From Axis Mundi to Mappa Mundi: Great Temples and Sacred Bundles in Aztec Society: the 2014 Divinity School Alumnus of the Year lecture, by Davíd Carrasco

Via the University of Chicago alumni newsletter:

From Axis Mundi to Mappa Mundi: Great Temples and Sacred Bundles in Aztec Society: the 2014 Divinity School Alumnus of the Year lecture, by Davíd Carrasco.

Davíd Carrasco (ThM 1970, MA 1974, PhD in the History of Religions area, 1977) as the Divinity School's Alumnus of the Year for 2014. Carrasco is the Neil Rudenstine Professor of the Study of Latin America at Harvard University, with a joint appointment in the Department of Anthropology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Harvard Divinity School. A famed scholar, lecturer, writer, filmmaker, and expert on Mexican and Mesoamerican art and culture, he is a historian of religions with a particular interest in religious dimensions in human experience

Recorded in Swift Hall on April 24, 2014.

Watch here.

Cyberflanerie: Others Did It So I Don't Have To Edition

(But did she ever get to Alaska?)

Live through an Alaskan Winter in an RV

Watch a Famous 4 Hour Interview with Mega-Famous Movie Star María Félix

(via David Lida. David, Did you actually watch this?)

Figure Out in Crunchy Techno-Industrial Detail What Happened to Tom Cruise

P.S. As for things I get to do and that I recommend: I am reading an advance copy of Tom Christensen's River of Ink and it is beyond splendid. Stay tuned.

COMMENTS always welcome

LOLcat Du Jour

New Vessel Press: Read Your Way Around the World

As a literary translator and long-ago editor of the now-defunct Tameme, I sat up and took serious notice of this beautiful new effort out of New York: New Vessel Press. Warmest wishes to you! Dear readers, do check this out.

COMMENTS always welcome
More anon. I have been in IngramSpark purgatory all day long. Grrr.

SURF ON:
>Around the World with Madam Mayo: Summer Travel Reading
>Celebrating Literal: My Talk from the Feria Internacional de Libros
>Largehearted Boy Playlist
>Why Aren't There More Readers?

Cyberflanerie: Alain de Botton on Pessimism

Well worth watching…

Cyberflanerie: Writerly Whatnot Edition

Ellen Cassedy's generous & inspired monthly column of writing tips for She Writes
(P.S. Cassedy's guest-blog post for Madam Mayo, 5 Links to Learn Yiddish.)

Hugh Howey's Author Earnings

Jane Friedman shows the changing face of publishing in 5 charts
(This is why so much of my focus these past few years has been on publishing Kindles and making podcasts.)

The last installation of novelist Carmen Amato's Bookstores of the Future series

(P.S. My ancient ode to bookstores over at Red Room.)

Thank you, dear Gregory Gibson, one of my favorite writers and the best rare book dealer blogger, I am honored to find "Madam Mayo" on your blog roll at Bookman's Log.

Lucas Klein on Translation and Translation Studies as a Social Movement

Novelist Leslie Pietrzyk on 10 Works You Must Read (IMHO) and 10 classic works she wishes she'd read

(P.S. My War & Peace blog and recommended reading for writers.)

Ellen Prentiss Campbell reviews Laurie Colwin

Rose Rosetree reads Maya Angelou's awesome aura

Robin Black on 21 Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Started Writing

SURF ON, BODACIOUS READER-WRITER:

Giant Golden Buddha & 364 More Free 5 Minute Writing Exercises

Eight Conclusions After 8 Years of Blogging

That Andrew Wiley interview, again, because it just so totally floats my boat

Conversations with Other Writers Occasional Podcast Series

COMMENTS always welcome.

Cyberflanerie: Free Sound Clips, Free Images & Free Fonts Editions

3Dumb by Tension Type on Font Squirrel

Free sound clips

Via Joan Stewart's newsletter, a link to 53+ Free Image Sources for Your Blog and Social Media posts

Font Squirrel!

More Free fonts

COMMENTS

Cyberflanerie: Blogs Noted Edition

Mexican urban legend: John Kachuba on La Pascualita

Almost as gruesome: Andrew Wylie Interview in the New Republic

Via the ever-fabulous Swiss-Miss: Tiny Town Is Inventing Bus Stops

Brigid Amos has a lovely new blog, Nebraska Notion
PS My favorite place in Nebraska, Carhenge

Seth Roberts' final paper, "How Little We Know"

Karen Casey Fitzjerrel's From the Back Roads

Introvert to Extrovert on Patricia Dubrava's blog, Holding the Light


COMMENTS

Cyberflanerie: Print All Over Me Pants Edition

So if you've been following this blog you know I've been raving about Print All Over Me (printallover.me), as a kind of LOLcats x designy x Instagram x China = future of fashion (a mention here and blog post about the sweatshirts and some sweatpants here). Herewith some sweatpants picks:

printallover . me

printallover . me

printallover . me

printallover . me

printallover. me

Cyberflanerie: Instacart Mexico City, Anti-Surveillance Mask, Lil Crabe the Flying Pretzel Man & etc

Not. I mean, it's not here in Mexico City yet. So my registering and trying out Instacart for a California zipcode was sort of totally pointless except for the fact that, wow, what a user interface!! Years ago I tried a couple of on-line grocery services, they both were bigger headaches than, oh hell, just getting in the car and going over there myself. Seriously, have a look at Instacart's super elegant & easy user interface. 

Also very interesting (this is the economist in me): the implications of such services for the labor market. Seems to me an enterprising student/housewife / retiree could put together a tidy little income from working Instacart, Taskrabbit, etsy and Craig's List, with a much better fit for one's schedule. Downside, of course, is no benefits.

Another amazing user interface is www.gumroad.com -- which I'll be using shortly for some of my ebooks. Meanwhile, you can get my ebooks on amazon and a few on iTunes-- plus, there's one that is a free PDF download. Check 'em all out here.

>See NYT article on Instacart (via Tyler Cowan's Marginal Revolution).

More totally random cyberflanerie:

Antisurveillance mask

Lil Crabe the flying pretzel man

The Case for Fewer Clothes

Voodoo Doughnut

Mr Heisenbug: Respect the Microbiota (not the voodoo doughnut, I guess).

COMMENTS always welcome.