Instead of focusing on the imminent end of my vacation, I chose–very explicitly–to enjoy the day as completely as possible. This was made somewhat easy by the fact that this morning I was able to sleep in until I awoke naturallyI can count the number of times this has happened since I became a parent on the fingers of one… Read more →
Month: May 2009
Aside
See, this is the kind of thing I read popular science articles for: not only do we have single-celled organisms the size of grapes (!), and the seemingly ridiculous possibility that they move under their own power, but the consequent possibility that the entirety of conventional wisdom about the fossil record can be called into question. All in around 7 paragraphs.
CIA caught with pants down, by spiral notebook
Organizations breed both bureaucracy and incompetence. I’m tempted to ask Trish to tell me why this is–I’m sure it’s something well known in her field, but it sure seems to be empirical fact: you create an organization and certain institutional pressures necessarily lead to behaviours that are rational at the individual level, but which result in startling incompetence at the… Read more →
Aside
My wife has been known to comment on her preference for the mass market paperback over the hardcover book, on the basis that it’s easier to read without tiring yourself out. As a collector, I do tend to prefer the hardback for books that I want to keep in the collection, but I certainly know what she’s talking about–reading Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle could give a guy tennis elbow. One hesitates to wonder what her reaction would be to the new limited edition of Agatha Christie’s Complete Miss Marple. (I love that it comes with a carrying case.)
QOTD: On Romance
A good romance is defined by a passionate desire. A want of something so near, but unattainable. It’s longing of the future or of the past and the possibilities that could never be. It’s the futility and foolishness of making oneself vulnerable, no matter what disasters may occur. A good romance rarely ends happily, and if it grips you it… Read more →
A What-Day-Is-It-Anyway Miscellany
I have now been on vacation long enough that I don’t remember what day it is. I think “if it’s Wednesday it must be San Francisco” logic may apply. With that in mind, here’s a list of a few things that caught my eye during my little bits of hotel-room surfing after the child goes to bed: The Pirate Bay… Read more →
Physical Culture and Self-Defence
Offered almost without comment: Both pages from Physical Culture And Self-Defence, one of the bazillion books at books.google.com. The internet keeps getting cooler. I note that you can download a PDF of the book for offline perusal. (Via Wondermark‘s David Malki!) Read more →
Putting it in context
If you think the fact that Feingold has to call out Obama is depressing, or that the failure to actually enact transparency over what happened with respect to torture under the Bush administration is depressing… well, you should probably stay away from Noam. Here’s a snippet from Chomsky’s recent article on the Torture Memos, which looks at the history of… Read more →
Feingold, once again, says what needs saying
For several weeks now I’ve been almost consciously avoiding reading any of the stories about how Obama is handling both the existing set of “detainees” and how his administration is handling demands for transparency and possible criminal prosecution for people who authorized the use of torture. I’ve been avoiding it because all signs point to an endless cascade of disappointment… Read more →
Aside
Man, AECL’s Chalk River Lab has really been going down the tubes since I left. Or really, ever since I completed my part in the three-generation tradition of my family working there.
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
One of my favourite possessions is my Tilley. Yes, I know that most people who wear them are at least a generation older than I am. Yes, I know they’re hardly fashionable. I could care less–I am quite fond of my khaki/olive T5. Here’s the thing: it fits–no small thing for a man who was laughed out of a hat… Read more →
Aside
So, for reasons perhaps best described as “masochistic”, I’m watching a DVD of The Spirit right now. I kind of knew it was going to be bad, but this… this is a whole other thing.
Considering this as an attempt to adapt Eisner’s work, and speaking as someone who owns & has read the entire Eisner Spirit oeuvre (in the DC Archives editions) this is an abomination upon the face of the Earth.
Considering this as just an action movie, and not thinking about it as an adaptation of anything, it’s still a terrible, terrible movie. (And I liked Sin City, except for Clive’s voice overs).
The phrase “directorially self-indulgent” pops to mind.
Lots of cute women, though.
Wednesday Night Rips
You know what happens to me all the damn time? I realize I need to listen to a specific song right now, and then I realize that I haven’t actually ripped that CD yet. (I’ve got a lot of CDs, and I’ve only ripped around a thousand of them.) I could, theoretically, go find the CD and actually, you know,… Read more →
What did Suzie get up to?
While working well into the night this weekend, I was listening to a lot of blues. In particular, to the blues of Mississippi John Hurt from the OKEH period (not the stuff from his second career in the Sixties). And while listening to some of his tracks, one in particular popped out at me: Ain’t Nobody’s Dirty Business. Mississippi John… Read more →
I Kind Of Don’t Believe That Worked
So, Dell guy (actually Unisys guy) did show up with the new hard drive today. He basically took one look at me and said “Here, I think you can put this in without me” and left. Admittedly, I could do it–it’s a Lego operation; my Mom could do it–but I thought it was kind of funny. And then, miracle of… Read more →
