Couldn’t sleep last night and woke up late today. My strange sleep patters are trying to re-assert themselves. It’s an old battle. One I’m hoping to win.

Anyway . . .

Oscar Wilde: The Rise & Fall of the 20th Century’s First Pop Celebrity: Today is Oscar Wilde’s birthday. His meaning, as a writer and person, has expanded and changed over the years. In my Nan’s childhood home, one was not allowed to speak his name. He became a gay icon, a fashion icon and, recently, a pop cultural one who is thought to speak directly to our era of celebrity.

What’s often forgot is that he was a ferocious intellect capable of great kindness. I’m not sure that he’s any better understood in our day than he was in his.

Augustus and the Architecture of Masculinity: the Romans always interest me. While Augustus is, perhaps, a little more drab than Nero or Caligula, he is considered the greatest of the emperors. With leaders, the more boring, the better.

What Are You So Scared of? Saber-Toothed Cats, Snakes, and Carnivorous Kangaroos: An article about the origins of anxiety, included just for the flesh-eating kangaroos because that’s terrifying. Also a nice sort of symbol for baseless, bounding anxiety. Ridiculous as it is awful.

Fantastic Minimalist Poster Odes to Famous Female Scientists: I don’t go in for posters, not being a teenager, but these are really nice.