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1000 results for “tail_call”
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Call for Proposals - JSAH Roundtable: Built Spaces, Landscapes, and Environments of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans (AAPI)
#Architecture #ArchitecturalHistory #UrbanEnvironment #JSAH #SAH #SocietyOfArchitecturalHistorians
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“The first to arrive is the first to succeed”*…
Is China “pulling up the ladder”? In his valuable newsletter, Ben Evans puts two recent news items on high-tech manufacturing into context…
… First, the FT argues that after the ‘China shock’ of cheap low-value manufacturing, there’s now a growing second China shock of high-value, high-tech manufacturing, where the same model of ferocious, Darwinian competition, backed by subsidies and cheap energy, produces a handful of very efficient and capable winners in each space, plus a lot of overcapacity, that then moves to exports. Second, Bloomberg says that Chinese export controls in those high-tech industries are crippling India’s attempt to build its own tech manufacturing base…
Gift article from the FT: “China shock 2.0: the flood of high-tech goods that will change the world“
Gift article from Bloomberg: “China’s Control Over Tech Is Threatening India’s Manufacturing Dreams“
* (先到先得) Chinese proverb
###
As we dissect the dynamics of dominance, we might recall that it was on this date in 1981 that the computer mouse became a practical, operating part of the personal computing world, when Xerox released its 1010 (Star) personal computer. The trackball, a related pointing device, had been invented in 1946 by Ralph Benjamin as part of a post-World War II-era fire-control radar plotting system called the Comprehensive Display System (CDS). Then, in the 1960s, Doug Engelbart and Bill English developed the first mouse prototype. They christened the device the mouse as early models had a cord attached to the rear part of the hand-held unit; the cord looked like a tail and made the device resemble a common mouse. (According to Roger Bates, a hardware designer under English, another reason for choosing this name was because the cursor on the screen was also referred to as “CAT” at this time.) In 1968, Engelbart premiered the pointer at what has come to be known as “The Mother of All Demos.” There followed, through the 70’s, a pair of personal computers that used a mouse (the Xerox Alto and the Lilith); but while they served as proof-of-concept, they sold only in the hundreds of units over the next several years. It was the Star that effectively brought the mouse to market… soon to be followed by Steve Jobs’ Apple Lisa, which forshadowed the Mac and the user interface that we’ve all come to know.
Apropos the articles above, computer mice are still a $2 billion business. But while they were invented and originally largely manufactured in the U.S., they are (as of 2025) mostly manufactured in Asia (68%, the lion’s share– 54%– in China); only 8% are made in the U.S.
#benedictEvans #BillEnglish #China #computerMouse #computing #culture #DougEngelbart #history #India #industrialPolicy #manufacturing #mouse #Technology #XeroxStar -
“The first to arrive is the first to succeed”*…
Is China “pulling up the ladder”? In his valuable newsletter, Ben Evans puts two recent news items on high-tech manufacturing into context…
… First, the FT argues that after the ‘China shock’ of cheap low-value manufacturing, there’s now a growing second China shock of high-value, high-tech manufacturing, where the same model of ferocious, Darwinian competition, backed by subsidies and cheap energy, produces a handful of very efficient and capable winners in each space, plus a lot of overcapacity, that then moves to exports. Second, Bloomberg says that Chinese export controls in those high-tech industries are crippling India’s attempt to build its own tech manufacturing base…
Gift article from the FT: “China shock 2.0: the flood of high-tech goods that will change the world“
Gift article from Bloomberg: “China’s Control Over Tech Is Threatening India’s Manufacturing Dreams“
* (先到先得) Chinese proverb
###
As we dissect dominance, we might recall that it was on this date in 1981 that the computer mouse became a practical, operating part of the personal computing world, when Xerox released its 1010 (Star) personal computer. The trackball, a related pointing device, had been invented in 1946 by Ralph Benjamin as part of a post-World War II-era fire-control radar plotting system called the Comprehensive Display System (CDS). Then, in the 1960s, Doug Engelbart and Bill English developed the first mouse prototype. They christened the device the mouse as early models had a cord attached to the rear part of the hand-held unit; the cord looked like a tail and made the device resemble a common mouse. (According to Roger Bates, a hardware designer under English, another reason for choosing this name was because the cursor on the screen was also referred to as “CAT” at this time.) In 1968, Engelbart premiered the pointer at what has come to be known as “The Mother of All Demos.” There followed, through the 70’s, a pair of personal computers that used a mouse (the Xerox Alto and the Lilith); but while they served as proof-of-concept, they sold only in the hundreds of units over the next several years. It was the Star that effectively brought the mouse to market… soon to be followed by Steve Jobs’ Apple Lisa, which forshadowed the Mac and the user interface that we’ve all come to know.
Apropos the articles above, computer mice are still a $2 billion business. But while they were invented and originally largely manufactured in the U.S., they are (as of 2025) mostly manufactured in Asia (68%, the lion’s share– 54%– in China); only 8% are made in the U.S.
#benedictEvans #BillEnglish #China #computerMouse #computing #culture #DougEngelbart #history #India #industrialPolicy #manufacturing #mouse #Technology #XeroxStar -
“The first to arrive is the first to succeed”*…
Is China “pulling up the ladder”? In his valuable newsletter, Ben Evans puts two recent news items on high-tech manufacturing into context…
… First, the FT argues that after the ‘China shock’ of cheap low-value manufacturing, there’s now a growing second China shock of high-value, high-tech manufacturing, where the same model of ferocious, Darwinian competition, backed by subsidies and cheap energy, produces a handful of very efficient and capable winners in each space, plus a lot of overcapacity, that then moves to exports. Second, Bloomberg says that Chinese export controls in those high-tech industries are crippling India’s attempt to build its own tech manufacturing base…
Gift article from the FT: “China shock 2.0: the flood of high-tech goods that will change the world“
Gift article from Bloomberg: “China’s Control Over Tech Is Threatening India’s Manufacturing Dreams“
* (先到先得) Chinese proverb
###
As we dissect dominance, we might recall that it was on this date in 1981 that the computer mouse became a practical, operating part of the personal computing world, when Xerox released its 1010 (Star) personal computer. The trackball, a related pointing device, had been invented in 1946 by Ralph Benjamin as part of a post-World War II-era fire-control radar plotting system called the Comprehensive Display System (CDS). Then, in the 1960s, Doug Engelbart and Bill English developed the first mouse prototype. They christened the device the mouse as early models had a cord attached to the rear part of the hand-held unit; the cord looked like a tail and made the device resemble a common mouse. (According to Roger Bates, a hardware designer under English, another reason for choosing this name was because the cursor on the screen was also referred to as “CAT” at this time.) In 1968, Engelbart premiered the pointer at what has come to be known as “The Mother of All Demos.” There followed, through the 70’s, a pair of personal computers that used a mouse (the Xerox Alto and the Lilith); but while they served as proof-of-concept, they sold only in the hundreds of units over the next several years. It was the Star that effectively brought the mouse to market… soon to be followed by Steve Jobs’ Apple Lisa, which forshadowed the Mac and the user interface that we’ve all come to know.
Apropos the articles above, computer mice are still a $2 billion business. But while they were invented and originally largely manufactured in the U.S., they are (as of 2025) mostly manufactured in Asia (68%, the lion’s share– 54%– in China); only 8% are made in the U.S.
#benedictEvans #BillEnglish #China #computerMouse #computing #culture #DougEngelbart #history #India #industrialPolicy #manufacturing #mouse #Technology #XeroxStar -
“The first to arrive is the first to succeed”*…
Is China “pulling up the ladder”? In his valuable newsletter, Ben Evans puts two recent news items on high-tech manufacturing into context…
… First, the FT argues that after the ‘China shock’ of cheap low-value manufacturing, there’s now a growing second China shock of high-value, high-tech manufacturing, where the same model of ferocious, Darwinian competition, backed by subsidies and cheap energy, produces a handful of very efficient and capable winners in each space, plus a lot of overcapacity, that then moves to exports. Second, Bloomberg says that Chinese export controls in those high-tech industries are crippling India’s attempt to build its own tech manufacturing base…
Gift article from the FT: “China shock 2.0: the flood of high-tech goods that will change the world“
Gift article from Bloomberg: “China’s Control Over Tech Is Threatening India’s Manufacturing Dreams“
* (先到先得) Chinese proverb
###
As we dissect the dynamics of dominance, we might recall that it was on this date in 1981 that the computer mouse became a practical, operating part of the personal computing world, when Xerox released its 1010 (Star) personal computer. The trackball, a related pointing device, had been invented in 1946 by Ralph Benjamin as part of a post-World War II-era fire-control radar plotting system called the Comprehensive Display System (CDS). Then, in the 1960s, Doug Engelbart and Bill English developed the first mouse prototype. They christened the device the mouse as early models had a cord attached to the rear part of the hand-held unit; the cord looked like a tail and made the device resemble a common mouse. (According to Roger Bates, a hardware designer under English, another reason for choosing this name was because the cursor on the screen was also referred to as “CAT” at this time.) In 1968, Engelbart premiered the pointer at what has come to be known as “The Mother of All Demos.” There followed, through the 70’s, a pair of personal computers that used a mouse (the Xerox Alto and the Lilith); but while they served as proof-of-concept, they sold only in the hundreds of units over the next several years. It was the Star that effectively brought the mouse to market… soon to be followed by Steve Jobs’ Apple Lisa, which forshadowed the Mac and the user interface that we’ve all come to know.
Apropos the articles above, computer mice are still a $2 billion business. But while they were invented and originally largely manufactured in the U.S., they are (as of 2025) mostly manufactured in Asia (68%, the lion’s share– 54%– in China); only 8% are made in the U.S.
#benedictEvans #BillEnglish #China #computerMouse #computing #culture #DougEngelbart #history #India #industrialPolicy #manufacturing #mouse #Technology #XeroxStar -
The thread about the East Foul Burn; profiting from sewage in the 18th century
This thread is part one of a series; the link to the next part can be found at the bottom.
We begin our story with the wonderfully verbose cover of a Victorian pamphlet;
FOUL BURN AGITATION!
STATEMENT
Explaining
NATURE AND HISTORY OF THE AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION NEAR EDINBURGH;
Containing
A REFUTATION OF THE UNFOUNDED AND CALUMNIOUS MISREPRESENTATIONS ON THAT SUBJECT,
In
A PAMPHLET PUBLISHED IN THE NAME OF A COMMITTEE OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF POLICE, IN WHICH THE ANCIENT AND BEAUTIFUL CAPITAL OF SCOTLAND IS FALSELY DESCRIBED AS A RESIDENCE UNSAFE TO THE HEALTH OF ITS INHABITANTS!I say pamphlet, the thing is actually 166 pages long and I spent quite some time reading it (skimming much of it) so that you don’t have to. It is Victorian local politics at its best and wors, and much of it is indeed pure agitation. But it was worth ploughing my way through it as it happens to contain a complete and detailed description of Edinburgh’s largely forgotten East Foul Burn and the Irrigated Meadow systems of Craigentinny and Restalrig, their history and their method of operation.
Anyway, what is this East Foul Burn of which I speak? Well it’s the principal watercourse that in olden times drained most of the Old Town, the Nor’ Loch and the small suburbs south of the city into the sea; rainfall, sewage and all. We can see it on the below map of 1750 by William Roy. It is the stream which flows from bottom left to top right – the stream originating in Lochend Loch in the centre left is the tail burn of that body of water.
The East Foul Burn’s natural route to the sea via Restalrig and Fillyside (North Mains of Craigentinny). William Roy’s Lowland Map of c. 1750. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandIf you examine a old map of the Old Town and consider the topography, it’s obvious that gravity will carry anything liquid downhill. John Slezer’s remarkably accurate 17th century sketches of the city help us to visualise this from a contemporary point of view; any waste discharged on the north side of the ridge on which the Old Town of the city was built is obviously going to drain itself into the Nor’ Loch.
Prospect of the Castle and City of Edinburgh from the Nor’ Loch. John Slezer, 1673, arrows indicate the steep northern slopes of the “tail” of the crag and tail geological formation on which Edinburgh’s Old Town sitsThat loch could only drain eastwards, in the direction of the sea. James Gordon of Rothiemay’s remarkable 1647 bird’s eye view of Edinburgh shows it clearly. After irrigating the pleasant-looking Physic Garden by the Trinity College Kirk, it ran off down the North Back of Canongate (what we now call Calton Road) where it was joined by any runoff from the community nestled below the crags of the Calton Hill and from the streets and closes of the north side of the Canongate itself. The stream (in reality an open sewer) passes a number of round structures; these were wells and water cistern – one of the reasons so many breweries would congregate here. 100 years later, Edgar’s map of 1765 still shows that this open sewer still ran here.
Bird’s Eye View of Edinburgh, James Gordon of Rothiemay, 1647. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandStuart Harris, the late local historian and custodian of Edinburgh place names, refers to the wells here as being along the Tummel Burn (and you will also see it given as Tumble) which is an alternative name for the East Foul Burn, this refers to the water flow, although one imagines it wasn’t so much a pleasant babbling brook as a bubbling cauldron of filth.
The burn worked its way down the North Back of Canongate to the Wateryett (a Scots placename meaning water gate; the word for a gate was commonly port but can occasionally be yett; the word gate or gait meant a roadway e.g. Canongate). The water part of the name refereed as much to this being the route into the Canongate for drinking water from the wells as it was from being alongside a watercourse. The yett part refers to the area at the foot of the Canongate where there was a physical gateway; not a defensive structure, but a civic boundary and customs barrier. This is confirmed by a reference from a title deed in 1635 which describes the Foul Burn as being in a gutter known as the Strand. This latter term is an old Scots word for “an artificial water-channel or gutter, a street gutter” – the Abbey Strand is the name of the old building that stands to this day at the foot of the Canongate, just before you enter the grounds of the Holyroodhouse.
The Wateryett in 1818, a drawing by James Skene. By this time the physical gate had been replaced by a symbolic one for the toll house. © Edinburgh City LibrariesAfter the Water Yett, Edgar’s 1765 map shows that the burn ran in a culvert here, but we can infer its route. This map is the extent of 18th century town plans so to follow the burn we move onto an 1804 plan by John Ainslie to pick up the trail once more. It re-surfaces around Croftangry (corrupted in modern times to the Gaelic-sounding Croft-an-Righ) before disappearing underground again in the property of the Lord Chief Baron (Sir James Montgomery, 1st Baronet Stanhope) only to re-appearing on the property boundary between him and Mr Clerk. Comley Gardens and Clock Mill on Ainslie’s map are old placenames here still recalled by modern street names. The burn here now contains almost the entirety of the effluent of the city of Edinburgh, the Canongate, the burgh of Calton and the village of Abbeyhill.
Ainslie’s Town Plan of 1804, Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland. Orange lines show the course of the Foul Burn eastThe Comely Gardens referred to on the map above were a Tivoli Garden, a sort of Georgian amusement park where – for a fee – one could stroll the gardens and admire the roses, could take tea or coffee or fruits and entertainment such as dances and musicians may be laid on. Comely Gardens is to be forever remembered as the starting point of the Great Edinburgh Fire Balloon, the first manned aerial flight in the British Isles. In August 1784, James Tytler rode a Montgolfier-style balloon all the way to a crash-landing in Restalrig and his name is recalled in a couple of the modern street names in this area. But back to the matter in hand, following the burn east we have reached the Clock Mill, an old house named for a mill that was driven by the burn. The name came from Clokisrwne Mylne or Clocksorrow; clock is a corruption of the Scots clack, being a specific type of mill, an onomatopoeia based on the noise its mechanism made. Sorrow refers to some form of hollow in various old tongues.
Clockmill House in 1780, from Old & New Edinburgh by James Grant. Notice the naval telegraph mast on top of Calton HillIn the vicinity of Clock Mill, two further open sewers joined the burn, adding yet more effluent. The came from the Pleasance (and by extension much of the Southside) and from the Cowgate to its payload. Both of these first drained into a myre just south of Holyroodhouse, marked on Kincaid’s map of 1784 as Common Sewer Kept Stagnate for Manure, i.e. the sewage solids would settle out of the slow moving water and could be collected to fertilise the city’s gardens and orchards. There was good money to be made in such “soil” or “dung”. Before the advent of early industrial fertilisers or the Kelp Boom it was one of the few copious and economical sources of fertiliser for fields and was much in demand – all you had to do was collect it (or pay someone to do this)!
Kincaid’s Map of 1784, showing the “Common Serwer Kept Stagnate for Manure”. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandAfter Clockmill House, which was demolished in 1859 to landscape its grounds as a military parade ground, the burn passed beneath the main road east out of the city (the London Road would not be built until 1819). The bridge here was known as the Clockmill Bridge. It is the presence of the burn that explains why significant culverts were built here under both the North British Railway and the London Road when each was constructed. Robert “Lighthouse” Stevenson, the engineer of the London Road, produced beautiful drawings for the culvert here under his road;
Stevenson’s drawings for the London Road culvert. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland (MS.5849, No.54 – 57)By the time the burn passed under this culvert, it was carrying the daily sewage of about 60-80,000 people, not to mention their animals. The Foul Burn Agitation! pamphlet describes it as “a rapid and copious stream… to which [is] added the impure waters that proceed from the houses, streets and lanes of the city“. From there, the effluent of the city should have been a relatively straightforward journey down the broad, shallow natural valley in which Restalrig sits to the sea, at Fillyside (roughly where the Matalan store now is).
The East Foul Burn at Restalrig village, flowing along the foreground and passing under the road in a culvert. From an old post card, early 20th century.However it could not take this natural procession to the sea as its process was interrupted; it was industriously turned over into a series of irrigated meadows, “irrigated by the waters from the City” at Restalrig, Craigentinny and Fillyside.
Kirkwood’s Plan of 1817 showing the irrigated meadows along the Foul Burn. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandIn the irrigated meadows, the Foul Burn was intersected by “principal feeders“, ditches cut along the topographic gradient. Water could be admitted to the feeders by means of sluices or damming the outflow. These feeders in turn fed further side-ditches into individual plots. The plots would be subject to controlled flooding from April to November, the fodder growing season. For two or three days a plot would be flooded, saturating the ground with sewage which would settle. The water was then allowed to run off and the plot was given three to five weeks for the grass to grow. It could then be cropped and the process could begin again. The process of flooding and cropping plots was rotated so that there were always fields ready to crop, and there was always a good supply of sewage with which to flood it. The whole object of this exercise was to provide a steady supply of food for the city’s dairy herds – this was a time when milk could not be preserved or transported any great distance, so the cattle had to be kept in and around the immediate vicinity. The system also had dedicated settling ponds where the soil could be collected and sold off by the cartload.
Craigentinny Meadows, James Steuart, 1885. Note the sluice and ditch and the ample crops. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThe Restalrig Meadows were at the turn of the 19th century the property of the forementioned Sir James Montgomery Bt. and extended to around 30 acres. The Craigentinny and Fillyside Meadows were owned by William Henry Miller of Craigentinny and were the largest at c. 120 acres.
Craigentinny Meadows, photograph by David Sclater, 1895. On the horizon are the “Craigentinny Marbles” (tomb of William Henry Miller) and Wheatfield House on the present day Portobello Road. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThere were further such irrigated meadows at the foot of Salisbury Crags, about 14 acres – the property of the Earl of Haddington – and near Coltbridge (modern Murrayfield) to the west, some 40-50 acres owned by Russell of Roseburn. This latter ground was fed by a much smaller foul burn – the West Foul Burn – which drained the portion of the city around Tollcross, West Port and Lauriston and the west end of the Boroughloch, making its way west via Dalry to Roseburn and then into the Water of Leith.
While the soil of the city had been collected since time immemorial, it’s not clear when this industrial-scale meadow system evolved. The Foul Burn Agitation! recounts testimony of elderly farm workers of Restalrig that they had been in place since at least 1750. However a document from 1561 when the lands of Restalrig Kirk were confiscated during the Reformation records “of certain prebendaries yardis, in Restalrig and Chalmeris pertening to the saidis prebendaris, callit their Mansis and pece of suard Meadow” – the suard here referring to a piece of marshy or boggy ground. The pamphlet states the “practice existed from time immemorial of flooding the Meadow grounds by means of the Foul Burn“. So we can say with some certainty that it was an old and established practice, and indeed the courts agreed with this when Alexander Duncan WS of Restalrig House tried to sue his neighbouring sewage barons, Miller and Montgomery, on account of the smell from the meadows spoiling his quality of life.
Restlarig House, c. 1883Indeed the legal action ended up backfiring on Duncan because in 1833 the Burgh Police Act protected the proprietors from any act “to divert or alter any stream or watercourse, or diminish the ancient and accustomed quantity of rain or other water or soil flowing therein“, guaranteeing their right to operate the meadows and collect the profits. (Side note, this was included in a Police Act because at that time in Scotland the Police had the powers and responsibilities for cleansing the burgh, distributing water and preventing disease).
The East Foul Burn at Craigentinny, WS Reid, 1860. Looking towards Miller’s Craigentinny House. Notice the bridge across the river and that the bank is reinforced – evidence of the extensive river management. Notice that the crops on the left of the picture seem long and those on the right are short, evidence of the constant rotation of cropping in the plots. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThe other aspect of the system was the settling ponds. These are recorded as far back as 1738 when Mr Baird of Clockmill was irrigating his fields and “collecting dung“, but by the late 18th century they were beginning to be infilled and had vanished by the 1820s. These are clearly shown on Kirkwood’s 1817 town plan. Appropriately enough parts of it look like a bit like a drawing of the human digestive system! The reason for abandoning the ponds because of two problems; firstly, there was too much sandy sediment washed off the city streets into the burn, and the customers – market gardeners mainly – were loathe to pour sand onto their plots and orchards. More importantly however the sediment was found increasingly to be full of seeds. Without putrefaction (fermentation), these seeds could not be killed, and when the seed-rich manure was spread it was an instant recipe for spreading weeds.
The soil settling ponds around Restalrig and Craigentinny. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandAnd so the system concentrated around the production of grass for animal forage; a very productive and profitable system it was. 400 labourers were employed seasonally, and some 3,300 cattle in Edinburgh and 600 in Leith depended on it, mainly pen-fed dairy animals. Most dairies were small concerns, run by the occupation of a “cow feeder“, with 20-40 milk cows each.
The Holyrood Dairy, c. 1830-40. Painting by William Stewart Watson. © Edinburgh Museums & GalleriesThe meadows were estimated to turn a profit for their proprietors of £5,000 per annum (about £600,000 in 2022), with William Henry Miller estimating he made £30,000 (c. £3.4 million) over 2 years. Rents were 20-30/s per acre, or up to double that for the better pasture or during times of food scarcity. Preparing a meadow cost £20-25 per acre and was a sound investment. Miller in 1821 spent £1,000 turning over 40 acres of “sandy wasteland” – the lands of Fillyside were ancient raised beaches – to meadow use. Each acre could provide up to 6 full crops per year.
A Map of Miller’s estate at Craigentinny showing the huge network of feeders and ditches that supported the Irrigated Meadow system. This map was surveyed for Miller in 1847. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandAll-in-all, this was a very productive and profitable concern, so much so that in 1834 the Police Commissioners tried to extend the burgh boundary to include the irrigated meadows and to give themselves rights over them. They spent 4,000 of the city’s pounds on the scheme, which the Foul Burn Agitation! describes as “Dung Speculation“. They were unsuccessful though as the proprietors and their one-time adversary Mr Duncan fought the Commissioners off. William Henry Miller (a former MP by this point, wealthy and influential) was quick to defend his profitable scheme. In 1843 when the North British Railway proposed running their line across his meadows, Miller had them shift it about 100 feet west so that it instead skirted around his lands. He then exchanged parcels of his land on the south of the new line with his neighbours – the Dukes of Abercorn – who had parcels trapped by the railway on the north, so each could maintain a contiguous field system. Miller also made thinds hard enough for the NBR that they never built their proposed shorter branch to Leith across his land.
The survey of Miller’s lands in 1847 show the main and sub-feeders, and the direction of flow of the water of the Foul Burn through them. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandBut the whole system had a number of problems facing it. Firstly, the woeful sanitation of the Old Town needed resolving – it was recognised by now that waste needed to be piped under the ground, not just run in an open sewer for the benefit of a couple of wealthy landowners. And secondly, in 1817 the Edinburgh & Leith Gas Light Company began building a gas works at New Street, crowned by its great chimney that dominated the Canongate.
The gasworks and its chimney, with the Canongate Kirk on the left for scale.At this point, coal gas works had yet to begin extracting their by-products for industrial use, so you can guess where the gas works were dumping all the highly toxic waste chemicals. Coal tar, sulphur and ammonia as well as any other numbers and varieties of hydrocarbons went into the Foul Burn from New Street. The gas works “give forth an abundant stream, the odour of which is no doubt extremely offensive, being the most nauseous of all compounds… …This flows into a principal feeder of the old foul burn at the South Back of the Canongate“. To put it simply, the gas works was poisoning the burn. This was not the first time that the foul burns had been polluted by industry. In 1791, Russell of Roseburn attempted to use the courts to stop the Haig’s distillery at Lochrin from polluting his irrigated meadows at Coltbridge.
