Happy Birthday, Elvis Costello!

 “Through a two-way looking glass, You see your Alice”

                    —Beyond Belief, by Elvis Costello, born 25 Aug 1954

The Gin Palace, Dublin

Happy birthday to the one and only Declan Patrick MacManus, aka Elvis Costello, 69 years young on this day.

Why a pic of The Gin Palace? If you know, you know! For anyone who is in search of a clue, read through the lyrics below.  

I took the photo on August 22nd, 2023, and could hardly wait to share it on the 25th. 

Beyond Belief

History repeats the old conceits

The glib replies the same defeats

Keep your finger on important issues

With crocodile tears and a pocketful of tissues

I'm just the oily slick

On the windup world of the nervous tick

In a very fashionable hovel

I hang around dying to be tortured

You'll never be alone in the bone orchard

This battle with the bottle is nothing so novel

So in this almost empty gin palace

Through a two-way looking glass

You see your Alice

You know she has no sense

For all your jealousy

In a sense she still smiles very sweetly

Charged with insults and flattery

Her body moves with malice

Do you have to be so cruel to be callous

And now you find you fit this identikit completely

You say you have no secrets

And then leave discreetly

I might make it California's fault

Be locked in Geneva's deepest vault

Just like the canals of Mars and the Great Barrier Reef

I come to you beyond belief

My hands were clammy and cunning

She's been suitably stunning

But I know there's not a hope in Hades

All the laddies cat call and wolf whistle

So called gentlemen and ladies

Dog fight like rose and thistle

I got a feeling

I'm going to get a lot of grief

Once this seemed so appealing

Now I am beyond belief

I got a feeling

I'm going to get a lot of grief

Once this seemed so appealing

Now I am beyond belief

I got a feeling

I'm going to get a lot of grief

Once this seemed so appealing

Now I am beyond belief

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Elvis Costello

Happy 73rd Birthday to the US Air Force!

 

Happy 73rd birthday to the US Air Force, created on this day in 1947 out of the former Army Air Corps. 

Aim High! 

Fly-Fight-Win

How to Say "ten" in Over 80 Languages

Ahoy! Happy 10th PhilosFX Day!

At midnight GMT (8 pm Eastern) between 6 and 7 Aug, we ended 10 years of blogging on PhilosFX. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

In our first decade, we've attracted at least one visitor from 224 of 242 countries around the world.

To celebrate both the 10-year milestone and our international audience, please find below a table for how to say the number "ten" in over 80 different languages, everything from Afrikaans to Zulu!  

References:

• In Different Languages (Russian is missing)
• Rocket Languages 

Here is a compilation of links to previous PhilosFX Day celebrations. Enjoy!

9. Happy 9th PhilosFX Day!    
8. Happy 8th PhilosFX Day!
7. Happy 7th PhilosFX Day!
6. Happy 6th PhilosFX Day!
5. The 2015 version
4. Musings from the Batman
3. Lots of stats
2. Basically, a one-liner
1. First-year in review 
0. Launch!


Cheers!

DBD

Celebrating Nine Years of PhilosFX!

Ahoy! And, Happy PhilosFX Day!

At midnight GMT (8 pm Eastern) between 6 and 7 Aug, we ended 9 years of blogging and started year 10. Thanks for coming along for the ride! 

Here is a compilation of links to previous PhilosFX Day celebrations. Enjoy!

8. Happy 8th PhilosFX Day! https://philosfx.blogspot.com/2018/08/happy-philosfx-day.html

7. Happy 7th PhilosFX Day! https://philosfx.blogspot.com/2017/08/happy-philosfx-day.html

6. Happy 6th PhilosFX Day! https://philosfx.blogspot.com/2016/08/happy-6th-philosfx-day.html

5. The 2015 version: http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2015/08/happy-philosfx-day.html

4. Musings from the Batman: http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2014/08/happy-philosfx-day.html

3. Lots of stats: http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2013/08/happy-3d-birthday-philosfx.html

2. Basically, a one-liner: http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2012/08/happy-2d-birthday-philosfx.html

1. First-year in review: http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2011/08/happy-birthday-philosfx.html

0. Launch! http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2010/08/launch.html


Cheers!

DBD

Happy PhilosFX Day!

Happy PhilosFX Day!

At midnight GMT (8 pm Eastern) between 6 and 7 Aug, we ended 8 years of blogging and started year 9. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Happy PhilosFX Day!

Happy PhilosFX Day!

At midnight GMT (8 pm Eastern) between 6 and 7 Aug, we ended 7 years of blogging and started year 8. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Happy 6th PhilosFX Day!

