Sublime
An inspiration engine for ideas
A guy called Red Saunders, along with a few of his friends, had formed Rock Against Racism in 1976, not just as a reaction to the racist skinheads terrorising our streets, but also in response to comments made by Eric Clapton and David Bowie. It’s extraordinary to think that back then Eric Clapton (aka God) said he agreed with Enoch Powell and that
... See moreBenjamin Zephaniah • The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah
Despite the combined efforts of the Association, amateur treasure hunters and professional cryptanalysts, the first and third Beale ciphers have remained a mystery for over a century, and the gold, silver and jewels have yet to be found.
Simon Singh • The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography
diegetically,
John Yorke • Into The Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them
sanest guide through the turbulence and hatred of human politics is a humorous and self-deprecating pessimism.
Richard Holloway • Stories We Tell Ourselves: Making Meaning in a Meaningless Universe
A young reporter for the Post named Tom Wolfe followed up after my talk with an interview. The Post ran his story, “You Can So Beat the Gambling House at Blackjack, Math Expert Insists.” He was curious rather than skeptical, sympathetic but probing. Wolfe later became one of America’s most famous authors.
Edward O. Thorp • A Man for All Markets
“I Wanna Be Your Man.” They played it through with us. Brian put on some nice slide guitar; we turned it into an unmistakably Stones rather than Beatles song. It was clear that we had a hit almost before they’d left the studio.
Keith Richards • Life
Their lack of showmanship turned out to be a masterful touch of showmanship. Were they simply modest? Or unwilling subjects controlled by a higher power?
Teller Jim Steinmeyer • Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear
History tends to be a facade of faded picturesqueness for most of those who have not specially studied it: a more or less monochrome background for the drama of their own day.