Archive · Books · Observations

"When I think of Russia, I picture to myself what I have read in Turgenev and in my friend Maurice Baring

"When I think of Russia, I picture to myself what I have read in Turgenev and in my friend Maurice Baring. I picture a country where the winters are so long, and the summer is sultry and bright; where expanses of carelessly tilled fields stretch far and wide; where

Observations · People

Albert Schweitzer, theologian from Alsace

Happiness is the only thing that doubles when you share it. The Alsatian theologian Albert Schweitzer

NB! · London · Monarchies · Observations · Mores

I wonder whether Elizabeth II will use a golf buggy to get about at public events, as the Queen Mother did in her day?

Archive · Art · Observations

A series of portraits of professionals, presented through the tools of their trade in the manner of Giuseppe Arcimboldo's portraits made of vegetables, fruit and sundry objects, created two centuries earlier

The series of engravings of 1800 is called “Hieroglyphs”, a reference to the general excitement that followed the discovery of the Rosetta Stone by Napoleon's troops in 1799. True, the reference betrays a naive understanding of hieroglyphs as the mere reproduction of certain concepts and phenomena by means

NB! · Observations · Society · Pop Culture

It is now twenty days since Yandex Zen switched off its recommendation feed, that is, the main system on which the service was built and to which everyone had grown accustomed

It is now twenty days since Yandex Zen switched off its recommendation feed, that is, the main system on which the service was built and to which everyone had grown accustomed. I still cannot grasp the point of a Zen without algorithms. It is as if TikTok were suddenly to

NB! · Observations

Well, hello

Four identical lines reading Registration denied, separated by thin lines.

NB! · Art · Observations · Society · Humour

Nine European auctions have cancelled the author's registration as a buyer

At present 9 European auction houses have cancelled my registration as a buyer. I cannot recall anyone in my whole life who has taken such tender care of the safety of my money

Cinema · Books · Observations

Philip K. Dick's novel about androids, a mood modulator and an empathy test

If anyone remembers one of Philip K. Dick's most popular novels, the one on which "Blade Runner" is based. The action is set in 2021, after a world war that has wrecked the whole earth; part of humanity has emigrated into space, while the rest have

NB! · Observations

I feel so much better after Blinovskaya's marathon!

I feel so much better after Blinovskaya's marathon! Girls, I do recommend it!

NB! · Observations · Humour

When counting sheep before sleep, try not to recall that you once queued at cash machines

Observations · Mores · Society · Ethnography

Life-size Macron puppet at La France Insoumise events and the payasou tradition

Concerning the puppet that portrays our charming Macron in decidedly uncomplimentary fashion at opposition demonstrations: a number of critical pieces have already appeared in the Western media, among them the claim that it is an antisemitic image. For those not versed in French political realities, let me clarify: firstly, this

NB! · Observations · Society · Pop Culture · Humour