I made a small contribution to a radio programme called An Ode to Chick Lit (on perceptions of women’s fiction). It was broadcast on Dublin City FM but the programme-maker, Pauline Dunne, has made it available on Soundcloud. You can listen here, if you’re so inclined.
Saw this little guy on Twitter. Hope he gets the part.
A few years ago I wrote a couple of novels under the name Alex Coleman. They’re available as ebooks on the Kindle Store now. You can read their blurbs and whatnot on my Books page.
Please buy a couple of million (of each, mind – OF EACH).
A really stunning song from new Irish talent. (New to me, at least, although admittedly my finger is nowhere near the pulse.)
Would you like to see Smiths’ lyrics inserted into Peanuts cartoons? Of course you would, you’re not crazy. Go here.
I’m not normally a fan of screensavers but this is just gorgeous. If you’re a fan of 2001: A Space Odyssey or Stanley Kubrick or murderous computers or, ideally, all three, point your browsing device here and prepare to get happy.
I saw this on boards.ie last night. It’s the Irishest forum discussion topic of all time. I giggled for a solid ten minutes.
Carmina Burana for the stressed parents of toddlers. If that’s you, prepare to sigh and nod your head a lot.
Listen to this: I just read that William Shakespeare invented over 1700 words. 1700! And I’m not talking about ‘nonny’. Among the examples on the list I saw were everyday favourites like ‘champion’, ‘amazement’, ‘lonely’, ‘submerge’, ‘courtship’, ‘excitement’, ‘gossip’, ‘puking’, ‘hint’, ‘eyeball’, ‘accused’, ‘tranquil’ and ‘elbow’. How did that work then? ‘Thou knowst that bit of thy arm where the bend is? Methinks I shall call it an “elbow”. Laugh not – this time next year, thou shalt all be at it.’ The truth is that we have always had more things than words for things. Douglas Adams and John Lloyd spotted this some years ago and bridged a few of the gaps with their book The Meaning of Liff. According to them, a ‘quenby’ is a spot of dirt on a window which you scrub for ten minutes before realising that it’s on the other side of the glass. To ‘smarden’ is to smile through your teeth at a story you’ve heard already. A ‘winkley’ is a lost object that turns up as soon as you buy a replacement. An ‘aith’ is the solitary bristle that pokes out the side of a cheap paintbrush. This is all good stuff, and I have been prompted to come up with a coinage of my own. It took several hours but I got there in the end. Ahem: ‘Glossaninny (n.) One who gets all excited about the idea of inventing words only to find out that he’s no good at it himself.’
Damien Owens