Editorial notes: This is Shai’s first dedicated write-up relating to Jorge Luis Borges. Borges is referenced in two earlier essays and between Jan 2010 and Nov 2017 is referenced by Shai 17 times. The Writing of the God (Spanish: La Escritura del Dios; also sometimes entitled The God’s Script) is a short story by Jorge Luis Borges. It first appeared in Borges’ short story...
Anaximander and the beginnings of Greek philosophy
History has recorded Anaximander as one of the first of the Ancient Greek philosophers, preceded only by his teacher Thales. Anaximander lived around 2600 years ago, in the large Ionian city of Miletus, which can be found on the West coast of modern day Turkey. Anaximander is famous, together with his teacher Thales and his own student Anaximenes for being the first Greeks to begin a tradition of...
Men and Cartoons
I hadn’t intended to review this book – Men and Cartoons: Stories by Jonathan Lethem – but then, like with so many other things, I got thinking. This was the first thing I’d ever read by Lethem – surely there must be something unique about a person’s first introduction to an author? Surely there must be something unique about my introduction to Lethem? But...
The story of Thales
Editorial notes: In September 2010, Shai begins the first phase of his intellectual journey with an essay dedicated to the Greek mathematician, astronomer and pre-Socratic philosopher, Thales of Miletus. This the first of 80 essays, written between September 2010 and July 2015, dedicated to analysing the thoughts and writings of the great ancient Greek and classical Western philosophers. A close...
Rituals of marijuana
Editorial notes: In September 2010, Shai begins to share his writing in Everything2, or E2 for short, a collaborative web-based community consisting of a database of interlinked user-submitted written material. Between September 2010 and July 2015, Shai submitted 60 items to this writers forum. Once I was in Fiji, at a village called W– which sits above the Sigatoka river. Those incredible vistas...
The Third Way II
Editorial notes: Shai continuously explores different channels through which he might best document his life’s research work. Having traversed from hand-written notebooks to on-line writers forums and blogs, he begins using his Google Drive as a repository for documents he wishes to store on the web. It seems highly likely that some of his work, originally written and stored in Google Drive is...
Son of a bitch, I’m sick of these dolphins.
In which famed aqua-documentary man Steve Zissou (Bill Murry) goes to find the “jaguar-shark” that ate his friend; joining him is his possible son (neither of them is sure either way it seems) Ned Plimptom (Own Wilson), amongst many notable others. Steve Zissou: I was hopin’ to go out in a flash of blazes, but I’ll probably just end up goin’ home. Whilst...
STAR WARS TRILOGY PINBALL
Editorial notes: In Jan 2010 Shai embarked on his third blogging journey, starting a blog dedicated to reviews of pinball machines :-). This expedition was short-lived (one day only) with only one full review published (see below) and another incomplete draft. Location: Comics ‘r’ Us @ 114 Chapel St, Windsor VIC Machine: Star Wars Trilogy In the corner of the cramp comics store sit...
I saved Latin. What did you ever do?
Rushmore (1988) was the second full-length film directed by Wes Anderson, and like his first film Bottle Rocket, it was co-written with Owen Wilson. The story revolves around 15-year-old Max Fischer (played by Jason Schwartzman) who attends the socially selective school Rushmore on an academic scholarship, and who at the beginning of the story is being told that he will be expelled if...
They’ll never catch me… because I’m fucking innocent
Bottle Rocket (1996) was Wes Anderson’s first feature film, apparently co-written with Owen Wilson who also acts here, alongside his brother Luke Wilson. In brief the film plot begins with Anthony (L. Wilson) leaving (but appearing to escape for the sake of his friend) from a mental hospital, joining up with Dignan (O. Wilson), who wants the two to carry out a heist so that they can show up...