The proprietors of the eastern irrigated meadows managed to get fines applied to the gas works, £200 per instance of pollution and £20 per day – this seemed to have the intended effect. Or perhaps the gas works just found it more profitable to begin capturing its by products for commercial gain rather than letting them run away. Whatever the reason, the Foul Burn was “cleared up” and the eastern meadows managed to carry on; the 1888 OS 6 inch Survey shows they still occupy their main extent. In 1901, an attempt was made to bury the entirety of the burn underground as a sere, but this was unsuccessful. The scheme finally commenced in 1921 as a work programme for unemployed men; a £60,000 government grant being secured to provide employment for 400 men for six months. This “draining of the swap” opened up the lands of Lochend, Restalrig and Craigentinny for public housing schemes in the 1920s and 1930s. Some of the land of the Fillyside Meadow had already been set aside as Craigentinny Golf Couse, which had been undertaken by Leith Corporation to clear golfing off of the Links. A railway yard was later also laid adjacent, appropriately it was called the Meadows Yard.
Craigentinny Meadows, looking towards Edinburgh, 1930, in the vicinity of what is now the golf course. The dark building in the mid ground is Craigentinny House. An amazingly pastoral scene, unchanged for about 200 years, so late on. © Edinburgh City LibrariesAnd what of the East Foul Burn? Well I can tell you it’s still there but just like many of Edinburgh’s old burns it’s hiding under the ground in its culvert. Very few people who live above it probably know it’s there. We get other reminders of its presence from local place names; the area name Meadowbank? that’s lifted directly off a house known as Meadow Bank, built on the southern of the meadows. And Sunnyside Bank off of Lower London Road? that’s the south-facing (therefore sunnier) bank.
The old house of Meadowbank. An 1854 sketch by William Channing. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThis thread continues with part 2 – The thread about the problem of sewage disposal in 19th century Edinburgh and Leith; and how something ended up being done about it.
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#Lochend #Logan #Restalrig #StMargaret -
A Redditor asks: “Can’t zero knowledge proof solve the privacy concerns about the UK online safety law?” – my response…
Hi. I love your question. For disclosure I have been working on digital civil liberties around encryption since 1991 and I have been working on age verification since 2016.
The really short version of my answer is: it would only address the problematic issues from a technological perspective, but what we really have here is a political problem.
There is this thing called Ranum’s Law, named after Marcus Ranum, an early Innovator in the space of firewalls, and he wrote that “you can’t fix social problems with software”.
Age verification is one of those technological / software fixes which say that they are doing one thing (protecting kids) whilst actually they are achieving something else (enumerating everyone who uses the web) – if you immediately fix on attempting to reduce risks of “enumeration” you end up ignoring: disenfranchisment of people who cannot age verify, political pressure to permit privacy-invading systems as well “in the name of market competition” and a race to the bottom for people’s personal data.
So ZKP is a wonderful technology when deployed in a controlled infrastructure and under centralised patch management to protect discrete and well described taxonomies of data… but it’s never going to happen in the real world because that’s not what people in power actually want. (Edit: plus: the data is a mess and there is also no taxonomy)
What they actually want is: for their friends who have been lobbying them since 2016 or earlier to get a wad of money, and for the public to be placated enough about child safety that they get reelected.
This is not a technical problem and it does not have a technical solution. What we are seeing here is the long tail of a moral panic.
https://www.reddit.com/r/cryptography/comments/1mc2m08/comment/n5qqtyy/
#ageVerification #moralPanic #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #reddit #zeroKnowledgeProof #ZKP
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Paradise Lost – Ascension Review
By Steel Druhm
As a huge fan of the salad days of the “Peaceville Three,” I felt obliged to follow Paradise Lost’s career throughout the 90s as they shifted from their raw death-doom birth through the refined melancholic doom heard on Icon, the Metallica-adjacent, stadium doom of Draconian Times, and into their Depeche Mode fancier period with Host and Believe in Nothing. That last era was a bridge too far for me, and by the time they made their way back to doom on 2005s eponymous release, I had moved on. I only paid casual attention to their output thereafter until 2020s Obsidian. That one was solid enough to get me tentatively back on board, but I didn’t come into Ascension expecting big things, just a solid late-career outing by a group of seasoned gloom-mongers. Ascension functions as a guided tour through the various eras of the band’s 35 year career, and while that could make for a very disjointed listen given the amount of ground Paradise Lost covered over the decades, it feels like a well-catered reunion of dear olde friends. More importantly, it features some of the most consistently impressive songcraft the band’s mustered in years. Age brings a certain wisdom, but sometimes you just catch lightning in a bottle. I’m not looking to overanalyze which got us here, I’m just enjoying the hearse ride.
It doesn’t hurt that Paradise Lost kick things off with one of the most aggressive and heavy songs they’ve churned out in a long time. “Serpent on the Cross” is a massive, murderous slab of doom that kicks all the crypts and tickles the mortician. It’s got mournful harmonies, weighty doom riffs, and the right amount of despair, yet it still comes hard with burly riffs and knocks you upside the head with a memorable refrain. Nick Holmes sounds born again hard, and Greg Macintosh and Aaron Aedy bring tons of heft and emotion to the string bending. This is my favorite Paradise Lost song since their heyday and I can’t stop spinning it. In fact, as my beloved and perpetually hapless N.Y. Jets got pounded into assdust Sunday, they did so to the haunting leads of this charnel beast. This victory is followed by another in the form of “Tyrants Serenade” which hits at the perfect middle ground between their Draconian Times and One Second eras. It even conjures a bit of Type O Negative magic courtesy of Olde Nick’s baritone crooning. This one is an earworm infection waiting to happen, and you should catch it. “Salvation” is the big, epic doom set piece, and it doesn’t disappoint, plodding and heaving for 7 minutes of morose glory while raising the ghosts of vintage Paradise Lost along the way. It even reminds me of Fvneral Fvkk here and there.
With a front half this massive, it was almost inevitable that things would tail off as Ascension moved along, but Paradise Lost holds the slippage to a minimum. “Silence Like the Grave” and and “Diluvium” bring that Metallica-friendly Draconian Times sound back in force for inspired doom stomp and clompers, and even when they revisit their Depeche Mode as on “Sirens,” they keep things just heavy enough to bull through painlessly. What’s so impressive is that even though the band revisits all the familiar hollowed ground, things feel fresh and new rather than recycled. Somehow Ascension manages to avoid filler and there isn’t a track here I’d call weak, though “Sirens” is merely good. At 51 minutes, the album never feels too long or bogged down, and most songs sit in the 4-5 minute window and move along briskly.
I’m high on Nick Holmes’ performance here. He sounds great and as versatile as ever, ranging from sadboi Goth croons to brutal death croaks and all stops in-between. He really gets nasty at times, even sounding downright funeral doomish at points. He’s also got a great sense of where to put the melodic clean breaks for maximum impact. Greg Macintosh and Aaron Aedy outdo themselves with a high-quality collection of riffs that cover a range of moods and styles. They bring the doom hammer down hard on the maximalist cuts like “Serpent on the Cross” and “Salvation,” but also amplify the moody cuts to keep things pulsing with vitality. The subtly morose harmonies win me over, even on the more hard-charging numbers, and the level of writing remains strong with moments of greatness dotting the runtime.
It’s rare a band as long in the tooth as Paradise Lost uncorks a late career album that can stand among the giants in their catalog, but Ascension is one such slippery aberration. It’s the kind of release your brain tells you shouldn’t be as good as it is, but after a week-plus marinating in it, the quality cannot be denied. I’m happy to see a long-running institution like Paradise Lost get another win and show they still have ichor in their cold veins. Ascension indeed!
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: paradiselost.co.uk | facebook.com/paradiselostofficial | instagram.com/officialparadiselost
Releases Worldwide: September 19th, 2025Grymm
So, question: say you’ve been a band for almost 40 years, and 80% of your line-up has remained completely unchanged, save for the near-Spinal Tapification that’s reserved for whoever happens to find themselves on the drum throne.1 You’ve gone from the slowest of death/doom, to near-Metallica heights of superstardom in your home country, to a severe Depeche Mode-influenced left turn, just to wrap yourselves back around through Gothic doom territory and back home to death-doom in the wildest “Peaceville Three” ouroboros ever. You’re also about to release your seventeenth album. With the exceptions of legendary acts, we’re usually lucky to see bands craft seven albums, let alone seventeen. So what do you do to keep yourselves fresh and motivated? What do you bring to the party that will not only excite your longtime fanbase, but also hopefully bring in some fresh faces to your music?
If you’re Paradise Lost, you simply condense all of your experiences into a singular vision, and write your best collection of songs to date. Ascension lives up to the promise of its name, given how much of this album soars above its peers in both heft and hook. From the opening riff of “Serpent of the Cross” to the fading of the closing guitar solo in “The Precipice,” 51 minutes of doom metal have never flown by so damn fast before, nor would it had the material been written by less experienced hands. Since a good portion of this album is DOOOOOOM (in all caps-locked letters, complete with at least 6 O’s), that’s no easy feat.
And how DOOOOOOM are we talking? Take third track (and album highlight) “Salvation.” Between the foreboding riffs of Gregor Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy, Mackintosh’s mournful melodies, and new/former drummer Guido Zima Montanarini guiding the back-end like a funeral march, “Salvation” could have easily fit in on Strigoi’s last album had it not been for Nick Holmes’ vocal performance, whether it’s in his cavernous growls, his anguished mid-range cleans during the chorus, or even the impressive higher-ranged singing towards the end. “Salvation” presents itself as a masterclass in epic doom/death musicianship and songwriting, and one that’s making a mad run for Song o’ the Year honors come December.
It’s not like there aren’t any other challengers for that spot on Ascension, either. Late album scorcher “Diluvium” starts off as a plodding, downtrodden number, before riffing up a storm towards the song’s latter half, with Mackintosh cutting loose with solo after solo. “Lay a Wreath Upon the World,” one of the few Paradise Lost numbers to feature an acoustic guitar, pulls you in with hypnotic female wailing and pensive atmosphere. “Silence Like the Grave” and “Tyrant’s Serenade” bring the speed up just enough, acting as energizing mood-setters for the album’s front half. And that’s the only qualm I really have with the album; the album feels front-loaded with the faster numbers, with the album’s second half being more moody and slower. There’s not a song on here I would consider to be “filler,” but it’s an observation that stuck around even after the album’s wrapped up.
Paradise Lost have every right to dial it in right now, having cemented themselves as legends of death/doom metal. Thank fuck they didn’t, though, as Ascension has comfortably nestled itself amongst my top five favorite Paradise Lost albums, acting as a strong thread between the unfuckwithable Draconian Times, their underrated dark horse Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us, and their return to the grave in The Plague Within. Who would have thought that, by reaching into their vault of classic albums, they would not only put together something fresh and timeless, but also make a strong case for one of their best ever? Easily a Top Ten contender, and one of the year’s best doom metal albums, bar none.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
#2025 #35 #40 #Ascension #DoomMetal #DraconianTimes #GothicDoom #Metallica #NuclearBlastRecords #Obsidian #ParadiseLost #Review #Reviews #Sep25 #Strigoi #TypeONegative #UKMetal
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Paradise Lost – Ascension Review
By Steel Druhm
As a huge fan of the salad days of the “Peaceville Three,” I felt obliged to follow Paradise Lost’s career throughout the 90s as they shifted from their raw death-doom birth through the refined melancholic doom heard on Icon, the Metallica-adjacent, stadium doom of Draconian Times, and into their Depeche Mode fancier period with Host and Believe in Nothing. That last era was a bridge too far for me, and by the time they made their way back to doom on 2005s eponymous release, I had moved on. I only paid casual attention to their output thereafter until 2020s Obsidian. That one was solid enough to get me tentatively back on board, but I didn’t come into Ascension expecting big things, just a solid late-career outing by a group of seasoned gloom-mongers. Ascension functions as a guided tour through the various eras of the band’s 35 year career, and while that could make for a very disjointed listen given the amount of ground Paradise Lost covered over the decades, it feels like a well-catered reunion of dear olde friends. More importantly, it features some of the most consistently impressive songcraft the band’s mustered in years. Age brings a certain wisdom, but sometimes you just catch lightning in a bottle. I’m not looking to overanalyze which got us here, I’m just enjoying the hearse ride.
It doesn’t hurt that Paradise Lost kick things off with one of the most aggressive and heavy songs they’ve churned out in a long time. “Serpent on the Cross” is a massive, murderous slab of doom that kicks all the crypts and tickles the mortician. It’s got mournful harmonies, weighty doom riffs, and the right amount of despair, yet it still comes hard with burly riffs and knocks you upside the head with a memorable refrain. Nick Holmes sounds born again hard, and Greg Macintosh and Aaron Aedy bring tons of heft and emotion to the string bending. This is my favorite Paradise Lost song since their heyday and I can’t stop spinning it. In fact, as my beloved and perpetually hapless N.Y. Jets got pounded into assdust Sunday, they did so to the haunting leads of this charnel beast. This victory is followed by another in the form of “Tyrants Serenade” which hits at the perfect middle ground between their Draconian Times and One Second eras. It even conjures a bit of Type O Negative magic courtesy of Olde Nick’s baritone crooning. This one is an earworm infection waiting to happen, and you should catch it. “Salvation” is the big, epic doom set piece, and it doesn’t disappoint, plodding and heaving for 7 minutes of morose glory while raising the ghosts of vintage Paradise Lost along the way. It even reminds me of Fvneral Fvkk here and there.
With a front half this massive, it was almost inevitable that things would tail off as Ascension moved along, but Paradise Lost holds the slippage to a minimum. “Silence Like the Grave” and and “Diluvium” bring that Metallica-friendly Draconian Times sound back in force for inspired doom stomp and clompers, and even when they revisit their Depeche Mode as on “Sirens,” they keep things just heavy enough to bull through painlessly. What’s so impressive is that even though the band revisits all the familiar hollowed ground, things feel fresh and new rather than recycled. Somehow Ascension manages to avoid filler and there isn’t a track here I’d call weak, though “Sirens” is merely good. At 51 minutes, the album never feels too long or bogged down, and most songs sit in the 4-5 minute window and move along briskly.
I’m high on Nick Holmes’ performance here. He sounds great and as versatile as ever, ranging from sadboi Goth croons to brutal death croaks and all stops in-between. He really gets nasty at times, even sounding downright funeral doomish at points. He’s also got a great sense of where to put the melodic clean breaks for maximum impact. Greg Macintosh and Aaron Aedy outdo themselves with a high-quality collection of riffs that cover a range of moods and styles. They bring the doom hammer down hard on the maximalist cuts like “Serpent on the Cross” and “Salvation,” but also amplify the moody cuts to keep things pulsing with vitality. The subtly morose harmonies win me over, even on the more hard-charging numbers, and the level of writing remains strong with moments of greatness dotting the runtime.
It’s rare a band as long in the tooth as Paradise Lost uncorks a late career album that can stand among the giants in their catalog, but Ascension is one such slippery aberration. It’s the kind of release your brain tells you shouldn’t be as good as it is, but after a week-plus marinating in it, the quality cannot be denied. I’m happy to see a long-running institution like Paradise Lost get another win and show they still have ichor in their cold veins. Ascension indeed!
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: paradiselost.co.uk | facebook.com/paradiselostofficial | instagram.com/officialparadiselost
Releases Worldwide: September 19th, 2025Grymm
So, question: say you’ve been a band for almost 40 years, and 80% of your line-up has remained completely unchanged, save for the near-Spinal Tapification that’s reserved for whoever happens to find themselves on the drum throne.1 You’ve gone from the slowest of death/doom, to near-Metallica heights of superstardom in your home country, to a severe Depeche Mode-influenced left turn, just to wrap yourselves back around through Gothic doom territory and back home to death-doom in the wildest “Peaceville Three” ouroboros ever. You’re also about to release your seventeenth album. With the exceptions of legendary acts, we’re usually lucky to see bands craft seven albums, let alone seventeen. So what do you do to keep yourselves fresh and motivated? What do you bring to the party that will not only excite your longtime fanbase, but also hopefully bring in some fresh faces to your music?
If you’re Paradise Lost, you simply condense all of your experiences into a singular vision, and write your best collection of songs to date. Ascension lives up to the promise of its name, given how much of this album soars above its peers in both heft and hook. From the opening riff of “Serpent of the Cross” to the fading of the closing guitar solo in “The Precipice,” 51 minutes of doom metal have never flown by so damn fast before, nor would it had the material been written by less experienced hands. Since a good portion of this album is DOOOOOOM (in all caps-locked letters, complete with at least 6 O’s), that’s no easy feat.
And how DOOOOOOM are we talking? Take third track (and album highlight) “Salvation.” Between the foreboding riffs of Gregor Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy, Mackintosh’s mournful melodies, and new/former drummer Guido Zima Montanarini guiding the back-end like a funeral march, “Salvation” could have easily fit in on Strigoi’s last album had it not been for Nick Holmes’ vocal performance, whether it’s in his cavernous growls, his anguished mid-range cleans during the chorus, or even the impressive higher-ranged singing towards the end. “Salvation” presents itself as a masterclass in epic doom/death musicianship and songwriting, and one that’s making a mad run for Song o’ the Year honors come December.
It’s not like there aren’t any other challengers for that spot on Ascension, either. Late album scorcher “Diluvium” starts off as a plodding, downtrodden number, before riffing up a storm towards the song’s latter half, with Mackintosh cutting loose with solo after solo. “Lay a Wreath Upon the World,” one of the few Paradise Lost numbers to feature an acoustic guitar, pulls you in with hypnotic female wailing and pensive atmosphere. “Silence Like the Grave” and “Tyrant’s Serenade” bring the speed up just enough, acting as energizing mood-setters for the album’s front half. And that’s the only qualm I really have with the album; the album feels front-loaded with the faster numbers, with the album’s second half being more moody and slower. There’s not a song on here I would consider to be “filler,” but it’s an observation that stuck around even after the album’s wrapped up.
Paradise Lost have every right to dial it in right now, having cemented themselves as legends of death/doom metal. Thank fuck they didn’t, though, as Ascension has comfortably nestled itself amongst my top five favorite Paradise Lost albums, acting as a strong thread between the unfuckwithable Draconian Times, their underrated dark horse Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us, and their return to the grave in The Plague Within. Who would have thought that, by reaching into their vault of classic albums, they would not only put together something fresh and timeless, but also make a strong case for one of their best ever? Easily a Top Ten contender, and one of the year’s best doom metal albums, bar none.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
#2025 #35 #40 #Ascension #DoomMetal #DraconianTimes #GothicDoom #Metallica #NuclearBlastRecords #Obsidian #ParadiseLost #Review #Reviews #Sep25 #Strigoi #TypeONegative #UKMetal
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Paradise Lost – Ascension Review
By Steel Druhm
As a huge fan of the salad days of the “Peaceville Three,” I felt obliged to follow Paradise Lost’s career throughout the 90s as they shifted from their raw death-doom birth through the refined melancholic doom heard on Icon, the Metallica-adjacent, stadium doom of Draconian Times, and into their Depeche Mode fancier period with Host and Believe in Nothing. That last era was a bridge too far for me, and by the time they made their way back to doom on 2005s eponymous release, I had moved on. I only paid casual attention to their output thereafter until 2020s Obsidian. That one was solid enough to get me tentatively back on board, but I didn’t come into Ascension expecting big things, just a solid late-career outing by a group of seasoned gloom-mongers. Ascension functions as a guided tour through the various eras of the band’s 35 year career, and while that could make for a very disjointed listen given the amount of ground Paradise Lost covered over the decades, it feels like a well-catered reunion of dear olde friends. More importantly, it features some of the most consistently impressive songcraft the band’s mustered in years. Age brings a certain wisdom, but sometimes you just catch lightning in a bottle. I’m not looking to overanalyze which got us here, I’m just enjoying the hearse ride.
It doesn’t hurt that Paradise Lost kick things off with one of the most aggressive and heavy songs they’ve churned out in a long time. “Serpent on the Cross” is a massive, murderous slab of doom that kicks all the crypts and tickles the mortician. It’s got mournful harmonies, weighty doom riffs, and the right amount of despair, yet it still comes hard with burly riffs and knocks you upside the head with a memorable refrain. Nick Holmes sounds born again hard, and Greg Macintosh and Aaron Aedy bring tons of heft and emotion to the string bending. This is my favorite Paradise Lost song since their heyday and I can’t stop spinning it. In fact, as my beloved and perpetually hapless N.Y. Jets got pounded into assdust Sunday, they did so to the haunting leads of this charnel beast. This victory is followed by another in the form of “Tyrants Serenade” which hits at the perfect middle ground between their Draconian Times and One Second eras. It even conjures a bit of Type O Negative magic courtesy of Olde Nick’s baritone crooning. This one is an earworm infection waiting to happen, and you should catch it. “Salvation” is the big, epic doom set piece, and it doesn’t disappoint, plodding and heaving for 7 minutes of morose glory while raising the ghosts of vintage Paradise Lost along the way. It even reminds me of Fvneral Fvkk here and there.
With a front half this massive, it was almost inevitable that things would tail off as Ascension moved along, but Paradise Lost holds the slippage to a minimum. “Silence Like the Grave” and and “Diluvium” bring that Metallica-friendly Draconian Times sound back in force for inspired doom stomp and clompers, and even when they revisit their Depeche Mode as on “Sirens,” they keep things just heavy enough to bull through painlessly. What’s so impressive is that even though the band revisits all the familiar hollowed ground, things feel fresh and new rather than recycled. Somehow Ascension manages to avoid filler and there isn’t a track here I’d call weak, though “Sirens” is merely good. At 51 minutes, the album never feels too long or bogged down, and most songs sit in the 4-5 minute window and move along briskly.
I’m high on Nick Holmes’ performance here. He sounds great and as versatile as ever, ranging from sadboi Goth croons to brutal death croaks and all stops in-between. He really gets nasty at times, even sounding downright funeral doomish at points. He’s also got a great sense of where to put the melodic clean breaks for maximum impact. Greg Macintosh and Aaron Aedy outdo themselves with a high-quality collection of riffs that cover a range of moods and styles. They bring the doom hammer down hard on the maximalist cuts like “Serpent on the Cross” and “Salvation,” but also amplify the moody cuts to keep things pulsing with vitality. The subtly morose harmonies win me over, even on the more hard-charging numbers, and the level of writing remains strong with moments of greatness dotting the runtime.
It’s rare a band as long in the tooth as Paradise Lost uncorks a late career album that can stand among the giants in their catalog, but Ascension is one such slippery aberration. It’s the kind of release your brain tells you shouldn’t be as good as it is, but after a week-plus marinating in it, the quality cannot be denied. I’m happy to see a long-running institution like Paradise Lost get another win and show they still have ichor in their cold veins. Ascension indeed!
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: paradiselost.co.uk | facebook.com/paradiselostofficial | instagram.com/officialparadiselost
Releases Worldwide: September 19th, 2025Grymm
So, question: say you’ve been a band for almost 40 years, and 80% of your line-up has remained completely unchanged, save for the near-Spinal Tapification that’s reserved for whoever happens to find themselves on the drum throne.1 You’ve gone from the slowest of death/doom, to near-Metallica heights of superstardom in your home country, to a severe Depeche Mode-influenced left turn, just to wrap yourselves back around through Gothic doom territory and back home to death-doom in the wildest “Peaceville Three” ouroboros ever. You’re also about to release your seventeenth album. With the exceptions of legendary acts, we’re usually lucky to see bands craft seven albums, let alone seventeen. So what do you do to keep yourselves fresh and motivated? What do you bring to the party that will not only excite your longtime fanbase, but also hopefully bring in some fresh faces to your music?
If you’re Paradise Lost, you simply condense all of your experiences into a singular vision, and write your best collection of songs to date. Ascension lives up to the promise of its name, given how much of this album soars above its peers in both heft and hook. From the opening riff of “Serpent of the Cross” to the fading of the closing guitar solo in “The Precipice,” 51 minutes of doom metal have never flown by so damn fast before, nor would it had the material been written by less experienced hands. Since a good portion of this album is DOOOOOOM (in all caps-locked letters, complete with at least 6 O’s), that’s no easy feat.
And how DOOOOOOM are we talking? Take third track (and album highlight) “Salvation.” Between the foreboding riffs of Gregor Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy, Mackintosh’s mournful melodies, and new/former drummer Guido Zima Montanarini guiding the back-end like a funeral march, “Salvation” could have easily fit in on Strigoi’s last album had it not been for Nick Holmes’ vocal performance, whether it’s in his cavernous growls, his anguished mid-range cleans during the chorus, or even the impressive higher-ranged singing towards the end. “Salvation” presents itself as a masterclass in epic doom/death musicianship and songwriting, and one that’s making a mad run for Song o’ the Year honors come December.
