1. 25 Jan


    This Sunday is the birthday of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, the English mathematician and writer whose most famous works include Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass, and The Hunting of the Snark. Such works featured Carroll’s specialty: coining blends and nonce words. Here are some of our favorites: BoojumThe boojum is “a particularly dangerous variety of ‘snark,’” an imaginary creature of Carroll’s invention. The word boojum has inspired the naming of everything from “a species of tree… native to Baja California, Mexico” (found in 1922 by plant explorer Godfrey Sykes, who proclaimed, “It must be a boojum!”); to a supersonic cruise missile that “was determined to be too ambitious a project… and was canceled in 1951”; to “a geometric pattern sometimes observed on the surface of superfluid helium-3,” as named by physicist David Mermin in 1976.Example: But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day, / If your Snark be a Boojum!  For then / You will softly and suddenly vanish away, / And never be met with again!” — Lewis Carroll, The Hunting of the Snark, 1876  ChortleTo chortle means “to exclaim exultingly, with a noisy chuckle.” According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), Carroll coined the word as a blend of chuckle and snort.Example: ”He chortled in his joy.” —Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass, 1871  Frabjous Frabjous means “great, wonderful, fabulous,” and is a blend of either fabulous and joyous, or fair and joyous. “O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” cries the narrator of The Jabberwocky upon learning that the Jabberwock has been slain.Example: “‘O frabjous day!’ rejoiced Emma Dean, using her bath towel as a scarf and performing a weird dance about the room.” — Jessie Graham Flower, Grace Harlowe’s Return to Overton Campus, 1915 10 whimsical words coined by Lewis Carroll

    This Sunday is the birthday of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, the English mathematician and writer whose most famous works include Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass, and The Hunting of the Snark. Such works featured Carroll’s specialty: coining blends and nonce words. Here are some of our favorites:
    1. Boojum
      The boojum is “a particularly dangerous variety of ‘snark,’” an imaginary creature of Carroll’s invention. The word boojum has inspired the naming of everything from “a species of tree… native to Baja California, Mexico” (found in 1922 by plant explorer Godfrey Sykes, who proclaimed, “It must be a boojum!”); to a supersonic cruise missile that “was determined to be too ambitious a project… and was canceled in 1951”; to “a geometric pattern sometimes observed on the surface of superfluid helium-3,” as named by physicist David Mermin in 1976.
      Example: But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day, / If your Snark be a Boojum!  For then / You will softly and suddenly vanish away, / And never be met with again!” — Lewis Carroll, The Hunting of the Snark, 1876
       
    2. Chortle
      To chortle means “to exclaim exultingly, with a noisy chuckle.” According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), Carroll coined the word as a blend of chuckle and snort.
      Example: ”He chortled in his joy.” —Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass, 1871
       
    3. Frabjous 
      Frabjous means “great, wonderful, fabulous,” and is a blend of either fabulous and joyous, or fair and joyous. “O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” cries the narrator of The Jabberwocky upon learning that the Jabberwock has been slain.
      Example: “‘O frabjous day!’ rejoiced Emma Dean, using her bath towel as a scarf and performing a weird dance about the room.” — Jessie Graham Flower, Grace Harlowe’s Return to Overton Campus, 1915

     

  2. 10 Oct


    Sarah Palin, the former 2008 vice presidential candidate and author of Going Rogue: An American Life, is reportedly authoring a new book. “Our family is writing a book on fitness and self-discipline focusing on where we get our energy and balance as we still eat our beloved homemade comfort foods!,” she recently told People magazine.“We promise you what we do works.” 

    What should the new book be called? We asked readers to come up with some potential titles. Here are the best

     

  3. 8 Oct


    “Random House is taking a big chance by making such a big bet on an author whose fan base is concentrated in the under-30 demographic,” which is “a group not known for its willingness to pay for content of any kind,” says Jeff Bercovici at Forbes on Lena Dunham’s $3.5 million book advance. Photo: Desiree Navarro/Getty Images

    “Random House is taking a big chance by making such a big bet on an author whose fan base is concentrated in the under-30 demographic,” which is “a group not known for its willingness to pay for content of any kind,” says Jeff Bercovici at Forbes on Lena Dunham’s $3.5 million book advance.

