Hello, world. I’m MacDara Conroy, and this is my blog.

Date: April 2011

Sosaties on the braai, by MacDara on Flickr.

First braai of the summer. #image

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Arcade Fire and the ‘Never Heard of It’ Grammys

"It’s not really about knowledge or information. It’s an argument, for the most part, and a faintly aggressive one — a way of insisting that what you pay attention to really does define the world." Yes. And an interesting point to note: many who know well of the Arcade Fire, myself included, reacted in the opposite manner as they're so ubiquitous to us (they are stadium-filling rock stars, after all). [c/o Clusterflock] #link

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What Scientology tells us about journalism

Bobbie Johnson on the crucial difference between balance and fairness. Is it fair to give both sides of an argument equal balance when we know one side is wrong? (That's a rhetorical question, by the way.) #link

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The lost art of editing

I think – in fact I know – most people don't realise how much input editors have into the work of writers. #link

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Isotope

A jQuery library for interactive layouts. Saving this for future reference. #link

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The Year of Practical Thinking

In 2010, Giles Turnbull literally learned something new every day. Not all true, but that doesn't matter. (Also: 21 August made me smile; I know all the details about it, too.) #link

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Matt Webb muses on tsukumogami

From Wikipedia: "Tsukumogami originate from items or artifacts that have reached their 100th birthday and thus become alive and aware." So pretty much like the opposite of animals, then: we live our lives then turn inanimate; they remain frozen for a lifetime or more, and used by us, before they're finally born. #link

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When Should I Visit?

Random guide to the best days and times for visiting London's many museums and galleries. Just keep hitting refresh to find the one you want, or let serendipity be your guide. #link

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Weeknotes #488-493

Some highlights (and lowlights) of the past few weeks:

  • My commute to work in the mornings takes me over the old Broadstone rail line, of which only the trackbed remains. I’ve got a thing for disused rail lines (maybe it stems from wanting to be a train driver as a kid) so I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately, and wondering how one might go about walking the stretch from Broadstone to Liffey Junction, where it abuts the current Sligo line. Without breaking any laws, of course. Seems such a waste to ignore the space; Dublin’s own equivalent of the High Line, perhaps?

More…

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