Ted Talks Stamps

1894 Prince Henry the Navigator Portugal's first commemorative stamp set.

New Substack post is up.
open.substack.com/pub/tedtalks...

That’s not just any toilet duck; that’s a precision Swiss toilet duck. 😆

What does that mean, “Automated system coming soon.” How do you automate someone’s hand dropping a letter in a slot? 😄

Those are cool. Never knew of those before. Thanks for sharing.

🙏🏼😀

Thanks, Karen, that is so cool. In case you don’t know, the music shown is Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance march (the graduation march).

France, 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart. 3 of 6 souvenir sheets issued, each depicting an opera, inside a cover showing different opera houses.
The Magic Flute /National Theater, Prague
Marriage of Figaro/Opera Garnier, Paris
Cosi fan Tutte/Die Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin

I enjoy putting together these long sets. For most countries those are the only stamps I collect.

Nice catch. Postally used ones are indeed tough to find.

By the pricking of my thumbs…

Something Wicked This Way Comes

When it can’t even tell you the correct number of r’s in strawberry, can you really trust any answers it gives you?

I asked Google Gemini a question. Within its response was information I knew Gemini got wrong. I replied back, questioning Gemini’s assertion. Gemini replied back with (paraphrased), “My bad; you’re right.”
How many people simply accept the first response without further questioning or research?

Yes, I agree.

I’d like to have seen them live.

Good catch.

A mini-sheet of 6 postage stamps issued by Netherlands, in 1984. In the left margin of the sheet is the inscription in Dutch, "Kinderpostzegelaktie 1984" (English translation: Children's Postage Stamps 1984), and "Kinderzegels, Goed Geplankt! (Children's Stamps,Well Pasted). The stamps are semi-postal, or charity issues imprinted with 2 values., one for the actual postage rate paid by the stamp, and the second is a surcharge that goes towards a charity. The stamps are designed as comic strip panels. 4 of them, denominated 50c+25c depict a young boy wearing shorts, a vest, and a tailcoat, playing a violin, with a musical note emanating from it indicating his skill in playing it. An older man is standing in front of the boy holding a violin and bow in front of him with squiggly lines and stars emanating from the violin, indicating the scratchy noise he is only able to produce with his violin. The speech balloon for the man says, "Can you teach me to play quickly?! Tomorrow is my mom's birthday and I want to surprise her." The second panel shows a little boy dressed like a king, wearing a robe and crown, and holding a sceptre. In front of himis a dog in a doghouse designed like a treasure chest. Behind the doghouse, the father stands with a saw tucked under his arm and his hands, palms up, gesturing down at the doghouse. The speech balloon for the father says, in Dutch, " . Transl

The speech balloon for the man says, in Dutch, "KUNT U ME SNEL LEREN SPELEN?! MORGEN IS MIJN MOEDER JARIG EN IK WIL HAAR VERRASSEN." The second panel shows a little boy dressed like a king, wearing a robe and crown, and holding a sceptre. In front of him is a dog in a doghouse designed like a treasure chest. Behind the doghouse, the father stands with a saw tucked under his arm and his hands gesturing down at the doghouse. The speech balloon for the father says, in Dutch, "ER ZAT GEEN CENT MEER IN DE SCHATKIST MAJESTEIT. EN ZO KOMT HIJ NOG VAN PAS."

This shows the same 2 cartoon panels with the English translation of the speech bubbles superimposed over the original Dutch. The speech balloon for the man says, "Can you teach me to play quickly?! Tomorrow is my mom's birthday, and I want to surprise her." In the second panel the speech balloon for the father says, "There was not a cent left in the treasure chest, your majesty, and this is how it came in hand."

#Phiately
#StampCollecting

In 1984, #Netherlands issued these "Children's Postage Stamps." The set has 4 stamps, but only one mini-sheet with 2 of the stamps was produced.
Also shown: images of the 2 panels, one original and one with translation superimposed.

Netherlands, Scott Nr B610a (1984)

Type "Don't let society convince you that " and then use the autosuggest word in the center to finish the post.

