Still frantically reading and working on reviews for other venues but I thought I’d pop in and say hi because I miss you all even though it has only been two days. Seems silly, but there it is.
I have a couple links to share because links can be fun!
I first saw the article about someone photocopying their cat at a Wisconsin university library in my library news feed. It linked to an article about it at Time Magazine. Time linked to the original news story from the Badger Herald (Wisconsin’s mascot is Bucky Badger). The photos are hilarious. But now it turns out no one has actually been bringing their cat to the library and photocopying it. The copies found around the library were photocopies of photocopies that students were leaving trying to inject some levity and stress relief during midterms. Is it bad of me to say I am disappointed there wasn’t actually cat smuggling and copying going on?
Few things are as entertaining as an author insulting another author. After Pepys saw Midsummer Night’s Dream he wrote in his diary that it was “the most insipid, ridiculous play that I ever saw in my life.” Stephen King said of Stephenie Meyer of Twilight fame, “The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer canβt write worth a darn. Sheβs not very good.” Ouch. More at the link.
Ever wonder what the English spoken by Shakespeare really sounded like? Or Chaucer? What about the English in Beowulf? And how might King Arthur have sounded? The curious can find out here. I can recognize Shakespeare as still being English, Chaucer, only a few words. After Chaucer no one is speaking any kind of recognizable English but it sure does sound pretty.
Finally, my geeky science fiction heart is absolutely thrilled that the Large Hadron Collider is going to be used next week for an experiment to try and discover a parallel universe. Scientists have no specific parallel universe in mind, any one will do, they are just trying to prove they exist at the moment. How totally awesome is that?
I wonder if Waldo and/or Dickens might be up for some photocopying? I enjoyed Stephen King’s bashing of poor Stephenie Meyer… god knows what he makes of the 50 Shades author! Parallel universes or multiverses, for me that is headhurting time!
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Ian, heh, Dickens would not take kindly to being photocopied. Waldo on the other hand…
Isn’t King’s comment funny? And sorry to give you a headache over the whole parallel universe thing. Have you ever read any of Brian Greene’s books? The theories are mindbendingly wild. π
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Thank you for taking the time to let us know about those photocopied cats!
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smithereens, the cat’s fuzzy smooshed up face cracks me up every time I look at it π
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Right after reading the last paragraph, I started to hear REM’s song “It’s the end of the world as we know it” in my head.
Now off to go look at those kitty photos.
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Care, LOL, what could possibly go wrong? π Hope you enjoyed the kitty photocopies!
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Oh, my! The author insults are entertaining–thanks for the link!
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Jenclair, glad you enjoyed them!
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I just love these links. I am especially pleased to know that students are still expending all sorts of energies they could more usefully put into their studies, and the snippets of spoken old English are fascinating. But how do they KNOW? I guess there must be clever people who have worked it out, but without medieval tape recorders I’d love to know how they did it.
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How do they KNOW? — exactly! I want to know that too! We can say that’s what they sounded like but can we really be sure? It’s like knowing how Latin was pronounced way way back in the day. Are we really SURE?
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Jenny, educated guessing. No, we can never be truly sure unless the Doctor shows up with the TARDIS and takes us for a little trip π
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Litlove, I know! Students are great. It was student mental health week here last week and they had a bouncy castle out in the school’s atrium. I could hear the squealing and laughter in the library! Staff were allowed to go bounce too and we did our own laughing and squealing π
As for how the language sounded, I believe I heard somewhere that the linguists make educated guesses based on what similar languages sound like today and clues in the text like rhythm and rhyme, etc. but it is always a guess.
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Just popping by to say I always enjoy your posts containing links and interesting snippets. I haven’t checked any of these yet but will — life is going to be busy this week so I figure I’d better say hello now.
But, truly, photocopying a cat! I think I’ll go straight to the insulting authors!
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whisperinggums, a busy week ahead for you? I hope it is busy with fun stuff! Travel maybe? π
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I wish! No, more to do with visitors … which will be nice. Best fun though will be reading group at my place tonight at which the author will be attending. Now, though, I have to think about what cake/s to make!
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I must admit, I just LOVED the caustic, biting author insulting author piece…though at some corner of my brain, I am thinking I love both Thackeray and Swift, so I need help for the former’s dislike for the latter is legendry!!
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cirtnecce, aren’t they funny? So catty π
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