slipstream

Moving from Tumblr

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 19:06:34 +0100

I’m moving this site away from Tumblr, and from now on, I will post to Slipstream here. Tumblr has been fun, but it’s time for me to host my own stuff. I’ve included a bit more information on the new site.

Bye, and hope to see you over there!

Male Affection: A Photographic History Tour | The Art of...

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:47:16 +0100

Male Affection: A Photographic History Tour | The Art of Manliness

This is a really fascinating photo history of male affection expressed in posed studio portraits as well as snapshots. There are a lot of really wonderful photos here, but I picked this one out mainly because the chap on the left is a dead ringer for the actor Eddie Redmayne!

[Via @peteashton on Twitter]

BBC Two - The Great British Story: A People's History, Industry and Empire

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 16:44:51 +0100

BBC Two - The Great British Story: A People's History, Industry and Empire:

For those of you in the UK who enjoyed the Industrial Revolution section of the Olympics Opening Ceremony, you might enjoy this. A very interesting wander through the period, including the lesser known bits like the Free Miners of the Forest of Dean.

By the way, I am still in awe of the wooden machine that hammers linen cloth.

"Many people believe geekdom is defined by a love of a thing, but I think — and my experience of..."

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 19:54:05 +0100

“Many people believe geekdom is defined by a love of a thing, but I think — and my experience of geekdom bears on this thinking — that the true sign of a geek is a delight in sharing a thing. It’s the major difference between a geek and a hipster, you know: When a hipster sees someone else grooving on the thing they love, their reaction is to say “Oh, crap, now the wrong people like the thing I love.” When a geek sees someone else grooving on the thing they love, their reaction is to say “ZOMG YOU LOVE WHAT I LOVE COME WITH ME AND LET US LOVE IT TOGETHER.””

- Who Gets To Be a Geek? Anyone Who Wants to Be – Whatever

Very well put. The whole article is a great response to those who think they are entitled to say what being a real geek means.

This is a 57 second gem of comedy timing. Absolutely perfect.

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 11:45:40 +0100

This is a 57 second gem of comedy timing. Absolutely perfect.

humanæ

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 18:21:05 +0100

humanæ:

A fascinating photo project in which the photographer (Angélica Dass, I think) takes portraits of people, samples the colour of their skin and then adds that Pantone colour as a backdrop. Each portrait is taken in the same way: a straight on head and shoulders shot, with no clothing in the frame, and each is labelled only with the Pantone colour.

I love the fact that the sitters seem to be ordinary people rather than professional models, and the fact that the coloured backdrops make it clear once and for all that no-one is “white” or “black”.

[via subtraction

It’s funny how your appreciation of a piece of art changes...

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 16:48:36 +0100

It’s funny how your appreciation of a piece of art changes once you know more about the artist’s inspiration for that piece. I watched a wonderful BBC Four documentary about Delius last night. I knew very little about Delius before the programme, and although I had heard a few of his pieces and liked them, I wasn’t familiar with a lot of his repertoire. The documentary made me think that I should certainly seek out more of his work: he was a fascinating character (if not always a likeable person), and his music was rather avant-garde for the time.

At the end of the programme, I remembered that Kate Bush had a piece about Delius on her album ‘Never For Ever’. Listening to it now, with more knowledge, two things struck me: first, Kate did a magnificent job of capturing the sensuous feel of ‘To Be Sung of a Summer Night on the Water’ and ‘Song of Summer’ without making it a pastiche, and second, that Delius himself might have approved and rather liked it. I think that they probably have a certain kind of musical sensibility in common, despite their differences.

Thinking about it, ‘Night Scented Stock’ (one of my favourite tiny gems) could also be inspired by the work of Delius.

Stats Chat

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 07:12:24 +0100

Stats Chat:

If you like intelligent discussion of the interpretation of statistics, and some criticism of the reporting of statistics in the popular press, you’ll love Stats Chat.

The Starter

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:03:54 +0100

The Starter

Plot.io - Data Visualization made Fast, Fun and Easy

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:42:41 +0000

Plot.io - Data Visualization made Fast, Fun and Easy

Brew Methods — Home

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 04:41:06 +0000

Brew Methods — Home

Screenfly by QuirkTools — Test Your Website at Different Screen Resolutions

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 05:48:03 +0100

Screenfly by QuirkTools — Test Your Website at Different Screen Resolutions

A Low Impact Woodland Home

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 01:02:09 +0100

A Low Impact Woodland Home

Jedi Kittens Strike Back (by FinalCutKing) Poor kittens: no...

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 13:23:07 +0100

Jedi Kittens Strike Back (by FinalCutKing)

Poor kittens: no more Star Wars.

Quick Tip: This command line trick is tops - Brett Terpstra

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:58:53 +0100

Quick Tip: This command line trick is tops - Brett Terpstra

This is wonderful. I love listening to stories like this and...

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:00:03 +0100

This is wonderful. I love listening to stories like this and Cherie Johnson and James Ransom tell their story really well. The animation is a perfect complement too.

(via Miss Devine | StoryCorps)

A rare Sand Cat kitten has been born at a zoo in Israel. These...

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 12:54:38 +0100

A rare Sand Cat kitten has been born at a zoo in Israel. These are such beautiful cats - I love the two stripes on their legs.

(via ZooBorns)

org-mode In Your Pocket Is a GNU-Shaped Devil :: dot unplanned

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 03:46:49 +0100

org-mode In Your Pocket Is a GNU-Shaped Devil :: dot unplanned

My Name Is Me | Supporting your freedom to choose the name you use on social networks and other online services.

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 01:57:14 +0100

My Name Is Me | Supporting your freedom to choose the name you use on social networks and other online services.

Bella loves my Magic Trackpad (Taken with instagram)

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:45:40 +0100

Bella loves my Magic Trackpad (Taken with instagram)