Norman Borlaug, major defender against world hunger, dies

I remember seeing this guy on the “Genetic Modification” episode of Penn & Teller’s Bullshit. Penn cited him as perhaps the greatest person who ever lived, suggesting that his research had helped feed billions of people who would have otherwise starved (and continues to today). I would agree, though the critics have a point that a result of his techniques was an over-reliance on artificial fertilizers and a hugely raised ceiling for population — the problems following from which we are still dealing with today.

Still, his work was all about getting poor, starving people enough grains to eat and make a living; that’s all he ever wanted, and he succeeded marvelously. From the article: “About half the world’s population goes to bed every night after consuming grain descended from one of the high-yield varieties developed by Dr. Borlaug and his colleagues of the Green Revolution.”

RIP, Norman – would that a tenth of a percent of the people in this world were as dedicated, modest, and selfless as you were.

Great song, freaky video. Must have been fun/difficult to make.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

The galliasses were of such bignesse, that they contained within them chambers, chapels, turrets, pulpits, and other commodities of great houses. The galliasses were rowed with great oares, there being in eche one of them 300 slaves for the same purpose, and were able to do great service with the force of their ordinance. All these, together with the residue aforenamed, were furnished and beautified with trumphets, streamers, banners, warlike ensignes, and other such like ornaments.

ibid.

Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes”

I understand that the popular conception of Sherlock Holmes is mistaken — he’s far from merely an observative gentleman detective. He’s addicted to drugs and can be both manipulative and ruthless. But he’s not a 19th-century Indiana Jones. This movie will be a lot of fun, I’m sure, but did they really have to call it Sherlock Holmes?

The galeons were 64 in number, being of an huge bignesse, and very flately built, being of marvelous force also, and so high that they resembled great castles, most fit to defend themselves and to withstand any assault, but in giving any other ships the encounter farr inferiour unto the English and Dutch ships, which can with great dexteritie wield and turne themselves at all assayes.

The upper worke of the saide galeons was of thicknesse and strength sufficient to beare off musket-shot. The lower worke and the timbers thereof were out of measures strong, being framed of plankes and ribs foure or five foote in thicknesse, insomuch that no bullets could pierce them but such as were discharged hard at hand, which afterward prooved true, for a great number of bullets were founde to sticke fast within the massie substance of those thicke plankes.

Great and well-pitched cables were twined about the masts of their shippes, to strengthen them against the battery of shot.

Edwin Creasy, The 15 Decisive Battles in the History of the World

Stephen Fry goes off eloquently and convincingly on why we do do not need a god to have beauty and awe and love and so on. Very good, in fact I think I’m going to listen to it again.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

Charlie Brooker reviews “The X-Factor”

“Animals, all of us: dying, desperate animals, alone in our skulls, in our souls, quietly tortured by our foreknowledge of death, wandering a mindless rock, baying with pain or killing each other. That’s the working week. Come Saturday we crave relief. Slumped defeated in the corner, our flagellated cadavers scarcely held together by the gentle cocooning pressure of our armchairs, wearily we pivot our milky, despairing eyes in the direction of our television sets, seeking consolation or distraction or maybe just a little inconsequential merriment: a dab of balm to spread on these anguished bones, this empty heart.

And this is what you give us, universe?”

Now I cannot bear the barbarity of it; how can that unconscionable coachman talk so much bawdy to that lean horse? don’t you see, friend, the streets are so villainously narrow, that there is not room in all Paris to turn a wheel-barrow? In the grandest city of the whole world, it would not have been amiss, if they had been left a thought wider; nay were it only so much in every single street, as that a man might know (was it only for satisfaction) on which side of it he was walking.

Lawrence Sterne, Tristram Shandy

No offense to our artists (Bryce, did you do this?!) but this logo is a typography disaster. Every single element is a different style – not to mention the fact that the 50 and bubble don’t line up with TC correctly. Am I just oversensitive to these things?

The number of mariners in the saide fleete were above 8000, of slaves 2088, of souldiers 20,000 (besides noblemen and gentlemen voluntaries), of great cast pieces 2600. The foresaid ships were of an huge and incredible capacitie and receipt, for the whole fleete was large enough to containe the burthen of 60,000 tunnes.

Edwin Creasy, The 15 Decisive Battles in the History of the World