"The Abbey Grange" is an interesting and somewhat startling example of the Compassionate Holmes. Moffat has apparently said that the difference between Sherlock and the Doctor is that the Doctor is compassionate (and Sherlock isn't) - and this is certainly true of the way he writes the characters. But Doyle's Holmes (or, at least, Brett's Holmes ( Read more... )

http://www.cracked.com/article_14990_what-monkeysphere.html

"The both looked expectantly at Crowly, who gave them a big smile.
'You'll like this,' he said.
His smile became even wider and more conspiratorial.
'I tied up every portable telephone system in ( Read more... )

This weekend was the Ohio Sacred Harp convention, in Golden Gate Park in Brookville, a tiny little town just outside of Dayton. I've never sung before with 30 people on a part - it was huge and beautiful and exciting. It's a shame we couldn't go back today too ( Read more... )

...it took them till chapter 2 to start literally kicking the linguist ( Read more... )

I was talking this evening with tungol about the department halloween party (the idea of going as abominable snow-clones came up) which in turn lead to a discussion of Nikola Tesla (don't ask how), and of course the Tesla-Edison rivalry. This, in its own turn, lead to the story of how Edison, a firm opponant of the death penalty, invented the electric ( Read more... )

At least part of Javert's problem is the issue of dominion. The act of mercy has given ValJean some kind of power over him. This is resonating very strongly with something I already know about - something that has a name, I think - but I can't quite put my finger on it. It's sort of akin to the discussion of being tamed in Le Petit Prince. And ( Read more... )