bookofjoe

Muriel Spark on the cat as a muse

From her 1988 novel "A Far Cry From Kensington":

If you want to concentrate deeply on some problem, and especially some piece of writing or paper-work, you should acquire a cat. Alone with the cat in the room where you work... the cat will invariably get up on your desk and settle placidly under the desk lamp. The light from a desk lamp... gives a cat great satisfaction. The cat will settle down and be serene, with a serenity that passes all understanding. And the tranquility of the cat will gradually come to affect you, sitting there at your desk, so that all the excitable qualities that impede your concentration compose themselves and give your mind back the self-command it has lost. You need not watch the cat all the time. Its presence alone is enough. The effect of a cat on your concentration is remarkable, very mysterious.

[via Brainpickings and Ed Berger. Gray Cat pictured above.]

Chemistry Pillows

"Inspired by vintage science graphics, designs are hand-screened with non-toxic ink onto cotton pillow cases."

Down and feather blend fill inserts.

20" x 20" and 20" x 10".

Set of four: $319.

Deal Breakers in Hiring

[via today's Wall Street Journal]

Hairhat

From the website:

"Do you need a good alternative to wearing fur? Why not wear hats made of 100% human hair? Hairhats are a statement about the fact that people shave and cut up almost every animal walking around with nice fur, yet refuse to adorn themselves with human hair."

"I feel pretty" — Pampers knows moms and dads (and babies)

Above, one of the top 3 commercials of 2012.

Wonderful.

I'm happy to watch it anytime it comes on.

Google Crisis Map: Sandy

Everything you need to know in one place.

The way it should be.

Funniest thing I've seen so far today* — "Not even wrong"

Long story short: I ordered a Kindle Fire HD the moment it went on sale, hoping it would be better than my New iPad [3] for reading in bed.

It's not.

It's horrible.

Terrible design, impossible for this TechnoDolt®™© to use, and all in all not even a stylish paperweight.

I'm selling it today for peanuts just to get this piece of technical dross out of my house — it's that bad.

As Wolfgang Pauli said in another context entirely: "Not even wrong."

When Apple sent me an email last Friday offering to sell me an iPad mini, tears of joy nearly erupted: free at last.

It took about six yoctoseconds to place my order.

*I just woke up 10 minutes ago so let's not be premature — but I doubt very strongly that anything will appear today that will top this bit of Amazon hype and hope.