Still apropos of Charles Darwin, whom The Hannibal Blog named runner-up for the title of greatest thinker ever: Olivia Judson commemorates his 200th birthday today with this fantastic biographical sketch of the man as well as the scientist. And a great man he was.
Olivia, incidentally, used to be a colleague of mine at The Economist. As a prank, she once dressed up as Dr Tatiana, a sultry sex expert, and apparently duped a senior editor just long enough for it to be embarrassing (to him) and memorable (to us). This led to a widely read Christmas Special in The Economist in which she plays agony aunt to critters from bees to spiders and counsels them on their sexual problems. This then led to an entire book.
OMG, you know Olivia Judson? Please don’t tell her how to find me. I’m afraid she might have a crush on me and it could be embarrassing for all the Crotchetys if she tracked me down.
I’ve been concerned about the same thing: that she would start pursuing you in an unseemly way. So I am being extra-careful to conceal your identity. Together, we will keep the Crotchety family safe…
She is, indeed, a very handsome woman. I just wanted to confirm that while I am following this post very closely, I am doing so from a safe distance. Thanks Mr. Crotchety for keeping us all safe.