The real world prevented me from putting out a newsletter yesterday, but I want to note the passing of World Fountain Pen Day. Surely you noticed the inky craziness all around you and wondered, “what’s going on here?”

WORK

Some prisoners spent more than ten years buried in solitary cells the size of coffins, hearing nothing but clanging bars or footsteps in the corridors. Férnandez Huidobro and Mauricio Rosencof, thus condemned, survived because they could talk to each other by tapping on the wall. In that way they told of dreams and memories, fallings in and out of love; they discussed, embraced, fought; they shared beliefs and beauties, doubts and guilts, and those questions that have no answer.

When it is genuine, when it is born of the need to speak, no one can stop the human voice. When denied a mouth, it speaks with the hands or the eyes, or the pores, or anything at all. Because every single one of us has something to say to the others, something that deserves to be celebrated or forgiven by others.

—Eduardo Galeano
—from The Book of Embraces

WORD(S)

banausic. adjective. Mundane, mechanical. Not operating at a refined level. From Greek banausikos (pertaining to mechanics), from banausos (artisan, merely mechanical) [interesting given that artisinal is now used to differentiate from the plain, flat and mechanical].

“The Noel Edmonds Late, Late Breakfast Show is puerile, banausic posturing and prankstering.” (Stephen Fry, as Professor Trefusis)

“The Genoese, cavalier, are a banausic race, and penurious at that; they will go where the devil cannot, which is between the oak and the rind.” (Prosper Paleologus Constantine)

“Exacting? Prosaic? Banausic to the point of drudgery? Sometimes.” (David Foster Wallace)

“As to scientific curiosity she was more doubtful: it had the flavor of the banausic, the not-quite-quite.” (C. Day Lewis, writing as Nicholas Blake)

WEB

1. I knew that standard Mercator Projection maps distorted size, but this graphic of the “True Size of Africa” is mind-blowing. It fits China, the US, India, Mexico, Japan, all of Europe and some other countries into Africa’s true proportions.

2. If your favorite authors and characters ordered at Starbucks → Literary Starbucks.

3. I have no idea about the objectivity of the selection, but some great stuff in this list of 30 Most Influential Photographers in Asia.

4. Turns out “Stone Fetus” isn’t just the name of the metal band that haunts my dreams… → A History of Lithopedions: When a Fetus Turns to Stone

5. Today in 1889, Montana becomes the 41st US state. In 1888, Montana had more millionaires per-capita than any other city in the world…and it still boasts the largest population of common nesting loons in the Western U.S. Along with some of the most amazing scenery in the country, it’s also the only place in the US with a point (the aptly named “Triple Divide Park”) where waters flow to the Atlantic, Pacific and Hudson Bay. The largest snowflake ever recorded—nearly 15 inches across—was observed in Montana, the same state where, it turns out, it’s illegal to have a sheep in the cab of your truck without a chaperone. Sadly, Disney producers chose not to name their titular character Alexis Texas, burdening this fine state with Hannah Montana. Greatest fact about Montana, though: it’s the home of Reader S., one of my favorite people in the world.

REPRISES/RESPONSES/REJOINDERS/RIPOSTES

• Reader A. shares evidence re: Butch and Sundance’s jump: “The actual jump spot is much smaller than it looks.”

• Reader B. writes regarding drones and sex: there’s already a nicely done erotic short story on the subject, published by the very good sf magazine Clarkesworld. Kate Baker reads the audio version without giggling, for which I commend her."

• Reader K. is patient with drones: “I’m proud of myself for reading the WORK and the WORD(S) before immediately clicking on the Drone Boning.”

I welcome comments, suggestions, thoughts, feedback and all manner of what-have-you. Just press ‘Reply’ or email to: clippings@katexic.com.

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