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1000 results for “tail_call”
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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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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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@nanopore DRS sequencing temperature was lowered to 30/31C (#P2 / #MinION) in #minknow v24.06 (and all recent versions) slowing down RNA helicase from 130 bps to 100-110 bps, lowering yield per hour and affecting signal readouts.
In effect, recent and older #RNA004 runs differ in base- and modification calling quality, possibly pA tail estimates.
This change was not widely announced to the community apart from a brief mention in software release notes!
https://community.nanoporetech.com/posts/software-release-24-06-for
#academicChatter -
Vibe coding - has that mindset moved into the world of homebuilt aircraft? What has been the impact?
My approach to building a glider has been 'build a little, test a little.' That doesn't mix well with the vibe coding approach.
"Experimental amateur-built aircraft, often called "homebuilts" because they are typically built in people's garages and basements, are the fastest growing segment of new aircraft in the United States."
https://www.eaa.org/eaa/aircraft-building
"What amuses me is the chatter around such illustrations. You’ll see comments to the effect of “normal airplanes are boring. Engine in the front, tail at the back, people in the middle. Blah!”
Well, friends, because that’s what works. It’s fair to say general aviation moves on settled science. We know what works efficiently and safely when the human is the only thing in the control loop"
https://www.kitplanes.com/ai-amuses-but-it-cant-replace-aviation-experts/
#AvGeek #Aviation #ElectricAircraft #ExperimentalAviation #Homebuilt #Glider #DIY #VibeCoding #EAA #AI #Chatgpt #LLM
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459 👁, 215 🖼, 3 🔉, 4 🎬
💥▪〰〰〰▪✅▪▪▪▪▪▪▪🟢▪🟦🟦⬜⬜🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟦⬜⬜⬜🟦🟩🟩🟩🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟦🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟩🟩🟦🟩🟩🟩🟩🟦
🟦🟦🟩🟦🟩🟧🟦🟩🟦
🟦🟦🟩🟩🟦🟩🟦🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟩🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟦⬜⬜🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜🟦
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜Large, long-billed dark sunbird with red shoulder tufts that are often hidden. Males have very long tail streamers and are dark iridescent green in breeding plumage, and gray-brown with some green patches in non-breeding plumage. Females are dark gray-brown. Found in grassland and heath habitats at very high elevations. Vocalizations include metallic calls and a quick, scrambled song. Similar to Malachite Sunbird, but generally found at higher elevations, and looks darker in all plumages; female lacks white edges to the tail.
Photographer: Simon Carter
#RedtuftedSunbird #NectariniaJohnstoni #Daily_eBird #Bird #Birds #DailyBird
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459 👁, 215 🖼, 3 🔉, 4 🎬
💥▪〰〰〰▪✅▪▪▪▪▪▪▪🟢▪🟦🟦⬜⬜🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟦⬜⬜⬜🟦🟩🟩🟩🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟦🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟩🟩🟦🟩🟩🟩🟩🟦
🟦🟦🟩🟦🟩🟧🟦🟩🟦
🟦🟦🟩🟩🟦🟩🟦🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟩🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟦⬜⬜🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜🟦
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜Large, long-billed dark sunbird with red shoulder tufts that are often hidden. Males have very long tail streamers and are dark iridescent green in breeding plumage, and gray-brown with some green patches in non-breeding plumage. Females are dark gray-brown. Found in grassland and heath habitats at very high elevations. Vocalizations include metallic calls and a quick, scrambled song. Similar to Malachite Sunbird, but generally found at higher elevations, and looks darker in all plumages; female lacks white edges to the tail.
Photographer: Simon Carter
#RedtuftedSunbird #NectariniaJohnstoni #Daily_eBird #Bird #Birds #DailyBird
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459 👁, 215 🖼, 3 🔉, 4 🎬
💥▪〰〰〰▪✅▪▪▪▪▪▪▪🟢▪🟦🟦⬜⬜🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟦⬜⬜⬜🟦🟩🟩🟩🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟦🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟩🟩🟦🟩🟩🟩🟩🟦
🟦🟦🟩🟦🟩🟧🟦🟩🟦
🟦🟦🟩🟩🟦🟩🟦🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟩🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟦⬜⬜🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜🟦
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜Large, long-billed dark sunbird with red shoulder tufts that are often hidden. Males have very long tail streamers and are dark iridescent green in breeding plumage, and gray-brown with some green patches in non-breeding plumage. Females are dark gray-brown. Found in grassland and heath habitats at very high elevations. Vocalizations include metallic calls and a quick, scrambled song. Similar to Malachite Sunbird, but generally found at higher elevations, and looks darker in all plumages; female lacks white edges to the tail.
Photographer: Simon Carter
#RedtuftedSunbird #NectariniaJohnstoni #Daily_eBird #Bird #Birds #DailyBird
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459 👁, 215 🖼, 3 🔉, 4 🎬
💥▪〰〰〰▪✅▪▪▪▪▪▪▪🟢▪🟦🟦⬜⬜🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟦⬜⬜⬜🟦🟩🟩🟩🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟦🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟩🟩🟦🟩🟩🟩🟩🟦
🟦🟦🟩🟦🟩🟧🟦🟩🟦
🟦🟦🟩🟩🟦🟩🟦🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟩🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟦⬜⬜🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜🟦
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜Large, long-billed dark sunbird with red shoulder tufts that are often hidden. Males have very long tail streamers and are dark iridescent green in breeding plumage, and gray-brown with some green patches in non-breeding plumage. Females are dark gray-brown. Found in grassland and heath habitats at very high elevations. Vocalizations include metallic calls and a quick, scrambled song. Similar to Malachite Sunbird, but generally found at higher elevations, and looks darker in all plumages; female lacks white edges to the tail.
Photographer: Simon Carter
#RedtuftedSunbird #NectariniaJohnstoni #Daily_eBird #Bird #Birds #DailyBird
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#TimeTravelAuthors 06/11 #Harmony
#TimeTravelingGhost Part 12Once inside, we were surrounded by partygoers in costumes that would have put modern cosplayers to shame: tigers in rich yellow and black outfits, a peacock woman with a full peacock’s tail, pirates flashing gold teeth, and costumes that would get you canceled today. The whole thing moved in a Folies Bergère harmony of silk and chaos.
“We are fashionably late,” my mystery date said. Her Hungarian accent made it hard to understand her. My French was already weak; add a dash of Eastern Europe and full comprehension was dicey.
The woman continued, “But we are in time for Sidney Bechet’s sweet harmonies. Shall we sit and have a cocktail or dance?”
“Sit. I don’t seem hip to any of that jive rug cutting,” I said, immediately unsure if I’d used that right.
Indeed, the dancers dansaient comme des diables, cutting loose with spins, flips, Charleston shakes, and Black Bottom hip grinds.“Dancing is for the young, is it not? There was nothing like this when I grew up,” the Countess said. (For want of another name, I shall call her that.)
“Has Bechet shot that woman yet?” I asked.
“Oh, will he shoot someone? Divine. I must try to be there. No one tells you how dull life is if you live too long.”
A server in a risqué sequined dress arrived, and we promptly had Champagne cocktails, along with a tin of black Russian cigarettes for the Countess. She removed her mask, but I only got a hint of her appearance. The veil, appropriate for her costume, was fine black lace studded with red droplet stones; blood and shadow in perfect harmony. I could just make out her face, pale, almost as pale as the mask.
“Order what you like. I meet so few ghosts, and believe me, you are more intriguing than most. Dreadfully dull, always bent on revenge or hanging on to what they had in life. They should have worried about that when they were alive.”
She waved for two more cocktails and continued, “Mademoiselle Baker is best appreciated after a few cocktails.”
(To be continued)
#MicroFiction #NMPrompts #NMTTA #SidneyBechet #JosephineBaker #CountessElizabethBáthory #Jazz #roaring20s
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Rust Coreutils “uutils” v0.1 released!
