Stephen Leary's Blog, page 11
February 24, 2015
Unknown Sherlock Holmes Story from 1903 Found
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle apparently wrote a short story clocking in at only 1,300 words, starring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in 1903 on the occasion of raising money for a bridge near Scotland that was washed away by a great flood in 1902.
The story is titled "Discovering the Border Burghs, and By Deduction, the Brig Bazaar." The full-text can be found here.
The short, somewhat self-parodic story has Sherlock Holmes explaining how it is he knows Dr. Watson is going near Scotland in aid of a b...
The story is titled "Discovering the Border Burghs, and By Deduction, the Brig Bazaar." The full-text can be found here.
The short, somewhat self-parodic story has Sherlock Holmes explaining how it is he knows Dr. Watson is going near Scotland in aid of a b...
February 23, 2015
Essential Items For Writing In A Cafe
A café writer doesn't need much in the way of equipment.
Essentials:
A laptop or smartphonea program to input your wordsa keyboard
In the photo above, notice the napkins under my cup. I lean my iPhone against the cup while I type and the napkins keep it from sliding off.
If you’re totally offline, as William Faulkner said, all a writer needs is some paper and a pencil. Anything more than the essentials is gravy and we’re tramping in the territory of luxuries.
Offline Essentials:
PaperPen or p...
Essentials:
A laptop or smartphonea program to input your wordsa keyboard
In the photo above, notice the napkins under my cup. I lean my iPhone against the cup while I type and the napkins keep it from sliding off.
If you’re totally offline, as William Faulkner said, all a writer needs is some paper and a pencil. Anything more than the essentials is gravy and we’re tramping in the territory of luxuries.
Offline Essentials:
PaperPen or p...
February 22, 2015
5 Ways To Spot A Fellow Writer In A Cafe
I call one of my favorite cafes the "Starbucks Writers Colony" because I see several fellow writers every time I'm there. I haven't actually talked to any of them, and I've never seen what they type on their laptops or compose in their notebooks in longhand with their pens, but I have no doubt they are writers.
Most customers I see in any Starbucks aren't writing books or stories on their computers but instead are surfing the internet, writing quick emails, or watching videos. But some are in...
Most customers I see in any Starbucks aren't writing books or stories on their computers but instead are surfing the internet, writing quick emails, or watching videos. But some are in...
February 21, 2015
Why Writers Should Write in a Cafe
This essay is for those of you who write in cafes, or those of you who think you might like to write in cafes, or if the idea of writing in a cafe appeals to you though you've never done it, or if you're wondering if writing in a cafe might prove beneficial to you in some way, or if you just want to learn what it is writers do in cafes, how writers write in cafes, and what it is they write about in cafes. This essay is for the preceding kinds of individuals.
My café writing time...
My café writing time...
Unknown Sherlock Holmes Story From 1904 Found
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle apparently wrote a short story clocking in at only 1,300 words, starring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in 1904 on the occasion of raising money for a bridge near Scotland that was washed away by a great flood in 1902.
The story is titled "Discovering the Border Burghs, and By Deduction, the Brig Bazaar." The full-text can be found here.
The short, somewhat self-parodic story has Sherlock Holmes explaining how it is he knows Dr. Watson is going near Scotland in aid of a b...
The story is titled "Discovering the Border Burghs, and By Deduction, the Brig Bazaar." The full-text can be found here.
The short, somewhat self-parodic story has Sherlock Holmes explaining how it is he knows Dr. Watson is going near Scotland in aid of a b...
February 19, 2015
Vladimir Putin, Drunken Lecher
A documentary aired on German TV called "Putin the Man" and was quite uncomplimentary to one of the most powerful people on the planet.
Among Putin's weaknesses:
A 'drunken letch' during his time as a KGB spyWas prepared to shoot unarmed protesters in Eastern Germany in 1989Underwent a secret facelift in 2010Travels with a personal chef because he is paranoid about being poisonedIs 'terrified' of growing oldHe has survived 5 assassination attempts in recent yearsAs head of the Dresden office, h...
Among Putin's weaknesses:
A 'drunken letch' during his time as a KGB spyWas prepared to shoot unarmed protesters in Eastern Germany in 1989Underwent a secret facelift in 2010Travels with a personal chef because he is paranoid about being poisonedIs 'terrified' of growing oldHe has survived 5 assassination attempts in recent yearsAs head of the Dresden office, h...
February 16, 2015
Sherlock Holmes Invades Barnes and Noble
I hadn't visited a brick-and-mortar Barnes & Noble bookstore lately, but found myself near one this weekend so I stopped in to peruse the fiction section and discover what titles they chose to promote and display prominently.
In the Mystery section, what struck me immediately, from a quick glance of the covers of the books on the shelves, was the prominence of the name "Sherlock Holmes."
Might be a slight exaggeration, but it seemed half the books on the shelves included his name on the cov...
In the Mystery section, what struck me immediately, from a quick glance of the covers of the books on the shelves, was the prominence of the name "Sherlock Holmes."
Might be a slight exaggeration, but it seemed half the books on the shelves included his name on the cov...
February 15, 2015
Top 10 Reasons to Play Chess
It's considered an almost honorable way to waste time.People assume you must be brainy--even if you're not.Try playing checkers without people snickering at you.You'll lose weight by not eating, since chess demands an obsession to it to the exclusion of everything else.You can add it to your LinkedIn profile and watch the job offers roll in.You can't possibly lose as much money as playing poker.You'll gain self-confidence by beating homeless people in the park.Chess is popular in jail, so you...
Top 10 Reasons to Not Play Chess
It overheats the cerebellum, inducing brainsickness.Ever heard of a rich chessplayer?You have to memorize the first 20 moves of every opening, or you're just wasting your time.You have to memorize strategies of all endings, or you'll just throw away your win.Cheaters use computers to beat superior opponents all the time, so it doesn't really matter how good you are, you're still going to lose.You have to buy a tournament-quality chess set, clock, books, opening database program, online websit...
February 14, 2015
Stephen Hawking's Unfounded Fear of Extraterrestrials
In the news recently: The folks at Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) have a plan to broadcast "powerful" radio messages out into the cosmos in an attempt to communicate with alien creatures on other planets.
This is news because SETI has always passively searched for evidence of life on other planets and this would represent their first active attempt to seek out aliens with their own messages.
Influential scientists are worried. If alien creatures find out about us here on Earth,...
This is news because SETI has always passively searched for evidence of life on other planets and this would represent their first active attempt to seek out aliens with their own messages.
Influential scientists are worried. If alien creatures find out about us here on Earth,...
