President Cory Aquino = No quiet. One sad cry. R.I.P.
(by Adie Pena)
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Study: Tanning beds definitely cause cancer
(Yahoo! News)
Study: Tanning beds definitely cause cancer = Gist: Cased, incandescent beauty unfriendly
Study: Tanning beds definitely cause cancer = Gist: Cased, incandescent beauty unfriendly
(by Squidrock.com)
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Obama's Middle East policy protested in Israel
(Xinhua)
Obama's Middle East policy protested in Israel = Settler - 'America's option bad, spoiled my ideals'
Obama's Middle East policy protested in Israel = Settler - 'America's option bad, spoiled my ideals'
(by Aronas Pinchas)
Merce Cunningham, Dance Visionary, Dies
(The New York Times)
Modern choreographer Cunningham is dead = A dancer Merce had end; groups honoring him.
Modern choreographer Cunningham is dead = A dancer Merce had end; groups honoring him.
(by Adie Pena)
Monday, July 27, 2009
The Anagram Times Q&A with Adie Pena
He looks like the Dalai Lama, he makes ads for a living, and his passion is anagrams. Meet Adie Pena, a master anagrammmer from Manila, Philippines, and a reporter for The Anagram Times.Q How did you get into anagrams?
A In the mid-70s, Howard G. Bergerson's book Palindromes and Anagrams inspired me to create some palindromes (my attempts at the genre were so terrible, I don't even remember a single one!) and NOT anagrams (which I thought were inferior cousins of the former). After a short affair with palindromes (it lasted approximately half a year), I completely forgot about them and Bergerson's book was relegated to the upper shelves of my massive library.
Then something happened to me about two decades later. In 1996, on a lark, I joined 'Scrambled Signals,' an anagram contest in the U.S.-based magazine GAMES. I never expected that I would win a grand prize of $1000 with my entry:
Fresh Prince of Bel Air = Fine rap bro feels rich
Of course, that victory encouraged me to create more anagrams. So I kept a little notebook wherein I would scribble some ideas from time to time. But that project of mine soon faded away. After all, how many anagram contests offering tempting prizes are out there? So I took a ten-year break from this wordplay.
My interest in anagrams was revived when I discovered anagrammy.com in early 2007 while surfing the web for word games. I've been consistently at it for the past two years and a half but I honestly don't know how long this second wind will last.
Q Do you have a favorite anagram?
A I have three favorites. The first is obviously the GAMES winner:
The second is the very first one I submitted to anagrammy.com:
And the third is an anagram that was totally ignored by everyone at anagrammy.com:
The Lennon song 'Imagine' = One man so enlightening
It is no coincidence that my three choices are all musically themed. Music is one of my passions.
Q Describe the moment when you are working on anagramming a phrase and the last few letters just fall into place and you realize that you have an outstanding anagram on your hands.
A It's like biting into the last piece of chocolate in a box and discovering that in the center of this unknown bonbon is a macadamia nut. It's simultaneously delicious, wonderful and exciting.
Q Some people use anagrams for divination. Do you think there's a mystical angle to anagrams?
A No, I don't.
Q What do you do in your non-anagram life?
A I own and run an advertising agency to help pay the bills so I can anagram anytime I want. ;-)
Q Approximately how long do you spend on an anagram?
A 15 to 30 minutes max for the medium-length ones. Anything beyond that strains my patience.
Q Anything else you'd like to add?
A Given that I'm a person who gets bored easily, I hope this anagrammatic addiction I currently have will last forever.
Some of Adie Pena's anagrams for The Anagram Times:
Goodbye, D.C.! Hello, Austin! = Cold, hostile Dubya? GONE! (MSNBC)
Global swine flu pandemic feared = "Feel awful, pal?" (Nods.) "Grab medicine!" (Inquirer)
Have questions, comments, or suggestions? Post them below. Also enjoy Q&A with these master anagrammers:
... Read more
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Palin and the Political Arena
(Washington Post)
Palin and the Political Arena = i.e. A plan to lead ain't rich plan
Palin and the Political Arena = i.e. A plan to lead ain't rich plan
(by Aronas Pinchas)
Friday, July 24, 2009
Man climbs building with vacuum gloves
(BBC News)
Man climbs building with vacuum gloves = I'll advise smug chum: "Climb, but no waving!"
Man climbs building with vacuum gloves = I'll advise smug chum: "Climb, but no waving!"
(by Dharam)
American says he volunteered for Taliban suicide mission
(Chicago Tribune)
American says he volunteered for Taliban suicide mission = Our lucid Bryant Neal Vinas - eerie man, foe! Assists homicide!
