The great late 19th-century British neuroscientists Gilbert & Sullivan penned these words, sung by Little Buttercup and Captain in H.M.S. Pinafore.
"Skim milk masquerades as cream."*
*The next line
Thursday, July 30, 2026
'So Many Books' — Gabriel Zaid
From this brief (144 pages), wonderful 2004 book:
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The reading of books is growing arithmetically; the writing of books is growing exponentially. If our passion for writing goes unchecked, in the near future there will be more people writing books than reading them.
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, our universal graphilomania produces a million titles a year, in printings of thousands of copies. Very few books are reprinted; even fewer are translated.
The freedom and happiness experienced in reading are addictive, and the strength of the tradition lies in that experience, which ultimately turns all innovations to its own ends.
The truly cultured are capable of owning thousands of unread books without losing their composure or their desire for more.
Almost all books are obsolete from the moment they're written, if not before.
Why read? And why write? After reading one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand books in a lifetime, what have we read? Nothing.
Maybe all experience of infinity is an illusion, if it is not precisely an experience of finiteness. And maybe the measure of our reading should therefore be, not the number of books we've read, but the state in which they leave us.
What matters is how we feel, how we see, what we do after reading; whether the street and the clouds and the existence of others mean anything to us; whether reading makes us, physically, more alive.
Maybe that is what life is: We stand up and say hello and then disappear. But it is difficult to accept that idea. In our hello is a yearning for eternity.
Today it is easier to acquire treasures than it is to give them the time they deserve.
Modern productivity reduces the cost of mechanical reproduction and increases the cost of Socratic reproduction.
Confronted with the choice between having time and having things, we've chosen to have things. Today it is a luxury to read what Socrates said, not because the books are expensive, but because our time is scarce. Today intelligent conversation and contemplative leisure cost infinitely more than the accumulation of cultural treasures.
Reading is useless; it is a vice, pure pleasure.
No experts in technological forecasting are predicting the end of fire or the wheel or the alphabet, inventions that are thousands of years old but have never been surpassed, despite being the products of underdeveloped peoples. And yet there are prophets who proclaim the death of the book. As a technological judgment, it doesn't withstand the slightest scrutiny.
Books can be skimmed.... It is very difficult to get a rapid sense of a temporal sequence (even if it is visual) that must pass through a machine. In order to follow what comes out of a player piano, record player, tape player, film projector, radio, television, videocassette player, computer, telephone, or fax, you must pay close attention to the sequence of images or sounds. To search for something, it is necessary to proceed blindly, stubbornly, clumsily, without being able to see any distance ahead. It is easier to find things in books.
A book is read at a pace determined by the reader. This is a significant freedom. It is so easy to turn back, to reread, to halt, to skip things that are of no interest. With the new media, these can be cumbersome operations.
Time is by far the most expensive aspect of reading. In a wealthy economy, time is worth more than things, and it is easier to buy things than to find the time to enjoy them. Reading is a luxury of the poor.
......................
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Thread Cutter Ring — 'Jane Bond, call your office'
From websites:
.................................
Slip this lovely ring on any finger to easily snip any type of thread — simply, smoothly, and quickly.
Provides fingertip convenience while sewing or crafting, eliminating the tedious search for scissors.
Brass with stainless steel blade.*
Adjusts to fit most fingers.
1" diameter.
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*I'm thinking this will likely be confiscated if you have it on your finger when you go through airport security.
Free Movies on YouTube
This is astounding.
I stumbled on this hidden feature last night when I was looking for a movie I'd seen reviewed favorably but couldn't locate on my usual streaming suspects.
That film — "Sudden Outbursts of Emotion," a 2024 title from Finland — is on YouTube, where it's not free but rather rentable.
And very good, BTW.
In the course of looking for it I opened a page with zillions of free movies — big time titles like "Mission Impossible" etc. — and it was like I'd fallen down a rabbit hole into an alternate universe.
Free, the way we like it!
Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Gulliver's Crowbar
From websites:
.................................
Everyone needs a giant pry bar lying around the garage.
58" —nearly 5 feet! — long with a curved end, made of heat-treated steel.
Strikeable cap and shock-absorbing ergonomic handle.
Even if you only ever need it once, you will be glad you have it.*
.................................
*Full disclosure: I've used mine a few times since I bought it back in the 20th century.
Perplexity Pro FTW
I noted a few months ago that Perplexity Pro is the best $17/month I've ever spent.
It deserves an encore here for its performance in an area in which I'm weak, namely, techie stuff.
Since forever, whenever I tried to use the "Duplicate" function for an image on my desktop, I've received an error message telling me I don't have permission to duplicate the image.
