The Leaping Thought

An Arcimboldo for landscapes

I have to admit that it took a moment to realize that these painstakingly constructed tableaux were made using fruits, vegetables and other edibles. Check out the pasta wagon, Italian parsley branches, basil bushes, bean (stone) hedges and mushroom wheels in the image below.


A sea of chocolate, tree branches made of fresh dill, rye bread and potato rocks, a little green bean canoe and brown sugar sand.

Broccoli and cauliflower boulders, carrot stalactites, portobello mushroom and lobster tail rock formations... the one below is my favorite.

Do not miss the colored bell pepper awnings, pasta crates, dried thyme ivy and the Parmesan cheese walls. The more you look, the more you discover.


There are more ingeniously put together images by this same artist (unknown) at this web page.


A teacup shows its spots

Of course you know about the Leopard. But these lovely china cups won't bite you. Here's how it works: Etched into the cup's interior are patterns not readily visible to the eye, with the passage of time, the colored liquids you pour in (coffee or tea) stain the pattern out of hiding. How neat is that? I want them.




A bit pricey at £35 per cup but maybe you'll decide that you can't live without them.

via teafinelybrewed website


Oracular they were not

I love reading quotes like this. With the virtue of hindsight they are snortingly funny.

"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." --Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." --Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year." --The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957

"But what ... is it good for?" --Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.

"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." --Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977

"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." --Western Union internal memo, 1876.

"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?" --David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.

"The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible." --A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)

"Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" --H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927.

Want to read some more? Go here.


Andrew Bird

Who is Andrew Bird you ask? Until last week, I'd never heard of him either and I now I don't know how I lived without his music. I tend to be so unfaithful with regards to how quickly I jump from one musical love to another but this guy, well this guy makes me swoon and I'm keeping him. I've always thought the best kind of music is the one that makes you stop whatever you are doing and just listen. Andrew Bird does that to me. Even my musically hard to please kid begs me to play him. What more endorsement could one possibly want...

From Wikipedia: "Andrew Bird (born July 11, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Chicago^[1] and currently splits his time between Chicago and a farm near the town of Elizabeth in northwest Illinois. His musical proficiency includes competency in the violin, whistling, guitar, mandolin, and glockenspiel."

P.S. There's another song of his on my musical sidebar (to the right).





How long did it take to get to you?

E-mail is nearly instantaneous but sending a note the postal way often feels unbearably slow. Ever wonder how slow? All you have to do is time it with the Stopper Postcard.

You sit down to write your grandma the postcard you promised...


Grandmother sits patiently in Israel waiting, waiting, waiting...


et voilà! it only took like forever.




via dag-designlab website


Finally, a short note to let you guys know that next I'll be writing from DC. We'll be going to celebrate the Persian New Year (big deal in Persian Culture) and though I'm not relishing giving up my high 70's Houston weather, I can't wait to see my extended family in Washington and tell you all about Nowrūz.


Until next I write may you all find yourselves well,

Milena