Nulla Dies Sine Linea - Hubert van Herreweghen

Hubert van Herreweghen, Vlaanderens' grootste nog levende dichter: huldigt nog steeds Plinius' adagium: "Nulla Dies sine Linea" en vertoeft nog maar al te graag op 87-jarige leeftijd in zijn (en ons) geliefkoosd Pajottenland:

"Verloren woorden en gebaren,
die niet bij Bruegel waren
zullen de vreugde niet verstaan"

"de dagen dat ik nog de tijd vind en de rust om het gedicht te lezen...
die dagen... zeldzaam zijn ze, en niet genoeg geprezen"

"al wat ik kreeg van taal en kunde, bleef ik slijpen tot het zong,
al was 't van 't slijpen, ...dat 't verdunde..."

Bedankt, Hubert, voor vriendschap, emotie en ontroering! (en natuurlijk 87 jaar Pajotse ontroering)


Meer info: Hubert; Nog meer Hubert

Eco-driving: become an E-pilot

1/ keep Diesel fuel RPM below 2000: SWITCH to higher gears ASAP (check)
2/ maintain constant speed as much as possible, no or few acc/deceleration (not there yet...)
3/ anticipate what traffic will do (check)
4/ easy on the gas throttle, easy on the brakes (check)
5/ brake on the engine, with clutch engaged (check)
6/ do not drive fast (faster than 100km/h is tooo fast) (not there yet)
7/ maintain optimal tire pressure (???)
8/ do not over-use defrost/airco. Do not open windows as it augments wind-braking (check)
9/ keep weight of stowage below optimal levels: do not overcharge vehicule (check)
10/ to measure is to know is to reduce: keep log of fuel consumption at gas station (check)

Help! The Human Civilisation is loosing its memory

Extracts from an excellent article in Le Monde:
as the humans advance into the 21st century, they started to rely exclusively on badly performing data storage... One glitch... and it'll all be gone... Doomsday Scenario? Think again - quickly ... and then go backup your stuff

« La mémoire de l’humanité est devenue de plus en plus numérique (information administrative, artistique, médicale, scientifique, …). (…) Dans toute son histoire, l’humanité n’a utilisé de techniques aussi instables pour enregistrer ses données ».

Franck Laloë, directeur de recherche émérite au CNRS, regrette la négligence de notre société à développer des technologies adaptées pour éviter que les « supports sur lesquels est inscrite l’information numérique ne soient constamment rongés de l’intérieur par le temps ».

L’auteur insiste : tout patrimoine numérique (bandes magnétiques, disques durs, CD enregistrables, DVD enregistrables, etc.) abandonné à lui-même, ne fût-ce que 5 ou 10 ans, risque d’être définitivement perdu. (this already happened to wacondah...)

« Comment en sommes-nous arrivés à une telle régression, alors que les parchemins du Moyen Age ou les tablettes cunéiformes assyriennes ont traversé des dizaines de siècles ? (…) On peut craindre dans quelques années de grandes difficultés dans bien des branches de l’activité humaine si le problème n’est pas pris à bras-le-corps pendant qu’il est encore temps. L’humanité perd la mémoire ». (Le Monde – 27/28.01.08)

Contemporary Flemish Artists - AMVK

Chapter of Opening the Mouth of Time: "Chapter of Opening the Mouth of Time is a non-stop digital vortex for which AMVK intercuts the images of AntiSade Press Calendar for 2007 with 365 snapshots, more images, notes, words and things from her DAAD-residence in Berlin."

To be produced in WIELS in 2008

Sports: B.Fischer dead

Usually, Wacondah.com does not post any news whatsoever on "sports", yet this item deserves an exception: B.Fischer, legendary Grand Master of the game of Chess, passed away in Iceland this week.

The 1993 Movie: "Searching for Bobby Fischer"
The Luzhin Defence (2000)

Copenhagen Consensus - what should be the World's Priorities

Copenhagen Consensus – addresses 10 major challenges in the world. - Home

Back in 2004, a panel of world-recognized experts prioritised the challenges of the world, for the first time in history. the initiative came from Bjorn Lomborg, of "Sceptical Environmentalists" fame, a Danish statistician formerly deeply involved in the conservationist-environmentalist movement.

Lomborg developed an alternative vision and is now widely regarded as a serious, yet dissenting voice that brings new ideas to the table.

You can prioritize what you believe are the world's most important challenges here



This was Wacondah's list

Gamine

Gamine
Originally uploaded by wacondah

A new friend has arrived: Gamine the Danish/German Dog (a few weeks old), yet already great friends with the kids. Pure snoezigheid!

Red een Boom

Red een boom & give Belgacom the f$nger: "Bent u een fervent internetter en wenst u liever geen papieren telefoongids te ontvangen ?"

