New York’s landmark Russian Tea Room took a final gasp but closed this past weekend. Its popularity never returned despite an expensive remodel.

The $20 Double Eagle gold coin that was supposed to be destroyed but mysteriously disappeared and then resurfaced a few years ago was auctioned off for $7.59 million. It is now officially legal tender, with $20 paid to the U.S. government. But no, I don’t think we’re going back on the gold standard again.

Cooper Black: Behind the Typeface (Flash req’d) is a clever Behind the Music parody on the surface, but is actually a fact-filled documentary on a popular typeface, complete with an appropriate commercial and cute interviews with letters. (via antenna)

Fool yourself with Grand Illusions or perhaps learn new tricks to befuddle your friends with. They sell some of the props too. (via Larkfarm Weblog V2)

The NY Times’ “On the Road” column examines the experience of female business travelers at hotels. Embassy Suites is specifically marketing to the needs of women travelers, making the environment more comfortable. A survey they took revealed that “while nearly two out of three female travelers define themselves as extroverts at home or at work, more than half of those same travelers change behavior on the road and classify themselves as introverts who often avoid public areas in hotels.” Embassy has wide open public areas that women tend to prefer instead of closed lounges where men are being clubby. Women certainly vary in their reactions to unfamiliar social situations, but attemping to make them more comfortable can’t hurt. Would the men feel less comfortable? A spokesman for Embassy’s parent company, Hilton, says that their research showed that women don’t want to be treated differently. It’s a decent point to make, but if hotels are smart, they’ll realize that better security and comfort for the typical female response is equitable, if not equal. The men may even consider it a marked improvement if they are treated the same way as the women, not the other way around.

In the risque Guys & Dolls number “Take Back Your Mink”, Adelaide tells her generous beau to “Hollanderize” the mink he gave her and give it to someone else. If you do a Google search on “Hollanderize” the result is, not surprisingly, a page of links to Guys & Dolls lyrics. But if you search on “Hollander Furs” you get a page of information from Virtual Newark N.J. on A. Hollander & Son, dyers and dressers of furs. This firm was one of the “oldest established permanent (not floating)” businesses in Newark. And unless I get further proof, I’m going to believe they are the origins of the coined verb that may have been in prominent use amongst the society gals of New York back in the days of Runyonland.

Recognizing similar styles of art is easy and once you know the various categories you can identify some pieces, sometimes even naming the artists of popular works. But when you see a similar style in different contexts, especially out of the art world context, sometimes you don’t know to make a connection. I stumbled upon David Lance Goines’ website today and my brain finally clicked together the wine labels, Chez Panisse cookbook covers, other book covers, and posters that I had encountered in the past and never thought to connect as the work of one mind.

Staying Cool
For almost endless variations on a theme, browse through the photos at the Antique Fan Collectors Association website. You’ll find vintage fans with 2 blades, 6 blades, metal blades, rubber blades, engines for oscillation or other mechanical tricks to create back and forth motion, and even different engine types. If you prefer your fans unplugged, take a peek at the International Fan Collector’s Guild where human-powered fans are the focus. Here, paper, feathers, fabric, wood, ivory, and early plastics combine to create a self-directed breeze.

Words New to Me

Chronolith – a coinage (time + stone) you may be familiar with if you’ve read the book by Robert Charles Wilson. A clever and unusual clock created by Marcel Bétrisey also bears the Chronolith title. The pendulum of the clock is powered by light, using the principle you may have observed in a Crooke’s radiometer. Two sensors help keep the clock accurate by checking the swing of the pendulum using the lights that power it. Ingenius. (thx j.r.)

Tellurians and Orreries – when a globe just isn’t enough. A tellurian (or tellurium) is designed to show phenomenon such as seasons and eclipses which are best illustrated by showing the relationship between the earth, sun, moon and maybe a planet too. You can operate the gears to watch the earth go around the sun and the moon around the earth. An orrery shows all the planets and their positions, sometimes not to scale, around the sun. It may even include the moons of the other planets as well. Again, mechanical gears allow you to see the various orbits.

Blu-tack, which kept the posters from falling off my walls in college, is not just a handy tool, it’s an art medium. With works such as “Bunny”, “Cerulean Primate”, “Brontosaurus” and “Fishy” can international recognition from the art community be far off?