Virginia Hall was considered so dangerous by the Gestapo that they crafted a Wanted poster with her likeness. The UK made her an MBE and the US awarded her the DSC—the only woman ever to receive that honor. She parachuted behind enemy lines with her "wooden leg in her backpack." So why haven't I ever heard of this remarkable woman?
It's always bugged me. And now I have just the blog to spew about it in.
Alright, dammit, I give in: The new Sonic Youth album is pure beauty.
"<I>VisualComplexity.com</I> intends to be a unified resource space for anyone interested in the visualization of complex networks." Mission accomplished, I'd say—but then, I'm already a huge fan of Edward R. Tufte's <I>The Visual Display of Quantitative Information</I>.
I think we've established that I like lists by now. It's not that I'm convinced they're always right, but rather that they make starting places for discovery and discussion. In other words, they're a jumping-off point rather than a destination.
The Royal Academy of Art has been displaying David Hensel's <I>One Day Closer to Paradise</I> at its summer exhibition. There's just one problem. Apparently they've lost it and have been displaying the empty plinth instead. Here's the kicker: Nobody noticed until the sculptor visited the exhibition.
Who has the best hearing?
the walk<br>
to work
In the world of dino rock, several really interesting tidbits today. For some unknown reason (I'm betting the right blend of meds), Brian Wilson did not push Mike Love off the roof of the Capitol Tower in L.A. when the three surviving Beach Boys met up there on Monday to get a framed metal-coated record signifying that their latest greatest hits compilation had turned the sales odometer over to 2x platinum.
<I>The Times</I> has a nice splash on Buckley, upon the UK release of the film <I>Thank You For Smoking</I>.