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Have any science fiction stories been set in humanities departments?
What science fiction stories, short form or novels, have been set in university humanities departments, excluding satires? I’ll settle for stories where some of the principal characters are scholars of the humanities.
Who’s the walking figure in the Spotify visualization?
Spotify keeps pushing me to click on a music genre when I go into the search tab. The first thing that comes up is a clip of Leonard Cohen’s It Seemed the Better Way with the hashtag #poetry. It includes a visualization of what looks like a rotoscoped Leonard Cohen walking on a heath with a cane. Here’s a screenshot. What’s the original for that walking figure? Is it a video of Leonard Cohen or someone else?
Trying to find a comic strip about two inventors talking on the road
Many, many years ago I recall seeing, or being shown, a single-panel comic strip with a limousine, or possibly two limousines, on a road, and one unseen person saying to another unseen person something like: "How's the leg?" The caption was along the lines of "the inventor of Wite-Out meets the inventor of the Post-It". But I think I'm probably misremembering many of the significant details. What I remember of the context is that this cartoon was infamously hard to understand. Does any of this ring a bell?
Who's the drummer on the Marcels' Blue Moon?
Who is the drummer on the Marcels' original version of Blue Moon?
Did the Duolingo mass layoffs of translators really happen?
A week or so ago I heard that Duolingo had laid off most of its translators at the end of last year and was going to replace them with AI. When I looked for more information, all I found was a single Reddit post and sites referencing that post, with no statements from the company. I went looking again today and couldn't find a report from a reputable news source. Did the Duolingo mass layoffs of translators really happen?
Looking for a specific metaphor
A long time ago I read a science fiction book which included a metaphor that’s stuck with me. Planet Earth was imagined as being covered by the ocean, and the continents and islands were people swimming to stay afloat. I think it’s by Greg Egan, but I haven’t found it yet. Does this sound familiar to you?
Can you remember an indie song with the refrain “it is murder”?
On the new Blur album there’s a song called Barbaric. It always triggers a memory of another song, a mid tempo indie tune sung by a female singer which had as its refrain, or part of its chorus, the phrase “it is murder” or “it’s a murder”. Can you figure out what song this is?
Where should I make my webzine?
I’m making a webzine with a friend. We have some, but limited, web design skills, so would like to use some website hosting platform that makes things relatively easy, such as Wordpress, Squarespace, and the like. Our requirements are simple, we’re aiming to publish four issues a year, with four stories in each issue. We’d like the website to look simple and minimalistic, with no ads. Ideally we’d like to offer the option to download the stories as epub and mobi files, but that’s not a dealbreaker. What hosting platform would you recommend?
Did Elvis tell his father: “It doesn’t matter, it’s just money”?
When I was nine or ten I was told an incorrect story about Elvis Presley’s last words. The story was that Elvis had dropped an expensive watch which had broken, and that his father had started to pick up the pieces. Elvis was then meant to have said: “It doesn’t matter, it’s just money.” I know these aren’t his last words, but I’m curious if there’s any truth to this story. Did Elvis ever say something like this to his father? If so, in what circumstances?
Name that film: Soccer fan on a date at the opera or ballet
A while back, I’m guessing in the 90s, I saw a film on TV that stuck with me. Or rather, a scene has stuck with me. A man is on a date at a ballet, or an opera, but is surreptitiously listening to soccer on the radio through earbuds. When his team scores he jumps out of his seat in joy, to the surprise of his date and the bougie audience, at which point the man pretends that he was overwhelmed with emotion at the performance on stage and starts applauding, which impresses his date. Does this scene sound familiar to you?
How do I save a Wikipedia article from deletion?
A Wikipedia article I created way back when about Once Upon a Time…, a long-running French animated series, has been proposed for deletion for lack of notability, but the linked notability guideline for television doesn’t seem to apply to it at all. I would like to do what’s required to save it from deletion, but I’m confused why it’s been proposed for deletion for lack of notability. How do I go about saving this Wikipedia article from deletion?
How were the visual effects at the end of Sleepless in Seattle made?
After the final scene in Sleepless in Seattle there are some visual effects, starting with a seemingly computer rendered Empire State Building, which then zooms out to a map of the US. I’ve tried to find information about how they were made, but haven’t struck on the right search terms. Do you know where I could find out more?
