Category Archives: Books

books: enjoyed, reviewed, otherwise

Home decorating with lost masterpieces

Posted on April 2, 2007 by cicada

Last year, two missing altarpieces by Fra Angelico were discovered in Oxford. You’d think they’d have been tucked away in a forgotten treasure room at the Bodleian or something, but no, they were hanging behind the guest bedroom door in … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Books, Museum Lust | 4 Comments

Buy yourself a “Cabinet of Curiosities”

Posted on March 13, 2007 by cicada

I can’t justify purchasing all the expensive science and art books I really want, so they languish on my Amazon wishlist forever. A case in point would be Patrick Mauries’s Cabinets of Curiosities, an oversized hardbound book with lots of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Wonder Cabinets | 1 Comment

Top 50 SF/F Booklist

Posted on March 13, 2007 by cicada

This list is going around the science blogosphere. It seems de rigueur to comment on the choices and mark the ones you’ve read. This is a book meme I can support – although I was surprised I’d missed so many. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | 1 Comment

Medieval Tech Support

Posted on February 17, 2007 by cicada

A monk who doesn’t want to upgrade. Via Lawgeek. Update: At this point, the YouTube link isn’t working; the content may have been pulled. Sorry.

Posted in Books, Frivolity | Comments Off

The most beautifully obscure library in the world?

Posted on February 16, 2007 by cicada

Just looking at this photostream makes me feel like I’m in an Umberto Eco novel! This is the Real Gabinete Portugues de Leitura (Royal Portuguese Reading Room) in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Founded in 1837 with books sent over from … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Museum Lust | 3 Comments

Poem of the Week: let’s hear it for descent with variations

Posted on February 16, 2007 by cicada

Let’s be honest: biologists sometimes get a little intoxicated by the beauty of the natural world. My friends know I will break off mid-conversation to crawl into the brush, mesmerized by a snake or a liverwort. My good china is … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Books, Poetry, Science, Wonder Cabinets | 3 Comments

Just Science, Just Access

Posted on February 5, 2007 by cicada

Many science bloggers are responding to the call for a “Just Science Week” by posting only on scientific topics. I’m not joining them, since this blog is about the intersection of science with other things, and posting only on science … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Education, Science | 1 Comment

Remember that one time, when God did that thing?

Posted on January 31, 2007 by cicada

Slate blogs the Bible, by David Plotz I’m really enjoying the archives of this Slate series. I’ve planned to go back and re-read the Bible for some time now, but you know – it’s so darn long. Every page provokes … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Books, Education, Science in culture & policy | 5 Comments

Lock that book

Posted on January 30, 2007 by cicada

Bookclasps – Sulgurid For those of us whose professions don’t involve lovingly handling dusty old volumes with creaking wooden spines, a website devoted specifically to the clasps and other metal embellishments found on old books. Hat-tip: Bibliodyssey.

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Tell me again how great I am

Posted on January 21, 2007 by cicada

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just buy some favorable peer reviews for your latest paper? In the world of vanity self-publishing, Slate reports, you can not only buy praise, you can suggest improvements to your review. Here’s what … Continue reading →

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