July 2009
79 posts
“I can resist anything but temptation.”
– Oscar Wilde, 19th-century quotamatic.
— From London, predictably.
When Novelists Sober Up →
“In America William Faulkner and Scott Fitzgerald were the Paris and Britney of their day, caught in the funhouse mirror of fame, their careers a vivid tabloid mash-up of hospitalisations and electroshock therapies. ‘When I read Faulkner I can tell when he gets tired and does it on corn just as I used to be able to tell when Scott would hit it beginning with Tender is the Night,’...
Sorry to hear about The Lansdowne London. Hope no one was hurt.
— From Melbourne.
“We came all this way to explore the Moon and the most important thing is that we...”
– Bill Anders, astronaut in Apollo 8, from which the earthrise pictures were taken on December 24, 1968.
The Financial Times has a great interactive graphic about Apollo 11.
— From London, tearfully.
“The Vatican’s chief exorcist warns Harry Potter books are “a turn to...”
– Case in point: godfuckindammit, why don’t you shut the fuck up, Vatican’s chief exorcist. Sir.
— Thanks to the QI Elves, from London.
For a Joyful Use of Curse Words
“…profanity and obscenity entitle people who don’t want unpleasant information to close their ears and eyes to you,” said Kurt Vonnegut.
I see his point. But further to Bailey’s expletive-ridden posts (here and here) and in light of their effectiveness, I felt like sharing a few thoughts.
She timed them perfectly. As it happens, recent research shows that in certain...
Crying Makes Machines Stop
Revital Cohen, the Israeli designer who thought up a transgenic lamb solution for dialysis patients, interviewed a lot of them for her project. One of these conversations ended in tears. A woman hooked to a dialysis machine became emotional as she recounted her sessions with this thing that kept her alive.
As it turns out, becoming emotional messes with salt levels in your blood: you cry, they...
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”
– Albert Einstein.
I’m normally terrified on a bike - Amsterdam was a complete nightmare for me - and, although efforts are being made, London’s hardly the safest town for cyclists, but what do you think of this?
— In Daily Candy & The Londonist, from London.
We Choose the Moon →
jimray: Relive the Apollo 11 moon launch in real time with archival photos, video and audio. Really well done.
What about you?
— From London, over it. The moon, I mean.
Feels like Melbourne and I are ripe for a re-introduction.
— From London.
“If you want to increase the chances of your wallet being returned if lost,...”
– Richard Wiseman, a psychologist who led a study in Edinburgh in which his team planted “lost” wallets all over town, some with pictures of babies, others with pictures of puppies or happy families. Rate of return for the ones with babies: 88%. Next up, puppies. More details in The...
