1968 memo to Gene Roddenberry re Shatner's disappearing wigs from Star Trek set, bonus Monty Python

Fellow Star Trek fans will appreciate this - the UCLA Library Special Collections Blog has this 1968 Desilu Productions Inc. memo from show producer Robert Justman to show creator Gene Roddenberry which documents the high value of wigs and hair pieces used on the show to the show’s actors. Where did they go? And, were they ever returned?

Zoomable image here.

Another Gene Roddenberry post I saw recently is this, from The Oatmeal: It's Going To Be OK. I highly recommend it.

Bonus: Star Trek meets Monty Python:

Related posts:

This mashup of Star Trek with Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" is excellent.

Doing the Math: How Many Tribbles Were Aboard the Enterprise?

Video - Which Is Nerdier: Star Wars Or Star Trek?

Thursday links

For Aldous Huxley's birthday, here's an infographic of Huxley vs Orwell, a letter from Huxley to Orwell explaining why he (Huxley) was right, and audio of Huxley narrating Brave New World.

The Instant Pot of the 1600s Was Known as the Digester of Bones.

Diagnosing Hitler's flatulance.

Physics is allowing us to read scrolls from Pompeii.

Apparently, cutting hair with fire is a thing.

UK sports update: 2018 snail racing champion crowned.

ICYMI, Wednesday's links are here, and include 17th century infertility remedies, how tech's richest plan to save themselves after the apocalypse, what happens to Sherlock Holmes mail, and, for NatGeo's Shark Week: the Batman 1966 Shark Repellent Bat Spray scene.

Thursday links

Beware - It's the Ides of March. Related: when Julius Caesar was kidnapped by pirates, he insisted on a higher ransom.

A brief history of hair transplants.

The Hidden History of Bathing in Soup Broth.

RIP Stephen Hawking: a brief bio and the Hawking vs Einstein rap battle.

What Are Antibiotics Made Of?

These Photos Captured What Happened When the United States Started to Ration Shoes During WWII.

ICYMI, Wednesday's links are here, and include the woman who thought she was married to Napoleon, finding a universal translator for old computer files, and, for Albert Einstein's birthday, the story of the strange post-mortem travels of his brain.

In 1650, here's how you could dye your hair blond

So, are the old ways always the best? I tend to think so, being a grandma. In this particular case, however, I'd recommend more modern methods, although the advice on removing all of the filth before you start is still relevant.

  

Nicolas Arnoult, Recueil des modes de la cour de France (1687), LACMA

"How to make ones haire to become of a yellow Golden Colour. Take the rinde, or outward parings of Rhubarbe, and put them to steep in Whitewine, or clear Lye; wet a spunge or linnen cloth therein, and anoint your haire therewith, and let them dry before the fire or sunne; the oftener you do this the sooner they will become yellow: note that before you use this, it is good to clear your head and hair from sweat, and all other filth whatsoever."

~ A Brief Collection of Many Rare Secrets, La Fountaine, Edward (1650) (text of the entire book is available here).

h/t Ask The Past (blog)

Clapping Mohawks - If you're happy and you know it, clap your hair

One of those WTF things:

Monday links

"Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods." It's the birthday of H.L. Mencken, noted curmudgeon, satirist, and political and cultural critic.

If You Own Land, How Far Above and Below Do You Own?

Fall Foliage Prediction Map

One minute science video lesson of the day: How A Bean Becomes A Fart

Here’s How Many Apple Cores It Would Take to Poison You.

The Political Power of Marie Antoinette's Hair.

ICYMI, Friday's links are here, and include back to school fashion circa 1939, a gallery of unusual cloud formations, Heineken's abandoned plan to build houses out of beer bottles (plus more bottle houses and a DIY bottle brick tutorial), and everything you wanted to know about eyebrow interpretation from the 16th century.

Friday links

History of the Batmobile Parachute Pickup Service Van.

Borderline Nations Between the US and Canada.

What if humans became cold-blooded?

It's Rimsky-Korsakov's birthday - quotes, bio, Flight of the Bumblebee and a lame joke.

15 Delightful Hairdos History Has Forgotten.

Nobel Prize time: Disease-fighting beer.

ICYMI, Thursday's links are here, and include St. Patrick's Day, how peacocks look in mid-flight (spoiler alert - they're beautiful), and a 2,100 year old Roman tavern.

Wednesday links

The physics of perfect pancakes, and why it applies to glaucoma treatment.

Move over, Sasquatch: Meet 8 Mysterious Ape Men from Around the World. and if that’s not enough, here are seven more.

Museums display perfect reproductions of fragile works and visitors can’t tell the difference.

Gallery of Photos From Inside The Wreckage Of The Costa Concordia Cruise Ship.

How one single ancestor helped turn our brown eyes blue.

Colorist dyes hair to look like art masterpieces.

ICYMI, Tuesday's links are here and include history's most impressive fortresses, the movie supercut of "I should have killed you when I had the chance", a roundup of recommendations for beer, wine and whiskey pairings to go with Girl Scout cookies, and a photo gallery of early supercomputers ("Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons!").