    Photo: Desiree Navarro/Getty Images

    (Source: theweek.com)

     

  4. 7 Sep


    DC Comics has taken bold steps this year to diversify its comic-book world, introducing a new half-black and revealing that Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern, is gay. And now, DC has revealed yet another milestone: The new Green Lantern is an Arab-American character Simon Baz.

    DC Comics has taken bold steps this year to diversify its comic-book world, introducing a new half-black and revealing that Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern, is gay.

    And now, DC has revealed yet another milestone: The new Green Lantern is an Arab-American character Simon Baz.

     

  5. 27 Aug


    An al Qaeda-linked website has posted a call for the killing of Matthew Bissonnette, the retired Navy SEAL Team 6 member who wrote a book about his role in the mission that killed Osama bin Laden.  Bissonnette wrote under a pseudonym, but was identified last week by Fox News. And the possibility that terrorists might come after him is just one of his worries when No Easy Day, his firsthand account of the raid on bin Laden’s Pakistan hideout, hits shelves on Sept. 11.  Keep reading…

    An al Qaeda-linked website has posted a call for the killing of Matthew Bissonnette, the retired Navy SEAL Team 6 member who wrote a book about his role in the mission that killed Osama bin Laden. 

    Bissonnette wrote under a pseudonym, but was identified last week by Fox News. And the possibility that terrorists might come after him is just one of his worries when No Easy Day, his firsthand account of the raid on bin Laden’s Pakistan hideout, hits shelves on Sept. 11. 

    Keep reading…

     

  6. 21 Aug


    Barnes & Noble credits E.L. James’ popular book series Fifty Shades of Grey for strong growth in its quarterly sales numbers. Photo: barnesandnoble.com GOOD DAY FOR: Dental hygieneA study finds that brushing your teeth regularly may help fend off dementia. [Newser] Stimulating the economyIn its new quarterly earnings report, Barnes & Noble partially attributes its strong growth figures to booming sales of the erotic trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey. [AP] Canine psychiatristsA new study finds that some dogs who chase their tails may be suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder. [Geekosystem] BAD DAY FOR: Modern chivalryTwo passersby in New Jersey rush to help a woman who they believed was defending herself against a robber, only to find out that it was the woman who allegedly robbed the man. [Gawker] Keeping your syphilis a secretTwo major porn studios suspend production after discovering that a male performer was forging his STD tests and keeping his syphilis infection a secret. [TIME] Paying homage to Fight ClubThree daycare workers are arrested for running an organized fight ring with their children. [Death & Taxes]

    Barnes & Noble credits E.L. James’ popular book series Fifty Shades of Grey for strong growth in its quarterly sales numbers. Photo: barnesandnoble.com

    GOOD DAY FOR:

    Dental hygiene
    A study finds that brushing your teeth regularly may help fend off dementia. [Newser]

    Stimulating the economy
    In its new quarterly earnings report, Barnes & Noble partially attributes its strong growth figures to booming sales of the erotic trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey. [AP]

    Canine psychiatrists
    A new study finds that some dogs who chase their tails may be suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder. [Geekosystem]


    BAD DAY FOR:

    Modern chivalry
    Two passersby in New Jersey rush to help a woman who they believed was defending herself against a robber, only to find out that it was the woman who allegedly robbed the man. [Gawker]

    Keeping your syphilis a secret
    Two major porn studios suspend production after discovering that a male performer was forging his STD tests and keeping his syphilis infection a secret. [TIME]

    Paying homage to Fight Club
    Three daycare workers are arrested for running an organized fight ring with their children. [Death & Taxes]

    (Source: theweek.com)

     

  7. 10 Aug


    Recommended viewing. All the way to the end.

