http://www.ftrain.com/ en-us 2011-09-21Z http://www.ftrain.com/a-and-b.html Recapitulation theory ("ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny") puts forth that incubating humans act out evolution as they grow from zygote to baby. This was a popular idea a century ago, but it's turned out the science isn't that simple. Yet the principle holds that the dividing fetal cells are engaged in a kind of performance of all of evolution—from simple to complex, from general form to specific form. The developing human loses its tail early, gains a cerebrum later. (continued...) 2011-09-21 http://www.ftrain.com/epiphanator.html Forgot to tell you about this. 2011-07-20 http://www.ftrain.com/aomr.html An essay for TheMorningNews.org. 2011-07-11 http://www.ftrain.com/woods-plus.html People call me a lot and say: What is this new thing? You're a nerd. Explain it immediately. 2011-07-10 http://www.ftrain.com/reading-twoaitaomr.html Reading! 2011-05-25 http://www.ftrain.com/re2.html So in 1993, BoingBoing tells us, a group called Mondo Vanilli made an art-prank album on Trent Reznor's Nothing label, but it was not released until now. The members of the group were "RU Sirius, founder of Mondo 2000 magazine, composer Scrappi DuChamp, and performance artist Simone Third Arm." (continued...) Paul Ford 2011-05-18 http://www.ftrain.com/re1.html (continued...) Paul Ford 2011-05-17 http://www.ftrain.com/nanolaw.html Why privacy mattered. 2011-05-16 http://www.ftrain.com/30w-psp.html It's immediately clear to me now that I'm writing again that I need to come up with some new forms in order to have fun here—so that I can get a rhythm and know what I'm doing. One thing that works for me are time limits; pencils up, pencils down. So: Fridays, write for 30 minutes; edit for 20 minutes max; and go whip up some images if necessary, like the big crappy hand below that's all meaningful and evocative because it's retro and zoomed-in. Post it, and leave it alone. Can I do that every Friday? Yes! Will I? Maybe! But I crave that simple continuity. For today, for absolutely no reason other than that it came unbidden into my brain, the subject will be Photoshop. (Do we have a process? We have a process. It is 11:39 and...) Paul Ford 2011-05-13 http://www.ftrain.com/shag.html Soon, orphans. 2011-05-12 http://www.ftrain.com/alunch.html Snack trams. Paul Ford 2011-05-11 http://www.ftrain.com/tickle.html I'll have no one to blame but future me. Paul Ford 2011-05-10 http://www.ftrain.com/times-inverted-index.html (1) When robots write history we can get in trouble with our past selves. (2) Search-generated, "false" chrestomathies and the historical fallacy. Paul Ford 2011-05-09 http://www.ftrain.com/star-wars.html People complain, still, about the new Star Wars movies being terrible, not up to the standards of the first few, but have you ever considered the gift the director gave to our culture when he failed so profoundly? An entire generation of men who secretly believed in space princesses, ready to waste countless hours on fantasy, suddenly forced to face facts. Lord knows Star Wars is still everywhere, but if the movies had been good it could have been even worse. (continued...) 2011-05-05 http://www.ftrain.com/lfjfe.html (1) Long-form journalism fixes everything. (2) The moral superiority of the streetcar. (3) I like big bus and I cannot lie. 2011-05-04 http://www.ftrain.com/microclimates.html Cut weather in half and there is more weather. 2011-05-03 http://www.ftrain.com/things-have-rules.html (1) Talking to strangers; (2) being a guest; (3) dressing appropriately. 2011-05-02 http://www.ftrain.com/readability.html Paul Ford 2011-02-01 http://www.ftrain.com/wwic.html I look forward to your feedback. Paul Ford 2011-01-06 http://www.ftrain.com/editors-ship-dammit.html tl;dr: needs editing. Paul Ford 2010-07-20