Five Bullets 2.24.23
This week: Alligators, Crouching Tiger, Photomicrography & more
Hello and welcome back to Circles In Space for Five Bullet Friday, where each Friday I share some interesting stuff I collected during the week.
Good morning and Happy Friday all!
Today is a blustery and cool day in New York City. After a few weeks of mild weather we’ve been back to cold, rain and clouds this week. Looking ahead to next week, it looks like there’s actually a chance for some snow.
On today’s anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I can recall waiting for a flight to Miami one year ago and browsing the airport’s newspapers which hadn’t yet reported the invasion. Social media, however, told a different story - I could watch the invasion unfolding in real time as images and videos streamed across my Instagram feed.
This week’s bullets:
Earlier this week a Parks Department employee spotted a four-foot long, five-year old alligator at Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn. The alligator was likely raised as a pet and later released into the lake. An x-ray of the alligator showed a bathtub stopper lodged in it’s stomach, perhaps swallowed when the animal was kept in a bathtub. The temperature of the lake is not ideal for alligators, which prefer warmer climates - the animal was very lethargic and underweight. The Parks Department rescued the alligator and is now being cared for at the Bronx Zoo.
Today marks the one year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. President Biden recently visited Ukraine. Russian president Vladimir Putin announced his withdrawal from the New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms agreement between the U.S. and Russia.
Ang Lee’s 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is back in theaters following Michelle Yeoh’s Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in last year’s Everything Everywhere All At Once. Yeoh is the first Asian actress to be nominated for the award. Crouching Tiger is the highest grossing foreign-made film in American movie history but it wasn’t until last year that Yeoh finally had her breakout role. I had a chance to see Crouching Tiger for the first time this week and loved the film.
I listened to author, podcast producer, and director Terry Miles’s chat with the Digital Void Podcast. Miles discusses the early days of producing The Black Tapes and Tanis and delves into the influence of internet mysteries and alternate reality games on his work including the Rabbits podcast and book. Miles’s second book in the Rabbits series is due this fall.
Check out Peter Woitschikowski’s microscope photos which capture the crystallization that occurs when various chemical compounds are heated and then cooled. Woitschikowski illuminates the slides with polarized light, creating spectacular and epic scenes from everyday chemicals. Slight vibrations can effect the photos so Woitschikowski works at night when outdoor noise is reduced.
Got something to share? Leave me a comment! I’m always on the lookout for something new to dive into.
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That's all for this week!
As always, thanks for reading and have a great weekend.