The developers behind the Rust coreutils, called
Learn moreuutils, have reached a major milestone with the release of v0.1.0. This comes after the last release, which was v0.0.30. This version is now on GitHub, which you can check out below.This version of uutils contains many interesting changes done to the system utilities, including
cp,ls, and others. The SELinux support has been added tocp,ls,mkdir,mknod,mkfifo,install, andstatfor systems that are security oriented. This makes sure that systems with this coreutils implementation can now enjoy better security with SELinux enabled, especially when SELinux is enforcing.In addition to that, the speed has been improved to match and possibly exceed the legacy GNU coreutils performance. You can now notice the improved speed in commands like
cat,ls,wc,tail,seq, and more.Thanks to many commits and contributions done to the Rust coreutils project, it has witnessed many changes done to various commands, such as date allowing negative date offsets, echo allowing double hyphens, and print fixing octal escape parsing.
In addition to that, the test suite compatibility has seen increasing number of successes. While 0.0.30 has 507 passes; 41 skips; and 69 fails, version 0.1.0 has 522 passes; 31 skips; and 65 passes.
As a result, as future versions get released, compatibility with the older GNU coreutils increases. This is evidenced by the increasing number of succeeding unit tests for the Rust coreutils project, especially when it comes to SELinux-related tests.
You can consult the official website of Rust coreutils below.
Official websiteWhat about Ubuntu?
Ubuntu is planning to ship
uutilsto replace the older GNU coreutils as part of the broader plan, called “Oxidizing Ubuntu.” Ubuntu 25.10 will be the first version of Ubuntu that will use this coreutils implementation to ensure that your Ubuntu system becomes both more secure and quicker; furthermore, your productivity will increase as the improved performance becomes prevalent in this release.Ubuntu 25.10 Questing Quokka will use the Rust coreutils during the development cycle, along with the Rust implementation of sudo called
rs-sudo. In later development milestones, Ubuntu will use thefindutilsand thediffutilsprojects from the masteruutilsproject.You will be able to download the stable release of this Ubuntu version on October 9th, 2025.
#2510 #Coreutils #Linux #LinuxDesktop #news #Questing #QuestingQuokka #Quokka #Rust #RustCoreutils #Tech #Technology #Ubuntu #Ubuntu2510 #Ubuntu2510Questing #Ubuntu2510QuestingQuokka #Ubuntu2510Quokka #update #uutils
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Katagory V – Awaken a New Age of Chaos Review
By Dolphin Whisperer
Katagory V, not to be confused with any band called Category 5 or Five or any variation thereof, has been rollicking with power chord and falsetto vocal abandon for the better part of a quarter-century. Not continuously, though, as founding bass-slinger Dustin Mitchell put the riff-train on pause from 2014 to 2023 after struggling to fund the release of 2015’s Resurrect the Insurgence. With roots in a progressive and riff-heavy attitude that mirrored the doom-weighted Swedish power metal sound of (then) contemporaries Memory Garden and Tad Morose but with a stronger foot in early USPM progenitors like Fates Warning and Queensrÿche, Katagory V carved a niche within a niche in the American underground. And now with a reunited vigor for overdriven and melodramatic riffcraft, Awaken a New Age of Chaos hopes to stir in wanting loins the tingle of amplified bravado.
Awaken a New Age sees only a couple of line-up shifts from the Katagory V early days, with Resurrect vocalist Albert Rybka (Acracy, Empyrean Sanctum) returning to the mic—his more “modern” prog/power croon had previously shifted the sound towards a big chorus focus. As a band with minds set to reverence for a faded style, Katagory V’s emergence in the early ’00s put them beyond the tail end of their target audience, so a little change went a long way. Wielding classic tones, playful rhythms, and meaty guitar drives, the working man, angsty escapades of 2001’s Present Day or 2007’s Hymns of Dissension could have sat comfortably alongside the Sanctuary and Morgana Lefay CDs in a 12-disc changer with a slot to spare. But with Rypka at the vocal helm, a great world of vocal possibilities held the potential to unfold across Katagory V’s earnest and downtrodden societal observations.
For whatever reason, though, Rypka has chosen the path of the Ripper1, often relying on a shaky, low-power talk-sing that bursts into glass-shattering falsetto to imbue this new outing with extra metal force. While the shrill technique has earned a place in the hallowed halls of heavy metal, Rypka’s particular tendency on Awaken to jump from hobbling refrain to cloud-crashing wail derails the midtempo riff-groove of far too many tracks, “Legacy in Blood,” “Night Wing,” and “I Miss You” being the most screechy offenders. The kind of steady-drive prog/power in which Katagory V exists depends on a song navigating swiftly through its narrative dips and dives. And though Rypka can pull off plenty of smoother mic-twisting contortions against thrashy accelerations (“Empire of Ignorance,” “Prophet of Sorrow”) and moody, progressive growers (“Through Fate’s Eyes”), his theatrical and treble-abusing antics make continuous enjoyment difficult.
Katagory V, however, glues enough runtime together with a tight rhythmic chemistry, which keeps Awaken from succumbing to its more grating qualities. From the classic piano-to-drum tumble of “Absolution Divide” to the Iced Earth-galloping “Blood Siphon” to the Death-worshipping bridge of “Prophet of Sorrow,” Katagory V can carry a mighty thump and rumble. At their most epic and progressive on “Through Fate’s Eyes” and “Escape to Beyond,” they even approximate the kind of sweeping heavy metal of a power-to-prog transitioning Fates Warning in a way few bands attemp in this modern age. Though Awaken doesn’t wear this level of success at every step, the brief walk along this road that reclaims the glory of Katagory V’s youth shows that the fire for metal remains.
As an act like Inner Strength has shown, the sounds of the past can live anew in hands dedicated to iteration, refinement, and exploration. With Awaken a New Age of Chaos, the idea of growth within this aged style of heavy, progressive metal from a pre-Meshuggah world,2 leans far closer to a thoughtfully executed jam session of remembered riffs than it does towards finding its own brand of melancholy. Katagory V never, unfortunately, got the chance to make much of a mark in the annals of the developing prog frontier. And while a grander level of success is normal in the dreams of hopeful musicians—and in light of Awaken a New Age of Chaos not being likely to accelerate their ascension—Katagory V can still stand proud with their dusty contributions to the history of the Utah underground.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Labels: Metallic Blue Records (USA) | High Roller Records (EU)
Websites: katagoryv.bandcamp.com3 | facebook.com/KatagoryV
Releases Worldwide: May 16th, 2025#20 #2025 #AwakenANewAgeOfChaos #FatesWarning #HeavyMetal #HighRollerRecords #IcedEarth #InnerStrength #KatagoryV #May25 #MemoryGarden #MetallicBlueRecords #MorganaLefay #PowerMetal #ProgPower #ProgressiveMetal #Queensryche #Review #Reviews #Sanctuary #TadMorose
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Katagory V – Awaken a New Age of Chaos Review
By Dolphin Whisperer
Katagory V, not to be confused with any band called Category 5 or Five or any variation thereof, has been rollicking with power chord and falsetto vocal abandon for the better part of a quarter-century. Not continuously, though, as founding bass-slinger Dustin Mitchell put the riff-train on pause from 2014 to 2023 after struggling to fund the release of 2015’s Resurrect the Insurgence. With roots in a progressive and riff-heavy attitude that mirrored the doom-weighted Swedish power metal sound of (then) contemporaries Memory Garden and Tad Morose but with a stronger foot in early USPM progenitors like Fates Warning and Queensrÿche, Katagory V carved a niche within a niche in the American underground. And now with a reunited vigor for overdriven and melodramatic riffcraft, Awaken a New Age of Chaos hopes to stir in wanting loins the tingle of amplified bravado.
