Books Blog: books.elliottback.com

It’s interesting to read this article about fake words inserted into dictionaries to detect their wholescale plagiarism:

A call was placed to Erin McKean, the editor-in-chief of the second edition of NOAD. Upon being presented with the majority opinion, McKean confirmed that “esquivalience” was a fabricated word. She said that Oxford had included it in NOAD’s first edition, in 2001, to protect the copyright of the electronic version of the text that accompanied most copies of the book. “The editors figured, We’re all working really hard, so let’s put in a word that means ‘working really hard.’ Nothing materialized, so they thought, Let’s do the opposite.” An editor named Christine Lindberg came up with “esquivalience.” The word has since been spotted on Dictionary.com, which cites Webster’s New Millennium as its source. “It’s interesting for us that we can see their methodology,” McKean said. “Or lack thereof. It’s like tagging and releasing giant turtles.”

Freakonomics, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, might be one of the best economics / scientific method, explore the world around us books that I’ve read in a long time. It’s got 4 star reviews on Amazon.com, and the authors have their own blog. There’s nothing more that I can say except that this book is a must read book. Just buy it.

If you want to read about how legalized abortion cut crime rates, on the co-dependent cheating of sumo wrestlers across win-lose lines and teams, or about why selling crack really isn’t that profitable, this is the book for you. You who ask why until a reasonable explanation is found.

There is beauty in randomness; it is art:

The Academy of American Poets has released this audio clip of Dylan Thomas’s reading of his own famous poem, “Do not go gentle into that good night.” It’s not an mp3 you can download, but you can listen to this beautiful villanelle in the flash player!

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.