toomanytribbles

the party's over

2012-02-01T16:19:00.000+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

©2011 helen sotiriadis

interview on ethnotraveler

2012-01-31T20:38:00.000+02:00

gulp -- of me.
thanks, brandon hoops!

there's a patch of snow on the ground

2012-01-31T13:28:00.001+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

look around
leaves are brown
there's a patch of snow on the ground

©2011 helen sotiriadis

who's afraid of the big, bad wolf?

2012-01-30T19:49:00.001+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

i think she wants to come in and take our picture.

website | blog | facebook | google+ | twitter ©2011 helen sotiriadis

ilission

2012-01-30T12:16:00.000+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

part of my struggle to find a way to shoot this city.

website | blog | facebook | google+ | twitter ©2011 helen sotiriadis

a winter's day

2012-01-29T21:30:00.000+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

©2011 helen sotiriadis

dance of the spirits

2012-01-29T10:47:00.001+02:00

real time northern lights from jan. 24th solar storm

via phil plait

this is a galaxy

2012-01-26T23:54:00.001+02:00

or is it?

photoshop quick tips: mysterious masks

2012-01-26T14:07:00.001+02:00

like it?

want more tips? make a suggestion!

lisa harouni: a primer on 3D printing

2012-01-26T01:46:00.000+02:00

the replicators are here...

so, will there finally be an increase in demand for 3D CAD operators..?

jesus&mo: ridicule

2012-01-25T21:19:00.002+02:00

i normally upload thumbnails of jesus&mo, but this needs to spread.

salman rushdie, cartoons, u.n. resolutions and SOPA/PIPA... freedom of speech is being attacked from all sides these days.

original here.

pale blue enormous dot

2012-01-25T20:35:00.001+02:00

the most amazing high definition image of earth [yet] -- blue marble -- 2012.

click!

click through to its page on flickr, where you can download a humongous 8000x8000 pixel version.

a love once new

2012-01-25T16:02:00.000+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

©2011 helen sotiriadis

all summer in a day

2012-01-23T23:39:00.001+02:00

based upon a short story by ray bradbury, in 3 parts:

you can download and read the original story here for free.

photoshop quick tips: basic blending modes

2012-01-22T19:02:00.001+02:00

like it?

want more tips? i'm open to suggestions -- let me know how to help!

30 renowned writers speaking about god

2012-01-22T16:37:00.000+02:00

dedicated to christopher hitchens

speakers in order of appearance:

1. sir arthur c. clarke, science fiction writer
2. nadine gordimer, nobel laureate in literature
3. professor isaac asimov, author and biochemist
4. arthur miller, pulitzer prize-winning playwright
5. wole soyinka, nobel laureate in literature
6. gore vidal, award-winning novelist and political activist
7. douglas adams, best-selling science fiction writer
8. professor germaine greer, writer and feminist
9. iain banks, best-selling fiction writer
10. josé saramago, nobel laureate in literature
11. sir terry pratchett, nyt best-selling novelist
12. ken follett, nyt best-selling author
13. ian mcewan, man booker prize-winning novelist
14. andrew motion, poet laureate (1999-2009)
15. professor martin amis, award-winning novelist
16. michel houellebecq, goncourt prize-winning french novelist
17. philip roth, man booker prize-winning novelist
18. margaret atwood, booker prize-winning author and poet
19. sir salman rushdie, booker prize-winning novelist
20. norman maccaig, renowned scottish poet
21. phillip pullman, best-selling british author
22. dr matt ridley, award-winning science writer
23. harold pinter, nobel laureate in literature
24. howard brenton, award-winning english playwright
25. tariq ali, award-winning writer and filmmaker
26. theodore dalrymple, english writer and psychiatrist
27. roddy doyle, booker prize-winning novelist
28. redmond o'hanlon frsl, british writer and scholar
29. diana athill, award-winning author and literary editor
30. christopher hitchens, best-selling author, award-winning columnist

via pz myers

autoCAD quick tip: workspaces

2012-01-22T15:23:00.001+02:00

like it?

want more tips? i'm open to suggestions -- let me know how to help!

brighter

2012-01-22T14:37:00.001+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

#secularsunday

website | blog | facebook | google+ | twitter ©2011 helen sotiriadis

the city dark

2012-01-21T21:08:00.001+02:00

on a planet that never sleeps, listed as having opened on january 18th.

