Links for 2009-08-23, 2009-08-24

"There couldn't really be a conclusion to these books -- what could it possibly be? The gang will just keep on forever looking for one more job to keep them going. The regulars in OJs will keep on having their senseless conversations. Dortmunder hasn't aged and now he will never die, because the one person who could have killed him chose to spare him. Dortmunder is immortal now, and in this last adventure, he smiles twice in one day."

Conclusive proof that it pays more to do nothing than to get a Ph.D.

"The newest translation of The Pillow Book is Meredith McKinney's recent Penguin, which uses an alternate base text to that chosen by Morris and gives Sei a more modern, colloquial voice. It also provides excellent maps, glossaries and notes. This is now the obvious edition for anyone wishing to read the text in its entirety"

"At the time of Galileo's birth in 1564, surnames were optional in Italy. In daily interactions, an Italian would use the name his parents gave him at birth--what we'd now call a first name--and, if further clarification were required, add on his father's name (like di Antonio, or "son of Antonio"), his birthplace (Romano, or "from Rome"), his occupation (Panettiere,* meaning "baker"), or a traditional family surname (if one existed, like Galilei)."