Your weekly-ish dose of randomness.
I did say I'd post less of these long URLs and more individually, didn't I? Sigh.
London Labour and the London Poor, volume 1 by Henry Mayhew (1850)
From 'Of the Varieties of Street-Folk in General, and Costermongers in Particular':
"Another distinct class of street-folk are the blind people (mostly musicians in a rude way), who, after the loss of their eyesight, have sought to keep themselves from the work-house by some little excuse for alms-seeking. These, so far as my experience goes, appear to be a far more deserving class than is usually supposed -- their affliction, in most cases, seems to have chastened them and to have given a peculiar religious cast to their thoughts."
From 'How the Street-Irish Displanted the Street-Jews in the Orange Trade':
"From 1836 to 1840, I was informed, the Irish gradually superseded the Jews in the fruit traffic about the coaching-houses. One reason for this was, that they were far more eloquent, begging pathetically, and with many benedictions on their listeners. The Jews never begged, I was told; 'they were merely traders.'"
Is the Information Age being replaced by the Conceptual Age?
Given that the Conceptual Age is ruled by artistry, empathy, emotion, pattern recognition, and spirtuality -- all of which would seriously benefit future me -- I say bring it on.
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sleep (But Were Too Afraid To Ask)
This is a fabulous read. As an 'extreme owl' who is constantly fighting to 'normalise' my sleep schedule and is often told that my natural schedule is 'wrong' and a source of my mental health issues (regardless of the fact that feel happier and more productive at 3am than 3pm, and am far more likely to be able to keep my eyes open at the former than the latter), I found what the author said quite liberating and I intend to put some of hir tips into practice.
Brain works like Internet
Many remote areas of the Pacific have been cut off from the outside world after the loss of a telecommunications satellite.
Yikes.
SF Reading Habits Questionnaire
An academic survey of those who read science-fiction and fantasy as a child.
The Clarion Auction
I want the Mars Exploration Rover Official Project Memorabilia and the Centennial of Flight Commemorative Flag, which probably confirms that I am also that type of geek. Blame it on my parents and growing up in the flight path of Hanscom Air Force Base.
Plastics created from orange peel and CO2
Ultra-Orthodox Jews more likely to jaywalk
smoke: a london peculiar
'A quarterly magazine featuring words, photos and graphic art inspired by the city.' Neat; the excerpts look interesting. I'll have to get my hands on a copy.
Teachers not getting fifth season
Sad panda. No more lovely lovely Ben. :(
Animal-Human Hybrids Spark Controversy
Mice with human brains is not okay. Neither is having a parent eaten by a cat.
Article about polyamory from the Denver Post
I don't agree with all of it, but it's good that there are reasonable articles out there. I'm very skeptical that there are really tens of thousands of poly people in the US now, though, and I'd like to see the source for that.
MGM's 'theatrical wide screen' DVD releases for the last few years have been the pan-scanned versions with the top and bottoms cut off
One can either opt to exchange their faulty copy for $7.10 or a new DVD from MGM, hopefully in its proper aspect ratio. More details here
Central Vermont Public Service customers who want to support renewable energy and Vermont dairy farms have a new energy choice - CVPS Cow Power
Promoting 'development and reliance on renewable energy in Vermont by creating a market for energy generated by burning methane from cow manure.'
Drunken Mini-Me rides a scooter naked, urinates into a corner; Peter Brady carries him to his room on 'Surreal Life' TV show
Prom dress or exotic dancer costume?
The dress in that picture is actually on backwards; it isn't much better when worn the correct way. Admittedly, I wore a similar dress to Willow Hill's Promb one year, except it didn't have cut-outs and it covered a little more, kinda a cross between that and Marilyn Monroe's infamous white dress. I hope the girls who buy this one know the trick of toupee tape.
North Korea wages war on long hair
The Rapture Index -- a 'Dow Jones Industrial Average of end-time activity' or a 'prophetic speedometer'
Yay for crackpots! We are evidently at the 'fasten your seat belts' point. That, at least, I can agree with -- albeit for different reasons.
