In another place

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Where we’re from the birds sing a pretty song, and there’s always music in the air.

My internet connection has been steadily degrading over the past few days to the extent that I’m now reduced to posting this via the antiquated miracle of dialup. Things will be quiet here for the next day or so while I attempt to get to the bottom of the problem. In the meantime, for anyone curious enough, I’ll activate the archive feature to summon random posts from the past.

Picture from Twin Peaks since I’ve been re-watching the series over the weekend.

And back again

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Well that took a lot longer than it should have done but as I mentioned earlier, the break has enabled me to catch up with some pressing deadlines. Despite the delay the server move seems to have gone better than in the past, and should have the advantage of making this part of the site run a lot more efficiently than it has done when a horde of vistors turn up looking for gay erotica.

I’ve lots of news to post about recent work but for now here’s a picture of Baron Munchhausen on his aquatic horse, a rendering from 1896 by Gottfried Franz (1846–1905) which can be seen at very large size at Wikimedia Commons. Onward!

Hiatus

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The server swap is still ongoing here so, for technical reasons I won’t bore anyone with, I’m taking a short break until things are sorted out. Yesterday’s post and a couple of recent comments may vanish for a while but if they do they should be restored soon after. A break would be useful this week in any case since I have a number of competing deadlines to attend to. See you on the other side!

Weekend links 4

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Will at A Journey Round My Skull turned up this hand-coloured picture from Ronald Balfour’s illustrated Rubáiyát some of whose other drawings were featured here recently. That distant volcano is a curious detail. Related: Golden Age Comic Book Stories posted plates from Willy Pogány’s edition.

• Authors on authors: China Miéville on JG Ballard; Rodrigo Fresán on Jorge Luis Borges; AS Byatt on Lewis Carroll.

• Events: Alan Moore & Sunn O)))’s Stephen O’Malley present Simultaneous Conjugation of Four Spirits in a Room at the Laing Art Gallery on March 13th, 2010 (via Arthur); in October Weirdstone will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Alan Garner’s The Weirdstone of Brisingamen.

• New blogs: Wonder Kabinet / Wunderkammer, “curiosities, ephemera, and fragments from The Cutting Room Floor and Evan J Peterson”; Pencil Tool, a Tumblr by Charity Pomaybo; and another Tumblr from Mountain*7.

Perversity Think Tank is a new book from Supervert. Download it for free or order the delicious limited edition.

• The Casual Optimist lists 10+ Flickr Groups for Book Design and Inspiration.

• Via BibliOdyssey: 400 woodcuts by Eric Gill.

• “At least in self-abuse / There’s a little dignity…” Song of the week was Hands 2 Take by The Flying Lizards from their second album, Fourth Wall (1981). I bought this when it came out but hadn’t listened to it for years. Thrilling, urgent stuff with the fabulous Patti Palladin on vocals. Play loud.