Occasional re-readings of good old Plum’s extensive output can work wonders in perking up the depressed soul (second only to the restorative effects of a w. and soda brought to your favorite armchair by a trusted, brainy butler) .
Should be a mandatory prescription, or something.
No matter how many times you have read it, lines such [...]
A wave of nostalgia induced by this post, led to an youtube-hunting session with a desire to revisit what is possibly one of the most memorable - not to mention comic - scences ever created in the history of Indian cinema :the meeting of Jatayu with Feluda and Topse on a train while it stops [...]
“If we have learned one thing from the history of invention and discovery, it is that, in the long run - and often in the short one - the most daring prophecies seem laughably conservative.”
Arthur C Clarke, 1917-2008.
Via Neil Gaiman’s blog, links to the full list of sci-fi/fantasy short stories nominated for this year’s Hugo Award. Devoted fans of this genre would have not doubt already read them. I consider myself as a big fan too, but as usual, am late to the party.
Anyhow, must read, all of them. The one [...]
Brilliant satirist, unabashed war-protestor, humanist and one of my favorite writers, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.,passed away last night.
Here is an obituary in Salon and an extensive one in New York Times. Here is a video of his appearance on The Daily Show almost two years ago. He was about to read a list on that [...]
….are immense, especially if the subject matter happens to be as diverse and fascinating as the birth (and growing pains) of science in the mid-17th century, contemporary intrigues in the royal corridors of European monarchies, the gradual evolution of money and stocks-markets as we know it today and not the least, swashbuckling adventures in lands [...]
Just to let anyone who still bothers visiting this blog that I am not really missing in action. Just been very busy and any free time to be had is being consumed by this very exciting, eminently gripping even if sprawling (about 1000-pages and I am near 350 now) sci-fi and historical novel, Cyptonomicon by [...]
…in Literature (finally breaking the American march towards a Nobel sweep1). Pamuk, a Turkish author, was recently mired in controversy in his homeland for speaking out about Turkish atrocities against Armenians and Kurds. He was accused of being anti-Turk, and the case generated international condemnation for Turkey’s stance on freedom of speech. The charges were [...]
There should be warning signs or alert notices with news such as these - otherwise when you are reading them way early in the morning, you are liable to spill the coffee.
First, via Slashdot, a story about the Kerala goverment ‘actively encouraging’ its schools to use Linux and other such free software instead of [...]
Samit Basu writes about how his comments on the Kaavya Vishwanathan story suffers a twisted fate of Chinese whispers. He is originally misquoted and mis-contexualized by Tehelka, which in turn is further misquoted by none other than the Wall Street Journal. The final story:
"There’s nothing wrong with a little national pride over a young star [...]
t has been a month or so since I finished reading this rather engaging book written by Steven Levitt, an award-winning young Economist at the University of Chicago and journalist Stephen Dubner. I have been procrastinating on writing about it for a while. Yesterday, the book turned one (Happy B’day!) - so I guess it is probably as good time as any to post some thoughts.
In which I talk about books,DVDs, CDs etc that I cherish - some I wish I had and some of the prized stuff that I already have.
Books, films (and to some extent music) are the passions of my life. Libraries, second-hand book stores, borrowing from friends, TV channels, Blockbuster, Netflix etc have been the [...]
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