This is a color photograph of Mark Twain
It was done by a process called autochrome, and it was taken in 1908. Looks like a painting to me:
Continue reading →Category Archives: Arts
Gladys Knight will survive
Gladys Knight’s been in the news lately for her great rendition of the national anthem at the Superbowl, and for showing what a tool Don Lemon is: That sent me on a stroll down YouTube memory lane in search of … Continue reading →
Sex on the decline around the world
Sex is a strong drive in human beings for a reason: the life of the species depends on it. But in this age of what might seem like no-holds-barred sex, sex has lost its luster for an enormous number of … Continue reading →
Training cats
This mother/daughter team has done something even harder than herding cats. Just watch:
Continue reading →NY’s Museum of Modern Art is getting a PC makeover
This news may not be of any interest to you, but it’s of interest to me, because of the fondness I bear in my heart for the old MoMA, the one that existed before I was aware it even had … Continue reading →
Facecrime
I’ve read Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four many times, but I haven’t opened it for a long long time. I recall a great many of his Newspeak terms—and I think his explanation of Newspeak’s nomenclature and aims is one of the most … Continue reading →
Reporting on each other: the Covington boys, the Native American, and the smart phone vs. the telescreen
[NOTE: This story brought me out of my usual Sunday blog-hibernation.] The news story of the Catholic high school students in MAGA hats who were captured on video supposedly harassing a Native American Vietnam vet was a tale I ignored … Continue reading →
Stuff and more stuff: downsizing with Marie Kondo
This is a Thing, I guess: In the [Netflix] show, Kondo acts as a tiny garbage fairy for messy people, alighting on their houses and the piles of stuff therein to share the wisdom of the “KonMari” method. This method, … Continue reading →
The young-old—or is it the old-young?
Did you ever notice that young people sometimes write and/or perform as though they’re old? Some do it very successfully; the best example that comes to mind is T. S. Eliot—who perhaps was born old—who began writing his masterpiece “The … Continue reading →
Singing prodigies: Jeffrey Li
Child singers are an interesting phenomenon. Some people like them; some don’t. Child singers can’t bring the depth of feeling to a song that someone with greater life experience can. Or can they? At least, a few of them? At … Continue reading →
The Righteous Brothers: reaction video
Sometimes when I need some relaxing down time, I surf YouTube. A while back in my YouTube explorations, I came across what are known as “reaction videos.” They’re a strange genre in which people often rack up biggish view counts … Continue reading →
Auld lang syne around the world
The lyrics were written in Scots dialect by the poet Robert Burns in 1788. That’s a lot of auld lang syne ago. But the song—set to a traditional folk tune—has endured, particularly at New Year’s to be sung right after … Continue reading →