Published: August 12, 2010
“I don’t know what you mean by ‘glory,’ ” Alice said.
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. “Of course you don’t—till I tell you. I meant ‘there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!’ ”
“But ‘glory’ doesn’t mean ‘a nice knock-down argument’,” Alice objected.
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”
“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”
“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master that’s all.”
Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again. “They’ve a temper, some of them—particularly verbs, they’re the proudest—adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs—however, I can manage the whole lot! Impenetrability! That’s what I say!”
The Guardian published this exquisitely written tribute to historian Tony Judt, who died last week, If words fall into disrepair, what will substitute? They are all we have
In a world of Facebook, MySpace and Twitter (not to mention texting), pithy allusion substitutes for exposition. Where once the internet seemed an opportunity for unrestricted communication, the commercial bias of the medium – “I am what I buy” – brings impoverishment of its own. My children observe of their own generation that the communicative shorthand of their hardware has begun to seep into communication itself: “People talk like texts. link to read more
Source: the Guardian
Published: March 21, 2010
The Eyewriter from Evan Roth on Vimeo.
“Art is a tool of empowerment and social change, and I consider myself blessed to be able to create and use my work to promote health reform, bring awareness about ALS and help others.”
– Tony Quan, aka Tempt One
This is just amazing!The EyeWriter is a low-cost eye-tracking apparatus & custom software that allows graffiti writers and artists with paralysis resulting from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to draw using only their eyes.
Source:The EyeWriter
Published: November 16, 2009
Couples who bring thoughtful words to a fight release lower amounts of stress-related proteins, suggesting that rational communication between partners can ease the impact of marital conflict on the immune system. [continue reading…]
Published: November 10, 2009
Talking is something most people do with such ease. We barely notice we are doing it, let alone stop to think how the brain processes the 370 million words an average person says in their lifetime.
Yet a complex sequence of thoughts, movements and actions lie behind each and every word we utter. And as adults, we speak 15,000 words every day.
So where does language come from, how did this ability evolve and is it something we are born with or something we learn?
The BBC News Magazine looks at how language develops and evolves.….continue reading
Horizon: Why Do We Talk?is broadcast on BBC Two at 2100 GMT on Tuesday, 10 November
UK Residents can watch it on iPlayer
Source: BBC Magazine