Armchair Travels // Diptych #20

visit exotic locations like Oklahoma or Ontario or Illinois all from the comfort of your crusty futon!

Jan 18, 2022

A Note…

Before I reveal the tapes I have for you this week, I’d like to briefly mention that this week I ran into my first major copyright issue since I started archiving VHS’s. I should have known better, given the prestige of the host, however most of the time if the VHS box doesn’t have a barcode, I don’t expect to have any issues with uploading the contents to Youtube.

So, maybe Youtube doesn’t want me to upload David Attenborough’s “The Trials of Live” Courting, but thankfully, there are other ways to share content. Archive.org has been around for decades (iterations date back to the late 90’s) and graciously allows users to archive all types of media that would otherwise be lost. All this is done in the name of free access to information, and, to me, that mindset is extremely important to me.

I like including three tapes per post, as it gives me plenty to talk about, and is a manageable amount of footage for me to digitize in an afternoon while I gather my thoughts for the post. Due to this snag, I’ve got four tapes for you this week, so let’s get right into them!

Dino" Majestic Peace" Featuring Authentic Sounds of Nature

1993

The second video of Dino's celebrated Peace Series allows you to experience the majesty of God's creation through the sounds of nature and peaceful piano melodies. Travel to lands nearly untouched by man; where mountains reach to embrace the sky and flowers stretch to kiss the sun. Dark foreboding hills in the song, Lamb of God, transform into mountain peaks transcending through the clouds. In The Garden, you will encounter babbling brooks, cascading waterfalls and lush foliage while relaxing to the beautiful piano arrangement. Each song is surrounded with life and features nature sounds from birds, streams,. rain, crashing waves, and wind. Allow God's peace to wash through you and draw you to a new place of contentment with Majestic Peace.

Reader's Digest Presents: A Musical Portrait of America The Beautiful

1995

From sea to shining sea, enjoy this musical portrait that will carry you across three thousand miles of imagery and song, ion a journey that will let your eyes, ears and heart experience America. See our landscapes and landmarks, hear the music that says "America the Beautiful" in so many different ways.

Reader's Digest Presents Madagascar: The Enchanted Island

1998

Travel to the mysterious island that time forgot -- the island of Madagascar. Nestled in the tranquil waters of the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa, Madagascar is an enchanting paradise where for eons nature has been left undisturbed. As you explore this pristine refuge, you'll discover a variety of dazzling plants and animals unique to Madagascar, because it evolved in isolation from the rest of the world. You'll soar over forested mountains, expansive plateaus and lush green rain-forests, encountering delightful leaping lemurs, colorful chameleons, exotic lizards, graceful ibis and breathtakingly beautiful butterflies --did you know that there are over 3,200 species of butterflies on the island of Madagascar, and of those, over 2,900 can be seen only here? Witness close-up this primeval world's deepest secrets and closely guarded marvels and feel the power of this impressive island as never before.

David Attenborough's The Trials of Life "Courting"

David Attenborough's The Trials of Life "Courting" on Archive.org

1991

Forget any notion that courting in the animal world is merely pursuit and conquest. Under Sir David Attenborough's watchful eye, this natural ritual is subtle, varied and quiet astounding. Hear the songs of the English nightingale as he serenades his sweetheart of the melodic mimicry of the Australian lyrebird. Watch as hamsters, moose and even bats send out potently perfumed messages. Marvel at the plumage displays of peacocks and rifle birds. Take in the dance stylings of Trinidad's spunky mannikan birds with their distinctive shuffles, flips, jumps and loop-the-loops. And spy on the fancy exertions of the bowerbird that creates enigmatic objects d'art to attract his design-conscious mate.

If you’d like to check out my other archival work, please check out my Youtube playlists for video and audio archives.

Thanks so much for checking out this week’s edition of Diptych. As always, if you have any questions or comments you can get at me here or here or leave a comment below this post. If you haven’t subscribed to this newsletter yet (it’s free) please think about doing so.

See you soon.

—Forrest