#Spooktober 5 – Penny Dreadful

October 5, 2023

One of my favourite tv shows when it comes to the Gothic, with a stunning Eva Green as the mysterious and haunted Vanessa Ives, and a hauntingly intense Rory Kinnear as the Frankenstein Monster (though he would resent the definition). Vanessa’s stance and demeanour has been greatly influential in shaping how the Lady of my novel walks and acts, especially when she calmly keeps walking around while her companions shoot vampires like there’s no tomorrow, and my favourite scene has to be when an otherworldly creature possesses her during a supposedly fake seance. You can see the cast and crew talking about the scene in the featured video.

books and literature

Werewolves Wednesday: Robert E. Howard’s In the Forest of Villefère

The sun had set. The great shadows came striding over the forest. In the weird twilight of a late summer day, I saw the path ahead glide on among the mighty trees and disappear. And I shuddered and glanced fearfully over my shoulder. Miles behind

March 19, 2026 9:00 am

architecture, engineering and construction

ISO/DIS 19650-1:2026 — Back to the Future

Well, the new draft of the ISO 19650 has been out for public consultation for a week, now, and I have the feeling nobody’s actually consulting the thing, because the heat of the debate has been around the “disappearance of BIM”. I already wrote about

March 18, 2026 9:00 am

art and fashion

Metafisica / Metafisiche

What a splendid exhibition! I was expecting your regular, run-of-the-mill show at Palazzo Reale, which is usually good enough, but I was surprised at the depth and width of this new endeavour, that spans across the city with multiple initiatives and, even within the show

March 15, 2026 9:00 am