PicoBlog

Each year I publish my favorite books of the year. My listing of books is not based on having read 1000 books, or even having skimmed through 1000 books, but is instead based on books that crossed my desk, that grabbed my attention, that kept my attention, and that I think fit what the late Justice Antonin Scalia once said about good writing: “I think there is writing genius as well – which consists primarily, I think, of the ability to place oneself in the shoes of one’s audience; to assume only what the assume; to anticipate what they anticipate; to explain they need explained; to think what they must be thinking; to feel what they must be feeling.

Legendary recording engineer Steve Albini has died at age 61 of a heart attack. If you know, you know. And if so, you probably came of age in the 1990s, when few truly understood The Problem With Music. For years he was known as much for being an “irascible gadfly” (a term I used for him in Hearts on Fire) as he was his devotion to pure live sound on re…

His young daughter, Katie Belle, came running in and said, “Daddy’s having a fight with his heart.” It wasn’t the first time, but this one was physical and cost Townes Van Zandt his life. The singer-songwriter, whose dark and illuminating lyrics walked with a self-destructive limp, died on Jan. 1, 1997, at his home near Nashville. The writer of such country hits as “Pancho and Lefty” (Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson) and “If I Needed You” (Emmylou Harris and Don Williams) was 52.

If 28,000 men were killed at the battle of Towton in 1461 where were their remains buried? Who buried them, and what effect did such a massive death toll have on the hearts and minds of the population? These questions always crop up when I meet anyone interested in arguably the bloodiest battle on British soil. Most of these questions are, in part, linked to human nature. Some people are naturally curious.

It’s been years I haven’t made “Çıtır” Çıtır is a leavened flatbread, something between a lahmacun and a pizza. The idea is based on a pizza but the crust is based on the very thin lahmacun. It is baked twice so it becomes very crispy/crunchy hence the name çıtır. Çıtır in Turkish means crispy/crunchy. It is an adjective used to describe the crispy texture. When I first launched the idea of “çıtır” at my restaurant Kantin 23 years ago, nothing like it existed.

On Saturday, a Stockbee video on trading psychology caught my eye. I found it very interesting, so I decided to take notes — writing always helps me think. As ever, my notes are not a substitute for watching the video yourself and taking your own notes — the below only reflects my key takeaways and musings. Nevertheless, I hope you find them helpful. People often say that trading is 80% psychology.

As the May 1st deadline to enter the transfer portal quickly approaches, the Providence Friars still have two scholarship spots at their disposal. For the terms of the exercise lets assume that class of 2025 Top 40 commit Oswin Erhunmwunse will end up reclassifying into the class of 2024 once the spring AAU season ends. Oswin’s decision has been the topic of much discussion in Friartown since he committed earlier this year, and it appears that his reclassification is more likely to happen than not at this point.

The Transformation IThe Transformation IITransformation IIIYet, for all his transgressions, Ross William Ulbricht differs from the sinister characters populating the deep web. Not only does he pay homage to a relatively frugal lifestyle, but the agenda he's set on his LinkedIn profile has a serious political side. One of the strangest documents on file is a long conversation Dread Pirate Roberts had with his mentor, Variety Jones – in which they discuss world hunger, which isn't alleviated by the genetically modified, sterilized seeds of companies like Monsanto.

I don’t know really what happened between 2005 and today when it comes to red, but I’ve had a seriously long-standing hatred for it. I wouldn’t wear it, I wouldn’t decorate with it, I hate red roses, I didn’t like red wine, I wouldn’t even use red on Valentine’s Day. I also truly hated red on my lips. I didn’t like to be in public spaces where there was a lot of red.