have you seen it?

thank you, bruce stevens!

yosemite

2012-01-21T21:03:00.001+02:00

in HD, by sheldon neill and colin delehanty

jie

2012-01-21T19:24:00.000+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

a photo i took years ago in beijing
©2011 helen sotiriadis

2011 was the ninth-warmest year on record

2012-01-21T13:45:00.001+02:00

on NASA:

... and the 10 warmest years in the modern meteorological record have occurred since the year 2000.

your storytelling brain

2012-01-20T12:06:00.001+02:00

on big think

symphony of science: the greatest show on earth

2012-01-20T12:05:00.001+02:00

evolution

lawrence lessig -- republic: how money corrupts congress

2012-01-19T08:08:00.000+02:00

and a plan to stop it

why SOPA is a bad idea

2012-01-18T21:30:00.000+02:00

defend our freedom to share

STOP SOPA

2012-01-18T08:30:00.002+02:00

stop american censorship

matt dillahunty on atheism 2.0

2012-01-18T05:44:00.000+02:00

atheism 2.0 is buggy

snip

so there are aspects of this that i agree with, but have to reject the bulk of it. on many occasions, I’ve said something like, “keep the good and get rid of the bad, wherever you find it – including from religion” – and i meant it. generally, though, i’m talking about the community building aspects of religion.

but...

/snip

read the rest...

alain de botton: atheism 2.0

2012-01-17T23:17:00.001+02:00

'what aspects of religion should atheists (respectfully) adopt? alain de botton suggests a "religion for atheists" -- call it atheism 2.0 -- that incorporates religious forms and traditions to satisfy our human need for connection, ritual and transcendence.'

the internal clitoris episode iii

2012-01-16T18:49:00.002+02:00

at the museum of sex:

"
consider this: in over five million years of human evolution, only one organ has come to exist for the sole purpose of providing pleasure – the clitoris. it is not required for reproduction. it doesn’t have a urethra running through it like the penis, and thus, does not urinate. its sole function – its singular, wonderful purpose – is to make a woman feel good!!
…

try asking the next person you encounter to tell you where the clitoris is located. having posed this question to others many times myself, i’ll guess that the majority of answers you receive will sound something like, “it’s that small bulb at the top of my lips,” or, “that’s the button up under the hood.” although these responses aren’t exactly wrong, the interesting truth is that the majority of the clitoris is actually within the pelvis – that is, it’s far more internal than external. even most of the women i coach, women who are generally worldly and well-informed about their own bodies, react with a combination of fascination and confusion when i explain that their clitoris extends deep within them.
"
read on...

episodes i and ii

you've got to make the morning last

2012-01-16T14:21:00.001+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

selene.

©2011 helen sotiriadis

afterthought

2012-01-15T13:42:00.001+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

ioannina, greece

©2011 helen sotiriadis

leave me where i am

2012-01-14T20:46:00.002+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

ioannina, greece

©2011 helen sotiriadis

america's science decline

2012-01-11T00:19:00.001+02:00

with neil degrasse tyson

"
neil talks about how the amount of peer reviewed science research being done in the u.s. has gone down since 2000, and gone up in other places like japan, china and europe.

"

fresh

2012-01-10T20:48:00.000+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

a long-forgotten RAW file, edited exclusively in adobe lightroom 4 beta!
download it and try it!

i loved the new local edits -- sharpening, noise control, temperature...

©2011 helen sotiriadis

the reason is clear

2012-01-09T18:56:00.001+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

©2011 helen sotiriadis

scende

2012-01-08T21:15:00.000+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

©2011 helen sotiriadis

james and other apes

2012-01-08T20:12:00.002+02:00

by james mollison

click image to source
"
while watching a nature program on primates i was struck by their facial similarity to our own. humans are clearly different to animals, but the great apes inhabit that grey area between man and animal. i thought it would be interesting to try to photograph gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans using the aesthetic of the passport photograph- its ubiquitous style inferring the idea of identity.

