NICOLA GINZLER

Senior Graphic Designer
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The Top-Secret, Female Computers of World War II

Top Secret Rosies DVD cover

From aauw.org (The American Association of University Women): LeAnn Erickson (far right) visits the World War II memorial with some of the women featured in her documentary. When it comes to history, it is unfortunately often only the dominant voice that writes the narrative and dictates what is worth memorializing. That’s why it’s especially exciting […]

‘The Writer’ Automaton: an 18th-century programmable computer?

Closeup of automaton's hands

Pierre Jaquet-Droz (1721-1790) was a Swiss-born watchmaker of the late eighteenth century. He lived in Paris, London, and Geneva, where he designed and built animated dolls, or automata, to help his firm sell watches and mechanical birds. Some consider these devices to be the oldest examples of the computer. From the UK BBC program Mechanical […]

Carpet designer threatens cosplayers with legal action

Cosplayers dressed in fabric that matches carpet

By Gavia Baker-Whitelaw from dailydot.com: Sometimes, dressing as your favorite superhero or cartoon character just isn’t enough. So at Internet culture convention DragonCon, cosplay often crosses the line into in-joke absurdity. Like dressing up as a rug. One of this year’s highlights was a pair of intrepid cosplayers who dressed up as the memorably psychedelic […]

A Skyscraper That Can Disappear Using High-Tech Camouflage

South Korea camouflaged skyscraper

By Kyle VanHemert from wired.com: Next >> View all Image: GDS Architects South Korea recently granted construction permits for the Infinity Tower, a proposed skyscraper that can disappear with the push of a button. If you’re one of those people who usually think new skyscrapers are ostentatious eyesores, the Infinity Tower, a 1,500-foot entertainment complex […]

How to Recognize the Artists of Paintings

Titian

By flickerdart on Imgur: Titian If the images have a dark background and everyone has tortured expressions on their faces, it’s Titian. Peter Paul Rubens If everyone in the paintings has enormous asses, then it’s Rubens. Amerighi da Caravaggio If all the men look like cow-eyed curly-haired women, it’s Caravaggio. Pieter Bruegel If the paintings […]

How to Make a Tea Cozy with Hedgehog-in-a-Teacup Fabric

Teapot, tea cozy and teacup

A fun project for the tea-lovers among us. Also a great gift. This pattern fits a 4-6 cup teapot but you can scale it up or down as desired. What you’ll need: Fabric (Note: ordering this particular fabric takes up to two weeks, so plan ahead!) Downloadable pattern Light yellow thread (or light blue if […]

Medieval Bling: Skeletons Encrusted in Jewels and Gold

St. Albertus skull

From hyperallergic.com: St. Valerius in Weyarn (all images copyright Paul Koudounaries and courtesy Thames & Hudson) In a forthcoming book titled Heavenly Bodies: Cult Treasures & Spectacular Saints from the Catacombs, Los Angeles photographer Paul Koudounaris brings before his lens bejeweled skeletons long-lost in the catacombs of Rome. The remains were first unearthed in 1578, when […]

Vintage Crime Scene Photos Superimposed on Modern NY Streets (Warning: Graphic)

New York street overlay photo

By Chris Knight from fstoppers.com: Photographer and historian Marc Hermann has done a beautiful job pulling historic crime scene photos from the New York Daily News archive to blend them with photographs of the same locations today. For those who live in New York now, it may be easy to forget just how rough the […]

An Incredible New Guinness Ad Breaks The Industry Stereotype

Man in wheelchair (from ad)

By Aaron Taube from businessinsider.com.au: Beer commercials are generally pretty juvenile. For the most part, they depict men as unfeeling doofuses who only want to hook up with hot women and watch sports without being bothered by their wives. But a poignant new ad from Guinness flips the switch by presenting a group of athletic, […]

Breaking Brick Stereotypes: LEGO Unveils a Female Scientist

LEGO female scientist

By Maia Weinstock from scientificamerican.com: It’s 11:47 am on the Sunday before Labor Day, and I’m staking out a LEGO store inside a Byzantine shopping mall on the outskirts of Boston. I am here with a coterie of children and parents, the lot of us waiting impatiently while three LEGO associates in black shirts and […]

The Design Style of Classic Paperback Novels Used to Promote the Benefits of a Library Card

Library card benefits sample cover

From the Pinal County, Arizona Library District: September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month. Created by the American Library Association, this month is intended to raise awareness of the benefits of libraries and library cards. In order to celebrate the numerous perks of library cards to communities and individuals, the Pinal County Library District has […]

Mysterious paper sculptures carved from books

Book sculpture

From thisiscentralstation.com:  Those of you who don’t keep up with Edinburgh’s literary world through Twitter may have missed the recent spate of mysterious paper sculptures appearing around the city. [Nicola’s note: This post is from 2011 but the story is still wonderful.] One day in March, staff at the Scottish Poetry Library came across a […]

Nobody Knows What Built These Weird Little Web Structures

Web structure

From wired.com: Something in the Peruvian Amazon is making weird, intricate structures that resemble white picket fences surrounding an Isengard-like spire. No one has any idea who the mysterious craftsbug (fungus? spider?) is, or what the structure is even used for, excepting the fence part, which almost makes sense. Nobody, not even the scientists. We […]

The Color of Fire: How Palette Choice Impacts Maps of Yosemite’s Rim Fire

Rim Fire progression map

By Betsy Mason from wired.com: Last week we posted a map of the Rim fire’s progression into Yosemite National Park from Inciweb. That map (see below) uses random, qualitative colors to represent the area burned by the fire each day. The result is colorful, and as the headline says, frightening. The wild colors make the fire […]

Smart syringe turns bright red to warn of prior use

ABC Syringe

From CNET.com: The ABC Syringe is embedded with ink that turns color when exposed to air as a way to warn caregivers that the syringe has been used. The tech adds just 1 percent to the retail price, according to UK inventor David Swann. (Credit: Index Awards) First, the bad news: As much as 40 […]

Secret Fore-Edge Paintings Revealed in Early 19th Century Books at the University of Iowa

Fore-edge illustration

From thisiscolossal.com: Autumn by Robert Mudie / Special Collections & University Archives at the University of Iowa A few days ago Colleen Theisen, who helps with outreach and instruction at the Special Collections & University Archives at the University of Iowa, shared an amazing gif she made that demonstrates something called fore-edge painting on the […]

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