Kuriositas

The Shanghai Lightshow for the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 17:12:06 +0000

The skyline of modern Shanghai is something of a wonder – it’s like a mix of Bladerunner, Ghost in the Shell and The Fifth Element combined, even though that fairly lazy simile doesn’t do it justice (I shouldn’t really imagine the present using yesterday’s science fiction – it’s there in front of me). Yet although this is one of the most striking cityscapes on the planet by day, when the sun sets the city comes to iridescent life, with lights reflecting across the Huangpu river.

For visitors to this year’s World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), the nightly light show that the city offers to inhabitants and visitors alike was given a further boost with a sequence of dazzling synchronised projections and animations which were designed to celebrate and showcase innovation and technology. So, there is an extra layer of spectacle on top of what is already seen each evening. The phrase that kept coming into my mind as I watched this film of the lightshow by LaLin Photography was effortlessly elegant. Take a look below – it’s quite dazzling on film – it must have been something special to have been there.

The Threads of Time (時の糸)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 16:15:14 +0000

There are several films and shows that have phones boxes with connections to time travel. There is of course, Doctor Who – and who could forget the Bill and Ted movies? So, here’s another one to add to the list – in a way. Threads of Time was created by Kohei Yamashita in Tokyo, and it follows the trials and tribulations of a young man (played by Kazuma Ozaki). Perhaps he is a university graduate beginning the shūkatsu (就活) job-hunting process, but he isn’t having much luck. The first thing that we witness is him being turned down for a position.

After he puts the phone down, he notices that someone has left behind a notepad and a pen, and so writes a message (more of a statement of his current feelings). The next time he visits, he finds that there are responses in the notebook. Who wrote them? Well, that’s up to you to discover by watching the short film below! The film is short but beautifully made. It’s only a few minutes long, and if you need your spirits lifting a little, it may be just what you are looking for!

Summer Fun on Days Long Gone

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 16:00:24 +0000

Have you ever felt that dread when, on their return from some far flung place, your friend threatens to show you their summer holiday photos? You may have to sit through that particular agony. In the meantime, here is a collection of photographs spanning the first seven decades of the twentieth century which show summer in all its glory. Times and social mores may have changed, but these may still be the type of pictures you wish your friend had taken.

Image Credit Florida Memory
A group of young women make fun of a sign demanding that they wear full bathing costumes while on Florida’s Miami beach. Come on, this is 1934, after all! Sure enough, there were a number of women arrested that year for wearing two piece bathing suits.

Image Credit Florida Memory

You can be fairly certain the young women above didn't stay here.

Image Credit State Library of New South Wales

Just as the women of Miami were in open rebellion, on the other side of the world the men were taking risks too. The man in the center of the picture is Alf Gould, surrounded and being teased by his surfing buddies on Bondi Beach, Australia, in 1932. Alf had decided to go backless. His bathing suit, which revealed his back contravened the law that said men could not expose their upper torso on the beach. By seeing how far he could stretch the law, Alf helped to start a process which has ended up with the tiny speedo trunks we see on our beaches today. He has a lot to answer for.

Image Credit Australian National Maritime Museum

The little madam above has more to worry about than her swimsuit, however. This 1905 postcard harkens back to the days when many beaches were segregated. The men would go one way and the women another. Perhaps we might not express too much surprise, after all, when other cultures still do this.

Image Credit State Library of New South Wales

Even in 1932 some people were simply too cool for the beach.

Image Credit Library of Congress
This photograph was taken around 1912-13 on Brighton Beach in New York City. It is not known whether the tango dancers here were accompanied by musicians or by one of those new-fangled gramophone records which, by 1910 had won an early format war over cylinders.

Image Credit Library of Congress
The need to keep cool was as pressing then as it is now. This picture was taken some time between 1910 and 1915 but it is quite likely to be 1911. Why? The summer of that year saw an 11 day heatwave on the east coast of America which killed hundreds of people. These young New Yorkers are taking advantage of the kindness offered by a storekeeper. Slabs of ice have been left outside and they are licking it voraciously. You have to wonder whether any tongues got stuck.

Image Credit University of Washington
Crowds of people in the water and on the shore at Greenlake beach, Seattle, Washington, between 1929 and 1932. The world was a mess – the Great Depression was in full swing – but people still knew how to enjoy themselves, despite the financial doom and gloom of the time.

Image Credit Missouri State Archives
Fast forward to 1955 and if swimming wasn't out of fashion, taking the family out for a jaunt in an amphibious car was definitely in.

Image Credit Nationaal Archief
Jude Law’s granddad, in bathing suit and a lady friend share their sandwiches. This was taken somewhere in the Netherlands, circa 1930.

Image Credit US National Archives
This group of youths, photographed in their home town of New Ulm, Minnesota, have the difficult task of deciding what to do on a hot 1975 summer's day. They have the bikes, they have just about the right gender ratio. Spielberg movie, anyone?

Image Credit Jewish Historical Society
Some youngsters were luckier and had their entertainment provided. These Minnesotan boys, pictured in 1940, were enrolled in a "Stay At Home Camp" that allowed them to engage in camp activities in their own neighborhood. Is that a young Marty Crane in the cap?

Image Credit Library of Congress
There were plenty of people willing to provide the entertainment, too. Taken in the early 1910s at Coney Island, this photograph was captioned The Whole Drand Family. While it is possible that the people here are, indeed, the Drands, this was most likely a play of words to avoid the word darned. The inclusion of monkeys in the photograph makes it all the more likely.

Image Credit Library of Congress
About the same time, swimming races were all the rage at Coney Island.

Image Credit Library of Congress
Yong ladies of the wealthier classes were, however, expected to pursue rather more sedate summertime activities. Here, blindfolded girls had to cut a rope to get a prize on Bastille Day celebrations in the New York of 1914. It looks like the little girl in the center is getting a little help from her older sister, however.

Image Credit Library of Congress
You didn’t have to be rich to afford scraped ice. The ice man would scrape the ice on to a piece of card and offer a choice of flavors from the large glass jars he carried with his portable store. The small child to the right of the flavor jars doesn't know whether to laugh or cry, such is his anticipation.

Image Credit George Eastman House
A 1932 group shot from the Ladies Home Journal of Summer 1932. These are somewhat more modest than a number of the outfits we will be seeing.

