Three times. And still my spine quivers and my imagination boils. Each and every time I have been reading Foucault’s Pendulum was thrilling.

A coded message leading to a plan secretly set up centuries ago by the Templars? It sounds familiar, don’t you think? Except that Foucault’s Pendulum was published in 1988, way before the latest bestsellers using this theme showed up (Da Vinci Code, The Last Templar, etc.).

This ain’t no secret for anybody: Umberto Eco is a clever thinker, a skilled writer and an outstanding educated philosopher. No surprise his writings are so appreciated since Eco combines with no match historical or sociological references and a taste for humour and complex plot. A friendly and humble warning though -to my French fellows willing to read this book in English: the vocabulary can be so accurate and advanced that you might loose control of the story and miss some nuances that make this book a gem. I have tried the English version first and the understanding was so laborious I basically found myself checking some words in the dictionnary every 5 pages. So I went back to the French translation, which is also awesome by the way - a smooth and delighting reading. Years after, I tried the English version again and fully enjoyed it, both because of the plot and the richness of vocabulary that helped me improve my  English.

 A must-read.

A couple of months ago I was roaming in town and entered a T-shirt shop where you can buy regular T-shirts (really?) and customized ones. By the way, one made me laugh out loud: a simple white T-shirt with a rainbow in the middle and this line on the chest: “I am so gay I shit rainbows“.

Lately, I have been looking on the Internet for some great designed T-shirts and found that website, Rumplo.com, where you can see, comment, add to your favs, email, submit and buy strange, uncommon, original and beautiful T-shirts. An efficient viral website with a Flickr look and feel: minimalist, user friendly, fun. Give it a try!

I went to Marstrand today with my wife, son and visiting mother. Marstrand is a pretty island (but way too touristy for my taste) with a couple of boring places to visit if you are into history. There is this fortress though, with some of the most gruesome cells I have ever seen.

“Prisoners at Carlsten Fortress
Dragging and carrying rocks to the construction site was hard work. To get sufficient manpower the new punishment “the Marstrand labour” was introduced into the Swedish law. Criminals who would join the working staff came to Carlsten from all over Sweden. These prisoners were mainly murderers, master thieves, pirates, rapists and makers of counterfeit money, but also petty thieves and loiterers. The duration of the punishment could be anything from a few years to life time imprisonment. To prevent escapes each prisoner wore a two-kilo iron ball attached with a chain around one of their ankles. Troublesome prisoners could be sentenced to wear the iron crown, a shackle that could weigh up to 36 kilos. The hard work and lousy conditions caused a high mortality. ”

The only reason I like to go to Marstrand is sailing. There are some of the finest sailing boats over there, coming from England, New-Zealand, France, Italy, etc. Walking around in the harbour is a nice way to experience the thrill of sailing without even putting a foot on a boat. Watching all those flags, observing crews getting ready for their next trip, sitting in front of outstanding and beautiful sailing boats… Wow. That’s what I did today and I saw a beautiful specimen named Thula, from Guernsey. Since the crew was around, I didn’t dare to take too many pictures but have a look at how shiny, majestic and magic this sailing boat is.

Unusual pictures revealing an empty Tokyo caught in the early morning, before thousands of people rush into the streets. The photograph, Masataka Nakano, remains unknown to me but his photos convey a strange atmosphere.

Check his work there and have a look at the other artists of the gallery here.