i decided against photographing in zoos or using ‘animal actors’ but traveled to cameroon, republic of congo, democratic republic of congo and indonesia to meet orphans of the bush meat trade and live pet trade.
"
via petapixel
blog post ©2011 helen sotiriadis

little planet epidaurus

2012-01-08T17:24:00.003+02:00

my friend, vicky k. cullen, is making an entire universe, one little planet at a time, with locations around greece. this particular image is of the ancient theater of epidaurus:

click!
the concept and execution is wonderful -- the ampitheatric structure lends itself perfectly to this... i'm both proud and awed!

image by vicky k. cullen
blog post ©2011 helen sotiriadis

the atheist union of greece on the proposed islamic mosque

2012-01-08T16:55:00.002+02:00

a press release:

"
According to the press (for example the "Kathimerini" newspaper), Metropolitan bishop Seraphim of Piraeus, the Embellishing Nature-Loving Cultural Club "Athens," a university professor, two lieutenants of the Navy and five residents of Botanikos appealed to the Council of State (the supreme administrative court of Greece) claiming that the government violated constitutional provisions, with the decision to build an Islamic mosque with government funds.

The Atheist Union of Greece promotes religious freedom; however, it is against state funding of religious buildings, including the erection of temples, for any religion. Each religious organization should finance its own activities, whether it be the construction of temples, payment of salaries for its clergy, religious ceremonies, seminaries or other theological schools, and the teaching of doctrine or any other activity, without burdening the state budget. The funding of any religious organization should be undertaken by its members exclusively and not by all taxpayers who are not all religious people and are not all believers of the same faith. All religions should have equal treatment by the state and there should be no religious discrimination, positive or negative.

Given the fact, however, that the government finances the Orthodox Church exclusively, a minimum sense of fairness would require it to do the same for other religions. One would think that a bishop of the religion of love would not only recognize this, but welcome it. It is absurd for the applicants to refer to Article 13 of the Constitution on religious freedom in order to restrict the religious freedom of other people or their compatriots.

It is provocative for a priest of orthodoxy to criticize the funding of one and only religious building and the payment of one and only imam, while, at the same time, he enjoys hefty salaries for himself and his colleagues, and the maintenance of luxury churches across the country, which burden all taxpayers.

It is paradoxical to claim that the imam's call offends the religious feelings of Christians, when bells of Christian churches ring every day, and no one wonders if this offends believers of other religions, atheists or non-believers.

Finally, it is presumptuous to assume that all Greeks are Greek Orthodox, effacing with arrogance the existence of atheists, non-believers, agnostics and believers of other faiths.

If the church fails to take its blinders off and face reality, we at least hope that the state will support the rights of all citizens, treating them with respect, equality and justice, without discriminating on the basis of religion.

"

the fleet's come in

2012-01-08T16:43:00.002+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

more class notes from my student.
the other day, he made this.

©2011 helen sotiriadis

night lights

2012-01-07T20:37:00.000+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

athens, greece, as seen from pendeli observatory.

©2011 helen sotiriadis

you can fly

2012-01-07T14:39:00.002+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

©2011 helen sotiriadis

a profile of neil degrasse tyson

2012-01-06T14:20:00.001+02:00

carl zimmer's king of the cosmos

on a hay-mown crest, dozens of people are crouching in the dark. the earth has turned away from the sun, and the sky has flowed down a color chart, from light gray to orange to bluish-black. a sliver of a waxing moon has appeared briefly and then slipped below the western horizon, leaving the sky to blinking airplanes rising from la guardia fifty miles to the south, to satellites gliding in low orbit, to jupiter and its herd of moons and to the great river of the milky way beyond.

the crowd that sits in this chilly field in north salem, new york, is surrounded by a ring of telescopes. there’s a dobsonian, a giant barrel-shaped contraption that’s so tall you have to climb a stepladder to look through its eyepiece. small, squat newtonian cylinders sit on tripods, rigged to computers that give off a weak lamp-glow from their monitors. a few older men are fussing over the telescopes, but everyone else is huddled on the grass.

“just get snuggly. there’s nothing wrong with that. get snuggly.”

get snuggly and read on...

parallel

2012-01-05T15:41:00.003+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

©2011 helen sotiriadis

BSG role playing game

2012-01-05T01:42:00.001+02:00

a summary of battlestar galactica, from college humor

merry

2012-01-04T18:09:00.003+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

©2011 helen sotiriadis

laurence krauss finds something in nothing

2012-01-04T06:09:00.000+02:00

and plugs his book, with a cool little video.

sotiriadis

supernatural

2012-01-03T18:19:00.002+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

photo fun with selene.

