Mark A. Rayner's Blog: Mark A. Rayner's Goodreads Blog, page 39

Now That’s Cooking

Cynthia had never mastered all of the culinary arts, despite her self-styled title of “Sauciest Chef in the West.” Her ragouts were a disaster and her inability to get a souffle to rise was legendary. Fortunately, she could get other … Continue reading →

Ask General Kang: Do you pardon your followers, even if they did something wrong?

I would never pardon a follower if they did ME wrong, but if they made a “mistake” and were then penalized by the legal community, I might decide to save them from doing prison time — particularly if they’re a … Continue reading →

The History of Typography

In The Fridgularity, the emergent consciousness communicates to the protagonist (Blake Given) through text. Blake learns to read the mood of the consciousness (called Zathir) by pairing that emotional context with a font. Blake would love this, and Zathir would … Continue reading →

Renoir’s The Festival of Slorg

Many art historians believe this to be the famous painting, Luncheon of the Boating Party (Le déjeuner des canotiers) by the French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir, painted in 1881. They are right on two counts: it was Renoir, and it was … Continue reading →

Parsing the want ads

Are you ready for an exciting career? An award-winning, International company is looking for unique individuals with leadership ability. We are one of the fastest growing companies in the fastest growing industry in the world! Are you ready to dive … Continue reading →

Grant Wood’s The Aliens Among Us

This iconic painting is well-known and much parodied, but few have ever divined the true nature of the horrific story behind the canvas. Most art historians agree that Woods used his sister and dentist as the models for this famous … Continue reading →

Ask General Kang: What should you do if you discover your leader is a hypocrite?

First of all, don’t be surprised. Then, I suppose it depends a little what kind of hypocrite. For example, if you are talking about a leader of a church — let’s say for the sake of argument, an evangelical church … Continue reading →

Ten indisputable facts about Canada (Part Two: Culture)

To commemorate Canada Day, I decided it would be useful to clear up some common myths people have about Canada and its culture. I thought it might be especially helpful here at The Skwib, since many of its readers come … Continue reading →

Ten indisputable facts about Canada (Part One: History)

To commemorate Canada Day (aka, Hoser Day) tomorrow, I thought it might be useful to clear up some common myths people have about Canada and Canadian history. Many of the readers of The Skwib come from outside Canada, so this … Continue reading →

Ask General Kang: If a blogger blogs in the forest, and nobody is around to read it, does it exist?

I think what you’re really asking is can something exist without being perceived. Of course, in this instance, you’re forgetting that the person writing the blog — the blogger — will perceive the blog, so of course it exists. This … Continue reading →