Awaken a New Age sees only a couple of line-up shifts from the Katagory V early days, with Resurrect vocalist Albert Rybka (Acracy, Empyrean Sanctum) returning to the mic—his more “modern” prog/power croon had previously shifted the sound towards a big chorus focus. As a band with minds set to reverence for a faded style, Katagory V’s emergence in the early ’00s put them beyond the tail end of their target audience, so a little change went a long way. Wielding classic tones, playful rhythms, and meaty guitar drives, the working man, angsty escapades of 2001’s Present Day or 2007’s Hymns of Dissension could have sat comfortably alongside the Sanctuary and Morgana Lefay CDs in a 12-disc changer with a slot to spare. But with Rypka at the vocal helm, a great world of vocal possibilities held the potential to unfold across Katagory V’s earnest and downtrodden societal observations.
For whatever reason, though, Rypka has chosen the path of the Ripper1, often relying on a shaky, low-power talk-sing that bursts into glass-shattering falsetto to imbue this new outing with extra metal force. While the shrill technique has earned a place in the hallowed halls of heavy metal, Rypka’s particular tendency on Awaken to jump from hobbling refrain to cloud-crashing wail derails the midtempo riff-groove of far too many tracks, “Legacy in Blood,” “Night Wing,” and “I Miss You” being the most screechy offenders. The kind of steady-drive prog/power in which Katagory V exists depends on a song navigating swiftly through its narrative dips and dives. And though Rypka can pull off plenty of smoother mic-twisting contortions against thrashy accelerations (“Empire of Ignorance,” “Prophet of Sorrow”) and moody, progressive growers (“Through Fate’s Eyes”), his theatrical and treble-abusing antics make continuous enjoyment difficult.
Katagory V, however, glues enough runtime together with a tight rhythmic chemistry, which keeps Awaken from succumbing to its more grating qualities. From the classic piano-to-drum tumble of “Absolution Divide” to the Iced Earth-galloping “Blood Siphon” to the Death-worshipping bridge of “Prophet of Sorrow,” Katagory V can carry a mighty thump and rumble. At their most epic and progressive on “Through Fate’s Eyes” and “Escape to Beyond,” they even approximate the kind of sweeping heavy metal of a power-to-prog transitioning Fates Warning in a way few bands attemp in this modern age. Though Awaken doesn’t wear this level of success at every step, the brief walk along this road that reclaims the glory of Katagory V’s youth shows that the fire for metal remains.
As an act like Inner Strength has shown, the sounds of the past can live anew in hands dedicated to iteration, refinement, and exploration. With Awaken a New Age of Chaos, the idea of growth within this aged style of heavy, progressive metal from a pre-Meshuggah world,2 leans far closer to a thoughtfully executed jam session of remembered riffs than it does towards finding its own brand of melancholy. Katagory V never, unfortunately, got the chance to make much of a mark in the annals of the developing prog frontier. And while a grander level of success is normal in the dreams of hopeful musicians—and in light of Awaken a New Age of Chaos not being likely to accelerate their ascension—Katagory V can still stand proud with their dusty contributions to the history of the Utah underground.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Labels: Metallic Blue Records (USA) | High Roller Records (EU)
Websites: katagoryv.bandcamp.com3 | facebook.com/KatagoryV
Releases Worldwide: May 16th, 2025#20 #2025 #AwakenANewAgeOfChaos #FatesWarning #HeavyMetal #HighRollerRecords #IcedEarth #InnerStrength #KatagoryV #May25 #MemoryGarden #MetallicBlueRecords #MorganaLefay #PowerMetal #ProgPower #ProgressiveMetal #Queensryche #Review #Reviews #Sanctuary #TadMorose
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Katagory V – Awaken a New Age of Chaos Review
By Dolphin Whisperer
Katagory V, not to be confused with any band called Category 5 or Five or any variation thereof, has been rollicking with power chord and falsetto vocal abandon for the better part of a quarter-century. Not continuously, though, as founding bass-slinger Dustin Mitchell put the riff-train on pause from 2014 to 2023 after struggling to fund the release of 2015’s Resurrect the Insurgence. With roots in a progressive and riff-heavy attitude that mirrored the doom-weighted Swedish power metal sound of (then) contemporaries Memory Garden and Tad Morose but with a stronger foot in early USPM progenitors like Fates Warning and Queensrÿche, Katagory V carved a niche within a niche in the American underground. And now with a reunited vigor for overdriven and melodramatic riffcraft, Awaken a New Age of Chaos hopes to stir in wanting loins the tingle of amplified bravado.
Awaken a New Age sees only a couple of line-up shifts from the Katagory V early days, with Resurrect vocalist Albert Rybka (Acracy, Empyrean Sanctum) returning to the mic—his more “modern” prog/power croon had previously shifted the sound towards a big chorus focus. As a band with minds set to reverence for a faded style, Katagory V’s emergence in the early ’00s put them beyond the tail end of their target audience, so a little change went a long way. Wielding classic tones, playful rhythms, and meaty guitar drives, the working man, angsty escapades of 2001’s Present Day or 2007’s Hymns of Dissension could have sat comfortably alongside the Sanctuary and Morgana Lefay CDs in a 12-disc changer with a slot to spare. But with Rypka at the vocal helm, a great world of vocal possibilities held the potential to unfold across Katagory V’s earnest and downtrodden societal observations.
For whatever reason, though, Rypka has chosen the path of the Ripper1, often relying on a shaky, low-power talk-sing that bursts into glass-shattering falsetto to imbue this new outing with extra metal force. While the shrill technique has earned a place in the hallowed halls of heavy metal, Rypka’s particular tendency on Awaken to jump from hobbling refrain to cloud-crashing wail derails the midtempo riff-groove of far too many tracks, “Legacy in Blood,” “Night Wing,” and “I Miss You” being the most screechy offenders. The kind of steady-drive prog/power in which Katagory V exists depends on a song navigating swiftly through its narrative dips and dives. And though Rypka can pull off plenty of smoother mic-twisting contortions against thrashy accelerations (“Empire of Ignorance,” “Prophet of Sorrow”) and moody, progressive growers (“Through Fate’s Eyes”), his theatrical and treble-abusing antics make continuous enjoyment difficult.
Katagory V, however, glues enough runtime together with a tight rhythmic chemistry, which keeps Awaken from succumbing to its more grating qualities. From the classic piano-to-drum tumble of “Absolution Divide” to the Iced Earth-galloping “Blood Siphon” to the Death-worshipping bridge of “Prophet of Sorrow,” Katagory V can carry a mighty thump and rumble. At their most epic and progressive on “Through Fate’s Eyes” and “Escape to Beyond,” they even approximate the kind of sweeping heavy metal of a power-to-prog transitioning Fates Warning in a way few bands attemp in this modern age. Though Awaken doesn’t wear this level of success at every step, the brief walk along this road that reclaims the glory of Katagory V’s youth shows that the fire for metal remains.