It’s not like there aren’t any other challengers for that spot on Ascension, either. Late album scorcher “Diluvium” starts off as a plodding, downtrodden number, before riffing up a storm towards the song’s latter half, with Mackintosh cutting loose with solo after solo. “Lay a Wreath Upon the World,” one of the few Paradise Lost numbers to feature an acoustic guitar, pulls you in with hypnotic female wailing and pensive atmosphere. “Silence Like the Grave” and “Tyrant’s Serenade” bring the speed up just enough, acting as energizing mood-setters for the album’s front half. And that’s the only qualm I really have with the album; the album feels front-loaded with the faster numbers, with the album’s second half being more moody and slower. There’s not a song on here I would consider to be “filler,” but it’s an observation that stuck around even after the album’s wrapped up.
Paradise Lost have every right to dial it in right now, having cemented themselves as legends of death/doom metal. Thank fuck they didn’t, though, as Ascension has comfortably nestled itself amongst my top five favorite Paradise Lost albums, acting as a strong thread between the unfuckwithable Draconian Times, their underrated dark horse Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us, and their return to the grave in The Plague Within. Who would have thought that, by reaching into their vault of classic albums, they would not only put together something fresh and timeless, but also make a strong case for one of their best ever? Easily a Top Ten contender, and one of the year’s best doom metal albums, bar none.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
#2025 #35 #40 #Ascension #DoomMetal #DraconianTimes #GothicDoom #Metallica #NuclearBlastRecords #Obsidian #ParadiseLost #Review #Reviews #Sep25 #Strigoi #TypeONegative #UKMetal
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Paradise Lost – Ascension Review
By Steel Druhm
As a huge fan of the salad days of the “Peaceville Three,” I felt obliged to follow Paradise Lost’s career throughout the 90s as they shifted from their raw death-doom birth through the refined melancholic doom heard on Icon, the Metallica-adjacent, stadium doom of Draconian Times, and into their Depeche Mode fancier period with Host and Believe in Nothing. That last era was a bridge too far for me, and by the time they made their way back to doom on 2005s eponymous release, I had moved on. I only paid casual attention to their output thereafter until 2020s Obsidian. That one was solid enough to get me tentatively back on board, but I didn’t come into Ascension expecting big things, just a solid late-career outing by a group of seasoned gloom-mongers. Ascension functions as a guided tour through the various eras of the band’s 35 year career, and while that could make for a very disjointed listen given the amount of ground Paradise Lost covered over the decades, it feels like a well-catered reunion of dear olde friends. More importantly, it features some of the most consistently impressive songcraft the band’s mustered in years. Age brings a certain wisdom, but sometimes you just catch lightning in a bottle. I’m not looking to overanalyze which got us here, I’m just enjoying the hearse ride.
It doesn’t hurt that Paradise Lost kick things off with one of the most aggressive and heavy songs they’ve churned out in a long time. “Serpent on the Cross” is a massive, murderous slab of doom that kicks all the crypts and tickles the mortician. It’s got mournful harmonies, weighty doom riffs, and the right amount of despair, yet it still comes hard with burly riffs and knocks you upside the head with a memorable refrain. Nick Holmes sounds born again hard, and Greg Macintosh and Aaron Aedy bring tons of heft and emotion to the string bending. This is my favorite Paradise Lost song since their heyday and I can’t stop spinning it. In fact, as my beloved and perpetually hapless N.Y. Jets got pounded into assdust Sunday, they did so to the haunting leads of this charnel beast. This victory is followed by another in the form of “Tyrants Serenade” which hits at the perfect middle ground between their Draconian Times and One Second eras. It even conjures a bit of Type O Negative magic courtesy of Olde Nick’s baritone crooning. This one is an earworm infection waiting to happen, and you should catch it. “Salvation” is the big, epic doom set piece, and it doesn’t disappoint, plodding and heaving for 7 minutes of morose glory while raising the ghosts of vintage Paradise Lost along the way. It even reminds me of Fvneral Fvkk here and there.
With a front half this massive, it was almost inevitable that things would tail off as Ascension moved along, but Paradise Lost holds the slippage to a minimum. “Silence Like the Grave” and and “Diluvium” bring that Metallica-friendly Draconian Times sound back in force for inspired doom stomp and clompers, and even when they revisit their Depeche Mode as on “Sirens,” they keep things just heavy enough to bull through painlessly. What’s so impressive is that even though the band revisits all the familiar hollowed ground, things feel fresh and new rather than recycled. Somehow Ascension manages to avoid filler and there isn’t a track here I’d call weak, though “Sirens” is merely good. At 51 minutes, the album never feels too long or bogged down, and most songs sit in the 4-5 minute window and move along briskly.
I’m high on Nick Holmes’ performance here. He sounds great and as versatile as ever, ranging from sadboi Goth croons to brutal death croaks and all stops in-between. He really gets nasty at times, even sounding downright funeral doomish at points. He’s also got a great sense of where to put the melodic clean breaks for maximum impact. Greg Macintosh and Aaron Aedy outdo themselves with a high-quality collection of riffs that cover a range of moods and styles. They bring the doom hammer down hard on the maximalist cuts like “Serpent on the Cross” and “Salvation,” but also amplify the moody cuts to keep things pulsing with vitality. The subtly morose harmonies win me over, even on the more hard-charging numbers, and the level of writing remains strong with moments of greatness dotting the runtime.
It’s rare a band as long in the tooth as Paradise Lost uncorks a late career album that can stand among the giants in their catalog, but Ascension is one such slippery aberration. It’s the kind of release your brain tells you shouldn’t be as good as it is, but after a week-plus marinating in it, the quality cannot be denied. I’m happy to see a long-running institution like Paradise Lost get another win and show they still have ichor in their cold veins. Ascension indeed!
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: paradiselost.co.uk | facebook.com/paradiselostofficial | instagram.com/officialparadiselost
Releases Worldwide: September 19th, 2025Grymm
So, question: say you’ve been a band for almost 40 years, and 80% of your line-up has remained completely unchanged, save for the near-Spinal Tapification that’s reserved for whoever happens to find themselves on the drum throne.1 You’ve gone from the slowest of death/doom, to near-Metallica heights of superstardom in your home country, to a severe Depeche Mode-influenced left turn, just to wrap yourselves back around through Gothic doom territory and back home to death-doom in the wildest “Peaceville Three” ouroboros ever. You’re also about to release your seventeenth album. With the exceptions of legendary acts, we’re usually lucky to see bands craft seven albums, let alone seventeen. So what do you do to keep yourselves fresh and motivated? What do you bring to the party that will not only excite your longtime fanbase, but also hopefully bring in some fresh faces to your music?
If you’re Paradise Lost, you simply condense all of your experiences into a singular vision, and write your best collection of songs to date. Ascension lives up to the promise of its name, given how much of this album soars above its peers in both heft and hook. From the opening riff of “Serpent of the Cross” to the fading of the closing guitar solo in “The Precipice,” 51 minutes of doom metal have never flown by so damn fast before, nor would it had the material been written by less experienced hands. Since a good portion of this album is DOOOOOOM (in all caps-locked letters, complete with at least 6 O’s), that’s no easy feat.
And how DOOOOOOM are we talking? Take third track (and album highlight) “Salvation.” Between the foreboding riffs of Gregor Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy, Mackintosh’s mournful melodies, and new/former drummer Guido Zima Montanarini guiding the back-end like a funeral march, “Salvation” could have easily fit in on Strigoi’s last album had it not been for Nick Holmes’ vocal performance, whether it’s in his cavernous growls, his anguished mid-range cleans during the chorus, or even the impressive higher-ranged singing towards the end. “Salvation” presents itself as a masterclass in epic doom/death musicianship and songwriting, and one that’s making a mad run for Song o’ the Year honors come December.
It’s not like there aren’t any other challengers for that spot on Ascension, either. Late album scorcher “Diluvium” starts off as a plodding, downtrodden number, before riffing up a storm towards the song’s latter half, with Mackintosh cutting loose with solo after solo. “Lay a Wreath Upon the World,” one of the few Paradise Lost numbers to feature an acoustic guitar, pulls you in with hypnotic female wailing and pensive atmosphere. “Silence Like the Grave” and “Tyrant’s Serenade” bring the speed up just enough, acting as energizing mood-setters for the album’s front half. And that’s the only qualm I really have with the album; the album feels front-loaded with the faster numbers, with the album’s second half being more moody and slower. There’s not a song on here I would consider to be “filler,” but it’s an observation that stuck around even after the album’s wrapped up.
Paradise Lost have every right to dial it in right now, having cemented themselves as legends of death/doom metal. Thank fuck they didn’t, though, as Ascension has comfortably nestled itself amongst my top five favorite Paradise Lost albums, acting as a strong thread between the unfuckwithable Draconian Times, their underrated dark horse Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us, and their return to the grave in The Plague Within. Who would have thought that, by reaching into their vault of classic albums, they would not only put together something fresh and timeless, but also make a strong case for one of their best ever? Easily a Top Ten contender, and one of the year’s best doom metal albums, bar none.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
#2025 #35 #40 #Ascension #DoomMetal #DraconianTimes #GothicDoom #Metallica #NuclearBlastRecords #Obsidian #ParadiseLost #Review #Reviews #Sep25 #Strigoi #TypeONegative #UKMetal
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Paradise Lost – Ascension Review
By Steel Druhm
As a huge fan of the salad days of the “Peaceville Three,” I felt obliged to follow Paradise Lost’s career throughout the 90s as they shifted from their raw death-doom birth through the refined melancholic doom heard on Icon, the Metallica-adjacent, stadium doom of Draconian Times, and into their Depeche Mode fancier period with Host and Believe in Nothing. That last era was a bridge too far for me, and by the time they made their way back to doom on 2005s eponymous release, I had moved on. I only paid casual attention to their output thereafter until 2020s Obsidian. That one was solid enough to get me tentatively back on board, but I didn’t come into Ascension expecting big things, just a solid late-career outing by a group of seasoned gloom-mongers. Ascension functions as a guided tour through the various eras of the band’s 35 year career, and while that could make for a very disjointed listen given the amount of ground Paradise Lost covered over the decades, it feels like a well-catered reunion of dear olde friends. More importantly, it features some of the most consistently impressive songcraft the band’s mustered in years. Age brings a certain wisdom, but sometimes you just catch lightning in a bottle. I’m not looking to overanalyze which got us here, I’m just enjoying the hearse ride.
It doesn’t hurt that Paradise Lost kick things off with one of the most aggressive and heavy songs they’ve churned out in a long time. “Serpent on the Cross” is a massive, murderous slab of doom that kicks all the crypts and tickles the mortician. It’s got mournful harmonies, weighty doom riffs, and the right amount of despair, yet it still comes hard with burly riffs and knocks you upside the head with a memorable refrain. Nick Holmes sounds born again hard, and Greg Macintosh and Aaron Aedy bring tons of heft and emotion to the string bending. This is my favorite Paradise Lost song since their heyday and I can’t stop spinning it. In fact, as my beloved and perpetually hapless N.Y. Jets got pounded into assdust Sunday, they did so to the haunting leads of this charnel beast. This victory is followed by another in the form of “Tyrants Serenade” which hits at the perfect middle ground between their Draconian Times and One Second eras. It even conjures a bit of Type O Negative magic courtesy of Olde Nick’s baritone crooning. This one is an earworm infection waiting to happen, and you should catch it. “Salvation” is the big, epic doom set piece, and it doesn’t disappoint, plodding and heaving for 7 minutes of morose glory while raising the ghosts of vintage Paradise Lost along the way. It even reminds me of Fvneral Fvkk here and there.
With a front half this massive, it was almost inevitable that things would tail off as Ascension moved along, but Paradise Lost holds the slippage to a minimum. “Silence Like the Grave” and and “Diluvium” bring that Metallica-friendly Draconian Times sound back in force for inspired doom stomp and clompers, and even when they revisit their Depeche Mode as on “Sirens,” they keep things just heavy enough to bull through painlessly. What’s so impressive is that even though the band revisits all the familiar hollowed ground, things feel fresh and new rather than recycled. Somehow Ascension manages to avoid filler and there isn’t a track here I’d call weak, though “Sirens” is merely good. At 51 minutes, the album never feels too long or bogged down, and most songs sit in the 4-5 minute window and move along briskly.
I’m high on Nick Holmes’ performance here. He sounds great and as versatile as ever, ranging from sadboi Goth croons to brutal death croaks and all stops in-between. He really gets nasty at times, even sounding downright funeral doomish at points. He’s also got a great sense of where to put the melodic clean breaks for maximum impact. Greg Macintosh and Aaron Aedy outdo themselves with a high-quality collection of riffs that cover a range of moods and styles. They bring the doom hammer down hard on the maximalist cuts like “Serpent on the Cross” and “Salvation,” but also amplify the moody cuts to keep things pulsing with vitality. The subtly morose harmonies win me over, even on the more hard-charging numbers, and the level of writing remains strong with moments of greatness dotting the runtime.
It’s rare a band as long in the tooth as Paradise Lost uncorks a late career album that can stand among the giants in their catalog, but Ascension is one such slippery aberration. It’s the kind of release your brain tells you shouldn’t be as good as it is, but after a week-plus marinating in it, the quality cannot be denied. I’m happy to see a long-running institution like Paradise Lost get another win and show they still have ichor in their cold veins. Ascension indeed!
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: paradiselost.co.uk | facebook.com/paradiselostofficial | instagram.com/officialparadiselost
Releases Worldwide: September 19th, 2025Grymm
So, question: say you’ve been a band for almost 40 years, and 80% of your line-up has remained completely unchanged, save for the near-Spinal Tapification that’s reserved for whoever happens to find themselves on the drum throne.1 You’ve gone from the slowest of death/doom, to near-Metallica heights of superstardom in your home country, to a severe Depeche Mode-influenced left turn, just to wrap yourselves back around through Gothic doom territory and back home to death-doom in the wildest “Peaceville Three” ouroboros ever. You’re also about to release your seventeenth album. With the exceptions of legendary acts, we’re usually lucky to see bands craft seven albums, let alone seventeen. So what do you do to keep yourselves fresh and motivated? What do you bring to the party that will not only excite your longtime fanbase, but also hopefully bring in some fresh faces to your music?
If you’re Paradise Lost, you simply condense all of your experiences into a singular vision, and write your best collection of songs to date. Ascension lives up to the promise of its name, given how much of this album soars above its peers in both heft and hook. From the opening riff of “Serpent of the Cross” to the fading of the closing guitar solo in “The Precipice,” 51 minutes of doom metal have never flown by so damn fast before, nor would it had the material been written by less experienced hands. Since a good portion of this album is DOOOOOOM (in all caps-locked letters, complete with at least 6 O’s), that’s no easy feat.
And how DOOOOOOM are we talking? Take third track (and album highlight) “Salvation.” Between the foreboding riffs of Gregor Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy, Mackintosh’s mournful melodies, and new/former drummer Guido Zima Montanarini guiding the back-end like a funeral march, “Salvation” could have easily fit in on Strigoi’s last album had it not been for Nick Holmes’ vocal performance, whether it’s in his cavernous growls, his anguished mid-range cleans during the chorus, or even the impressive higher-ranged singing towards the end. “Salvation” presents itself as a masterclass in epic doom/death musicianship and songwriting, and one that’s making a mad run for Song o’ the Year honors come December.
It’s not like there aren’t any other challengers for that spot on Ascension, either. Late album scorcher “Diluvium” starts off as a plodding, downtrodden number, before riffing up a storm towards the song’s latter half, with Mackintosh cutting loose with solo after solo. “Lay a Wreath Upon the World,” one of the few Paradise Lost numbers to feature an acoustic guitar, pulls you in with hypnotic female wailing and pensive atmosphere. “Silence Like the Grave” and “Tyrant’s Serenade” bring the speed up just enough, acting as energizing mood-setters for the album’s front half. And that’s the only qualm I really have with the album; the album feels front-loaded with the faster numbers, with the album’s second half being more moody and slower. There’s not a song on here I would consider to be “filler,” but it’s an observation that stuck around even after the album’s wrapped up.
Paradise Lost have every right to dial it in right now, having cemented themselves as legends of death/doom metal. Thank fuck they didn’t, though, as Ascension has comfortably nestled itself amongst my top five favorite Paradise Lost albums, acting as a strong thread between the unfuckwithable Draconian Times, their underrated dark horse Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us, and their return to the grave in The Plague Within. Who would have thought that, by reaching into their vault of classic albums, they would not only put together something fresh and timeless, but also make a strong case for one of their best ever? Easily a Top Ten contender, and one of the year’s best doom metal albums, bar none.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
#2025 #35 #40 #Ascension #DoomMetal #DraconianTimes #GothicDoom #Metallica #NuclearBlastRecords #Obsidian #ParadiseLost #Review #Reviews #Sep25 #Strigoi #TypeONegative #UKMetal
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Liatris pycnostachya (also called Prairie Blazing Star, Prairie Gayfeather, Prairie Liatris, Kansas Blazing Star, Kansas Gayfeather, Kansas Liatris, Cat-tail Blazing Star, Cat-tail Gayfeather, Cat-tail Liatris, Hairy Button-snakeroot) wildflower blooming in Norman, Oklahoma, US on June 23, 2025
Some camera settings I used are at: https://www.rsok.com/~jrm/2025Jun30_birds_and_cats/2025jun23_wildflower_IMG_3922.html
Also at: https://1-john-moyer.pixels.com/featured/wildflower-3922-john-moyer.html
#wildflowers #nativeplants #Liatris #blazingstar #naturephotography #Oklahoma #photography #bloomscrolling
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White-Nosed Saki Chiropotes albinasus
White-Nosed Saki Chiropotes albinasus
Red List status: Vulnerable
Locations: Brazil
Curious, social and beautiful White-Nosed Sakis are striking and unusual looking #primates. This vulnerable primate is instantly recognisable by their long, silky black fur, reddish-pink noses, and distinctive hair tufts crowning their heads. The white-Nosed Saki’s range spans the shaded forests south-west of the Dos Marmelos river, where they are vulnerable from human-related threats including #palmoil, #soy and #meat #deforestation, #goldmining and human persecution. They deserve us to fight for their survival. Help them every time you shop and be #Vegan #BoycottPalmOil and #Boycott4Wildlife
Curious, social and beautiful White-Nosed Sakis 🐒🐵🙈 are vulnerable #monkeys in #Brazil 🇧🇷 from #soy #meat #palmoil 🌴🩸 #deforestation and #mining 🚜🔥 Protect them every time you shop, be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2023/02/19/white-nosed-saki-chiropotes-albinasus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterWhite-Nosed Sakis have striking tufts of hair on their noses and long silky tails 🙉🩷🤎 They are vulnerable in #Amazonia #Brazil from #soy #meat #palmoil #deforestation. Use your wallet and protect them! Be #vegan 🍉🍎 #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife https://palmoildetectives.com/2023/02/19/white-nosed-saki-chiropotes-albinasus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterWhite Nosed Sakis have a range throughout the south-east and south-central regions of the Amazon Rainforest which extends into the country of Brazil. Their range overlaps with the Uta Hicks bearded saki throughout the southern Amazon which means that they compete for food with this other species, leading to a lack of food availability. They have also been recorded in the area south-west of the Dos Marmelos river in Brazil.
Appearance & Behaviour
Distinctive White Nosed-Sakis have tufts of long hair on their heads and beards, along with a long silky tail. Despite their namesake, they don’t have a white nose. All over they have black silky fur and a reddish pink nose. Females and males look similar, although females have a shorter and thinner tufts and beards.
Young White-Nosed Sakis use their tails to swing through to the jungle canopy. As adults, these tails become non-prehensile and are only used for balance. Their teeth are canine in appearance and are able to bite through the tough shells of fruits and seeds.
Males weigh around 2.5 to 3kg and females weighing slightly less than this, averaging about 2.5kg. They range between 35-45 cm in body length. Their sleek bodies and long tails for balance and support make them agile and fast moving climbers and leapers in the Amazonian jungle.
White-Nosed Sakis are most active and socialise throughout the day. Groups of around 20-30 individuals congregate together for sleeping and food gathering but then separate for other activities.
They generally communicate using sound and have higher pitched alarm calls during times of getting each others attention to warn of danger. Lower pitched sounds are reserved for more relaxed periods of eating and socialising. They have been recorded to wag their tails as ways of communication. Other methods of communication remain under-investigated.
Threats
The main threats identified for the White Nosed Saki are deforestation, forest fragmentation through logging, cattle ranching, agriculture, rural settlements, subsistence hunting, improvement of road infrastructure and the construction of hydroelectric dams.
IUCN RED LIST
Threats include:
- Environmental destruction and deforestation for agriculture: beef, soy and palm oil.
- Infrustructure development including hydroelectric dams and gold mining.
- Human persecution and hunting. Their tails are used for cleaning dusters.
It is estimated that up to 30% of their range is threatened from agriculture.
Habitat
The White-Nosed Saki competes with other Chiropotes #monkeys over dwindling food sources. These elusive primates prefer to live in forests with little or no human disturbance and are able to organise in groups to forage for food. They are relatively flexible in terms of habitat preference, which will depend upon food availability. They prefer to live in the shaded comfort of upper forest canopies which provide shade, nutrients and protection from predators. This is where they are most observed spending their daily lives.
Diet
These monkeys are not fussy and have been known to consume 100’s of different plants in Brazilian Amazonia. In general, they are foraging frugivores and their diet consists of seeds, fruit, bark, insects, leaves and flowers. The majority of their diet consists of seeds and fruit, with insects being eaten around 10% of the time. Fruit is preferred in its unripened and immature state as a major source of protein and fibre.
Mating and breeding
The mating and reproduction of the White Nosed Saki is an under-researched area. Observations show them to be seasonal breeders who give birth during spring and autumn. The gestation period has been studied and occurs over a period of five months. Studies indicate that only one infant is born each year to a mother, this is followed by a period of close maternal care and observation. More research is needed to reveal more detail.
Support White Nosed Sakis by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife
Support the conservation of this species
This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.
Further Information
Pinto, L.P., Buss, G., Veiga, L.M., de Melo, F.R., Mittermeier, R.A., Boubli, J.P. & Wallace, R.B. 2021. Chiropotes albinasus (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T4685A191702783. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T4685A191702783.en. Accessed on 31 October 2022.
White Nosed Saki, Animalia.bio
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Say thanks on Ko-Fi#Amazonia #animals #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #dams #deforestation #ForgottenAnimals #goldMining #goldmining #hunting #infrastructure #Mammal #meat #mining #monkey #monkeys #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #poaching #primates #roads #SeedDispersers #seeddispersal #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #soy #vegan #VulnerableSpecies #WhiteNosedSakiChiropotesAlbinasus
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Varied White-fronted Capuchin Cebus versicolor
Varied White-fronted Capuchin Cebus versicolor
IUCN Status: Endangered
Locations: Colombia, primarily in the Magdalena Valley and Serranía de San Lucas.
The Varied White-Fronted Capuchin Cebus versicolor is an intelligent, tenacious and resourceful small primate endemic to the forests of Colombia. With their pale white faces, reddish-gold coats, they are both striking in appearance and crucial to their ecosystems. These capuchins play an essential role in seed dispersal, ensuring the health and regeneration of their forest homes.
Tragically, their populations are declining due to deforestation, hunting, and the illegal wildlife trade. Protecting these forests is critical to their survival. Support indigenous-led conservation, adopt a vegan lifestyle and #BoycottPalmOil and #Boycott4Wildlife to take meaningful action for these incredible primates.
Tenacious and resourceful Varied White-fronted Capuchins 🐵🐒 of #Colombia 🇨🇴 are #endangered due to #meat 🥩 and #palmoil #deforestation, hunting and the pet trade ☠️. Help them survive, be #vegan 🥦 #BoycottPalmOil 🌴⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/06/19/varied-white-fronted-capuchin-cebus-versicolor/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterVaried White-fronted #Capuchins are great mums, the whole troop of #monkeys also teach infants 🩷🐒🌳 Yet their great parenting doesn’t stop #palmoil and #meat expansion in #Colombia 🇨🇴 #BoycottMeat be #vegan #BoycottPalmOil ☠️🥩🌴🪔⛔️☠️ #Boycott4Wildlife https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/06/19/varied-white-fronted-capuchin-cebus-versicolor/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterMost of the natural ecosystems within its historical distribution area have been transformed and less than 20% of its habitat remains in the lowland forests and wetlands of the Magdalena River basin (Link et al. 2013). Pet trade, human-animal conflict due to crop foraging and subsistence hunting also pose imminent threats to wild populations of varied white-fronted capuchin monkeys.
IUCN RED LISTAppearance and Behaviour
The Varied White-Fronted Capuchin is a small, agile primate, weighing between 2 and 4 kg, with a body length of 30–45 cm. Their reddish-gold coat contrasts beautifully with their pale white face, chest, and a dark crown atop their head. Their prehensile tail, often matching their body length, allows them to navigate their forested habitat with grace and precision.
These social primates live in groups of 10–30 individuals, led by a dominant alpha male member and multiple males and multiple females of varying ages. They are territorial and actively defend their territories against neighbouring troops.
They communicate using a combination of vocalisations, facial expressions, and gestures. Known for their intelligence, these capuchins have been observed using tools to access food and solve problems, showcasing their adaptability and resourcefulness.
