Year: 2006
On the word ‘serpopard’, about 4 years ago
“The serpopard, a cross between a serpent and leopard, features the body of the latter and a long neck and head representing the former, although it is generally classified as a feline.” The serpopard is best known from depictions in Old Kingdom Eyptian art, such as the Narmer and Two Dog Palettes
links for 2006-12-27
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The sky’s gone out
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I’m Arthur C Clarke. Could be worse
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Be prepared
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A database containing a number of trends, emerging issues and developments which may influence the course of events over the next 50 years and thereby shape the future of the UK and the world at large.
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Some background on Jacques Chirac’s controversial museum of ethnography
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Qur’anic figure who might be an inspiration for The Green Knight
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“an audio mix of some 2400 christmas tracks that i’ve downloaded over the years.”
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“Insect Lab is an artist operated studio that customizes real insects with antique watch parts and electronic components.”
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“The southern side of the valley is so sheer that on 11 November the sun disappears and does not reappear until 2 February.”
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Italian blue-bloods playing dress-up
On the word ‘serpopard’, over 3 years ago
“The serpopard, a cross between a serpent and leopard, features the body of the latter and a long neck and head representing the former, although it is generally classified as a feline.” The serpopard is best known from depictions in Old Kingdom Eyptian art, such as the Narmer and Two Dog Palettes
kodiak v kobayashi
There was only ever going to be one winner.
On the word ‘hostage-bride’, about 4 years ago
“The story of Tom and his hostage-bride Katie Holmes has played out all year under the steady strobe-light of the paparazzi, with MI:III doing only so-so business and Cruise losing his sweetheart deal at Paramount on a geriatric whim from Viacom chief Sumner Redstone, even as Katie flushed brightly with all the fevers of Stockholm Syndrome.”
On the list ‘Word Guidelines for Wordie’, about 4 years ago
Could we have feeds for comments? I’m thinking it’d be nice to be able to track both comments on individual words and comments by individual users. Thanks for the site!
On the word ‘drama pawn’, about 4 years ago
As coined by Dan Curtis Johnson after watching this video of an apparently suicidal driver crashing through a Florida mall
On the word ‘hostage-bride’, over 3 years ago
“The story of Tom and his hostage-bride Katie Holmes has played out all year under the steady strobe-light of the paparazzi, with MI:III doing only so-so business and Cruise losing his sweetheart deal at Paramount on a geriatric whim from Viacom chief Sumner Redstone, even as Katie flushed brightly with all the fevers of Stockholm Syndrome.”
On the word ‘drama pawn’, over 3 years ago
As coined by Dan Curtis Johnson after watching this video of an apparently suicidal driver crashing through a Florida mall
links for 2006-12-26
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Six ways to open up magazine publishing
links for 2006-12-25
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“Italian Coke”. Yum
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I like his 1990s “Isolated Houses” series
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“For two years … Kerbel researched the Coutts & Co bank in London … the information came together in the form of a book and serves as a master plan for how to rob the bank”
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Geir Jenssen (aka Biosphere) describes his ascent of Cho Oyu, as documented in his album of field recordings of the same name
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A short review of psychopathy
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A comprehensive rundown of scenes deleted from Superman
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And here are some of the scenes to save you scouring YouTube
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Now will someone please make a version for Movable Type?
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Komodo dragons don’t need males to reproduce. Be afraid
links for 2006-12-23
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The Guardian’s review of the documentary on the disappearance of the Chohan family
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Thanks to wizardishungry for the tip
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Beeb to provide paid-for downloads over Azureus
On the word ‘shanger’, about 4 years ago
according to this extremely not-safe-for-work story.
links for 2006-12-22
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Apparently we can, yes
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Scott Atran presents a nuanced version of the “radical atheists are being unscientific” argument
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No comment
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“Anderson speculates that creativity may be a form of self-medication, giving a gloomy artist the chance to adopt a cheerful disposition.”
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One is starting to sound like a commoner
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Funny how old-fashioned it seems to be worrying about nuclear war
On the word ‘shanger’, over 3 years ago
according to this extremely not-safe-for-work story.