©2011 helen sotiriadis

the hunting of the higgs

2012-01-03T14:14:00.004+02:00

by laurence krauss on the RDFRS...

'on the eve of the rumoured announcement from geneva, we are proud to have commissioned this special article explaining why it is potentially so important, from lawrence krauss.

there has been a lot of news lately about the possible discovery at the large hadron collider of the long awaited higgs boson, but at the same time there has been a lot of confusion about what it is, why we have had to work hard to find it, and why we should care. here’s why.
first, the short answer:

if the higgs is discovered, it will represent perhaps one of the greatest triumphs of the human intellect in recent memory, vindicating 50 years of the building of one of the greatest theoretical edifices in all of science, and requiring the building of the most complicated machine that has ever been built. that’s the good news. but if the higgs is all that is found at the lhc, it will mean that the other crucial empirical guidance that physicists now need to try and understand truly fundamental questions about our existence—from understanding whether all four forces in nature are unified in some grand theory, to determining what may have caused the big bang—will still be absent. answering these questions may be beyond our technical and financial capabilities in this generation.'

the long answer: read on...

upside down trailer

2012-01-03T01:32:00.002+02:00

science fiction. escher.
wanna get blown away by a trailer?

Veuillez installer Flash Player pour lire la vidéo

UPSIDE DOWN - BA VOST

please, please, please let the plot not disappoint!

a year of pictures 2011

2012-01-02T09:36:00.001+02:00

this is becoming a habit... i gathered up most of the images i created last year, along with a handful of re-edits and made a video.

the music is by tryad.

enjoy!

previous years:
2010
2009

©2011 helen sotiriadis

shine on

2012-01-02T01:28:00.002+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

lights are still up in greece, until about january 6th, which is yet another holiday.

©2011 helen sotiriadis

imagine

2012-01-01T23:33:00.000+02:00

as it is, as it should be, and as it inspires and motivates.

sold-out coward.

george carlin philosophy

2012-01-01T22:53:00.001+02:00

in two parts

yearset - 2011 - athens

2011-12-31T21:45:00.000+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

the year ends in athens soon.
my heartfelt wishes for a wonderful new year to you all.

oh -- and free calendars!

atheism: a new strategy

2011-12-30T22:05:00.000+02:00

do you remember richard dawkins' call to arms?

that was almost 5 years ago -- and you know what? it worked... a lot.
we live in a different world than then. the secular world is an awakening giant.

now, there is a new strategy:

the video description:

"
christopher hitchens said there was one goal he most wanted to achieve. the richard dawkins foundation for reason & science u.s. offers 'six ways to reframe secular issues and strategy' and, in this presentation, connects the vision for a secular america to serving the goal christopher hitchens articulated.

sean faircloth is the author of the book, attack of the theocrats, how the religious right harms us all and what we can do about it. faircloth serves as director of strategy and policity for the richard dawkins foundation for reason & science u.s.

"

debates, galore!

2011-12-30T16:10:00.001+02:00

found on my google plus stream, a compilation of full debates and lectures, available for free, by hitchens, dawkins, harris, carrier, tyson, shermer, myers, dennett and others, on reddit.

woohoo!

the island

2011-12-30T15:51:00.000+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

pamvotis lake, at ioannina, greece, shot from the town, towards the only inhabited island in the country with no name.

...and yet another reminder that i've made some free calendar wallpapers -- go grab'em!

©2011 helen sotiriadis

i think that i shall never see

2011-12-29T16:15:00.002+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

some LDR (low dynamic range) for ya.

btw, did you see my calendars for 2012? they're free -- and free is good ! go grab'em!

©2011 helen sotiriadis

the voyagers

2011-12-28T09:43:00.001+02:00

by penny lane

video description:

'in the summer of 1977, NASA sent voyager 1 and voyager 2 on an epic journey into interstellar space. each spacecraft carries a golden record album, a massive compilation of images and sounds embodying the best of planet earth. according to carl sagan, “[t]he spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space. but the launching of this bottle into the cosmic ocean says something very hopeful about life on this planet.” while working on the golden record, sagan met and fell madly in love with his future wife annie druyan. the golden record became their love letter to humankind and to each other. in the summer of 2010, i began my own hopeful voyage into the unknown. this film is a love letter to my fellow traveler.'

calendars 2012

2011-12-27T22:42:00.003+02:00

i whipped up three calendars for 2012... with three of my favorite shots from this year:
biotopos at the lake at ioannina, greece,
hiliadou, a beach in greece,
and the recent lunar eclipse over athens.

a gift, from me to you. download, set as your wallpaper and enjoy.

want to see more pictures? visit my website.