Image Credit US National Archives
Fast forward forty years and the models featured in the swimwear feature hold a reunion. In fact these are residents of the Century Village Retirement Community in Florida, gathered around the pool for their daily exercise session. Taken in 1973, these game old timers would perhaps have worn something like their 1930s counterparts in their youth.

Image Credit Nationaal Archief
Although the location and date of this photograph is not known it is probable that it is over a century old. Guess what girls just wanted to have, even back then?

Image Credit US National Archives
Sometimes, though, the date really doesn't matter when the subject matter is so timeless. There should always be some time for a little summer loving. In the background of this 1973 photograph you can see planes taking off from Boston’s Logan airport. If the couple pictured were twenty at the time, and just married, they would now be celebrating their Ruby Wedding Anniversary.

Image Credit Nationaal Archief
Summer in Amsterdam. People enjoying themselves on a beach in the city in1923. They may not have been rich but they knew how to have a good time.

Image Credit Nationaal Archief
Others preferred their beach breaks a little better prepared, even if Junior does looked bored senseless.

Image Credit Library of Congress
New York, probably at the time of the great heat wave which started on July 4 1911. The two boys with shaven heads may have had a mother who was a little too keen in her attempts to keep her boys cool. It is more likely, however, that they both had had a case of head lice or ringworm. Never mind the boys, though. What about the poor man in the background, his suitcases and the world weighing him down in equal measure.

Image Credit Missouri State Archives
In 1955 escape was to be found on the water. Yet water bikes proved to be a short-lived fad.

Image Credit UW Digital Collections
Other fads have an even shorter shelf life. Some people retain their senses in the summer sun. Others defy logic and do some crazy things. This young woman, pictured in around 1929, takes refuge from the heat in a wooden crate full of rabbit fur.

Image Credit Nationaal Archief
Sometimes a fad can border not just on the silly but on the dangerous. This group of sun worshippers from 1961 have decided to top up their tan with a foldable reflector. It is unlikely this would do anything more than burn the skin and possibly damage the eyes. However, the search for the perfect tan was as much trial and error as anything else.

Image Credit Library of Congress
Back to the long, hot summer of 1911 and these New York street kids are lined up for a race. It looks as if they have already been enjoying playing in a fountain. Where to, next?

Image Credit Flickr User Library of Congress
Unfortunately the proprieties of the day meant that although the young boys can divest themselves of their clothing in public spaces, grown men cannot. The best they can do is to flop down, exhausted by the heat and take a rest in New York’s Battery Park.

Image Credit Nantucket Historical Society
In 1937 the residents of Nantucket awoke one morning to find a giant sea serpent had washed up on their beach. Unperturbed they nevertheless went to inspect the gargantuan beast. The old lady on the center right of the picture is saying to her friend: we’re going through a severe worldwide economic depression and they spend their money on this?

Image Credit The Library of Congress
A group of young ladies from the Washington Irving High Schools in New York City, have a picnic at the Midsummer Day Festival which was held at Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx on June 23, 1911. This was before the great heat wave of that year, so perhaps that’s why the girls don’t look too overheated with the possible exception of the one with the banana.

Image Credit OSU Special Collections
Sometimes, though, a girl just wants to be on her own with just her dog and her thoughts...

Image Credit Library of Congress
...and her parasol. In the summer of 1913 two women were appointed policewomen at Newport Beach, California. The photograph above shows either Jeannette Buchanan or Minnie Smith. The New York Times reported in the June of that year that they wore military blouses of blue, but brass buttons, blue skirts to match, and straw hats. One promenaded the beach with a parasol. Women would get the vote in the United States seven years later.

Image Credit George Eastman House
These two very dapper young women, taking advantage of the swings on Atlantic Beach in 1905 prove three things. First of all, one should never look anything but one’s best, even when the occasion is of an informal nature. Secondly, that bow ties always were – and always will be – cool. Finally, they prove that when it comes to the summer, sometimes it's best just to sit back and relax.

First Image Credit National Maritime Muesum

The Big Leap (Le Grand Saut): An Award-Winning Animated Short About a First Crush at the Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 10:57:54 +0000

This is precious. Le Grand Saut is the French title, so that translates as The Big Leap and I think it’s a great name for this animated short, given that the girl protagonist takes one literally and metaphorically. It doesn’t tell a big story, but for our young protagonist, it’s something of a coming of age. A simple day at the beach. There’s the sun, the sand – and, of course, the completely annoying toddler brother that you have to look at (no doubt while the parents go an have an extended lunch at a local bar!). Perhaps that last bit is reading too much in to it, but there is another thing – the awakening of attraction. When our young heroine sees a cool young boy on the beach, it’s pretty much love at first sight – but how do you get him to notice you?

There are number of outstanding features to this animated short. First and foremost, it was created without dialogue (so overcoming any possible language barrier to help achieve a bigger audience), but the animation is so subtly done that you know exactly what is going through the girl’s mind at any given time – and the body language is also expertly conveyed. Both of these things are difficult to do with animation, so hats off to the students who created this. The other stand out for me was how the colours so wonderfully expressed the tone and feel of a day at the beach – vibrant and saturated with the sun in charge of how everyone sees the day’s events. It really does give this animation a lovely, almost nostalgic texture.

The award-winning animated film was directed by Martina Doll, Anaïs Dos, Coline Reverbel, Kenzo Talma, Edgard Vernier, and Lisa Vlaine during their time at École des Nouvelles Images. It received the School Jury Award at the Catch the Moon – Festival Internazionale di Cinema d'Animazione, the Jury Prize (Prix du Jury) at the Big Cartoon Festival, and the Best Animated Film Award (Prix du Meilleur Film d'Animation) at the Kristiansand International Children's Film Festival. The original score was composed by Aloïs Benoit (MAAAV), with production by Julien Deparis and sound mixing by Pierre-François Renouf.

The Doll’s Eyes Plant – The Woods Have Eyes Too

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 14:31:44 +0000

Have you ever taken a stroll through a wood and felt that you were being watched? Yet when you turn around, no-one is there. You carry on with your walk but that feeling of disquiet lingers. Perhaps you were being watched by something almost as disquieting as that galloping, mad axe murderer you were dreading. The Doll’s Eyes Plant could be eyeing you up as you innocently ramble. In North America, not just the hill have eyes.