On the word ‘hacksilver’, about 4 years ago
In places or times where coins were not issued by a mint or their value was not guaranteed by a bank (such as Viking Scandinavia, where there was no domestic currency and all coins in circulation were “borrowed” from elsewhere) weight was all important. A coin’s value was equivalent to its weight – and interchangeable with the same weight of precious metal in the form of jewellery. Hacksilver is the name given to the bits of metal that were cut off and used as currency.
On the word ‘skycandy’, about 4 years ago
As explained in cinematic masterpiece Snakes on a Plane, skycandy is a term for attractive flight attendants …
On the word ‘hacksilver’, over 3 years ago
In places or times where coins were not issued by a mint or their value was not guaranteed by a bank (such as Viking Scandinavia, where there was no domestic currency and all coins in circulation were “borrowed” from elsewhere) weight was all important. A coin’s value was equivalent to its weight – and interchangeable with the same weight of precious metal in the form of jewellery. Hacksilver is the name given to the bits of metal that were cut off and used as currency.
On the word ‘skycandy’, over 3 years ago
As explained in cinematic masterpiece Snakes on a Plane, skycandy is a term for attractive flight attendants …
links for 2006-12-14
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“The evolutionary theory of celebrity does not begin to explain Paris Hilton mania for one reason: people hate the woman”
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Shirky steps up the Second Life backlash – or more accurately, the Second Life media backlash
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Fast-food mimicry – one day I must get round to finishing my bit on evolutionary drift and fried-chicken restaurants (also see badgas)
links for 2006-12-13
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To contain a balmy indoor city
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Does smell detect molecular vibrations, rather than shapes?
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Depression tastes bittersweet
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Bats are magnetic, as well as ultrasonic. NB Finding this out involved bats wearing helmets …
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Get milk: it’s the evolutionary choice
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“When someone complains about ‘the modern athlete,’ he or she is usually just saying, ‘This particular black athlete behaves like a rap star, even though I’ve never actually listened to rap music in my entire life.'”
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nifty blockquoting
On the word ‘chantepleure’, about 4 years ago
What a beautiful concept and word, and one that I’ll find use for more often than I’d prefer.
On the word ‘chantepleure’, over 3 years ago
What a beautiful concept and word, and one that I’ll find use for more often than I’d prefer.
the skiing mini
In principle, I hate Top Gear, but it’s hard to maintain that dislike when they do things like this.
links for 2006-12-12
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But aren’t supermarkets deliberately inefficient?
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Old sins brought to light
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Merges logfiles for a number of popular IM clients
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Hm.
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Potted background for writers
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“Your travel and cultural guide to the ‘no-sleaze’ parts of Second Life”
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“‘Are you my friend? Yes or no?’ This question, while fundamentally odd, is a key component of social network sites.”
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A beginner’s guide for Western listeners
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P. L. Travers, Walt Disney, and the making of a myth.
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“An analyst warned that the need to capture information from frequently updated sources such as company databases required systems to look beyond the spider”
the parlour
And this is why I don’t frequent chatrooms.
On the word ‘beausage’, about 4 years ago
A synthesis of “beauty” and “usage”, this was apparently coined by Grant Petersen of Rivendell Bicycle Works to describe the decorative effect of wear on tear on, say, ancient monuments or antique cars. Unlike patina, beausage refers to three-dimensional damage rather than surface effects.
On the word ‘taswegian’, about 4 years ago
Delighted to discover that this is an acceptable (if not necessarily the generally accepted) term for a resident of Tasmania. I can only think of two other uses of this suffix: Glaswegian, for a resident of Glasgow, and Norwegian, for a resident of Norway. I have no idea why “-gow”, “-way” and “-mania” all end up as “-wegian”.
On the word ‘hemiversary’, about 4 years ago
A coinage for the day six months after a memorable date: in other words, half way to the first anniversary. Increasingly celebrated in its own right; make what you will of the implications for longevity of modern relationships.