Thinking that Covid-19 is one of the first of many pandemics of the 21st century. The past 75 years were not normal; they were the exception. In 1945, we had just discovered antibiotics, but now resistance is emerging — and not much is done about it, because the system values…
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Short post — what Asia can tell us on what the world will look like in a month: Certain: strict enforcement of MHM: Masks for everyone Hands washing, frequently Meter’s distance in public. Also likely: Generalised testing (swabs, blood tests) to identify silent carriers, clusters and immune individuals Compulsory, localised…
Leave a CommentCame across this piece from the New Yorker on a composer who’s had almost as many hits as the Beatles — and yet, is virtually unknown. He also prefers it that way. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/blank-space-what-kind-of-genius-is-max-martin The article brings interesting comparisons between modern music and renaissance painting workshops, where cohorts of students worked…
Leave a Comment« Oh, ça va, le billet n’est pas cher ! » — Un passager anonyme du Titanic. J’aurais dû me douter qu’il y avait baleine sous roche lorsque ma moitié s’est exclamée ainsi. Mais j’étais occupé à empêcher No. 1 de mettre les doigts dans la prise, de sauter du canapé la…
Leave a Comment“All my tales are based on the fundamental premise that human laws and interests and emotions have no validity or significance in the vast cosmos-at-large.” H. P. Lovecraft, letter to Weird Tales’ Farnsworth Wright, dated July 5, 1927. As quoted in S. T. Joshi’s introduction to Black Wings of Cthulhu…
Leave a CommentJust finished reading Robert Graves’ I, Claudius. What struck me through the book is how much of it is written as “Tell” (telling the reader what happened, as you would to a friend over the dinner table) and not “Show” (making the reader live the characters’ actions, by multiplying elements…
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As the New Year’s Eve celebrations draw near, I want to spare a thought for all non-French speakers who will celebrate at their new Gallic friends’ house, and puzzle over the fine prints on the invitation. In particular, you may have been asked to come “sur votre 31” (“on one’s…
1 CommentI saw La Traviata yesterday at the King’s Head Theatre, in a very interesting adaptation by Becca Marriott and Helena Jackson. In order to adjust the opera to the constraints of the theatre (the backroom of an Islington pub), the authors condensed the story to a 2-hour, 4-character show. But that’s not all:…
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