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Here are some nice pics of an ultimate frisbee game in the Presidio. They were all taken by Esther, wife of Emmett, one of the players. She was gracious enough to come photograph us for this game.

Schneier’s Big Book of Codes. Daunting.

Chicago throws the world’s biggest fair to date. A serial killer opens his own hotel across the street. I can’t believe:

1. I’d never heard of this story.
2. What a freaking good job Larson does at telling it.

Another one in Open D, this one with a capo on the second fret. Quite a few mistakes in this one, but it’s just too hot in my house to do it again.

John Henry

This is a simple version of the tune I learned from Grossman’s Big Book. It’s in Open D tuning.

Kassie Jones

John Hurt’s slide version of this song, ‘Talking Casey’, is my favorite.

A little change of pace. This is an old folk tune I learned from this nifty site.

The Girl I Left Behind Me

Written in mostly dialogic form, this book explores the nature of Jewish identity, the odd landscape and rules of canonization, and the human frailties of those we canonize. The conceit is that four Jewish intellectuals, all from the same German and Viennese generation of Jews that came of age during Hitler, are meeting on Parnassus to tie up some loose ends.

The book is visually elegant, with full-color pictures (some designed just for the book), and also includes an accompanying CD. I’ve never read anything quite like it.

The president of my country wrote a book. Two, actually. And at least one of them is really good. How weird is that.

One more John Hurt song in the key of A. This is not the Candyman song where ’the Candyman can’. Although, in this version, the Candyman certainly can, he’s not actually talking about candy.

Candyman

In this recording my strings are completely shot. I’ll have to record it again sometime when I summon the energy to change my strings.

Miller surveys a sample of indigenous cuisines from around the planet, looking for “cold spots” or regions of low incidence of some modern ailment like diabetes or heart disease. Learning about the culinary history and culture of Iceland, Cameroon, and other locations is enjoyable and instructive, though Miller’s writing is a bit stilted and filled with too many clichés. The recipes included in the index might end up being the best part.