cuba Dupa Wellington 2021”
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Obscure Music
Unusual little-heard music to inspire creativity
Moondog: The enigmatic jazz wizard of post-war NYC
I came across Moon dog on one of those long and meandering trips through obscure music on YouTube. He was a true innovator and an avante-garde enigma. For one he looked like Gandalf or Hagrid. Aside from this, he also invented several new musical instruments including a small triangular instrument he called the Ooo andContinue reading “Moondog: The enigmatic jazz wizard of post-war NYC”
The art of Kulning: Night-scented stock are called in for the long summer evening
Kulning is an ancient, sweet and sorrowful form of Scandinavian music used to herd cows and goats back down from their high mountain pastures in parts of Norway and in certain provinces of Sweden, Jämtland and Härjedalen. In practical use since medieval times, the mysterious tones were also thought to be a deterrent to potential predators like wolvesContinue reading “The art of Kulning: Night-scented stock are called in for the long summer evening”
Awesome low-fi / house / ambient / psychedelic artists from New Zealand
Skip to the end for an amazing playlist of these artists on Youtube Aldous Harding From Christchurch, Aldous Harding is known throughout the world for her strange, unnerving stage presence and her delicate and yet raw brand of folk. She’s quite enigmatic and unlike any other artist. You may take a while to warm toContinue reading “Awesome low-fi / house / ambient / psychedelic artists from New Zealand”
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Quirky History
Lesser-known morsels of olden day stuff
Ancient word of the day: Twankle
Twankle To twang your fingers on a musical instrument or absent-mindedly strum or play an instrument without thought. Other concatenations include: Twiddling, twandling, tootling, plunking, noodling, thrummling or tudeling. Tudeling (origin) German dudeln – to perform badly. The crappiest song that almost everyone can play on the piano Chopsticks was invented in 1877 by composerContinue reading “Ancient word of the day: Twankle”
Map Porn Part 2: The Most Beautiful Geological Maps on Earth
Where Art Meets Science Scientific visualisations often can look just like objects of visual art. The previous installation of this series, there were topographical surveys visualised on both our moon and Jupiter’s moon. This time, we are focusing on our own Pale Blue Dot. These maps are not only utilitarian and functional, they are worksContinue reading “Map Porn Part 2: The Most Beautiful Geological Maps on Earth”
Try out these scintillating, interactive Gustav Klimt paintings
This is one from the dusty vaults of Content Catnip and overdue for a revival. I created an interactive slider using a free tool involving Klimt’s classic paintings and a modern-day interpretation/re-enactment by photographer Inge Prader. I hope you like it! Push the slider from left to right to see the Klimt paintings come alive…Continue reading “Try out these scintillating, interactive Gustav Klimt paintings”
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Content Catnip 