Spider goats

http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/spidersilk.jsp

Herald headline on my way to work...

Oh, Prufrock!

I’ve noticed that from time to time I’d be reading something or listening to a song and a turn of phrase or a word would spark my curiosity, and I’d be on the internet researching Idlewild, or bread and roses or most recently search history – to see what l’ve searched for. (Delete all, jikes!)

I’ve done this recently with the word “prufrock”, and it feels like I’m one of those clowns that tries to pull a handkerchief from their pocket and ends up with a rope of them, each one tied to the next. I’m sure everybody that speaks English as their first language would recognise the word – T.S. Elliot’s The love song of J Alfred Prufrock has surely been taught to schoolkids the world over, but it’s the first time I’ve come across it, however hard that is to believe.

So where did I come across Prufrock first? This song: Frank Turner: I knew Prufrock before he was famous. Frank Turner, also stumbled across while looking at something else. This specific song made me light up like a Christmas tree, I tell you. Surely most of us are in the same boat, unlikely to be remembered by anyone other than our friends & family, if we’re honest. Still, I think the song is about finding the beauty in the human experience, that than looking for validation from being recognised.

Well, back to Elliot’s Prufrock. After going: “I wonder who this Prufrock person is – searchy searchy” I read the whole thing online. Don’t you just love it when someone manages to write something so beautiful, stripped out and true that it feels like you’ve been hit in the gut? And isn’t it funny how if you love something you see it everywhere? It’s like Elliot has soaked through all things being said in song or literature or TV.

The one instance that really tickled me though, is when Marcus Chown quotes a verse from this poem in his book: The Never ending days of being dead, when discussing the Omega Point cosmology theory that Frank Tipler has put forward. As far as I can understand it and in fairly simple terms Tipler said that when the universe collapses computational ability will increase to infinity, and with these infinite resources intelligence will be able to resurrect the dead by emulating the multiverse from the very start.

There will be time, there will be time

To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;

There will be time to murder and create,

And time for all the works and days of hands

That lift and drop a question on your plate;

Time for you and time for me,

And time yet for a hundred indecisions,

And for a hundred visions and revisions,

Before the taking of a toast and tea.

I guess as far as existence theories go I’ll probably go with Elliot’s Preludes, myself. I find myself looking at a scrawl of paint spilled on the road, an old lady in wheelchair smoking a cigarette, a tree bare except for white flowers and these things take on a weight of importance that I cannot explain, only feel.

I am moved by fancies that are curled
Around these images, and cling:
The notion of some infinitely gentle
Infinitely suffering thing.
Wipe your hand across your mouth, and laugh;
The worlds revolve like ancient women
Gathering fuel in vacant lots.

The Archaeology News Network: World's oldest ritual discovered

The Archaeology News Network: World's oldest ritual discovered

I have just written you a long letter

I have just written you a long letter

I guess I'm back to english now, my brother's told me to get myself sorted & start posting again, and then I've had the same request from somebody else as well. So I'm just quickly posting this link cause it's really cool. Make sure to click on the link to find out more about AD Wintle...

jan - feb

nou ja, familie - hier is nou my update vir die laaste twee maande - ek het nie foto's van alles geneem nie, maar ek sal maar die paar wat ek het upload en vertel.

So nommer een is Sloe - sy is my katjie, vreeslik liefderyk en sweet, maar sy is ook nogal soos Lucky. ek probeer maar dat mense inkom en so bietjie met haar speel om haar minder bang te maak...

Hierdie twee is by die sculpture kompetisie geneem - ek het nou regtig gedink hierdie een is stunning, dieselfde artist het 'n brosjure van 'n uitstalling waar hy/sy uitgestal het daar gehad en dit was sulke intersting goed!

die paadjie is wat ons van die sculture komptesie af gestap het terug huis toe, dis nogal baie oulik so deur die bome wat in die water groei - voel so bietjie soos lord of the rings.

die boom het ek afgeneem by die mount aubrey trail wat ek en nadia so paar naweke terug gaan stap het. dis 'n stunning roete, en ons was papnat gesweet na die tyd.

o ja, ons was gister by die kite vlieg dag gewees - dit was eintlik windstil, so die kites het nie regtig gewerk nie, so hierdie twee foto's het ek geneem in die 5 minute wat die goed in die lug gebly het. ek en nadia & gideon & minette & daniel het baie lekker onder die boom gele en piekniek though.

Rotorua

Ek sal maar net hierdie paar foto's opsit - hierdie eerste twee is by hamilton gardens geneem, tussen auckland & rotorua waar ons was vir kersfees.

die gardens is regtig stunning - mens kan eintlik vir ure daar ronddwaal. hulle het 'n groot deel wat allerhande verskillende lande se tuine as temas het - ek dink die een hier langsaan was seker greek.



hierdie een was india, my kamera was op daardie stadium op sy laaste battery lewe, so ek het nie soveel foto's geneem nie.

hier is die standaard foto wat almal wat by rotorua was neem - die modder wat bubble - daar is baie vulkaan aktiwiteit en orals is hot springs en goeters - almal af gefence gelukkig. die goed is so tussen 200 en 300 grade warm.

hierdie is ek en nadia - dis by die luge geneem - mens vat die kabelkarretjies met die berg en dan is die luge sulke klein go cart goetertjies wat werk met gravity, jy gaan vinniger of stadiger as jy die stuurwiel optrek of aftrek. dit was nogal baie fun, as ek daar gebly het sou ek beslis 'n season's ticket kry!