Thursday Things: Christmas Eve Eve Edition
23 December 2021. Vol 3 No 51 By Dan McGirt. #124
Welcome to Thursday Things! It’s the night before the night before Christmas. We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays no matter where in the world you may find yourself.
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Except for this picture, of course. Merry Christmas! Photo by Jonathan Chng on Unsplash
Don’t miss the Christmas comet! You’ll have to wait 80,000 years for another chance. 'Christmas comet' to zip through sky, won't be back for 80,000 years
Comet C/2021 A1, more commonly referred to as comet Leonard, was discovered earlier this year and made its closest approach to the Earth on Sunday. Before its approach, it was visible only in the early morning sky, but its journey has now made it more prominent in the evening sky, making it a target for backyard stargazers.
The "Christmas comet" will appear in the evening sky throughout the rest of the year, but folks should look for it sooner rather than later as it will become dimmer and dimmer heading into the final days of December.
Best part — the comet’s name is Leonard.
This article ran last week, so we may have already passed peak comet viewing, but it’s worth a try. All you have to do is look up!
Turkish Spider-Man and the weird world of foreign remakes. If you’ve never come across the amazingly bizarre world of cheap foreign remixes and rip-offs of Hollywood blockbusters, you have no idea what insane weirdness you are missing. This article rounds up quite a few examples.
For decades Hollywood movies have been remade and reworked in India, Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria, Hong Kong -- pretty much anywhere with a thriving movie business. "The fact they exist in so many different industries around the world is fascinating," Smith says, "and tells us so much about how Hollywood cinema travels, adapts, mutates and evolves."
The U.S. is certainly an economic and military superpower. But even more than that the USA is a cultural superpower that permeates the consciousness of almost everyone on the planet, whether they know it or not. I’m not saying that’s a good or bad thing, simply that it is how it is.
Another classic example is 3 Dev Adam (3 Giant Men) in which Captain America, Spider-Man and Mexican wrestling legend El Santo do battle. Except Captain America is a Turkish policeman. Spider-Man is a criminal gang boss. And neither the Marvel Avengers nor the iconic wrestler were authorized for use in this ludicrous, incoherent and yet bafflingly entertaining rip-off.
And we’re creating jobs!
In the 1970s, Turkey's film industry produced over 300 titles a year -- it was, in terms of sheer numbers, the third biggest in the world -- and according to Turkish film historian Ahmet Gurata, as much as 90% of that output was remakes and rip-offs.
You’re welcome, world.
Maps are so hot right now. I love old maps, and especially old maps of cities, so this collection of special atlases at the Library of Congress is catnip for me. It includes fire insurance maps of New York City from, in this example, 1919, which naturally provides a detailed look at what buildings and what kind of buildings made up the city then. Fun for history buffs, fans of NYC, and perhaps authors of historical novels. Plus, I suppose, actual historians.
Back in the day. Source: LOC collection
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Merry Christmas