happy birthday sesame street: 40 today!

laser art

Section of Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, captured in minute detail with laser scanners

This new cutting edge laser technology (from the Glasgow School of Art) is helping preserve and conjure up what buildings actually looked like ages ago, in effect turning the clock back on ancient sites.

As well as being a kind of time travel, it turns out to be an art form. I love that it also happens to be utterly beautiful.

More here

interview with David Suchet

David (Hercule Poirot) Suchet speaks to radio host Charles Morris about why he chose to read The Jesus Storybook Bible for audio, how he selects his roles, what his faith means to him, and more... in this fabulous conversation which you can listen to here.

Week 4 storytime video: A New Beginning

A New Beginning from Jonathan Michael on Vimeo.

no need to have a code, just press ENTER

visit the The Jesus Storybook Bible site to learn more
buy the book: here
download audio on  or amazon

happy ny marathon!

hope all those runners remembered to fall back this morning...

Interesting Marathon Factoid: 

At the 1908 Olympic Games in London, the marathon distance was changed from 25 to 26 miles to cover the ground from Windsor Castle to White City stadium, with 385 yards added on so the race could finish in front of King Edward VII's royal box. 

After 16 years of extremely heated discussion, this 26.2 mile distance was established at the 1924 Olympics in Paris as the official marathon distance. -Paul Ostapuk

Makes you proud to be British...

little monkey

a friend's little boy...

Week 3 storytime video: The Terrible Lie

The Terrible Lie from Jonathan Michael on Vimeo.

(no need for a code, just click ENTER)

visit the The Jesus Storybook Bible site to learn more
buy the book: here
download audio on  or amazon

Some Strange Satie Facts

The French composer Erik Satie (1866-1925) gave his piano pieces some odd titles. For instance: "Flabby Preludes (for a Dog)" (1912) and "Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear" (1903).

 His scores also contain instructions to the performers like "Light as an egg," "With astonishment," or "Work it out yourself." Here some others:

• In the morning, on an empty stomach 
• Hypocritically Crabbed and cantankerous 
• Moderate and very restless 
• Pianissimo, short of breath 
• With a lot of difficulty Run! 

 More? Here are some other Strange Satie Facts:

• he carried a gun in his pocket for protection 
• he wore grey velvet suits and became known as "the velvet gentleman." 
• he detested the sun, and tried to go outside only during bleak days
• he washed only with pumice stone, never soap 
• he "never spoke while eating, for fear of strangling himself," 
• and only ate white foods. His list? Eggs, sugar, shredded bones, animal fat, salt, coconuts, rice, turnips, pastry, cheese (white varieties), cotton salad, and certain kinds of fish

(which one's not true (the first: it was a hammer not a gun)

At the very least this gives us all a free pass today to be as odd as we like (or even odder than usual).