I've tried half-heartedly to find out how to gain permission but never got very far, so I've considered it just part of the burden I bear as a card-carrying TechnoDolt©®™.
Then last week it occurred to me to ask Perplexity Pro how to break this logjam.
Long story short: it wasn't easy — but I succeeded.
It's like a miracle.
My latest tech interaction with PP happened this morning when, after days spent trying to figure out from the terrible instructions that came with my XREAL xbx a01+ glasses (highly recommended! shockingly good for $299!) how to reposition the spectacular virtual screen, it told me which of the supplemental nosepieces raised or lowered the image to center it in my field of view.
Alas, nothing about this in the little guide that came with the glasses.
PP then explained how to remove and reattach the three sizes of nosepieces that come with the glasses.
But wait — there's more!
It explained how to use the various settings in the on-screen menu bar and which buttons did what.
I'd spent an hour or so on trying to navigate in this menu without any success, growing increasingly annoyed and irritated and frustrated.
Once PP deconstructed the various buttons on the glasses and exactly what they did and the sequences required to activate custom settings, it was easy peasy smooth sailing.
World Hum Map and Database Project
Long story short: The mysterious sound known as The Hum has been reported worldwide for decades, yet its source remains impossible to find. Researches tested whether people who hear it have exceptional low-frequency hearing or measurable sounds produced inside their ears, but neither explanation fits most subjects. The leading conclusion is that many cases involve low-frequency tinnitus — even though the sound's source appears completely external.
Full ScienceDaily story here.
More?
Dr. Glen MacPherson's World Hum Map and Database Project offers an interactive database and accepts submissions to add to its World Hum Map.
A terrific related 2024 four-part BBC series, "The Listeners" (featured here on July 12, 2026) is well worth watching; Rebecca Hall is superb.
Full disclosure: When I watched "The Listeners" I had no idea it was fact-based; even so, it was compelling viewing.
Monday, July 27, 2026
On no longer looking up words
Since I learned to read I always looked up words I don't know.
I believe that habit played no small part in my score on the English part of the SAT.
I continued that habit through college, med school, my professional life as an anesthesiologist and expert medical-legal analyst, and afterward — until about two years ago.
Out of the blue, one day, when I encountered a word I didn't recognize in whatever I was reading and reached for my computer or phone to look it up, I said to myself, "Why bother?"
I thought I'd earned the right by now to let the unknown remain unknown, and so I have ever since that epiphany.
I suspect everyone reaches that point, just at different points in their lives: I'm sure many people have never looked up a word if they didn't have to for school or work or whatever.
It is a distinct tiny pleasure each time I hesitate, think, then read on.
One more thing: at this point in my life it's unlikely I'll ever encounter the same unknown word a second time, if it took this long for the initial sighting.
What's Old is New Again
Constant readers will recall the sublime 2004 "Hairy Chair" (below),
featured here on July 15, 2026.
It's covered in strips of shredded newspaper.
Now comes upscale furniture design house Moooi with the Hortensia Petal Chair (top and below), a 2018 design by Andrés Reisinger and Júlia Esqué.
Made in the Netherlands, it's covered with 30,000 laser-cut fabric petals.
Pink, Ivory, Wine, or Sage.
The Naturalist's Library (1833-1843)
A complete digital version of "The Naturalist's Library," William Jardine's 40-volume series on natural history, including restored versions of each of the 1300+ illustrations in the library.
Fair warning: there goes the day.
Sunday, July 26, 2026
'Backrooms'
Something wonderful is happening: more and more new movies and shows can be rented or purchased on YouTube, such that you don't have to subscribe to streaming services to watch them.
This strange film is one of them: it's available pretty much everywhere.
I've read lots about how this movie went from nothing to massive hit seemingly overnight, shaking the foundations of the Hollywood establishment.
It's a psychological horror film directed by Kane Parsons — a 20-year-old YouTube creator turned filmmaker — that earned $82 million in North America during its opening weekend release in May.
FunFact: It cost about $10 million to make.
I'd decided to skip it because it was billed as a horror movie and I never watch those, having met my nightmare match when I saw "The Exorcist."
When Apple TV finally listed it for rent yesterday I took a flutter, figuring I could always click away or cover my eyes etc.
Turned out this wasn't at all a Freddy Krueger-type gorefest but rather a strangely beautiful film with only a couple scenes that forced me to hold up my hand in front of my eyes and look through the spaces between my fingers.
New: Cup Noodles Made with COLD Water!
This is the best news of the year to date.
