November 2008
22 posts
November 30, 2008: Ariosto would have issues with... →
“Unhappy soldier, turn in your weapons to be melted down, even to your very sword: carry a musket on your shoulder or an arquebus—else you will go without wages! / Wicked, ugly invention, how did…
November 29, 2008: The author of the Dissoi Logoi... →
“I think that if one were to order all mankind to bring together into a single pile all that each individual considered shameful, and then again to take from this mass what each thought seemly,…
November 28, 2008: Gumilev on the Demon of... →
“When your interest is aroused in some subject, when you want to know all about it - what it represents, how it is linked with its surroundings and what significance it has for me and my…
Mile of London Tunnels for Sale, History Included →
Want to buy a huge underground complex of tunnels below London? They’re only asking $7.4M. That’s a STEAL - let’s get started on a round of VC funding!
Ross Lovegrove’s Solar-Powered Alpine Capsule →
This kind of stuff is why I like Lovegrove.
Hostile Takeovers or Good Corporate Governance? →
I’m obviously fascinated by the piracy going on in the Gulf of Aden. Here’s a writeup claiming that the Somali pirates aren’t lawless brigands from war-torn areas, but highly organized businessmen…
November 25, 2008: Turin & Sanchez on Unsmelly... →
“We also live in such unsmelly times, with most everyone bathing and washing clothes regularly, and public sanitation working invisibly and reliably to sweep away the foul detritus of the day, that…
Making art from barrels, part nine - the johnson... →
Johnson Banks unveiles the barrel project I’ve been following. They look great!
November 20, 2008: Le Guin on Politicians →
“He was a hard shrewd politician, whose acts of kindness served his interest and whose interest was himself. His type is panhuman. I had met him on Earth, and on Hain, and on Ollul. I expect to meet…
November 20, 2008: Patton →
“You magnificent bastard; I read your book!”
- George C. Scott, Patton, 1970
Make me a mammoth! →
The NYT says that with as little as ten mil, we could insert some of that Woolly Mammoth DNA (recently sequenced) and use an elephant as a surrogate mother. I think this is just a late obituary for Michael Crichton.
Excuse Me! →
The Versery rolls out its best poem yet.
A new Five Euro coin, designed by Stani Michiels,... →
Consider me jealous. Maybe our new President can do something about the shameful state of our currency design. Mr. Obama, this is surely on your First 100 Days agenda, right?
The Party Nations →
There’s a new proposal in Ex Unum, Pluribus!, the grassroots movement to dissolve the USA into smaller, more functional nations: Sarah writes in with The Party Nations.
Bhutan's new king is 28 years old. →
“The new king has pledged to maintain his father’s unique philosophy of improving ‘gross national happiness,’ and not common economic indicators, to ensure well-being in the country.”
The Mysterious “Save For Web” Color Shift →
I run into this quite a bit; it’d be nice if some of this helps. Saved for further future calibrating.