Archive for April, 2004
April 27, 2004
Update: previous banner is here.
My coverstars are, from left to right:
David Hasselhoff - he helped to end the Cold War
Beyonce Knowles - she is a singer
Patrick Fischler - he is an actor, and then some
Audrey Tautou - elle est une actrice merveilleuse
Johnny Cash - he is the man
Samantha Morton - she is an actress
Vladimir Putin - he is President of the Russian Federation
Francoise Hardy - elle est une sacré dame de la chanson française
Adam West - he is Batman
Britney Spears - she is a singer
Leslie Grantham - he is an actor
Ann Widdecombe - she is a Member of Parliament
April 26, 2004
Ok, folks, you have repeatedly asked for it and here it is. I recently rediscovered this remix version I made of Subterranean Homesick Blues, which features KITT from Knightrider (it’s in mp3 format).
Download the thing
April 17, 2004
An article in today’s Independent reported that Oxfam and Barnado’s intend to open dedicated book stores to benefit from booming sales in second-hand titles. A survey by Oxfam showed:
30% of people had more than 500 books in their homes.
18% of people frequently re-read books.
35% of people rarely or never picked up a book for a second time.
I used to read a novel and then put it on the bookshelf to collect dust. My thinking: I have so many books that I have not yet read, that to re-read an old favourite would be a waste of my precious free time.
However, this year I have returned to a number of books that I have enjoyed over the years. They are not the same books at all. Suppose I read the same book twice, with a pause of ten years in between. Then everything that I have experienced in the intervening years causes me to approach the book afresh, offering new understanding and enjoyment.
As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said: no man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.
So, I recommend re-reading old favourites - and those that are unreadable to you may be just what Oxfam and Barnado’s shoppers are looking for.
April 15, 2004
One of my favourite Google-related activities has been given a name. It is apparently known as googlephrasing - described at Good Experience:
It’s easy. Search Google for a long, slightly obscure sentence fragment, enclosed in quotes, and then revel in the Web-zeitgeist.
A few of the examples given:
“surprisingly, i actually liked”
“there’s absolutely no reason to believe”
“is the best movie i’ve ever seen in my life”
This last example is the subject of an interesting analysis at A Roguish Chrestomathy.
April 13, 2004
Great bird news this week! The Great Bustard is returning to the UK.
I love this great, hulking bird. For information, check out - where else - GreatBustard.com
The Bustard is an exquisite fowl
With minimal reason to growl
It escapes what would be
Illegitimacy
By the grace of a fortunate vowel.
April 12, 2004
Can you work out the song titles?
1
2
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April 11, 2004
I don’t usually do this (in fact it is the first time). It’s the holidays and I’m bored…
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April 11, 2004
518 Ghits (Google hits) for “eat my * because”
A sample:
1: You made me eat my pericardium because of that ill-mannered woman
2: I can’t eat my guitar, because I can’t crawl inside my stereo
3: someone told me to eat my chapstick, because it is supposed to make you pass breathalyzer tests
4: “No, Mimi, you can’t eat my ears because I won’t be able to hear.”
5: I wouldn’t eat my dog because I have formed a connection
with it, and therefore associate its emotions with my own.
April 9, 2004
I watched Don’t Look Back today. I like this observation about Bob Dylan, from a Manchester Guardian journalist:
He is not so much singing as sermonizing. His tragedy, perhaps, is that the audience is preoccupied with song. So the bearded boys and the lank-haired girls applaud the songs and miss, perhaps, the sermon. They are there. They are with it. But how remote they really are from life.
April 6, 2004
WATERBOYS - The Whole Of The Moon
VAN MORRISON - Moondance
THE B-52′S - There’s A Moon In The Sky (Called The Moon)
MIKE OLDFIELD - Moonlight Shadow
BLACK CROWES - Black Moon Creeping
NEIL YOUNG - Harvest Moon
REM - Man On The Moon
TELEVISION - Marquee Moon
CREEDANCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL – Bad Moon Rising
NICK DRAKE – Pink Moon
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