It's New to Me
David Bragin sent these alternate meanings to existing words. I Googled them and found they're two years old—although they still seem fresh'n'tasty to me.
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And Dragonflies and Bumblebees
On the streets today, people seem so smart and full of Spring. Though the temperature has dropped ten degrees from its high, the sun is still shining. It's 32 degrees and sunny in New York City.
Ali Farka Touré, R. I. P.
Mali's proto-bluesman dead at 66. I loved his guitar, true—but I <I>really</I> loved his phrasing as a singer. If you haven't heard his duet with kora-player Toumani Duabaté, you're missing one of the great records of <I>this</I> century.
Last Friday's Cephalopod Blogging
I missed <I>Pharyngula</I>'s picture of planktonic octopus paralarva from last Friday. It's not cat-blogging, but it sure is pretty.
How to Price Merchandise Incorrectly—Just Like the Big Guys
I'm not an economist, so I can't vouch for how accurate this is, but I loved the wild ride. First it teaches classic B-school pricing philosophy and then it tells you that everything you just learned is wrong. It <I>does</I> seem to explain a lot.
The Seed Oscars
<I>Seed</I> rates 2005's science-based movies. It's a tough room.
What Is It That's You?
If you answered "my consciousness," then what happens if you wake up one day and it's not the same? This is a strange and frightening essay.
Here's Your Problem
The biggest problem with many consumer products these days is that the people who make 'em never figured out what they needed to be. That's why I have an all-in-one printer/scanner/fax machine I have never figured out how to send a fax with. I could read the manual I suppose, if I ever figure out which pile of papers it's under.
It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp
John Atkinson just sent out a very strange e-mail:
About Last Night
Apparently there was some sort of awards ceremony in LA last night, but news of it has only just reached Brooklyn. I stopped caring about the Oscars years ago (pretty much around the time I became a voting member of NARAS and realized how little the Grammies had to do with musical quality), but I never cease to be amazed by how much they seem to matter to other non-film-industry people. Mark Evanier has a nice essay about the post-ceremony media frenzy—and he totally pwns Tom Shales.