Tag Archives: daily life

Teatime

Many pages into Daniel Dennett’s latest opus, I’ve Been Thinking—by turns informative, entertaining, and maddening (“an engaging, vexing memoir with a humility bypass,” as the Guardian headline writer puts it)—one encounters a passage answering to the first two adjectives above, … Continue reading

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Tired

You may be tired of Covid, but Covid is not tired of you. Let that sink in. And think about how so many big proud hominids are letting a microscopic bit of pseudo-life outsmart them.

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Dreamwork

Last night, in the midst of typically inchoate and unrememberable dreams, I came up with two crossword clues that I somehow did remember: 1. _ _ _ _ Tsar did not place this atop Kremlin tower 2. _ _ _ … Continue reading

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Snapshot

A day in the life of Russia, 14 July 2011, courtesy of headlines in the Argumenty i fakty phone app. Some of the stories seem to have disappeared, so I can’t provide links. Попавший в реанимацию в Турции россиян доставлен … Continue reading

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Signocide

The District of Columbia cares about its pedestrians. It cares so much it puts signs in the middle of busy thoroughfares, reminding drivers that people on foot have a right to cross the street without being run over. It doesn’t … Continue reading

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Seriously?

About a month ago Laura was walking along 41st Street up around Military Road as the winter sunlight was fading. A young man walked up to her and said: “Can you tell me which way is west?” The sky might … Continue reading

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Linked

There’s nothing like a new chain to make you feel good about your old bike. Topping off the tire pressure was icing on the cake.

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Idling

It’s a thought that recurs every time a bit of nature knocks us out of our technological groove: Modern people don’t know how to do nothing.

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Logotype

I came across this on a Facebook wall belonging to a company called Motto Agency. I was surprised at how many brands I could identify from a single stylized letter. But then, that’s what companies like Motto are all about. … Continue reading

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Scrimping

I’ve walked past this sign so many times I finally had to memorialize it: Not bad: more than $100,000 a year! Maybe even $200,000! Clearly all income is pure profit—why bother paying for a professional-looking sign? And don’t worry if … Continue reading

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