Image Credit Flickr User Soul Motor

Image Credit Flickr User Stephanie Davidson

Image Credit Flickr User Distant Hills Garden

This plant gives the saying eyes on stalks a whole new meaning. It looks as if some Hannibal of the Hinterland has been preparing his evening meal; eye kebab no doubt washed down with a nice Chianti. Yet the common name for this plant makes no reference to these eyes being human – which is all very well unless you are a pediophobe and have a fear of dolls.

Image Credit Flickr User Kent McFarland

The doll’s eyes, also known as the white baneberry is native to eastern North America and often grows to two feet tall. Although it looks unremarkable for most of its life-cycle when it produces its berries, which ripen over the summer, it takes on this rather sinister look. The berries last until the first frost and, of course, give the plant its popular name.

Image Credit Flickr User BlueRidgeKitties

Image Credit Flickr User Benet2006

The black spot (we should call it the pupil perhaps?) is a residual scar created by the stigma of the plant’s flowers earlier in the year. It is perhaps just as well that the appearance of these berries may discourage someone who otherwise might be tempted to taste this fruit of the forest.

Image Credit Flickr User dogtooth77

If ingested in any quantity they would quickly provoke a heart attack such is the power and speed of their poison. However, birds are unaffected and this is how the seeds are spread throughout the woodlands.

Image Credit Flickr User KP McFarland

Image Credit Flickr User John B

Skilled herbalists, however, can produce a medicine from the plant (Actaea pachypoda) which is beneficial in the treatment of pain and bronchial complaints. If you eat them raw, however, your cardiac muscles will quickly become sedated and you know what happens when your heart stops beating.

Image Credit Flickr User Diane Cordell

So, if you go down to the woods today, you may be in for a big surprise. Yet as much as the eyes of this plant seem to be following your every move, silently tracking your progress through the forest, leave them be. If you decide to imitate Mr Lecter and feed on these white and wide-eyed treats then you will be the victim, not the cannibal. Any anthropophagic urges are to be resisted!

Image Credit Flickr User Shimeh Barger

Image Credit Flickr User Eastpole

First Image Credit Wikimedia

Wuthering Heights Day 2026: Kate Bush Fans Recreate Iconic Dance in Whitstable – Complete with Drone Footage

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:48:32 +0000

These days, most people know Kate Bush for Running Up That Hill, which was iconically featured on Stranger Things. However, outside of the US, ask people of a certain age and they will immediately cite Wuthering Heights, her 1978 hit, as her most popular song. In fact, inspired by the music video that went with it, each year women get together in community events all over the giff-gaff to recreate the famous dance from the video. They also try their best to reproduce the flowing dress Bush wore in it, and many don a wig to complete the ensemble. While you don’t have to be (ever so gently) bonkers mad to join in a group event like this, I suspect it helps...

The sleepy English seaside town of Whitstable holds it own version - Whittering Heights (get it?) and this year the global event was branded as The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever. Apparently, when women (some men have been known to join in, too) get together in this manner, it is known as a Mass Wuther, and the one in Penistone Hill, close to the famous Brontë parsonage in Haworth, is probably the most famous. However, the Whitstable organisers this year employed a drone to capture the full majesty of this particular Mass Wuther. This Community of Cathies (I counted 33) have been getting together once a month since February to rehearse the dance – but I am pretty sure that there has been a lot of bedroom mirror work going on as well. This is a Mass Wuther par excellence. A captivating community of Cathies.

Whoever thought of filming it with a drone (not to mention organising that) deserves a Blue Peter badge for this genius move which allows us to really take in the full spectacle. Hats off, too, to the Cathies in this video. I love the way that each has adapted the famous red dress and black sash to their own taste, with some versions going down to the ankle while at least one has gone for a mini version (perhaps Babooshka Day for you next year?). Hopefully, that means that these dresses get more than an annual outing. What the original article (as it were) has to say about Wuthering Heights Day has not been recorded. Kate Bush is famously reluctant to appear or talk in public and gives interviews once a millennium, but I hope that if she sees this video it puts a smile on her face as big as mine is right now!

OK, here's the original just for comparison. Oddly, there were two videos for the song. The first featured Kate in a white dress. The one below (known to fans as Version 2) was created for the American market and as you can see, every expense was spared. Still, decades later, it continues to inspire our communities of Cathies to go forth and Wuther. Wuthering Heights peaked at No. 8 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, which is essentially the chart just below the main Hot 100. It took Kate a while to crack the States.

Spider-Plant Man Starring Rowan Atkinson – Comedy Sketch for Comic Relief

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 07:33:55 +0000

It was a long time coming, but the Comic Relief people have finally released Spider-Plant Man on their YouTube channel. It was originally created for Red Nose Day (when people buy a red nose to wear to support charity) in the UK (back in 2006 so makes this sketch – astonishingly – 20 years old already). It quickly picked up something of a cult following as it very accurately takes the rise out of superhero films in general. Starring Atkinson as Peter Piper, this origin story shows our unlikely hero visiting Very Safe Labs Incorporated and being bitten in a delicate place by a genetically engineered spider plant.

Cue a transformation that pleases the reporter no end, especially when an opportunity (very quickly) arises for him to save his school sweetheart, Jane-Mary, who is being mugged very slowly by a masked assailant. Of course, no sooner is she out of peril than she is in peril again, thanks to a rather bedraggled Batman. Atkinson was not the only British comedian to lend his talents to this sketch for Comic Relief. You can see Rachel Stevens, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Mackenzie Crook, Jim Broadbent and Atkinson’s Blackadder chum Tony Robinson in the sketch too. I am not too sure who wrote it but if I had to guess I would say it had Simon Pegg's paw prints all over it! It still stands up very well, despite being 20 years old, and is probably one of the best Comic Relief sketches ever made. Watch it below.

Inpatient – End of the World: Ren and Chris Webby's Brilliantly Chaotic New Collaboration

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 16:49:36 +0000

End of the World, is a track from the first album (Asylum) by Inpatient, and the video is a blast (well, it is the end of the world…). It’s lyrically dense – and very funny (love the line about the Vatican, allegedly, but there are too many standout lines to mention here). The song seems to be a (tongue in cheek) shrug of the shoulders at the world in general. Let’s self-medicate and get on with it, because we’re all f**ked anyway. Yet when I finished the watching the video, which is hugely creative and a perfect accompaniment to the song, I was left thinking that this is more like a call to arms – to make the most of it too. Even if it isn’t, listening to a song about how screwed we all are cheered me up no end.

