Random knowledge

A zebroid is a cross between a zebra and any other equid: essentially, a zebra hybrid. They are also known as zebra mules. In general, the sire is a zebra stallion. Offspring of a donkey sire and zebra mare, called a zebra hinny, do exist, but are rare. Zebroids have been bred since the 19th Century.

On June 26, 1963, President Kennedy visited West Berlin, where he made his famous declaration: “Ich bin ein Berliner” (I am a Berliner).

The iPhone is the talk of the town. Everyone seems to want one. Now I can’t see (yet) why I would too. First I use a Blackberry and it fits my current needs : phone, agenda, emails. Of course it would be nice to have a camera and a better access to web pages, but I do NOT absolutely need this.
A camera ? I prefer to use a real one like a Nikon D200. And if I wanted a phone with integrated camera, than I would think that the Nokia N95 is currently unbeatable. Access to web pages ? Most web pages aren’t adapted anyhow to a small screen and I just get frustated when I try it on a phone. So I call these 2 features ‘nice-to-have-but-not-necessary’.
I repeat : why should I get an iPhone ? I can’t see what the iPhone will improve w.r.t. the three functions I actually need and use on a daily basis, other that it has better looks. I have the impression that most (potential) buyers just want it because it’s hot and it’s Apple. Does this make me unhip ?

Listening right now on an iPod: Adagio in G minor

Adagio in G minor for strings and organ is a piece arranged by Remo Giazotto and supposedly based on fragments from a Sonata in G minor by Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni which were found amongst the ruins of the old Saxon State Library, Dresden, which was firebombed by the Allies during World War II. The Adagio was first published in 1958.

The piece was repeatedly used as an underlying score for Orson Welles’ adaption of Kafka’s “The Trial”, from 1963, starring Anthony Perkins. The piece has been used most notably in the 1981 Peter Weir film Gallipoli, which was themed around the famous World War I battle of the same name. The piece was also used throughout the episode “Dragon’s Domain,” from the first season of the mid-1970s sci-fi TV series Space: 1999.

It is most commonly orchestrated for string ensemble and organ, or string ensemble alone.

More of this here

n., a religious service which has been converted to an MP3 format - via

I am looking for DJ software. Virtual DJ is one example, but I wonder what else exists and what the quality is of such software.

Parents are feeling intense pressure to pick names that set their kids apart. Some are even hiring consultants. Alexandra Alter on the art of ‘branding’ your newborn.

Researchers at TU Delft have succeeded in carrying out calculations with two quantum bits, the building blocks of a possible future quantum computer. The Delft researchers are publishing an article about this important step towards a workable quantum computer in this week’s issue of Nature (Nature 447, 836 - 839 (14 Jun 2007). Press release by the TU Delft.

The opening book of His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman’s epic trilogy of wonder and love, won the supreme accolade in its field last night. Northern Lights was declared the finest children’s book of the past 70 years, handsomely topping a readers’ poll as the best winner of the annual Carnegie medal published in that time.

Scholastic: His Dark Materials, the UK publisher’s website

Randomhouse: His Dark Materials, the U.S. publisher’s website

RK sez: a fine book for children. Indeed. But not only for children, also for adults ! I have thoroughly enjoyed these books.

Via

Update : yes, the title of the first book was different the the UK and the US.

Liquid H2O is the sine qua non of life. Making up about 66 percent of the human body, water runs through the blood, inhabits the cells, and lurks in the spaces between. At every moment water escapes the body through sweat, urination, defecation or exhaled breath, among other routes. Replacing these lost stores is essential but rehydration can be overdone. There is such a thing as a fatal water overdose. (link to full article).

Water intoxication is in most cases caused by hyponatremia, an electrolyte disturbance that exists in humans when the sodium (natrium) concentration in the plasma falls below 135 mmol/L.

“The Raven” is a narrative poem by American writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe. It was published for the first time on January 29, 1845, in the New York Evening Mirror. Noted for its musicality, stylized language and supernatural atmosphere, it tells of the mysterious visit of a talking raven to a distraught lover, tracing the lover’s slow descent into madness.

See also The Raven illustrated by Gustave Doré (including an analysis of the poem), and another version illustrated by Édouard Manet (including a French translation), both available at Project Gutenberg.

The full text:

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“‘T is some visiter,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this, and nothing more.”

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow:—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
“‘T is some visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door
Some late visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door;—
This it is, and nothing more.”

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you”—here I opened wide the door;—
Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore!”
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”
Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping, somewhat louder than before.
“Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore—
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;—
‘T is the wind and nothing more!”

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door—
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door—
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore,—
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning—little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door—
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as “Nevermore.”

