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Reposted by Jason Ginsburg

Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 10d

1. Is it easy to get to?
2. Does it cost less than $25?
3. Will it be easy to leave early if you don't enjoy it?
4. Can you avoid most of the participation -- socializing, dancing, cheering, etc.?

(continued)

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Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 10h

...and it all started with the eruption of Mount Tambora.

The spooky storytelling of that fateful Lake Geneva gathering is depicted in the opening scene of BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935).

It features Mary, Percy, and Lord Byron. /end
#horror #history #film #halloween
youtu.be/o2yKqa4VSRE?...

Bride of Frankenstein - The Prologue

YouTube video by Dan Hassler-Forest

youtu.be

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Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 10h

And of course, that book became the 1931 film FRANKENSTEIN.

Mary's basic question -- "Has science gone too far?" still looms large in our psyche: New Frank (and Bride) films are due in the next year. Frank just starred in an Xfinity TV commercial.

Two centuries later, he still won’t die. ⚡️7/x

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Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 10h

Mary had attended lectures on the emerging sciences of biology and chemistry, and the new "science" of electricity.

Haunted by these revolutionary ideas, Mary imagined a scientist creating a creature from dead body parts.

That vision became FRANKENSTEIN, or THE MODERN PROMETHEUS (1818). 📖 6/x

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Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 10h

They read "Fantasmagoriana," a collection of German ghost stories, late into the stormy night. The tales thrilled them, and inspired an idea.

Byron proposed a contest: Each guest would create an original ghost story. That challenge would produce one of literature’s greatest works of horror. 🧟‍♂️ 5/x

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Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 10h

That cold, dark season ruined the Swiss holiday of Mary Godwin (later Shelley), Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and Dr. Polidori.

They were trapped inside by storms at Byron’s rented mansion at Lake Geneva. So they had to find some way of passing the time indoors ⛈ 4/x

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Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 10h

1816 became "The Year Without a Summer."

Half of Europe experienced snow and freezing rain in July. New England saw frost in June. The sky was dreary and dim for months, and parts of Europe averaged 7–10° F colder than normal. Crops failed and famine followed 🥶 3/x

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Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 10h

In April 1815, Mount Tambora erupted in Indonesia -- the biggest volcanic blast in recorded history.

It killed 10,000 people instantly. The ash spread across the globe, dimming sunlight and dropping average temps by nearly 2° F worldwide 🌋 2/x

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Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 10h

Did you know a volcano created Frankenstein?

Here's how it happened: 🧵 1/x
#history #movies #horror

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Reposted by Jason Ginsburg

Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 11d

Just discovered @profcarolyne.bsky.social and now I want to buy all her books, starting with "The Little Book of Dragons" 🐉
#dragons #mythology #folklore #britishlibrary

shop.bl.uk/products/the...

The Little Book of Dragons

Available now for pre-order. Please note that all orders will be despatched after the publication date. Publishing: 4th September 2025 Whether they breathe fire from above, spit poison on the land, ...

shop.bl.uk

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Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 1d

I just learned the Roman legions carried a "draco": a bronze dragon head and a windsock body.

The wind "roared" thru it, terrifying enemies.

It may also have helped archers determine wind direction.

The soldier who carried it was the "draconarius" and that's my new dream job.
#history #dragons

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Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 1d

Happy #Halloween!

Reposted by Jason Ginsburg

Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 11d

Hot take:

Salad should be served in bowls, not on plates

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Reposted by Jason Ginsburg

Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 11d

I love these Universal Monsters Halloween stickers 🦇
#halloween #monsters #horror #stickers

Cute, non-scary stickers of Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy, the Wolf Man, and the Bride of Frankenstein.

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Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 2d

She dated Dracula, Frankenstein, and the other classic monsters...and lived to tell the tale.

And to sing the song.
#halloween #monsters #symphonicmetal #horror
open.spotify.com/track/6BC1Dg...

Children of the Night

open.spotify.com

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Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 2d

Besides MACBETH, which is the most "Halloween" of Shakespeare's plays?
#Shakespeare #ShakespeareSunday #Halloween

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Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 2d

1890 article from a local Arizona paper about a huge "flying alligator" shot by 2 ranchers.

Despite the plan to bring witnesses to the carcass and send samples "east for examination by the eminent scientists of the day" nothing was ever heard about this mysterious creature again.
#folklore #dragons

Article from the Tombstone Epitaph, April 26, 1890 with the headline - "A Strange Winged Monster Discovered and Killed on the Huachuca Desert."

Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 2d

How do you kill these guys? Just smash them into pieces?

Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 3d

I'm a sucker for the Universal Monsters, so my hat's off to Xfinity.
youtu.be/Ta0IJR2VoP8?...
#halloween #monsters #horror

Xfinity WiFi makes your world (and Frank’s) come alive

YouTube video by Xfinity

youtu.be

Reposted by Jason Ginsburg

Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 12d

What do you think is the funniest sketch from "I Think You Should Leave"?
#comedy #itysl #TV #netflix

"Brooks Brothers" sketch from I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE, featuring Tim Robinson in a hot dog costume.

"Dan Flashes" sketch from I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE, with Tim Robinson yelling from a couch

"Drive-Thru" sketch from I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE, with Tim Robinson ordering 55 of everything at a fast-food restaurant.

"Diner Winks" sketch from I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE, with Bob Odenkirk pointing and winking in a diner.

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Reposted by Jason Ginsburg

Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 12d

I had dinner at Trinity Place, a restaurant inside a former bank vault!
#nyc #dining #food #architecture

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Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 3d

19th-century print of a 13th-century miniature: Alexander the Great fighting #dragons.

Note the feathery wings. Dragons wouldn't get bat-like wings until they were more firmly linked with Satan.

Also note that medieval artists depicted historical characters in modern (to them) clothing.
#history

Reposted by Jason Ginsburg

Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 13d

How NASA uses the entire electromagnetic spectrum to produce such beautiful space images.
#NASA #space #astronomy #photography

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Reposted by Jason Ginsburg

Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 4d

What are you celebrating in 3 weeks?

🎃 Halloween
🕯️ All Hallows’ Eve
😇 All Saints’ Day
🕊️ All Souls’ Day
🔥 Samhain
💀 Day of the Dead
🌒 Nos Calan Gaeaf
🌾 Feast of the Dead
🙏 Hallowmas
👼 Feast of All Hallows
⚜️Toussaint
🪶 Ancestor Night
🍬 Most Holy Hallowed Feast of All Candy

#halloween #samhain #oct31

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Jason Ginsburg @jasonginsburg.bsky.social · 4d

Whoa, this step is heavier than I expected

A CAPTCHA screen that says "Confirm Humanity" instead of "I'm Not a Robot."