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May-11-07
 | | Domdaniel: <Jess> Another retro-synchro: shark cartilage also features in Neuromancer. Possibly in connection with an urban tribe of guerilla situationists named <the Panther Moderns>. |
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| May-11-07 | | mckmac: O children of Conn
of the Hundred Battles,
Now is the time to win recognition,
O raging whelps,
O sturdy bears,
O most sprightly lions,
O battle-long warriors
O brave,heroic firebrands,
The Children of Conn
of the Hundred Battles
O children of Conn,remember
Hardihood in time of battle.
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| May-11-07 | | mack: <Perhaps the most practical advice is for would-be philanderers: one should never conceal the fact that one is married because (according to scientific studies, allegedly) women are more likely to be attracted to married men. I must remember to bear that in mind.> cf. Seinfeld, Series 2, 'The Apartment'. |
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May-11-07
| | Domdaniel: Bard alert. Bard alert.
Conn, eh? Was he the one of whom it was said "The thighs to him were like tree trunks, and five fifties of fosterlings could engage in handball against the wideness of his backside"? Or was that Finn? One of those Ancient Celts, anyhow. They spent far too much time being manly and virile, those Ancient Celts, if you ask me. Even the women. Especially the women. Queen Maeve (or Medb), for example. Why couldn't they just follow the Ancient Greeks, and invent philosophy, mathematics and unworkable systems of government by the people? But no. Too busy wielding swords and axes, speaking the manly speech of warriors, and stealing perfectly innocent cattle from one another. And getting the bards to sing about it, at some length. Not a single Ancient Celtic bardic effort deals with prime numbers. A grave error, I feel. Mind you, they spent a lot of time "at the playing of the chess" when not pinching cattle, so they can't have been all bad. |
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May-11-07
| | Domdaniel: <mack> Seinfeld, alas, has never really done it for me. I know, I'm a Philistine. When I hear "The Apartment" I think Billy Wilder, Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Shirley. Speaking of "alas" -- Nigel overdoes use of same in the aforementioned book review: <"Alas, few of the lessons Kasparov has learned..."> is swiftly followed by <"he recognises his own inadequacy here, but finesses it, all too glibly alas, by saying...">. 'Glibly'? Pot. Kettle. Nigel. |
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| May-11-07 | | mack: Yawn. Well, that was the week, that was. It's been a tiring and emotional one, but we're all more or less in one piece, aren't we? Digging all this moon jabber. There's really no better word. I hate it when it's used for ugly, boring rhymes, e.g. moon/spoon/June, but in the right hands it is the most subservient word imaginable: at once the most romantic, spooky, powerful, terrifying, saddening and downright hilarious word known to man. Moon, moon, moon. It even looks great *written down*, which is another oft-overlooked aspect of words. Is there a term for the aesthetics of words? If not, there should be. Sounds like a challenge, frogmen. FROGSPAWN - where it doesn't matter if no-one understands what you're talking about. |
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May-11-07
| | Domdaniel: <mack> I don't know. You're obviously not a Lunatic. Maybe a dyslexic mono-maniac? If I may just quote myself on this topic:
"Moons in June cannot defeat you
Only wounded fridges eat you..."
And no, I don't know what it means either, but it seems like sound advice. |
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May-11-07
| | Domdaniel: <the aesthetics of words> About 100 years ago, HN Pillsbury used to do an act which involved 22 simultaneous games of chess and draughts/checkers, blindfold - while also playing whist - and afterwards repeating a list of words which he'd been shown briefly before the display. On one occasion (Pillsbury got them all right, and again the next day) the words were: Antiphlogistine
periosteum
takadiastase
plasmon
ambrosia
Threlkeld
streptococcus
staphylococcus
micrococcus
plasmodium
Mississippi
Freiheit
Philadelphia
Cincinnati
athletics
no war
Etchenberg
American
Russian
philosophy
Piet Potgelter's Rost
Salamagundi
Oomisellecootsi
Bangmanvate
Schlechter's Nek
Manzinyama
theosophy
catechism
Madjesoomalops
I admit I had to look these up, couldn't quite recall some of the obscure ones. Anyone know what an 'American' is, for instance? |
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| May-11-07 | | Eyal: <About 100 years ago, HN Pillsbury used to do an act which involved 22 simultaneous games of chess and draughts/checkers, blindfold - while also playing whist - and afterwards repeating a list of words which he'd been shown briefly before the display.> Here is someone even more versatile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdMz... |
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| May-11-07 | | mack: <Anyone know what an 'American' is, for instance?> And now, the second in our series of historians who should bloody well be idolised (no. 1 was Raphael Samuel, if you can remember that far back)... HUGH BROGAN