Threats
The main threats to this capuchin are agriculture, urban sprawl, deforestation, increasing energy matrix, increasing road matrix habitat fragmentation, habitat reduction, hunting, harvesting and extensive areas of monoculture eucalyptus and pine.The Varied White-fronted Capuchin is highly threatened in the middle Magdalena region in Colombia partly due to the pervasive habitat loss to large scale cattle ranching, palm oil agro-industries and mining.
IUCN red listHabitat loss for palm oil and meat agriculture
Deforestation poses the greatest threat to the Varied White-Fronted Capuchin. Over 95% of the original forest in Colombia’s Magdalena Valley has been destroyed, largely due to cattle ranching, palm oil plantations, and monoculture agriculture (IUCN, 2021). The loss of forest cover leaves capuchins with limited resources and isolates populations, reducing their ability to survive and reproduce.
Mining and Oil Extraction
Illegal gold mining and oil exploration are degrading capuchin habitats at an alarming rate. These activities clear vast areas of forest and pollute rivers with mercury and other toxins, destroying essential food and water sources. Roads built to support mining operations bring increased human activity into previously untouched areas, amplifying threats to these primates (Link et al., 2021).
Illegal Hunting
The Varied White-Fronted Capuchin is frequently targeted by hunters, primarily for bushmeat. In many regions of Colombia, subsistence hunting is driven by local communities’ reliance on wildlife for food. However, the scale of hunting has increased with growing human populations and access to previously remote areas through deforestation and mining-related infrastructure (Link et al., 2022). Hunting adult capuchins disrupts the species’ tightly bonded social groups, as these primates depend on cooperation for survival. The loss of key individuals, particularly group leaders or mothers, has severe consequences for their population stability.
The Illegal Wildlife and Pet Trade
The illegal pet trade poses an equally devastating threat to the Varied White-Fronted Capuchin. Infants are captured and the mothers killed. Infants are sold as exotic pets internationally, often via criminal networks and alongside illicit drugs and other criminal activities.
Diet
The Varied White-Fronted Capuchin is a tenacious and highly adaptable forager with a highly varied diet, feeding on fruits, seeds, insects, small vertebrates, and bird eggs. They regularly use tools to extract and manipulate food sources. This adaptability allows them to survive in different habitats and seasons. They are vital to their ecosystems, acting as seed dispersers that promote forest regeneration. However, deforestation reduces access to fruiting trees and other food sources, making survival increasingly challenging for this species.
Reproduction and Mating
These capuchins live in complex social groups where cooperation plays a key role in raising young. Females typically give birth to a single infant after a gestation period of about 160 days. Mothers are the primary caregivers, but other group members often assist with caring for infants, a behaviour known as alloparenting. This social structure is vital to the group’s cohesion and the survival of offspring. However, hunting and habitat destruction disrupt these dynamics, making population recovery more difficult.
Geographic Range
The Varied White-Fronted Capuchin is found exclusively in Colombia, with populations concentrated in the Magdalena Valley and Serranía de San Lucas. Historically, their range extended across vast lowland and montane forests. Today, extensive deforestation and human activity have confined them to fragmented forest patches, leaving them vulnerable to extinction.
FAQ
When was the Varied White-Fronted Capuchin identified as a separate species?
The Varied White-Fronted Capuchin was identified as a distinct species in 2012 following genetic analysis. Significant differences in mitochondrial DNA separated them from the White-Fronted Capuchin (Cebus albifrons), underscoring their unique ecological role and conservation needs.
What are the threats to the Varied White-Fronted Capuchin?
The Varied White-Fronted Capuchin is threatened by habitat los, hunting, and the illegal pet trade. Deforestation for agriculture, palm oil plantations, and cattle ranching has destroyed most of their habitat. Hunting for bushmeat and capturing infants for the pet trade further endanger their populations.
What is the Varied White-Fronted Capuchin’s conservation status?
The Varied White-Fronted Capuchin is listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This classification reflects their high risk of extinction due to habitat destruction and population fragmentation.
What is the Varied White-Fronted Capuchin’s physical appearance?
The Varied White-Fronted Capuchin has a reddish-gold coat, a light chest, and a dark crown on their head. Their expressive brown eyes and flattened nose enhance their distinct appearance. Their prehensile tail, matching their body length, is critical for navigating their arboreal habitat.
Where does the Varied White-Fronted Capuchin live?
The Varied White-Fronted Capuchin lives in Colombia, primarily in the Río Magdalena Valley and Serranía de San Lucas. They inhabit lowland moist forests and palm swamps, but habitat destruction has confined them to fragmented patches, making their survival increasingly precarious.
Take Action!
Help protect the Varied White-Fronted Capuchin by supporting indigenous-led conservation initiatives. Boycott products linked to deforestation, such as palm oil, and consider adopting a #vegan lifestyle to reduce habitat destruction. Your choices can make a difference — #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.
You can support this beautiful animal
There are no known conservation activities for this animal. Share out this post to social media and join the #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife on social media to raise awareness
Further Information
Donate to help orphaned capuchins that are rescued from traffickers. At Merazonia Wildlife Sanctuary
Link, A., Boubli, J.P. & Lynch Alfaro, J.W. 2021. Cebus versicolor. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T39952A81282279. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T39952A81282279.en. Downloaded on 06 June 2021.
De Aquino, I., González-Santoyo, I., Link, A., & Muñoz-Delgado, J. (2022). An exploratory study of cooperation: Food-sharing behaviour in wild varied white-fronted capuchin monkeys (Cebus versicolor) in Central Colombia. Behaviour, 159(13-14), 1285–1300. https://doi.org/10.1163/1568539X-bja10180
Link, A., et al. (2022). Primate diversity and population status in the Serranía de San Lucas, Colombia: A priority area for primate conservation in northern South America. Primate Conservation, 36, 63–73. Retrieved from http://www.primate-sg.org/storage/pdf/PC36_Link_et_al_Serrania_de_San_Lucas.pdf.
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Varied White-Fronted Capuchin. In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varied_white-fronted_capuchin
World Land Trust. (n.d.). Varied White-Fronted Capuchin. Retrieved from https://www.worldlandtrust.org/species/mammals/varied-white-fronted-capuchin/.
Varied White-fronted Capuchin Cebus versicolor
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1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
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Read moreMel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Read moreAnthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Read moreHealth Physician Dr Evan Allen
Read moreThe World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
Read moreHow do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
Read more3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #capuchin #Capuchins #Colombia #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #foraging #ForgottenAnimals #hunting #meat #monkey #monkeys #palmoil #pollination #pollinator #Primate #primates #SeedDispersers #South #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #timber #VariedWhiteFrontedCapuchinCebusVersicolor #vegan -
Pygmy Hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis
Pygmy Hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis
IUCN Status: Endangered
Location: The Pygmy Hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) is found in the dense forests, swamps, and riverbanks of West Africa, primarily in Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. They rely on the remaining fragments of lowland rainforest, particularly near freshwater sources, where they navigate through dense undergrowth using well-worn trails.
In the dwindling rainforests of West Africa, a rare and secretive #hippo clings to survival. The Pygmy #Hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) is a shy, nocturnal #mammal dwelling in rivers, distinct from its larger, more familiar relative, the Common Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). Long before chubby #MooDeng 🦛💔 the baby pygmy hippo chonk became a social media sensation, the forest habitat of the beautiful pygmy #Hippo 🦛of #Guinea #Liberia 🇱🇷 #Africa was being razed for #palmoil, #cocoa and other crops. Unlike their river-dwelling cousins, Pygmy Hippos are primarily solitary, roaming through dense tropical forests in search of food. Their populations have been devastated by relentless deforestation, hunting, and habitat fragmentation, leaving them teetering on the brink of extinction. They now endangered. Such beautiful creatures deserve to be saved! There are now fewer than 2,500 individuals remaining in the wild. Fight back and #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop!
The forest habitat of the beautiful pygmy #Hippo 🦛of #Guinea #Liberia 🇱🇷 #Africa is being razed for #palmoil and other crops. They now endangered. Such a beautiful creature deserves to be saved! Fight back and #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife https://wp.me/pcFhgU-Qp
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterLong before chubby #MooDeng 🦛💔 the baby pygmy #hippo chonk became an #socialmedia sensation, #Liberia’s #forests were being pulped for #palmoil #cocoa and #tobacco #agriculture 😡 Help her and 1000s of others to survive! Be #Vegan and #Boycott4Wildlife https://wp.me/pcFhgU-Qp
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterShare to Twitter and BlueSky!
If chubby and cute pygmy #hippo 🦛named #MooDeng could talk, she’d tell us all to stop staring at her online and instead to take action to save her home! Sign the #petition, be #Vegan and🍓🌱 #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife 🌴🪔🚫 @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-97b
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterSign petition
Sign PetitionAppearance and Behaviour
The Pygmy Hippopotamus is rarely seen because of their secretive, nocturnal habits and consequently not much is known of their ecology. This diminutive hippopotamus mainly inhabits lowland primary and secondary forests, close to rivers, streams and Raphia palm tree swamps sometimes being found along gallery forests extending into Transitional Woodland and the southern Guinea savanna.
Pygmy Hippos are significantly smaller than Common Hippos, standing only 70–80 cm tall at the shoulder and weighing between 180–270 kg (Saidu et al., 2022). Their compact bodies are adapted for navigating dense forests rather than open waterways. They possess smooth, hairless skin that secretes a natural mucus, acting as a protective barrier against dehydration and infection. This secretion has an unusual reddish tint, earning it the nickname “blood sweat,” though it has no connection to actual blood.
Unlike their gregarious relatives, Pygmy Hippos are solitary or found in pairs, with mothers keeping their calves hidden in secluded pools for extended periods. They are highly elusive and primarily active during twilight and nighttime hours. Camera traps in Liberia and Sierra Leone have shown that they move cautiously through forested wetlands, following well-worn trails that they mark with dung, a behaviour similar to that of their larger relatives.
Large areas of the original forest habitat, especially in Côte d’Ivoire, have been destroyed or degraded by commercial plantations of oil palm and other products, shifting cultivation, mining and logging, and hunting for bushmeat is increasing throughout the range (Mallon et al. 2011, FFI and FDA 2013).
IUCN Red List
Ecosystem Role
Pygmy Hippos play a crucial role in maintaining the health of forest ecosystems. By foraging on vegetation and dispersing seeds, they contribute to forest regeneration and seed dispersal. Their movements create pathways through dense undergrowth, benefiting other species by increasing habitat accessibility. However, their shrinking populations threaten these ecological functions, highlighting the importance of conservation efforts.
Predators
Few natural predators pose a significant threat to adult Pygmy Hippos, though young individuals are vulnerable to Leopards Panthera pardus, African Rock Pythons (Python sebae), and Nile Crocodiles Crocodylus niloticus. Camera trap evidence has also captured predation by African Golden Cats Caracal aurata and African Civet in some regions. However, human activity remains their greatest existential threat.
Threats
The Pygmy Hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis is facing a severe population decline due to habitat destruction, hunting, and increasing human pressures. Their remaining forested habitats are rapidly disappearing, leaving isolated populations vulnerable to extinction.
1. Deforestation and Habitat Loss
West Africa’s rainforests have been devastated by large-scale deforestation, with over 90% of the Upper Guinea Forest already lost. Shifting agriculture is the primary driver, with forests cleared at an accelerating rate to make way for crops and livestock. Expanding commercial plantations, particularly oil palm, rubber, and coffee, continue to erode remaining habitat. Mining operations, road construction, and infrastructure development have further fragmented the landscape, even encroaching into protected areas like Taï and Sapo National Parks. As human settlements expand, Pygmy Hippos are forced into smaller and more fragmented patches of forest, increasing their vulnerability.
2. Hunting and the Bushmeat Trade
Pygmy Hippos are increasingly being hunted, both opportunistically and for commercial sale. While not traditionally a primary target, they are killed for bushmeat in rural areas where alternative protein sources are scarce. Reports indicate that in some regions, commercial bushmeat markets have placed additional pressure on their populations. Their skulls, bones, and other body parts are sometimes used in traditional African medicine and spiritual practices. Additionally, free-ranging domestic dogs are known to attack and kill Pygmy Hippos, particularly young or weakened individuals.
3. Habitat Fragmentation and Isolation
The destruction of forest corridors has left Pygmy Hippo populations increasingly isolated, reducing genetic diversity and increasing the risk of local extinction. As forested areas continue to shrink, the lack of connectivity between populations means that even those in protected areas face long-term viability challenges. Habitat fragmentation also makes Pygmy Hippos more vulnerable to hunting, as roads and human settlements provide easier access to once-remote areas.
4. Competition with Humans and Livestock
With human populations in their range doubling every 20–30 years, there is ever-increasing pressure on natural resources. Domestic cattle increasingly compete with Pygmy Hippos for access to water sources, particularly during dry seasons. In many areas, pastoralists illegally graze their livestock inside national parks and reserves, further degrading critical Pygmy Hippo habitat. This competition not only depletes available resources but also increases human-wildlife conflict, often leading to retaliatory killings of Pygmy Hippos.
5. Climate Change and Environmental Pressures
Rising temperatures and prolonged dry seasons are altering the Pygmy Hippo’s habitat, reducing wetland areas essential for their survival. Changes in vegetation due to shifting rainfall patterns may further limit the availability of preferred food sources, forcing Pygmy Hippos to travel greater distances in search of sustenance. As forests become drier, wildfires pose an additional threat, accelerating habitat destruction and making remaining populations even more vulnerable.
Diet
Pygmy Hippos are herbivorous, feeding primarily on forest vegetation. They consume ferns, tender roots, leaves, and fruit from various trees and plants. Research from Tiwai Island, Sierra Leone, identified key food sources, including sweet potato leaves (Ipomoea batatas), cacao (Theobroma cacao), okra (Hibiscus esculentus), and creeping vines such as Geophila obvallata. Unlike Common Hippos, they are less dependent on aquatic vegetation and do not graze extensively on grasses.
Reproduction and Mating
Little is known about the reproductive behaviour of Pygmy Hippos in the wild. Captive studies indicate that they reach sexual maturity at around 4–5 years, with a gestation period of approximately 188 days (Lang, 1975; Tobler, 1991). Females typically give birth to a single calf, weighing between 4.5–6.2 kg. Unlike Common Hippos, Pygmy Hippos give birth on land, and calves are left hidden in secluded pools while their mothers forage (Galat-Luong, 1981).
Geographic Range
Historically, Pygmy Hippos ranged widely across West Africa, but their distribution has dramatically contracted. Today, they are found in fragmented populations in Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, primarily within protected areas such as Taï National Park and Sapo National Park (Ransom, Robinson & Collen, 2015). They prefer lowland tropical forests near rivers and swamps, where dense vegetation provides cover.
FAQs
1. How many Pygmy Hippopotamuses are left in the wild?
The exact population size of the Pygmy Hippopotamus is unknown due to their elusive nature and dense forest habitat, but estimates suggest fewer than 2,500 individuals remain in the wild. Their numbers are rapidly declining due to habitat loss, hunting, and human encroachment.
2. Why are Pygmy Hippos endangered?
Pygmy Hippos are endangered primarily due to deforestation, which has destroyed over 90% of the Upper Guinea Forest, their primary habitat. Additional threats include hunting for bushmeat, competition with livestock for water, and climate change, which is altering their wetland habitats.
3. How do Pygmy Hippos differ from Common Hippos?
Unlike their larger relatives, Pygmy Hippos are more terrestrial, reclusive, and nocturnal. They are about half the size of Common Hippos, lack the same level of aggression, and are adapted to life in dense forests rather than open rivers and lakes.
4. What do Pygmy Hippos eat?
Pygmy Hippos are herbivores, feeding on a variety of plants, ferns, fruits, and aquatic vegetation. Their diet consists of tender roots, leaves, fallen fruit, and occasionally cultivated crops like sweet potatoes, okra, and cassava.
5. Do Pygmy Hippos live in groups?
No, Pygmy Hippos are mostly solitary animals. They only come together for mating or when a mother is raising her calf. Unlike Common Hippos, they do not form large social groups.
6. Where can you find Pygmy Hippos?
They are found in the forests and swamps of West Africa, specifically in Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. Small, scattered populations may exist in protected areas like Taï National Park and Sapo National Park.
7. How do Pygmy Hippos mark their territory?
Pygmy Hippos use a unique method of territory marking by vigorously wagging their tail while defecating. This spreads their dung across trails and vegetation, signaling their presence to other individuals.
8. How long do Pygmy Hippos live?
In the wild, their lifespan is estimated to be around 30 years, while in captivity, they can live up to 40 years due to the absence of predators and consistent food availability.
9. Do Pygmy Hippos have predators?
Adult Pygmy Hippos have few natural predators due to their size, but young individuals are vulnerable to leopards, nile crocodiles, and African rock pythons. However, their greatest threat comes from human activities, including illegal poaching and habitat destruction.
10. Can Pygmy Hippos swim?
Yes, Pygmy Hippos are excellent swimmers and rely on water for hydration, temperature regulation, and protection from predators. However, they spend more time on land than Common Hippos and are well adapted to moving through dense forests.
11. Do Pygmy Hippos make sounds?
Pygmy Hippos communicate using a variety of sounds, including grunts, bellows, and squeaks. These vocalisations are used for warning others, mating calls, and communication between mothers and calves.
12. Are Pygmy Hippos aggressive?
Pygmy Hippos are not as aggressive as Common Hippos, but they are highly territorial and can be defensive if threatened. Their reclusive nature makes human encounters rare.
13. Are Pygmy Hippos good parents?
Yes, female Pygmy Hippos are very protective of their young. They hide their calves in dense vegetation or secluded pools while they forage, returning regularly to nurse them.
14. How do Pygmy Hippos reproduce?
Pygmy Hippos reach sexual maturity at around 3–5 years old. They have a gestation period of about six months, typically giving birth to a single calf. Twins are very rare.
15. How can we help save Pygmy Hippos?
The best way to help protect Pygmy Hippos is by supporting conservation efforts that focus on preserving their remaining rainforest habitat. Avoiding products linked to deforestation, such as palm oil, and supporting organisations working to stop illegal hunting and deforestation are crucial. Always choose products that are 100% palm oil-free to avoid contributing to biodiversity loss.
Take Action
The survival of Pygmy Hippos depends on urgent conservation action. Their habitat continues to vanish due to deforestation, mining, and agriculture. Individuals and organisations can help by:
• Boycotting palm oil to reduce habitat destruction.
• Supporting wildlife conservation efforts in West Africa, particularly initiatives that focus on habitat restoration and anti-poaching measures.
• Advocating for stronger enforcement of hunting bans and protection of remaining forest areas.
• Educating local communities on the importance of conserving Pygmy Hippos and providing alternative livelihoods to reduce hunting pressure.
Always choose products that are 100% palm oil-free to avoid contributing to deforestation and biodiversity loss.
Support the conservation of this species
Further Information
Avedik, A., & Clauss, M. (2023). Chewing, dentition and tooth wear in Hippopotamidae (Hippopotamus amphibius and Choeropsis liberiensis). PLOS ONE, 18(10), e0291825. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291825
Eltringham, S. K. (1999). The Hippos: Natural History and Conservation. Academic Press. https://books.google.com.au/books/about/The_Hippos.html
Erazo-Mera, E., Younes, N., Horwood, P. F., Paris, D., Paris, M., & Murray, N. (2023). Forest loss during 2000–2019 in pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) habitats was driven by shifting agriculture. Environmental Conservation, 51(1), 55-63. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892923000310
Ransom, C, Robinson, P.T. & Collen, B. 2015. Choeropsis liberiensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T10032A18567171. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T10032A18567171.en. Downloaded on 15 February 2021
Saidu, J. B., Adewumi, A. A., Lameed, G. A., & Udo, A. J. (2022). Food preference of pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) in the Tiwai Island edge communities, South-Eastern Sierra Leone. Environtropica, 17, 014-026. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/386552939
Pygmy Hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 3,526 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Africa #Agriculture #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #cocoa #CoteDIvoire #EndangeredSpecies #forests #Guinea #hippo #hippopotamus #IvoryCoast #Liberia #Mammal #MooDeng #palmoil #petition #pollination #pollinator #PygmyHippopotamusChoeropsisLiberiensis #SeedDispersers #SierraLeone #socialmedia #tobacco #vegan #WestAfrica
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Meet Zagrea Afxbis.
Six generations ago, a young Tiefling named Urxikas Afxbis was playing dice in a loud bar and caught another player cheating. He called it out. There was a scuffle. The scuffle became a brawl. The brawl became a full-room catastrophe -- everyone involved, furniture flying, chaos wall to wall.
Everyone except the Green Hag sitting alone in the far corner.
Urxikas got thrown across the room and landed near her. Scrambling up, he stepped on her pack. Something inside shattered. She screamed. The whole bar went quiet.
She walked up to him slowly. Got close. And in a voice barely above a whisper, she told him exactly what she thought of him and every red-blooded, tail-dragging devilspawn that would come after him. Then she blew a handful of sand in his eyes and walked out.
That was six Afxbisses ago. The curse has been passed down faithfully through every generation. Uncontrollable magic. Skin that changes color every time a spell fires -- bright green after poison, bright red after fire, eight colors counted so far, possibly more to come. The Afxbis line has learned, generation to generation, how to ride the magic, how to keep it from swallowing them whole. The skin, they never figured out.
Somehow, Zagrea is a happy guy. Charismatic, warm, a little prone to exaggeration when he's telling stories. He finds joy in most things. Most people like him immediately.
But spend enough time with him and you'll see it -- something behind the eyes. Something that doesn't quite rest. He keeps moving because standing still was never really an option. He wasn't welcome most places, growing up. So he kept walking, kept adventuring, and somewhere along the way started looking for something that resembles peace.
He hasn't found it yet. His powers are getting stronger by the day.
---
Zagrea Afxbis is a tall Tiefling Sorcerer with almost no muscle to speak of, wearing colorful striped overalls and a cape long enough to wrap himself in -- both striped vertically in white, red, vermillion, orange, amber, yellow, chartreuse, green, teal, blue, violet, purple, magenta, and black. He attacks from range and relies on his arcane knowledge when his spells don't cooperate. He can will his bare hands to strike like a club, dagger, or handaxe, and can summon a vibrant shield of light from his own arms when pressed. He is a lifelong adventurer, a walking folk legend, and arguably the most colorful person in the room -- sometimes literally.
#iTA #isThisAnything #DnD #TTRPG #Homebrew #CharacterIntro #Sorcerer #Tiefling
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Meet Zagrea Afxbis.
Six generations ago, a young Tiefling named Urxikas Afxbis was playing dice in a loud bar and caught another player cheating. He called it out. There was a scuffle. The scuffle became a brawl. The brawl became a full-room catastrophe -- everyone involved, furniture flying, chaos wall to wall.
Everyone except the Green Hag sitting alone in the far corner.
Urxikas got thrown across the room and landed near her. Scrambling up, he stepped on her pack. Something inside shattered. She screamed. The whole bar went quiet.
She walked up to him slowly. Got close. And in a voice barely above a whisper, she told him exactly what she thought of him and every red-blooded, tail-dragging devilspawn that would come after him. Then she blew a handful of sand in his eyes and walked out.
That was six Afxbisses ago. The curse has been passed down faithfully through every generation. Uncontrollable magic. Skin that changes color every time a spell fires -- bright green after poison, bright red after fire, eight colors counted so far, possibly more to come. The Afxbis line has learned, generation to generation, how to ride the magic, how to keep it from swallowing them whole. The skin, they never figured out.
Somehow, Zagrea is a happy guy. Charismatic, warm, a little prone to exaggeration when he's telling stories. He finds joy in most things. Most people like him immediately.
But spend enough time with him and you'll see it -- something behind the eyes. Something that doesn't quite rest. He keeps moving because standing still was never really an option. He wasn't welcome most places, growing up. So he kept walking, kept adventuring, and somewhere along the way started looking for something that resembles peace.
He hasn't found it yet. His powers are getting stronger by the day.
---
Zagrea Afxbis is a tall Tiefling Sorcerer with almost no muscle to speak of, wearing colorful striped overalls and a cape long enough to wrap himself in -- both striped vertically in white, red, vermillion, orange, amber, yellow, chartreuse, green, teal, blue, violet, purple, magenta, and black. He attacks from range and relies on his arcane knowledge when his spells don't cooperate. He can will his bare hands to strike like a club, dagger, or handaxe, and can summon a vibrant shield of light from his own arms when pressed. He is a lifelong adventurer, a walking folk legend, and arguably the most colorful person in the room -- sometimes literally.