Don’t let society convince you that’s what it means for a person who has been through it and has had a bad day or a terrible week or a lot more to deal with and it’s just not the way it is in my life right here in my head.

Seems opinions are divided.
"Some see him as a symbol of resistance against foreign powers, while others criticize his leadership during the Paraguayan War, which led to devastating consequences for the country.
. . . this is a highly sensitive and complex topic with strong opinions on both sides."

Good catch; I missed it.

here

Great. I was not familiar with this one. Thanks for sharing.

@dlettinga.bsky.social good to see you hear. Check out the pinned post of @africastamps.bsky.social for a starter pack of philatelic accounts you can follow.

Okay, it's late enough.😄
In the first stamp, showing the man on the moon, there is only one planet that is capable of being seen "planet-sized" from the moon's surface. Every other planet still appears star-sized, as on Earth.

A block of 8 stamps issued by the United States in 1981 on space exploration. 8 different designs are depicted, forming one continuous design over the block of 8. The first stamp in the top row shows an astronaut standing on the moon and is inscribed, "Exploring the Moon." the 2nd stamps shows a space shuttle attached to the booster rocket at takeoff, and is inscribed, "Benefitting Mankind." The 3rd stamp, also inscribed, "Benefitting Mankind," depicts a space shuttle in orbit with a bay open with a device (perhaps some kind of scientific measuring instrument?) outside, tethered to the shuttle. The 4th stamp is inscribed, "Understanding the Sun," and shows a spacecraft with the sun shining brightly in the background. The 1st stamp on the bottom row is inscribed, "Probing the Planets," and shows the planet Satuern and the Voyager spacecraft. The 6th stamps, "Inscribed "Benefitting Mankind," Shows a space shuttle being launched, attached to the booster. The 7th stamps, also inscribed, "Benefitting Mankind," shows a space shuttle in orbit around Earth. The last stamp, inscribed,"Comprehending the Universe," shows a satellite in space.

#Philately
#StampCollecting

Another in series of #DesignErrorsOnStamps

Can you spot the error the stamp artist made in the design of one of these stamps?

United States, Scott Nr 1912-1919 (1981)

The answer will be left within a comment by me, later.

YouTube video by The45Prof 1956 HITS ARCHIVE: Delilah Jones - McGuire Sisters

#27 of some favorite #music
#TedTalksMusic

A fun one by the #McGuireSisters doing a vocal version of the opening theme to the film Man With the Golden Arm. I got a kick out of it as a young kid, as I was living in Biloxi. Scroll down the comments a bit for the lyrics
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgDt...

Or, as Mark Twain said, “It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.”

YouTube video by OMEGA - Topic Never Feel Shame

#26 of some favorite #music
#TedTalksMusic

Formed in 1962, like the Rolling Stones, Omega, from #Hungary, equals their record as the longest continually active rock group, albeit with some turnover in the members.
Albums were re-recorded in English for wider appeal.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSjq...

A postage stamp issued by New Zealand in 1956 to mark the centennial of the Southland Region and the settlement of the first Europeans. It is an engraved design, printed in dark green. The stamp is inscribed, "1856 Southland Centennial 1956." The design, with title inscribed, "The Whalers of Foveaux Strait," shows a crew of whalers in a whaleboat directly over a whale, with the harpooner ready to spear the whale. Their whaling ship can be seen in the background. The stamp artist made an error in the design, in that there is no line attached to the harpoon. Once the whale is speared, it's, "Bye bye, birdie."

#Philately
#StampCollecting
#DesignErrorsOnStamps

Can you spot the error the stamp artist made in the design of this stamp?
(The answer is given in the Alt Text of the image.)

The Whalers of Foveaux Strait
New Zealand, Scott Nr 313 (1956)

YouTube video by COSMO Bukahara - "Eyes Wide Shut"

#25 of some favorite #music
#TedTalksMusic
These musicians met while attending Cologne Music Academy and formed a band in 2009. This song is from their 2015 album Strange Delight.
Note: the Intro, such as it is, is 3 minutes long, then the tempo picks up quite a bit.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu0r...