A box of old slides yields some Minnesota history over at Shorpy; it's remarkable what details the old pictures had - and what people uncovered once they started sleuthing. This, for example:

That would be Jerry Adler, a virtuoso harmonica player whose work was heard by millions.

We are well past the days of popular harmonica players.

That's the easiest detail to run down. The ashtray matchbooks were a bit trickier.

URBAN STUDIES A speculative property venture hasn't succeeded yet, and may never be occupied. Let's spin the wheel . . . ah, it handed on Ireland. Here's some pictures of empty places, followed by the usual comments. One person sniffs at the sameness of the houses, and another notes that the row houses of the cities of the Scepter'd Isle aren't exactly noted for their stylistic diversity. True. I remember taking the train from DC to New York, and seeing endless expanses of row houses, all exactly the same, distinguished by the occasional attempt to customize. But the suburbs are bland and interchangeable. Right.

MUSIC It's Weird Al's moment, Vulture notes, and good for him. Sign of the times: the guy who had the #1 record in America doesn't have a record contract. In a few years the #1 book in the country will be written by someone who went around the publishing houses and did an ebook on his or her own. TV will be next.

TECH The Man who Liked Everything on Facebook: sounds like an Oliver Sachs essay.

For some people, it's that already, and you don't have to click on a thing. Article is notable for some Andy Warhol BS in the opening; why his remarks are still regarded as oracular pronouncements is mystifying.

Also in tech: why are remotes so ridiculous? I have the same problem with my DVD remote, which is replete with buttons that do nothing, or do something I can't undo. There's a button that says PRE-CH, which might trigger the TV to enter a state before all the major TV channels were established, and I'd just see a picture of Felix the Cat.