1280 px:

1920 px:

right click on any image and save file as -- or download a bundle with all six calendars.

and, i might as well remind you, that (almost) all my images are available as prints. interested? contact me!

©2011 helen sotiriadis

atheism vs agnosticism

2011-12-25T12:21:00.004+02:00

sometimes drawing a picture helps.

large, at lolgod.

.

roam

2011-12-24T16:23:00.000+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

i didn't make this up!

how's your holiday going? i hope you're having a good one!

©2011 helen sotiriadis

woody allen jesus

2011-12-22T22:37:00.000+02:00

by tim minchin

touched by a wild mountain gorilla

2011-12-22T22:06:00.000+02:00

can we go play with the humans? can we? please, please?

i remember what i did last summer

2011-12-22T15:09:00.001+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

it's rainy and dark today... so no sun-shooting for me, i'm afraid.
here's a memory from august -- happy december solstice!

sunrise at hiliadou, greece.

©2011 helen sotiriadis

out

2011-12-21T19:47:00.000+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

©2011 helen sotiriadis

carl sagan, once more

2011-12-21T02:40:00.001+02:00

carl sagan died 15 years ago today, december 20th.

his work drove me to start this blog. his work permeates my perception. his work has inspired my photography.

i never knew him, but i miss him.

please browse through a set of my images inspired by carl sagan on flickr.

©2011 helen sotiriadis

selene

2011-12-19T16:12:00.001+02:00

black

2011-12-18T17:51:00.000+02:00

click
view in the dark

for chistopher hitchens.

i miss his presence, but i'm not done with his work.
his words and recordings of his voice will continue to speak to me, and i'll pass his ideas on to others.

my condolences to his family and his friends.
we've lost someone precious -- let's all remember him well.

more of my photos inspired by christopher hitchens.

©2011 helen sotiriadis

stand your ground

2011-12-15T13:02:00.002+02:00

finding the magnificent in the mundane

2011-12-14T19:02:00.001+02:00

a wonderful talk by chris orwig, on TED.

pamvotis

2011-12-14T12:32:00.002+02:00

313

2011-12-13T22:44:00.002+02:00

the lunar eclipse beyond pendeli

2011-12-11T14:28:00.001+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

this is a second shot of yesterday's eclipse, over pendeli mountain in athens, greece.
i posted another shot yesterday over the acropolis, here.

©2011 helen sotiriadis

the lunar eclipse over athens

2011-12-10T22:05:00.001+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

i didn't expect to be able to see it... but anthony ayiomamitis proved me wrong!
i should've changed location -- a bit over to the left and i'd've had a better composition, but i wasn't familiar with the area and it was getting dark.

still, i'm pleased that i saw it, and that i had the chance to capture it.

i have another, without the acropolis, that i'll upload later.

©2011 helen sotiriadis

come fade away

2011-12-10T14:29:00.001+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

guess what? powerlines!

i'm so jealous of everyone who has the opportunity to see the eclipse today. get some great shots, please!

©2011 helen sotiriadis

robin williams tickles koko

2011-12-09T22:22:00.001+02:00

and she tickles him back.

the premier episode of 'photo talk plus'...

2011-12-09T03:37:00.001+02:00

... happened last night (well, morning to me...) !

hosted by two brilliant photographers -- thomas hawk and lotus carol, with an illustrious panel, comprising of brian rose, chris macaskill, amy heiden and, somehow, moi.... we talked about top photography stories from last week and interviewed scott jarvie!

it really was fun and i learned so much.

oh no -- you missed it!? ah... no problem... you can watch it here, thanks to keith barrett and vidcast network:

watch live video from the vidcast network on justin.tv

below aslan's lair

2011-12-08T20:23:00.002+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

the ground floor of ali pasha's home in ioannina.
aslan, his nickname, is turkish for lion.

