He carried it away jealously, like a treasure.
— Émile Vuillermoz

This post is all over the place, but when I’m sitting at my desk, I never know where my mind will wander.

(1) The original patent for the Brompton. It was filed on October 3, 1979.

(1a) Ride2Work Day: What role has intellectual property played in the success of the Brompton folding bike? (Spruson & Ferguson)

(1b) What bikes do people REALLY ride? (Bikes, Books & Buildings)

(1c) Why Do People Like Small Wheeled Bikes? (Path Less Pedaled)

(2) ‘I Am Arthur, [Catholic] King of the Britons’ (The Catholic Thing)

(3) A quote from The Lowly Pea by Anthony Esolen (Magnificat, July 2026)

“You may know that one of the wickedest men of modern times, Joseph Stalin, gave himself that surname, as if he were his own baptizer: it means “steel.” We can see why. He let no mere human consideration obstruct his path to dominance in the Soviet state, and to what he expected would be that state’s domination of the world to come. That was supposed to be political evolution, inevitable. In 1950, when the men removed that memorial to [Gregor] Mendel, it did seem as if Stalinism would endure for a long time. But that self-proclaimed man of steel died in 1953, and in 1991 his communist utopia collapsed of its own incompetence and despair. But Gregor Mendel showed the firmness of conviction—what we often find in the history of the Church, when otherwise gentle and humble men, armed with the simple knowledge that right is right and wrong is wrong, confront the vast machinery of government, or the fury of the mob, or the customs of darkness in a pagan world. Mendel did not give in. He preferred that the monastery should have its goods seized by force, rather than compromise on a principle of justice. He was right. The law was repealed; but by then his body had returned to the dust.”

(4) Thoughts from the Memory Hole (The Catholic Thing)

“Simply put, despite the many and serious sins of crusaders, the primary crusading motives were genuine religious piety and zeal — something modern elites neither understand nor respect.  Christians of the crusading era saw Islam as a persecutor of the faithful, a desecrator of the holy places, and a brutal aggressor that had seized Jerusalem, Spain, and much of the (Christian) Byzantine Empire by force in the name of jihad; strangled Christianity across North Africa; and driven deep into France before being pushed back.  Today we can criticize and regret the concept of “holy” wars.  But we do it from a very convenient distance.”

(5) When the Wind Blows (1986) [YouTube]

I watched this on TUBI. The movie included songs from David Bowie, Genesis, Squeeze, and Roger Waters and the Bleeding Heart Band. I don’t recommend you start your weekend this way. I still can’t believe this is Raymond Briggs.

(6) Hollywood Hates Faith, Christians, and Jesus Christ (Real Life Fake Wizard)

(7) Waiting for His Train (SONO Switch Tower Museum)

(8) Talk Amongst Yourselves:

“Students or completely unimaginative musicians undoubtedly played nothing but the bare melodic skeleton furnished by the composer, accompanied by a harmonically correct but dull series of chords clattered out by the harpsichord. Historically, of course, each of these methods is authentic.”

*The Baroque Oboe: Notes by James Goodfriend

(9) A quote from Pelléas et Mélisande:

“J’ai joué en rêve autour des pièges de la destinée…”

The English translation is a bit different:

“I have played and dreamt with all the snares of destiny around me.”

(10) The Story in Paintings: Georges Rochegrosse, gruesome death (The Electric Light Company)

(11) Kingdom Hearts 4 Fans Have An Incredible Theory About Sora That Nomura Might Have Even Hinted At (TheGamer)

It seems plausible. Could Destiny Islands be a pocket universe?