Question: Inspired by a fault?
http://annehodgson.de/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/fault.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadDjango Reinhardt was born 100 years ago yesterday. He lost the use of the third and fourth finger on his left hand when the family caravan caught fire, and as a result developed his own unique style of guitar playing. Seriously inspirational, that is. Can you remember any other […]
Grammar Guru: He’s always leaving his dirty socks on the floor
Is this good English or bad English?
Goodbye to “one best way” solutions
Marvin Minsky of the MIT Media Lab and MIT AI Lab has a very pragmatic approach to robotic engineering and artificial intelligence based on systematic redundancy. “I’ve never seen any mechanical device that actually shows any thought about reliability,” he says (4:40) and goes on to explain his approach (from 4:45): “My theory is that […]
Dick Martin pick-up line
“Hey, listen, Cathy, why don’t we go up to my place tonight? You know, I’m a marvellous cook.” “Really? What’s your specialty?” “______________.” PS: How embarassing: The name is Dick, not Dean. Thanks, Meg, for setting me straight!
Goldie Hawn on Laugh-In
Let’s continue our conversation about Laugh-In up here. Chris was saying that he was watching Laugh-In “from the conformity of suburban London”. Well, Washington, DC was also not exactly California, either, and Laugh-In (1968-73) was a revelation to little-girl-me, too, and gave me the specific sense of humor I have. It’s just hit me that […]
Tiny Tim: Tiptoe through the tulips
My niece left us again today, sadly, and she left us a lovely bouquet of orange tulips. We’d talked about how valuable tulips were in the 16th and 17th century, when the bulbs that we consider commonplace were very rare and were traded for enormous sums of money. The tulip mania led to especially frenzied […]
Grammar Guru: Which tense is correct here?
Which tense is correct here? I saw Judith recently at an event held for new students. Grammar logic: The event is over. I’ve seen Judith recently at an event held for new students. Grammar logic: “Recently”, like “this morning”, is a time word connected to the present perfect. Why did you choose the one you […]
