10 #InterestingThings I Found on the Internet 143

This week’s #InterestingThings Polish #owls, old-fashioned #dog names, UK jungle and 90’s style R&B, #London’s lost #medieval bridges where people once lived, Marcin Minor’s therapeutic #surreal #art and much more #ContentCatnip

Jesse Bru – Movin on

This whole album is epic and spans across many genres: This track ‘Movin On’ has a distinct 90’s Californian R&B vibe. Other tracks are inflected with D&B, a breezy, summery ambient, UK Garage and much more. I am in love with this whole album.

A list of old fashioned names for this beautiful dog

Hands up who loves old-fashioned names and who loves dogs? Here are some great suggestions for this beautiful dog’s name given on a particularly interesting Twitter thread… When I eventually get a dog I will use one of these:

Connie

Cora

Edith

Agatha

Millicent

Mona

Edith

Agatha

Evelyn

Myrtle

Vera

Sybil

Sylvia

Adela

Margot

Dottie

Maude

Audrey

Nellie

Ethel

Beryl

Marjorie

Molly

Gertie (short for Gertrude)

Gladys

Lucille

Petunia

Florence (or Flo)

Mabel

Hazel

Via Twitter

Common owls (Sowa) that can be found in Poland

Spanish is possibly the best language to swear in…

Some of these would sound great I think hehe. I don’t know why but when I was learning Polish, I only remembered the bad words first and then the normal words would come later. Something about swearing and its taboo nature makes it much easier or more exciting to remember I think. What other languages do you think are good for swearing? Via Cool Guides on Reddit

A quirky history of London’s inhabited medieval bridges

Via Culture Critic

Inhabited bridges were marvels of the medieval age. By far the longest was London’s, considered a wonder of the world. Old London Bridge was among Europe’s most significant sites: a place of both royal pageantry and religious pilgrimage.

A quirky history of London's inhabited medieval bridges

Built in just 30 years, it was an undertaking on par with Europe’s greatest castles and cathedrals. It was completed in 1209 and stood for over 600 years, for centuries as London’s only river crossing.

It was crucial to the life of the city and held great spiritual significance. Londoners bequeathed money and land for its upkeep – “to God and the Bridge” – and donations were encouraged by the Church.

Bridge building was then considered an act of piety. Bridges were symbols of union; between physical realms and between Man and God. This has been enshrined in language for millennia: the Latin term for Pope is pontifex, meaning “bridge-builder”.

It was also a “living bridge”, with thriving residential communities and commercial zones: homes, shops and pubs. It peaked at around 140 separate residences and some 150 shops, within structures of as many as 6 stories.

It was a major engineering feat: 900 feet long, with 19 massive arches that slowed the river so much that it was prone to freezing over in winter. Great “frost fairs” took place on the ice when that happened (see the bridge visible in the background).

Over the centuries, they proved either too dangerous or too unsanitary to keep. And when medieval walls were rendered ineffective by gunpowder, city expansion had less reason not to take place beyond the walls.

Seahawks: Escape Hatch

Smooth 80s synth and groovy, funky jungle sounds

Solar Eclipse by Heni’s Happy Paintings

Solar Eclipse is a new painting for my Celestail Bodies series. The idea for this painting came to me for two reasons. First, after painting last week’s Sun Moon and Planets, I felt the strong composition of the large sun in the center worked well and wanted to try that again. The second reason was because of the recent spring equinox of equal day and night led me to think of doing another painting with the balance of light and dark similar to my crow with dove paintings. I then thought, why not do a new painting as a compliment to the first using a large sun darkened by the moon due to an eclipse?

Homo neanderthalensis Atlanticus

A fantasy map for a fantasy island where neanderthals supposedly live looks cool. Via fantasy maps on Reddit

The Dutch origin story of “Cat in the Cradle”

In 1421 AD, a flood swept through the Netherlands, submerging 72 villages and drowning between 2,000 & 10,000 people.

Survivors saw a piece of wood floating on the water, and a cat was jumping back and forth on it.

People wanted to save it, but they were surprised to find a child sleeping peacefully. The cat was alternately jumping on the edges of the bed to maintain its balance so that the child would not drown.

This story was very famous in the Netherlands, and 4 centuries later the event was immortalized in the painting “The Inundation of The Biesbosch in 1421” by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema.

This story is the origin of the wording “the cat’s in the cradle”.

The baby was named Beatrijs / Beatrix when she was found, which means “the bringer of good luck / joy” but also “the lucky one”

Although nowadays it’s not a commonly known story in majority of The Netherlands anymore, it is known to those who grew up in the Biesbosch area.

Via Nicole Hartwood on Mastodon. More information about this Dutch folklore tale here.

Every book-loving introvert can relate

If I could have a cosy underground grotto in which to read in I would be overjoyed hehe.

Marcin Minor: Healing and Thought-Provoking Art as Therapy

Marcin Minor is a painter, illustrator, educator, and art therapist based in Warsaw, Poland. He creates wonderful and whimsical art that has been showcased in numerous exhibitions. Beyond his artistic work, Marcin, alongside of his wife Eve, conducts therapy sessions and runs creative workshops for children, teenagers, and adults. Together they blend art and therapy to promote healing and well-being. Something about this reminds of surrealism and Jungian depth psychology, it is very powerful and symbolic…I would love to own some of this art! Via Inspiration Grid.