Plus, anything with a kazoo interlude gets my vote.

So, who are Inpatient? I went to Bangor University in North Wales from 1983-1986 and had a fabulous time with some fabulous people, thank you very much. I loved the (very small) city and its people – and it’s great to see that Bangor is still producing brilliance. Ren, a musician, rapper, singer-songwriter, guitarist, and storyteller, was born there in 1990. Of course, as he is Welsh, you could say some of those things I just listed were most likely in his blood from birth. There is something Dylanthomasy in some of these lyrics - but there is fatalism rather than rage (perhaps the message is drink, drink [or insert substance of choice] against the dying of the light - Thomas would no doubt have approved of that).

Now Ren has joined up with Chris Webby, an American rapper and songwriter from Norwalk, Connecticut known for fast, technically sharp rapping, punchlines, pop-culture references, and an independent approach to his music. Mix in production and some of the song-writing from JP On Da Track and you have this collaborative project (band?) called Inpatient. This is one of my favourite songs of the year already.

The comments on YouTube are massively positive, with fans describing the song as a brilliant soundtrack to what feels like the end of humanity, while somehow remaining incredibly fun. One listener summed it up perfectly: “I've been talking with friends for several years now about how we have a front row seat to the end of humanity. You guys just brilliantly put it to music.” Another wrote, “Only Ren and Webby can make a song about the end of life as we know it but make it so fun that me and my wife can't stop singing to it.” Others called the pair “a gift to the world,” thanked them for the music (not in an Abba way), and declared it their new favourite, with one fan simply calling Asylum the “album of the year” which is praise indeed.

The excitement around the collaboration is clear, with comments describing Ren and Webby as their “two fave artists” and praising them for “smashing it again.” There is a real sense that listeners aren't just enjoying the song but embracing its strange, darkly comic message: if we're going to have a front-row seat to the end of the world, we might as well have Ren and Webby providing the soundtrack.

The video manages to look both home-made and very expensive at the same time, which is quite a feat. Have a watch...

Young Faces of the American Civil War

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 20:34:23 +0000

Somehow we expect their faces to be different, not so staggeringly modern looking. Place them in contemporary clothing and all of these young men would not look out of place in a mall or a high school yearbook. Yet these extraordinary ambrotype and tintype photographs were taken during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Over 160 years separates their lives from our own yet their youthful faces retain a powerful resonance and an immediacy which brings that dreadful conflict feel strikingly close to us..

Who were these young men? What sort of lives did they live during and (one hopes) after the Civil War? The names of many of the young men pictured here are unknown; their fates a mystery. Yet despite the century and a half gap between their careful posing for the camera, some can still be identified. Astonishingly, names can still be discovered, as well as insight in to their character and personality.

This is Sgt Barnes. Bryan Watson of Wyoming had bought three photographs of Civil War soldiers from an estate in Florida. The above was identified with a tag as William Sharpe Barnes, 19 years old.

The officer above (a captain) was one of the other pictures. Mr Watson guessed that his identity would never be discovered until one day he visited Flickr to peruse ambrotypes (a hand colored photograph) belonging to the large and rare collection of the Liljenquist family of Virginia which they recently donated to the Library of Congress. As he went through the pictures he came across this handsome young Captain from the North Carolina Infantry. It just had to be the same man.

Through some great detective work, Mr Watson deduced that this had to be none other than Captain Jesse Sharpe Barnes, the older brother of Sgt Barnes. Unfortunately, Captain Barnes was killed at the Battle of Seven Pines near Richmond, Va., in the late spring of 1862. You can read the rest of this fascinating story here, as Mr Watson unearthed more intriguing information about Captain Barnes and his family.

The above goes to show that the seemingly impossible can happen thanks to what could be described as a series of fortunate events. The Library of Congress on Flickr would love to hear from you if you recognize any of the photographs here – and in their photostream.

Among the rarest images are African Americans in uniform. By the end of the Civil War they made up ten percent of the Union Army. They were known as United States Colored Troops (USCT) and were first recruited in 1863. They would later receive the nickname Buffalo Soldiers when they fought in the Indian Wars later in the century.

Some have already been identified. Above is William W. Smith of Company G and Company K, 4th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in uniform and his tricorn hat.

Pictured here is William T. Biedler, a desperately young looking sixteen years of age, already a captain in Company C, Mosby's Virginia Cavalry Regiment - with his musket.

As well as infantrymen there are also photographs of sailors.

Many of these soldiers seem little more than boys. Once can only imagine their fervor to fight for their respective side - and perhaps the blind eye cast by the recruiting officer responsible for allowing them to join up.

These photographs are of immense historical importance – they hold a fascination that leads people on a voyage of discovery. Have a read of Brandon Liljenquist’s articulate essay about why the family collected these portraits if you need any more convincing.

All pictures courtesy of the US Library of Congress.

Christopher Nolan Got the Trojan Horse Wrong – This Comedy Sketch Shows How It Really Happened

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 16:58:44 +0000

So, now you have watched Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, you think you know how the Trojan Horse was used to defeat the ancient city? Pah! Nolan knows nothing! Despite his movie being an extended homage to Old Hollywood in so many ways, what we really needed was a touch of The Python. And not one to disappoint, Ben Naumann’s new comedy short is something I could easily imagine young Cleese, Palin, Chapman, Gilliam, Jones and Idle doing. Wait, I almost forgot; they did the Trojan Rabbit scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). Arthur and his knights build a huge wooden rabbit to sneak into the French castle. The plan goes wrong when they forget to hide inside it before the French take it into the castle!

In this sketch, the Greeks have not forgotten to climb inside – but they are faced with some unexpected issues… Will it go right for them, despite one of them suffering from the intense agony of a repressed fart. It’s about as historically inaccurate as it should be – I wouldn’t demand anything less from a comedy sketch by Americans, who only have approximately a day and a half of history between the lot of them. I would have bitterly complained if we hadn’t been given warrior girls and the like. But it is funny. The sketch features Brian Beckerle, Graham McClanahan, Phoebe Black-Toby, Eddie Tarr, Will Tully, and Harkness Granger. Not a single Greek name among them. Pfft!

