The ‘Terry Pratchett’ effect
Is there such a thing as reading too much Pratchett?
I’m currently wading through Science of Diskworld III for the umpty-ith time. I’m even reading the science part, and realizing his references to Paley and Darwin explicitly destroy the exact arguments that Ann Coulter makes for Intelligent Design in one of her books (the watch, the eye, the flagellum tail) ... and that those arguments have been broken for well over 100 years now. None of us are perfect, and (along with the Obama Kenyan thing) that’s one of Ann’s weak spots. And I’m enjoying the math part, aleph-zero and Cantor’s levels of infinity. I studied all that high end math crap once upon a time, 9 and worse: fuzzy logic and bags!) and it’s an enjoyable recollection, though decades later I have still never once had a chance to bring up an aleph-zeroplex conversationally.
I’m hoping to get my hands on his latest work soon. I know, I ought to say I’m Aching for it, right? Even though some of the reviews are mixed, and the story has some disappointing parts in it that go unresolved. Just like real life, which I’m guessing is what the point is. Crivens!
Banana Milk! Ripe bananas into the blender, 3/4 full with milk, some honey, maybe shredded coconut, blend well. Yum!
NO!!!
NO COCONUT!!!
Hate coconut. Only good for bashing in the heads of stupid Presidents.
But they’re going around knocking the coconuts off just because they MIGHT hit the President.
As if that would be a bad thing…
The world would probably be a better place without coconut, as a foodstuff. I can’t speak intelligently about the characteristics of a coconut as an inertial object.
As for that ‘Because I have to be somewhere’ line, it reminds me of what Buckaroo Banzai said:
“No matter where you go, there you are.”
Posted by ooGcM taobmaetS
11/07/2010 at 05:14 PM
‘Do you have to stand in the middle of the room?’
‘Is there something else I should be standing in the middle of?’I’d suggest doing things other than standing in the middle of the room, but anyone who knows me well enough to be my wife knows me well enough that they don’t want to go there. YMMV.
Or if you’d rather, you can take the route my son took when he was 13 or so:
“Yes, yes, I must! It is my destiny!”
...and stood there absolutely deadpan, waiting for me to either think of a way to respond, or crack.
Full disclosure, I cracked. In fact I laughed for most of the day.
Drew; I got your ‘Aching’ reference.
Which just means you’re a pedophile. How dare you pine for under-age witches? I’m gonna sic Granny Weatherwax on you!
Grumpy, great line. I hope I remember to use it the next time it comes up.
Try this one next time;Since we’ve been married I was made to understand that I have no standing in this house sweetheart.
Off topic but Lord Monckton is my hero:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG3OnOiUCPo&NR=1"Everybody’s got to be somewhere.”
The quote is not original with Pratchett.
This was said by Eccles to a question by Bluebottle on a radio show called “The Goon Show”, written by Spike Milligan back in the 1950s and 1960s. If you think the English are nuts you really should hear this stuff.
Samples should be on YouTube and/or the BBC.
I know, because I heard it when it was first broadcast. I really am that old, and my head is also full of other such rubbish.
11/10/2010 at 02:42 PM
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