Archive for August 2009

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Melusine

Manuscrito de 1468 'Melusine'.  Museo nacional alemán. Guardado en Hs 4028. La presencia de la Sirena o "Melusina", y una de sus variantes con cola de serpiente, en la tradición oral, se remonta a Homero. Seguro que a la "Sirena" la conoces, pero a la " Melusine" no tanto.

Las imágenes provienen de una temprana traducción alemana (del francés) por Thüring von Ringoltingen en 1456.

Vía: BibliOdissey. Un viejo conocido.

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Steampunk Art @ Oxford

The Museum of the History of Science, Oxford University desde Steampunk Art @ Oxford. Bien. Hay una serie de cosas que algunos jamás deberían perderse. Está clarísimo que esta, es una de ellas.

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The last days of Aleister Crowley

The last days of Aleister Crowley

desde:  The last days of Aleister Crowley - Boing Boing.

In 1975 Rodney Davies met Kathleen "Johnny" Symonds, who had been Aleister Crowley's (AKA "The Great Beast 666" and "The Wickedest Man on Earth") landlady during the last months of his life in 1947. Here's his entertaining piece about it. Crowley brought with him some special gold coins, which he claimed had magic powers and was anxious about keeping safe, and a 'box of (I Ching) sticks'. He made frequent use of the latter. 'When he had an appointment for the dentist, for instance, he threw the sticks in the air. And once he called me and said, "Phone the dentist immediately! The sticks have told me not to go." The dentist was very amazed.'The Great Beast soon settled into a regular daily routine. At nine each morning the housekeeper Miss Clarke took him his breakfast, and at ten, if the weather was fine, he would take a stroll in the garden, where Johnny kept some beautiful plump white rabbits, which he nicknamed 'The Chrysanthemums' and would love to watch. When the sun shone he would often sit with his hands held heavenwards.

Crowley then spent most of the rest of the day sleeping in his room, where he also took his other meals. His favourite snack was sardines sprinkled with curry powder. He roused himself as darkness fell, and sat up all night either writing letters, reading or indulging in his heroin drug habit.

'He had a ration of heroin which was allowed him,' Mrs Symonds said. 'It used to come down from a chemist called Heppel's in London. But the police knew about it. I've often watched him stick a needle in his arm. He didn't mind.'

...

According to Johnny, Aleister Crowley was an easy-going, trouble-free resident, who not only spent much of his time in his room, but who rubbed along well with the other visitors and with her and her husband. Indeed, her feelings about him were entirely positive: 'I liked him,' she said. 'He was great fun.'

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Road to Canada

Es cierto. La hierba es más verde al otro lado de la colina.

La brisa es más fresca, el aire es más limpio y el agua es más pura.

Negarlo es el auténtico cuento de hadas.

Hasta aquí bien. Lo dejaremos así pues, ¿en qué cuento de hadas se cuentan las visitas del príncipe al WC?

Una verdadera lástima que al final de arcoiris no encontráramos una "ollita de oro" pero ¿qué importa?

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Flatland

Carl Sagan hablaba aquí sobre el mundo plano en dos dimensiones, algo indispensable para entender las cosas más allá de la tercera dimensión. Añado una partida extra incluyendo otro video sobre el "google". Lo curioso es que hay más gente de la que yo creía que no lo sabe. Algo así como lo que sucede con "Gran hermano" y George Orwell. ¿Orwell, quién es ese? Siempre he pensado que Carl Sagan en la serie " Cosmos" fue algo tan mítico, que supuso un cambio radical en la vida de muchísimas personas. Comenzando por la elección de sus estudios. Me tengo que dar de baja de "La liga antinostalgia", por más que lo intento no hay manera.

 

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Avatar

Por fin, ya era hora. Es lo que necesitaba para ir espabilando. A ver cuánto me dura el enlace...