Quote of the day: My mind works so fast. When I think of something I say it. Lots of times I say it even before I think of it.—Gracie Allen John Oliver is on a summer hiatus, but he’s provided this bonus segment in which he talks about Mike Lindell, the online marketplace that is … Continue reading Oliver and the Proms
Humor
This, That, and the Other
Quote of the day: If a person feels he can't communicate, the least he can do is shut up about it.—Tom Lehrer When I stopped in at Iovine Brothers at the Reading Terminal Market the other day, there was a woman who was going through all the packs of scallions, picking them up one by … Continue reading This, That, and the Other
Isaac and Stephen and Tom
Quote of the day: I know that there are people who do not love their fellow man, and I hate people like that!—Tom Lehrer In the second volume of Isaac Asimov’s autobiography, In Joy Still Felt, there is this passage: I maintained my friendship with Bill Boyd’s assistant, Bernie Pitt, even after he was fired, … Continue reading Isaac and Stephen and Tom
Tom Lehrer R.I.P
Quote of the day: It is a sobering thought that when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for two years.—Tom Lehrer Back in Elco high school when Tom Lehrer’s album That Was the Year That Was came out, practically everyone in my little group was listening to and quoting those songs. That was the … Continue reading Tom Lehrer R.I.P
Huck
Quote of the day: Human beings can be awful cruel to one another.—From The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain When I first tried to read Huckleberry Finn 35 years ago, I mentioned to my friend Frank Scott, who was Black, that I was having a difficult time with it. “Oh,” he said, “because of nigger … Continue reading Huck
Not That There’s Anything Wrong With That
Larry Charles, who wrote many of the most memorable episodes of Seinfeld, has a new memoir out: Comedy Samurai: Forty Years of Blood, Guts, and Laughter. He is also interviewed by Terry Gross on Fresh Air: 'Seinfeld' Writer & 'Borat' Director Larry Charles. In his new memoir, Comedy Samurai, Larry Charles reflects on his career in … Continue reading Not That There’s Anything Wrong With That
To Keep My Streak Alive
I wrote the Johnny and Myra post yesterday and intended to publish it this morning, but last night just before going to bed, I made one last tweak to it. Now I write my blog posts in the MarsEdit app, which allows me to write them offline and gives me greater flexibility than if I … Continue reading To Keep My Streak Alive
The Arrow
This is a little piece of doggerel that I wrote while watching the stock market plummet in reaction to The Convicted Felon’s idiotic tariffs. The first lines just came to me out of the blue, and the rest I had to work at. As I know that I have a couple readers who live outside … Continue reading The Arrow
The Secret to Anti-Gravity!
In his science column for Galaxy Willy Ley used to answer readers’ questions. In September 1952 a reader from Brighton, England, wanted to know a little bit more about gravity, and Ley obliged him. In a forthcoming issue, will you please discuss the force of gravity a little? Many science fiction stories seem to take … Continue reading The Secret to Anti-Gravity!
A Yard of String
Galaxy magazine had a monthly science column written by Willy Ley. Ley was born in Germany in 1906 but fled that county in the mid-1930s and settled in the US. When Isaac Asimov was the toastmaster at a science fiction convention and Willy Ley was in the audience, he spent some time making Willy Ley … Continue reading A Yard of String