Gatsby anticipation is in the house. We’ve got a ticket for this evening’s 7 pm screening and great are the expectations. Meanwhile, the spin-off industry rumbles on and no (precious) stone is left unturned as it seeks to cash in on the film of the book. F. Scott Fitzgerald was a customer of Tiffany, the [...]
Cheltenham tip
Thanks to Kauto Star, the greatest steeplechaser of the modern era, this will be one of the most exciting Cheltenham Festivals ever. Thursday sees the annual early celebration of of St Patrick’s Day in Gloucestershire, and the huge Irish contingent present at the festival will be betting that some of their native nags can do the business.
Send to KindleMessi, Ali, Menuhin
It was the week of Lionel Messi. The diminutive Argentine striker struck five as Barcelona demolished their German opponents in the Champions League. The aftershocks were heard all around the world and The Himalayan Times was moved to declare “Messi runs rampage“. Our young century now has a megastar capable of mesmerizing audiences in the way Muhammad Ali did during the 20th century — minus the activism and eloquence, of course. But these are different times and Messi’s fans want goals, not political or religious declarations.
And what does Yehudi Menuhin have to do with all this? Well, he possessed the elegance of Ali and the agility of Messi and he combined those physical abilities with a heart and a soul that found sublime expression through the violin. He puts it all together here in a memorable interpretation of the Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Johannes Brahms.
Send to KindleFifty Shades of Grey and the end of the chick lit cash cow
Word on Grub Street last year was that chick lit is on the way out. Seems as if the world has had enough of pastel-coloured covers decorated with pretty typefaces, and plots centered on shoes ‘n shopping. So what’s next? “Mommy porn”, would you believe. “A new book about sex games and a bondage-loving billionaire [...]
The four secrets of the viral video makers
That’s just a link-bait headline, actually. The four secrets of making a viral video are just as obscure as the three secrets of Fatima. Still, Kevin Allocca, who has the enviable position of “Trends Manager” at YouTube, has a go at explaining why videos go viral. Most entertaining.
Send to KindleThe (copy) code of the Samwer brothers
It’s Code Year, and 408,000 enthusiastic, idealistic people, Rainy Day included, have signed up to learn about Object-Oriented Programming and other computing esoterica. The goal is digital literacy as opposed to slavishly following the commands of those who are creating the technologies that increasingly govern our lives. But what if this idealism is misplaced? Might [...]
And the Amati goes to the Russian gentleman at the back
An eagerly-awaited sale of valuable violins will take place at Sotheby’s in New Bond Street today. The most envied instrument in the lot dates from 1682 and was made by Nicolò Amati. The pre-sale estimate is between £250,000 and £350,000. The Amati family of Cremona is one of the most distinguished names in the history [...]
Bad in bed in Wenglish
“Talking of misunderstandings, it turns out that the English think ‘bad in bed’ is rather an insult. In south Wales, however, it’s a state of poorliness, somewhat worse than just ‘bad’, but not as serious as ‘bad in bed under the doctor’. So if you enquire after someone’s health in Wales, don’t be alarmed if [...]
Side by side: John Lynch & John Talbot
John Lynch emigrated from Ireland to France in 1691 and his son Thomas founded the Château Lynch-Bages winery in Bordeaux in 1749. Some 200 years later, Jean-Charles Cazes bought the estate and it’s been owned and run by the Cazes family since then. Sir John Talbot, Governor of Aquitaine and Earl of Shrewsbury, acquired what [...]
Hazmat Modine
A band’s lineup that includes tuba, harmonica and saxophone “blows a lot of hot air” says Wade Schuman, lead singer with the New York-based blues/folk/fusion/jazz Hazmat Modine. Naturally, the name invites curiosity and the explanation is as follows: “Hazmat” is a combination of “hazardous material” and “Modine” is the name of a company that specializes [...]
Tempus fugit
With its users only spending an average of three minutes per month on the site, Google+ is a “virtual ghost town” compared to Facebook and other social networking sites. The Wall Street Journal looks at the big search engine’s social network in “The Mounting Minuses at Google+“. Send to Kindle
How to Write
On 7 September 1982, David Ogilvy, founder of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, sent the following internal memo to all agency employees, titled “How to Write”: The better you write, the higher you go in Ogilvy & Mather. People who think well, write well. Woolly minded people write woolly memos, woolly letters and woolly speeches. Good [...]
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