Sometimes the plea for better grammar isn’t just pedantry, but rather a desire for clearer, more efficient communication. (At least that’s how I’ll justify this post to you, my three readers.) It seems obvious to me that “written” (committed to paper) and “oral” (spoken) are just two more distinct forms of “verbal” (using words). Yet [...]
I’m no fan of spectator sports, but I often like the writing they inspire. I love the following sentence, from John Updike’s 1960 New Yorker essay about Ted Williams: For me, Williams is the classic ballplayer of the game on a hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is [...]
Over the past few years I’ve posted more than a thousand photos to Flickr. A few of them are actually good. But somehow this mundane shot of an electric bass is the most-viewed. Thousands of looks at this unremarkable photo, followed by hundreds of others in the same set. Posted only as a supplement to [...]
Regular readers of my blog (both of you!) come here for comments on Scotch whisky, maybe also the occasional photo album of funny street signs. And my friends (yes, both of you!) know that I’m generally apolitical, at least in the sense of organized party affiliation. Certainly I have little to add to the vast [...]
I started a Flickr set of photos I’ve taken (or that my friends have sent me) of funny signs. As always, I recommend viewing the photos directly on Flickr here – especially in slideshow format here. But I’ve included a small gallery below.
Vienna’s iconic Riesenrad (giant Ferris wheel) is the central attraction in amusement park in the Prater, a large public park in the Second District. My favorite mention of the Prater is in Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier, in which the Marschallin tells her young lover Octavian that he may ride alongside her carriage in the Prater. [...]
