We may have a solution to the autoplay problem that has been annoying some readers. Thanks to everyone who provided data on whether they had autoplay problems with the embedded videos, the culprits may have been identified. After going through and tabulating all the responses, a pattern emerges and here is what I found. [Read more…]

I am fascinated by the way language evolves and so enjoyed this animation from the British Open University that in just ten minutes gives a flippant but informative history of the main steps in the development of the English language and the origins of many of the words and phrases that we use. [Read more…]

Bill Watterson, the creator of the iconic and much-loved Calvin and Hobbes that was syndicated from 1985 to 1995, walked away from one of the most successful comic strips in US history at the height of its popularity, when he felt that he had said and done all that he could with that particular medium. Thanks to my daughter, who was an even bigger fan of the strip than me, we now own all the C&H anthologies and they remain fresh upon re-reading. [Read more…]

Kentucky senator Rand Paul apparently likes to liven up his speeches with ideas taken from film plots. That’s fine but Rachel Maddow found that he seemed to be lifting the descriptions of the films from Wikipedia without attribution. And it was not just an isolated practice but done several times. When confronted about this practice, Paul reacted initially with bluster and indignation, saying that this was the work of ‘haters’ and an insult to his honor and that he regretted that these days he could not challenge them to a duel, as if he were a character from The Count of Monte Cristo, which as many of you know is an adventure story primarily concerned with themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy and forgiveness, it focuses on a man who is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes from jail, acquires a fortune and sets about getting revenge on those responsible for his imprisonment. (Note: I couldn’t resist making a small joke by lifting the rest of the sentence from the word ‘adventure’ straight from the Wikipedia entry.) [Read more…]

The infamous Richie Incognito, who was suspended indefinitely from the Miami Dolphins football team when his racist and violent telephone messages to teammate Jonathan Martin were revealed, has broken his silence and given an interview to Fox News with his side of the story. [Read more…]

Today is Veteran’s Day in the US where the country is encouraged to recognize the members of its armed forces. I have become aware that members of the general public, when they encounter service members in public, will often tell them “Thank you for your service”. [Read more…]

My eye caught this news report headline that said “Incognito sent racist texts”. It sounded odd, like the headline writer had bungled badly. Surely, I thought to myself, it should read “Racist texts sent incognito” or better still “Racist texts sent anonymously”? I was intrigued enough to click the link and the story removed my confusion. [Read more…]

For those who hate seeing ads and/or those who would like to financially support this network of blogs, Jason Thibeault at Lousy Canuck has set up a system that will give you ad-free access by purchasing a subscription. [Read more…]

My daughter is getting married in Cleveland in the summer (northern hemisphere!) of 2014 and she is looking for a DJ for the reception. The catch is that she has not lived in this area since 2004 and so does not know the local music scene. And of course I am a total washout when it comes to knowledge about DJs or dance music or popular culture in general.

So are there any readers of this blog who could recommend good DJs in this area? We are looking for someone fairly mainstream, not too avant-garde, provides good service, and is easy to work with.

My daughter has heard of two DJs Rock the House and Selective Sound Entertainment. Feedback on these two or any other suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Via Jonathan Turley, I came across this video of a group of Hungarian shadow dancers known as Attraction. It is a wonderful performance. The catch is that this clip is from some talent show in which the annoying Simon Cowell appears but you can ignore that. [Read more…]