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Rebirth of the Natty Dresser
Lately I have been enjoying how some young men are reclaiming what had become stodgy, conservative items of menswear--fedoras or bowlers, suit jackets and vests, etc.--in their own idiosyncratic way. Today's example: a fellow about 17-19 years old, short hair, wearing a comfortably broken-in black suit complete with pocket square... and bright ( Read more... ) -
Relative Scale
This is one of the most cleverly visualized presentations of info that I have ever seen. Simply slide the toggle to view the relative scale of objects from quarks to humans to planets and so on. (It starts you at human scale, but from there you can go either up or down in size.) Everything stays in proportion as you move outwards or inwards. ( Read more... ) -
Lacquer Refurb
A little while back I had a startlingly cool find amid the usual lackluster Goodwill tchotchkes: a Chinese lacquer chest with an unusually colored crane pattern and a variety of intriguing drawers, priced a mere $6. It had a fair amount of surface damage, but I thought it was fascinating and rushed it home to my lair ( Read more... ) -
Nature photos
Here are some nature shots I took last year...
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These were taken over the pond at Lynx Hollow during Egil's. Definitely some of the best shots I've ever gotten with my crappy little camera. There was a very Maxfield Parrish sky going on, and it only lasted a few minutes.
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Stringed discoveries
WOW. A good example of the "something special" I kept wishing for this week just fell into my lap. Yesterday at work I saw a poster for a free food buffet and concert put on by the UO Chinese studies dept. The musicians would be playing erhu (Chinese violin) and pipa (Chinese lute), so I resolved to go. I have been in love with the enigmatic ( Read more... ) -
Hugo review: The heart is the key to unlock the cabinet of wonders
Last week I was totting up the movies I saw in 2011, and observing that while I saw several good ones, there was none that stood out as a really noteworthy best of the year. But today I saw Hugo. Had I seen it in 2011 when it came out, it certainly would have been the best movie I saw that year, and probably in several other years. Go see it, ( Read more... ) -
Books I Read in 2011
I read a lot more books this year than in 2010... a definite inverse corollary to writing less and seeking more escapism and/or inspiration.
Bold = recommended
* = best
( 8 Aubrey-Maturin books )