Why does Windows 10 only recognize one gamepad at a time?
My son asked for gamepads as a holiday gift to play games on my computer with friends. Both connect just fine to the computer on their own, through both USB ports. However, when they're both connected, Windows 10 only accepts inputs from one gamepad at a time, whichever one was plugged in first. If both are plugged in, and I unplug the one that's working, Windows immediately starts accepting inputs from the other one. I thought maybe that Windows was only turning one USB port on at a time, so I went into Device Manager and turned power management off for the USB ports, but that didn't work. How do I solve this?
Short story where people send messages to their high school selves
Do you remember a science fiction short story where people can send images of themselves back to their high school selves? I read it about twenty years ago or so.
A friend in Brooklyn has Covid, what can I order to have sent to her?
A friend in Brooklyn has been diagnosed with Covid and will be isolating in her apartment for the next 10 days. What nice and useful thing could I have delivered to her house? Preferably something local. She lives in Prospect Lefferts Gardens.
How do I open a PKPass file on iPad?
I have an important travel document that I need to use next week. It is only available as a PKPass file. I need to open it on my iPad. Every guide I’ve found online tells me to open it in Apple Wallet, but it isn’t available for iPad, it seems. I have tried three different apps, but I can’t send the PKPass file from Files or Drive or Dropbox to any of them. How do I open a PKPass file on iPad?
How widespread are shortages in groceries in the UK?
I saw an English journalist tweet about nearly empty grocery store shelves in the UK, and went looking for more news about it, and found this BBC report about its causes, as well as some news reports about industry worries. But I haven't found any reporting online about how widespread the problem is. I asked my sister who lives in London, and her local shop has been stocked as normal, except for certain fruits. Is this only a problem in some parts of the country, or is this a nationwide problem?
How is the name "Silone" in "Joshepine Silone Yates" pronounced?
I've heard two different pronunciations of the family name, "Silone", as in Josephine Silone Yates. One is sih-LOAN, and the other SILL-on (I found the latter here). Which one would Josephine Silone Yates most likely have used herself?
Which indie song does this children’s song remind me of?
It’s a long shot, but this rendition by Hafdís Huld and Alisdair Wright of an old Danish/Icelandic children’s song reminds me of some old indie song (probably late 90s or early 00s), specifically the guitar figure that begins the song and continues throughout. I can just about hear the other song in my head, but not quite. Anyone else reminded of another song?
Who did the box art for Sid Meier’s Civilization?
The cover image on the box for Sid Meier’s Civilization might be the most iconic box art of the DOS era of PC gaming, so I figured finding out who made it would be a cinch. When I went to MobyGames two candidates seemed most likely, Laurie Baker and Moshe Milich, credited with illustrations and package design respectively. The former, presumably not the famous architect of the same name, has no other credited work I can find, and nothing the latter is credited with resembles the Civilization box art. Who made this image?
Who made this cup?
When I was a boy, probably about five years old, my grandmother gave me this ceramic cup with a picture of a fox on it. I believe she bought it in Norway, but I could be misremembering. Does anyone recognize this cup and know who made it?
Why does a weekly email from Flickr arrive a little later each year?
I’ve had a Flickr account in gadzoinks, probably since 2005 or 6. One thing I’ve noticed is that during that through the years the “new posts from friends” email has slowly drifted from arriving on Thursday, to Friday, Saturday, Sunday and now comes on Monday. Does anyone happen to know why that’s happened? As in, what programming choice, or variable, has led to this slow drift.
Who does this figurine depict?
There was a yard sale day in my neighborhood and my son took a figurine of a Buddhist monk from a free pile (pictures: 1, 2). Is this someone in particular or just a generic merry monk?
Can you recommend hip hop for a listener who likes Noname?
Room 25 by Noname is one of my favorite albums of last year, both musically and lyrically. Can you recommend recent hip hop in the same vein?
What kind of rainbow trails a shadow behind it?
When flying from Helsinki to Reykjavík on New Year’s Eve I saw a rainbow from the plane, but what was strange about it is that it “trailed” a shadow that started inside the rainbow and extended as far backwards (according to the direction of the plane) as I could see. Here are photos and a video. I saw it for at least 15 minutes, while the clouds where uniformly gray and flat. Once the plane got over different clouds, I stopped seeing the rainbow and shadow. What was this optical phenomenon?
