English Rules

Album-Human Hybrids

January 27, 2008

I just saw a page full of photographs that people have taken of themselves with album covers obscuring parts of their bodies to make the pictures on the albums look like extensions of themselves. Some are amusing, some hilarious, and some downright creepy. Apparently there are quite a few people doing this sort of thing, with a quickly growing group … Read more.

A Slew of New Pictures

September 15, 2006

Actually, some of the photos are not exactly new, but they're new on the website, and I like how "slew" rhymes with "new" in the same way that I like how "slough" rhymes with "enough," so enough already with the lengthy introduction and on to the photos. Some of the pictures have my kids in them: Others feature friends' kids: … Read more.

Fall Photos

November 7, 2005

Last week I took my camera to Calvin College and snapped a few photos on campus. It was a lovely day, and the leaves were peaking, so I thought I'd share a few of the pics on this here blog. … Read more.

Recovering the Photographs

July 24, 2005

On Thursday night my family and I attended a beautiful wedding on the beach of Lake Michigan. The bride was a former student of mine, our kids' babysitter, and a dear friend, so I was especially anxious about being entrusted with the role of "official" photographer. I wanted to make sure that the bride and groom had a photographic record … Read more.

San Francisco Photos

May 8, 2005

The most vexing advantage of digital photography is that it allows me to take 400 pictures on a six-day vacation. One day I will be able to sort through all of them. For now, here are a few snapshots of our trip to San Francisco and environs. … Read more.

Signs and Wonders

April 9, 2005

"Signs" as in street signs or store signs; "Wonders" as in one wonders what the person who wrote that or painted that was thinking, or if the person was thinking at all. I took these photos while walking around downtown Grand Rapids the other day. … Read more.

Fall Colors

October 20, 2004

Grand Rapids can be really gorgeous this time of year, with an eyeful of yellows and oranges and reds wherever you look. It's hard not to take pictures these days. Maybe in a way I'm trying to store up some color for the long, bleak winter that lies ahead. Click on the pictures to see the full versions. … Read more.

A Walk to Work

September 11, 2004

Yesterday I took my camera along to work in the off chance that I would have time to snap some pictures of people milling around outside during lunchtime with all the booths set up for Celebration on the Grand, the last hurrah of the summer in downtown Grand Rapids. But since the bus dropped me off a half hour before … Read more.

In This Section

All Entries

Search

+ Advanced Search

Recently
in my life...

  • heard on local NPR stn that a film prod. co. wants to use empty school 2 blocks down from my house for film with Samuel L Jackson. Fun. — Tue, Aug 5 at 7:33 am
  • Reading an article at 1am about how sleep makes you smarter. I must be pretty dumb. Link Good night. — Tue, Aug 5 at 12:54 am

More of the same

Recent Comments

Karl on Gardening: cdj -- what Diane said. Diane, I…

Diane on Gardening: Gardening is a lot like everything in…

Brian Funck on The End of Four Friends: Great post, Burt & Bec. Speaks volumes…

dean on The End of Four Friends: It's a shame that four friends had…

cdj on Gardening: OK, I'll bite -- how, exactly, is…

Site Info

Elsewhere

My Bookshelf

Reading Now
  • Staggerford: A Novel
  • Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World
  • unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters
  • Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting
Just Read
  • JavaScript: The Definitive Guide
  • The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
  • The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
  • Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way (Facets)
On the Shelf
  • Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series)
  • Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
  • Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life
  • The Elephant Vanishes: Stories
  • The Catcher in the Rye
  • The Tenacity of the Cockroach: Conversations with Entertainment's Most Enduring Outsiders

© Karl Swedberg

widescreen bonus!

+ Blogroll

Noteworthy Articles

10 Things to Scratch From Your Worry List (NYTimes.com)

I?ve rounded up a list of 10 things not to worry about on your vacation.

The Disadvantages of an Elite Education (The American Scholar)

Our best universities have forgotten that the reason they exist is to make minds, not careers...z

We're Not Laughing at You, or With You (NYTimes.com)

Let's talk about the bloody crossroads where satire goes searching for its target...

Turf War (The New Yorker)

Americans can?t live without their lawns--but how long can they live with them?

Graffiti artist Banksy unmasked (Daily Mail)

He is perhaps the most famous, or infamous, artist alive. To some a genius, to others a vandal. Always controversial, he inspires admiration and provokes outrage in equal measure...

Behind the Bush Bust - Op-Ed (New York Times)

Other politicians besides Mr. Bush share the blame for the mess we?re in ? but most of them are Republicans...

On Day Care, Google Makes a Rare Fumble (NYTimes.com)

Parents who had been paying $1,425 a month for infant care would see their costs rise to nearly $2,500 ? well above the market rate. For parents with toddlers and preschoolers, who were charged less, the price increases were equally eye-popping

Secret report: biofuel caused food crisis (The Guardian)

Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75% - far more than previously estimated - according to a confidential World Bank report obtained by the Guardian...

Previewing McCain and Obama on geek issues

Last week, representatives for Barack Obama and John McCain addressed the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy conference on topics ranging from NSA surveillance to net neutrality to the competitiveness of American workers in the new economy...

Want to Remember Everything You'll Ever Learn? Surrender to This Algorithm (W...

SuperMemo is based on the insight that there is an ideal moment to practice what you've learned. Practice too soon and you waste your time. Practice too late and you've forgotten the material and have to relearn it...

David Blaine - This Time, He'll Be Left Breathless (New York Times)

As a doctor monitored his heart and his blood and breathing, David Blaine filled his lungs with pure oxygen and prepared to hold his breath -- for 16 minutes, he hoped. Mr. Blaine is a famous magician, but he insisted that this was no trick...

Happiness is the measure of true wealth (Telegraph)

It comes as no surprise to learn from a study published this week that, although Britons are twice as rich as they were in 1987, they are no happier...

Daily caffeine 'protects brain' (BBC)

Coffee may cut the risk of dementia by blocking the damage cholesterol can inflict on the body, research suggests...

Five Myths About Drinking Water (NPR)

Is bottled water better for you than tap? Or should you choose vitamin-enriched water over sparkling? Experts say, skip it all. None of these products are likely to make you any healthier...

Tighten Your Belt, Strengthen Your Mind - New York Times

Other activities that deplete willpower include resisting food or drink, suppressing emotional responses, restraining aggressive or sexual impulses, taking exams and trying to impress someone...