jamesdmacdonald

Photographic Evidence

Originally posted on Dr. Doyle's Blog:
Or, Robert Frost gets it right again. Something there is that doesn’t love a wall…. Tree roots and the freeze-thaw cycle, to be specific. The freeze-thaw cycle is also responsible for frost heaves, which can give the roads up here a corrugated appearance in late winter and early…

First Impressions and Timing Issues

Originally posted on Dr. Doyle's Blog:
It matters a lot, sometimes, what age you are when you first read a particular book. Most of the time, though, the bit that matters isn’t whether or not you’re old enough for it. Those of us who are members of the siblinghood of compulsive readers spend a…

A Source of Amusement and Some Good Advice

Originally posted on Dr. Doyle's Blog:
I first encountered Wolcott Gibbs’s “Theory and Practice of Editing New Yorker Articles” in James Thurber’s The Years With Ross, Thurber’s memoir of the early days of the New Yorker magazine. In many ways, it’s a relic of its moment in time (1937, to be precise); it was…

Royal Road To Card Magic – A (returning) Beginner’s Advice – Part 1: OH Shuffle Introduction

Royal Road To Card Magic – A (returning) Beginner’s Advice – Part 1: OH Shuffle Introduction Guest post by Jack Viktor. Originally posted on Reddit r/magic Disclaimer: I’ve been doing card magic for over a decade (on and off). I’m not “good”. I don’t consider myself even close. I’ve watched enough Vernon material to knowContinue reading “Royal Road To Card Magic – A (returning) Beginner’s Advice – Part 1: OH Shuffle Introduction”

I Haven’t Vanished From the Internet

Originally posted on Dr. Doyle's Blog:
I did, however, sprain my wrist a while back, which put a crimp in my keyboarding for a while there. By way of apology, have a recipe, with bonus family anecdote: Jake’s Mother’s Teacakes 1/2 cup shortening (probably lard, originally; latterly, Crisco) 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1/4…