After discovering the Seattle Municipal Archives’ photostream, I had a sudden itch to fill the Deviation Obligatoire Flickr feed with beautiful vintage images, such as the one of the passenger pigeons above. Seriously, how dreamy is that? The best roundup I found? Buzzfeed, of course.

At Scouting NY, we’re led through a wonderfully thorough explanation of how this:

…became this:

Even though I have at least four devices capable of creating the moving image within about 10 feet of me right now, these still seem like freaking witchcraft. Also, I learned that there’s another variety of pre-movie moving images that I wasn’t aware of: the phenakistoscope, created by the wonderfully named Belgian physicist Joseph Plateau.

I must make an unusual request of you, especially if you live within reasonable distance of Manhattan. I need you to go here and pretend to be me. Because I want to experience this so badly, but I won’t get to New York again until next year, and it will be too late. Please and thank you.

Two things: there is an artist is residence in Antarctica. And she has a Tumblr.

99% Invisible says “Always read the plaque.” I think this is stellar advice. I would add: always look up. And yes, I heed my own advice.

Intricate, beautiful sculptures of bugs, made from junk.

I’m glad someone else has this reaction to environmental art. I always want to pack a bag and move in.

Eyelids are for suckers. Especially if you live amongst jellyfish.

And, finally, here are some things you should listen to this week.

• 99% Invisible looks at how sci-fi influences what we expect from design, and how it affects what we think the future looks and feels like. I may have done an excited hand waggle on the bus when I realized what this week’s theme was.
• I’m catching up on WTF (I go through phases), and I had the distinct pleasure of listening to an interview with Michael McKean and then another with Catherine O’Hara. I’ve gotten so used to the assumption that funny people are always broken; it’s lovely to be corrected.