June 2010
16 posts
The five most difficult countries to visit Law is Cool) Some how-tos on visiting Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, North Korea, and Somaliland. #
Writing advice from Ian Fleming From the Guardian, 1962, ‘How to write a thriller’ I never correct anything and I never go back to what I have written, except to the foot of the last page to see where I have got to. If you once look back, you are lost. How could you have written this drivel? How could you have used “terrible” six times on one page? And so forth. If you interrupt the writing of...
Former Frank editor makes Gram Parson’s musical Michael Bate, founder of the Ottawa edition of Frank and its longtime editor, is also a fan of Gram Parsons. #
A typeface explains his viewpoint McSweeney’s Listen up. I know the shit you’ve been saying behind my back. You think I’m stupid. You think I’m immature. You think I’m a malformed, pathetic excuse for a font. Well think again, nerdhole, because I’m Comic Sans, and I’m the best thing to happen to typography since Johannes fucking Gutenberg. #
The Paris Review The latest edition has Robert Crumb and Katherine Dunne, both of whom I can always use more. #
That Bloody Sunday inquiry in full Every word. All ten volumes. Anyone who says the inquiry missed something, just point them there. #
Telegraphs and code words Code words for the day of the year
[Some enterprising telegraph operator] realised that telegraph senders charged per word rather than per character—thus transmitting “it is on” would cost the same as “raynor is maschalophilous.”
For example ‘crisp is short hand for “can you recommend to me a good female cook?” and ‘flank means “a fire is raging here....
US labels create fake lobbying group for Canadian copyright change Boing Boing
It’s really telling that the opposition to the Canadian DMCA has come from real grassroots: artist groups, citizen groups, technologists, educators, disabled-rights groups, archivists — people who don’t hide their funding or their affiliations behind false flags. Meanwhile, the only support for this law has...
Canada needs a population of 100 million people - then we will be respected
Global Brief (um, who? *) says that as a middle-weight country, Canada does not get the respect that it deserves. It’s got the money, it’s got the know-how, it got three-Ocean access (sucks, don’t it, Austria) but with 30 million population, nobody is going to care.
That’s why tripling the population to 100 million...
Freegans take over Buffalo mansion and live on dumpster divings from the nearby corner shop I like this story about a fluid commune that has taken over an abandoned mansion in a forgotten neighbourhood. The neighbours lobbied the housing court judge to let them stay. #
A Eulogy for Law & Order Those that know me know my a) disinterest in most Hollywood exports and b) my devotion to the original Law & Order. This is its eulogy. #
The worst ampersand designs in typographic history These are for you, Nyiri #
How to Get Your Camera Back When You Lose It Andrew MacDonald leaves this series of pictures on his camera. #
How the Mainstream Media stole Danny Sullivan’s story without credit Danny Sullivan, of Search Engine Land, discovered a lawsuit filed against Google by a woman who says Google Maps caused her an injury. Sullivan wrote it up here. The story goes viral – but few media outlets credit Sullivan, even though they use his graphic and his copy of the statement of complaint. It is a lack of...
Rushfield Babylon: Gary As I Knew Him →
In 1984 Gary Coleman came to Crossroads School, where he enrolled in my class.
Of all the schools in the world, Crossroads was probably the one were Gary probably had the greatest chance of living anything resembling a normal life, given the liberalisness of the school meant that people…