Blog News

1. Comments are still disabled though I am thinking of enabling them again.

2. There are now several extra pages - Poetry Index, Travel, Education, Childish Things - accessible at the top of the page. They index entires before October 2013.

3. I will, in the next few weeks, be adding new pages with other indexes.

Saturday, 29 August 2009

Seeing the invisible fish

When I was in Harrow this year I mentioned the invisible fish that I commented on in passing in this entry about the Philippines. I was met with disbelief. Ridicule even. But I swear it's true. I have, hand on heart, seen invisible fish. Well their skeletons, heads and some of their internal organs anyway, and the fish shaped hole in the light that they make when they swim past.
If you are also a doubting Thomas try googling for images of "glassfish".
The scientific information and further details can be found in this wikipedia entry.

So, hands up if you'd like to see the invisible fish.

4 comments:

robert said...

Nearly to the day, one year ago I heard the German motto: Der Fisch muss auf den Tisch. (The fish must be placed upon the table.)
This was the motto of a prof. of mine, who likes to tell only the truth, as smelly as it might be from time to time, nevertheless, it must be placed upon the table.

Bob Hale said...

I'd like to ask you a German language question. I haven't done any lessons or spoken much German for some years now but I stay in practice by reading a couple of blogs and something I've recently noticed a lot is the omission of the main verb in sentences with a modal verb like mussen. In your translation, you have, rightly, put back the verb that's missing (be placed). How common is the structure with the main verb omitted in German and is it correct in formal German as well or just in colloquial German? This structure is never used in English.

Incidentally if you can recommend any good blogs written in German, I'd appreciate it. Nothing too difficult or literary though.

Thanks.
Bob

robert said...

With time being now nearly 03.15 in the morning, please allow me to come up with an adequate answer tomorrow.
This for now: with Fisch and Tisch making a rhyme there couldn't follow another word, to keep it 'in motion'.
Leaving this away, one could have said, Der Fisch muss auf den Tisch gelegt werden. Which would be the correct and full translation of the English version.
However to keep the 'momentum' one assumes the 'to be placed'.
Will try to provide a more in depth explanation as well as sites as soon as possible. Please have a nice new week.

robert said...

A bit earlier than usual, thought that this site might be of interest (personally think so, even if not always to be taken too seriously):
http://alles-schallundrauch.blogspot.com

...off with many thoughts on my mind, much work to do, etc....