The teapot is considered to be one of the first complex objects rendered in computer graphics and can sometimes be found as an Easter egg of sorts placed by 3-D graphic artists. Martin Newell created the first teapot rendering in 1974 or 1975 (accounts disagree). The teapot became a benchmark for graphics rendering. The actual teapot which Newell used as a model was on display at the Boston Computer Museum, which closed in 1999. Seth reports from his recent visit to the new Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA, that the teapot is alive and well, residing in the Ephemera collection.

LEDs are cool. Literally. And I’ve been eagerly watching their adoption from traffic lights to car tail lights to flashlights and light lights. This holiday season, LEDs are gaining in popularity as bulbs for Christmas lights. Although they cost much more than your regular string of incandescent bulbs, the LEDs use less electricity and can last for 200,000 hours. One drawback I can think of is the lack of the melting effect that creates little holes in the snow when you turn your hot lights on under a blanket of freshly landed white flakes.

Winemakers are itching to sell their product to direct to consumers via the Internet and interstate shipments. Their distributors are fighting back, bringing up arguments such as easy availability of alcohol to underage drinkers. High profile litigators are working both sides. Kenneth Starr, the Whitewater prosecutor, is on tap for the wine industry. Robert Bork, 1987 Supreme Court nominee, has been hired by the liquor distributors. On one side there’s the argument that a ban on direct shipments is unconstitutional, inhibiting the freedom of interstate commerce. On the other, there’s Article 2 of the Constitution’s 21st Amendment, which repealed Prohibition and gave the states the power to decide how they want to handle the alcohol sales. On both sides, the motivation is clear: money. The fight may ultimately end at the Supreme Court.

Largely forgotten in the American press, the 14th anniversary of the Montreal massacre of 14 women at École Polytechnique was observed on Saturday in Canada. Here, as recounted by CBC News, is what occured on that horrible day:

On Dec. 6, 1989, Marc Lepine, 25, walked into the engineering school with a semi-automatic rifle and, according to witnesses, shouted “I want the women. I hate feminists. You’re all a bunch of feminists!” He separated the men from the women and opened fire on female engineering students. His shooting spree covered three floors and several classrooms. In total, Lepine shot 27 people, 13 of whom survived. He then shot himself.

Source: CBC archives for the Montreal Massacre. Thanks to Chris Corrigan‘s comment on BurningBird.

Unremarkable, boring, faceless, cookie-cutter? Such is the reputation of the ranch house, the most-built style of home in the 1940’s to the early 1970’s. They served to house the growing middle class in utilitarian 3bd/2ba practicality. As this style passes its 50 year mark, proponents of this “underdog of architecture” are pushing a renaissance of sorts. Ranch home owner Katherine Ann Samon wrote the book “Ranch House Style” after an unsuccessful search for reference material for updating her home. She’s become a champion for the style, which she purchased originally only after an unsuccessful attempt to acquire a Tudor house. I’m living in my third ranch house. I grew up in one in Connecticut, purchased one in California, and ended up buying one in the Seattle area. Many owners, myself included, would admit that if the pocketbook would allow, we’d be in different digs, but I have twice chosen the ranch, cookie-cutter of its time, over the cookie-cutter “McMansions” of this era. It’s possible I was attracted by the comfort of the only home I have ever known, but it must be noted that if there were a house to match the practical, no-nonsense nature of our lifestyle, the ranch would be it. (sources: N.Y. Times article on Katherine Ann Samon, Amazon.com details on Ranch House Style, L.A. Times article, read up on house styles at architecture.about.com)

Online luxury shopping is holding its own as the economy moves towards recovery. Retailers seem to be, as they say, cautiously optimistic about this holiday shopping season. BlueNile.com is selling items on the high end of its jewelry line, where one bauble goes for five or six figures. Amazon launched its luxury foods and jewelry stores (no news yet on how well they are doing). Makers of luxury goods with a reputation to uphold are still exerting control over their online retailers. Nambe and Waterford won’t allow merchants to sell their goods online unless they have a physical store where customers can see the merchandise. As the online luxury market grows, the posh brands may want to consider how they can offer superior customer service and retain their cachet in a completely virtual environment.

Is a Babylon 5 follow-up on the way? J. Michael Straczynski has hinted that something is in the works, “something of rather substantial proportion that’s finally gone from talk to money.” That sounds very promising, especially the money part.

Package designs from the early 20th century are displayed online at The American Package Museum. Some include 3-D views. There’s pimento Velveeta (“full of health from milk!”), Tootsie Rolls, the classic Ovaltine, and a McDonald’s coffee cup. (via Yahoo Picks)

New York’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, lit with over 30,000 lights yesterday, came from Connecticut this year. Spotted from a helicopter by the Center manager, the 79-foot tree was planted 50 years ago by Manchester resident Frances Katkauskas and her late husband Adolph on their front lawn. Despite fears that the tree had grown too large and could fall and crush their house, they allowed the Norway spruce to continue to grow and tower over the neighborhood. It was cut down on November 11 and shipped on a barge to Manhattan. Last year’s 76-foot tree grew up in New Jersey and was recycled into toys shaped as zoo animals.

Initialed accessories have been showing up on trendy items in stores, and in support of that fashion (and the fact that I finally finished reading Word Freak), the Seattle Times pointed out the availability of Scrabble tile jewelry. In a similar vein, vintage typewriter key jewelry is also available. Of course the typewriter keys include punctuation and symbols, whereas the Scrabble just has letters (and I don’t see any blanks!). Perhaps it’s time to put together some computer keyboard jewelry.