August 27, 2008
“ Of beyond the Black Sea and of the great Tartary,
A king comes who will see Gaul,
Piercing across Alania and Armenia,
And within Byzantium he will leave his bloody rod.

Nostradamus.

Tartary - Medieval European term for vast area of Central Asia. Alania - Medieval Kingdom in the North Caucasus, including modern day North Ossetia.

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April 8, 2008
Thou shalt always kill

I went to see Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip at the Zodiac last night - Great Show! Their stage props - a writing desk with an old lamp, a coat and hat on a stand, an old TV - were all used to great effect. The beardy vocalist has stage presence and his ibook armed partner lent a certain comedy factor.

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March 11, 2008
Fallon & Byrne is a great store for browsing around when in Dublin. Its a shop that couldn’t have existed in Ireland in the pre-Celtic tiger years. Only the finest produce can be found within.

Fallon & Byrne is a great store for browsing around when in Dublin. Its a shop that couldn’t have existed in Ireland in the pre-Celtic tiger years. Only the finest produce can be found within.

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March 5, 2008
Johnny Lee and the Wii remote

Graduate student Johnny Lee has adapted the Wii remote to cool effect. He has managed to set it up so that a computer can be controlled by finger waving (Minority Report style). He has also used it to achieve headtracking and so create the illusion of a 3D environment. He has also created neat LED pens that can interact with any projected display.

I’ve always felt that Minority Report was product placement by corporations hawking stuff to come in the near future (more like 2014 than 2054).

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February 28, 2008

How to Build a Universe That Doesn’t Fall Apart Two Days Later

During the Middle Ages, a curious theory arose, which I will now present to you for what it is worth. It is the theory that the Evil One—Satan—is the “Ape of God.” That he creates spurious imitations of creation, of God’s authentic creation, and then interpolates them for that authentic creation. Does this odd theory help explain my experience? Are we to believe that we are occluded, that we are deceived, that it is not 1978 but A.D. 50… and Satan has spun a counterfeit reality to wither our faith in the return of Christ?

I can just picture myself being examined by a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist says, “What year is it?” And I reply, “A.D. 50.” The psychiatrist blinks and then asks, “And where are you?” I reply, “In Judaea.” “Where the heck is that?” the psychiatrist asks. “It’s part of the Roman Empire,” I would have to answer. “Do you know who is President?” the psychiatrist would ask, and I would answer, “The Procurator Felix.” “You’re pretty sure about this?” the psychiatrist would ask, meanwhile giving a covert signal to two very large psych techs. “Yep,” I’d replay. “Unless Felix has stepped down and had been replaced by the Procurator Festus. You see, Saint Paul was held by Felix for—” “Who told you all this?” the psychiatrist would break in, irritably, and I would reply, “The Holy Spirit.” And after that I’d be in the rubber room, inside gazing out, and knowing exactly how come I was there.

 Philip K. Dick (1978)

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Fred Viola - The Sad Song (YouTube)

When I first heard this I was convinced it was Thom Yorke. Fred Viola is a former boy soprano - he can still hit some high notes!

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February 17, 2008
Congratulations Kosovo on today’s momentous declaration of independence! You will take your place among the nations. The principle of self-determination should be respected by others around the world.

Congratulations Kosovo on today’s momentous declaration of independence! You will take your place among the nations. The principle of self-determination should be respected by others around the world.

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February 2, 2008
The difficulty in making the perfect cup of cocoa is the removal of those undissolved cocoa bits, which either float at the top or sink to the bottom to form an annoying mulch.  Fishing out the floaters with a spoon (or alternatively squishing them against the side of the cup) is an unavoidable chore. The mulch at the bottom can ruin the last few sips of an otherwise delicious drink.

The difficulty in making the perfect cup of cocoa is the removal of those undissolved cocoa bits, which either float at the top or sink to the bottom to form an annoying mulch.  Fishing out the floaters with a spoon (or alternatively squishing them against the side of the cup) is an unavoidable chore. The mulch at the bottom can ruin the last few sips of an otherwise delicious drink.

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January 31, 2008
“ My dear wife,
You get something twisted out of your insides by all this blood, filth and noise.
I want to stay changeless for you.
I want to come back to you the man I was before.
How do we get to those other shores? To those blue hills?
Love… where does it come from?
Who lit this flame in us?
No war can put it out, conquer it.
I was a prisoner.
You set me free.
“The Thin Red Line”, screenplay by Terrence Malick, novel by James Jones •
January 28, 2008
Jackson C. Frank

I heard a clip of “Milk and Honey” on YouTube and had to find out more about the artist who penned it. What a tragic life the poor guy had.

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