©2011 helen sotiriadis

life through the lens 2

2011-12-08T09:19:00.001+02:00

a huge thank you to the gang -- tamara pruessner, karen hutton, kerry murphy, ron clifford, tana teel, anna nguyen and kelli seeger kim for organizing and getting me through the second episode of life through the lens.

it was fun... and i love and thank them all.

PLUS -- much love to keith barrett and vidcast network for streaming and recording the episode!

missed it live? the video's here:

watch live video from the vidcast network on justin.tv

biotopos

2011-12-07T17:57:00.001+02:00

i dreamt i went to ioannina

2011-12-06T18:48:00.001+02:00

κathryn schulz: don't regret regret

2011-12-05T21:20:00.001+02:00

on TED

accordion

2011-12-05T19:09:00.001+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

created by a student, in my class.
they say doodling's good for learning, too.

©2011 helen sotiriadis

a public apology to richard dawkins

2011-12-01T01:58:00.001+02:00

by deepak chopra

now, if he can only understand that he has to cut the bull.

watchmen

2011-11-28T18:43:00.001+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

athens, from pendeli mountain, looking towards the pendeli observatory.

©2011 helen sotiriadis

stephen colbert interviews neil degrasse tyson

2011-11-28T06:56:00.001+02:00

at montclaire kimberley academy, jan 29 2010.

originally uploaded here: http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/watch/2010/01/29/stephen-colbert-interview-montclair-kimberley-academy but uploaded to youtube by a fan because of server overload...

lynn margulis discusses her love of science

2011-11-28T02:19:00.001+02:00

unfortunately for me, i became aware of her too late.

that-a-way

2011-11-26T16:41:00.001+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

a sea-faring people, greeks traditionally displayed decorated ships and boats for the holidays. you still see them, here and there.

©2011 helen sotiriadis

what it feels like to not be indoctrinated into christianity

2011-11-26T01:54:00.001+02:00

a clip with sam harris

#locationlocationlocation

2011-11-26T00:40:00.001+02:00

influenced by the pale blue dot.

video description:
anthony davids video for new tune, #locationlocationlocation, shot in kenya, edited in savannah, by the kids of AWOL, and studio8. album releases Dec 6.

via the friendly atheist

captive

2011-11-25T14:55:00.001+02:00

like it? click it!
view in the dark

a quick shot of a small bunch of plumbago i picked yesterday... it's already fraying around the edges.

©2011 helen sotiriadis

address is approximate

2011-11-24T11:06:00.001+02:00

by tom jenkins

the thinking atheist: a pale blue dot

2011-11-24T10:34:00.001+02:00

i never tire of the multiple tributes to carl sagan's pale blue dot.

the evolution of life in 60 seconds

2011-11-24T06:27:00.001+02:00

nice and slow -- then boom!

via why evolution is true

jesus&mo: eyes

2011-11-23T13:55:00.002+02:00

click to read original at jesus&mo

hitch fry

2011-11-23T12:30:00.001+02:00

stephen fry and friends on the life, loves and hates of christopher hitchens at intelligence squared.

the video description:

in this historic event, stephen fry and other friends of christopher hitchens came together to celebrate the life and work of this great writer, iconoclast and debater. fry was joined on stage at the southbank centre's royal festival hall by richard dawkins and the two discussed hitch's unflinching commitment to the truth. hollywood actor sean penn was beamed in from la by google+ and, between cigarette puffs, read from hitch's acclaimed work, the trial of henry kissinger. five friends of hitch spoke via satellite in new york: satirist christopher buckley and editor lewis lapham mused on hitch's prowess as a journalist. 'like a pot of gold', said lapham. martin amis, salman rushdie and james fenton delighted the audience with stories of hitchens as a young man. rushdie drew roars of laughter when he recounted a word game invented by amis and hitchens where the word 'love' is replaced with 'hysterical sex'. particular favourites included hysterical sex in the time of cholera and hysterical sex is all you need.

watching the event with hitch at his bedside in texas, hitch's wife carol and novelist ian mcewan provided an email commentary. 'his rolls royce mind is still purring beautifully', typed mcewan.

the event was watched live by 2500 at the venue, and by thousands more in uk cinemas and online.

sophia last summer

2011-11-22T15:28:00.001+02:00