#iTA #isThisAnything #DnD #TTRPG #Homebrew #CharacterIntro #Sorcerer #Tiefling
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USAF EC-130H COMPASS CALL 73-1586 of the 55th Electronic Combat Group on final for Pt. Mugu, during Grey Flag, September 2025 Unclear if this tail was damaged in the Iran war #GreyFlag #photography #aircraft #CompassCall #EC130H #aircraft #nasptmugu #Nikon #Z9 #avgeek #photography #cvvhrn #DM
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USAF EC-130H COMPASS CALL 73-1586 of the 55th Electronic Combat Group on final for Pt. Mugu, during Grey Flag, September 2025 Unclear if this tail was damaged in the Iran war #GreyFlag #photography #aircraft #CompassCall #EC130H #aircraft #nasptmugu #Nikon #Z9 #avgeek #photography #cvvhrn #DM
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USAF EC-130H COMPASS CALL 73-1586 of the 55th Electronic Combat Group on final for Pt. Mugu, during Grey Flag, September 2025 Unclear if this tail was damaged in the Iran war #GreyFlag #photography #aircraft #CompassCall #EC130H #aircraft #nasptmugu #Nikon #Z9 #avgeek #photography #cvvhrn #DM
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USAF EC-130H COMPASS CALL 73-1586 of the 55th Electronic Combat Group on final for Pt. Mugu, during Grey Flag, September 2025 Unclear if this tail was damaged in the Iran war #GreyFlag #photography #aircraft #CompassCall #EC130H #aircraft #nasptmugu #Nikon #Z9 #avgeek #photography #cvvhrn #DM
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The Beast of Bray Road: The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin’s Werewolf
Linda Godfrey
2003, Prairie Oak Press
177 pp.and
2015, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management
214 pp.The Michigan Dogman: Werewolves and Other Unknown Canines Across the U.S.A.
Linda Godfrey
2010, Unexplained Research Publishing Company
216 ppLinda Godfrey began her involvement with recording and researching accounts of canid humanoids at the tail end of 1991. The more she looked into the phenomenon, the more stories came forth about upright-walking werewolf-like beings in Wisconsin, Michigan, and adjacent states. Godfrey, a journalist and artist, took the dogman from an obscure legend to one of most popular cryptids in North America. Its renown is impressive and continues to grow. This is, in no small part, due to Linda’s ability to write in an engaging style and to speak in an honest, good-natured, Midwestern “nice” tone that resulted in her becoming a beloved figure in cryptozoology. Linda passed away in 2022, but she was the author or co-author of 18 books, including several specific to canid humanoids. The two listed here, along with Hunting the American Werewolf: Beast Men in Wisconsin and Beyond, 2006 and Real Wolfmen: True Encounters in Modern America, 2012, established this particular cryptid-creature as the primary bipedal creature reported behind Bigfoot. Concerning the dogman vs Sasquatch, things get… hairy.
Godfrey’s volumes are primarily accounts collected by or told directly to her. She almost always takes the stories at face value but will often dig farther into the history of the place or other stated details. Her research took her down the crooked and complex paths of contemporary and historic local legends, folklore, and pop culture content. She was diligent to note the many and various side trips she took during her exploration. This includes a considerable number of topics including evolution & genetics, native wildlife & their diseases, extinct animals, skinwalkers, shapeshifters, indigenous lore, spirit guardians, portals and window areas, interdimensional travel, out-of-time events, werewolf tropes (full moon, silver bullets, etc), occult and religious beliefs, wild men, medical conditions, phantom black dogs, anomalous big cats, hoaxes, phantom kangaroos, ley lines, ghosts, ancient Egypt, sacred sites, and more. It’s a lot. This subject area, in general, is what you might call “a dog’s breakfast.“
In an attempt to frame the potential answers to the “dogman” mystery, Godfrey tried to turn over every stone. Though it’s clear she followed every lead she could, checking books, newspapers and more, the depth of the exploration into the literature is ultimately shallow. Godfrey uses popular paranormal or questionable Fortean sources, even encyclopedias, to follow up with facts. The foundation of the canid humanoid phenomenon is a convoluted and contentious mess of fact and fiction. The answer will not be found in any book. It’s extremely difficult to sort out what idea originated where, and if the source was a real account, a tall tale, or entirely made up by horror story tellers.
Godfrey is trusting, and she tried very hard to lend a credible framing to the very strange body of dogman anecdotes. However, we can’t ever tell how truly reliable any of the information is – some of the tales are clearly exaggerated, as the level of detail reported is hardly possible under the conditions described. Many of the tales are recounted from decades ago. There is zero evidence that these terrifying creatures exist but it still feels like they could. However, there is some evidence that people have misrepresented wolves, bears, deer, or dogs.
By remaining open to hearing more reports and advertising this openness via media, ever more accounts came to Linda. She entertained supernatural explanations because the stories were so weird and so voluminous; it all was too much for her to consider dismissing them. While she speculated that there may be a population of wolves or dogs that have grown larger than normal and learned how to walk bipedally, she was aware that this was a stretch. The supernatural slide became more appealing when natural explanations didn’t add up. Much was eventually made of the creatures’ association with burial mounds, cemeteries, and crossroads along with their extraordinary behaviors and abilities. Today, the reputation of the dogman cryptids is one of unnatural evil, danger, and violence, far more than that of Bigfoot.
Linda Godfrey’s work is well worth reading and remains the best source of the dogman/canid hominoid cryptid nonfiction. Her work was a springboard to the myriad persons, podcasts, and media content that celebrates, exaggerates, and propagates tales of the modern day werewolves.
https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/2024/08/25/godfreys-dogman-beast-volumes/
#BeastOfBrayRoad #canidHominoids #cryptids #dogman #dogmen #Folklore #folkloreCreatures #LindaGodfrey #werewolf #werewolves
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Hey, it's another one of these things where I reread a comic that I read years ago and write my stream-of-consciousness thoughts!
*Speak of the Devil: Wake the Dead* by @[email protected] is an urban fantasy detective mystery webcomic that ran from 2018-2021. I read it as it originally released, but I have not reread it since then. Today, I start my full reread, and I will be writing my thoughts as I go. As always, this reread will contain SPOILERS!
Lunsford's previous comic, Supernormal Step (2008-2018) is one of my all-time favorites. I really love Fiona and the rest of the cast. When Speak of the Devil started, my expectations were sky high, but I also had no idea what to expect in terms of characters.
Chapter 1: Have a Nice Trip
We start with a cover page for the whole series, showing our protagonist, Sunday Blackburne, a humanoid with a black tail and devilish horns. She's half-basilisk and half-devil. The cover for the ebook (which is what I'm reading) is based on the first page of the online comic, but it's been enhanced.
We start the story proper in media res, with a cloaked figure pushing someone out a high window onto a busy street. Sunday is talking to a fey-like creature about someone she's about to fight. I don't remember if this guy shows up later of if he's just here to help establish Sunday. She's interrupted by a phone call from Kiera, who reminds Sunday that she has a blind date! Kiera reminds Sunday that Sunday broke up with her ex over a year ago. I don't remember anything about Sunday's ex, including whether or not we ever see her. Kiera uses the power of a cute cat! I love the sign on the outside of Kiera's place.
On the bus, Sunday hears something to distract her from her date: two people talking about Jack's Lantern, as mentioned on the chapter cover. Ah, irony. And a billboard ad specifically aimed at whisps. Now we meet Mina. They hit it off talking about their mixed ancestries, and then bam: Mina asks about Lena, Sunday's mom, and the temperature in the room drops a lot. Lena is a cop, Sunday is a private detective. They don't get along.
And now our client Salvador interrupts, insisting Sunday help find a "dear dear friend." I don't recall every detail of the plot of this comic, but I remember being very suspicious of Salvador my first time through. We're looking for a whisp named Curtis Becket, oh, and he's not really Salvador's friend: he's an employee under-the-table. Sunday lives in an abandoned diner. And she's just as suspicious of Salvador as I am.
So the invitation to Jack's Lantern is a puzzle telling you the current location. Sid and Dex help, and they have a book on the history of whisp communities. Sweet friendships. Now Sunday arrives at Jack's Lanturn. As the only non-whisp present, she quickly attracts the owner's attention. Curtis was friends with band guitarist Isla Quinn. Dang, that girl looks a fair bit like Fiona if she was a whisp. I love the exchange of dialogue between these too:Isla: You're not a cop, are you?
Sunday gets Curtis' address, but his home (if it's even his real address) is abandoned. A green person has been dead here for awhile: they look like the cloaked figure from the opening scene. Same species or actually the same person? I like Sunday's inner monologue: uh oh, she has to call mom. Now two thugs enter looking for someone: are they looking for Curtis? Sunday goes badass fighting them...end of chapter!
Sunday: I try my best not to be-
So, overall thoughts for the first chapter. First, the plot moves really fast: much faster than SNS or Nix of Nothing. I love all the little details of worldbuilding about wisp culture, and the generally cosmopolitan nature of the setting. It's also clear from the little details that the author had planned out exactly where the plot was going.
But my biggest observation is a repeat of what I said about Supernormal Step: The author is really good at getting me to like their characters. I love Sunday right off the bat and I want to read more about her. Now, I am going to pull up what I said in my Supernormal Step reread and see how that comparesMy general thoughts on the first two chapter are that right from the beginning, Lunsford was really good at creating characters that I want to read about. Fiona, Van, Jim, Kite, and the Hendersons are all characters I immediately want to know more about.
That's from my SNS reread, June 2020, about the first two chapters. Five years and one comic later, my opinion remains the same.
Come back tomorrow for Chapter 2: Watch Your Step.
#Webcomics #SpeakOfTheDevil -
Tyme’s and Killjoy’s Top Ten(ish) of 2025 By Steel Druhm
Tyme
I’ve spent much of my 2025 thinking about privilege. Not in the sense that the media has conditioned me, or us, to think about it, but in a way that I’ve employed to shift some of the mundane aspects of life onto their respective heads. For instance, it’s a privilege to look in my closet and have to decide what to wear each day. It’s a privilege to look in my kitchen pantry to figure out what I’ll eat for breakfast or, better yet, which coffee cup I’ll drink from. I could go on, but there’s a word limit to these intros. Suffice to say, I really tried to dwell on my blessings rather than my challenges this year.
And despite the blessings of my professional life, which bestowed upon me the incredible privilege of being really fucking busy for the last “whatever” number of months, I’ve been equally, yet much less facetiously, blessed in my personal endeavors as well. For, in addition to having a bountiful roof over my head, a vehicle to get me back and forth to my extremely privileged job, a dog I can honestly say I will have NO idea how to say goodbye to if I don’t go first, and a wife that, despite the ups and downs of a normal, healthy marriage, continues to love me, I have the distinct privilege of contributing my trve opinions on all things musically heavy, or adjacently heavy, here on the best heavy metal blog in the world! And now comes the part where I give thanks.
Thank you, first and foremost, to everyone who reads this blog every day. Without you, none of this would be worth doing. At least for me, who read, lurked, and commented for years before working up the courage to actually apply for this subservient existence. Thank you to this newest crop of freshly demoted n00bs and to my list mate Killjoy and the rest of the Freezer Freaks Crew—Alekhines Gun, Owlswald, and Clarkkent1—who, through perseverance and a buttload of patience, managed to survive nearly two years on ice to land in the crosshairs of the commentariat’s adverse, and always wrong, opinions.2,3 Thanks as well, to ALL the senior staff who are way nicer than they’d have you believe,4 except Grier, who’s even nicer than everyone else. And finally, the editors, the man himself, Dr. AMG, for seeing enough in me to bring me over, and Steel, who runs the tightest, most compassionate ship I’ve ever had the privilege of sailing on. Thanks, boss!
Now! To the LIST!!!
#ish. Antinoë // The Fold – When I snagged this late-year gem back in November, I had no idea it would have me shuffling my list. With a little more time, I’m sure it would have moved up the ladder, but as it stands, Antinoë grabbed my (ish) spot easily. With little to no instrumentation beyond her piano, Teresa Marraco crafted something so beautiful in its basic-ness that I was entranced. Her delicate melodies evoke vibes that are as much Darkher or Tori Amos5 as they are Emperor or Dimmu Borgir, and I am definitely here for it.
#10. King Witch // III – In a year when Messa released a new album as well, the fact that King Witch is sitting on my year-end proper list and not Sara Bianchin and company speaks volumes about the job Laura Donnelly, Jamie Gilchrist, and Rory Lee did on III. Whether crooning over wispy acoustics or belting out doomily powerful tones over rock-heavy riffs, Donnelly is the star of the show, and her performance had me swooning. From the minute I first heard “Suffer in Life” with its swing-heavy riffs and killer vocals, I was happy to take King Witch’s III for a spin over and over, and it’s been part of my regular rotation since summer.
#9. Imperishable // Revelation in Purity – As the year wore on, I became increasingly sure that I may have underrated Imperishable’s Revelation in Purity. In fact, I found myself returning to it several times, forgoing subsequent spins of albums I’d rated higher. With their Nile and Olkoth pedigree, Imperishable’s expert blend of blackened death metal hit an overtly swirling sweet spot for me. The songwriting on Revelation in Purity, while not groundbreaking, is expertly executed, rendering its quality undeniable. And when you toss in those very Alice in Chains-like grunge passages, akin to a cherry on top, it was easy for me to put Revelation in Purity on my year-end list.
#8. Mutagenic Host // The Diseased Machine – Mutagenic Host’s The Diseased Machine was the first album I successfully coveted and secured from the sump pit alllll the way back in January of this year. As a freshly demoted staff member at the time, I was overly excited at the opportunity to take it on, and the album surely didn’t disappoint. Mutagenic Host does death metal the way I like it: low-brow, Neanderthalic, and brutally chuggy. It’s a tenuous thing to run across something you deem so good so early in the year, but The Diseased Machine has definitely stood the test of Tyme and proved worth every point of the quarter-pounder I placed on it.
#7. Igorrr // Amen – My fancy with Igorrr has always been somewhat of a passing one. I was nowhere near the listener who would’ve been part of the band’s early target audience (Mousissure, Nostril). Still, I found more common ground with 2017’s Savage Sinusoid and even more with 2020’s Spirituality and Distortion. But when those first electronic beats of Amen’s opening track, “Daemoni,” poured out of my speakers for the first time, I was completely plugged in to Igorrr’s chaotically beautiful brand of metal madness. Amen’s surprisingly accessible break-cored, trip-hopped blackened death ‘baroque’ it’s big boot off in my ass, and I’ve been relishing and wallowing in its avant-garde pain ever since.
#6. Cave Sermon // Fragile Wings – Cave Sermon’s Divine Laughter was something I’d definitely missed out on in 2024. When Thus Spoke covered Cave Sermon’s rapid follow-up, Fragile Wings, in April, however, I vowed I wouldn’t sleep on Charlie Park’s solo black metal project this time around. And I’m certainly glad I didn’t. Words like ‘wistful,’ ‘exuberant,’ and ‘playful’ were tossed about in Thus’s excellent write-up and really homed in on what made listening to Fragile Wings such a connective experience for me. Imbued as Fragile Wings is with upbeat sadness, Cave Sermon proved that I can get on board with post metal, and to be honest, any metal that sounds this good is worth the time spent. And seriously, what is that cover?!6
#5. Crippling Alcoholism // Camgirl – Inspired by a subreddit I’m glad I never stumbled across, Crippling Alcoholism’s provocative moniker steels those who’d approach the band’s output with a certain sense of visceral anticipation before hearing even one note. My love for the disturbingly creepy With Love from a Padded Room led me to the pink, candy-wrapped murderpop of Camgirl with nary a moment’s hesitation. I gladly signed on to plumb the depths of weirdness I knew would exist, but could not have anticipated the absolute fathomless darkness lurking within Camgirl’s saccharine sweetness, especially as revealed with subsequent spins. A disturbing diatribe on hopelessness, disappointment, loneliness, and sex in the digital age, Camgirl wraps its message in a deceivingly poppy form of electronica that, when all is said and done, will have you wondering what the fuck just happened. I love it.
#4. Dax Riggs // 7 Songs for Spiders – Dax Riggs may be one of the more underrated artists of the last thirty years, and while I know I’m not the only one who rejoiced in the recent resurgence and subsequent touring schedule of one of the ’90s best sludge acts, Acid Bath, I also realized a new album will probably never materialize, at least not under that moniker. Instead, the universe graced us with 7 Songs for Spiders, Dax’s first solo effort in nearly 15 years. Filled with simplistically haunting melodies sung in Riggs’s inimitable style, 7 Songs for Spiders strummed every one of my fuzzed-out, laid-back heart strings and has remained consistently satisfying since its January release.
#3. Maud the Moth // The Distaff – I stumbled across Maud the Moth in 2023 while exploring the ever-expanding milieu of performers associated with my favorite artist Darkher. Searching Amaya López-Carromoero’s back catalog, I dove into 2015’s The Inner Wastelands and 2020’s Orphnē, emerging a fan of Maud the Moth’s quirky neo-classical piano-led operatics. When The Distaff popped up in the sump, I was glad to see Dolphin Whisperer snag it, knowing his words would do the album eloquent justice. Soaring in scope and execution, Maud the Moth proffers her most complex yet beautiful release to date. Filled with classically executed vocal acrobatics and massive amounts of intricate instrumentation, The Distaff is less a thing just to be listened to, as it is a thing to be wholly experienced. As immersive a piece of music as I’ve heard all year.
#2. Structure // Heritage – M-A-S-S-I-V-E is the word that best describes Structure’s Heritage, which is to say it’s big, sad, and “heavy as fook!”7 Every time I threw this beast on, and the album opener began crawling forth, it conjured the same cinematic image in my mind’s eye. A lone, bloodied warrior, fists clenched, head bowed, wind-swept and rain-soaked hair hanging down, muscles taut and twitching in furious sadness, standing in a field full of his fallen brethren as a lightning-laced deluge washed the blood of dead soldiers into the hungry ground. Then, slowly, he casts his gaze skyward, anguished tears streaming, contemplating his sole survivor existence, and screaming at the thunder-filled heavens “Will I deserve to live on?” Every time, that’s what I see when I listen to “Will I Deserve It,” and every time I break out in goose bumps with a lumpy throat and welling eyes. Heritage came as close to being my number one as to make the two offerings at the top of my 2025 list nearly interchangeable.
#1. Dormant Ordeal // Tooth and Nail – I know I underrated Dormant Ordeal’s fourth album, Tooth and Nail, for, despite giving it the 4.0 treatment, the sheer excellence of this record has only improved over time. April was THE month for me this year, yielding my two favorite metal releases and leaving Poland’s metal map deeply staked with a big, black-and-gold Dormant Ordeal flag. In true, warrior-like fashion, Maciej Nieścioruk and Maciej Proficz soldiered on without sole founding member Radek Kowal, which opened the door for Chase Westmoreland to waltz in and give my favorite drum performance of the year. From the brutally effective “Halo of Bones” to the excellent, Dylan Thomas-inspired “Against the Dying of the Light,” there wasn’t an album I returned to more this year than Tooth and Nail, its visceral riffs and razor-sharp edges leaving long-lasting scars. But in a good way, you know? It’s with profound pleasure that I dutifully crown Dormant Ordeal’s Tooth and Nail my album of the year.
Honorable Mentions
- Cryptopsy // An Insatiable Violence – This thing is an ass kicker. Full of satisfying death metal brutality and, like it or not, my favorite since the classic None So Vile.
- Pissgrave // Malignant Worthlessness – Thirty-one minutes of absolutely insane death metal that will melt your ears into maggot-infested pus. Soooooo good.
- Messa // The Spin – It’s Messa, fool! ‘Nuff said. There was no way I was getting out of 2025’s Listurnalia without mentioning the new album from one of my favorite doom bands.
- Depravity // Bestial Possession – This thing blew my socks off and, had I gotten more time to spend with it, might have threatened to rattle the cage of my list order for sure. Death metal done right.
- Diabolizer // Murderous Revelations – I had been in a death metal drought when I picked up Murderous Revelations; its traditional, no-frills approach hitting me hard. This one came so close to listing for me, I could smell its charred, crispy, burnt ends.
- Lipoma // No Cure for the Sick – Gurgly gore vocals over a circus parade of melodic death metal riffs. What’s not to like? I had tons of fun with this thing.
- Puteraeon // Mountains of Madness – Puteraeon was a band that had never been on my radar. Mountains of Madness’s mature aesthetic, great storyline, and engagingly crafted melodicism took me entirely by surprise.
Song o’ the Year:
‘Twas a mother-fookin’ toss up between my top 2 albums. I flipped a coin, so close was the race. (Heads) Structure // (Tails) Dormant Ordeal.
WINNER(?):
Structure – “Will I Deserve It” – Satisfyingly goose-bumpy!8
Killjoy
The fact that I’m writing this list feels nothing short of surreal. When I became a regular reader of this blog in 2019, I had a strong interest in metal but a knowledge of only a handful of its subgenres. I did not expect to make it this far when I auditioned, but somehow I became a member of the Freezer Crew. Although we were initially forced to huddle together for warmth to survive the n00b trials, as time went on, I developed a deep respect for all of my Crewmates. Their camaraderie and encouragement were great motivation for me to keep writing this year, even when it was tough. We were even allowed to organize a special edition Rodeö! I’m so proud to associate with them.
On a more somber note, I was sad to see many of the longtime writers who helped me fall in love with this site slip into the abyss we sometimes call “non-suspicious sabbatical.” While I will miss reading their eloquent words, their legacy and contributions will always influence and inspire me.
And now for some thank yous. I’m grateful to AMG Himself for creating the site and allowing me to run rampant with my questionable opinions. A gorilla-sized thanks to Steel Druhm for keeping day-to-day operations running and being the kindest, cruelest taskmaster I could hope for. Thank you to my list mate, Tyme, for making my musical tastes seem better by association. Finally, I’d like to publicly thank my wife for being so supportive of my new hobby.
I’m excited for what awaits in 2026 (which hopefully includes more power metal than I managed to review in 2025)!
#ish. Kauan // Wayhome – Kauan has demonstrated time and again that their ability to compose evocative soundscapes is unmatched in the post-rock sphere. Wayhome draws a little bit from different eras in Kauan’s fruitful career to form a richer, warmer experience. Each individual instrument—acoustic and electric guitars, strings, voice—is a crucial brush stroke in a breathtaking panorama. This is some of the most enchanting music I’ve ever heard.
#10. Anfauglir // Akallabêth – When I first grabbed Akallabêth for review, I was blissfully unaware of the 72-minute runtime (but probably should have had an inkling). After spending some time with it, I became blissfully aware of how awesome it is. Based on the chapter of Tolkien’s The Silmarillion chronicling the 3,000-year rise and fall of the island of Númenor, Akallabêth is as epic in sound as it is in scope. Mrs. Killjoy was more interested in the concept than the music, but it still made for some fun conversations. While the long runtime makes it a bit harder to revisit than the other entries on this list, this is my idea of a great symphonic black metal album.
#9. In Mourning // The Immortal – Progressive death metal comes in all shapes and sizes, and I tend to be drawn to the more emotive flavors. When Disillusion released Ayam a few years ago, it took me a while to understand the hype. In a similar manner, it took longer than it probably should have for me to appreciate The Immortal. I don’t know why this was, but in both cases I’m glad I stuck with them. In Mourning’s signature combination of earnest melodies and energetic riffs is now embedded in my mind and heart.
#8. Asira // As Ink in Water – Due to journalistic circumstances that I won’t discuss with fans, I was fortunate enough to obtain this promo earlier than I normally would have. Good thing, too, because As Ink in Water turned out to be a grower for me. The vocals proved much less popular in the comments than I anticipated, but they are the biggest reason why this record resonates with me. The buttery-smooth guitar and bass lines are another big factor. The fact that As Ink in Water was released during the tail end of 2025 might mean it appears on fewer top ten lists, but it should not be missed.
#7. Judicator // Concord – I don’t have a long history with Judicator. I am part of the seemingly small minority that prefers the post-Cordisco era, although I admit that I need to spend more time with their earlier work. Concord sees Judicator returning to their heavy/power metal roots after an experimental foray into progressive territory (which I also loved!). Other than brief saxophone and fiddle segments, there aren’t any fancy frills this time, only lots of guitar hooks and infectious choruses. And, in this case, that’s more than enough to make me happy.
#6. Valhalore // Beyond the Stars – I don’t normally see the point in quibbling about scores, however, I feel that Beyond the Stars was soundly underrated. It’s a distillation of everything I love about peak Eluveitie and Æther Realm. The folk instrumentation blends perfectly with the fast-paced melodic death metal elements. The interludes cleverly foreshadow and ease the listener into the subsequent songs. I also love the tender vocal performance by Anna Murphy towards the end. Beyond the Stars is a fun and emotional journey from start to finish.
#5. Gloombound // Dreaming Delusion – I’m always down to sample funeral doom, but it takes a very special kind to keep me coming back. Gloombound expertly walks the difficult balance between atmospheric and stimulating music. The overall sound is that of a soul trying to escape imprisonment, whether physical, emotional, or mental. Dreaming Delusion makes me feel different emotions every time I listen, but chief among them is a crushing awe.
#4. Phantom Spell // Heather & Hearth – I love uplifting, feel-good metal (this should not come as a surprise by now). So, it was almost inevitable that I would love the nostalgic keyboards and guitar solos of Heather & Hearth. But, for some reason, it took AMG’s landmark blog post about the evils of Spotify for me to really pay attention to Phantom Spell. I’m grateful I did, because I might have missed out on one of the most addictive pieces of progressive rock I’ve ever heard.
#3. Halocraft // The Sky Will Remember – Halocraft quickly became one of my favorite bands since I discovered them early this year. Their purposeful yet dreamy brand of post-rock is practically custom-made for me. This year, they expanded their creative limits by writing two very different records. I’m partial to The Sky Will Remember, but don’t miss out on its companion, To Leave a Single Wolf Alive, for a gloomier vibe. Their prior albums are really good too, and I listen to them just as often.
