Sing a song of eiderdowns

Sing a song of eiderdowns



It's cold and blustery in Los Angeles today. Here are some songs with lyrics about eiderdowns with which to keep warm.

VideoDisc Day -- An introduction to the Capacitance Electronic Disc (CED) at the Amoeblog

VideoDisc Day -- An introduction to the Capacitance Electronic Disc (CED)



On 22 March, 1981, RCA introduced  a brand new but curiously retro analog video format, the SelectaVision CED VideoDisc system. Today the CED (Capacitance Electronic Disc) is all but forgotten but even at its most popular it wasn't well-known and was much widely-adopted than contemporaneous video formats like Betamax, VHS, and LaserDiscs.

Happy quasquicentennial, Orange County! at the Amoeblog

Happy quasquicentennial, Orange County!



Today Orange County turns 125 years young. If you still think of Orange County as the land of God-fearing, science-hating, WASP suburbanites -- then you probably haven't been there in the last 20 years. Do yourself a favor and explore the nation's sixth most populous county, and one that Forbes recently said is more diverse than Los Angeles.

All-Female Bands of the 1960s - Happy Women's History Month! at the Amoeblog

All-Female Bands of the 1960s - Happy Women's History Month!



The Beatles inspired thousands of teenagers around the world to form rock bands. Most were comprised, like the Fab Four, of fellows. However, there were at least 100 bands all-female rock bands formed in Argentina, Canada, Denmark Mexico, Finland, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, The Netherlands, The Philippines, UK, USA, West Germany, Yugoslavia, and probably elsewhere.

We just tell it how we see it, nothing more, nothing less -- Neue Sachlichkeit in film at the Amoeblog

We just tell it how we see it, nothing more, nothing less -- Neue Sachlichkeit in film



Today marks the 91st anniversary of the release of Austrian director GW Pabst's debut, Der Schatz. Pabst was the greatest director associated with the arts movement known as Neue Sachlichkeit, usually translated as "New Objectivity" -- a cold and detached reaction against the popular German Expressionism of the

Stories start in many ways -- a look back at old time radio's Night Beat at the Amoeblog

Stories start in many ways -- a look back at old time radio's Night Beat



On 6 February, 1950, the radio drama Night Beat debuted on NBC. Although it feels like a hard-boiled detective program, its hero (Randy Stone) was a newspaper reporter covering the sordid goings on in early-'50s Chicago for his human interest column, "Night Beat." The hero was played to perfection by radio veteran Frank Lovejoy.

More than just riots and towers -- Exploring Watts for Black History Month at the Amoeblog

More than just riots and towers -- Exploring Watts for Black History Month



On Wednesday, Bruce Chan and I explored Watts. We visited the towers but find quite a few more neighborhood treasures during our visit.