Lumio: A Portable Light that Folds like a Book

This is such a simple, elegant, and brilliant idea. (Yes, that was a pun.) From the Kickstarter page:

It's very simple and intuitive. The lamp automatically turns on and off as you open and close the cover. A flexible and durable spine design allows you to control brightness by adjusting the angle without a switch or button. Lumio eliminates the hassle of walking across the room to find a light switch.

Interest in this project has been very high. Its tight schedule will have the Lumio available later this year, so let's keep our eyes open! More»

The Four Commandments of Reading for Self-Education

Some books are for escapism, for entertainment. Other books can teach us lessons, to help us improve our lives. Sometimes, the same book can offer us both. Here is a set of guidelines for achieving wisdom through reading.

The Four Commandments of Reading for Self-Education

1. A book is only as good as what you remember from it;
2. Actually reading is more important than reading fast;
3. Don’t be afraid to burn books;
4. Read books to become better at non-books.

More »

WINNIE ILLE PU by A.A. Milnei

That's right: this is Winnie The Pooh by A.A. Milne, as translated into Latin by Alexander Lenard. There is not a single page in English, or in any other language but Latin, for that matter. It was published in December 1960 and landed on The New York Times bestseller list for 20 weeks, selling 125,000 copies in 21 editions.

Alexander Lenard was an Hungarian-born doctor with an Austrian medical degree. As a refugee in 1952, he re-settled in Brazil where he spent seven years working on translating Pooh into Pu. The original edition of the book was self-published, as there was a lack of interest from Brazilian and English publishers. In 1984, Winnie Ille Pu was back in the bookstores, nearly 25 years after initial publication.

Winnie Ille Pu is more than just a Latin translation of a beloved children's book though. Interested in taking a peek at the content? Here's a PDF download ».

The New York Times itself published a retrospective of the book in 1984: "Winnie Ille Pu nearly XXV years later" »

There have been other translations into Latin of modern stories. These include Olivia, The Three Blind Mice, Harry Potter, The Little Prince, and some Dr. Seuss books (How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Cat In The Hat, Green Eggs And Ham). Read more at Mental Floss »

Kurt Vonnegut's Rules for Reading Fiction

Kurt Vonnegut, in his “Form of Fiction” course at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, used to write his course assignments as a letter, to be able to speak personally to everyone in the class. The result? A combination of assignment, letter, and guide to writing — and life.

This assignment is reprinted from Kurt Vonnegut: Letters (Delacorte Press), edited by Dan Wakefield. More »

January 2013

BOOKS READ

1. The Weaving Of A Dream, Marilee Heyer. ISBN 0-14-05028-8 (1989, Penguin Group). 2013.01.07
2. Your Eco-Friendly Yard: Sustainable Ideas To Save You Time, Money And The Earth, Tom Girolamo. ISBN 1-4402-0242-7 (2009, Krause Publications). 2013.01.08
3. Retro Home, Katherine Sorrell. ISBN 978-1-8589-4581-1 (2012, Merrell Publishers Limited). 2013.01.13
4. A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett. ISBN 978-0-19-274550-7 (2012, Oxford University Press). 2013.01.21
5. Oz: Dorothy & The Wizard In Oz, Adapt. Eric Shanower, Ill. Skottie Young. ISBN 978-0-7851-5554-6 (2012, Marvel Worldwide, Inc.). 2013.01.28