A number of random discoveries

Yes, you too can create medieval cartoons! The Historic Tale Construction Kit can be used to roll your own Bayeux tapestry with a very simple cut-and-paste interface.

A lot of people have gone and done this, and the results range from hilarious to scatalogically tacky.


Here is something to either make you want to visit New York again, or never visit it at all.

A copy of Stephen King's acceptance speech for the "Distinguished Contribution to American Letters Award" can be found here. Whether or not you like his books, you have to appreciate his humanity and his honesty.

Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments

The article above, referenced in a very interesting thread on the topic of how and why editors reject manuscripts , made for interesting reading. Even if you don't get through all of the article, the first couple paragraphs are good food for thought.

In essence, it suggests that people who are incompetent in something (intellectual or artistic) are by their very nature unable to comprehend the thing and thus judge their own level of incompetence.

So that, for instance, a politician who was incompetent might not necessarily have the mental tools to understand what a competent politician was, and therefore be unable to realize his own lack of ability.

Not that I'm pointing fingers, of course.