The Lost Forest of Mount Lico: The Scientists Who Explored a Hidden World

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:52:10 +0000

It’s difficult to ascertain the damage that climate change has caused simply because there are so few places on the planet where we are not found. Human intervention creates artificial change, so in order to work out the real impact of climate change, you need to find somewhere pristine, somewhere we have never been. That’s quite difficult, considering the billions of us that have spread like a virus over the surface of the Earth! However, Mount Lico was identified by Julian Bayliss (Oxford Brookes University) as a place of special scientific interest by using Google Earth of all things. Image

He recognised Mount Lico as an inselberg – an isolated small mountain that rises, as if by magic, from a virtually level plain. Think Uluru in Australia, probably the most famous example of this kind of geographical formation. He spotted that the land round the mountain was heavily agriculturalized but atop its sheer rock walls of up to 700 metres, was a pristine forest covering about 30 hectares (74 acres). In a scientific version of Let’s put on a show he gathered a group of unpaid scientists to go with him to Mozambique to study Mount Lico’s landforms and vegetation.

The film below was directed by Orlando von Einsiedel and tells the story of both the climb and the study. It appears on the Nobel Prize YouTube channel. I am not going to do a spoiler alert - find out what they discovered by watching the short documentary. I will say, though, that I was struck by how genial Julian Bayliss was, and I thought that, if this were ever made into a film, Martin Freeman would be brilliant as him! I know, I know, I should be focusing on the content…

Samurai Frog Golf: The Brilliant Animated Short That Deserves a Series - サムライフロッグゴルフ

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 16:36:48 +0000

Here’s a plea – will someone who knows someone who sleeps with someone who works with someone who can fund an animated series, please put the relevant person or persons in front of Samurai Frog Golf. I have no idea why this awesome piece of animation hasn’t garnered millions of hits, but I guess I would have to ask The Algorithm and it’s currently not speaking to me. Regardless, this short by Marza Animation Planet deserves a much larger audience than it got a few years ago. It tells the story of a grizzled old Samurai Frog, who after years of battle just wants to be left alone to enjoy his golf. What drew me in was the gorgeous animation - such a great deal of time and effort has been put into making this short.

Fate, of course, would have otherwise – and he soon finds himself the protector of a baby turtle. There is nothing for him to do but to protect the innocent, but the only thing he could use as a weapon is his golf club… I will leave the rest to you to watch. I thoroughly enjoyed this and I hope that Marza is still looking for coproduction partners to continue the story of Samurai Frog Golf in a series! To give up on this brilliant idea would be such a shame…

Watch King Charles and Queen Camilla Take a Trip in the Tardis in a Doctor Who Themed Commonwealth Games Opening

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 09:01:37 +0000

When late to open the Commonwealth Games, King Charles and Queen Camilla had only one option – to requisition the Tardis to ensure that they arrived on time. That’s the amusing premise of this intro to the opening of the games (July 23). Echoing his mother’s (the late Queen Elizabeth II) James Bond escapade for the opening of the London Olympics in 2012, another Great British Institution (that’s GBI for short) has been used to create a playful and unforgettable entrance to the Commonwealth Games 2026, in Glasgow, Scotland.

There's even something of a plot – and while not the new material that fans might have been wishing for – it’s a typical Tardis tale, with a twist. It’s the Tardis that kick-starts the whole adventure. Created by the BBC especially for the event, it opens with Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy and comedian Greg McHugh walking past a seemingly innocuous police telephone box, only for its phone to ring. On answering, they learn that their majesties are going to be late for the opening ceremony, but there is no Doctor to whisk them away - he is nowhere to be seen. Never mind, the Tardis takes matters into its own (metaphorical) hands.

With a great little cameo from 82-year-old Sylvester McCoy (the seventh Doctor), this really does push all the right buttons when it comes to providing an entrance for KC and QC at the Commonwealth Games. And talking of buttons, Hoy and McHugh don’t really have a clue how to drive a Tardis... but it gives the BBC a great excuse to show off some pretty Scottish scenery. Watch the video below.

At least we know that the royal party arrived eventually – and what a rapturous reception they (and the Tardis) received.

If you would like to see what happens directly afterwards, then this video picks up pretty much where the previous one left off.

Fan reactions below the (first) video have varied. One wonders out loud: “Does this make Sylvester McCoy the current Doctor?” while another opines: “This is the best episode of Doctor Who this year. Which is a statement when you consider it’s the only one.” Still more warn that King Charles is possibly a werewolf, a reference to the 2006 David Tennant episode Tooth and Claw, in which the Doctor meets Queen Victoria, who is temporarily infected by werewolf blood. Another notes that, when the TARDIS mistakenly lands at Loch Ness, perhaps the Skarasen - the cyborg monster from 1975’s Terror of the Zygons that inspired the Nessie legend - should have put in a guest appearance. All told, and despite the usual fan scepticism about the future of the show, the comments have been very positive.

Is the Internet Broken? How Technology, Social Media and AI Changed Us

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 14:36:23 +0000

Is the internet broken? What would your answer be? My knee-jerk response, with little to no reflection, is “bloody hell, yes”. Yet giving it a little more thought, I think my response is more likely to be “it’s as broken as you want it to be”. Throughout history, we have had cultural revolution after cultural revolution – and whether our distant ancestors would like us (or vice versa) if we were to somehow meet, we’ll never know. My guess is that they would be bewildered by us, frankly. Yet each new development presented different opportunities to different people. Take literacy – after its development, some wrote poetry while others scribbled graffiti on walls (Pompeii is a great example, where it survived unlike the scrolls the poetry was written upon). Then there was television. The BBC (which made this video) set out to inform and educate the masses, while the commercial channels quickly got the upper hand (viewer wise) by bestowing us with gifts like the soap opera and the advertising break.

