How a bearded Virginia Woolf and her band of 'jolly savages' hoaxed the navy. "When invited to dine with the officers they declined, in their version of Swahili – seemingly translated by Woolf's brother, Adrian Stephen – because the food and drink had not been prepared correctly. The group actually feared that their fake beards would fall off."

tate modern (by no penny for them/blog)

"Isaiah Berlin split intellectuals into two groups: foxes, who know a great deal about many things, and hedgehogs, who know one big thing. But I wonder if there isn’t a third type, too, mysterious and misunderstood: the individual who knows a great deal about one thing—and that thing is herself."

Genuine question: why are (some) people on Pinterest so rude? There must be something built into its UX that encourages this, what is it?

What’s your PM done lately? Ours spent Christmas hols knitting a cardi for Senator Penny Wong and her partner Sophie Allouache’s new baby. You’re okay Julia I’m in your corner girl! Edited to add: The rest of her Christmas hols was spent making sure Australia was basically the only country in the western world not in recession. No big deal.

Lana Del Rey’s “Hunger Games” (by sdelahoyde)

"I also can’t shake the feeling I’m only contributing to the endless glut of sound and vision that is the internet. I wonder how many posts on other blogs I’ve actually read in the last six months, versus how many I’ve saved to read later. Later never comes. I wonder if any of us are truly reading and learning from each other, or if we’re all just treading water."

Every Day the Same Dream.

"Too in awe of him. Why would I waste his time?"

David Hockney on never meeting his idol Picasso. Via lessons for creatives from David Hockney.