Category Archives: Culture

Kim Stanley Robinson On Why Novels Are So Beautiful

Posted on July 19, 2015 by laura

During the past year my schedule has undergone some radical changes. I don’t have much time to watch TV or video these days, but I listen to several hours of audio every day, both radio and podcasts. The Coode Street … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Culture, Science | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

You Are Entitled To (Post) Your Informed Opinion

Posted on February 15, 2014 by laura

I stopped going to Medium regularly a long time ago. I had the impression that there was quite a lot of click bait there and it seemed like many contributors were simply using the hype around the platform to advertise … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Culture, Internet, Reading | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

The Death Of The Letter

Posted on December 19, 2013 by laura

I enjoy the website Letters of Note, which is full of gems such as this letter from Albert Camus to his school teacher, written just after Camus had been awarded the Nobel Prize. French speakers can find the original in … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Technology | Tagged | 5 Comments

Market Day

Posted on August 23, 2013 by laura

Yesterday morning I had an appointment in town and had the opportunity to walk through the pedestrian district afterwards on the way to work. Wednesday is market day, and it had been a while since I’d had the chance to … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Personal Interest, Switzerland | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Real Life People Don’t Care About Apple’s Design Philosophy

Posted on July 11, 2013 by laura

I saw Apple’s Designed By Apple In California ad on TV yesterday. When you have to explain your design philosophy to people, when you have to explain to them that your products are special because of how they make people … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Apple, Culture | Tagged | 6 Comments

Saving History: Lessons From The People Of Timbuktu

Posted on February 2, 2013 by laura

The destruction of thousands of valuable Islamic manuscripts held in the Ahmed Baba Institute in Timbuktu was one of the top stories on French TV on Monday and Tuesday, including video from reporters inside the library. According to the reports, … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Digital Books, Libraries, Technology | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

New World For Ancient Eyes

Posted on November 10, 2012 by laura

The Free Music Archive and WFMU are holding a remix contest to demonstrate the potential of open digital libraries, inviting users to remix the Public Domain. While I don’t have a great deal of free time, this idea has great … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Personal Interest, Society, Transformation | Tagged , | 1 Comment

J.K. Rowling At The Grocery Store

Posted on October 7, 2012 by laura

The woman in front of me in the checkout line bought J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy at the grocery store yesterday. I wasn’t prepared for this opportunity and wasn’t able to get my iPhone out of my purse in time … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Culture, France | Tagged | Leave a comment

Vacation: Photos From Provence

Posted on August 15, 2012 by laura

My vacation pictures seemed to generated some interest, and since I have a few unpublished ones I really like, I thought I’d do another post. They also give me the opportunity to follow up on some interesting comments from Corinne … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, France | 2 Comments

Advertisement: Join The One Percent

Posted on April 27, 2012 by laura

The gym where I work out recently added Bloomberg TV on the overhead monitors. I was surprised to see a parody of the Occupy Wall Street movement in this tongue-in-cheek commercial suggesting that viewers could use Interactive Brokers and join … Continue reading →

Posted in Collapse, Culture, Society | Tagged | 5 Comments