Grant Hutchison's Blog, page 51

Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh

… and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:11 gəʊld Gold: The most precious metal, characterized by its yellow colour The word gold comes to English through the Germanic languages, and its origin can be traced all the way back to a Proto-Indo-European root … Continue reading Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh →

Airfix 1/72 Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King

I’ve just been watching the second episode of season four of Fringe, which features a serial killer whose apartment is stuffed with plastic model kits, for no reason that involves the plot. In fact, no-one comments on it. They’re just there, in the background on all the shelves, sending some sort of signal. Well, the … Continue reading Airfix 1/72 Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King →

Cary Elwes: As You Wish

Rest well, and dream of large women. If the quotation above doesn’t immediately ring a bell, then this book may well not be for you. How about: There’s a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours. Or, indeed, the title of this book: As you wish. They’re … Continue reading Cary Elwes: As You Wish →

Mad Rush For Gold In Frozen North: Supplement

You’ll perhaps recall that when I finally got around to reading Arthur Arnold Dietz’s book, Mad Rush For Gold In Frozen North, I was a little bemused to discover it was a pretty obvious fake, given its widely accepted status as one of the classics of Gold Rush memoirs. My original post about that is … Continue reading Mad Rush For Gold In Frozen North: Supplement →

Sidlaws: Dunsinane to Gask

Dunsinane Hill (NO 214316, 310m) Black Hill (NO 219319, 360m) King’s Seat (NO 230330, 377m) Buttergask Hill (NO 290340, 307m) Lintrose Hill (NO 234343, 325m) Gask Hill (NO 238344, 358m) 16 kilometres 610 metres ascent So, I found myself uncommitted this morning, and decided to have a wander through the Sidlaw Hills. I was undaunted … Continue reading Sidlaws: Dunsinane to Gask →

Converging Rainbows

A familiar pair of primary and secondary rainbows is always concentric, and the outer rainbow has its colours in the reverse order from the primary. But these two have their colours in the same order, and are converging to meet on the horizon. What’s going on there? I was walking home from work a couple … Continue reading Converging Rainbows →

Pennycook et al.: On the reception and detection of pseudo-profound bullshit

This from the November 2015 issue of Judgment And Decision Making. Here are links to the original paper (pdf) and its supplementary tables (pdf). The authors seek to find a preliminary answer to the questions, “Are people able to detect blatant bullshit? Who is most likely to fall prey to bullshit and why?” Their study … Continue reading Pennycook et al.: On the reception and detection of pseudo-profound bullshit →

Arthur Arnold Dietz: Mad Rush For Gold In Frozen North

Good title, eh? (And yes, I’ve written it correctly, with no articles—it does seem as if the author telegraphed the title to his publishers.) In 1914, when he published this memoire of the Klondike Gold Rush, Dietz was a “physical director” at the YMCA in Los Angeles, as well as being a “playground director” in … Continue reading Arthur Arnold Dietz: Mad Rush For Gold In Frozen North →

Wherefore

ˈhwɛəfə(r) Wherefore: Why There are several ways of misquoting Shakespeare. One is to misquote Shakespeare without knowing it’s Shakespeare at all. Most people who use the phrase “to gild the lily” probably fall into that category, unaware of the original version. King John Act 4, Scene 2: SALISBURY: […] To gild refinèd gold, to paint … Continue reading Wherefore →

Angela Gannon & George Geddes: St Kilda – The Last and Outermost Isle

Angela Gannon and George Geddes are  archaeologists with the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Scotland. Both have worked on the islands of St Kilda (Geddes lived there for six months), so they’re well qualified to write this book. St Kilda is that island group you can never quite see on the weather … Continue reading Angela Gannon & George Geddes: St Kilda – The Last and Outermost Isle →