Monday 10 June 2002

Windows sucks. UW - Green Bay - Wisconsin's French Connections typing French accents on the computer. (SOURCE:)-Blogged so I can remember to type the accent aigu (hold down the alt key and type 130 on the numeric keypad and let go of the alt key; this is much easier and more intuitive on the Mac)) in André's name :-) when using Windows! [Roland Tanglao's Weblog] It just really really sucks. I’d blog this under Hostage to Crap, but that would admit that Windows can be used sensibly as media machines. They can’t. 8:33:05 PM    comment []

categories: Hostage to Crap

Segovia Achieves Something He Couldn't in His Lifetime. By Allan Kozinn. [by way of New York Times: Arts] How much? $60? $70? No! about $45 retail. 11:08:29 AM    comment []

categories: Hostage to Crap

Link rot at the New Criterion, but this review is important, so here’s the Google cache of Roger Kimball on The death of socialism. Socialism, drenched in blood, blood, blood. 1:29:22 AM    comment []

categories: Commonplaces

W. Somerset Maugham. "He had heard people speak contemptuously of money: he wondered if they had ever tried to do without it." [by way of Motivational Quotes of the Day] Thems as what don’t have, don’t like. 1:19:47 AM    comment []

What was I saying earlier? Joseph Epstein has a new book out called Snobbery: the American Version: Snobs Are Made, Not Born. Everyone knows a snob when he sees one. But there is considerably less agreement about exactly what makes one a snob. By Emily Eakin. [by way of New York Times: Arts] This will probably be a good read; this man writes insightful prose and wonderful essays. Susan and I would argue about whether I should buy a Phi Beta Kappa   pin or not. I claimed that a pin would represent my dedication to the liberal arts. She said that it would represent my vanity. Susan is a reverse snob, taking pride in her or’neriness. I still haven’t picked up a pin yet. Speaking of snobs: A playful survey of etiquette rules . So it always is with etiquette. Use your utensils improperly in a proper place and some will sulk, others swoon. Care too much and you're a snob. Care too little and you're a slob. [from Philly.com by way of Arts & Letters Daily] So it’s really a matter of balance and consideration of situation, of proportion and propriety, not unlike almost any area of social endeavor. 12:47:42 AM    comment []

categories: Hostage to Crap

I find it deeply saddening that this little weblog is now number one on Google for He was a verray parfit gentil knight. Some poor person writing their doctoral thesis hopes to get some insight into Chaucer’s “Knight’s Tale” or “General Prologue” suddenly gets me. I found the link in my Referer log, and following it back, found this gem from the Register: Oh to have been a fly on the wall at the pitch meeting for this movie. Faced with a bunch of execs in suits, director Brian Helgeland says: "OK - so the whole thing is kind of Gladiator meets Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and it's set in the olden days with genuine medieval Tudorbethan beams and the hero is really just a squire, and he needs to be a very perfect gentle knight to compete in tournaments, OK, so he gets Geoffrey Chaucer to forge his, like, patents of nobility, and then he gets this babe who is also a blacksmith to make his armour and at his first joust, everyone is like totally singing We Will Rock You by Queen." There is a pause before one exec removes a cigar and says: "I think you'll find that is a common misreading of 'verray, parfit gentil Knight'." [by way of Guardian Unlimited Film] er, Guardian. 12:13:12 AM    comment []