Top shelves - the World's Top 10 Libraries

Inspiration for your next Thematic Trip around the World?

Top shelves | Shoptalk | Guardian Unlimited Books: "6) Posada in Brussels
Located in a dear old house near St Magdalen's church in Brussels, Posada Books is as famous for its pretty interior as it is for its collection of new and second-hand art books. Has a remarkable collection of exhibition catalogues, which goes back to the beginning of the last century, and holds occasional exhibitions too."

Red de Volkscafés!

Volkscafés: "Ken je een volkscafé in jouw buurt of ben je er zelf stamgast? Laat het ons dan weten. Vul het formulier in op onze website en help ons het volkscafé redden!"

Wij nomineerden "in de verzekering tegen de groten dorst" in Eizeringen

Henri's at Work

Un quartier de Bruxelles déja dirigé par l'islam (?)

Deutsche Welle TV (in English): reporting on the situation in Molenbeek / Brussels

World's Largest Collection of "Rules of Thumb"

Category - SURVIVAL:
- If you are assaulted, scream Fire! People are more likely to come to your aid than if you shout Help!
- If you are lost in the woods, always travel downstream.
- Bears can outrun, outclimb, and outswim a human. Your only hope is to run downhill. A bear's center of gravity makes it difficult for them to run downhill. (Wacondah does not fully agree on this one... you might also take your chances and "play dead" or not venture into the woods at all... Or jump into a canoe, as the bears surely does not paddle as well as you...)


Category: kids
- A child will become as you describe him to others.
- Children should get library cards when they can write their full names.
- Crabby babies get more attention than quiet babies, and babies who get more attention have higher IQs.
- Parents teach more by example than by words. Reading parents have reading children; achieving parents have achieving children.
- When babies start grunting, wait 20 minutes before changing them. That way you will change only one messy diaper, not two.
- The number of guests at a child's birthday party should be limited to the age of the child. Invite three for a three-year-old, five for a five-year-old.
- Inappropriate seasonal dress is one of the first signs of a youngster abusing drugs.


Category: Romance & Marriage

- Shut the heck up, feed him what he likes to eat, and sex on Saturday that he can take a nap after.

Guy turns 50 - shares 50 lessons

50 lessons in 50 years: "49. Whatever your passion, pursue it as though your days were numbered. Because they are."


Makes me smile and think about that video Baz Luhrman made a decade ago (God, we're really on our way to joining these sad dudes turning 50 and sharing 50 lessons): Wear Sunscreen

Pourquoi Arrêter de Fumer?

De Europeanen (Caroline de Gruyter)

De Europeanen / Recensies / Politics.be - Jouw politieke portaalsite: "In de Belgische hoofdstad wonen zeker 150.000 professionals uit allerlei Europese landen. Ze houden vooral van Brussel omdat ze er kunnen zijn wie ze zijn. Brussel is zo internationaal dat je nauwelijks de indruk hebt in België te zijn. De meesten hebben dan ook nauwelijks Belgische vrienden en zien vooral elkaar. Ze voelen zich Europees, omdat ze met hun neus op de Europese besluitvorming zitten en vooral met lotgenoten in contact komen. “Deze mensen leven in een ander Europa dan de gemiddelde EU-burger”"

Listening to: "Bloc Party" + soundtracks from 28DaysLater

The Cosmic Calendar

Understanding the Universe - It's Awesome - Cosmic Calendar - DiscoverySchool.com

Carl Sagan was the first to depict the history of the universe on a 1-year scale... starting with the Big Bang on Jan.1 and showing the appearance of Homo erectus on Dec.31 at 1048PM...

A hunger for books - The guardian

A hunger for books | Review | Guardian Unlimited Books: "A hunger for books: Last night Doris Lessing, aged 88, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. In her acceptance speech she recalls her childhood in Africa and laments that children in Zimbabwe are starving for knowledge, while those in more privileged countries shun reading for the 'inanities' of the internet"

Ask any modern storyteller and they will say there is always a moment when they are touched with fire, with what we like to call inspiration, and this goes back and back to the beginning of our race, to fire and ice and the great winds that shaped us and our world.

Some argue this to be one of the best speeches delivered EVER.
The burning passion for knowledge and stories: Doris Lessing drives the message home.

Welkom in 2008

Reading: 416 non-read emails + http://vliegendeiland.blogspot.com/ en "Dear John" by N.Sparks
Viewing: House of the Flying Daggers (eindelijk zend Canvas nog eens een film uit van niveau op een deftig uur!
Listening to: Bloc Party
Thinking: "Lattoflex rules". "Do not deal with emails before 10 AM" (dixit Tom V!)
Travelling: in 2008: Istanbul, Zaragoza, Stockholm, Singapore, Geneva (and that's just the start...)