Michael Lewis: The Big Short
A great journalistic narrative. It reads like a thriller.
Rem Koolhaas on Architecture in the Age of Globalisation
Koolhaas talks about the changing face of architecture and the changing role of the architect in the age of globalisation. Architecture used to reflect the values of a society, now it expresses the aspirations of the architect.
Guy Deutscher: Through the Language Glass
Languages differ in what they must convey, not in what they may convey.
Escaped From the Language Lab
While playing around with Google Translate I was reminded of this essay by Dutch writer Rudy Kousbroek.
Tim Parks On McNovels and the Globalization of Literature
Tim Parks draws attention to the fact that literature is not immune to the forces of globalization.
A Finite Formula For Partitions
Two recent papers by the mathematician Ken Ono and co-authors are making waves in mathematics circles this week.
The Best Albums of 2010
2010 was another good year for music, but perhaps, as in the past four years, this reflects the fact that I sampled more albums.
Holland Animation Film Festival 2010
I was stuck on a train for several hours, so I didn't get to see all the programs I'd been planning to see and for which I already had tickets.
The Illusionist
"The Illusionist" is a charming, moving and magical film, from the director of "Les Triplettes de Belleville".
Harry Mulisch: The Discovery of Heaven
Harry Mulisch passed away the other week and with tributes all over the Dutch media I thought I'd finally read The Discovery of Heaven.
A Short Note On Signalling
In economics, signalling refers to the idea that one party credibly conveys some information about itself to another party. In evolutionary biology signalling has a more general meaning.
Johan van der Keuken at FOAM
The work of Dutch filmmaker and photographer Johan van der Keuken (1938-2001) is in my genes. This may be why I have never been fully aware of his influence on my own work and thinking.