I’m having some trouble with my library. This country’s high humidity – the diurnal range is in the high 90s (early mornings) to around 60% (late afternoons), while the mean is around is 84% practically all year round – poses a challenge in maintaining books in their desired condition. Off-the-shelf dehumidifiers don’t help. I searched [...]
Tell me, how amazing is MIT’s Open CourseWare initiative? Amazing. Their Literature section is quite impressive. And these are some of the courses which include audio and / or video elements. addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.writing.adancingstar.com%2F2009%2Fmit-ocw%2F’; addthis_title = ‘MIT+OCW’; addthis_pub = ”;
What have we here? It seems that the FT.com crew, represented by John Thornhill, have seen fit to dine with our favourite Slovene. The full text is to be found here. I’m not sure what the people at the International Journal of Žižek Studies make of it all. For anyone interested in what they damage [...]
By tom | February 28, 2009
I learned of a new concept today; I’m fairly concerned. Here is Oliver Burkeman: The faintly depressing human tendency to seek out and spend time with those most similar to us is known in social science as “homophily”, and it shapes our views, and our lives, in ways we’re barely aware of. He goes on [...]
By tom | February 23, 2009
I irregularly visit PostSecret – purely on non-voyeuristic pretexts, of course. I have my favourites, which means to say I share their judgements, condemnations, world-views. One such is this: I judge people by which section they are in in a bookstore Shallow? Me? Absolutely. Here’s another that I remember: I used to treat my condition [...]
By tom | February 20, 2009
… and who can blame him? An oldish post has Adam Kotsko “officially horrified” over at An und für sich. The reason? The very existence of the Journal of Management, Spirituality, & Religion. Don’t let the innocuous looking www.jmsr.com lull you into any sense of anything; indeed, my initial judgement was that the enjoining of [...]
Also posted in sights | Tagged silliness |
By tom | February 18, 2009
The entire discussion – deconstruction, death of the author, nothing but the text etc., – may have gently floated beyond me, but here’s somethingelse altogether. This morning’s Financial Times carries an article by two prominent public figures, Ban Ki-Moon and Al Gore. In case you need reminding, one is the United Nations Secretary-General, while the [...]
There are as many types of programs on TV these days as there are stars out on a clear moonless night, from documentaries and journalistic truth-seekers, to soap operas of one kind or another, to Talk Shows and its latest variation, part of the all-new, all-improved Generation-Zzzz programming, reality television. addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.writing.adancingstar.com%2F2006%2Fcsi%2F’; addthis_title = [...]
I am old enough to remember when KFC was Kentucky Freid Chicken, when Colonel Saunders hawked his “secret recipe” fried chicken. Back then, in 70s Singapore, there was no concept of fast food, partly because as a child growing up, I didn’t know what “fine dining” meant. I don’t recall why I liked Kentucky Fried [...]
Allow me to indulge myself in a rant. One of the reasons why this site has seen little activity is due to the near completion of my new abode, The Berth. It is the first development on Sentosa, an island off Singapore. Unfortunately, the excitement in anticipation of finally moving into my apartment is being [...]
