About Me

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Adalbert is a forum for me, to post ephemera, photography, poetry, occasional travel notes, and various spontaneous motions. Cover photo: Parsonage where my great-grandfather spent his early years. Taken near Liegnitz, Silesia, ca. 1870. The "xothique" portion of the web address is a nod to Clark Ashton Smith's fictional continent of Zothique.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Blarney

 
 

 

Thursday, October 24, 2013

C.Q.D.

 
 

 
 
 
C.Q.D. (link)



Friday, October 18, 2013

Vienna

 
 

 

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Cathedral Island, Wrocław

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
Which is no longer an island: Ostrów Tumski.  The time when I was there, a flautist played Bach as I walked the Tumski Bridge.  The notes faded into the bricks and stonework of the ancient fanes and houses.
 
The postcard looks to date from communist- era Poland, maybe 1950s or 60s.  The language, not surprisingly, is Polish, and the sender appeared to have forgotten to bring the recipient's address. 
Wyspa Tumska is an alternate form of Ostrów Tumski -- Dominsel in German, or Cathedral Island in English.
 


Saturday, October 12, 2013

World Time Map

 
 


From a shortwave radio guide, 1954.  Many of the place names in this pamphlet, such as "Ciudad Trujillo" in the Dominican Republic, have since undergone changes.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Radio Log Book (1920s)










Bad breath, muddy complexion, dull eyes, nervous headache, nervous indigestion -- who wants that?
Concerning Dr. Miles and Dr. Miles Nervine (sic) :  http://arnoldzwicky.org/2010/12/18/dr-miles-nervine/

Thursday, October 10, 2013

White Alice








My father (on the left) playing chess, 1958, Alaska, at the time of the White Alice Network project.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

New Blog

I opened a second blog, Aardcoyote Jonathan, one for occasionally posting some of my writing:

http://liegnitzyugen.tumblr.com/

Friday, October 4, 2013

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Toe to Toe with the Rooskies II

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Another relic from the Alaskan project my father worked on in the late 1950s (see entry of  3 August 2012).  I am pretty sure the White Alice network, or anything concerning it, no longer falls under the label of "classified" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Alice_Communications_System -- in fact, the government decommissioned the antenna array decades ago.  White Alice -- wasn't that a Jefferson Airplane Song?
 
In Hodges' biography of Alan Turing, he indicates that American usage made "classified" a synonym for "top secret," rather than referring to levels of classification.  Classification level:  Top stupid.   Then, the American habit of saying "hello" repeatedly through the day irritated Turing during one of his stints here.
 
The guy on the phone looks as if he's about to issue some kind of doomsday order.  Serious business, no doubt.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Stay off the Moon!

 
 


Amazing
 
December 1962
 
Cover art by Alex Schomburg