quote of the day

I believe that today more than ever a book should be sought after even if it has only one great page in it: we must search for fragments, splinters, toenails, anything that has ore in it, anything that is capable of resuscitating the body and soul. It may be that we are doomed, that there is no hope for us, any of us, but if that is so then let us set up a last agonizing, bloodcurdling howl, a screech of defiance, a war whoop! Away with lamentation! Away with elegies and dirges! Away with biographies and histories, and libraries and museums! Let the dead eat the dead. Let us living ones dance about the rim of the crater, a last expiring dance.
But a dance!

-- Henry Miller, Tropic of Cancer

thin air

This is Everest.

nice

Pixdaus is the new FFFound.

because having only 200 friends is so 2007

I used to think blogs were cool. Now the only social network for me is ncludr.

R.I.P. Charlie Blair

Charlie Blair was an eccentric but nice fellow who worked on the copy desk with me at the Birmignham Post-Herald a few years ago. He passed away recently. Someone's set up a blog where people can post their memories of Charlie. It's a good thing.

end of story

This is science.

This is not.

This is science.

This is not.

Sigh. Got it?

read this

50 best cult books.

enjoy the bottle and laughs

quote of the day

"Actually, I jade very quickly. Once is usually enough. Either once only, or every day. If you do something once it’s exciting, and if you do it every day it’s exciting. But if you do it, say, twice or just almost every day, it’s not good any more."

-- Andy Warhol

beware

life explained

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

amazing..

Astrologers fail to predict proof they are wrong.

quarterly

You can view every cover of Esquire magazine going back to 1933 here.

There is only one way to protest the Iraq war

Peace Pretzel. Iraq War Protest, San Francisco
Originally uploaded by mdsea923.

....and this is it.

sweet home

Great post on Metafilter concerning songs about Alabama. Even more links in comments.

Alabama, Alabama, We will aye be true to thee,
From thy Southern shores where groweth,
By the sea thy orange tree.
To thy Northern vale where floweth,
Deep blue the Tennessee,
Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee!

Broad thy stream whose name thou bearest;
Grand thy Bigbee rolls along;
Fair thy Coosa-Tallapoosa
Bold thy Warrior, dark and strong,
Goodlier than the land that Moses
Climbed lone Nebo's Mount to see,
Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee!

From thy prairies broad and fertile,
Where thy snow-white cotton shines,
To the hills where coal and iron
Hide in thy exausted mines,
Strong -armed miners -sturdy farmers;
Loyal hearts what'er we be,
Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee!

From thy quarries where the marble
White as that of Paros gleams
Waiting till thy sculptor'ss chisel,
Wake to life thy poet's dreams;
Fear not only wealth of nature,
Wealth of mind has no fee,
Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee!

Where the perfumed south-wind whispers,
Thy magnolia groves among,
Softer than a mother's kisses,
Sweeter than a mother's song,
Where the golden jasmine trailing,
Woos the treasure-laden bee,
Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee!

Brave and pure thy men and women,
Better this than corn and wine
Make us worthy, God in Heaven
Of this goodly land of Thine.
Hearts as open as thy doorways.
Liberal hands and spirits free.
Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee!

Little, little can I give thee,
Alabama, mother mine.
But that little - hand, brain, spirit.
All I have and am are thine.
Take, O take, the gift and giver.
Take and serve thyself with me.
Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee!

-Julia Tutwiler

oh shit

vacuum tubes and punchcards

A very interesting history of computer data storage, in pictures.

old school

Make mixtapes here and here.

"This place is a supernova"

12,000-year-old temple complex found in Turkey.

(should be) all the rage

Tidal turbines. Hell yes.

picturesque

For those of you visiting Baghdad's Green Zone in the coming months, be sure and use this handy tourist's guide.

ubergeek

If anyone ever, ever catches me wearing these pants, please shoot me on the spot.

Everyone right.

COOKIE MONSTER SEARCHES DEEP WITHIN HIMSELF AND ASKS: IS ME REALLY MONSTER?

predation

This golden eagle understands gravity.

Hop on by

On June 8 there will be a celebration for Arnold of Soissons at the Crook crib. Come one, come all.

Bene dic, Domine, creaturam istam cerevisae, quam ex adipe frumenti producere dignatus es: ut sit remedium salutare humano generi: et praesta per invocationem nominis tui sancti, ut, quicumque ex ea biberint, sanitatem corporis, et animae tutelam percipiant. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

you are here

The blue marble.

earth music

La Dent Blanche
Uploaded by skyandfab

yes we have

question of the day

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?"

-- Epicurus 341 B.C.E. - 270 B.C.E.

Update:
Worst answer of the day.

oh, that pesky problem of evil.

yeee haw

Bring the respirator, boys! I'll be here on Sunday, riding Sport class.

it grows on you

Kudzu. No longer the scourge of the South. Possibly the savior of the post-oil world?

not elevating at all

Amazing story about and video of Nicholas White, a thirty-four-year-old production manager at Business Week magazine, who walked onto an elevator and got stuck in it for almost 42 hours.

longevity

Behold the very cool story of the Sword of Goujian.

great haiku

I despise haiku
I find it quite limiting
I find it stifling.


I know what you mean!
no matter how you space it,
you always lose a

surreal estate

What Antarctica would look like without all that ice.

death by caffeine

Apparently it would take 153.56 Red Bulls before I'm pushing up the daisies. As of this morning, only 152.56 to go.

shortie update

MP and I went to the doctor and found out (a bit early) that we're having a boy! A little fella--how bout that? During the ultrasound he gave us the thumbs-up, which you can see here:

Then, when we realized that it was a boy we laughed out loud, to which he responded with a little micro-laugh of his own:

This is going to be amazing.

could've fooled me

There is no gas shortage.

wtf

Apparently this is a gun that allows you to shoot around corners. The kitty on top is a disguise--because you wouldn't want people to think those bullets were coming from a gun. Video of the gun here.

verve

If you use firefox and gmail (both of which you should) I recommend going here to download a nice stylesheet for gmail. Paint it black, yo.