Which mass noun has the largest individual units?
Which mass noun has the largest individual units? Some mass nouns signify non-physical concepts (e.g. peace), others something that can be made up of different kinds of things (e.g. trash), while some refer to liquids (e.g. gasoline). But some refer to a substance that's made up of individual units of the same thing (e.g. wheat, spaghetti, rice). I'm interested in that last category. Which mass noun in that category has the largest individual units? The biggest I've thought of is "bacon".
Was an anchor of roses significant in Canadian Victorian funerals?
I’ve just started reading L. M. Montgomery’s Emily of New Moon for the first time, which is set on Prince Edward Island in about 1890 or so but published in 1923. One detail caught my attention and it seemed significant, but I can’t tell why. Emily’s uncle brought a “great anchor of white roses” to place at the head of her father’s coffin. Was there a significance to it being in the shape of an anchor or was this a lyrical touch by the author?
Do Dagwood Bumstead and F. Scott Fitzgerald have the same hairdo?
Is Dagwood Bumstead's hairdo meant to be a stylized representation of the sort of 1930s hairdo that F. Scott Fitzgerald sports in this picture, that one and this other photo?
What are good podcasts for discovering music?
So, due to a series of computer hard drive failures and cross-oceanic moves, I have no access to my music collection right now, and may never get it back. I've decided to look on it as an opportunity to start afresh and get into new music. I listen to a lot of podcasts, so I'd like to add one that's new music focused. Do you have any recommendations? Further specifications follow.
What climate-specific learned behaviors does no one think to explain?
Can you give me examples of behaviors "everybody knows" who has grown up in a specific climate, but is never talked about so no one ever thinks to explain this to people new to this climate? I'm especially interested in examples of where this lack of forewarning has caused problems. My example below the cut.
What eating game did parents play with their babies before airplanes?
I've been playing the "airplane game" with my son lately while feeding him. I've seen that game pop up in media from all over the world, so it seems pretty ubiquitous today. I'm curious, are there any records about baby feeding games from before there were airplanes?
Who foresaw the dominance of Trump?
In the last nine months I read lots of pieces written by smart and knowledgeable people explaining why Trump was never going to be the Republican nominee, and wasn't going to come close. Though it's far from a done deal, it's clear that he's at least close. Did any analysts out there foresee a scenario like what we have today, with Trump winning three of the first four nominating contests? I would be interested in reading more of their analysis, to mix in with my regular batch of writers who were wrong on this.
Did Chinese President Xi Jinping refer to "sword of Damocles" in speech?
In the translation I've found of Xi Jinping's speech at the recent military parade, he says: "War is the sword of Damocles that still hangs over mankind." Does he refer to the Damocles myth in the original Chinese or is an equivalent Chinese reference transposed into Western culture? If he does refer to the actual sword of Damocles, is it a common reference in China? And if so, did it enter common Chinese parlance through the writings of Marx?
What's a "paper brick house"? And what are the "cars" in "The River"?
Two questions about Flannery O'Connor's "The River". 1) What's a "paper brick house"? 2) What kind of public transportation are the "cars"?
Who suggested that multinational corporations are highest life forms?
Who was the anthropologist who suggested that multinational corporations are the highest life forms on Earth? Author William Gibson has recounted going to a lecture by a female anthropologist at the University of British Columbia in the late 70s. The anthropologist posited the idea that multinational corporations were the highest life form on Earth, which had a profound influence on Gibson's world view, and therefore on literature influenced by Gibson. Who was this anthropologist? I haven't been able to find out who she was.
Can you help track down my fictional relative in a French spy thriller?
I was helping my dad with some genealogical research, trying to figure out how his ancestors migrated from Swedish-ruled Skåne in the 17th Century to Russian-ruled Gdansk in the 18th. I transliterated our family name, Tulinius, into Russian (Тулиниус). I didn't have much luck finding ancestors, but I did come across a fictional Icelandic Тулиниус in a Russian translation of a French spy thriller in the Coplan series by Paul Kenny. As far as Google translate can tell me, the original name of the book is Coplan sème la panique. As my dad is fluent in French, I'd like to get this as birthday present for him, but I want to be sure the character's really named "Tulinius" and that it isn't just a false hit caused by transliteration of a similar name. Is there any way I can find this out?