#2. An Abstract Illusion // The Sleeping City – “If not 4.5, then why 4.5 shaped?”, one of you rabble-rousers quipped about my review of The Sleeping City. The truth is, the more time I spend with it, the more I wonder if maybe I did underrate it. I’ve somehow grown to love The Sleeping City even more in the months since I awarded it a 4.0. Sure, the production leaves much to be desired, but there aren’t any other notable qualities that I would consider faults. It won’t appeal to the exact same audience as the legendary Woe, but I have plenty of room in my heart for both (and likely whatever An Abstract Illusion devises next). It was such an honor to write about this wondrous record.
#1. Black Narcissus // There Lingers One Who’s Long Forgotten – When I plucked There Lingers One Who’s Long Forgotten from the promo pit, I was a little skeptical about music made with only bass and drums. It turns out, though, that this minimalist approach—along with excellent songwriting, of course—was the key to unlocking a new realm of possibility within the post-rock genre. The bass blooms unfettered in this distraction-free biome, and the drum tone is crisp and refreshing. The two instruments intertwine to engender a spirit of companionship and exploration. There Lingers One Who’s Long Forgotten will always have a special place in my heart, and I am grateful to Black Narcissus for sharing this gift.
Honorable Mentions:
- Crimson Shadows // Whispers of War – As a parent of two children under age five, I am not often in the mood to be overstimulated by the media I consume. However, Whispers of War is so fun that I have to make an exception. The addition of melodic death metal feels like such a natural progression to the signature DragonForce style that conquered my naive teenage heart circa Guitar Hero III.
- Wyatt E. // Zamāru Ultu Qereb Ziqquratu Part 1 – My very first score safety violation! After spending more time with it, I can understand how some might see this as incomplete or underdeveloped, though I’m willing to give Wyatt E. the benefit of the doubt while I wait for Part 2.
- Bergfried // Romantik III – I’m a sucker for a good rock opera. Romantik III is undeniably rough around the edges, but not in a way that rubs off any of its charm. To the contrary, in my opinion.
- Moron Police // Pachinko – Talk about a late-year list disruptor! Pachinko is a wild and addictive whirlwind of prog/pop rock that I know for a fact I’ll still be spinning next year.
- Braia // Vertentes de lá e cá – Vibrant folk rock with a huge array of instruments and musical influences. This didn’t get nearly as much attention as it deserves.
- Aganoor // Doomerism – Okay, maaaaybe I overrated this by half a point. But it’s still really solid psychedelic stoner doom with catchy riffs and lush instrumental breaks.
- Ancient Bards // Artifex – Am I only including this one for sentimental reasons? Probably. But it does contain some of my favorite songs of the year (“My Prima Nox,” “Soulbound Symphony,” “My Blood and Blade”) that I still revisit regularly.
Song o’ the Year:
Judicator – “Concord”
#2025 #Aganoor #AnAbstractIllusion #AncientBards #Anfauglir #Antino #Antinoë #Asira #Bergfried #BlackNarcissus #BlogPosts #Braia #CaveSermon #CrimsonShadows #CripplingAlcoholism #Cryptopsy #DaxRiggs #Depravity #Diabolizer #DormantOrdeal #Gloombound #Halocraft #Igorrr #Imperishable #InMourning #Judicator #Kauan #KingWitch #Lipoma #Lists #Listurnalia #MaudTheMoth #Messa #MoronPolice #MutagenicHost #PhantomSpell #Pissgrave #Puteraeon #Structure #TymeSAndKilljoySTop10IshOf2025 #Valhalore #WyattE -
Northern Tiger Cat (Oncilla) Leopardus tigrinus
Northern Tiger Cat (Oncilla) Leopardus tigrinus
Vulnerable
Extant: Bolivia; Brazil; Colombia; Costa Rica; Ecuador; French Guiana; Guyana; Panama; Peru; Suriname; Venezuela.
Presence Uncertain: Nicaragua
The northern tiger cat, also known as the oncilla Leopardus tigrinus, is a captivating small wild cat native to Central and South America. Distinguished by their striking, leopard-like coat marked with dark rosettes and a sleek, agile body, this elusive feline is a master of stealth and survival in the dense forests and grasslands they inhabit.
The northern tiger cat is a tiny predator, weighing only 1.5–3 kg, yet they play a significant role in maintaining ecological balance as a keystone predator. These solitary creatures, though mostly ground-dwelling, are adept climbers. They communicate through purring as kittens and have a unique “gurgle” as adults. Their habitats range from the semi-arid Caatinga to the Andean cloud forests. Tragically, this species is classified as Vulnerable, with populations declining due to habitat destruction for palm oil, soy, meat and mining, poaching, and habitat fragmentation. Indigenous-led conservation efforts are vital to protect their remaining habitats. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
The beautiful and elegant #Oncilla is a #wildcat 🐱 found in #SouthAmerica. They are #vulnerable due to #deforestation for #gold and #palmoil 🌴⛔️ and are hunted for their fur 😭 #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife #BoycottGold4Yanomami @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/08/14/northern-tiger-cat-oncilla-leopardus-tigrinus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterThe #Oncilla is a small wild #cat found in Central and #SouthAmerica. They are #vulnerable from #soy #meat #palmoil #deforestation. Resist and help them, be #vegan 🥦🍅🥒 and #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🪔⛔️#Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/08/14/northern-tiger-cat-oncilla-leopardus-tigrinus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterBy and large, the greatest threat to these wild cats is the rampant rate of habitat loss, fragmentation and isolation. In the Andes cloud forests deforestation is mostly due to conversion to agriculture but also includes palm oil, hydroelectric dams, urban sprawl and road building (Payán and Gonzalez-Maya 2011, CI 2012).
IUCN Red listAppearance and Behaviour
Northern Tiger Cats also known as the Oncillas are often mistaken for other South American small wild cat species such as margays or ocelots. Although oncillas are smaller, they otherwise look very similar to these species, oncillas are more slender and have larger ears.
Oncillas are among the smallest wild cat species, with a body length of 38–59 cm and a long, bushy tail measuring up to 42 cm. Their fur is typically a tawny or yellowish-brown colour adorned with bold rosettes and spots, providing excellent camouflage in their forested habitats. Their large eyes are adapted for nocturnal hunting, making them highly effective at navigating and hunting in low-light conditions.
During the breeding season pairs are sometimes seen, but they are considered as highly solitary animals. Although they are primarily terrestrial, they can climb well. Young kittens purr, while adults make a short and rhythmic “gurgle” sound.
Known for their solitary and elusive nature, these cats are skilled climbers and can often be found resting or hunting in trees. However, they are also proficient terrestrial hunters, using their keen senses and stealth to ambush prey. Northern tiger cats are highly territorial and communicate through scent marking and vocalisations, although encounters between individuals are rare outside of mating.
Threats
IUCN Status: Vulnerable
Deforestation and Habitat Loss:
The primary threat to northern tiger cats is the destruction and fragmentation of their forest habitats due to timber logging, palm oil, soy and meat agriculture, and urban expansion. Palm oil plantations and cattle ranching are significant drivers of deforestation across their range.
Illegal poaching and the illegal pet trade:
Oncillas were once heavily exploited for the fur trade decades ago, following the decline of the Ocelot trade (Payan and Trujillo 2006). Although international trade ceased, there is still some localised illegal hunting, usually for the domestic market.
Oncillas are often caught in snares set for other animals or killed for their beautiful pelts, which are sold in illegal wildlife trade markets. In some cases they are captured and sold into the illegal pet trade.
Human-Wildlife Conflict:
In some areas, these cats are persecuted and killed by farmers who view them as a threat to poultry or livestock.
Climate Change:
Altered rainfall patterns and rising temperatures caused by climate change are shrinking their habitat range and affecting prey availability.
Urgent conservation measures, including habitat protection and restoration, as well as indigenous-led agroecological practices, are critical for their survival.
Geographic Range
Oncillas are found in a broad range of habitats, from the lowland semi-arid Caatinga to cloud forests in the Andes. In Costa Rica the species is almost entirely confined to montane forests along the flanks of volcanoes and other high mountains from 1,000 m up to the treeline (paramo) and occupy cloud forest and high elevation elfin forests (J. Schipper pers. comm.). The Northern Tiger Cat is a poorly known small-sized (2.4 kg) solitary felid, with an average litter size of 1.12 kittens (1–4)
Diet
Northern tiger cats are carnivorous and primarily hunt small mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects. Oncillas are mainly nocturnal but in areas like Caatinga, where their diet primarily consists of diurnal lizards, these animals are more prone to be active in the daytime. They are opportunistic feeders, preying on whatever is most abundant in their environment. Their small size allows them to target prey that larger predators cannot, making them a vital part of the ecosystem as they help regulate populations of smaller animals.
Reproduction and Mating
Northern tiger cats are solitary animals, coming together only during the mating season. Females typically give birth to one or two kittens after a gestation period of 74–76 days. The young are dependent on their mothers for the first few months, learning essential hunting and survival skills before becoming independent.
Take Action!
Help protect northern tiger cats by supporting indigenous-led conservation efforts and advocating for stronger protections against deforestation. Use your wallet as a weapon and choose products free from palm oil. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
FAQ
What do northern tiger cats eat?
Northern tiger cats are obligate carnivores with a diet that consists of small mammals such as rodents, birds, reptiles, and insects. They are opportunistic hunters, preying on whatever is most readily available in their environment. Their ability to hunt both in trees and on the ground allows them to exploit a wide variety of food sources, which is crucial in fragmented habitats.
In areas where prey populations are declining due to habitat destruction, northern tiger cats face additional challenges in finding sufficient food. Conservation efforts that protect their prey species are essential for the survival of these elusive predators.
How many northern tiger cats are left in the world?
Precise population estimates are difficult due to the northern tiger cat’s elusive nature, but it is believed that fewer than 10,000 mature individuals remain in the wild. Populations are fragmented and continue to decline due to habitat destruction, poaching, and climate change.
Surveys conducted in key habitats, such as the Atlantic Forest in Brazil and other protected areas, show alarming declines in their numbers. Increased habitat protection and the establishment of wildlife corridors are urgently needed to ensure their survival.
What is the difference between an oncilla and a domesticated house cat?
Northern tiger cats (Leopardus tigrinus), or oncillas, resemble domestic cats in size but differ significantly in behaviour and adaptations. Oncillas are wild predators with leopard-like spots, slender bodies, and large eyes suited for nocturnal hunting. They are highly specialised hunters and climbers, adapted for survival in dense forests.
Unlike house cats, oncillas are solitary and elusive, avoiding human contact. Their diet consists exclusively of wild prey, and they play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem balance by controlling populations of small animals.
Why are northern tiger cats endangered?
The northern tiger cat is classified as Vulnerable due to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation caused by logging, agriculture, and urbanisation. The expansion of palm oil plantations and cattle ranches has significantly reduced their range, isolating populations and limiting gene flow.
Additionally, they are threatened by illegal wildlife trade, roadkill, and persecution by humans who mistakenly view them as pests. Climate change further exacerbates these threats by altering their habitat and prey availability. Addressing these challenges requires urgent conservation action, including habitat protection and indigenous-led conservation initiatives.
You can support this beautiful animal
Merazonia wildlife rescue and sanctuary
International Society for Endangered Cats (ISEC) Canada
Costa Rica Wildlife Foundation
The Central American Oncilla Project
Further Information
Inaturalist. (n.d.). Leopardus tigrinus. iNaturalist.
Oliveira, T., Lima, B. C., Rosales, L. A. F., & Pereira, R. S. (2020). A refined population and conservation assessment of the elusive and endangered northern tiger cat (Leopardus tigrinus) in its key worldwide conservation area in Brazil. Global Ecology and Conservation, 22(5), e00927. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e00927
Payan, E. & de Oliveira, T. 2016. Leopardus tigrinus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T54012637A50653881. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T54012637A50653881.en. Downloaded on 07 June 2021.
Wildcat Conservation. (n.d.). Northern Tiger Cat. Wildcat Conservation Alliance.
World Land Trust. (n.d.). Northern Oncilla.
Northern Tiger Cat (Oncilla) Leopardus tigrinus
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Read moreAnthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Read moreHealth Physician Dr Evan Allen
Read moreThe World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
Read moreHow do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
Read more3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
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Pledge your support #bigCat #Bolivia #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottGold4Yanomami #BoycottPalmOil #carnivores #cat #Colombia #deforestation #Ecuador #gold #Mammal #meat #mining #Nicaragua #NorthernTigerCatOncillaLeopardusTigrinus #Oncilla #palmoil #Panama #predator #predators #smallCat #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #SouthAmerica #soy #vegan #Venezuela #vulnerable #VulnerableSpecies #wildcat -
The Stealth and Beauty of the Clouded Leopard
Beautiful and unique Clouded Leopards are #endangered by #palmoil, #meat #mining #deforestation and human persecution across their range. Help them every time you shop and be #vegan, #Boycottpalmoil and #Boycott4wildlife
The Stealth and Beauty of the Clouded #Leopard 🌧️🦁🐆 These beautiful beings face #extinction from #palmoil #deforestation 🌴🩸☠️🔥🚜⛔️ Help them to survive and be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/03/08/the-stealth-and-beauty-of-the-clouded-leopard/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterFound in the forests of Asia, this secretive midsized cat is almost as mysterious today as it was nearly 200 years ago when it was first described. We do know, however, that it has a taste for the treetops. This wonderfully agile feline is an incredible arboreal hunter, capable of catching monkeys, civets and even birds in the trees, balancing itself with the longest tail, in relation to body size, of any cat. In fact, the clouded leopard is probably the most talented climber in the whole cat family.
It is one of just two species of feline that can rotate its flexible ankles backwards (the other is the margay from South America), which allows it to climb down a tree headfirst with squirrel-like ease, move along horizontal branches while hanging beneath them like a sloth, and even dangle from a branch using just its hind feet. Its Malayan name is harimau-dahan, which means ‘branch tiger’.
With regard to the clouded leopard’s name, although it does have beautiful cloud-like markings on its body, it is not a leopard. It isn’t even part of the Panthera genus of ‘big cats’, where true leopards – along with lions, tigers and jaguars – sit. Originally, there was just one species of clouded leopard, but scientists ‘split’ the species in 2006 because of genetic differences between those found on mainland Asia and those found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The images in this article are of the clouded leopard; the second, more recently recognised species, which tends to be darker in colour and has smaller cloud markings, is now known as the Sunda clouded leopard.
Relative to its size, the clouded leopard has the longest upper canine teeth of any predator. At 5 cm long, they’re not much shorter than those of a tiger, even though a tiger can be up to 10 times larger in body size. It seems as though the clouded leopard is the closest living species we have to the extinct sabre-toothed cats.
By Nature Nook
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Join 3,172 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#AnimalBiodiversityNews #animals #bigCat #Borneo #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #carnivores #conservation #deforestation #endangered #extinction #leopard #meat #mining #nature #NatureNook #palmoil #predator #predators #smallCat #Sumatra #vegan
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I came across this #1976 #advertising catalogue for a #Woodworking #workbench that has some interesting features. It's foldable, has a shoulder and tail vice, and a top storage area and comes from a company called Leichtung Tools in #cleveland #ohio. In 2025 dollars it would have cost $1600.
#woodworkingbench #backcover #printedbackcover #internetarchive #vintage
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Bauhaus, In The Flat Field, 1980 on 4AD
Debut album from Peter Murphy, Daniel Ash, David Jay, and Kevin Haskins aka Bauhaus. Bauhaus and its many spinoffs (Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets, Dali’s Car) are among my favorite musical lineages.
They’d released “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” as a single in 1979 on Small Wonder records, but this debut came out on 4AD which itself was new in 1980 under the Beggars Banquet umbrella.
The cover is a photograph called Homage to Purvis de Chavannes by American photographer Duane Michals – hopefully it doesn’t get my account flagged as naughty.
My copy – as so many in the last few weeks via Slipped Disc at a Mill No 5 record fair – is a 2013 reissue.
#1980 #1980s #4AD #Bauhaus #DanielAsh #DavidJay #Goth #KevinHaskins #LowellMA #MillNo5 #PeterMurphy #SlippedDisc #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds
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CW: Classic creations by Arcadia Asylum a.k.a. Lora Lemon/Aley at OpenSimFest 2023; CW: long (post text: 258 characters, first image description: 38,650 characters, second image description: 26,213 characters, third image description: 9,687 characters, full net length: 76,780 characters), eye contact
OpenSimFest 2023 doesn't only offer the latest and greatest in OpenSim creativity. It also shows some classics made by Arcadia Asylum in Second Life and legally preserved in OpenSim. This includes her space themes which are exhibited on three large displays.
The pictures in this post are digital 3-D renderings of exhibition displays at the annual OpenSimFest (official website) which has started on September 15th and will continue until September 30th. They were created using shaders, but without ray-tracing, as they were taken inside a virtual world based on OpenSimulator.
OpenSimulator (official website and wiki), OpenSim in short, is a free and open-source platform for 3-D virtual worlds that uses largely the same technology as the commercial virtual world Second Life. It was launched as early as 2007, and it mostly became a network of federated, interconnected worlds when the Hypergrid was introduced in 2008. It is accessed through client software running on desktop or laptop computers, so-called "viewers". It doesn't require a virtual reality headset, and it actually doesn't support virtual reality headsets.
Just like Second Life's virtual world, worlds based on OpenSim are referred to as "grids" because they are separated into square fields of 256 by 256 metres, so-called "regions". These regions can be empty and inaccessible, or there can be a "simulator" or "sim" running in them. Only these sims count a the actual land area of a grid. It is possible to both look into neighbouring sims and move your avatar across sim borders unless access limitations prevent this.
OpenSimFest takes place on its own grid. It is connected to the Hypergrid, so it isn't necessary to have an avatar on the OpenSimFest grid because you can visit it with an avatar that you have on another grid. It features a schedule of 12 hours each day, starting at 9 a.m. PDT. PDT is the standard time zone both in Second Life and on all OpenSim grids. On most days, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., there are live performances or DJ events on one of the four neighbouring event sims. Most of the other sims are much larger. They are so-called "varsims", something specific to OpenSim that doesn't exist in Second Life. They stretch across multiple regions arranged in a square without borders between the regions. Two of them are merchant sims where OpenSim creators offer mostly payware, but also a few freebies. Others are, for example, exhibition sims.
The motto of OpenSimFest 2023 is the Jazz/Blues Era.
These pictures were all taken on Sulfur, one of the two merchant sims. What they show, however, are displays of creations by the famous Second Life creator Arcadia Asylum. She started around 2006, and she was banned from Second Life several times, likely because she refused to charge money for her creations. Instead, she offered them for free, under a free, non-commercial copyleft license and with full permissions. Due to always being banned after a while, she went through several names. Arcadia Asylum was the first, followed by names such as Aley Arai, Lora Lemon and finally, when Second Life had removed the last names feature for new users, Aley Resident or simply Aley.
Her creations were mostly preserved by exporting them from Second Life and importing them into OpenSim. She wasn't opposed to this, she actually eventually gave her own official permission to do so. But she was never in OpenSim herself.
What is shown here are the preserved creations from her Space Pirates and Galactic Trade Union themes which she created from 2008 to 2011 under the guise of Lora Lemon except for a few items which she had to release through her Aley avatar. Most of them are static, unscripted objects. The displays are mostly surrounded by cubes which she had made, too, and which are amongst the items which she released as Aley. These cubes show space pictures on the inside, and they are fully transparent from the outside. Normally, they are the size of a whole region, but they were resized for OpenSimFest to work as display backdrops. The sides show various nebula while the top and the bottom only show a star field.
In the foreground, there is always a small bit of the broad walkways that connect the displays on Sulfur. Their textures give the impression of polished tannish stone tiles cut into two rectangular sizes, one wider, one narrower, but both with the same length. Between the walkways and the space cubes, there is always a very slightly sloped "ramp" with a medium grey texture that shows a stylised moon landscape covered in craters of various sizes.
The direction of view in the first picture is not perpendicular to the edge of the walkways; it is rotated to the left by about 10°.
The space cube in the first picture shows a photograph of otherwise nameless IC 434, as it is designated in the Index Catalogue, on the left-hand side. It is a part of the Orion B molecular cloud, a star-forming region in the constellation of Orion. However, the image seems to be altered. For starters, it is mirrored with the north to the right and the east to the bottom.
IC 434 itself is shown as a rose-coloured nebula extending mostly horizontally with an almost sharp lower edge below its long and thin brightest part, but flaring upwards from there with its brightness increasing in a number of steps. These flares increase in height, the farther to the right they are. In front of it, almost in the middle, there is the dark shape of the Horsehead Nebula, also known by its designations Barnard 33 and LDN 1630 in Lynds' Catalogue of Dark Nebulae.
Below and to the right of the Horsehead Nebula, the star HD 37903 can be seen shining with a faint lavender tint, but not so much the reflection nebula NGC 2023 which it would normally illuminate. What is even stranger is that Alnitak or Zeta Orionis which should be a very bright star to the right of IC 434 in this picture is missing; there is another, smaller purple nebula in its place. The Flame Nebula, also known by its designations NGC 2024 and Sharpless 277, is in its usual place below where Alnitak would be, glowing orange-red while being partially obscured by a darker cloud in the middle.
The texture in the back is a photograph of the Crab Nebula, also known by the designations Messier 1, NGC 1952 in the New General Catalogue, Taurus A and Sharpless 244. It is the remnant of the supernova SN 1054 that was observed on Earth from July 4th, 1054 on, and it is in the constellation of Taurus.
The Crab Nebula generally consists of two components. The remains of the supernova explosion have formed thin, thread-like and chaotic structures that glow from lime green near the upper right limits above the edge of the image to yellow slightly closer to the centre already to orange farther to the lower left to a deep red on the lower left limits. In addition, there is a diffuse, faint aqua blue cloud of glowing gas created by the Crab Pulsar which is what is left of the exploded star. It is smaller than the supernova remnants, and it doesn't reach nearly as far to the lower left.
The texture on the right-hand side is a photograph of otherwise nameless NGC 604, the ninth-largest known nebula. It is a star-forming region that resides in the Triangulum Galaxy which in turn is in the constellation of Triangulum.
The gases that make up the nebula are slowly contracting under their own gravitation to chaotic fibrous structures which might eventually form stars. The brightest parts are in the middle of the nebula, in the upper right corner of the image, where a cluster of about 200 young and massive stars are making the nebula glow by ionising it. Close to these stars, it is shown glowing in a cream or champagne tone. With no gradient in-between, the outer parts are glowing in a much less bright Burgundy red.
On the edge of the walkways towards the ramp, way to the right of the picture, stands a sign-like structure. It is actually a scripted teleporter on which destinations all over OpenSimFest can be chosen, but not outside OpenSimFest. Its basic structure is a flat, rectangular, upright box with a texture that roughly mimicks stainless steel brushed in an elliptical pattern. At the very top, still on the stainless steel texture, there is the name of the device or most of it in vantablack in an unidentified monospace typeface: "MD Teleport System".
Apart from the wide margin, the rest of the front is occupied by various rectangular panels, most of which share the same full width which is about 90% of the width of the whole device. Also, most of these panels are vantablack with yellow writing in the DejaVu Sans Mono monospace typeface on them. The top panel names the destination chosen for teleporting, "Steam Fair by Aley c.2015".
Below it is an image that shows a preview of the destination. The centre of this is a semi-elliptical arch construction that serves as the entrance of a Victorian-age amusement area on a wooden boardwalk. The structure itself is fairly elaborate with a texture that resembles slightly yellowish light wood.
At its front, there is a partially transparent sign that gives the impression of being three-dimensional through highlights and shading, implying light falling in from the left. It shows a light grey silhouette of a boardwalk with four different buildings in various sizes and shapes on it, two of them with one triangular pennant standing off a small flagpole on the roof towards the left, one with two of these. To the right of the left-most building, there is a silhouette of a ferris wheel that bears a strong resemblance to a ship's steering wheel with its eight spokes and no visible cabins.
The boardwalk silhouette is standing on a medium grey horizontal rod. Above it and connected to the rod at its end, there is a semi-elliptical double arch in the same medium grey. This double arch carries the writing "SEAVIEW" in sky blue letters in a very ornate but unidentified serif font which follows the shape of the arch. There is a light grey cartoon crab with big googly eyes and a happy expression with an open mouth and pincers spread wide wearing a white bowtie and a black top hat with a white hatband below the left-hand end of the "SEAVIEW" writing. Likewise, there is a light grey kraken with curled tentacles on the right.
Between the "SEAVIEW" writing and the boardwalk silhouette, there is the horizontal writing "Amusement Park" in a less ornate, Western-style typeface with small capitals, seemingly held in place by two horizontal rods that connect to the inner medium grey arch, one at the bottom and another one at the top only holding the actual capitals. In the same typeface, also in medium grey and with small capitals, but in front of the boardwalk silhouette and only slightly above the horizontal rod that carries it, there is another writing, "Est. 1869".
