Catching Tears

It is a common misconception that these Roman vessels held tears,

One that is now tethered to the object through its modern name, the lachrymatory.

They were more likely to hold oils, etc., for use at funerals.

But, of course, the Victorians thought that was cool and went with it. I mean, they probably thought that was true, but nowadays it's hard not to think of Victorians as hipsters.

I mean, tears have always been important. That's why pleureuses existed since antiquity.

Here's a new take on it:

Thinking About the Objects of Modern Life

First, a poem that is not an ode, but a reflection on the dress shirt:


 Second, thoughts on how we take objects for granted. Here, a man tries to build his own toaster from scratch:

For more to reflect upon, see the book Doing Things With Things

Nautilus

A wonderful collection of weird and wonderful largely medical objects:

http://www.thenautilus.it/

Moulage of a child with dyptheria

Mechanical owl hunting decoy

Perfume dispenser

Who Owns Your Casket in the Future?

Lee Harvey Oswald's coffin has brought up some interesting questions in terms of ownership of objects: read in the New York Times. A few excerpts below.

When the coffin was exhumed, it was too badly damaged to be reused, and Mr. Baumgardner, who also testified during the trial, kept it in a storage room in the funeral home for 30 years before putting it up for auction four years ago, according to news media accounts and court documents. He said his funeral home became the rightful owner of the coffin because no one else claimed it, and he believes the coffin should not be destroyed because it is “part of history.”

 ...

Mr. Oswald, who had gray hair and wore glasses, called the sale of the coffin “bad taste” in the video and described himself as its rightful owner. He has also said that he thought the coffin had been destroyed after the exhumation until he learned of the 2010 sale through the Nate D. Sanders Inc. auction house.