Did Arthur C. Clarke change the ending to Imperial Earth?
A Facebook discussion about good books by well-known authors passing into undeserved obscurity had me looking up reviews of Arthur C. Clarke's Imperial Earth. In the comments on Jo Walton's review there's a discussion about the ending, specifically whether he wrote two distinct endings, replacing the an earlier one in later editions. Did Clarke rewrite the ending? Spoilers below the cut.
Barely used twitter account followed a bunch of people... was it hacked?
I have a barely used twitter account. I looked at my profile for the first time this year and noticed I was following almost two thousand extra people. I changed my password (I used a password there I don't use elsewhere). As far as Spybot and Avast can tell me, I haven't gotten any unwelcome visitors. I'm more curious than worried, honestly. Was my twitter account hacked or is it possible to make a user follow someone without hacking into their account? Also, do I have to manually unfollow everyone or is there a quicker way to do it?
Can you recommend an apocalyptic text to read on stage?
I'm looking for some good armageddons. I'm MCing an End-of-the-World poetry reading on December 21st and I want to read a few short passages from apocalyptic texts. I've already settled on the Book of Revelations and Ragnarök, but I'd like to cast a wide net and find some non-Western and/or non-religious/mythological descriptions of the end times. Can you recommend a good doomsday for me to read?
Do you know what quotes are etched into the walls of the Dalí Museum in Figueres?
I was in the Dalí Museum in Figueres, Catalonia two weeks ago. There was a prominently displayed quote, not by Dalí, that I wanted to look up, but completely forgot about until now. It was familiar, but it seemed a bit mangled from what I thought it was. Now, however, I've forgotten it. Do you know what quotes are etched into the walls of the Dalí Museum in Figueres?
Can you help me connect to a wifi router?
I'm having problems connecting to a wi-fi router. I've tried connecting both with my iPod Touch and my PC without any luck. Other computers have not had any problems connecting to the router and I have never had any problems connecting with other routers. I can connect using an ethernet cord. Can you help?
What typeface is this?
What typeface is this?
What's the name of the sonnet form that looks like it rhymes, but doesn't rhyme when spoken aloud?
What's the name of the sonnet form that looks like it rhymes, but doesn't rhyme when read out loud?
Can you help me find football match reports from between the two World Wars in Esperanto?
Can you help me find football match reports from between the two World Wars in Esperanto? Specifically I'm looking for any match report featuring the Austrian national team of the era (1918-1937) but anything even remotely connected would be of help.
What is the origin of the in-profile emoticon?
Lately on Facebook I've been seeing a kind of smiley I've never seen before: c",)
I'm curious to know where this type of emoticon originates. Have you seen them before? Do they come out of any particular internet culture?
Can you help me figure out the lyrics to the song Sweet Life?
I'm trying to figure out the lyrics to Sweet Life by Roberto Cacciapaglia, off The Ann Steel Album. I've figured out most of them, but there are some parts that I can't quite make out. Can you help? I've put what I've made out of the lyrics below the cut.
Tranquil, folky song, sung by a woman, something to do with years... can you identify?
I have a song stuck in my head and can't remember what it is. It's a fairly tranquil, folky song sung by a woman. What I can remember of the lyrics has something about years: "[something something something] nineteen sixty nine [something] seventy eight." Ringing any bells?
What do reporters mean when they say that someone "declined to speak on the record?"
Help me understand a bit of journalese. When reporters say in an article that someone "declined to speak on the record" (which is a phrase that crops up very often) is the journalist indicating that the person in question was interviewed off the record and that the journalist used these off-the-record statements to write the article?
What songs are about people losing lovers to Jesus?
My favorite album so far this year has been Emmy the Great's Virtue. Partly it's because of the thematic throughline in the lyrics, which is 'my lover left me for Jesus.' What are other songs with that theme? Also acceptable: My lover left me for Buddha/Xenu/Mohammed/Meher Baba/Aphrodite/Krishna/etc. I'm not looking for songs from the perspective of the converted, but the one who lost a lover.
Do you know of a recently published French book about an invented language and/or society?
I'm trying to track down a French book, published recently, 2010 or 2011. It's either a conlang book or a book about an invented society. Possibly both. It is not a novel or a collection of stories but a description of the language/society. This is the author's first book. It was published by a respected publishing house and garnered positive notes in France.