As an act like Inner Strength has shown, the sounds of the past can live anew in hands dedicated to iteration, refinement, and exploration. With Awaken a New Age of Chaos, the idea of growth within this aged style of heavy, progressive metal from a pre-Meshuggah world,2 leans far closer to a thoughtfully executed jam session of remembered riffs than it does towards finding its own brand of melancholy. Katagory V never, unfortunately, got the chance to make much of a mark in the annals of the developing prog frontier. And while a grander level of success is normal in the dreams of hopeful musicians—and in light of Awaken a New Age of Chaos not being likely to accelerate their ascension—Katagory V can still stand proud with their dusty contributions to the history of the Utah underground.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Labels: Metallic Blue Records (USA) | High Roller Records (EU)
Websites: katagoryv.bandcamp.com3 | facebook.com/KatagoryV
Releases Worldwide: May 16th, 2025#20 #2025 #AwakenANewAgeOfChaos #FatesWarning #HeavyMetal #HighRollerRecords #IcedEarth #InnerStrength #KatagoryV #May25 #MemoryGarden #MetallicBlueRecords #MorganaLefay #PowerMetal #ProgPower #ProgressiveMetal #Queensryche #Review #Reviews #Sanctuary #TadMorose
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Katagory V – Awaken a New Age of Chaos Review
By Dolphin Whisperer
Katagory V, not to be confused with any band called Category 5 or Five or any variation thereof, has been rollicking with power chord and falsetto vocal abandon for the better part of a quarter-century. Not continuously, though, as founding bass-slinger Dustin Mitchell put the riff-train on pause from 2014 to 2023 after struggling to fund the release of 2015’s Resurrect the Insurgence. With roots in a progressive and riff-heavy attitude that mirrored the doom-weighted Swedish power metal sound of (then) contemporaries Memory Garden and Tad Morose but with a stronger foot in early USPM progenitors like Fates Warning and Queensrÿche, Katagory V carved a niche within a niche in the American underground. And now with a reunited vigor for overdriven and melodramatic riffcraft, Awaken a New Age of Chaos hopes to stir in wanting loins the tingle of amplified bravado.
Awaken a New Age sees only a couple of line-up shifts from the Katagory V early days, with Resurrect vocalist Albert Rybka (Acracy, Empyrean Sanctum) returning to the mic—his more “modern” prog/power croon had previously shifted the sound towards a big chorus focus. As a band with minds set to reverence for a faded style, Katagory V’s emergence in the early ’00s put them beyond the tail end of their target audience, so a little change went a long way. Wielding classic tones, playful rhythms, and meaty guitar drives, the working man, angsty escapades of 2001’s Present Day or 2007’s Hymns of Dissension could have sat comfortably alongside the Sanctuary and Morgana Lefay CDs in a 12-disc changer with a slot to spare. But with Rypka at the vocal helm, a great world of vocal possibilities held the potential to unfold across Katagory V’s earnest and downtrodden societal observations.
For whatever reason, though, Rypka has chosen the path of the Ripper1, often relying on a shaky, low-power talk-sing that bursts into glass-shattering falsetto to imbue this new outing with extra metal force. While the shrill technique has earned a place in the hallowed halls of heavy metal, Rypka’s particular tendency on Awaken to jump from hobbling refrain to cloud-crashing wail derails the midtempo riff-groove of far too many tracks, “Legacy in Blood,” “Night Wing,” and “I Miss You” being the most screechy offenders. The kind of steady-drive prog/power in which Katagory V exists depends on a song navigating swiftly through its narrative dips and dives. And though Rypka can pull off plenty of smoother mic-twisting contortions against thrashy accelerations (“Empire of Ignorance,” “Prophet of Sorrow”) and moody, progressive growers (“Through Fate’s Eyes”), his theatrical and treble-abusing antics make continuous enjoyment difficult.
Katagory V, however, glues enough runtime together with a tight rhythmic chemistry, which keeps Awaken from succumbing to its more grating qualities. From the classic piano-to-drum tumble of “Absolution Divide” to the Iced Earth-galloping “Blood Siphon” to the Death-worshipping bridge of “Prophet of Sorrow,” Katagory V can carry a mighty thump and rumble. At their most epic and progressive on “Through Fate’s Eyes” and “Escape to Beyond,” they even approximate the kind of sweeping heavy metal of a power-to-prog transitioning Fates Warning in a way few bands attemp in this modern age. Though Awaken doesn’t wear this level of success at every step, the brief walk along this road that reclaims the glory of Katagory V’s youth shows that the fire for metal remains.
As an act like Inner Strength has shown, the sounds of the past can live anew in hands dedicated to iteration, refinement, and exploration. With Awaken a New Age of Chaos, the idea of growth within this aged style of heavy, progressive metal from a pre-Meshuggah world,2 leans far closer to a thoughtfully executed jam session of remembered riffs than it does towards finding its own brand of melancholy. Katagory V never, unfortunately, got the chance to make much of a mark in the annals of the developing prog frontier. And while a grander level of success is normal in the dreams of hopeful musicians—and in light of Awaken a New Age of Chaos not being likely to accelerate their ascension—Katagory V can still stand proud with their dusty contributions to the history of the Utah underground.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Labels: Metallic Blue Records (USA) | High Roller Records (EU)
Websites: katagoryv.bandcamp.com3 | facebook.com/KatagoryV
Releases Worldwide: May 16th, 2025#20 #2025 #AwakenANewAgeOfChaos #FatesWarning #HeavyMetal #HighRollerRecords #IcedEarth #InnerStrength #KatagoryV #May25 #MemoryGarden #MetallicBlueRecords #MorganaLefay #PowerMetal #ProgPower #ProgressiveMetal #Queensryche #Review #Reviews #Sanctuary #TadMorose
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So, #Fediverse
You fixed my table saw.
I'm not sure if the specific Fedi friend who brought a strong young(er) man and the two of them just handled a problem that had become a true 300lb albatross around my head wants a callout here or not, but I'm still kinda wrapping my head around the fact that instead of a $3000 table littered with junk there's a working table saw out there, and it's because I made a friend here, and only because of that. Even being prepared to spend the extra hundreds to get a professional up, I could not find such a professional.
There's a long tragic story to it, involving the most shite customer service in the universe, courtesy of a certain table saw company that clings to a patent in a maimgrip that has denied better safety to millions for decades while producing videos of $100+ sawblades being sacrificed in twisted metal death, to save hotdogs.
Anyways Youtube convinced me that going with this well-known company was the move, when I decided to take the heavy plunge and get myself this central woodworker's tool. I could have taken that $3k and gone to a number of other companies and gotten an equally great saw, minus the hotdog saver, and probably afforded a damn great bandsaw as well.
But I was lazy, and I am susceptible af to peer pressure, and look at all those kool kids with their shiny black and red saws. Everyone loves black and red. #BoDoodle is deep black and he rocks a red collar.
So, reader, I bought it, and I kept paying and paying, cause it flaked out over the warranty period and then there was this nightmare part replacement with fucking awful directions that involved turning the thing over, and well... I'm good at muddling through fixing things on my own, but if it needs a second, strong body, and also for my body to be strong and not full of pain, shit gets hard.
Probably Imma sell it asap cause frankly, I see a long tail of me buying new blades and cartridges because I forgot to disable the thing while cutting something conductive. I was quite gainfully employed in tech when I bought it, and those expenses didn't seem so bad, then. Hell I could afford $40 a month to belong to a hackerspace I didn't ever go to back then.
And y'know I'm Canadian, they have to put it back on.
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The other day at the exotic animal vet (I was there because rats are exotic animals in this context 😂) there was a huge white cockatoo perched on the counter.
She looked like she'd been through the wars, her feathers were grey and ragged, her tail was missing and one leg was bandaged.
She sat there, blinking sleepily or napping, except every now and then she'd wake all the way up and shout "MAMMA!!!" incredibly loudly and someone from behind the scenes would call "coming!"
Eventually the vet showed up and shared a carrot with her.
I was impressed with the volume, and her ability to pronounce "m" without having lips.
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The other day at the exotic animal vet (I was there because rats are exotic animals in this context 😂) there was a huge white cockatoo perched on the counter.
She looked like she'd been through the wars, her feathers were grey and ragged, her tail was missing and one leg was bandaged.
She sat there, blinking sleepily or napping, except every now and then she'd wake all the way up and shout "MAMMA!!!" incredibly loudly and someone from behind the scenes would call "coming!"
Eventually the vet showed up and shared a carrot with her.
I was impressed with the volume, and her ability to pronounce "m" without having lips.