I love Cup Noodles and could live on a steady diet of Beef flavor.
Long story short: Available in Japan starting this past Monday, July 20, 2026, they come in two flavors: Chicken Salt Lemon and Spicy Kimchi (top).
Nissin spent five years in their skunkworks perfecting noodles that plump up perfectly using cold water, with five minutes prep time instead of the two minutes fifteen seconds required in the microwave for the flagship.
Text as Music
From the website: "Paste or write anything. Each sentence will be highlighted by its length so you can see the rhythm of your prose. A wall of one color is monotony; a healthy mix is music."
Saturday, July 25, 2026
Judge a Book by Its First Page — NOT Its Cover
Uncovered enables you to find your next book with everything that usually helps you decide stripped away: no cover, no title, no bestseller sticker, no celebrity book club, no BookTok trend.
Instead, you read a book's opening sentences and then answer the only question that matters: do you want to keep reading?
Reminds me of "A first impression is a lasting impression."
xkcd's "What If?"
xkcd aka Randall Munroe needs no introduction.
Only this week did I learn he also has a YouTube channel.
He started it on August 31, 2023, and currently has 1.33 million subscribers.
Huh.
I started mine on March 26, 2006 and currently have 10,600 subscribers.
Diff'rent strokes.
Fair warning: there goes the rest of your life.
Moist Towelette Online Museum
Res ipsa loquitur.
From the website: "If you're in the East Lansing, Michigan area, stop by and visit the Moist Towelette Museum. It's located in Room 100 at the Abrams Planetarium on the campus of Michigan State University. Moist Towelette Museum Hours: 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, Tuesday through Friday."
Friday, July 24, 2026
Where Things Are and Where They Go — Part 2: Replacement Theory
After Part 1 appeared a week ago Friday, my longtime Crack Colorado Correspondent©®™ weighed in (above).
It's amazing to me how over the years he's become expert at mirroring my thought process: what he wrote is exactly how I'd have described the phenomenon he called "Replacement theory," which I've experienced repeatedly over the decades.
Long story short: If you want to find something that you know you have but can't locate, buy a replacement — often the missing item will reappear right after you've placed your order, well before the arrival of the replacement.
is pretty good.
The Near Thing — J.B. Boothroyd
Beside a lichened wall,
In fact, to be perfectly truthful,
We didn’t meet at all.
The road was a ‘B’, and narrow,
The bend was an ‘S’, and smart;
I was passing a grocer’s van,
You a pony and cart.
I may have touched the grocer,
It’s hard to be sure, of course.
At an aggregate speed of a hundred
We certainly scared the horse.
We almost met for a moment,
Instead we just passed by,
In short we missed each other,
Though God alone knows why.
I got half a thumb on the hooter,
Did you get a toe to the brake?
I reckon a mile between us
Before we began to shake.
Did the landscape go pink at the edges
For you as it did for me?
Did you drop to a thoughtful thirty
For a mile, or two, or three?
We only met for a moment
(As I think I must have said),
But another moment either way
And we’d both of us be dead.
And the most alarming aspect
Of having so nearly met
Is that by this time tomorrow
We’ll both of us forget.
ShortVerse: Universe of Short Films
For those who've had it up to here with YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Reels, and their ilk.
One more thing: free, the way we like it.
Thursday, July 23, 2026
Erring on the Side of Wastefulness
Over the decades that I've owned a cat (Kitty 2007-2022; Vanta [above] 2022-present) I've noticed that I almost always end up tossing away food left over from the previous day when it comes time to put fresh food in their bowls.
I wouldn't dream of topping up Vanta's bowl by adding fresh food to yesterday's: she deserves nothing but the best and freshest I can give her.
Same with her water bowl: every evening I dump out what remains and fill it up with fresh water.
So little effort by me is required to keep my cat healthy and happy compared to how much joy she brings: it's one of life's gifts.
'Who's On First?' — Abbott and Costello
In 1936 Bud Abbott and Lou Costello formed a comedy duo.
In 1938 they performed "Who's On First?" on Kate Smith's radio show.
Over the next two decades, until they broke up their act in 1956, Abbott and Costello performed the routine at least 10,000 times — some sources estimate in excess of 15,000.
They insisted they never did it exactly the same way twice.
In 1999 TIME magazine named it the Best Comedy Sketch of the 20th Century.
More?
Read the sketch here.
Listen to it here.
clipart studio
clipart studio lets you cut up magazine sources from the Internet Archive, images from Wikimedia Commons, and files you've uploaded, then create collages from them.
Visit the gallery to see what's possible.
Fair warning: there goes the day.
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