you are living in evolutionary times. it might not feel like it and we’re not likely to sprout wings in our lifetimes but there is change all around us and it’s not just the climate or political attitudes. our languages are constantly evolving and we’re both the conduits and the… Read More »stop, drop and scroll

if there was an alternative title to be a bit more descriptive, it would be “so i’m building a project — what wood should i use?” — and the answer isn’t quite as simple and straightforward as we might like. but there are a few things to consider. let’s start… Read More »hard knocks and soft feels

i’ve recently written a couple of beginner guides to what you need to shift from armchair-consumer of internet-based woodworking-content to actually practicing the craft. you need a saw (well, probably a few), a small stable of planes (jack, jointer, smoother) and … well, there’s one other family of tools you… Read More »pare trees

i’m so tired of people telling me translation is about accuracy. it’s not. not even a little. unless it’s done by a computer. and that’s not translation in the sense i’m talking about it. translation of literature simply doesn’t work that way. and it shouldn’t. it can’t. because if you… Read More »creative translation

i have recently spoken and written quite extensively about why we should completely eliminate classic and traditional literature from our school and college english studies. but this has lead to another interesting question — given how much time has been devoted to studying shakespeare, byron, bronté and steinbeck, what do… Read More »replacing shakespeare (part 1)

there’s a huge difference between art and craft, simply by definition. art is a search for beauty with no functional requirement. craft is the answer to a specific necessity. but there is a huge amount of crossover. art can be useful (though it often isn’t and there’s no need for… Read More »looking at lumber