Yet another Henry gum machine

[Henry, March 2, 2017.]

Where would we be without streetside mirrors? Oh — in modern times.

Related reading
All OCA Henry posts (Pinboard)

And still more gum machines
Henry : Henry : Henry : Perry Mason : Henry : Henry : Henry : Henry : Henry : Henry : Henry : Henry : Henry

Aldi coffee

An Aldi find: German Roasted Ground Coffee, 17.6 ounces for $4.99. The package says “robust & creamy,” and it’s true: this coffee is especially rich, with a thickness that makes me think of cocoa. Disclaimer: I’m not a fancy-pants coffee drinker. I don’t roast beans or use a scale or thermometer. But I like a good cup of coffee. Pairs well with UPC.

10p coins, A to Z

From the Royal Mint, ten-pence coins, celebrating British culture from A to Z. The art is sometimes off: F, for fish and chips, is ghastly. But at least T is tea. “Us Brits love a cup of tea,” says the Mint. (Really.) More here: “Q Is for Queuing” (The New York Times).

All Illinois is divided into three parts

I listened tonight to a radio debate among the Democratic candidates for Illinois governor. The most interesting of them, by far: Robert Marshall. Said he: “I have ideas that nobody has.” Though I’m not sure that’s what one might want in a governor.

Among this candidate’s ideas: dividing Illinois into three states. Oddly, or perhaps not so oddly, the issues page of the candidate’s website makes no mention of this proposal. And clicking on the link Governor Race yields only the announcement “Content Coming Soon.” But an explanation of the three-state solution can be found in an “introductory news release.”

[Post title with apologies to Julius Caesar.]

From China to Washington

“Advice to Washington from Ancient China,” assembled by Eliot Weinberger. For instance: “A country that can be said to be lost is not one without a ruler but one without laws.”

NYRB sale

New York Review Books is having a winter sale, fifty books at half price. Of those fifty, I can recommend Hans Herbert Grimm’s Schlump, James Schuyler’s Alfred and Guinevere, and Robert Walser’s Berlin Stories. But really, I’d recommend anything from the list. Our household has had worlds of reading open to us via NYRB. See, for instance, the previous post.

From Beware of Pity

Fourteen pages ago, Anton Hofmiller was realizing the importance of meaning something to others. Now things are different:


Stefan Zweig, Beware of Pity, trans. Phyllis and Trevor Blewitt (New York: New York Review Books, 2006).

Related reading
All OCA Stefan Zweig posts (Pinboard)

NeTfLiCks

It’s not just that Netflix has come to resemble TLC. I fear that Netflix has become TLC. In today’s e-mail, an advertisement for another Netflix “docuseries,” The Big Ward :

This reality series follows six New Zealanders on a quest to overcome obesity and qualify for life-saving stomach stapling surgery.

We gave up Netflix for Hulu earlier this week, and I doubt that we’ll regret doing so.

Arf, arf, arf

The New York Times reports that two of Barbra Streisand’s three dogs are clones of a fourth now-dead Streisand dog. For those keeping score, Miss Violet and Miss Scarlett are clones of the late Samantha.

[The threat level to reality is high. Reality is turning into a David Foster Wallace novel.]

“Welcome to the Internet”

[“EarthLink will connect you at up to 56Kbps.” Click for a larger disc.]

I moved a printer and made a discovery. Look at the RAM requirement for Earthlink’s dial-up app: 32, 64, or 128MB. (The Mac I’m typing on has 8GB RAM.) And the operating systems: remember Windows ME, the Millennium Edition? Worst Windows ever. (Shudder.)

This disc has a 2002 copyright date. EarthLink is still in business in 2018, and still offering dial-up service. But it’s time to let this disc go, no?