American says he volunteered for Taliban suicide mission = Our lucid Bryant Neal Vinas - eerie man, foe! Assists homicide!
(by Aronas Pinchas)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Governor Announces Deal to Balance Budget
(Washington Post)
Governor Announces Deal to Balance Budget = Arnold augurs - 'No bet, covenant gone. Debacle.'
Governor Announces Deal to Balance Budget = Arnold augurs - 'No bet, covenant gone. Debacle.'
(by Pinchas Aronas)
Monday, July 20, 2009
Bomb kills four U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan
(Reuters)
Bomb kills four U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan = Mess - Taliban is for killing of our husbands
Bomb kills four U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan = Mess - Taliban is for killing of our husbands
(by Aronas Pinchas)
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The Anagram Times Q&A with Mark Spurlock
If some researcher decided to scan the brains of people making music or anagrams, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that both activities occupy the same part of the brain. A number of reporters for The Anagram Times are musicians. Earlier we featured a Q&A with Jeffrey Barnes. Today we interview another musician/anagrammer: Mark Spurlock, who plays in a band called Doctor Squid.
Q How did you get into anagrams?
A Subconsciously really. A friend of mine once told me, because I'm quick to make puns, that he thought my brain jumbled/rearranged/subverted everything I heard before I'd actually comprehended its actual meaning. At some point I noticed myself doing this for words on signs too and just decided it was fun. To this day if someone tells me the name of something and asks me for it again later, there's a good chance I'll unintentionally answer with an anagram of the correct response.
Some time after this started, I began playing anagram games with my friends (whether they liked it or not). For example, instead of calling "shotgun", the passenger seat in my car went to the first successful anagram of whichever word I called out. The best part was that on tricky ones, we'd sometimes just stand around the parking lot for 10 or 15 minutes before anyone got it. Or sometimes they'd all give up and I'd make them pile into the back. You know, tough love.
Q One other Anagram Times reporter (Jeffrey Barnes) is a musician and part of a band. Do you think there is something about anagramming and music that explains that they show together often?
A It's possible. I think more so than just playing music, anagramming is similar to musical improvisation and songwriting. Especially pop songs. I think (because it's hard to know for sure) writing good songs involves playing upon hidden structures, rearranging things in clever ways, and just being sneaky. It's not exactly the same process, but I could easily see songwriting and anagramming working out the same brain region. While we're at it, I feel like some forms of humor are similarly related.
Finally, my bandmate Larry wrote a song called "Take A Look". I don't know what it's about, but I like to imagine it's about anagrams and that fits pretty well. You can hear it here.
Q Do you remember the first anagram you made?
A The first one I remember noticing accidentally was "Hampton"->"Phantom". The first time I remember sitting down to make anagrams, I was bored in philosophy class and decided to do the names of my friends. "Chadwick T"->"Dick Watch"... Whatever that means. Gotta start somewhere.
Q Do you have a favorite anagram?
A It might be a bit plebeian, since I found it on Wikipedia, but I've always loved this:
[In] 1975, British naturalist Sir Peter Scott coined the scientific term "Nessiteras rhombopteryx" (Greek for "The monster {or wonder} of Ness with the diamond shaped fin") for the apocryphal Loch Ness Monster. Shortly afterwards, several London newspapers pointed out that "Nessiteras rhombopteryx" anagrams into "Monster hoax by Sir Peter S".Just goes to show, no matter how ugly and unpronounceable a name you choose, some meddling anagrammatist will always be able to turn it against you.
Q Describe the moment when you are working on anagramming a phrase and the last few letters just fall into place and you realize that you have an outstanding anagram on your hands.
A When I complete an anagram, I don't usually feel thrilled or proud so much as mischievous. For some reason it just feels like getting away with something naughty, which is a great feeling. Of course there are times, after working on a particularly hairy one, when you just feel relieved to be done with it.
Q Some people use anagrams for divination. Do you think there's a mystical angle to anagrams?
A "Yeshua ben-Miriam"->"I am a hubris enemy"
I think that would be really interesting, and fun to try, but I can't say I think there's anything in it. As you note on your site, "If you torture words enough, they'll confess to anything.". I wouldn't want to see anagrams being admitted as evidence in court...
If we're just talking about mysticism though, sure, why not? An anagram is as good as a tarot card or a constellation. There are probably some great fortune teller anagrams out there.
Q What do you do in your non-anagram life?
A Chiefly, I belong to the band Doctor Squid. We play tremendously catchy rock/pop music and it's by far the most wonderful thing I do. I sign all my anagrams as "Squidrock.com", my band's site, just on the chance that someone will check it out and listen to some music. Aside from that, I do web design and programming work to pay the bills, and hang out with my friends whenever I can.
