Panoramic Tourism
The idea is simple: Stand in one place in a great city and look all around you. The cities I know here look pretty good, I think. Not much besides the "wow" factor, but that's a pretty big "wow."
Wes Phillips
British Library Treasures
The British Library has posted 15 fabulous titles to its interactive website. Naturally, I'm kind of partial to its Mozart musical diary, but all of 'em are worth looking into. And you can look into 'em—you can "turn" the pages.
Is Caffeine an Aphrodisiac?
For rats, apparently. I've always found liquor quicker—but perhaps I'm only attractive to the inebriated.
The New and Improved Godchecker
I devoured mythology when I was a young'un. I remember being shocked when Marvel began publishing the adventures of the mighty Thor in Journey Into Mystery #82, since the Thor I knew from Norse myths was kind of a dim lout—smart aleck that I was, I identified more with Loki, completely missing how malevolent the trickster god was.
Gaia Strikes Back
James Lovelock, originator of the Gaia theory, is not optomistic about human life on earth.
First TDF Posts of the Year
Okay, no Lance this year, but the TDF is still going to be exciting. Ditto, the Tour de Georgia, even if it does venture into Tennessee.
Darwinian Esthetics?
Are we hardwired to appreciate certain landscapes,stories, foods, and experiences? Denis Dutton argues that culture is not the whole story of art. Interesting essay, but this is an argument that's going to take a lot more space to make. I'm waiting for the book—but this article makes me want to read it.
Hommage à Hergé
For all you TinTin fans out there—an amazing piece of sculpture.
An Appreciation of Henry Green
Typically, I didn't discover Henry Green through reviews, a college class, or a bookstore display. Somebody left Blindness in the record store I worked in and, after it spent sufficient time in the lost and found box, I took it home one night when I'd run out of stuff to read.
Eldon Dedini: 1921–2006
If you're you're an American guy of the male persuasion, you've undoubtedly seen Eldon Dedini's cartoon's in Playboy depicting lecherous, yet enchantingly innocent, satyrs and nymphs. He also drew storyboard art for Disney and regularly contributed cartoons to Esquire and The New Yorker.