And then, of course, there is the internet. On one hand, we have the likes of Jimmy Wales (founder of Wikipedia) who wish to disseminate and make available knowledge that in terms of its accessibility, our grandparents could only dream of. Now we can settle arguments in a second, a few clicks and swipes… but fifty years ago, if you were debating the name of the capital of Mongolia, and you didn’t happen to have an encyclopaedia to hand, the correct answer would take a while to ascertain. You get my drift. On the other hand, we have a host of companies trying to sell us their product at any cost, social media turning our children into slavering zombies and artificial intelligence, which isn’t always right and doesn’t care either way. Add engagement algorithms into the mix and perhaps the tool had become the master…

There’s a clip in the video below about just that, really. When asked about the internet by an interviewer “But it’s just a tool, isn’t it?”, David Bowie responds with: “No it’s not. It’s an alien life form”. Perhaps he could have added “intent on world domination not by death and destruction but by stealth and seduction”. The video features interviews with several people who know what they’re talking about, including Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, Hatelab director Matthew Williams, author (whose novels are free on Project Gutenberg so he puts his money, as it were, where his mouth is) and activist Cory Doctorow. There are also some students at the University of Cardiff, who seem equally as baffled and bewildered by both the past and the present, bless ‘em.

Let me stop babbling. Have a look at the video.

Avantgardey – Buzz Runner Official Music Video (アバンギャルディ)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:36:42 +0000

Get ready for a buzz explosion! The official music video by Avantgardey for their single Buzz Runner, is finally out – and it doesn’t disappoint. As chaotic and visually stimulating as you might expect. Although there is no cohesive story to the video, I would say it is something along these lines. You might not get what you expect from social media and often people will post things about you that are hurtful and unnecessary. However, take solace in the fact that you are an extraordinary individual with real inner strength and resilience – not to mention the ability to eat cakes many times your size and deal with the occasion Tyrannosaurus Rex without any problem whatsoever. Your presence is going to blow up! Well, that’s just my take on it – I think there is plenty of scope for you to make of this what you want to make of this, and there may be something of a cautionary tale embedded in here... somewhere! As ever for this group, it’s deliriously frenetic and positively joyous – an Avantgardey video always makes my day simply because of its incredible joie-de-vivre.

I'm not entirely sure what Buzz Runner itself means. It reminds me of Blade Runner, so there could be a connection there, except that here the girls are rushing after the buzz of the online moment, not androids! Answers on a postcard, please! I think it is about the lengths people go to in order to attract attention on social media. After all, the first line translates as Likes are oxygen, my oxygen.

At the time of writing, this only just premiered on YouTube. However, fans are already absolutely loving how chaotic, hilarious, and packed with detail the new video is, with many saying there is they are going to have to watch it numerous times in order to take everything in. The early viewers also praised the incredibly elaborate visuals and the unique, quirky personalities of each member. There are several memorable moments that they have pointed out - Nona's dash, Miyuu's "killer eye-beam," Sei-chan's adorable opening, Pani's sky bowl, the water backflip, and the unexpected lion (not to mention the T-Rex!). So, you could say that the reaction is very positive!

The track itself was choreographed by akane, the leader and creative force behind Avantgardey, who also contributed to the music and lyrics. If you like Avantgardey, then the video will not disappoint. If you are new to this Japanese sensation, then… where have you been?

Toomorrow (1970): The Lost Olivia Newton-John Sci-Fi Musical That Was Meant to Launch a Trilogy

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 10:06:27 +0000

When I first started to watch this clip from Toomorrow, I initially thought that it was a very cleverly rendered pastiche of late 1960s pop music. The colours were spot on, the costumes were groovy and the music very much of its time. Then I had a wait a second moment because the girl singer in the clip looked remarkably like a young, pre-Grease Olivia Netwon-John (or Neutron-Bomb as we would sometimes call her). Sure enough, a little research (OK, reading the video's information) told me that it was indeed a 21 year old ONJ, from a 1970 science-fiction musical (the first?). It was about a band kidnapped by aliens (a couple pictured below) to save their species… with music. I’m not alone in thinking this was a modern-day, very clever take on the late Sixties. Many people have commented on this on YouTube, with one saying: was going to comment that this is the most period-accurate sendup I've ever seen... then realized why it's so "accurate".

If anything, that made me scratch my head even more, because being a bit of a science-fiction buff, I might not have been old enough to watch this movie on its first release, but I would almost certainly have caught it later on TV (and it looks harmless enough to be repeated ad infinitum as part of summertime scheduling) or on video release. That was, after all, how I had discovered a number of films, from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Planet of the Apes and Barbarella – I could go on. There was a treasure trove of films from the late sixties for me to get my teenage paws on. But not Toomorrow. I had not even the vaguest recollection of this film – and I would almost certainly have given it a watch had I known of its existence, particularly because of Newton-John’s subsequent global stardom.

The film follows four students – and following Monkees tradition they share their names with the actors. There’s Olivia (Newton-John), Benny (Thomas), Vic (Cooper) and Karl (Chambers). To supplement their income while studying, they form a band, the eponymous Toomorrow. The clip below has them singing Taking Our Own Sweet Time. I was slightly disappointed that Austin Powers didn't pop up somewhere with a "Yeah, baby, Yeah!" to be honest.

Their proto synthesiser, the tonaliser (!), attracts the attention of a race of aliens called the Alphoids, who think that the vibrations generated by Toomorrow’s tunes have a special property that could save their civilization (best not to ask how, eh?). So, they abduct the band and take them to the Alphoid home world. While they are initially resistant, the band perform their music to help the Alphoids get their own particular groove back. It all seems to be a little Galaxy Quest, and certainly the film’s central joke is the cosmic importance suddenly assigned to a few inconsequential humans. After they have helped, the band are returned to Earth, with Olivia waking up thinking it all might have been a strange dream (oh dear). Here's the new trailer, which has been restored by the British Film Foundation and Deaf Crocodile from the original negatives. So, to answer your question, yes, the restoration is self-evidently gorgeous and you can now watch Toomorrow in all its psychedelic glory.

That’s the plot and the trailer, but the story behind the movie is even more of a shaggy dog tale. It was originally conceived by Don Kirshner (the man behind the Monkees’ music) and James Bond producer Harry Saltzman. The plan was for three pictures to launch a new franchise and make money, money, money. It looks like a match made in heaven, doesn’t it? Yet apparently before long, the two men loathed each other. The director, Val Guest (Quatermass, The Day the Earth Caught Fire), apparently wasn’t paid for any of his work – and neither was anyone else who worked on the production. As such, Guest obtained an injunction just after the film’s premier, meaning that it could not be shown until he and the others had been paid. And he never got paid. While that sounds a little like biting off your nose to spite your face, (the film couldn’t make any money if it wasn’t being shown, after all), the result was that after just a few public performances, the film would not be shown in public again for decades. So, that’s why I never encountered it during the vintage sci-fi video frenzy I experienced in my teens.