The floor of the entire structure is textured to resemble longitudinal and transversal wooden beams made of darker wood with diagonal planks made of even darker but still medium brown wood filling the large spaces between them, held in place with one large blue nail at each of their ends.
The point of view is above the bridge that leads to the boardwalk, going slightly uphill. It is lined with fence-like guards on both side, the same as those which surround the whole boardwalk, with a wooden texture that is about as light as that of the wooden "beams" in the ground texture, but more yellowish. These mostly consist of four long planks, the top one being oriented horizontally and mounted against the tops of the support poles, the other three being oriented vertially and mounted against the boardwalk sides of the support poles.
The sides of the bridge are also lined by two strings of small pennants that lead past the on-looker and end on the arch. The one on the left shows eight pennants in, from front to back, green, blue, yellow, blue again, yellow again, red, green again and blue again. The one on the right shows six pennants in, from front to back, green, this one is barely visible, red, green again, blue, yellow and red again.
To the left of the arch, there is a lamp on a lamppost. Both the lamp and the post seem to be made from the same wood as the fence except for the lamp glass which shows a yellow glow. To the right of the arch, there is one dark wooden booth. Behind that booth, there is another different arch with the same wooden texture as the one that is the centrepiece of the preview image.
In extension of the bridge, a wheelbarrow with a market stand with six boxes textured like they contain various unidentified items is standing on the boardwalk. Various other structures are on the boardwalk, mostly in the background, like tents with tarpaulins striped in beige and red or cream and brown as well as a target and another string of pennants.
All objects in this preview image so far were made by Arcadia Asylum.
Above the whole scene, there is a "ceiling" with a transparent texture that refracts the dark purple night sky. Farther in the background, barely identifiable through the "ceiling", two structures can be made out. To the left, there is the semi-transparent, black, box-shaped display booth of the Focus virtual art magazine. The fourth nebula texture of Arcadia Asylum's space cube can be seen through it; it is part of the third Arcadia Asylum space display which will be described along with its image. To the right, there is an enormous static wave with a constantly moving aqua blue texture on it.
Back to the teleporter itself: This image also triggers the actual teleport. If you click it, you are taken to the chosen destination.
The ten vantablack panels below list ten possible destinations. They show these destination labels in yellow writing: "A Whale of a Tale", "Diamond Queen - Ruth 2.4" which refers to the free, open-source mesh body Ruth2 v4, "Fashion Temple", "Kimberley's Fashion Lab", "FOCUS Magazine of Virtual Art", "Galactic Truckstop", "Space Pirates by Aley Arai", "More spaceships by Aley Arai" which is where this teleporter is standing, "Steam Fair by Aley c.2015" which is what is currently selected and "Chez Faire Beach display". Clicking them will select them as the teleport destination. These ten destinations are all on this sim, so they can also be reached by walking which would take a while due to the size of the sim, though.
At the bottom, there are four square vantablack buttons with yellow labels on them. The leftmost one has a question mark in the middle and "(DE)" in the bottom left corner. It gives you a notecard with a manual for the teleporter in German. The rightmost one is similar, only that "(EN)" is written in the bottom left corner. It also works the same, only that it provides an English manual. The buttons in-between are labelled "Pg Up" and "Pg Dn" respectively. With these two buttons, several pages with up to ten teleport destinations each can be flipped through.
On the far edge of the grey ramp, a few metres to the left from where the teleporter is standing, there is a vantablack sign that names and describes the display. In the same yellow DejaVu Sans Mono as the teleporter, it reads, "Name: More spaceships by Aley Arai | Owner: Ada.Radius | Description: Assets from the Arcadia/Aley library owned by New Media Arts, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation. Complete Opensim collection in Kitely grid." Kitely is the third-largest OpenSim grid and one of the oldest, launched in 2011 after preparations had started as early as 2008. The pipes in this transcription, the vertical lines, mark line breaks in the original.
While the sign is actually hovering above the ground, it is seemingly held by two more of Arcadia's creations, two robots facing the sign from the sides, both of which were released through her Aley avatar.
On the left, it is Rosie the Robot Maid which can also be used as an avatar. She is mostly a darker sky blue. Her head is "cylindrical" with a horizontal, transversal axis. On each side, along the extension of the head axis, sits one horizontal, conical antenna which is about 60% as long as the head is wide and ends in a bright red, double-conical knob. The sockets of the antenna consist of a short cylinder a bit more than 20% the diametre of the head and a slightly longer cone with about 20% the diametre of the head. Two red cylinders are the eyes. On top of each eye, there is one black protrusion in a shape roughly resembling a much-widened obelisk turned slightly outwards, mimicking eyelashes. A red box serves as the mouth with a sky blue box below it serving as the lower lip and another sky blue feature in a harder-to-describe shape above it serving as the upper lip and the tip of the nose.
The upper body is a trapezoid with separate rounded sides that widens more at the front and the back than to the sides. It has three small, cylindrical, bright red buttons at the front. Both arms consist of an upper and a lower arm with separate joints. The shoulder joints are held together and in place with one big bright red slotted pan head screw each. The elbow joints only have one sky blue cylindrical pin each. The hands are two-part clamps with cylindrical pins.
The lower body is shorter, black and can best be described as two trapezoids with rounded sides on top of each other. The top one is rather low and widens downward; the upper body protrudes through the rounded sides. The bottom one is basically of the same shape, but turned upside-down and stretched to about three and a half times the same height. The only foot is sky blue again. It consists of a cylindrical leg, an elliptical, conical upper part, an elliptical, but non-conical lower part and two simple black cylinders as wheels.
Rosie wears multiple white objects shaped like something between half an eight-point star and half a bloom with eight petals. One is standing on top of her head. Two are surrounding each of her wrists. Another two, arranged in an angle of 60 degrees, resemble an apron. Finally, there is a white bow made of two flattened cones on her lower back, right above where her upper and lower body meet.
Due to the low resolution of the meshes, everything that is supposed to be round is actually octogonal.
The robot on the right of the sign is Asteroid Al. He is much more humanoid and uses fewer, but more complex shapes. He also makes more use of complex textures, especially for his body and his head which are mostly covered in detailed metal-like textures. The head is stretched upwards and backwards with large deep cavities for eye sockets and where the ears would be. The mouth is a grille and part of the head texture. The eyes are almost completely baby blue and more reminiscent of two headlights, but they aren't glowing. They're textured onto the ends of what roughly appears like two black cylinders bending into the head towards the back with several golden rings around them.
He is wearing a brick red sleeveless shirt which is textured on rather than a separate object. On the front and the back, there is a picture of a "galactic truck stop" which looks completely different from what Arcadia had built and given the same name and rather resembles that in the Mel Brooks film Spaceballs. From what can be seen in the very-low-resolution image, it seems to have been built on top of an artificially flattened asteroid with the debris from the flattening still around it, and it has three circular landing pads with spaceships on it and structures both above and below landing pad level. The highest point is a purple "GALACTIC TRUCK STOP" sign. The same writing is on the shirt as well, "GALACTIC" above the image, "TRUCK STOP" below it.
Another robot is floating above and behind the image, closer to Asteroid Al than to Rosie: the tiny maintenance bot Widget. Widget is basically a sphere with things attached to it. These are two short clamp arms, three jointless legs with suction-cup-like feet, two eyes similar to Al's, but with silver rings around the cylinders, two tool-like hexagonal attachments on the upper sides, a structure on the back built around an elliptical orb glowing teal and two cylindrical red protrusions, one at the top, one at the bottom. The one at the top serves as the attachment point for a small "satellite dish" that is oriented more forward than upward.
Most of Widget's textures have too low a resolution to be able to identify them. The full-resolution textures might never have made it over from Second Life. But the dominant texture for the attachments is black with diagonal yellow stripes. And the texture of the cylindrical body, probably mostly black with diagonal yellow stripes, too, shows circular blue signs on the left and the right, each surrounded by a silver rim and showing two crossed white tools which may be a pickaxe and a hammer.
Behind the sign and the three robots, slightly to the left again, there is a vortex-like object that is not textured onto the space cube. It looks like the accretion disc of a black hole. The inner half is mostly white, lavender and baby blue whereas the outer half is rose and brick red. It implies a clockwise rotation, but it is static. In order to appear blurrier, it was made of two semi-transparent objects with similar textures. The one up front has a texture that is blurred more, and it has a higher transparency. The object is labelled as a wormhole, but non-functional.
As for spaceships, this display shows tens of them, three of which are parked on the grey ramp in front of the space cube.
The leftmost ship in the foreground, oriented with its bow to the right, is named Retro Rocket Ship. Its fuselage is cylindrical in the middle with slightly elongate spherical ends. It has five fins with a curved, back-swept shape reminiscent of Buck Rogers aesthetics, but with a rectangular cross-section. Two of them are mounted on the sides of the cylindrical part like wings. The other three are mounted on the rear, one on top, the other two rotated slightly downward from the sides. The ship has a short nose that ends in a sphere. Fuselage, nose and fins have textures that suggest that they're riveted together from steel plates with no surface treatment. The ship has no visible landing gear.
The interior of the ship can be seen through 15 portholes which are riveted into the fuselage. The spherical bow contains the cockpit with two padded seats and eight portholes. Behind it, in the fore half of the cylindrical section, there is the crew compartment with a double bunk bed. It has two portholes on each side and more control panels like those in the cockpit below them. The other half of the ship is the engine room with a "rocket engine" that leads to a dark grey rocket nozzle on the back of the ship. It has one porthole and the ship's only door on the port side, two portholes on the starboard site and even more control panels below the portholes. The compartments are separated by double sliding doors which are closed.
While this ship was only inspired by Buck Rogers, the tiny ship in front of its nose, bow oriented roughly towards the front, had its design lifted from actual 1930s Buck Rogers toys. It is one out of only two ships on this display with no visible interior, and it is one out of only two with a glossy surface. Unlike the toys, but following Arcadia's style, it still looks like it's riveted.
Its front contains the cockpit. It is spherical with a strongly semi-elliptical cross-section. On top, there are six roughly rectangular windows in side-by-side pairs of two with light blue panes. Farther back, there are two short, stubby wings, one on each side, with partly elliptical fore edges and straight aft edges. Above each wing, there is one porthole with a light blue pane in it. There is a partly cylindrical, partly conical tube on the nose from which a structure made out of two long, thin, very slight cones protrudes.
Right behind the cockpit, nine elliptical pipe-like objects are arranged in such a way that they appear like 18 small thrust or exhaust nozzles, judging from the soot on their ends and the fuselage aft of them. The soot also covers the door with porthole on each side. The longer aft section of the fuselage is semi-elliptic in shape again, but stretched more than the cockpit section. Four semi-elliptical fins are mounted on it, one on the top, one on each side, one on the bottom. Between these fins, there are four slightly larger and much longer nozzles. Unlike those behind the cockpit, they aren't straight but protruding from the fuselage in a curve. A small normal rocket nozzle sits on the rear end between the fins.
This ship has landing gear. Two wheels are located under the cockpit at the same length as the portholes and the wings. Dark patches in the fuselage texture suggest that they can be retracted; actually, they are static. The third wheel is mounted on the bottom fin slightly aft of the larger nozzles. All three wheels sit in streamlined shrouds which add to its 1930s-style looks, tying in neatly with the motto of OpenSimFest 2023. None of the wheels touch the ground, though.
The ship behind these two is near the ground of the space cube, facing out of the cube, but rotated about 20 degrees clockwise away from standing perpendicularly to the walkways. It is labelled as the Retropolis retro future spaceship. At first glance, it is very similar to the Retro Rocket Ship, but shinier, neater and less grubby. It has a more elaborate nose which ends in a cone. Instead of the two wings, it has three fins around the cylindrical section. These wings are more simple in shape than those on the Retro Rocket Ship. They have multi-part, largely conical insertions vaguely reminiscent of early aircraft jet engines, one sitting on the outer edge. Between the outermost two, the wings are extended towards the back. The stern is surrounded by four diagonally-mounted fins now, similar in shape, but each with only one two-cone construct on the outer edge. The rocket nozzle was replaced with a different, more obviously octogonal and non-conical one, surrounded by four "cylindrical" objects above and below it as well as on its sides which could have been booster nozzles earlier. It's rather obvious that not all original textures have come from Second Life to OpenSim with this ship. Arcadia's space themes are rather problematic in this regard.
The interior is easier to access, also because the single door is open; it opens downwards. The engine compartment has some additional handles and pipes and a larger rocket engine. The other two compartments can be access through the sliding doors, one of each is open now. In fact, one of the cockpit doors is misplaced and clips through the fuselage on the port side. The crew compartment has a small round table, a chair, four cargo shelves, eleven wooden crates all over the port side place and a third bunk. The four shelves even extend into the cockpit where they hold another five crates. Also, the cockpit not only has one handwheel in front of each seat, but it also has a ship's steering wheel in the middle and, for some reason, even a periscope above it.
Another vessel is half-hidden behind the retro future spaceship. The Centurion cargofighter of the Galactic Trade Union has a strong resemblance to post-war jet fighters. It doesn't have a modelled interior; the glass of the cockpit cupola is completely opaque and black. The long nose is slightly curved from the sides, but hexagonal in its cross-section. The two wide wings have winglets on their ends, slightly tilted outward. They also carry what appears to be four hexagonal ray weapons on their weapon mounts.
Most of the rest of the ship is more rounded except for the four square engine nacelles, one mounted into each of the four fins arranged in an X. The nozzles at the ends of the nacelles are round again. Most other details are drawn onto the textures. These include 14 "portholes" similar to those on vintage Buicks, four behind the cockpit and above the wings and three below the wings on each side, as well as several safety markings with black and yellow diagonal stripes, different safety markings with black and red diagonal stripes on the rayguns and a painted-on "shark maw" on the underside below the cockpit.
The "landing gear" consists of three rather elaborate, but unarticulated vertical legs. They suggest or rather require vertical take-off and landing capabilities of which the rest of the Centurion doesn't show any traces.
Right above and farther to the back hovers another, larger, less elegant ship: the Behemoth Freighter of the Galactic Trade Union, facing to the left and slightly to the front. This ship was a cooperation with Jim Carter. It is covered almost entirely in a texture that looks like a wild and chaotic "patchwork" of rectangular metal panels, only that these aren't riveted.
The centre-piece of this ship is its boxy main cargo hold. On each side, two massive cylindrical engines are mounted with intakes at the front which make them partially seem more like turbofan engines. On top of the cargo hold, there is an empty dome which can be accessed via a ladder. The trapezoid stern features the loading ramp which is the only access to the ship's interior. The ramp is lowered almost completely. Above the ramp sits a third engine which is as big as the other two, but of a different type. Invisible from the on-looker's point of view, there are also twelve cube-shaped crates of different kinds in the cargo hold.
Forward from the cargo hold, the fuselage not only narrows, but also rises both at the bottom and at the top towards the elevated cockpit. This section two crew seats, a bed, a touch panel, a microwave and a "Mr. Coffee" coffee maker from Spaceballs. The cockpit has only got one seat which is surrounded by control panels. It is also the only part of the ship with windows. Two rows of ten rectangular windows with rounded corners each are wrapped around the semi-elliptical cockpit section.
The landing gear is lowered again. It consists of four legs, each with four feet with four extending pads each, connected to the upper struts via double shock absorbers. One pair is installed under the rear end of the cargo hold, the other one under the rear end of the "neck" between the cockpit and the cargo hold.
To the right and farther above, there is a ship simply named Saucer that looks the part. It is basically the stereotypical flying saucer. Most of its details are painted onto the texture again. It is oriented in such a way that the open hatch which doubles as a ramp faces the on-looker. The improperly installed double sliding door behind it grants a glimpse into the interior of the ship which, however, lacks any notable details except for the ladder up to the cockpit.
As usually for flying saucers, the cockpit is under a cupola on top and in the middle of the vessel. It shows a great deal of part recycling by Arcadia: Not only are the textures for the control panels standard, but the textures for the 16 windows surrounding the cockpit are the same as on the Behemoth, and the three black padded seats are the same as those in the cockpit of the Retro Rocket. On top of the cupola, there is a structure which is identical to the Retro Rocket's nose except for the texture and the pulsating blue glow around the narrow part below the sphere at the top.
Three partly diagonal, partly vertical struts with round feet make up the extracted landing gear. Also, glowing, translucent purple rings are slowly descending from the bottom of the ship to where the ground would be. Normally, four of them are visible at the same time.
Another much smaller flying saucer is hovering to the right of the Buck Rogers ship. It is simply named the Small Saucer. The very detailed texture on the main fuselage gives it a worn-out apperance. Above it, there is an egg-like cupola with the now-well-known window texture and 32 panes altogether, but the tiny vessel lacks an interior. It emits similar purple rings from the bottom as the Saucer, but they widen on their way down, and only two are visible most of the time.
The light-grey ship seen from behind below the Saucer is the Orion Jump Freighter, another cargo ship. Its rear is facing the on-looker with its rather inconveniently installed cargo hatch open, showing an arch-shaped black and yellow safety marking around its outer edge and granting an easy view into the cargo hold. The surface is mostly covered in identical rectangular texture panels which have rectangular safety markings with diagonal black and yellow stripes and rounded corners in two corners and slightly darker patches with one large circular structure between two smaller ones in the other two corners. The seams are shown as being covered with silver metal stripes.
Its fuselage mostly consists of two half-spheres, connected by a half-cylinder. The bottom halves of all three are actually flattened. The rear half-sphere contains the cargo hold. It also carries four fins with cylindrical engine nacelles at their end, two sloping sharply upward, two sloping slightly downward. The engines have white and orange textures on their rear ends. Between the upper nacelles, there is a rear wing much like on a sports car. The cargo hold contains the usual cube boxes, this time in various sizes. Together with the rear wing, they suggest that the ship has been made in jest.
The front section contains the spacious cockpit with three brown seats with black padding. It is half-surrounded by four rows of ten rectangular windows, re-using the same window texture yet again. In the middle of both the cockpit and the cargo hold, there is one column each carrying what might be a holoprojector. A semi-translucent cube is rotating slowly and clockwise above the one in the cockpit, but showing an animated standard plywood texture because the original texture is lost. Three dark grey ranged weapons are mounted next to each other under the cockpit.
The landing gear consists of three legs of the same kind as under the Behemoth, one under the cockpit, two under the cargo hold, but with different textures.
A rather unusual vessel, created in cooperation with Jim Carter again. is located in the background to the right of the Orion in the image. The Dromedary Super Freighter of the Galactic Trade Union is basically a space-going big rig. It doesn't have a fuselage in the traditional sense. Instead, it has a structure to which six standardised, octogonal cargo containers can be attached, two on each side and two on top. This structure also carries the six landing legs like those on the other two freighters which don't look like they can be retracted here. Three big drive engines are attached to the rear end, the middle one being mounted higher than the other two by a bit more than half its diametre. All four have the same white and orange textures inside their nozzles as also seen on the Orion.
The front, mostly obscured by the Orion and shaped like two joined trapezoids, looks more like the driver's cabin of a lorry. It is mostly red with one wide and two narrow stripes on the sides, the front and the roof. Said front is also adorned by two double headlights and a chrome-plated grille, all of which are part of the texture. There are several hatches and even two stainless-steel fuel tanks textured on the sides.
Access to the cockpit is granted by a door on the port side which leads into a room clad in red artifical leather padding except for the inside of the door and the ceiling which are covered in structured stainless steel. Other than the ladder that leads up to the actual cockpit, it only contains a bed. Likewise, the cockpit is mostly clad in the same padding except for the stainless steel floor. The single seat is the same brown seat as in the Orion's cockpit. The window texture has been re-used, too, but tinted red. On the roof, there is a communications dish aiming forward and slightly upward.
All six container bays are occupied. The front left container is orange. It shows a white label with the black writing "TITAN SHIPPING" and "UNIT 14 ANDROMEDA SPACE DOCK" on it. It is the only one without graffiti. The rear left container is dark red. Any writing it might have is covered in graffiti. The front top container is green with lots of graffiti on it and labelled "GRIDLAG SHIPPING INC." in a white stencil typeface. Grid lag refers to a phenomenon that might happen if a server running an OpenSim grid cannot keep up with its tasks. The rear top container is yellow; any labels on it are covered in graffiti again. The front right container is brown with lots of graffiti and "GREY GOO INTERSIM TRANSPORT" written on it in a yellow military stencil typeface. The rear right container is grey and unlabelled except for the number 3669 and the usual lot of graffiti.
Finally, standing on the grey ramp all the way to the right, the tenth and last spaceship is also the most unusual one. Its shape is mostly defined by a seemingly wild arrangement of ellipsoids, and its glossy surface texture is separated into panels with a large variety of "greebles" on them. Even electric wires appear to be strapped openly across the dome-like shape that makes up the top. The nose object from the Retro Rocket re-appears yet again with the same flashing blue light as on the Saucer, but since the object is much smaller now, the flashing is more easily visible.
The cockpit is almost entirely surrounded by black control panels with mostly white, red and blue buttons on them. It features a single medium grey, dark grey and dark blue seat. It cannot be accessed because the bottom hatch is too small; ironically, the open lid is way too big for the hatch. It can only be seen through the windscreen which is covered in a pattern of ellipses. One ranged weapon is installed on each side. Radiation warning signs on them suggest that they use something radioactive at least internally. The ship is standing on three strangely shaped and actually asymmetrical legs.
To the left, behind the rear end of the Retro Rocket, a bit of natural ground can be seen with the default diffuse green texture with irregular patches of light brown. It ends at a somewhat irregular and steep shoreline. Beyond it and all along the left-hand edge of the image, the ocean is stretching up to the horizon. It is mostly a bluish lilac with slightly less saturated reflections of clouds on the lower parts and a gradient towards purple near the horizon. The sky above it shows a gradient from a faint rose on the horizon to purple near the top left corner.
Close to the horizon, right next to the left-hand edge of the space cube, a single star is glowing.
The scene is illuminated by ambient light and by "sunlight" coming in from a low position opposite the display. There is no actual sun in the scene.
The second picture shows the second display of space-themed Arcadia Asylum creations. It has a direction of view which is straightly eastward and perpendicular to the walkways. These and the grey ramp area between the walkways and the space cube are basically identical to the first image.
The space cube is pushed back by about a metre and a half, uncovering the ground below which has the same mostly green default texture as the ground described in the first picture. It is the same space cube as in the first picture, but rotated counter-clockwise by 90 degrees. The Crab Nebula is on the left-hand side now, and NGC 604 is in the back.
On the right-hand side, there is a photograph of the Lagoon Nebula, also known by the designations Messier 8, Sharpless 25, RCW 146 in the Rodgers, Campbell & Whiteoak Catalogue and Gum 72 in the Gum catalogue of emission nebulae. It is a star-forming region in the constellation of Sagittarius. The nebula itself is greatly shifted to the left on the texture and thereby towards the background from the on-looker's point-of-view.
In comparison with NGC 604, the Lagoon Nebula appears much more as an actual nebula. The gases are more diffuse and spread more homogenously. The brightest spot is also known as the Hourglass Nebula or NGC 6523. On its left-hand edge, hardly separatable from the Hourglass Nebula itself, there is the very young star Herschel 36 which ionises the gases in the nebula and makes them glow, is left of centre in the picture, but far to the right in the nebula. The Hourglass Nebula shows a light teal glow. In turn, it is surrounded by darker clouds through which some more young stars manage shine, including smaller, very dark and dense clouds which are slowly collapsing under their own gravity and may eventually turn into stars themselves. Immediately to the right of the Hourglass Nebula and below it in a dark cloud, there are a few bits of nebula glowing purple.
To the left of the large dark cloud to the left of the bright centre, there is NGC 6530, a particularly striking open cluster of young giant and hypergiant stars which contribute to the brighter glow extending farther to the left than to the right. The cluster extends to the top left of the bright centre behind a very large dark cloud, contributing to the unbalanced spread of the glow some more. Towards the edges, the nebula fades through a faint taupe to Bordeaux red. The faint glow to the left of the star cluster NGC 6523 is designated as an individual nebula, IC 4678; a small part of it is cut off at the texture edge.
Outside the Lagoon Nebula, way to the right and above the bright spot that is the Hourglass Nebula, on the bottom right edge of a Bordeaux red nebula cloud, there is a bright star designated as HD 164385 in the Henry Draper Catalogue. Farther in the same direction are two more, less luminous stars. The brighter one is HD 314895; I couldn't find a designation for the one nearby to its upper left.
In front of NGC 604 on the rear side of the space cube, what appears to be an image of Earth edited into the texture towards its top left corner is an actual sphere with an Earth texture on it. It is oriented so that open international waters east or northeast of French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean way to the west of South America are facing the on-looker.
On the edge between the walkways, a few metres right of centre, there is a teleporter that is identical to the one in the first picture. I myself have set it to the same teleport target as the one in the first picture so that I wouldn't have to write another description for an image within an image with over 4,000 characters.