    From This American Life’s website, Ira Glass writes: “In our recent cinema event, he talked about his illness and, for the last time in his life, danced onstage.”

    David Rakoff, an essayist, actor, and regular contributor to This American Life, died yesterday at the age of 47.

     

  8. 5 Jul


    The Bad Opinion Generator 

    The Bad Opinion Generator 

     

  9. 4 Jul


    “The smell of a freshly printed book is the best smell in the world,” says fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld, explaining why he helped create Paper Passion ($115), a perfume designed to smell exactly like cracking open a new book. More oddities for those who have everything…

    “The smell of a freshly printed book is the best smell in the world,” says fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld, explaining why he helped create Paper Passion ($115), a perfume designed to smell exactly like cracking open a new book.

    More oddities for those who have everything…

     

  10. 26 Jun


    Losse claimsthat there was a “skeleton key” that any Facebook employee could use to log into any user’s account to access all their messages and data. “You can’t write it down,” another employee told Losse on her first day. The password had to be memorized. “I briefly experienced stunned disbelief,” says Losse. ”They just hand over the password with no background check to make sure that I am not a crazed stalker?” The master password allegedly no longer exists, and the company eventually implemented more secure measures to access accounts. Revelations from the new Facebook-insider memoir

    Losse claimsthat there was a “skeleton key” that any Facebook employee could use to log into any user’s account to access all their messages and data. “You can’t write it down,” another employee told Losse on her first day. The password had to be memorized. “I briefly experienced stunned disbelief,” says Losse. ”They just hand over the password with no background check to make sure that I am not a crazed stalker?” The master password allegedly no longer exists, and the company eventually implemented more secure measures to access accounts.

    Revelations from the new Facebook-insider memoir

     

  11. 5 Jun


    “The smell of a freshly printed book is the best smell in the world,” says fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld, explaining why he helped create Paper Passion ($115), a perfume designed to smell exactly like cracking open a new book.

    “The smell of a freshly printed book is the best smell in the world,” says fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld, explaining why he helped create Paper Passion ($115), a perfume designed to smell exactly like cracking open a new book.

     

  12. 2 May



    On Sundays Obama would lounge around, drinking coffee and solving The New York Times crossword puzzle, bare-chested, wearing a blue and white sarong.
    — 

    A quote from one of President Obama’s former girlfriends, whose impressions of the young Obama are detailed in new book called Barack Obama: The Story 

    Here, more details from the book

     

  13. 30 Mar


    Anyone on Pinterest? We’re giving away a signed copy of Imagine: How Creativity Works, by Jonah Lehrer, our author of the week. “Shattering the myth of muses, higher powers, even creative ‘types,’ Jonah Lehrer demonstrates that creativity is not a single ‘gift’ possessed by the lucky few. It’s a variety of distinct thought processes that we can all learn to use more effectively. Lehrer reveals the importance of embracing the rut, thinking like a child, and daydreaming productively, then he takes us out of our own heads to show how we can make our neighborhoods more vibrant, our companies more productive, and our schools more effective.” To enter, pin an image that gets your creative juices flowing, and share it with us. Here, some instructions. 

    Anyone on Pinterest? We’re giving away a signed copy of Imagine: How Creativity Works, by Jonah Lehrer, our author of the week.

    “Shattering the myth of muses, higher powers, even creative ‘types,’ Jonah Lehrer demonstrates that creativity is not a single ‘gift’ possessed by the lucky few. It’s a variety of distinct thought processes that we can all learn to use more effectively. Lehrer reveals the importance of embracing the rut, thinking like a child, and daydreaming productively, then he takes us out of our own heads to show how we can make our neighborhoods more vibrant, our companies more productive, and our schools more effective.”

    To enter, pin an image that gets your creative juices flowing, and share it with us. Here, some instructions.