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The other day at the exotic animal vet (I was there because rats are exotic animals in this context 😂) there was a huge white cockatoo perched on the counter.
She looked like she'd been through the wars, her feathers were grey and ragged, her tail was missing and one leg was bandaged.
She sat there, blinking sleepily or napping, except every now and then she'd wake all the way up and shout "MAMMA!!!" incredibly loudly and someone from behind the scenes would call "coming!"
Eventually the vet showed up and shared a carrot with her.
I was impressed with the volume, and her ability to pronounce "m" without having lips.
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The other day at the exotic animal vet (I was there because rats are exotic animals in this context 😂) there was a huge white cockatoo perched on the counter.
She looked like she'd been through the wars, her feathers were grey and ragged, her tail was missing and one leg was bandaged.
She sat there, blinking sleepily or napping, except every now and then she'd wake all the way up and shout "MAMMA!!!" incredibly loudly and someone from behind the scenes would call "coming!"
Eventually the vet showed up and shared a carrot with her.
I was impressed with the volume, and her ability to pronounce "m" without having lips.
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The other day at the exotic animal vet (I was there because rats are exotic animals in this context 😂) there was a huge white cockatoo perched on the counter.
She looked like she'd been through the wars, her feathers were grey and ragged, her tail was missing and one leg was bandaged.
She sat there, blinking sleepily or napping, except every now and then she'd wake all the way up and shout "MAMMA!!!" incredibly loudly and someone from behind the scenes would call "coming!"
Eventually the vet showed up and shared a carrot with her.
I was impressed with the volume, and her ability to pronounce "m" without having lips.
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Someone knocked on my first-class cabin door. Reluctantly, I wheeled myself over to open it.
"Ma'am?" said the captain. "We've been #becalmed for too long. I need you to go over the side."
"Really?"
"Sorry. The crew are twitchy, and—"
I handed him my baby. "Look after him."
As I hit the water, the sailors cheered.
I thrashed my tail, soaking the nearest, then called, "Ready the tow ropes while I call my sisters."
Cabin upgrades have their drawbacks.
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CW: Otherkin talk, shifts
Lately I’ve been feeling a lot more like a wyvern at home than before.
Every night it’s been coming out when I snuggle my favorite dragon plush in bed. I just give into my urge to curl up around them and make them a burrito with my (wing)arms. (So yeah, apparently my weighted plushie is a shift trigger now.)
Not only that, but I’ve been doing it when I’m happy and alone (feeling safe) in general, in the car.
Most notable is I can feel my tail, it’s thick and it has *weight* to it. And if I go deeper into it, i feel the webbing on my fingers and arms as well. Eventually though my entire body feels like a dragon (my friend and I call it a phantom cloak) when I let go, and yes, it affects a *lot* of things!
…In related news, ended up kickstarting one of those dream keeper dragons and I can’t wait to start my dragonpile, small bed be darned!
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💥Announcement! Monday 16.12.2024💥
📜 Soirée and reading on the 100th birthday of Esther Bejarano 📜
Monday, 16.12.2024 | 07:00 pm | Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Straße der Pariser Kommune 8 a 10243 Berlin
Arrival: Arrival: RB23, RE1, RE2, RE7, RE8 S3, S5, S7, S9, S75, bus 140, 147, 240, 300, 347 Ostbahnhof
📣 Call: https://www.rosalux.de/veranstaltung/es_detail/7GUFT/zum-100-geburtstag-auf-dich-esther-bejarano
On 15 December 2024, Auschwitz survivor, anti-fascist and communist Esther Bejarano would have been 100 years old. Together we would like to celebrate her extraordinary life and political work.
Esther fought with unwavering courage against the shift to the right, for refugees and peace in the Middle East. Her voice was loud, her commitment tireless - whether in speeches, protests or on stage with Microphone Mafia.
The evening will be enriched by:
👉 Pegah Ferydoni (@pegahferydoni) delivering Esther's powerful speeches
Helga Obens, long-time companion, who shares Esther's new book and personal memories,
👉 Benet Lehmann, who reads from ‘Esther's Traces’ and provides insights into her life and the fight against right-wing extremism
Let's remember, celebrate and inspire together!
The event will also be broadcast as a livestream: https://www.rosalux.de/live
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742761 👁, 25913 🖼, 933 🔉, 139 🎬
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🟦⬜⬜🟨🟨🟧🟨🟩🟦
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🟦🟩🟩🟨🟧🟧🟧🟨🟦
🟦🟦🟩🟦🟨🟨🟦🟩🟦
🟦🟦🟩🟩🟦🟩🟦🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟩🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟦⬜⬜🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜🟦
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜Fairly common to common in open grassy habitats, from moorland and bogs to rough grassland and pastures. Mostly inconspicuous, small streaky brown bird. When flushed, note slightly bounding flight and white sides to tail. All pipits look rather similar and are best identified to species by combination of habitat and voice: Meadow Pipit call a high, slightly lisping "sip" and "sip-it" (or "pip-it").
Photographer: Anne Carrington-Cotton
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742761 👁, 25913 🖼, 933 🔉, 139 🎬
💥▪〰〰〰▪✅▪▪▪▪▪▪▪🟢▪🟦🟦⬜⬜🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟦⬜⬜🟨🟨🟧🟨🟩🟦
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🟦🟩🟩🟨🟧🟧🟧🟨🟦
🟦🟦🟩🟦🟨🟨🟦🟩🟦
🟦🟦🟩🟩🟦🟩🟦🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟩🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟦⬜⬜🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜🟦
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜Fairly common to common in open grassy habitats, from moorland and bogs to rough grassland and pastures. Mostly inconspicuous, small streaky brown bird. When flushed, note slightly bounding flight and white sides to tail. All pipits look rather similar and are best identified to species by combination of habitat and voice: Meadow Pipit call a high, slightly lisping "sip" and "sip-it" (or "pip-it").
Photographer: Anne Carrington-Cotton
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742761 👁, 25913 🖼, 933 🔉, 139 🎬
💥▪〰〰〰▪✅▪▪▪▪▪▪▪🟢▪🟦🟦⬜⬜🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟦⬜⬜🟨🟨🟧🟨🟩🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟧🟧🟧🟧🟩🟩
🟦🟩🟩🟨🟧🟧🟧🟨🟦
🟦🟦🟩🟦🟨🟨🟦🟩🟦
🟦🟦🟩🟩🟦🟩🟦🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟩🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟦⬜⬜🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜🟦
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜Fairly common to common in open grassy habitats, from moorland and bogs to rough grassland and pastures. Mostly inconspicuous, small streaky brown bird. When flushed, note slightly bounding flight and white sides to tail. All pipits look rather similar and are best identified to species by combination of habitat and voice: Meadow Pipit call a high, slightly lisping "sip" and "sip-it" (or "pip-it").
Photographer: Anne Carrington-Cotton
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Watch the short here: waiting for public URL
Transcript
- Telemachus: If so then, give me chimeras!
- Okay, here ya go!
- These are Chimaeras! They just… have an extra “a” in the name
- Chimaeras are a class of fish that live deep under water. They’re related to rays and sharks, and they’re perfect to learn about for spoopy month because they’re also called SPOOKFISH and GHOST SHARKS!
- Like rays, they have a long, whip-like tail. That snake-like tail might be why they’re called “chimeras” — like the snake tail on the greek chimera
- Dr. Didier: “They’re weird looking, they have these strange snouts and sensory systems”
- That’s Dr. Dominique Didier. She’s studied ghost sharks for just over 3 decades.
- And she helped discover a new species of ghost shark THIS YEAR in New Zealand and Australia!
- Dr. Didier: “We’re coming to the conclusion that what we thought was this one, global species, Harriotta raleighana, is probably not”
- Hariotta avia, or the Australia narrow-nosed spookfish, used to be thought of as the same thing as Hariotta raleighana. Then this year, Dr. Didier and colleagues released a paper (Finucci et al., 2024) that discovered that some of the populations near Australia and New Zealand are their own, unique species!
