“…Clearly the chief ideal of everyone connected with the library movement is that it shall render its maximum service to humanity. We areall imbued with the desire to bring nearer the time when all the men and women who in any way benefit by library facilities are making use of them.”L.R. McColvin, quoted in Public […]
David Starr, Space Ranger; Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids; Lucky Starr and the Oceans of Venus; Lucky Starr and the Big Sun of Mercury; Lucky Starr and the Moons of Jupiter; Lucky Starr and the Rings of Saturn; Asimov. Yes. Reading the introductions to these was a little like listening to the […]
I got these new headphones that block out external sound, and the instructions had the usual warning about not wearing them when you drive, but also had this howler, with accompanying diagram: “Be sure to ensure that there is continuous audio signal to the headphones to ensure that you are not left alone in silence […]
Stephen Fry in America: Fifty States and the Man Who Set Out to See Them All, Fry. Non-fiction. I think I love Stephen Fry as much as he loves America, and with similar layers of feeling: I admire his wit and talent; I admire that he strives to be gracious, and if he has sometimes […]
The toothbrush fence (as mentioned in Flight of the Conchords).
We’re getting mixed reviews on the latest site design. I’m not especially fond of the current theme (I’m especially irritated that by default it hijacks the favicon—I suspect the previous theme also was trying to that but had some problem that prevented it from succeeding), but have not yet found one that lets me have […]
The Children’s Hour. Good. I knew the general outline of the story from having paid attention to life (and in particular to The Celluloid Closet), but had never seen the film. Aside from a couple minor surprises, it was just as expected. The direction was lovely, with a couple particularly striking sequences, and the acting […]
Big Fan. Okay. I think this film was done a disservice by its trailer, though I completely believe it would be challenging to create a perfect trailer for it. Patton Oswalt is great, as expected. This is the second film I’ve watched recently, though, in which I found the pacing, shall we say, contemplative. Maybe […]