The Lost Languages, Found in New York
While there is no precise count, some experts believe New York is home to as many as 800 languages — far more than the 176 spoken by students in the city’s public schools or the 138 that residents of Queens, New York’s most diverse borough, listed on their 2000 Census forms. via nytimes.com In an alternate universe, where I chose the Linguist skill tree instead of the Librarian skill tree, I travel to New York and learn all the lullabies. Posted via web from links.cygnoir.net ...
Read Morethree strange days
My friend Adam — who could not possibly know how great he is, he is just that great — put this song on a mixtape he made for me sometime around two decades ago. Though the tape has long been lost, I still listen to this song because it reminds me of a time when all of my days were strange, and yet I made it through, and will make it through again, and will keep on making it through until there is no longer a through or an it or a make. (4805 KB) Listen on posterous Sometimes my perspective gets all hazy. I am lucky to have your words to nudge me back to center. I am lucky to have a partner who waits out the whinging and two cats who are reliably cuddly and long-suffering. I am lucky, don’t think I don’t know it; I just...
Read Morefavorite and least favorite words poll results
I promised to share the results of my informal poll, so here they are … Favorite: foible. Least favorite: moist and phlegm. Here is the spreadsheet, if you are curious. I was intrigued by the fact that both “moist” and “phlegmatic” were on the favorite words list. Posted via web from links.cygnoir.net ...
Read MoreThe Only Four Chords You Will Ever Need
via youtube.com Axis of Awesome demonstrates the pop-hit power of these four chords. (via my personal Rock Band heroes, C&R) Posted via web from links.cygnoir.net ...
Read Moresomeone here smells like barbecue sauce
This was transcribed from my paper journal. 26 April 2010. Waiting at Civic Center for the train home. I thought I might make it to writing group tonight, but my head is pounding. Pounding, pounding; it must be stress. My life has become this dull spiral of stress and sickness and waiting for the other shoe to drop. I hate waiting for components of wedding planning, of grad school apps. I never know where the edges are, when things are finished. I throw myself outwards but I’m on a rubber cord so I bounce right back in. Someone here smells like barbecue sauce. I am sitting on the round marble bench I never sit on because I am tired and my head throbs with the train sounds. Here is my train but it is full. I could press myself into it but that...
Read MoreImagine: Protest, Insurgency and the Workings of White Privilege
by Tim Wise April 25, 2010, 8:33 am Let’s play a game, shall we? The name of the game is called “Imagine.” The way it’s played is simple: we’ll envision recent happenings in the news, but then change them up a bit. Instead of envisioning white people as the main actors in the scenes we’ll conjure-the ones who are driving the action-we’ll envision black folks or other people of color instead. The object of the game is to imagine the public reaction to the events or incidents, if the main actors were of color, rather than white. Whoever gains the most insight into the workings of race in America, at the end of the game, wins. So let’s begin. Imagine that hundreds of black protesters were to descend upon...
Read MoreThe Trustworthiness of Beards
via laughingsquid.com Do you agree? Posted via web from links.cygnoir.net
Read MoreHow to Opt Out of Facebook’s New Instant Personalization
via librarianbyday.net I wouldn’t have known about the second part of the latest changes had I not read this article. Thanks, Librarian by Day! (via JDS) Posted via web from links.cygnoir.net ...
Read Morepoll: your favorite and least favorite words
via flickr.com I am working on writing relevant titles instead of clever ones. Bear with me! What is your favorite word? What is your least favorite word? Names count. Respond somewhere I will read it, and I will share the results — and my choices — in a week. Posted via web from links.cygnoir.net ...
Read MoreDeal with unions preserves S.F. jobs
Up to 500 city workers could lose their jobs under a tentative deal Mayor Gavin Newsom reached Tuesday with union leaders as the city tries to close a projected $483 million budget deficit. The two-year deal, which allows far fewer layoffs than the 1,500 or more that officials had been contemplating, also calls for an unprecedented shutdown of nonessential city services in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. It covers about 20 unions and more than 90 percent of city workers, including nurses, clerks, librarians, engineers, firefighters and others. Read the rest at sfgate.com. Now you know what I know. Posted via web from links.cygnoir.net ...
Read MoreNestcam
The cam was last on Friday, May 4.
Hello What
I am Halsted, a/k/a cygnoir, and I do stuff with words.
My favourite things to do with words are keeping this diary, writing stories, and organising information.
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Scribbling
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1,987/4,000 words
3,593/4,000 words
Reading
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Gridlock
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Gridlock
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Gridlock
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Plugging
