I’m neglectful by several days in saying this: R.I.P. Sir John Gielgud, whose voice was described as being like “a silver trumpet muffled in silk.” I’ll never forget his Prospero in Peter Greenaway’s Prospero’s Books. Unfortunate that it appears he’s most destined to be remembered as Dudley Moore’s butler in Arthur!

The Solo Retreats From the Spotlight in Jazz. “I’m

often left wondering how it is that solos — and especially

that theme-solos-theme format — became such a necessary

part of jazz. Not everybody solos particularly well, after all,

and the number of bona fide stars whom you’d always want

to hear solo, because you identify with them, is at an

all-time low. Sometimes — too often — solos make listening

to jazz drudgework yet are nevertheless applauded, when

the real strength of the piece lay in some other part of it.” [New York Times]

New Scientist: Phantom cats revealed. Anaerobic bacteria introduced into the fibers of new carpets during the manufacturing process emit butyric acid. Many people find this to have an odor reminiscent of urine; customers, even in cat-free homes, raise vexing complaints that their new carpets smell of cat urine.

Haiku movie reviews. And a query engine for more comprehensive movie reviews.

On Left-Handedness, Its Causes and Costs. The New York Times organizes a discussion of the mystery of why some people are left-handed around the work of a geneticist who believes that about twenty per cent of the population lacks a specific dominance gene that makes others right-handed; people without the gene have a 50-50 chance of being right- or left-handed. Most interesting fact for me in this discussion: around 18% of identical twins have different handedness.

Amex Nixes X-Rated Exchanges. American Expres decided this month to terminate all of its adult website merchant accounts because of the unacceptable number of disputed charges arising from that sector. ‘…Many porn

surfers deny they’ve made the charges when confronted by a spouse — something

pornographers refer to as the “gak factor.” (Husbands run up a credit card bill at a smut

site, then go “gak” when their wives see the monthly statement).’ No matter; opportunity knocks — Visa will be there to pick up the slack.

JAMA for Java: Association of Coffee and Caffeine Intake With the Risk of Parkinson Disease: data from a prospective study of over 8000 Japanese-American men suggests that caffeine intake is associated with a lower Parkinson’s Disease incidence. [Journal of the American Medical Ass’n.]