Louis Armstrong serenading his wife, Lucille Wilson, in front of the Great Sphinx of Giza and the Pyramid of Khufu in Giza, Egypt, late 1960 or early 1961 | colourised version of an originally black and white photograph featured in The New York Times in 1961 | credit: AP
Cellulose nitrate was used to make dice from the late 1860s until the middle of the twentieth century, and the material remains stable for decades. Then, in a flash, they can dramatically decompose. Nitric acid is released in a process called outgassing. The dice cleave, crumble, and then implode.
From Dice: Deception, Fate & Rotten Luck by Ricky Jay and Rosamond Purcell, 2002.
Some casino dice in circulation are still made of this shit, and once you have one go acid it can infect all the dice it’s touching, and that’s why I’m distrustful bordering on terrified of casino dice
A tall muscular undergrad walking purposely toward the English building, talking on the phone in a loud, assertive voice: I’m gunna kill it! I’m prepared! I’m confident! I’m ready! I believe in myself! After a moment of silence, in a much quieter voice: Yeah, thanks, mom. That helped. I’ll call you after and let you know how it goes. Love you.