Q Approximately how long do you spend on an anagram?
A It depends on the anagram. Some are 5-10 minutes, some take an hour or more. I have a pretty unsophisticated method, which basically involves typing and deleting individual letters in Microsoft Notepad. Its very labor intensive and prone to error, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. It's worth noting that I definitely have a breaking point, at which I give up, condemn the source text to hell, and go find something tasty to cheer myself up.
Q Anything else you'd like to add?
A Regarding anagrams as divination:
"Anything else you'd like to add?" -> "Additionally, heed sky tongue"
Listen to Mark Spurlock and his band's song On My Way. And check out some of his recent anagrams for The Anagram Times:
Pope breaks wrist in fall during Alps vacation
Google's New Operating System to Take on Microsoft
Conan O'Brien makes debut on The Tonight Show
Have questions, comments, or suggestions? Post them below. Also enjoy Q&A with these master anagrammers:
... Read more
Malaysian fugitive suspected in hotel bombs
(CNN)
Malaysian fugitive suspected in hotel bombs = Guess: Maybe M.Top is behind fault & evil actions?
[Suspect's name is Noordin M. Top]
Malaysian fugitive suspected in hotel bombs = Guess: Maybe M.Top is behind fault & evil actions?
[Suspect's name is Noordin M. Top]
(by Aronas Pinchas)
Friday, July 17, 2009
Pope breaks wrist in fall during Alps vacation
(MSNBC)
Pope breaks wrist in fall during Alps vacation = Vat. sparked up, "infalliable" ascriptions wrong!
Pope breaks wrist in fall during Alps vacation = Ski sport pains powerful, able, Vatican-darling?
Pope breaks wrist in fall during Alps vacation = Vat. sparked up, "infalliable" ascriptions wrong!
(by Squidrock.com)
Pope breaks wrist in fall during Alps vacation = Ski sport pains powerful, able, Vatican-darling?
(by Aronas Pinchas)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Palin Says She May Stump for Democrats
(AOL News)
Palin Says She May Stump for Democrats = Sympathy from USA's leaders? Most panic!
Palin Says She May Stump for Democrats = Sympathy from USA's leaders? Most panic!
(by Dharam)
72-Year-Old Woman Trying to Have Baby
(AOL News)
72-Year-Old Woman Trying to Have Baby = No way! Boy, brave lady mothering at 72!
72-Year-Old Woman Trying to Have Baby = No way! Boy, brave lady mothering at 72!
(by Dharam)
Democrat captures US House seat in LA county
(AP)
Democrat captures US House seat in LA county = Salute, our/yours nominated Chu accepts seat!
Democrat captures US House seat in LA county = Salute, our/yours nominated Chu accepts seat!
(by Pinchas Aronas)
Colors could disappear from terror alert system
(Yahoo! News)
Colors could disappear from US terror alert system = So, it's 'Rulers may dump carrot-colored false reports?'
Colors could disappear from terror alert system = Or, Pres may dump all colored terrorist forecasts
Colors could disappear from US terror alert system = So, it's 'Rulers may dump carrot-colored false reports?'
Colors could disappear from terror alert system = Or, Pres may dump all colored terrorist forecasts
(by Dharam)
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Aging building's stench has state workers reeling
(Yahoo! News)
Aging building's stench has state workers reeling = See black sh*t in sewer regurgitating and sloshing
Aging building's stench has state workers reeling = See black sh*t in sewer regurgitating and sloshing
(by Dharam)
Monday, July 13, 2009
Republican pundits open fire on Sarah Palin
(Los Angeles Times)
Republican pundits open fire onto Sarah Palin = Politicians prefer to punish an unpardonable
Republican pundits open fire onto Sarah Palin = Politicians prefer to punish an unpardonable
(by Pinchas Aronas)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Potter' cast reflects on a childhood at Hogwarts
(Yahoo! News)
Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson and Rupert Grint = Draw masterful Potter, gal and friend in cinema
Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson and Rupert Grint = Draw masterful Potter, gal and friend in cinema
(by Pinchas Aronas)
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Michael Jackson memorial an event fans will never forget
(Los Angeles Times)
The Michael Jackson memorial = Oh, majestic male, like monarch!
The Michael Jackson memorial = Oh, majestic male, like monarch!
(by Pinchas Aronas)
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Google's New Operating System to Take on Microsoft
(ABC News)
Google's New Operating System to Take on Microsoft = Net software OS: Garotte coming, geeky monopolists
Google's New Operating System to Take on Microsoft = Net software OS: Garotte coming, geeky monopolists
(by Squidrock.com)
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
L.A. braces for massive Michael Jackson memorial
(CNN)
L.A. braces for massive Michael Jackson memorial = California marshals Jacko's service (O, embalm me!)