Of course, we all know Olivia Newton-John, but her three bandmates were all working musicians prior to Tomorrow and continued to work in the industry long after. Benny Thomas’ work is predominantly in television, but he did release a solo album as late as 2004 (through Olivia’s own record label, so they obviously remained friends long after the film). Vic Cooper went on to work with Tom Jones and as a multi-instrumentalist enjoyed a long career as pianist and musician. Finally, Karl Chambers continued to drum and was long associated with the Philadelphia music scene. So Kirshner's plan was (as previously with The Archies and The Monkees) to create a group whose members could both perform the music and act as their fictionalised selves as well.

The film also included an uncredited appearance by Shakira Baksh, who would go on to marry Michael Caine and become Shakira, Lady Caine. The union was a happy one, lasting 52 years.

Perhaps it is just as well Toomorrow failed so spectacularly. Had it been successful and gone on to complete its planned trilogy, Olivia Newton-John’s career might have followed a very different trajectory. At the very least, it would have been very unlikely that she would have been later considered for the role of Sandy Olsson in 1978’s Grease (and had she made a mint from the Toomorrow Trilogy, she probably wouldn't have bothered). While Toomorrow began as an ambitious attempt by Don Kirshner and Harry Saltzman to launch a new pop group and film franchise, their best-laid plans came to naught. Ultimately, Toomorrow has become a curious if not groovy footnote in Sci-fi musical history (as well as Newton-John’s career) and perhaps, it was all for the best.

Bottom of the Well: A Touching Animated Story About a Mouse and Friendship

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:30:43 +0000

This is short but very sweet. A young mouse, out on an expedition, falls down a well. Now, that might not end well (ah!), but at the bottom, in despair, he meets a new friend who might be the key to his survival. Yet, this involves sacrifice. I won’t tell you anymore because spoilers, but give it a watch, particularly if you are feeling a little down in the dumps today. The screenshot above might give you a small clue, but I have no doubt that Bottom of the Well will cheer you up!

This animated short was the thesis film for two young creatives at SVA (School of Visual Arts in New York). Xinyu Shen directed and produced, created the story and worked on the animation and editing. Meanwhile, Charlie Yuyung Luo was co-producer and contributed character modelling, look development and the 2D cutscene animation. Together they have created something very sweet – and very special. Have a watch below.

Remembering Kevin Keegan: His Forgotten Hit Single, Head Over Heels in Love (1979)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:45:02 +0000

We're not a sports website, so we won't pretend to be experts on Kevin Keegan's remarkable football career (although I really like him when I was a kid). Like millions of others, though, we were saddened to hear of his passing. While he will forever be remembered as one of England's greatest footballers and most charismatic managers, there's another, rather unexpected chapter in his story that many people may have forgotten - or perhaps never knew. In 1979, at the height of his fame, Keegan ventured into the music charts with Head Over Heels in Love, a surprisingly successful single that became a hit in several European countries (Top Ten in Germany, where he was playting at the time) and remains a fascinating footnote in the career of a true sporting icon.

The outpouring of tributes following Kevin Keegan's death reflects not only his extraordinary football career but also the affection in which he was held as a person. Just on this obscure YouTube video alone, fans are remembering him as "King Kev," a footballing legend and a true gentleman whose influence stretched far beyond the clubs he played for and managed. One supporter recalled following whichever team Keegan played for as a child, while another said he was the reason they became a Newcastle United fan in 1994. Others remembered his trademark curls, describing him as their first crush, or simply mourned the loss of a hero who inspired generations. Even listeners who first encountered him through his recording with Smokie shared their sadness. The messages came from across Europe, with one fan poignantly observing that "Germany mourns an exceptional English player," underlining Keegan's enduring international appeal.

As fans around the world remember Kevin Keegan the footballer, it's worth also remembering Kevin Keegan the entertainer. Head Over Heels in Love may never rival his achievements on the pitch, but it remains a charming reminder of a time when one of football's brightest stars wasn't afraid to try something completely different.

Coming Soon: The People of 1926

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:25:29 +0000

Last year we brought The People of 1925 figuratively back to life in an article that went beyond the politics of the day to focus on ordinary people leading everyday lives. It attracted a wider readership than we expected, so we've decided to follow it up with The People of 1926.

The research is taking a little longer than anticipated (just as it did last year), but look out for the article over the next few weeks. As before, we'll be exploring the faces, fashions, and fragments of ordinary lives from 1926, and, where possible, discovering what happened to those people afterwards.

Meet Justin Time: The Homemade Talk Show Host Who Pulls No Punches

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 06:51:53 +0000

I had an email from one of my former students, Will Ross, the other day. It was short and sweet (which was surprising considering the reams he used to write for classwork just, I suspect, to extend my marking misery). Regardless, he moved on to pastures (and professorial victims) new and I thought I’d seen the back of him. But oh no – he just had to share his latest video with me because “I remembered that Welsh people have a sense of humour too”. I should refer him to something widely but incorrectly attributed to Dylan Thomas: “The Welsh pray on their knees on Sunday, but prey on their neighbours for the rest of the week”. It’s a bad play on words, but if you enjoy that kind of thing, then watch Will’s video; it’s full of them…

We have former roving but sadly disgraced (don’t ask) reporter Justin Time - who occasionally changes his name – reduced to producing his own TV Chat Show at home. Never mind, he has the coup of the century – any century - an interview with Adolf Hitler (who just happened to be in the area promoting his new vegetarian cookbook and believes that Justin still works for the BBC). Justin doesn’t spare the sometime dictator – he goes straight in for the kill with a series of questions that are a combination of probing, persistent and provocative. No, sorry. They’re puerile, preposterous and piss-taking – which is what makes them funny. I must admit I missed a few of the punchlines the first watch, but Mr Time quickly beats the boy from Branau into a corner where there is just one (not even a last) resort…

I think if Terry Jones had had access to video technology, then this is exactly the kind of thing he would have been making in his Colwyn Bay living room. It’s rough around the edges, for sure, but it did what it set out to do – provoked laughter. Have a watch – and yes, of course I am featuring this just in case Will is hailed as a comic genius in ten years. I will also be available for interview (for a small fee) where I can expound on Will’s classroom antics, but could I have Louis Theroux rather than Justin Time, please? He might let me off more lightly.

