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Monthly Archives: December 2007
Vacationing in Kukuanaland
A few weeks ago I rented a really wretched movie called The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It is essentially a superhero movie, except that the superheros are 19th century literary characters. The characters include Tom Sawyer, Mina Harker (from Dracula), … Continue reading
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Phineas Finn
I have just finished reading Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope. This was written in 1869 and is the second of his six “Palliser” novels (although the role of the Palliser family in this novel is trivial). Essentially, the story is … Continue reading
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Telemann
I write tonight in praise of Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767). Telemann was well-thought-of during his lifetime and seems to have suffered only one great misfortune. When Johann Kunau died in 1722, Telemann was among the applicants for the vacant position … Continue reading
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Contrasts
Two nights ago I stayed on campus after work to attend a student concert. The concert was a series of performances of wind-based chamber works by various groups of music students. The quality of the performances varied greatly, but one … Continue reading
Garlic, Crosses, and a Good Librarian
I recently read Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Great literature it is not, but it’s a fun read. In it I encountered a theme for which I was entirely unprepared: information technology. Van Helsing’s band of vampire hunters made abundant and effective … Continue reading
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The White Stuff
Winter has officially begun in upstate New York. I awoke yesterday morning to find about 3-4 inches of snow on the ground. It was Sunday, and I could have just stayed home, but I decided I would pretend that it … Continue reading