I’ve been watching Mythbusters episodes on DVD and agree with my friend Craig that some of the questions they address would be better answered by some rigorous book research rather than blowing things up (as entertaining as that is). But that would be a different and altogether more boring show. Episode one of that boring […]
A curious case of love and persecution has come to light in New York. A man named Romero fell in love with his son’s intended wife, and in order to marry her, sent Romero, Jr., to Cuba. The latter was soon reported to be dead and the wedding took place. Subsequently the young man returned […]
As implied by a recent twitter/twitpic update (and a less recent one, too), I’ve taken to relatively high levels of cacao in my chocolate lately. This is partly due to Sandra Boynton’s advice (as reported by a local chocolate reviewer and friend of the Collective), but also because chocolate packaged as baking chocolate is far […]
Except that we’re not trading, I suppose. Turns out some gang of ne’er-do-wells in Portland is claiming that they are the FPC. Well, accept no substitutes. The impostors have nothing to do with us.
Since we moved, I think we may have picked up some more address harvesters—or maybe the blocks of IPs I banned via .htaccess at the other place were keeping them out. Anyway, I am a little surprised that address at example.org is getting spam (not really example.org, but you get my point), while otheraddress at […]
“One of the funniest things got up in New York lately was the excursion of the Augur Association, in burlesque of the target excursions. Each man carries an augur instead of a gun, a calithumpian band accompanies them, and the exercises consist in walking blindfolded to the target and boring a hole through it. Not […]
GNF, Drawing from memory / Allen Say (nr) F, The enthusiast : a novel / Charlie Haas 2009 (nr) NF, Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy!, Harris 2006 (nr) F, Essex County / Jeff Lemire 2009 (nr) F, The silver lining : an innovation playbook for uncertain times (nr) NF, In the land of […]
The Code: Baseball’s Unwritten Rules and Its Ignore-At-Your-Own-Risk Code of Conduct, Bernstein. Non-fiction. I can’t say I’m surprised, though I am a bit disappointed, that sports writing seems to be far more about the sports than about the writing. If I never see the phrase “For whatever the reason” again, I will never again be […]
“Singular Accident. — A person named Duncan, who had just arrived at St. Louis from Louisville in the 16th inst., was walking up from the steamboat to the place where he was designed to lodge, when he was observed suddenly to fall, and when he was raised by the bystanders, it was found that one […]
Watching the end of a documentary about the Weather Underground makes me want to say “and how would you do it differently next time?” in an effort to have a teachable moment…