reading a piece about the latest shopping apps, i vaguely recalled hearing about how in the early computer age, computer engineers suggested that housewives might use them for keeping inventories of their freezers, fridges and, possibly, wardrobes.

well, they were far more ambitious than that. from
Gadsden Times, Feb 9, 1964:

i have seen the face

this face appeared when i sliced a banana.

the Man in the Moon! he is real!!!

ay did knot know that ii

i was listening with one ear to a radio 3 reading of "paradise lost" when i caught the expression "second life". who knew these players were so classically minded?

ay did not know that.

one of Leonard Cohen's great little numbers, "take this waltz", is based on a pome by Lorca.

i knew the man had class, but this much class? it's estilo!

Suchet beats Poirot!

like most eople, i loved David Suchet's portrayal of Poirot. i think i even loved him a little bit more than i loved the Poirot books. watching him -- Suchet, that is, not Poirto -- trace his ancestors on who do you think you are? showed more of what a pleasant character Suchet is, and found a near-poirot-connection -- Suchet's great grandfather had claimed he was french, with his own photographic studio in Paris, but this turned out to be somewhat inaccurate.

and now, he wins an Emmy and turns out to be a great storyteller as well:

I have 82 emails from friends and colleagues congratulating me. I spend all day fielding calls from people while trying to pack my suitcase at the same time. We weren't prepared for this as I didn't think there was a hope in hell of winning, so we had arranged to fly home today, barely with time to breathe. We get to the airport, and as I'm going through security the guard says, "Don't I know you from somewhere? You're Poirot!" He then asks me what's in my big box that I'm taking on as hand luggage. I tell him he'll soon find out as I place it on the conveyor belt to be X-rayed. When my Emmy appears on his screen he shouts out, "Fantastic!"

from the independent

roll out the palmyra!

i have now added a fine palm-leaf collection of hindu gadgets to this rather empty blog. like i said, too easy. one ends up spending all too much time rooting through gadget to put on the blog, and too little writing on it.

this site helpfully defines "gadget" as "An object that is like a primitive widget in most respects". the OED, as awlays, come to the rescue, with several defintions. 1: Used as an indefinite or general name for: a comparatively small fitting, contrivance, or piece of mechanism. 2: An accessory or adjunct; a knick-knack or gewgaw.

apparently, it was originally used by "seafaring men". pirates?