On the far edge of the grey ramp, right in the middle, there is a vantablack info sign with yellow writing in the DejaVu sans Mono typeface on it which is similar to the one in the first place. This one reads, "Name: Space pirates by Aley Arai | Owner: Ada.Radius | Description: Astonishing artwork created in Second Life by the avatar known as Arcadia Asylum, Aley Arai, Lora Lemon, Aley and other alts, exported with the artist's permission by many volunteers to OpenSim." "Alts" are short for alternate avatars, avatars which users may have in addition to their primary avatar. In both Second Life and OpenSim, it is possible to have multiple avatars. The pipes in this transcription, the vertical lines, mark line breaks in the original.
To the left of the info sign, there is an info kiosk built by Arcadia Asylum and, like most other displays, published under the guise of Lora Lemon. It has a square footprint, and all four sides are identical. The uppermost part is a symmetrical trapezoid that narrows downward. Its top surface has a science-fiction-style "structured" grey texture which is also used on the sides of the lowermost part with vertical edges. Its sides show a trapeze-shaped image of a dense field of small asteroids in front of a star field, surrounded by frame in very light and medium grey, again, with a "structured", relief-like appearance. On the image, there is a writing in teal letters in a science-fiction-style, unidentified typeface: "The EXCITING History of Asteroid Mining!"
Right below is a semi-translucent cube that serves as an image display. It circles through 16 pictures and changes them every two seconds. All four sides always show the same image. Here it currently shows a picture of what appears to be a small mining vessel in an asteroid field. The latter is shown as about a hundred big and small rocks before a grey "haze" which is tilted from horizontal orientation to the left by about 30 degrees. The ship appears mostly black, so details are hard or impossible to make out. It has a vaguely egg-shaped main fuselage with a single ignited rocket engine nozzle at the back. It also has two probably cylindrical nacelles on the sides with rounded ends and position lights on their rear undersides, red on the left, green on the right. It is located way to the left within the asteroid field and aligned with it, the rear end facing the left, but it is rotated around its own longitudinal axis to the left by almost 90 degrees. It also appears to have made contact with an asteroid slightly smaller than itself on its bow, and the active rocket engine suggests that it is pushing the asteroid.
Between the screen cube and the lowermost box, there is another trapezoid of the same size and shape as the one on the top, but turned around with the small side up. On its top, it has a fairly abstract black and green science-fiction texture which can be seen through the screen cube and which is the same as on the bottom of the upper trapezoid. All four sides show a science-fiction-style control panel which is way too elaborate for an info kiosk with 45 square buttons, three round buttons, nine dial knobs, 34 rocker switches, a 3.5-inch socket and four black-and-mostly-green displays, including at least one radar. All displays are static.
The large display in the centre has a writing on it in the same typeface as on the trapeze-shaped picture on the uppermost part, but it is green and much smaller now. It reads, "80 years ago asteroid minng (sic!) was still a vibrent (sic!) buisness (sic!), With the advent of more advanced atomic fules (sic!) and subsequent improvements in intersteller (sic!) drive engines the need to refule (sic!) from asteroid minning (sic!) pased (sic!) into the glorious annels (sic!) of galactic hstory (sic!)... Blah blah."
The vantablack display info sign is also surrounded by altogether four robots. A worker robot labelled Sculpty Robot (Industrial Model) is standing between the display info sign and the info kiosk, facing the latter. It is similar to Asteroid Al in the first picture, but in a more simple posture, without the sleeveless shirt and with silver rings around the "eye apparatus" instead of golden ones. It seems to be the basic version of these robots. Apparently, it was released by Arcadia under the name Aley Arai.
The same applies to another derivative of this robot which is standing to the right of the display info sign, facing the on-looker. It is called the Bell hop bot (Bellbot). It is identical to the robot looking at the info kiosk except for a red cylindrical bell-hop cap with black and golden trim, a red bell-hop jacket with black and golden trim and many golden buttons, a white button-down shirt underneath and a black bowtie.
Another robot creation released under the Aley Arai guise is still in its original package and lying on its right side underneath the display info sign. It has a much more humanoid and actually female look. Its face is that of a human. She has the same eyes as the two other robots, only that they are elliptical now instead of circular. She has an ellipsoid on her head that stands in for hair; it has an angular cutout for the face all the way back to the ears which are built into the head. She has a more pronounced chest with two round features on the texture that suggest a pair of breasts, a slimmer waist below and a skirt-like attachment around her waist farther below. Also, her arms and legs are somewhat more human-like.
The package box has metal grey science-fiction outer textures all around except for the mostly transparent front where it re-uses the spaceship window texture. The inside is completely textured in what looks like aqua blue padding. There is an opaque, light blue rectangle extending from the left-hand edge of the window about 70% across and from right below the robot's knees to about a third of the way up to its thighs. It has the product name of the robot written on it in black letters in the same science-fiction typeface as used on the asteroid mining info kiosk. The upper line reads, "ROBOMAID-3000", and the lower line reads, "ROBOT DOMESTIC".
The gap between this rectangle and the right-hand edge of the window is closed by another, upright rectangle in the same tone of blue which extends beyond the upper and lower edges of the first rectangle by 75% of the latter's height. It shows the logo of the manufacturer. In the middle, there is a black rectangle with rounded edges surrounded by a thin black line with a light blue robotic hand modelled after a human's left hand in front of a background of zeroes and ones in dark grey digits in an unidentified monospace typeface. "Positronic" is written above the rectangle in what appears to be a bold, italic and condensed Helvetica variant except for the quite stylised, science-fiction-style capital P. Below the rectangle, "ROBOTICS" is written in a different, unidentified sans-serif title typeface. All this writing is in black again.
Below the first rectangle, there are two barcodes. The one to the left appears to follow the Universal Product Code standard as per International Standard ISO/IEC 15420. The code number is 1-33023-81220-0. To my best knowledge, it is either a fantasy code, or it has expired years ago. The barcode to the left is a fantasy code that makes use of what appears to be a 16-colour scheme in three rows with various heights.
At both the top and the bottom of the window, "CAUTION HANDLE WITH CARE" is written in a stencil typeface which can also be seen on one of the containers on the Dromedary Super Freighter in the first picture, but in yellow with thick black outlines. On both sides of each writing, there is a triangular caution sign with rounded corners, a red frame and a black exclamation mark in front of a yellow centre.
The fourth robot in the group, released under the Aley guise again, is another female robot and much more well-known. It is modelled after the robot Maria from Fritz Lang's 1928 silent movie Metropolis. Unlike the other robots, it looks like it was entirely made from brass. It has also got a very detailed body instead of details drawn onto the textures. It is standing to the right of the Bell hop bot on a trapezoid pedestal which has the official logo of the film on the front, surrounded by a golden rectangular frame. The pedestal is partially sunk into the grey ramp below, however. This robot was actually made to be used as an avatar. The avatar variant can be acquired for free elsewhere, and yet another place which I've described several months ago uses it as an automated non-player character.
Above Maria and slightly to the right, a spherical contraption called Confederation Police Drone is hovering, another product by Aley. It is mostly spherical with bright yellow-orange cylindrical extensions at the top and the bottom, similar to the red ones on Widget in the first picture. Again, only a low-quality version of its main body texture seems to have been preserved. It is mostly Prussian blue. Two stripes full of technological "greebles" with dark grey trim along both edges surround the body below the top and above the bottom. One night blue stripe each goes around its vertical axis and its longitudinal axis with black, silver and black again trim along both edges. The "greeble" stripes cut through the blue stripe around the longitudinal axis, but their dark grey trim doesn't.
On both sides, where the blue stripes meet, there is a circular police badge with medium blue as its basic colour. It has a multi-layer frame around its edge which starts with a thin silver grey or bright golden circle, followed inward by a gradient from what appears to be dark grey to medium grey, followed again by a thick golden inner frame which appears to be elevated due to the shading on its edges. The same applies to the other golden elements in the badge. There is a star with four points at the top, at the bottom and on the sides which connect to the thin outer ring of the surrounding frame and cut through the elevated golden ring and four less-than-half-sized points between them. In the middle of the star, the outlines of the number 42 are cut into it. "Confederation" is written across the top of the badge and "Police" across its bottom, both cutting through both the inner frame and the star. "SECURITY DRONE" is written in two lines on the blue stripe to the left and to the right of each badge. All writing uses the previously seen science-fiction typeface again.
It has three horizontally arranged identical weapons at the front. What kinds of weapons they are remains unclear. Otherwise, it doesn't have any farther attachments.
Farther up and fully inside the space cube, there are also four different spaceships. The highest up, right in front of the nebula NGC 604 in the background and the farthest back in the space cube, hovers the Pirate Shark Ship which belongs to the Galactic Trade Union theme. It is pointing past the on-looker to the left. Its fuselage is mostly cylindrical with semi-spherical ends. On the top and slightly below the middles of the sides, three fins are mounted, backswept like those of a shark. Each one of them has an engine installed near its end. The engines have ellipsoid, hollowed out casings with a funnel on each end. The funnels have both the same chaotic blue and teal texture which might originally have been made for water surfaces. Here, however, it is animated. At the front of the engine, it moves inward, at the end, it moves outward. Also, each lateral fin has three dark grey ranged weapons mounted on its front edge.
The name is justified by the front design. From the upper half of the frontal semi-sphere protrudes an ellipsoid that emulates the nose of a shark. On each side of the nose, there is one bulgy, menacing eye with a red iris on a black eyeball mounted on the seam between the cylindrical mid-section and the sphere. Below the nose, on the frontal semi-sphere, there is a shark maw with two rows of pointy teeth on a dark red background which is shaded in order to appear like it's actually built into the ship rather than painted on. And on both sides of the maw, there is a dark grey structure that resembles a cogwheel with no hub which might even imply that the shark maw can be opened. In spite of the many "greebles" on the grey texture that covers almost the whole ship, it doesn't seem to have any hatches or other openings.
Also, it doesn't have an interior. The cockpit is not much more than a cupola on top of the ship, mostly on the nose, with four opaque black panes, one at the front, one at the back, one on each side. Right behind the cupola and in front of the top fin with its engine intake, a small communications dish is rotating clockwise, about once every three seconds, slightly tilted upward.
Both sides of the cylindrical mid-section are labelled. In the middle, there is a white human skill in front of two crossed sabers with black outlines in front of a black playing card spade with a white outline. Next to it, towards the bow, there is a sign made of three black chevrons with cream outlines, one from the top, two slightly tilted from the sides. On the other side, towards the stern, there is a hexagonal badge with black and yellow chevrons and a black outline which has previously appeared on the Orion Jump Freighter in the first image. The chevrons point towards the bow in the usual direction of movement. "PRIVATEER SPACE PIRATES" is written above these three emblems and "RESISTANCE IS FUN!" below them, both in the now usual science-fiction typeface and in black with beige outlines.
The tail consists of a cylindrical cone with a circular cross-section that is mounted against the middle of the rear semi-sphere plus two thin backswept hollow fins with two pointy ends each, one at the top, one at the bottom. Each fin has another one of the same engines installed as the fins on the middle fuselage section. On each side, there are two yellow lightning bolts pointing backwards; the lower one is a mirrored variant of the upper one.
There is no landing gear on the ship.
The ship below the middle that appears to be almost immediately below the Pirate Shark ship is actually a lot closer to the front. It is the Sloth Armored Transport, another ship from the Galactic Trade Union theme.
Its main fuselage section is about three and a half times as long as it is wide or high. It is octogonal from all sides, but differently from ahead or astern than from above or below and from the sides where it has the longest stretches of diagonal shape. It carries two large brackets on each side, consisting of a thick vertical connector plate and two thinner fins protruding from them diagonally which carry the actual turbine-like drive nacelles with the same white and orange rear nozzle textures as the Orion and the Dromedary, one from the top, one from the bottom. The fins also cut through one curved shield-like plate on each side which seems to be part of the brackets, and which seems to imply that the drives are not to be trusted. Most of the outside shows a texture that emulates slightly rusty steel plates with sometimes widening gaps between them.
The rectangular cargo hatch at the end is open, and since the ship is seen from behind, it reveals the interior which mostly shows a different, lighter, embossed texture. The same arrangement of twelve cargo boxes shaped like slightly flattened cubes is standing on each side, but rotated by 180 degrees towards each other. Only the boxes on the port side are visible in the image. Towards the stern, there are four stacks of four boxes each. Farther ahead, there are only two boxes. There are four different boxes, all with the same texture on all sides, arranged in alternating pairs in all directions.
Within the rearmost stack, the box at the top and the second one from the bottom have lids with a picture of a planet apparently made of melting cheese below the centre, slightly cut off at the bottom. A sleek, dark golden flying saucer comes dashing around it from the left, leaving a golden trail behind. Another mostly green flying saucer is in the top right corner, surrounded by a magenta halo and with a beige trail behind it. The planet is surrounded by an arch of golden embossed letters in a serif typeface which spell out, "PLANET CHEESE".
The other two boxes in the stack seem to be held shut with two yellow rectangular brackets riveted around each corner. In their middle, there is a rectangular logo with a medium blue background and a frame with diagonal black and yellow warning stripes around it. Towards the top right corner, there is a somewhat large grey cogwheel with six spokes and black outlines. Another slightly smaller and lighter cogwheel connects to it from the opposite corner. In the top left corner, there is the capital letter "C"; in the bottom right corner, there is the capital letter "G". Below the logo, "CAPITAL GOODS" is written. All writing is yellow and in a stencil typeface.
The boxes ahead of each Planet Cheese box have lime green corner reinforcements. Most of each side shows black and yellow diagonal warning stripes. In the middle, there is a circular logo with a faint golden frame around it and a crossed shovel and pickaxe together with three identical cream-coloured dodecahedra standing in for rock pieces on it. In black letters in the usual science-fiction typeface, "PROCESSED" is written above the logo and "ASTEROID ORE" below it.
The remaining boxes ahead of each Capital Goods box and above and below each processed asteroid ore box appear like they've got internal cooling systems and bolted-on lids. In the middle, there appears to be a window surrounded by black and yellow diagonal warning stripes through which various food items inside the box can be seen; this is of course only part of the texture. On each side of this window, "REFRIGERATED FOOD STORAGE" is written in yellow stencil letters. The writing is always vertical; to the left of the window, it is rotated clockwise, to the right, it is rotated counter-clockwise.
Ahead of the cargo hold, there is a box-shaped "neck" with the cockpit in a structure that can be described as a transversally-mounted barrel. Across the front, two rows of eleven windows using the standard space ship window texture allow for views inside or outside. The cockpit itself has two seats. The control panel ahead of them and below the front window is animated. Underneath the cockpit, there is the ship's only landing leg which is identical to those of the freighters in the first picture. Apparently, the ship uses the lower engines and the curved shields as rear landing gear.
Towards the right, below the Lagoon Nebula as seen in the picture, there is a smaller freighter with a quite angular fuselage whose most striking features are the four big engines protruding from the stern, each again with the white and orange textures. It is called the Tarsus II Tramp Freighter, another Galactic Trade Union ship, the smallest one of the cargo ships and the only one with an elaborate interior, but no access from outside. Its outside texture has lots of hatches, black and yellow safety markings, vents and other "greebles", but it does not have any door or hatch.
Most of the trapezoid bottom of the fuselage is used as the cargo hold which contains six boxes, two Capital Goods and refrigerated food storage boxes each and one Planet Cheese and processed asteroid ore box each. The top part is a bit more complex in shape. At its front, there are two rows of five windows for the cockpit; the usual window textures had to be modified for this use-case. On each side, a ranged weapon is mounted on the angular seam between top and bottom. A static dish is mounted on top of the ship.
The upper level, connected to the cargo hold via a ladder, has to be the most comfortable one on all ships. Apart from lots of control panels and the same brown seats with white seams and black padding seen on other ships before, it has a double bunk bed, and it is also equipped with the column of touch panel, microwave oven and Mr. Coffee also found inside the Behemoth freighter in the first picture. Camming through the ship would reveal a bathroom with a sink, a toilet and a bathtub filled with a slowly rotating bubble bath. Outside the bathroom, the upper has even got a patterned green carpet on the floor.
Last but not least, there is what may be the most unusual vessel of all. Fairly down low and a bit to the left, seen mostly from behind again, the Slee Banana Cruiser 2 is tagged as published by Aley again. Its main fuselage is yellow and actually shaped like a banana, riveted together from steel plates. At the rear end, there is a rocket nozzle which consists of three riveted funnels nested inside one another. The fin shape from the Retro Rocket in the first picture is re-used for one single fin on top of the nozzle, but with a simple brushed metal texture now. The front is decorated with a rusty figurehead shaped like a stylised bald female human.
The wings re-use both the rear fins from the Pirate Shark Ship and, like most of the ship, the riveted steel textures from the Retropolis retro future spaceship in the first picture. Each one holds a hexagonal vertical pod through its leading edge. From each one of these pods, a pair of double-bladed fans like on a gyrocopter protrude upward on a long shaft, and what gives the impression of a machine gun is mounted underneath. The guns seem to also double as landing gear.
The cockpit is inside a yellow sphere which holds onto the banana below with two humanoid arms. The lower half is made of riveted steel on the outside and covered in control panels on the inside. The upper half uses the window texture for a strangely asymmetrical arrangement of 15 windows. Inside, there is a padded red seat behind a hooded yellow instrument panel with a yoke.
To the left of the space cube, a bit of the neighbouring space cube from the first picture can be seen with a small part of its Crab Nebula texture. To the right, there is another bit of land, sea and sky as already described in the first picture. In the top right corner, there is a bit of a cloud. One particular bright star is shining right below the cloud and a smaller one farther below on the edge of the space cube.
Again, the scene is illuminated by ambient light and by "sunlight" coming in from a low position opposite the display. There is no actual sun in the scene.
The third picture shows the third and last display of space-themed Arcadia Asylum creations. Its direction of view has turned southward, but it is perpendicular to the walkways again. These and the grey ramp area between the walkways and the space cube are basically identical to the other two images.
Unlike in the second picture, but like in the first one, the space cube aligns with the ramp. It is placed with the same orientation as in the second picture, but it is being looked at from a different side now, thus showing NGC 604 on the left, the Lagoon Nebula in the back and the mirrored and edited picture of IC 434 with the Horsehead Nebula on the right.
On the edge between the walkways, a few metres right of centre, there is the same teleporter as in the other two pictures again. And once again, I have taken care that it also shows the same teleport destination.
To the left of it, there is a white sign which can also be found between the other two displays, but which cannot be seen in the other two pictures. It is white with black writing on it. It counts down Arcadia Asylum's main avatar names in Second Life and the themes associated with them: "Arcadia Asylum 2006-2007 | Slum City/Urban Blight, Hobos, Street Urchins, Subway System, Modular Sewer System, Greenies, Loli Caverns", a blank line following, "Aley Arai 2008-2011 | Space Pirates, Robots, Space stations, asteroids and wormholes", another blank line following, "Aley 2011 - 2015 | Flotsam Pirate Town, Pirate ships, The Abyss, Nemo's world and submarine, Mer, sunken ruins, Clockworks, Mad Scientist, Aquatics, Steam Fair". Again, the pipes in this transcription, the vertical lines, mark line breaks in the original.
The vantablack display info sign is in its usual place in the middle near the far edge of the grey ramp. This time, it reads, "Galactic Truckstop and Honest Zorg's by Aley | Owner: Ada.Radius | Description: Astonishing artwork created in Second Life by the avatar known as Arcadia Asylum, Aley Arai, Lora Lemon, Aley and other alts, exported with the artist's permission by many volunteers to OpenSim.." Once again, the pipes in this transcription mark line breaks in the original.
The centre-piece of this display is the Galactic Truck Stop in the back and almost in the middle. Its most striking feature is the two-level cupola on top. It uses the same texture for its ten rows of windows as some of the ships in the first two pictures use for their cockpit windows. The top level is a social area with eight dark grey armchairs. The level below has eight sleeping compartments, each with a double bunk bed, a hard-to-define piece of furniture and a scripted sliding door. Still, all these rooms have "glass walls" to the outside all the way to the floor, no curtains and illuminated ceilings.
The structure extends downward in a cylinder with a smaller diametre than the cupola. Directly below the cupola, there are four structures which appear to be fuel storages. They have a label on the side which consists of the Shell logo, a white rectangle below with a red and yellow logo that might be original and "FUEL" written under it in yellow letters with red outlines in a previously unseen science-fiction-style typeface and finally another upside-down Shell logo below that. There is a large porthole divided into 25 panes below each fuel storage.
Between the portholes, there are cylindrical airlocks protruding with two sets of doors. Each airlock leads to a landing pad shaped like a section of a circle. On the edges and towards the airlocks, these pads show striped black and yellow safety marking. The landing areas themselves are marked with white circles from which short white lines protrude into four directions. Inside the white circles, each landing pad has a label with an individual number, always written in red narrow and stencil-like characters with the number at the top, "PAD" below and a horizontal line between the number and the word. The landing pads on this level have even numbers; the ones towards the fronts are numbers 2 on the left and 4 on the right whereas the ones in the back are numbers 8 on the left and 6 on the right.
On the inside, this level contains a diner with a robot similar to Asteroid Al and two tables with four seats each. By default, when trying to enter any of the airlocks by clicking on them, one ends up sitting on one of these chairs.
The bottom level has its own set of four shorter landing pads. These, the corresponding air locks and the portholes between them are offset from those one floor up by 45 degrees. They have odd numbers; number 7 is oriented towards the on-looker. The portholes even have fuel storages above them again which are hanging underneath the upper landing pads. The airlocks appear to be standing wide open because the doors are misaligned; the outer door for airlock number 5 to the left even lacks textures. They are scripted nonetheless.
On the inside, the bottom level holds a big souvenir and duty-free shop with Asteroid Al himself behind the counter as the shopkeep.
All levels inside the station have brownish metal panels with lots of small slot-like holes in them on the ground. They are connected via a lift with red buttons inside which is actually a set of teleporters in disguise.
Above each airlock, the writing "GALACTIC TRUCK STOP" in the same fashion as on Asteroid Al's shirt in the first picture re-appears, but without the picture. In the typical science-fiction typeface from the second picture and the same tone of purple, "Last fule (sic!) n Restrooms for 20,000 Lightyears" is written below. The writing is not connected to anything.
Way to the right and near the front, there is the other part of this display: Honest Zorg's Used Spaceships. It is located on a small, slightly irregular round asteroid with a brown, crater-littered surface and an almost flat top. Interestingly, even the flat top has craters on it, so it came to exist naturally rather than through mining.
Four riveted steel poles are holding up two strings of pennants that surround the dealership. It's a pattern of 16 pennants in five colours: blue, white, red, yellow, green in this order. The 16th pennant to fill the number up after three repetitions is red again. The front left and rear right poles also carry signs painted onto riveted steel plates with the same structure texture as on the Dromedary on the back. The larger part of the sign with a slanted right-hand edge and a pointy upper right corner is painted denim blue with "HONEST ZORG'S" written on it in a heavy stretched Futura typeface and a thick yellow arrow pointing downward on its left-hand side; both are yellow. To the right of the arrow, there is an additional red and rectangular panel with the red writing "USED SPACESHIPS" on it which is made to appear like neon lights.
Within the strings of pennants, there are six small vessels which appear to be personal spacecraft, three on each side, most of which have rather odd shapes. In the back to the left, there is the only ship with transparent windows, another small flying saucer, which doesn't have any cockpit interior, though. Opposite of it, a rocket-style ship stands vertically on eight rear fins. It doesn't even have a cockpit, and with the sleeve around more than half its length, it rather resembles a big turbojet engine with a long pointy nose. The almost white ship to the left in the front has a chubby, mostly ellipsoid fuselage, a "collar" behind its small cockpit and eight tail fins. The oddly shaped one opposite of it in various tones of grey with a cockpit cupola similar to that on the Pirate Shark Ship has even got 16 tail fins. All these ships have in common that they lack visible drive components; this only doesn't matter for the flying saucer. But they all lack landing gear as well. Except for the upright rocket, they are sitting on their bellies.
The office in the back is basically a Retro Rocket Ship as seen in the first picture. However, its wings were cut off with no traces of their whereabouts. The rocket engine was removed; it is standing in front of the ship in two parts with a picnic table in front of the engine. The door is not only open, but dislodged and lying on the ground. The separation wall towards the cockpit including the doors is missing, as is one of the doors to the former crew compartment where the bunk beds have been removed, too. The former engine room is the office with the sales counter now. Honest Zorg turns out to be a grimy worker robot based on the same shape as Asteroid Al again. And the whole ship is slightly tilted forward because it seems to have dug itself into the ground, somewhat like in a crash landing.
There is a sign above the door which is completely obstructed by the dealership sign at the front. Through the porthole ahead of the open door, the bright teal sign on the counter is partially visible. In the same slightly stretched Futura as on the sign on the pole, but in blue, it reads, "Welcome to Honest Zorg's! We sell the finest in used and reconditioned Spacecraft". Below, in red and a bit smaller, there is added, "This is NOT the complaints office!!!" On top of the counter, the dark grey cash register can partially be made out.
This time, the image was taken in such a way that nothing is visible to the sides of the space cube. The scene is illuminated by ambient light and by "sunlight" coming in from the right. Due to the space cube not having visible outside textures, the directed "sunlight" can fall in through it, so, for example, parts of the Galactic Truck Stop or the ships at Honest Zorg's cast shadows. There is no actual sun in the scene.
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