Some choice quotations from Mr Brogan's magnum opus, the Longman History of the United States of America (1985): '[The greatness of America in the early-to-mid 17th century] lay in its reasonableness, earnestness, and zeal for righteousness; its weakness in a tendency towards hypocrisy, covetousness and self-righteousness. Through it Puritanism persisted into later times. The city on a hill failed; but it was one of greater authority even than John Winthrop's who promised that "the Kingdom of Heaven is within you". The course of Americanhistory would have greater Puritain reason to suppose that this promise, at least, has been kept.'[p.50] '[Andrew Johnson] was an incorrigible loner, slightly less flexible than granite.' [p.359] 'The Ku Klux Klan began as one of those jolly secret societies of which so many Americans are so fond...' [p.378] And the last words of the book:
'A historian can at the moment say no more, at any rate in a book of this kind... All the important stories are still unfolding. Thus, this book was started the year before America put two men on the Moon... There is no cease to the flow of events, so the end of the honest chronicle can only be arbitrary. A sudden cut-off.' [p.691] |
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May-11-07
| | Domdaniel: <Eyal> A mild rebuke for both of us from the Emperor. Marcus Aurelius gave thanks "That, for all my love of philosophy, I did not fall in with any sophist, or devote my time to the analysis of literature or logic, or busy myself with cosmic speculation..." I'm not sure whether even the greatest of stoics could have withstood youtube, however. |
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| May-11-07 | | WBP: <Dom> Been otherwise engaged in the last 24-36 hours, and have a very scant bit of time now. Your forum just quietly goes about its business, growing steadily--many, many posts/threads for me to catch up on and lots of funny stuff (a quick scan reveals this). Enjoying all the lit. stuff, here and wlsewhere. I'll be in touch soon. |
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May-11-07
| | Domdaniel: <mack> An insight into American Puritanism ... the phrase (and tone of) "jolly secret societies" ... the 'slightly' in 'slightly less flexible' ... the jump-cut to moon landings ... the end in, as it were, mid-sentence (mid-lexeme? mid-historeme? mid-something, anyhow) ... Hugh Brogan? I'd say this is Thomas Pynchon at work... |
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| May-11-07 | | WBP: <Mack> great stuff! |
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| May-11-07 | | mack: Oho, Pynchon's reared his head once more. Time to go to bed with a Trollope, methinks. |
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May-11-07
| | Domdaniel: <mack> Take two |
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May-11-07
| | Domdaniel: Volumes, I meant. |
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May-11-07
| | Domdaniel: ... and take their little jackets off carefully, if at all ... |
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May-11-07
| | Domdaniel: <Dear Readers> I'm "off" now. Even more off than usual, <alas> (to attempt an ironic Short-circuit). Due to <circumstances> I might not be around for the remains of the weekend (whatever that is). Apart from Godard. Please feel free to make a mess in my absence. Plus I'll probably change my mind and be back here anyhow. What will I change my mind *for*, is the question.
Dam de Lion
Potgelter, Nek, de Lion & Bangman
Verbivores, Poly-monomania Consultants
It's eddictive, dontcha know. |
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May-11-07
| | Domdaniel: A <close reader> adds: isn't it obvious what "alas" means? It means the writer is subconsciously looking for "a lass". Otherwise he'd say "alad". Or "agerbil". Stands to reason. |
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May-11-07
| | Domdaniel: <Tomlinsky> The politicians with engorged burgeoning ears thing could be one of those tricks performed by TV lighting. Maybe their ears stay the same size, but their heads shrink. Bye, now. |
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| May-11-07 | | Eyal: <Tomlinsky: Have you noticed that politicians ears get bigger the longer they stay in the game? It's wierd.> One of the most experienced politicians of our time:
http://www.kamikazcomics.com/shop/i... |
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May-12-07
| | Domdaniel: One expected more mess, somehow. But there's plenty of time. Back tomorrow, whatever that is, if the accident will. Idle Nomad |
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| May-12-07 | | Eyal: <Dom> I don't know if you're following Mtel - there was a French Tarrasch today (Adams vs Nisipeanu, 2007) which you might find interesting. |
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| May-13-07 | | Eyal: Frogspawn Quote of the Day:
<Artar1: Chess can be very addictive. In my case maybe to the point of being obsessive-compulsive - but never to the point in which it interferes with other important life commitments, like endgame work, tactical studies, and opening preparation.> |
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