A common cause of mondegreens, in particular, is the oronym: word strings in which the sounds can be logically divided multiple ways. One version that Pinker describes goes like this: Eugene O’Neill won a Pullet Surprise. The string of phonetic sounds can be plausibly broken up in multiple ways—and if you’re not familiar with the […]
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Posted inNonfiction, Reading List
‘The World Is Full of Obvious Things’: A Sherlock Holmes Reading List
Sherlock Holmes feels uncannily contemporary these days — from his dizzying array of post-hipsterish quirks (Cocaine user! Virtuosic violin player! Exotic tobacco aficionado!) to a social aloofness that feels straight out of a Millennial INTP‘s playbook. (His knack for Twitter-ready aphorisms doesn’t hurt, either.) I’ve been rereading Conan Doyle’s stories for almost 20 years, and the guy has never felt more fresh.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Childhood Development and the Psychological Roots of Disgust
Disgust has deep psychological roots, emerging early in a child’s development. Infants and young toddlers don’t feel grossed out by anything—diapers, Rozin observes, are there in part to stop a baby “from eating her shit.” In the young mind, curiosity and exploration often overpower any competing instincts. But, at around four years old, there seems to be a profound shift.
Posted inNonfiction, Reading List
Reading List: Summertime and the Reading Is Easy
“Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.” – Russell Baker
Posted inNonfiction, Reading List
Reading List: Summertime and the Reading Is Easy
“Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.” – Russell Baker
Posted inNonfiction, Reading List
Working 9 to 5: A Reading List About the Way We Work
The lines between my life and these lists blur often, and this week is no exception; I begin a new job tomorrow. 1. “Workin’ 9 to 5 (What a Way to Make a Living).” (Megan Reynolds, The Billfold, April 2014) “I can’t shake the feeling that the 9-to-5 grind carries the one hallmark of adulthood—obligation. […]
Posted inNonfiction, Reading List
Working 9 to 5: A Reading List About the Way We Work
The lines between my life and these lists blur often, and this week is no exception; I begin a new job tomorrow. 1. “Workin’ 9 to 5 (What a Way to Make a Living).” (Megan Reynolds, The Billfold, April 2014) “I can’t shake the feeling that the 9-to-5 grind carries the one hallmark of adulthood—obligation. […]