- H avia looks very similar to H. raleighana overall. But the skin color is distinct, as is some of the morphology — that is, the shape and structure of the body and its parts.
- Genetic analysis also played a role in identifying the new species.
- Dr. Didier: Now we have a lot more evidence, partly because we can do molecular studies to say, “this is probably something new”
- This figure from the study maps some of the genetic mutations between individuals. You can clearly see that the Harriotta avia specimens are very different from the rest of the Harriotta specimens collected.
- Given the morphological and genetic data, the team was able to confidently declare the new species.
- Before I let Dr. Didier go, I had to ask one more question:
- Me: So what’s your favorite thing about these weird little guys, about ghost sharks?
- Dr. Didier: “Oh my gosh, there’s so much to love about them! I just think they’re, like, cool to look at! … They’re ancient, so looking at their anatomy can give us clues to the evolution of vertebrates… Even now, after working with them for these decades, there’s still, like, tons of stuff to be done! So that’s why I like them, I get excited about all this neat stuff”
- Me: Anything else you want to share for the end of the video?
- Dr. Didier: Coming up, on October 30th, is national ghost shark day! So break out your ghost shark juju and have a great day!
- Thank you so much to Dr. Didier for helping out, check out the link in my bio for references, and follow for more cool science!
B-roll/image credits
- Deep see chimera: NOAA/wikimedia (Public domain)
- Hydrolagus colliei: Linda Snook/MBNMS (Public domain)
- Greek chimera: Carole Raddato/flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
- Harriotta raleighana: NOAA Okeanos/wikimedia (Public domain)
- Spotted eagle ray: John Norton/wikimedia (CC BY 2.0)
- Hydrolagus alberti: SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory/wikimedia (Public domain)
- Reef shark: NOAA/wikimedia (CC BY 2.0)
- Cute ghost shark illustration: Me
- Hammerhead ghost shark illustration: Zoe McGee
References
- AMNH. (2015, February 26). Type Specimens: An Overview | American Museum of Natural History. American Museum of Natural History. https://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/from-the-collections-posts/just-our-types-a-short-guide-to-type-specimens
- Bottaro, M. (2022). Sixth sense in the deep-sea: the electrosensory system in ghost shark Chimaera monstrosa. Scientific Reports, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-14076-2
- Didier, D., Kemper, J., & Ebert, D. (2012). Phylogeny, Biology and Classification of Extant Holocephalans. Marine Biology/CRC Marine Biology Series, 97–122. https://doi.org/10.1201/b11867-6
- Finucci, B., Cheok, J., Ebert, D. A., Herman, K., Kyne, P. M., & Dulvy, N. K. (2020). Ghosts of the deep – Biodiversity, fisheries, and extinction risk of ghost sharks. Fish and Fisheries, 22(2), 391–412. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12526
- Finucci, B., Didier, D., Ebert, D. A., Green, M. E., & Kemper, J. M. (2024). Harriotta avia sp. nov. – a new rhinochimaerid (Chimaeriformes: Rhinochimaeridae) described from the Southwest Pacific. Environmental Biology of Fishes. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-024-01577-4
- Halstead, B. W., & Bunker, N. C. (1952). The Venom Apparatus of the Ratfish, Hydrolagus colliei. Copeia, 1952(3), 128–128. https://doi.org/10.2307/1439692
https://beanstem.org/short-ghost-sharks/
#beanstem #biology #ghostShark #marine #ocean #science #shorts #spooky
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The premise of Pop Goes the Cryptid is that the view of doubtful animals (cryptids) has shifted from being a potentially scientific effort of zoological discovery called “cryptozoology” to that of being a media-driven, cultural and commercialized pop culture phenomenon. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t still efforts to find hidden mystery creatures but, more often, the cryptid has a more “folk” importance. An excellent example of a pop cryptid, and one that is currently exploding in popularity, is the Hodag, the mascot of Rhinelander, Wisconsin.
Modernly depicted as a stocky, aggressive, green-black, feline-frog-dinosaur mash-up with red eyes, huge claws, a spiny-ridged back, and fearsome saber-teeth, the Hodag’s origin is obscure. Existing historically, and orally, as a tale of lumberjack folklore in the northwoods, the Hodag legend was reimagined, and solidified, by storyteller and jokester Gene Shepard in the closing decade of the 1800s. Shepard brought various pieces together from tall tales and Ojibwa legends, and, using wood, ox hide, and some accomplices, created a wondrous piece of fakelore.
The ancestor of the Hodag is considered to be Mishipeshu, the spirit creature of the native tribes of the Great Lakes area and northwoods. This “great lynx” was depicted as powerful, and dangerous, with a spiky back and tail, and it lived in the deepest parts of lakes and rivers. Mishipeshu is commonly referred to as the water panther. Some historians believe that the mishipeshu figure had a part to play in the Hodag heritage that Shepard (who spoke Ojibwa) used to bring the modern Hodag legend to life.
Mishipeshu pictograph on Agawa Rock at Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada.In William Cox’s Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods (1910) (see the 100th Anniversary hypertext edition), the Hodag’s appearance is ridiculous, giving us ample foundation to conclude this creature was a made-up story from the Wisconsin and Minnesota lumber camps. Cox notes that it was reportedly rhinoceros-like, hairless and intelligent, and that its body color may be plaid, like the lumberjack coat. Its nose has a spade-shaped horn that grows in an outward direction, blocking the creature’s line of vision so that it can only look up. It searches for porcupines in the trees. When it finds one, it digs around the host tree (with its shovel-nose) so that it falls over, dislodging the porcupine, which is then eaten by the Hodag. For the winter, the Hodag covers itself in pine pitch, rolls in the leaves, and stays warm.
Depiction of Hodag by Cox’s illustrator Coert DuBoisOther legends also indicate the Hodag was some 7 feet long and the reincarnated spirit of the study oxen that dragged logs from the forest (and thus “scientifically named Bovine spiritualis). Early tales never indicated it was a genuine zoological animal. However, it’s not inconceivable that its aggressive nature might have been influenced by the wolverine – which was killed off in those parts by around the 1870s.
From Philadelphia Inquirer, 1897While the tale was known prior to 1893, Eugene Shepard, from Rhinelander, crafted the mythical Hodag into a creature for his own greater purposes. He claimed to have found one in 1893 in the swamplands. He wrote for the local newspaper detailing his account and it was a hit.
In 1895, he created a model out of wood and real animal parts, staging a photo with local men playing along to depict its capture. This is the Hodag we know and love.
In 1896, he staged a side-show “display” of the creature for the Oneida fair and then traveled with it. There was no real animal in the display, but that was not the point – it was the great story that people wanted to see and hear. Check out these pieces to learn about Shepard’s creation and how he was like the P.T. Barnum of Rhinelander.
The Hodag: How Fakelore Became Real | Flyover Culture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zprRsGgLEo
Hodag: The Fearsome Creature Roaming American Wilderness – Real History channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpkMlzJxgfs
The Hodag now had a specific form and was known to be very dangerous and stinky, but it wasn’t only the creature that smelled funny. The newspapers spreading Shepard’s story sometimes led readers outside the Northwoods to believe that outrageous animal tales like this were true. Some people may have thought the Hodag was real. Shepard continued the ruse by leaving his motives unclear. He suggested that he had really found a Hodag but let it go and said it was a hoax in order to protect it.
