This morning's Lull Reprt …

… courtesy of Dave Lull:



… Appreciation: The work of Mavis Gallant: Lost & Found: Chris Beha | Tin House.



… The Latest Scheme for the Parthenon.

… the Parthenon and its sculptures have not always been the object of our unquestioned admiration. In fact, it is not only the slightly perplexed artists of early-nineteenth-century London—still unfamiliar with “original” Greek fifth-century style—who have had their doubts about the quality. A hundred years later the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore is reputed to have wept at the sight of the Parthenon, not overcome with its aesthetic power, but horrified by its barbarity.

… Freeman Dyson on The Case for Blunders.

The essential point of Livio’s book is to show the passionate pursuit of wrong theories as a part of the normal development of science. Science is not concerned only with things that we understand. The most exciting and creative parts of science are concerned with things that we are still struggling to understand. Wrong theories are not an impediment to the progress of science. They are a central part of the struggle.

This is a must-read.



…  Take that: Bryan Appleyard tweets Richard Dawkins.



… Q&A: Kevin Birmingham on The Most Dangerous Book.

I’d like to remind people that books are dangerous and powerful, and Ulysses is the perfect example of that. Female sexuality simply wasn’t something an author could write about—it seemed to be a force that could break marriages and families apart. Joyce confronted those fears directly.

… Kindred spirits: Eudora Welty and William Maxwell: food, friendship and letters.



… In case you wondered: What Your iPad Knows About You.