Start the week #81

Reading, writing and other stuff

Greetings!

Sorry this is a few hours later than usual. But enough of this persiflage! On with the newsletter.

Terry

Mission impossible

A teacher at college told us that his ambition was to read every book that's ever been published. I thought at the time what an impossible aim that is. A worthy ambition, but impossible. And for the last few years that's been my ambition too, and equally impossible.  But I think the saddest thing I've come across, as a teacher, is kids with no ambition, no horizon beyond leaving school, getting a job.

Conversely, it's so inspiring when kids not only have an impossible ambition. but achieve it. I think of an airline pilot I met who heard an aeroplane flying across during a lesson at school, and thought "one day in be piloting that plane." I think of Champollion, aged 11, who on hearing a teacher say that nobody had deciphered the Egyptian hieroglyphs declared, "I shall do it.”, and largely did.

It's true that in some situations it's good to heed Dirty Harry's advice — a man's got to know his limitations — but it's also good to ignore it. A guest speaker I introduced at a conference particularly liked what I told the audience: " …doesn't so much think outside the box as not recognise the existence of the box in the first place!"

Ghost writing

If you write something, and nobody sees it, can it be said to have been written? That's my variant of the old leaf in a. forest chestnut. Mind you, a better variant was that told by the late Ken Robinson: Seen on a tee-shirt: If a man says something in a forest, and there's no woman there to hear him, is he still wrong?

Tethered bottle tops

Who decided that tethered bottle tops would be a great idea? Before recently, the only time I’d heard the word “tethered” used was in the context of goats. But now bottled water in England comes with a tethered top. Fine, it makes it hard to lose the top, but it also makes it hard to:

1. Get the top undone in the first place.

2. Stop it from spilling all over you when you suddenly manage to yank it open.

3. Prevent it from lacerating your lips as you try to drink from the bottle.

4. Getting the blasted thing back on.

Is this what the 21st century will be remembered for? Photo by Terry Freedman

I’d like to find out who the genius behind this is, and then nominate him or her for the Brain of Britain contest.

London

As I was recently around the Baker Street area, I thought I’d take this picture of Sherlock Holmes:

Sherlock Holmes, by Terry Freedman

Inside Freedman Towers

Awww, how sweet, department:

Minty (left) and Willow. Photo by Terry Freedman

Short and, I hope, sweet

No, not me, but this newsletter. I’ve spent a load of time writing recently, including a 10,000 word booklet on using AI, plus 8 other articles on other websites, 3 book reviews for a magazine, and my articles here (see below). Consequently I am (a) behind in my Substack reading and (b) a bit knackered. So if you don’t mind, I’ll round this off now.

My articles that you may have missed

Letter to Rebecca It’s her turn to reply to me, on Wednesday. You really ought to subscribe, because as well as her fan mail to me she also writes thoughtful posts, beautifully illustrated.

Library madness, a mini essay in exactly 300 words.

Experiments in style, this time in the form of a stately home guidebook.

Other people’s articles

There have been several articles about James Joyce’s Dubliners lately. A great collection of short stories that you must read if you have not already done so. Or even if you have.

The book of Dublin, by

Mr. Troy Ford

Why I 💗James Joyce’s Dubliners, by

Dr. Kathleen Waller

writing in Troy Ford’s newsletter.

First Loves, by

Tom Pendergast

Videos

A great solo and showmanship by Prince:

One of my favourite songs from way back, liked by the girl with long hair too.

I’ve shared this next one before, but just in case you haven’t seen it…

I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s Start the Week.