What a great logo for the local high school team!But for Rhinelander, Wisconsin residents, it was no hoax. It is an important part of their heritage. They adopted the Hodag as the town mascot in 1918. Even though there was a dispute in the town about how much to embrace the “fakelore” Hodag, ultimately, the creature won the hearts of the town. As sometimes happens, the “fakelore” was widely accepted and morphed into real folklore. As UW-Madison folklore professor Lowell Brower noted (in the Flyover Culture video above), the Hodag created by Shepard was “folkloresque” – based on folklore and drew its power from that. Rhinelander “lovingly appropriated and commercialized” the legend. It appears everywhere in the town and draws visitors that would otherwise never look twice at the small town in Northern Wisconsin.
Today’s Hodag is based on Shepard’s tale, not the lumberjack tale memorialized in Cox’s 1910 volume. In some depictions, the Hodag now resembles the original Chupacabra (spiky back, red eyes, sharp teeth and claws, and a lizard tongue). The ambiguity of the hodag invites participation, and people are happy to act out the legend (called “ostention) by pretending it’s real and even hunting for the creature. The fact that the Hodag was a known hoax did not stop people from wanting to see it.
The latest claims to fame for the Hodag is its appearance in a 2012 Scooby-Doo episode, where “Gene Shepard” appears as a showman with a traveling cabinet of curiosities.
The Hodag also has an entry in the Harry Potter universe book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them where their horns were said to have magical properties to keep people awake for days and be unaffected by alcohol.
You can find lots of Hodags in the Hodag store in Rhinelander, where the owner Ben Brunell says the symbol brings the community together. He opened the store because people wanted Hodag souvenirs. A traveling Hodag exhibit appeared at the 2024 Mothman festival and at many other places across the US. And you can stay at the Hodag AirBnB which is also crawling with the creatures. So while the legend of the Hodag is flourishing, a real flesh and blood creature will, by its non-nature, be impossible to find.
Bibliography and More:
- The Rhinelander Visitors Page – https://explorerhinelander.com/
- The Rhinelander Chamber of Commerce – About the Hodag https://www.rhinelanderchamber.com/about-the-hodag/
- Wisconsin Historical Society – The Hodag: Learn the history of the Hodag, Rhinelander’s mystical menace https://wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS16353
- Pioneer Park Historical Complex https://rhinelanderpphc.com/hodags/
https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/2024/10/10/hodag-wisconsins-homegrown-and-beloved-monster/
#cryptid #cryptids #Cryptozoology #Folklore #GeneShepard #Hodag #lumberjackTales #mascot #Mishipeshu #monster #Ojibwe #PopCryptid #Rhinelander #tallTales #Wisconsin
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The premise of Pop Goes the Cryptid is that the view of doubtful animals (cryptids) has shifted from being a potentially scientific effort of zoological discovery called “cryptozoology” to that of being a media-driven, cultural and commercialized pop culture phenomenon. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t still efforts to find hidden mystery creatures but, more often, the cryptid has a more “folk” importance. An excellent example of a pop cryptid, and one that is currently exploding in popularity, is the Hodag, the mascot of Rhinelander, Wisconsin.
Modernly depicted as a stocky, aggressive, green-black, feline-frog-dinosaur mash-up with red eyes, huge claws, a spiny-ridged back, and fearsome saber-teeth, the Hodag’s origin is obscure. Existing historically, and orally, as a tale of lumberjack folklore in the northwoods, the Hodag legend was reimagined, and solidified, by storyteller and jokester Gene Shepard in the closing decade of the 1800s. Shepard brought various pieces together from tall tales and Ojibwa legends, and, using wood, ox hide, and some accomplices, created a wondrous piece of fakelore.
The ancestor of the Hodag is considered to be Mishipeshu, the spirit creature of the native tribes of the Great Lakes area and northwoods. This “great lynx” was depicted as powerful, and dangerous, with a spiky back and tail, and it lived in the deepest parts of lakes and rivers. Mishipeshu is commonly referred to as the water panther. Some historians believe that the mishipeshu figure had a part to play in the Hodag heritage that Shepard (who spoke Ojibwa) used to bring the modern Hodag legend to life.
Mishipeshu pictograph on Agawa Rock at Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada.In William Cox’s Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods (1910) (see the 100th Anniversary hypertext edition), the Hodag’s appearance is ridiculous, giving us ample foundation to conclude this creature was a made-up story from the Wisconsin and Minnesota lumber camps. Cox notes that it was reportedly rhinoceros-like, hairless and intelligent, and that its body color may be plaid, like the lumberjack coat. Its nose has a spade-shaped horn that grows in an outward direction, blocking the creature’s line of vision so that it can only look up. It searches for porcupines in the trees. When it finds one, it digs around the host tree (with its shovel-nose) so that it falls over, dislodging the porcupine, which is then eaten by the Hodag. For the winter, the Hodag covers itself in pine pitch, rolls in the leaves, and stays warm.
Depiction of Hodag by Cox’s illustrator Coert DuBoisOther legends also indicate the Hodag was some 7 feet long and the reincarnated spirit of the study oxen that dragged logs from the forest (and thus “scientifically named Bovine spiritualis). Early tales never indicated it was a genuine zoological animal. However, it’s not inconceivable that its aggressive nature might have been influenced by the wolverine – which was killed off in those parts by around the 1870s.
From Philadelphia Inquirer, 1897While the tale was known prior to 1893, Eugene Shepard, from Rhinelander, crafted the mythical Hodag into a creature for his own greater purposes. He claimed to have found one in 1893 in the swamplands. He wrote for the local newspaper detailing his account and it was a hit.
In 1895, he created a model out of wood and real animal parts, staging a photo with local men playing along to depict its capture. This is the Hodag we know and love.
In 1896, he staged a side-show “display” of the creature for the Oneida fair and then traveled with it. There was no real animal in the display, but that was not the point – it was the great story that people wanted to see and hear. Check out these pieces to learn about Shepard’s creation and how he was like the P.T. Barnum of Rhinelander.
The Hodag: How Fakelore Became Real | Flyover Culture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zprRsGgLEo
Hodag: The Fearsome Creature Roaming American Wilderness – Real History channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpkMlzJxgfs
The Hodag now had a specific form and was known to be very dangerous and stinky, but it wasn’t only the creature that smelled funny. The newspapers spreading Shepard’s story sometimes led readers outside the Northwoods to believe that outrageous animal tales like this were true. Some people may have thought the Hodag was real. Shepard continued the ruse by leaving his motives unclear. He suggested that he had really found a Hodag but let it go and said it was a hoax in order to protect it.
What a great logo for the local high school team!But for Rhinelander, Wisconsin residents, it was no hoax. It is an important part of their heritage. They adopted the Hodag as the town mascot in 1918. Even though there was a dispute in the town about how much to embrace the “fakelore” Hodag, ultimately, the creature won the hearts of the town. As sometimes happens, the “fakelore” was widely accepted and morphed into real folklore. As UW-Madison folklore professor Lowell Brower noted (in the Flyover Culture video above), the Hodag created by Shepard was “folkloresque” – based on folklore and drew its power from that. Rhinelander “lovingly appropriated and commercialized” the legend. It appears everywhere in the town and draws visitors that would otherwise never look twice at the small town in Northern Wisconsin.
Today’s Hodag is based on Shepard’s tale, not the lumberjack tale memorialized in Cox’s 1910 volume. In some depictions, the Hodag now resembles the original Chupacabra (spiky back, red eyes, sharp teeth and claws, and a lizard tongue). The ambiguity of the hodag invites participation, and people are happy to act out the legend (called “ostention) by pretending it’s real and even hunting for the creature. The fact that the Hodag was a known hoax did not stop people from wanting to see it.
The latest claims to fame for the Hodag is its appearance in a 2012 Scooby-Doo episode, where “Gene Shepard” appears as a showman with a traveling cabinet of curiosities.
The Hodag also has an entry in the Harry Potter universe book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them where their horns were said to have magical properties to keep people awake for days and be unaffected by alcohol.