L.A. braces for massive Michael Jackson memorial = California marshals Jacko's service (O, embalm me!)
(by Pinchas Aronas)
Monday, July 6, 2009
Arms central to US-Russia talks
(BBC News)
Arms central to US-Russia talks = Uncle Sam & Tsar ask trust? O, liars!
Arms central to US-Russia talks = Uncle Sam & Tsar ask trust? O, liars!
(by Pinchas Aronas)
Sunday, July 5, 2009
OMG!! Jackson fans beat odds for memorial tickets
(Yahoo! News)
OMG!! Jackson fans beat odds for memorial tickets = Drag!! Flock to miss aforesaid Jacko's entombment.
OMG!! Jackson fans beat odds for memorial tickets = Drag!! Flock to miss aforesaid Jacko's entombment.
(by Dharam)
Cancellara wins first Tour de France stage
(AP)
Cancellara wins first Tour de France stage = Restful, graced Lance A. was not first in race
Cancellara wins first Tour de France stage = Restful, graced Lance A. was not first in race
(by Pinchas Aronas)
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Baaad news? Global warming now shrinking sheep
(Yahoo! News)
Baaad news? Global warming now shrinking sheep = Ewes begin washing lambs' wool in grand prank. Ha!
Baaad news? Global warming now shrinking sheep = Ewes begin washing lambs' wool in grand prank. Ha!
(by Dharam)
Friday, July 3, 2009
I Walk the Line: A Songagram by Dharam Khalsa
I Walk the Line
by Johnny Cash
I keep a close watch on this heart of mine,
I keep my eyes wide open all the time,
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds;
Because you're mine,
I walk the line.
I find it very, very easy to be true,
I find myself alone when each day is through,
Yes, I'll admit I'm a fool for you;
Because you're mine,
I walk the line.
As sure as night is dark and day is light,
I keep you on my mind both day and night,
And happiness I've known proves that it's right;
Because you're mine,
I walk the line.
You've got a way to keep me on your side,
You give me cause for love that I can't hide,
For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide;
Because you're mine,
I walk the line.
=
I've Crossed the Line (yuk, yuk, yuk)
by Governor Mark Sanford
I hike up the Appalachian Trail,
Detour up the Argentinian tail,
Take the day off, maybe two (risk jail);
Because she's fine,
I've crossed the line.
I'm a worthy husband, holy and true,
Yet, I humiliate my wife with taboo,
Anyway, I'll admit to a woman or two;
Because she's fine,
I've crossed the line.
(Hey, hey, hey)
I'm overworked, yet underpaid,
I keep a kinky woman to get me laid,
I'll even hook up with a naughty maid;
Because she's fine,
I've crossed the line.
To point out my genuine intention,
I need to keep your attention,
My good wife I'll guiltily mention;
Because she's fine,
I've crossed the line.
(Hey, hey, hey)
by Johnny Cash
I keep a close watch on this heart of mine,
I keep my eyes wide open all the time,
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds;
Because you're mine,
I walk the line.
I find it very, very easy to be true,
I find myself alone when each day is through,
Yes, I'll admit I'm a fool for you;
Because you're mine,
I walk the line.
As sure as night is dark and day is light,
I keep you on my mind both day and night,
And happiness I've known proves that it's right;
Because you're mine,
I walk the line.
You've got a way to keep me on your side,
You give me cause for love that I can't hide,
For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide;
Because you're mine,
I walk the line.
=
I've Crossed the Line (yuk, yuk, yuk)
by Governor Mark Sanford
I hike up the Appalachian Trail,
Detour up the Argentinian tail,
Take the day off, maybe two (risk jail);
Because she's fine,
I've crossed the line.
I'm a worthy husband, holy and true,
Yet, I humiliate my wife with taboo,
Anyway, I'll admit to a woman or two;
Because she's fine,
I've crossed the line.
(Hey, hey, hey)
I'm overworked, yet underpaid,
I keep a kinky woman to get me laid,
I'll even hook up with a naughty maid;
Because she's fine,
I've crossed the line.
To point out my genuine intention,
I need to keep your attention,
My good wife I'll guiltily mention;
Because she's fine,
I've crossed the line.
(Hey, hey, hey)
Public Jackson memorial to be held at Staples Center Tuesday
(USA Today)
Public Jackson memorial to be held at Staples Center Tuesday = States deeply mourns ineluctable problematic Jacko's death.
Public Jackson memorial to be held at Staples Center Tuesday = States deeply mourns ineluctable problematic Jacko's death.
(by Pinchas Aronas)
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
Posts
