Another electrical refrigerator
From the January 1926 issue of Electrical Merchandising .
No Bad Memories
Rachel Simone Weil's blog and work spanning video art, glitch, homebrew development, electronics, and computing history
Latest posts
The internet is (not) forever
Last week's notes on the SIGGRAPH '79 Film and Videotape Retrospective were part of an experiment in moving my blog toward something I've long intended for it to be: a studio log where I can take notes on and organize reference material related to my practice. I've been doing a lot of PDF and website downloading lately, fueled by an uneasy feeling that the knowledge avalanche all around us is…
SIGGRAPH 1979 Film and Videotape Retrospective
Below are excerpts of things I found interesting and/or that I want to look up later while reading the 25-page PDF scan of the program listing for the SIGGRAPH ’79 Film and Videotape Retrospective. Verbatim quotes from the program listing are in the main body of this page, while my personal annotations appear in the margins. LAPIS 1966 10 minutes; 16mm movie film By: James Whitney at the…
Currently
I'm excited to share that this month, I'm the artist in residence at Welcome to My Homepage . My web-based piece is called PFFT: An evastars retrospective. Best viewed at 800 x 600 The work is both personal and eclectic, bringing together just about every element of my artistic practice as well as some new (to me) territory. I can't say too much more now, but I'm looking forward to sharing it over…
A Casio Loopy Eurorack module
What do you get when your video game collecting habit collides with your audio electronics habit? Why, custom Eurorack module firmware based on the sounds of the Casio Loopy video game console , of course! When reflashed, this module employs a drum kit made of sounds nestled within the Loopy console's BIOS. And it sounds beautiful! Read on to learn how I wrote custom firmware for this and other…
PFFT: An evastars retrospective
I'm excited to share that this month, I'm the artist in residence at Welcome to My Homepage . My web-based piece is called PFFT: An evastars retrospective. Best viewed at 800 x 600 The work is both personal and eclectic, bringing together just about every element of my artistic practice as well as some new (to me) territory. I can't say too much more now, but I'm looking forward to sharing it over…
Mimeoprinting (Printmaking as play, part 2)
In my last blog post , I shared my adventures in reverse-engineering the Print Gocco, a DIY printmaking device from the 1970s. While Print Goccos have been out of production for nearly 20 years, I found that I could use an inexpensive shipping-label printer, themoplastic stencil paper, and a few simple craft materials to create a DIY version of the device. Here are my learnings and recommendations…
Printmaking as play
As you might know from my past research on the sticker-printing Casio Loopy game console and Barbie Fashion Designer , I have a special interest in games and toys that incorporate printing or image making as a play mechanic. Printmaking toys make creation immediate, convenient, and playful, often at the expense of the quality, quantity, permanence, or general perceived value of the resulting…
Cleaning my workspace with WORMS
The studio where I do art and electronics projects tends to get very messy very quickly. When I'm working on something, my focus is dialed up to 11, and I avoid anything that might distract me or take me out of the moment. That means scraps fall to the floor, tape remnants get stuck to the arm of my chair, coffee cups pile around, and supplies and tools are abandoned on the nearest surface. What…
In memoriam: Bubblegum (200?-2021)
We lost a very good boy today: Bubblegum passed away due this afternoon after experiencing heart problems, but essentially, of old age. Bubblegum had to wear this neck pillow once to keep from scratching, and much to my surprise, he loved having a pillow that went wherever he did. Bubblegum was a pit bull adopted in 2014, a few days before I began teaching at the University of Texas. We don't know…
Hosting a mutual-aid fundraiser on Discord
In November of 2020, the boxes began to really stack up. A few by the hallway, then a looming tower near the kitchen. Spurred by months of COVID-19-induced isolation at home, I'd put myself on a mission to finally go through all my possessions and throw or give away what was no longer needed. Around the same time, my thoughts turned to making a charitable donation. Given the difficult…
Delete: A Design History of Computer Vapourware
I recently had the opportunity to review Paul Atkinson’s book Delete: A Design History of Computer Vapourware . Delete: A Design History of Computer Vapourware Delete is highly recommended for those interested in computer hardware design or retrocomputing. The volume is packed with gorgeous images of computers that were announced but never commercially produced. Atkinson’s interviews with the…