Category Archives: Uncategorized

Write like an Egyptian

“It feels really amazing that the techniques that I use to carve stone are just the same that have been used for thousands of years,” sculptor and stone carver Miriam Johnson shares in this video for the Victoria and Albert Museum. While Johnson traces a … Continue reading

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Slava Ukraini

Every year on the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, artist Teun Castelein charters barrel organs to play the Ukrainian national anthem all day long directly in front of the Russian embassy in The Hague. Each year he adds … Continue reading

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The reader is a friend, not an adversary, not a spectator

Jonathan Franzen’s “10 rules for novelists”: The reader is a friend, not an adversary, not a spectator. Fiction that isn’t an author’s personal adventure into the frightening or the unknown isn’t worth writing for anything but money. Never use the … Continue reading

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“Essentials of Spontaneous Prose”

In 1957, Jack Kerouac published an article in Black Mountain Review  in response to a request from Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs to explain to readers his method for writing The Subterraneans in three days time. You can read Kerouac’s … Continue reading

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Swiss Sounds

With the help of Suisse Tourisme and Travel Switzerland, music producer Thylacine spent 16 days touring some of the Swiss nation’s sights and sounds. Along the way, he captured more than 200 sounds which he edited together into a rhythmic composition that celebrates the nation’s … Continue reading

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The Birth of Cool, Abe Lincoln and other miscellanea

I have been using the ubiquitous term “cool” all of my life without giving it much thought. Who knew that President Abraham Lincoln was an early adopter. The evolving meanings of the word “cool.” While doing some genealogical research a few … Continue reading

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We have been taken over by the season of ice

We have been taken over by the season of iceVery few people recognise it for what it isAlthough they feel uncomfortableVery few people recognise the fact that somehow the seasons don’t changeI mean, you can acclimate it, you can politically … Continue reading

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Tales from the crypt and more

I first learned about the spooky Chiesa di Santa Maria Immacolata on my first visit to Rome nearly five decades ago. The historic church is the home of the Capuchins, a Catholic order established in the 16th century.  Its friars … Continue reading

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Cake Day Caturday

Gâteau Gato means “cat cake,” but this is much more. Artist Alexandre Dubosc created a beautiful chocolate zoetrope that displays animated cats. How could anyone combine chocolate cake, cats, and animation and not have a winner? You’ll recognize Maneki Neko playing … Continue reading

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Gotta Love A Good Guidebook

Åvontuura publishes architecturally-focused city guides. They are beautifully-mapped, with wonderful illustrations of the various architectural landmarks you can visit, information about the buildings, QR codes linking to more data. The maps are attractive and detail focused. Titles blend contemporary, modern, … Continue reading

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