You can find lots of Hodags in the Hodag store in Rhinelander, where the owner Ben Brunell says the symbol brings the community together. He opened the store because people wanted Hodag souvenirs. A traveling Hodag exhibit appeared at the 2024 Mothman festival and at many other places across the US. And you can stay at the Hodag AirBnB which is also crawling with the creatures. So while the legend of the Hodag is flourishing, a real flesh and blood creature will, by its non-nature, be impossible to find.
Bibliography and More:
- The Rhinelander Visitors Page – https://explorerhinelander.com/
- The Rhinelander Chamber of Commerce – About the Hodag https://www.rhinelanderchamber.com/about-the-hodag/
- Wisconsin Historical Society – The Hodag: Learn the history of the Hodag, Rhinelander’s mystical menace https://wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS16353
- Pioneer Park Historical Complex https://rhinelanderpphc.com/hodags/
https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/2024/10/10/hodag-wisconsins-homegrown-and-beloved-monster/
#cryptid #Cryptozoology #GeneShepard #Hodag #lumberjackTales #mascot #Mishipeshu #monster #Ojibwe #PopCryptid #Rhinelander #tallTales #Wisconsin
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The premise of Pop Goes the Cryptid is that the view of doubtful animals (cryptids) has shifted from being a potentially scientific effort of zoological discovery called “cryptozoology” to that of being a media-driven, cultural and commercialized pop culture phenomenon. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t still efforts to find hidden mystery creatures but, more often, the cryptid has a more “folk” importance. An excellent example of a pop cryptid, and one that is currently exploding in popularity, is the Hodag, the mascot of Rhinelander, Wisconsin.
Modernly depicted as a stocky, aggressive, green-black, feline-frog-dinosaur mash-up with red eyes, huge claws, a spiny-ridged back, and fearsome saber-teeth, the Hodag’s origin is obscure. Existing historically, and orally, as a tale of lumberjack folklore in the northwoods, the Hodag legend was reimagined, and solidified, by storyteller and jokester Gene Shepard in the closing decade of the 1800s. Shepard brought various pieces together from tall tales and Ojibwa legends, and, using wood, ox hide, and some accomplices, created a wondrous piece of fakelore.
The ancestor of the Hodag is considered to be Mishipeshu, the spirit creature of the native tribes of the Great Lakes area and northwoods. This “great lynx” was depicted as powerful, and dangerous, with a spiky back and tail, and it lived in the deepest parts of lakes and rivers. Mishipeshu is commonly referred to as the water panther. Some historians believe that the mishipeshu figure had a part to play in the Hodag heritage that Shepard (who spoke Ojibwa) used to bring the modern Hodag legend to life.
Mishipeshu pictograph on Agawa Rock at Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada.In William Cox’s Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods (1910) (see the 100th Anniversary hypertext edition), the Hodag’s appearance is ridiculous, giving us ample foundation to conclude this creature was a made-up story from the Wisconsin and Minnesota lumber camps. Cox notes that it was reportedly rhinoceros-like, hairless and intelligent, and that its body color may be plaid, like the lumberjack coat. Its nose has a spade-shaped horn that grows in an outward direction, blocking the creature’s line of vision so that it can only look up. It searches for porcupines in the trees. When it finds one, it digs around the host tree (with its shovel-nose) so that it falls over, dislodging the porcupine, which is then eaten by the Hodag. For the winter, the Hodag covers itself in pine pitch, rolls in the leaves, and stays warm.
Depiction of Hodag by Cox’s illustrator Coert DuBoisOther legends also indicate the Hodag was some 7 feet long and the reincarnated spirit of the study oxen that dragged logs from the forest (and thus “scientifically named Bovine spiritualis). Early tales never indicated it was a genuine zoological animal. However, it’s not inconceivable that its aggressive nature might have been influenced by the wolverine – which was killed off in those parts by around the 1870s.
From Philadelphia Inquirer, 1897While the tale was known prior to 1893, Eugene Shepard, from Rhinelander, crafted the mythical Hodag into a creature for his own greater purposes. He claimed to have found one in 1893 in the swamplands. He wrote for the local newspaper detailing his account and it was a hit.
In 1895, he created a model out of wood and real animal parts, staging a photo with local men playing along to depict its capture. This is the Hodag we know and love.
In 1896, he staged a side-show “display” of the creature for the Oneida fair and then traveled with it. There was no real animal in the display, but that was not the point – it was the great story that people wanted to see and hear. Check out these pieces to learn about Shepard’s creation and how he was like the P.T. Barnum of Rhinelander.
The Hodag: How Fakelore Became Real | Flyover Culture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zprRsGgLEo
Hodag: The Fearsome Creature Roaming American Wilderness – Real History channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpkMlzJxgfs
The Hodag now had a specific form and was known to be very dangerous and stinky, but it wasn’t only the creature that smelled funny. The newspapers spreading Shepard’s story sometimes led readers outside the Northwoods to believe that outrageous animal tales like this were true. Some people may have thought the Hodag was real. Shepard continued the ruse by leaving his motives unclear. He suggested that he had really found a Hodag but let it go and said it was a hoax in order to protect it.
What a great logo for the local high school team!But for Rhinelander, Wisconsin residents, it was no hoax. It is an important part of their heritage. They adopted the Hodag as the town mascot in 1918. Even though there was a dispute in the town about how much to embrace the “fakelore” Hodag, ultimately, the creature won the hearts of the town. As sometimes happens, the “fakelore” was widely accepted and morphed into real folklore. As UW-Madison folklore professor Lowell Brower noted (in the Flyover Culture video above), the Hodag created by Shepard was “folkloresque” – based on folklore and drew its power from that. Rhinelander “lovingly appropriated and commercialized” the legend. It appears everywhere in the town and draws visitors that would otherwise never look twice at the small town in Northern Wisconsin.
Today’s Hodag is based on Shepard’s tale, not the lumberjack tale memorialized in Cox’s 1910 volume. In some depictions, the Hodag now resembles the original Chupacabra (spiky back, red eyes, sharp teeth and claws, and a lizard tongue). The ambiguity of the hodag invites participation, and people are happy to act out the legend (called “ostention) by pretending it’s real and even hunting for the creature. The fact that the Hodag was a known hoax did not stop people from wanting to see it.
The latest claims to fame for the Hodag is its appearance in a 2012 Scooby-Doo episode, where “Gene Shepard” appears as a showman with a traveling cabinet of curiosities.
The Hodag also has an entry in the Harry Potter universe book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them where their horns were said to have magical properties to keep people awake for days and be unaffected by alcohol.
You can find lots of Hodags in the Hodag store in Rhinelander, where the owner Ben Brunell says the symbol brings the community together. He opened the store because people wanted Hodag souvenirs. A traveling Hodag exhibit appeared at the 2024 Mothman festival and at many other places across the US. And you can stay at the Hodag AirBnB which is also crawling with the creatures. So while the legend of the Hodag is flourishing, a real flesh and blood creature will, by its non-nature, be impossible to find.
Bibliography and More:
- The Rhinelander Visitors Page – https://explorerhinelander.com/
- The Rhinelander Chamber of Commerce – About the Hodag https://www.rhinelanderchamber.com/about-the-hodag/
- Wisconsin Historical Society – The Hodag: Learn the history of the Hodag, Rhinelander’s mystical menace https://wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS16353
- Pioneer Park Historical Complex https://rhinelanderpphc.com/hodags/
https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/2024/10/10/hodag-wisconsins-homegrown-and-beloved-monster/
#cryptid #cryptids #Cryptozoology #Folklore #GeneShepard #Hodag #lumberjackTales #mascot #Mishipeshu #monster #Ojibwe #PopCryptid #Rhinelander #tallTales #Wisconsin