Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to

 


… one had to discount, he thought, exaggerated speeches that concealed mediocre affections; as if the fullness of the soul did not sometimes overflow in the emptiest of metaphors, since none of us can ever express the exact measure of our needs, or our ideas, or our sorrows, and human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to, when we long to move the stars to pity.

(part of the original, in French)

troisième partie , Chapitre 7, Emma à Maître Guillaumin,


"...comme si la plénitude de l'âme ne débordait pas quelquefois par les métaphores les plus vides, puisque personne, jamais, ne peut donner l'exacte mesure de ses besoins, ni de ses conceptions, ni de ses douleurs, et que la parole humaine est comme un chaudron fêlé où nous battons des mélodies à faire danser les ours, quand on voudrait attendrir les étoiles. "


- from Lydia Davis's new translation of Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Dietary supplements and herbal remedies: their effectiveness, usual dosage, and drug interactions.

 

 Acai, Chondroitin sulfate, Coenzyme Q-10, DHEA, Pomegranate and other herbs and supplements:  are they worth the money?
Browse dietary supplements and herbal remedies to learn about their effectiveness, usual dosage, and drug interactions.

How to outift your living room for 3D TV

 

IEEE Spectrum - the magazine of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - has a great article explaining how to outfit your living room for 3D TV.  IEEE is the world's largest professional association for the advancement of technology.

What is Happiness?

 
 
...from David Sosa's article in the New York Times:

Happiness is more like knowledge than like belief. There are lots of things we believe but don’t know. Knowledge is not just up to you, it requires the cooperation of the world beyond you — you might be mistaken. Still, even if you’re mistaken, you believe what you believe. Pleasure is like belief that way. But happiness isn’t just up to you. It also requires the cooperation of the world beyond you. Happiness, like knowledge, and unlike belief and pleasure, is not a state of mind.

For the complete article, please click here.

The best notebook lock

ClickSafe reduces the number of steps it takes to lock up a notebook from five to a single click, said Greg Avera, vice president of U.S. Sales for the Redwood Shores, Calif.-headquartered Kensington.

How to boost your brain

Helen Thomson, in the October 4 2010 issue of New Scientist magazine, details six ways to make our brains smarter

1) musical training
2) transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
3) exposure to blue light...probably mediated by a recently discovered pigment in the retina called melanopsin
4)  flavonoids, found in fruits such as blueberries and blackcurrants and also in cocoa, green tea and red wine
5) exercise/physical activity
6)  meditation

The preview of the full article is here (the complete article requires subscription).

Great bicycle tire: Continental Grand Prix 4000 S

from the Continental website:


The all black Grand Prix 4000 S catches the eye with its big silver labels. Aggressive and posh alike it matches every high-end racebike perfectly. With the reduction to black and silver the Grand Prix 4000S does not clash with the frames` colour or rim stickers. S stands for sport, special and “schwarz“ – the german term for black.

But the Grand Prix 4000 S can do more than just look good. With the new Black Chili Compound rolling resistance is reduced by 26%, grip is increased by 30% and mileage is increased by 5%.