Dumbo of the Deep

Dumbo Octopus

Members of the genus Grimpoteuthis, these critters are the deepest-living octopus known to science and can be found near the seafloor at depths of up to 13,000 ft (4,000 m). These adorable cephalopods flap their ear-like fins as they move through the water—a behavior that inspired scientists to name the genus Grimpoteuthis after Disney’s flying elephant. Unlike many other octopuses, Dumbo octopuses do not have ink sacs. Some scientists think it’s because they rarely encounter predators in their extremely remote, deep-sea habitats.

Photo: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Wikimedia Commons
Credit: American Museum of Natural History.

[Image and description found here. Dumbo octo gif found here; more cephalopod stuff here.]

Shades of Green

[Ad from 1960 found here via here.]

Cinco de Mayopia

[Caveat: I don’t own the copyrights to any of these recordings. They are presented here for entertainment purposes only. Images found scattered around the internets.]

4 May 1970 – Kent State University

[Image found here, related posts here.]

Repost from 2017

Hobart North Post Office

North Hobart Post Office, Tasmania, Australia, built 1913.

North Hobart Post Office was built on part of a seven-acre (nearly 3 hectares) allotment originally granted to John Swan who was considered by many of colonial Hobart’s social elite to be a man with a shady past – he had been acquitted of ‘receiving’ at the Old Bailey in London.  By the late 1820s, Swan had a successful haberdashery business and his family acquired several properties in North Hobart including this allotment.  By the 1840s a cottage and extensive garden had been built, but by the 1890s, the allotment was subdivided and Swan Street created.  In 1903, the Commonwealth acquired the site for the new post office (refer to http://www.hobartcity.com.au).

Surveyed in 1912 and built in 1913, the North Hobart Post Office was constructed to a design by the Commonwealth Department of Works and Railways under the aegis of architect, J S Murdoch although Warmington cites the Department of Works’ Office (Warmington, 1987).  The scope of this citation has precluded further research to clarify architectural attribution.  An early (undated) postcard of the building depicts it as freestanding on a large corner site, flanked either side by picturesque picket fencing and landscaped areas.

[Image found here, more history and details here.]

Alphitomancing Hot Links

Abandoned cars, Old Car City USA, White, Georgia. Photographer unknown.

Go Away Baby, The Baby Dolls (1960) “Hi I am an original Baby Doll who is flattered by the positive comments and that our records are being played and recognized by the many viewers of websites. Just a little history on us. The Baby Dolls were a young Black female group that consisted of two sisters. and 2-3 friends that got a record deal with Maske records. I learned that our records were being played on various websites a few months ago, and was surprised that anyone remembered us, but honored that they did.”  –  Rebecca Warren, via YouTube comments, 2014.

Balcony.

Bird calls.

Mr. Atomic.

Marco Time.

Photobooth.

Royal inbreds.

How to wallow.

Only one monk.

Capt. Ignorance.

Lady of the night.

Medieval cat bombs.

…in mysterious ways.

The Indifferent Stars.

Jeeves, dead at 30.
R.I.P David Allan Coe.
R.I.P. Nedra Talley Ross.

Popeye the Sailor Moon.

Really really tiny things.

Where crabs come from.

Fujifilm X-T3 vs. Smartphone.

For want of coconuts and fish.

Canadian military fights itself.

Real men smoke Lucky Strikes.

Roman boiler [via Thompson, blog].

Thunk the Fabric Pet Rock [via Everlasting Blört].

THE Pulp Magazine Archive [via Memo Of The Air].

[Top image: Abandoned cars at Old Car City USA found here.]
Update: 1956 Mercury on the left, ditto on the right. h/t Dan P.

From the Archives: 1 year ago. 5 years ago. 10 years ago. 15 years ago.

Saturday Matinee – The Dirty Rotten Vipers, Buck & Evans, and The Dirty Weather Blues Revue

Formed in 2023, The Dirty Rotten Vipers is a New Orleans 12 piece gutter jazz street band busking at Royal & St Peter most afternoons.

Buck & Evans are a Welsh blues rock duo consisting of guitarist/songwriter Chris Buck and vocalist/keyboard player Sally Ann Evans. Their paths crossed in 2013 via overlapping connections with their managers and guitarist Slash of Guns N Roses (who referred to Buck as “a fu*king awesome guitar player“).

The Dirty Weather Blues Revue is an electric blues roots rock quartet from Bristol. After touring the UK and Europe they released their debut single in February of 2026. They don’t appear to have a website or recording label… yet.

Another assassination attempt foiled, the King of England had high tea in D.C., Iran is toast, the SCOTUS ruled against racist gerrymandering, and the marxists are doing their May Day hey hey ho ho performance art again. Flavorful news indeed, and we’ll mix in some quality Porch Time to top it off. See you tomorrow at the appropriately unscheduled hour.

The .Gif Friday Post No. 953 – Tossing the Batweights, Lava Lamp HQ & Beat on the Brain Cushion

[Found here, here and here.]

BIRD

Greater Adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius)
This enormous prehistoric-looking stork grows to five feet tall with an eight foot wingspan and eats small unsupervised children. It is considered an endangered species and is called an adjutant because it walks funny.

[Image found here.]

Just Cut It Out

Circa 1955, an original box goes for upwards of $200 on auction sites (like this one). Top images found here.