UK media contacts
London Labour and the London Poor, volume 1 by Henry Mayhew (1850)
From 'Of the Varieties of Street-Folk in General, and Costermongers in Particular':
"Another distinct class of street-folk are the blind people (mostly musicians in a rude way), who, after the loss of their eyesight, have sought to keep themselves from the work-house by some little excuse for alms-seeking. These, so far as my experience goes, appear to be a far more deserving class than is usually supposed -- their affliction, in most cases, seems to have chastened them and to have given a peculiar religious cast to their thoughts."
From 'How the Street-Irish Displanted the Street-Jews in the Orange Trade':
"From 1836 to 1840, I was informed, the Irish gradually superseded the Jews in the fruit traffic about the coaching-houses. One reason for this was, that they were far more eloquent, begging pathetically, and with many benedictions on their listeners. The Jews never begged, I was told; 'they were merely traders.'"
Is the Information Age being replaced by the Conceptual Age?
Given that the Conceptual Age is ruled by artistry, empathy, emotion, pattern recognition, and spirtuality -- all of which would seriously benefit future me -- I say bring it on.
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sleep (But Were Too Afraid To Ask)
This is a fabulous read. As an 'extreme owl' who is constantly fighting to 'normalise' my sleep schedule and is often told that my natural schedule is 'wrong' and a source of my mental health issues (regardless of the fact that feel happier and more productive at 3am than 3pm, and am far more likely to be able to keep my eyes open at the former than the latter), I found what the author said quite liberating and I intend to put some of hir tips into practice.
Brain works like Internet
Many remote areas of the Pacific have been cut off from the outside world after the loss of a telecommunications satellite.
Yikes.
SF Reading Habits Questionnaire
An academic survey of those who read science-fiction and fantasy as a child.
The Clarion Auction
I want the Mars Exploration Rover Official Project Memorabilia and the Centennial of Flight Commemorative Flag, which probably confirms that I am also that type of geek. Blame it on my parents and growing up in the flight path of Hanscom Air Force Base.
Plastics created from orange peel and CO2
Ultra-Orthodox Jews more likely to jaywalk
smoke: a london peculiar
'A quarterly magazine featuring words, photos and graphic art inspired by the city.' Neat; the excerpts look interesting. I'll have to get my hands on a copy.
Teachers not getting fifth season
Sad panda. No more lovely lovely Ben. :(
Animal-Human Hybrids Spark Controversy
Mice with human brains is not okay. Neither is having a parent eaten by a cat.
Article about polyamory from the Denver Post
I don't agree with all of it, but it's good that there are reasonable articles out there. I'm very skeptical that there are really tens of thousands of poly people in the US now, though, and I'd like to see the source for that.
MGM's 'theatrical wide screen' DVD releases for the last few years have been the pan-scanned versions with the top and bottoms cut off
One can either opt to exchange their faulty copy for $7.10 or a new DVD from MGM, hopefully in its proper aspect ratio. More details here
Central Vermont Public Service customers who want to support renewable energy and Vermont dairy farms have a new energy choice - CVPS Cow Power
Promoting 'development and reliance on renewable energy in Vermont by creating a market for energy generated by burning methane from cow manure.'
Drunken Mini-Me rides a scooter naked, urinates into a corner; Peter Brady carries him to his room on 'Surreal Life' TV show
Prom dress or exotic dancer costume?
The dress in that picture is actually on backwards; it isn't much better when worn the correct way. Admittedly, I wore a similar dress to Willow Hill's Promb one year, except it didn't have cut-outs and it covered a little more, kinda a cross between that and Marilyn Monroe's infamous white dress. I hope the girls who buy this one know the trick of toupee tape.
North Korea wages war on long hair
The Rapture Index -- a 'Dow Jones Industrial Average of end-time activity' or a 'prophetic speedometer'
Yay for crackpots! We are evidently at the 'fasten your seat belts' point. That, at least, I can agree with -- albeit for different reasons.
UK media contacts