Twin Islands: A Beautiful Animated Short About Twins, Gods and the Curse of Symmetry

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 16:30:47 +0000

When the gods wish to punish us… and if you’re twins, then your run the risk of double trouble. This animated short from Rubika students tells the story of a pair of twins who are rescued by the gods and are gifted a place to live. Twin Island East for one, and Twin Island West for the other. The only problem is that the gods (twins themselves) ordain that everything must go two by two in a kind of cult of symmetry. That leads to a big problem when the queen of Twin Island West gives birth… and it isn’t twins!

To find out what happens, watch the video the below. This very professionally made animation is the work of directors Manon Sailly, Charlotte Sarfati, Christine Jaudoin, Lara Cochetel, Raphaël Huot, and Fanny Teisson with music and sound design by Valentin Lafort. Voices are by Daphné Westelynck, Robert Bennett, and Eon Ballinger. There is a little twist in the tale, so watch to the very end!

Robert Wun FW26 Haute Couture: Childsplay and the Art of Wearable Imagination

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 15:32:38 +0000

We don’t usually feature fashion on Kuriositas, but when this video of Robert Wun's FW26 (which stands for Fall/Winter 2026 in case you didn't already know) Haute Couture show, Childsplay, popped up in my feed, I felt I had to share because these clothes are something else. The event took place on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, during Paris Haute Couture Week at the Dôme de Paris – and if your reaction is like mine, it will be something along the lines of who the hell is ever going to wear these?

I remember being schooled on haute couture by a friend. She told me that the question was almost an irrelevance – that it wasn’t the point of the exercise. That, of course led to more questions from me…

The answer was (with a slight roll of the eyes, if I remember correctly) that haute couture sits somewhere between fashion and art. The runway pieces are not designed for everyday life; they are a showcase of imagination, craftsmanship and what a designer can achieve when there are no practical limits. Think of them less as clothes and more as wearable sculptures. Well, that was me told – and so since then I have always looked at these events less cynically.

Childsplay is a perfect example. Robert Wun takes the memories and imagination of childhood – toys, fairy tales, balloons and dressing up – and transforms them into astonishing works of couture. It is playful, but underneath the fantasy is an incredible level of skill, with some pieces taking hundreds of hours to create. I can't imagine the hours of work that went into my favorite from this show, the spacegirl outfit - you will know which one I mean when you see it!

So, who actually wears them? A very select group: celebrities, performers, collectors and wealthy private clients. Wun’s clients have included Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Cate Blanchett, Cardi B, Adele, Celine Dion, Florence Pugh and Naomi Osaka, among others. Many of the looks they wear are custom-made rather than identical to the runway versions. Robert Wun’s creations have appeared on red carpets and major events, where the clothing becomes part of the spectacle itself. For these buyers, a couture piece is not simply an outfit; it is a one-of-a-kind work of art.

And perhaps that is why Childsplay is worth watching. You may never own one of these creations, and you may never have an occasion to wear one, but for a few minutes Robert Wun reminds us of something we often lose as adults – the joy of imagination without limits.

What Are Those Things on Giraffes’ Heads?

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 13:23:09 +0000

Perhaps we spend so long looking at the main creature feature of giraffes – their elegant, incredibly extended necks – that we miss other interesting bits. That may be the case with those things on the top of their heads (and we don’t mean their ears!). So, what are they and what are they used for? The Ark in Space, our sibling site, has a new feature on this most interesting anatomical oddity with a cool gallery of giraffes to boot. So, nudge nudge, wink wink, pop over and take a look!

They certainly have the most fascinating of faces…

First Image Credit Second Image Credit

Tanked: The Award-Winning Animated Short About Two Lobsters, Love and Karma

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:30:53 +0000

Have you ever had a romantic moment interrupted? It can be annoying – and it is certainly the case for the two lobsters in Tanked an award winning animated short by Duncan Rudd. Their tango in a tank is interrupted by the chef, who has a dinner order to fulfil and a sadistic gleam in his eye. Well, you know what karma is…

Tanked was something of a passion project for Rudd, who fitted it in around family and work commitments over a period of nine months. Although this animation is short and sweet, the production values are very high – you feel that you know the lobsters well from almost the outset – and the chef is a great villain. If you enjoy this, then perhaps try Paul Rudd’s The Ballad of the Pale Blue Dot which we featured on Kuriositas last year.

Haka Pei: Easter Island's Ancient Extreme Sport That Sends Warriors Racing Down a Volcano

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:13:31 +0000

Take two banana tree trunks, lash them together, point them downhill and jump on board. Get your mates involved and turn it into a competition. You might not associate Easter Island with extreme sports, but they have been part of the island's culture for centuries (with the occasional hiatus). There is no doubt that the highlight of the annual Tapati Rapa Nui Festival is the Haka Pei competition. Although the festival also celebrates Rapa Nui culture through singing, swimming, cooking demonstrations and countless other events, few can compete with the spectacle of hurtling down the side of an extinct volcano wearing nothing more than a loincloth and body paint. Image Credit

The origins of this sport trace back to an ancient Rapa Nui rite of passage, where young people tested their courage by taking on the daring haka pei descent. Completing the challenge proved they possessed the bravery and resilience expected of adults, earning some the status of matato'a - elite warriors. In this tradition, the haka pei marked the passage from childhood into adulthood.

Another account tells a different story. Rather than a coming-of-age ritual, the haka pei may have been a form of warrior training, designed to instil fearlessness and prepare fighters for clashes between rival clans on the island.

Does the exact origin of the sport matter? Not to the huge crowds gathered at the bottom of the hill, waiting to see how each of the twenty or so competitors will fare. Who will travel the furthest? Or who will be unfortunate and be flung off their fragile sled half-way down? The anticipation is huge, not least among the competitors, and it is great to see how they congratulate each other so enthusiastically when their mission is complete. The hill is covered in grass, but beneath that thin layer lies volcanic tuff capable of breaking bones when riders crash. And crashes do happen. As you might imagine, health-and-safety officials are not among Haka Pei's biggest fans. However, it all seems the height of fun for young men with more courage than common sense! Flippancy aside, I can’t think of a better way to keep an ancient culture alive. Watch the video below to enjoy haka pei in all its glory for yourself.