Category Archives: Books

books: enjoyed, reviewed, otherwise

Typnostalgia

Posted on December 24, 2011 by cicada

“People are practically printing books with their smartphones,” Mr. Fletcher said, in a tone suggesting that he did not think this was such a good idea. Delightful. From the New York Times review of the Grolier Club exhibition “Printing for … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Ephemera, Littademia, Museum Lust, Retrotechnology | Comments Off

A story of art, generosity and books

Posted on December 8, 2011 by cicada

My friend Libby sent me this inspiring story from one of my favorite cities, Edinburgh, where an anonymous artist has been leaving intricate book sculptures in local libraries. First, in March, the Scottish Poetry Library (which uses the wonderful institutional … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Books, Littademia, Poetry, Random Acts of Altruism | Comments Off

Holiday gift ideas for the BioE reader

Posted on November 26, 2011 by cicada

It’s almost Cyber Monday! In our household, we do our shopping online, mainly because when we go to the trouble of renting a car, we have experiences like we did yesterday, when we were ticketed for lingering a full 32 … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Book reviews, Books, Conspicuous consumption, Design, Education, Ephemera, Frivolity | Comments Off

SF/F as a lens for looking at the law

Posted on November 1, 2011 by cicada

As Arthur C. Clarke once put it, technology is — at some sufficiently advanced tipping point — “indistinguishable from magic”. An interesting question that follows from that realization is this: how big a difference is there, really, between the law … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Film, Video & Music, Gender Issues, Littademia, Neuroscience, Science in culture & policy | Comments Off

“A masterful congress of word and image, science and art”: I think Darwin would approve

Posted on October 30, 2011 by cicada

Artist, naturalist and calligrapher Kelly Houle is seeking support through Kickstarter for her “Illuminated Origin of Species” project: Houle promises “a masterful congress of word and image, science and art, in celebration of the grandeur in this view of life.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Books, Ephemera, History of Science, Littademia, Medical Illustration and History, Random Acts of Altruism, Retrotechnology | Comments Off

3-D Textual Spirographs!

Posted on January 17, 2008 by cicada

. . . or something like that. Courtesy of JK Keller, these Volumetric Redundancies represent the number of times a word appears in a given text. Red cubes represent non-unique words, with size depending on number of occurrences; blue cubes … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Frivolity, Words | 3 Comments

Poem of the Week: Mosaic of a Hare

Posted on December 5, 2007 by cicada

Hare Floor Mosiac 4th century Corinium School, Cirencester, Gloucestershire Corinium Museum Dan Chiasson’s book of poetry, Natural History (2005) is inspired by Pliny (the Elder, who wrote the original Naturalis historia) and Horace. Taking Pliny as a starting point may … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Poetry | 4 Comments

Sometimes it’s just one of those days

Posted on November 11, 2007 by cicada

She looked with angry woe at the straining and snarling horde below “The Wooing of Becfola,” Irish Fairy Tales Written by James Stephens, 1920 Illustrated by Arthur Rackham

Posted in Artists & Art, Books | 2 Comments

Rackham’s Zankiwank, and more

Posted on November 10, 2007 by cicada

The Zankiwank and the Bletherwitch Written by S.J.A. Fitz-Gerald, 1896 Illustrated by Arthur Rackham Maude and Willie felt themselves dropping, dropping, dropping, until the Zankiwank bounced up and caught them both in his arms, saying as he rushed forward:- “Quick, … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Books | 1 Comment

Christmas gifts! for the creative, picky, or perverse