Two mysterious boxes – each weighing over 300 kilograms – are the strange heritage left behind by the Czech botanist and pharmacologist Bohuslav Jiruš. While he didn’t give a hint what on earth they might contain, he sealed them with the instruction not to open them before November 16, 2101.

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Czech mayors take their jobs seriously. A new website called the “Database of Dogs” that, according to its own information, was initiated by the mayor of Prague 7 Marek Ječmének himself promises to clean the pavements by tracking down negligent pet owners through a DNA database of dogs. The idea is not new, yet very progressive in Prague’s history of projects that seek its beautification.
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I envy the people who personally came across the Yarn Bombings in Prague or other places, but at least I have witnessed several times the guerrilla gardens that try to reclaim public space.

This is a rather colorful example, although not from Prague:

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Here is a follow-up on the story about the altered street lights. The figures of pedestrian lights have now been “decapitated” in protest to Roman Týc’s sentence, as the news server Czech Position reports. The group Ztohoven – where Týc is a member – claims not to be responsible.

I close this short notice with a video of a – virtual – nuclear blast that was hacked by Ztohoven into the broadcast of the Czech public television, turning the view of an idyllic Czech countryside into a nightmare. Enjoy!

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Thanks to a radio report I came across an interesting project where people can submit their favourite sounds of Prague. I find it amazing particularly since sound is rarely used on websites and blogs. There is many photo sites out there, but imagine having your town described through its sounds! You will find many interesting examples on the project website.

I too will have to check my old sound archives if I have something useful to share.

All sound files were taken from the Favourite Sounds of Prague website
and are published under a Creative Commons license.

The artist Roman Týc has reportedly learned from media that he is due to prison next week because of his alteration of Prague traffic lights. The reason for this harsh punishment is his defiance – he agreed to pay the damages, not, however, the fine.

I am not sure whether his work has brought any confusion to the Prague traffic at all. Anyway, pedestrians don’t wait longer than a few seconds at traffic lights and often cross on red. And if they decide to wait, they may easily wait a long, long time.

Here is a short video about the installation:
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Every now and then you should remember to take your boar for a walk.