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49. QUAD CITY DJ’S – “C’mon N’ Ride It (The Train)” (1996) There was a bit of chat the other day when Pitchfork released its list of Top Tracks Of The 2020s So Far; as is often the way it was sparked by the site’s practice (a tale as old as time) of taking regional scenes, or in some cases national scenes, and anointing one track from among them. There’s …

Back in 1991 my co-blogger here at Crooked Timber, Elizabeth S. Anderson, reminded every one of the significance of John Stuart Mill and Experiments in Living (Ethics, 102(1): 4-26). She situated Mill’s views on the matter in the context of a debate with Bentham (and Parfit) over the nature of the good in which Mill wanted to defend a hierarchy of goods in an empirical fashion. In the paper, it’s …

Some years ago - I think after the Brexit result, but not long after - I was in Hemel Hempstead (Old Hemel to be precise) to have a meal at the Cochin, this great little South Indian restaurant. And just over the road, in the window of some kind of bric-a-brac place, I saw the poster above. Although I disagreed with the sentiment, I couldn't help admiring the eye-grabbing cleverness …

Kieran Press-Reynolds with a fascinating story for GQ about Galaxy Gas, a flavored nitrous oxide product that's all the rage and whose cute packaging recalls Alco-Pops in its kiddy appealOooh and talking about giddy pop thrills - quick update, they come so thick and so fast these days, here's another KPR piece, a tribute / memorial to the "lost promise of hyperpop". For Pitchfork.where the

We all know that the quality of a book is no guarantee that it will stay in print. The ones that survive almost always have merit, but the ones that disappear could be equally brilliant. And I was reminded of that yet again with The Spring House (1936) by Lady Cynthia Asquith. I’m going to warn you up front: this book is incredibly difficult to get hold of, but if …

I tried signing up for a membership at the Lethbridge YMCA at the very last day of August to have my membership start in September. As I was about to sign up I learned that if I waited until September 1 I would get seven days free and not have to pay fees to reinstate my account. I also learned that the pool would be closed for the majority of …

Björk on benches- two photographs by Kevin Cummins. Top: San Francisco, August 16, 1988. Bottom: Primrose Hill, London, April 1993.Here’s a bonus second image from the Primrose Hill shoot.I’m curious which exact San Francisco park this is. My guess is the Presidio, but it might also be Bernal Hill. The background trees aren’t really enough to give it away, and although Getty Images have a colour picture from the same …

I'm guessing the large number of Czech and German visitors to Bulgaria are one reason it carries more of their beers than ones from any other country. When I was feeling down about what the Bulgarian breweries were offering, at least I could fall back on something from countries where the general beer standard is rather higher. And that even yielded a few new ticks. I didn't know that Dortmund …

Late summer up on the Long Pound has morphed into autumn, with some lively gales stirring up the canal and turning the hard-baked towpath back to mud. It's getting time to be dropping down through Devizes and into the Shire, where the gales don't blow quite so harshly and they offer the occasional blown-down tree as compensation; as long as they don't land on your boat, they can be a …

An astonishing thing is happening at sea, but the government, backed by an entire “scientific” discipline, seems determined to stifle it. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 27th September 2024 Over the past three weeks, I’ve been watching one of the greatest natural spectacles on Earth, here in south Devon. At a certain station of the tide, within a few metres of the coast, the sea erupts with monsters. …

Two weeks at number one from 6th February 1982This is where things get awkward. As Theatre of Hate dipped down to number two – possibly, I suspect, due to pressing plant or distribution issues – the Anti-Nowhere League managed to climb back up to the top of the charts again for another fortnight. Rather than spending another 1,000 words or so pontificating on the significance of both the group and …

This weathervane was photographed at the Museum of the American Revolution. "WeathervanePossibly made by Friedrich MarstellerTrappe, Pennsylvania, 1743IronOn loan from Augustus Lutheran ChurchThis wroght Iron weathervane adorned the Augustus Lutheran Church of Trappe, Pennsylvania, which was founded in 1743. Reverend Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, considered the "patriarch" of American Lutheranism, served as the first ordained minister of the church from 1742 to 1787. his son became an officer in the Revolutionary …

Photo: © Stan Banos (Sometimes) ya just have to let loose of all the high falutin', grandiose art expectations in your photographic machinations and embrace the age old, proven simplicity of the good ol' American snapshot! Nothing wrong with it. Your down home vernacular snapshot of the ordinary neighbor next door- the banker, tailor, candlestick maker. Relax, unwind and just enjoy a shared moment. It may not end up in …

At the end of 4 days of trans health presentations from researchers, clinicians and community advocates from across (parts of) the world, I wanted to capture some of my key learnings and reflections. The conference took place the last week of September, in Lisbon, Portugal. This is my first WPATH (a conference of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health). A majority of trans communities have no access to WPATH …

(Previous posts here.) I’ve finished the game. Just like Dungeon Adventure was an anti-Zork of sorts, this can be thought of as an anti-Starcross, both in a negative and a positive way. A design from Kyoto University and the Kajima Corporation for artificial gravity on the moon, allowing babies to be born in 1G. Voltgloss and Rob helpfully drop some hints in the comments. The big piece I missed was …