We're celebrating 6 years of PhilosFX with a Public Service Announcement.
"Got Your 6" is a nonprofit empowering veterans and strengthening communities.
Keep reading PhilosFX, and check out "Got Your 6" at https://gotyour6.org/

You know how they say that time flies when you're having fun? And that time flies faster as you age? For your humble correspondent, this past year flew by like a Perseid meteor. At midnight UTC (8 pm Eastern) between 6 and 7 Aug, we at PhilosFX completed 72 months (6 years!) of musing, writing, sharing, and inquiring about this wonderful world of ours. 

Six years! Time is flying, so I must be having fun or getting older or both! Here's some evidence to support our claim of a good, productive year worth celebrating:

• Total views have climbed 31% to 263,229 from 201,692 this time last year. We crossed the Quarter of a Million Visits mark!
• First-time views rose 83% to 78,197 vs. 42,619 after five years. 35% of all first-time views are from outside the United States. Lots of new viewers came from Russia to look at the Demitri Martin posts.
• Countries with at least one unique visitor increased to 196 from 189 a year ago. It's getting pretty difficult to attract viewers from the few remaining "never" countries (or, as I prefer to call them, "not yet" countries!). All of the top 48 countries have at least 42 unique visitors. I love being part of an international network.
• In terms of content, we have now published 879 posts (this will be 880), which is a 5% increase over the 836 we had last year. Any bets on when we'll hit 1000? Any requests on a topic?

Speaking of 6, I want to call attention to "Got Your 6," a great non-profit organization that is focused on empowering veterans and enabling them to make lasting positive contributions in communities across the USA. The phrase, "Got Your 6" is mil-speak for protecting you from threats to your rear, or 6 o'clock position. It means, "I got your back." 

As a public service announcement in honor of our favorite blog's 6th birthday, I recommend all PhilosFX readers--especially those with a soft spot for veterans and a passion for community activism--check out "Got Your Six."

"Got Your 6" believes veterans are leaders, team builders, and problem solvers who have the unique potential to lead a resurgence of community across the nation. Got Your 6 uses six pillars to strengthen veterans–jobs, education, health, housing, family, and leadership. Got Your 6 continues to ensure all Americans see veterans as indispensable assets that make our Nation stronger. For more information, please visit https://gotyour6.org/

Bottom line, friends: be focused, happy, and productive. Find and maintain your center. Align your priorities to worthy goals. Unite others on your quest for success. Thanks for reading and celebrating six years of Philosophy + Special Effects here at PhilosFX! Here's to many more...

For the insanely curious or terminally bored, here are links to previous PhilosFX Day posts, which you may enjoy at your leisure:

5. The 2015 version: http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2015/08/happy-philosfx-day.html
4. Musings from the Batman: http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2014/08/happy-philosfx-day.html
3. Lots of stats: http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2013/08/happy-3d-birthday-philosfx.html
2. Basically, a one-liner: http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2012/08/happy-2d-birthday-philosfx.html
1. First year in review: http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2011/08/happy-birthday-philosfx.html
0. Launch! http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2010/08/launch.html

Happy PhilosFX Day!

At midnight UTC (8 pm Eastern) between 6 and 7 Aug, we completed 60 months (5 years!) together. Five years of musing, writing, sharing, and inquiring about this wonderful world of ours. Five years! 

As a bit of a numbers geek, I thought it would be fun to celebrate with a statistical snapshot illustrating a year of growth and change:

• Total views have climbed 52% to 201,692 from 132,500 this time last year
• First-time views rose 43% to 42,619 vs, 29,770 after four years. 35% of all first-time views are from outside the United States.
• Countries with at least one unique visitor barely increased to 189 from 187 a year ago. It's getting harder to add new countries. However, all of the top 48 countries have at least 35 unique visitors.
• In terms of content, we have now published 836 posts (this will be 837), which is a 12% increase over the 746 we had last year. 

Thanks for reading and helping celebrate five years of Philosophy + Special Effects here at PhilosFX!

Happy PhilosFX Day!

At midnight UTC (8 pm Eastern) between 6 and 7 Aug, I ended 48 months of blogging, and officially started month 49. To celebrate, I snagged a picture of a 4-year-old's Batman birthday cake, and pasted it here for your viewing pleasure.

Because, Batman...

PhilosFX is FOUR years old! Whooot!

Thanks for reading and helping celebrate four years of Philosophy + Special Effects here at PhilosFX!

A statistical snapshot illustrating a year of growth and progress (or if not progress, at least change):

• First-time views rose 60% to 29,770 vs. 18,609 after three years.
• Total views have climbed 46% to 132,500 from 90,700 this time last year
• Countries visited have increased 37% to 187 compared to 137 a year ago