Günter Grass’ traditionally minded opinions about not using computers when writing are extreme for my taste. The Nobel Prize winner thinks computers and the Internet are a bad influence on writing and claims (jokes?) that he can tell after reading 10 pages if a book was written on a computer. He starts with pen and paper and then uses a typewriter for subsequent drafts. I’ve used all three methods; pen, typewriter, computer, and they are suited for different things. Free form brainstorming and idea connecting works best for me with pen and paper. A typewriter was just a cool funky thing I used to use to whack out short poetry and thoughts; I doubt I’ll go back to that again. And, contrary to what Grass may believe, the word processor has freed me from the tangles of my tools and given me an ease of space to “scribble” out my coalescing thoughts, allowing them to manifest themselves into reality. Different things work for different people. His mind is accustomed to the rhythms of pen on paper, and he always writes standing up. I sit. I ponder. I type words onto the screen. I use the backspace key a lot.

I’ve been checking Walter S. Arnold’s website periodically for a few years now. He’s a sculptor and stone carver who has been on the web since 1994. He creates beautiful things by chipping away at limestone and marble. I especially like the gargoyles and fireplaces. It’s comforting to read about the meticulous creation of art from stone. It provides a reassuring contrast to my daily hurried pace of pushing and prodding bits into the right configurations.

Nicely done animated evolution of alphabets. Very cool. (found on Yahoo’s Weekly Picks)

This weekend I bought a world globe. I’ve wanted one for years, but kept forgetting to get one. Everyone should have a globe. I hate how much time we spend looking at and thinking of a flat earth, believing that the distorted view is accurate. A lot of educational material is two dimensional when a three dimensional view would be more appropriate for our brains to learn and grow from. All those cutaway views of cell structures are so much more vivid when represented in a realistic three dimensional view. I’m not talking about having a physical 3D model necessarily, but a diagram drawn in 3D instead of the typical textbook smushed microscope slide view. Wouldn’t that exercise the brains of our kids more? I hope the addition of computers in the educational process will allow more realistic materials to be used, but my fear is that the folks who prepare the materials will continue to pander to simplistic conceptualizations of the world around us. (Note: this entry can be linked to using anchor #20700)

Saw Tim Robbins’ Cradle Will Rock last night. Decent movie; it gives an enlightening perspective on the 1930’s social and political climate. I was pleased with the array of strong female characters (I suppose you can expect that from someone whose partner in life is Susan Sarandon :-). My favorite line came from the always wonderful Vanessa Redgrave who, upon being ordered back into the car by her husband, piped out “Perhaps you have mistaken me for a spaniel!” And towards the end of the credits, I heard an eerily familiar voice singing one of the closing songs and realized it was Susan Sarandon… and that I recognized the voice because of Rocky Horror.

Happy New Year! It’s the Year of the Dragon, so a baby boom is expected. Taiwan is expecting a 30 percent increase in the number of babies born in this auspicious year.

1-800-578-7453
This phone number was posted to the rec.music.a-cappella Usenet group. It’s a tobacco company and they have a very amusing serenade for you. Listen and (I hope) laugh.

I was drooling while reading this NY Times article on the goody bags Hollywood socialites receive at ritzy parties. To promote products, marketers weigh down favor bags with pounds of free stuff: cosmetics, photo frames, leather purses, spa gift certificates. It’s getting so celebrities are now conditioned to expect these good will gestures and demand extras for “sick friends”. Leonardo DiCaprio got a Motorola phone as part of his loot. But Jennifer Tilly complained that she didn’t receive even a ballpoint pen at the Star Wars premiere since the gift bags were for the kids. “If there’s no gift bag, you get very bummed out.” Ohhh poor thing. It’s such a sad life to be a Hollywood star.

On 11/21/99 I mentioned the Sony Memory Stick and wondered how we would exchange data with each other in the future (bandwidth or “sticks”?). A competing technology is being developed by a group of companies including Matsushita (Panasonic) and Toshiba. According to Wired, this new memory card will be the size of a postage stamp, leading me to wonder how people will store them and keep from losing them!

Here’s a wonderful FEED article about the phenomenon of tunes getting stuck in your head. It contains fascinating facts about where memories are stored in the brain, and how remembering a tune in your head is more like singing than listening: “Imagining something, for the brain, is almost the same as really doing. All you subtract out are some low-level processes, in this case, the coordination of motion and breath. Your left brain might be activating representations of the words of the song and what they mean, while your right brain is calling up the tones, musical structure, and most likely your feelings and further associations — your whole brain lights up like a Christmas tree.” Tunes that, for better or worse (usually worse), stick like glue to my internal ears: anything by ABBA, the various themes from Star Wars, and the downright evil “Song That Doesn’t End”.