Umberto Eco (1999):
But what I really want to talk about is beans, and not just beans but also peas and lentils. All these fruits of the earth are rich in vegetable proteins, as anyone who goes on a low-meat diet knows, for the nutritionist will be sure to insist that a nice dish of lentils or split peas has the nutritional value of a thick, juicy steak. Now the poor, in those remote Middle Ages, did not eat meat, unless they managed to raise a few chickens or engaged in poaching (the game of the forest was the property of the lords). And as I mentioned earlier, this poor diet begat a population that was ill nourished, thin, sickly, short and incapable of tending the fields. So when, in the 10th century, the cultivation of legumes began to spread, it had a profound effect on Europe. Working people were able to eat more protein; as a result, they became more robust, lived longer, created more children and repopulated a continent.
We believe that the inventions and the discoveries that have changed our lives depend on complex machines. But the fact is, we are still here — I mean we Europeans, but also those descendants of the Pilgrim Fathers and the Spanish conquistadors – because of beans. Without beans, the European population would not have doubled within a few centuries, today we would not number in the hundreds of millions and some of us, including even readers of this article, would not exist.
Fun to come across these, from back in the heyday of the Oxford American — also when I wrote for the mag. (Perhaps unrelated facts. You be the judge.) These samplers — included in each year’s Music Issue — introduced me to so many musicians I’m still listening to today.
Autumn finally makes an appearance in central Texas.
Mozi is probably an excellent app for people who say things like “Great to see that you’ll be in Davos too — and we just connected in Aspen!”
See the false gods fall over on their backsides when confronted by the GLORY of the ANGEL of the LORD!
Schools for Philosopher-Carpenters, by Alex Sosler:
The modern economy was built on the work of hands: agriculture, industry, manufacturing. We’ve shifted toward a head economy: accounting, management, information technology. We now have a choice: either become even more technological and technocratic, or find ways to return to a more human-centered, head-heart-and-hands economy. A robot can say, “Welcome home.” But it takes a whole and humane education to form people whose hearts and hands know how to truly make a home and extend a welcome.
I hate pushing books to the back of bookshelves — I like them lined up neatly along the front edge of the shelf. But now I am forced to push them back. Why? It’s Elon Musk’s fault. The SpaceX Rocket Development and Test Facility is in McGregor, fifteen miles away, and sometimes when they’re testing everything in the house rattles. (Locally this is called “SpaceX Thunder.") I have become genuinely afraid that my bookcases will topple and crush me, as happens to Leonard Bast in Howard’s End. So I’ve adjusted their weight distrubution in the cause of safety. Damn you, Elon!
I’ve had it with the Santafication of my neighborhood, this arrant Clausism. I stake my claim: not Santafication but JUSTIFICATION by faith in the one who was born long ago in Bethlehem! Hier stehe ich; Ich kann nicht anders.
I’m not sure I’ll often shoot with film, because (a) it’s expensive and (b) I make a lot of mistakes, but film really does produce a certain character (even in bright sunlight) that’s hard to replicate digitally.
Phil Christman on Adam Roberts: “That Roberts, who can do humor, pathos, style, and big ideas with such dazzling effectiveness, in book after book, is not already universally acknowledged as one of the finest living English-language writers is probably another effect of our fear of wonderful and complex things.”
A post about family — the first of several to come.
I’ve had precisely the same experience with the NYT that Freddie has:
Me: Here’s a time-sensitive piece, are you interested?
NYT: We like it and will run it, just need a few changes
Me: Here’s the revised version
NYT: …
Me: Hey guys
NYT: …
Me: Hey guys
NYT [when it’s too late for me to place it elsewhere]: Someone on staff is writing a piece along these lines, so we won’t be using yours
Me: You should pay me a kill fee
NYT: We don’t do kill fees. Sucks to be you.
That happened years ago, and I haven’t pitched them anything since. I wouldn’t write for them if they asked me to. They think because they’re the NYT they don’t have to adhere to any of the basic standards of professionalism and courtesy.
what is this new devilry
