Save…Please?

From over on Robert Peters web site – my favorite of a collection of advertisements to save the planet (by guardian.co.uk – here):

Can I request an under bed monster?

This artist makes cuddly yet disturbing plush and felt monsters: Josua Ben Longo.

This one is my favorite – can he live under my bed?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be careful poking around his web site – he has a very disturbing sketchbook, although his odd poetry is kind of neat.

Another place to sped too much time…

Sign Language – quirky sign photos from the UK publication: Telegraph.co.uk

So far this one is my favorite:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honest – it would make ME keep a VERY close eye on my child…

Doing my part for the economy

UT economists released a study today on the economic impact of the University-Knoxville on the TN state economy.

According to this study, because I am employed at UT, 1.8 other persons have a job, and $140,000 of income has been generated for others in the state.

And that doesn’t count the long-term impact of what I DO (support improvements in literacy education for adults) on emplyment and income and lowered costs.

Feeling like I’m pulling my weight here….can I have a discount on what I pay for gas?

New Link – Robert L. Peters

Ok yesterday’s sudden post was actually found on someone else’s blog.

Robert L Peters is a designer whose blog follows his whims and thoughts.  Most of what he posts to his blog is cool stuff that he has found elsewhere.  WAY cool stuff.  He seems to have a good sense of humor, international contacts, and a great eye for beautiful images. And he alwasys links to source.

I’ve had to stop myself. I could spend forever visiting all the sites he links too. Spending just 10 minutes on his blog is wonderfully refreshing to my soul and attitude. 

I’ve linked him  – and I don’t link many.

Note: he is clearly anti-war, viewer beware if this bothers you.

Old Words in Trouble – Can you spare some time?

I am totally overwhelmed at work.  No time for ANYthing.

So what does it take to get me to write a blog post?

This: Save the Words (by Oxford – the dictionary folks)

Oh man.  Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man.

I had to tear myself away.  “Pick me” indeed.

I re-read…do you?

I am a voracious reader.  I read to relax, to escape, to be entertained, to consider new ideas, and, occasionally, to learn.  Even with an under-2 year old child, I still read at least 3-4 books per week.  They put me to sleep at night, relax me when I am too wound to rest, and fill in the gaps of my TV shows when the commercials are playing.  And I REALLY like to read when I am eating.  I am frequently reading 2-5 books at the same time – scattered all over the house with dog-eared corners, randomly chosen bookmarks (recently a fork), and even facedown, open to the page I left off. it has been likened to an addiction – not unlike the smoker with hal-finished ciggarettes all through the house.  Less rough on the lungs, ‘tho…any everyone else’s.

Many of these are “re-reads.”  In fact, I generally only read one or two “new” books at a time.  I re-read – several several at a time.    I have to be careful and rotate through my permanent collection so that it has been “long enough” so that I can read them again.  I have become a big proponent of used book stores – and it is a mark of pure distain if a book goes into the “trade that” bin.  Not worthy of a re-read…EVER.

So when Ed sent me this article: Some Thoughts on the Pleasures of Being a Re-Reader  it sang to me.  I am SO glad I am not alone.  I may even re-read Great Expectations again as a tribute to the author. (Last time I read that I was 18 and in Chile reading ANYthing written in English I could get my hands on - I was SO homesick!)  And what he says is so true – as you change, the book changes – how you perceive the words, ideas, and conversations changes.  Now that I’m a mom, I have a whole list of books to re-read – to see how they have “re-arranged themselves” while I was away!

Wheeee! (although at the moment I seem to be on a reasonably authentic medieval mystery novel kick….)

Laws of collective organization (math geek stuff)

I have recently been made aware that my “math geek” side has been understimulated. I ‘get’ many math jokes, and am really enjoying the math online course development work I am currently doing.

So this NYT article sent by Ed was fascinating to me:  Math and the City

In particular, I am fascinated by these 2 concepts:

1) That cells grow from wildly different hosts (elehant and mouse for example) have the same metabolic rate – but those same cells in the actual organism have very different metabolic rates – the gestalt affects the functioning of the  individual parts. Cool!

2) That wholly living things,  and communities of living things (that include MANY non-living things) have a similar metabolic growth ratio.  Cities and mammals metabolic rates BOTH increase at a proportion of 3/4 to 1.    oh – and that fractals are AGAIN involved – MAN they show up EVERYwhere!

Anyway – I share today’s geek moment with you.  More to come (sorry for all you non-math folks!)

Reading aloud vs “listening” to books

Ed snet me this NYT article on “The lost art of reading.”  It’s short – take a moment and read (aloud is optional).

I had 3 thoughts upon reading it:

1) I just can’t seem to get into audio books. I tried in the last 5 years, but I alwasy seem to get annoyed by how long it is taking to finish a book. I either give up entirely, or go get the book and finish it in less time than I have already taken listening to it. I lack this skill of “listening” to an audio recording.

2) Reading aloud is *different* than just reading silently.  And having someone reading to you is FAR more intimate than listening to the audio books.  Althoug they are reading – the facila expressions and interaction are a ‘gripping’ element of being read to.  That said, being read snatches of books, or articles over the back of the couch, while you are trying to do something else is NOT “being read to” for this conversation.  I read to Solvi every night and often several times during the day.  No one, however, reads to me much.

3) The author’s point about studets who are trying to read the “writer’s intent” rather than emphasize the “inner voice of prose, life of language” – totally escapes me.  I was with him, up til then – when he got all uber existentially-artsy on me.  But then, no one reads to me.  So maybe, I’ve never been read to by a really good reader, one who is not ‘professional and flat’ for an audio book, but rather one who has read to audiences for a long time, who loves language, and who engages the group in that love.

Wonder what I’m missing…

For the ‘that’s wrong in so many ways’ file…

From a friend of mind, on the road in the lonely parts of Kentucky.

How many things can YOU find wrong in this picture?