But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered—not a feather then he fluttered—
Till I scarcely more than muttered, “Other friends have flown before—
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.”
Then the bird said, “Nevermore.”

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
“Doubtless,” said I, “what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore—
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of ‘Never—nevermore.’”

But the Raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore—
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking “Nevermore.”

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamplight gloated o’er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamplight gloating o’er
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
“Wretch,” I cried, “thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent thee
Respite—respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!—
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted—
On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore—
Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil—prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above, us—by that God we both adore—
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!” I shrieked, upstarting—
“Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamplight o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted—nevermore!

Example of a Doré illustration which I mentioned before here and here (yes, I’m a fan of his work !):

I may not be president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, but as a representative of the human race, I would urge fellow citizens to stop donating to the Catholic church (Vatican cardinal calls on Catholics to stop funding Amnesty, June 14). I do so on the grounds of the Vatican’s new policy not to use its enormous wealth and global influence to appease the suffering of those who have been sexually tortured or brutalised, but instead to focus on ensuring that women who are a victim of rape or incest are denied the right to an abortion. Amnesty International, a campaigning charity whose essential function is the preservation of human life, may now face a significant loss in charitable donations.

Look what this alternative (?) for Wikipedia writes about evolution e.g.
If you use “The truth shall set you free.” on your homepage, you should follow your own advice…

Via I came across Les Cités Obscures (English translation Cities of the Fantastic), an imaginary parallel world (a Counter-Earth), created by the Belgian comics artist François Schuiten and his friend, writer Benoît Peeters. Official site. Obskür, the magazine about the Obscure Cities. Seems like something I might like.

This year’s Documenta art exhibition in the northern German city of Kassel places unusually high demands — on the public and especially on itself. Will the show’s twelfth incarnation since 1955 do justice to the event’s legendary reputation? A first look at the exhibition. Article by Ulrike Knöfel.

You can visit Documenta 12 (offical web site) till 23.09. I will probably visit this exhibition 11+12 August.

Although her life on this earth was brief and quite often turbulent and painful, she left us with a legacy of art that rivals all others. Using her own unique “folkloric” style of painting, Frida painted the diary of her life. Each painting, rather it be a self-portrait or a still life, captures a moment in her life. They reflect the emotions of her turbulent relationship with her husband, the famous muralist Diego Rivera, the life long physical and emotional pain she endured as a result of a tragic bus accident and her inability to have children. During her life time Frida created some 200 paintings, drawings and sketches related to her experiences in life.

General internet resources

• “Frida Kahlo” at ArtCyclopedia
• Frida Kahlo at Olga’s Gallery
• Kahlo paintings at Ten Dreams Galleries
• Frida Kahlo fan site with biography, paintings, and photos

Articles and essays

• “Dolor y arte: Frida Kahlo” from Psikeba Magazine
• “Frida Kahlo & contemporary thought”
• “Frida by Kahlo”

Films

• Frida (2002 film) at the Internet Movie Database (watch this movie - he’s good)
• Documentary Film, Frida Kahlo

Exhibitions and museums

• “The Frida Kahlo Museum”, by Gale Randall
• Exhibition guide from Tate Modern
• The Heart of Frida exhibition in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico showcasing recently discovered letters and artwork.

(references taken from wikipedia)

Bloomsday is a commemoration observed annually on 16 June in Dublin and elsewhere to celebrate the life of Irish writer James Joyce and relive the events in his novel Ulysses, all of which took place on the same day in Dublin in 1904. The day is a secular holiday in Ireland. The name derives from Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of Ulysses.

From the press release :

The Man Booker International Prize is worth £60,000 to the winner and is awarded once every two years to a living author for a body of work that has contributed to an achievement in fiction on the world stage. It was first awarded to Ismail Kadaré in 2005.

Achebe is probably best known for his first novel, Things Fall Apart, written in 1958 and Anthills of the Savannah, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 1987.

Continuer here

RK: never heard of this guy - - if I’m in a bookshop next weekend, I’ll see if I can find one of his books.

The Constant Gardener director Fernando Meirelles joins forces with Canadian writer/director/actor Don McKellar to bring Portuguese Nobel Prize winner Jose Saramago’s 1995 novel concerning an epidemic of blindness that pushes society to the breaking point after sweeping through a modern metropolis to the big screen in this large scale philosophical thriller. The movie cast includes Mark Ruffalo and Julianne Moore as the protagonists. Alice Braga and Gael Garcia Bernal are also confirmed to star in the movie, which will have Danny Glover as the narrator of the story.(read in the NYT)

One of my favourite books. Expected release Date: March 2008 !