Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Philly book scene ...
.. featuring my friend (and former colleague) Jennifer Weiner: Local Area Events.
Something to consider ...
... Think of England: The poetry spin-off and blegging site. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Going live
I am about to conduct an online chat regarding my piece in Currents yesterday. (See .. Grading Diane Ravitch's education ideas.)
Feel free to join in.
Feel free to join in.
I second this ...
... This is Not a Book Review. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
This is an important piece. It gets to the heart of the matter and draws the proper distinctions. Do read the whole thing.
It is still beyond any reasonable doubt that the age of the newspaper, at the very least, is over. Requiescat in pace, but do not weep. Wasteful, relatively expensive, and ultimately ephemeral, there is nothing that a newspaper provides in print that cannot be provided exactly as well online. (Except perhaps the deplorable registration of their high-speed print processes.) And those at the helm are not ignorant of this. Some new business paradigm will be required to successfully meet the demands of a generation that scoffs at now-quaint constraints of old print media: word count, production costs, and distribution.
This is an important piece. It gets to the heart of the matter and draws the proper distinctions. Do read the whole thing.
Thought for the day ...
A man's interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town.- Henry Davis Thoreau, born on this date in 1817
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Little blogging today ...
I have been asked to lead a discussion about Wallace Stevens tonight in Lansdowne, and I like to be prepared. I also have a dinner to make. So back when I have the time.
Hmm ...
... The Medium Is the Medium. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
What matters is the way people think about themselves while engaged in the two activities. A person who becomes a citizen of the literary world enters a hierarchical universe. There are classic works of literature at the top and beach reading at the bottom.A person enters this world as a novice, and slowly studies the works of great writers and scholars. Readers immerse themselves in deep, alternative worlds and hope to gain some lasting wisdom. Respect is paid to the writers who transmit that wisdom.
Would this change if one read the book on a Kindle?
Happy birthday ...
... Harold Bloom: The Anxiety of Influence.
Bloom was one of those interviewed in a documentary I watched last night about Wallace Stevens. It seemed to me he must in fact be a very good teacher.
Bloom was one of those interviewed in a documentary I watched last night about Wallace Stevens. It seemed to me he must in fact be a very good teacher.
Thought for the day ...
Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.- Frederick Buechner, born on this date in 1926
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Late with this ...
... Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, Maestro.
When I was in high school, I recall only one set of the complete Mahler symphonies being available on record, conducted, I think, by Franz Konwitschny.
When I was in high school, I recall only one set of the complete Mahler symphonies being available on record, conducted, I think, by Franz Konwitschny.
The man who won't go away ...
... Hayek: The Back Story. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I wrote about this almost exactly year ago: A growing disconnect? Surge in sales of two books offers political hints.
Here's the Hayek-Keynes rap video.
I'm with Keynes on this, To begin with, he certainly knew about economics than Orwell did. And Hayek advocated free competition, not "free" competition.Keynes, Hayek’s friend and lifelong intellectual opponent, called it “a grand book,” adding, “Morally and philosophically, I find myself in agreement with virtually the whole of it.” George Orwell, more equivocal, conceded that Hayek “is probably right” about the “totalitarian-minded” nature of intellectuals but concluded that he “does not see, or will not admit, that a return to ‘free’ competition means for the great mass of people a tyranny probably worse . . . than that of the state.”
I wrote about this almost exactly year ago: A growing disconnect? Surge in sales of two books offers political hints.
Here's the Hayek-Keynes rap video.
Peculiar ...
... Serious Questions About the Veracity of Michael Bellesiles’s Latest Tale.
If Bellesiles is found to be fabricating again, it isn't his veracity that's in question; it's his sanity.
If Bellesiles is found to be fabricating again, it isn't his veracity that's in question; it's his sanity.
Inquirer News ...
... Philly papers' new owners, Newspaper Guild reach tentative agreement on contract. (Hat tip, Paul Davis.)
The wages of viral ...
... Bryan on Winnebago Man. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
I'd have thought, in this era of celebritism, most people would be glad to have celebrity in whatever form it came their way. Oh, yeah, Alec Baldwin doesn't need the bad publicity, but Star Wars Kid could easily take pride in just being known as Star Wars Kid. What is the kid doing that all of us haven't done ... when were kids? He's playing, for God's sake. Just like the people who stand in front of their loudspeakers and pretend to conduct the symphony they're listening to are playing. I do silk reeling while listening to music.
I almost envy Rebney living in that shack on the mountain with his dog. As for what Bryan says about "a very American form of loneliness," I'm not so sure. Some of the happiness moments of my life have occurred when I've been by myself in the middle of nowhere. It isn't loneliness. It's a delicious feeling of aloneness. There are certain Americans who revel in that feeling. And, of course, there are others who just feel lonely, the way one can on a crowded city street.
You can easily see Winnebago Man and Stars Wars Kid if you go to YouTube. I just watched them. Rebney strikes me as a pretty amiable pro just trying to get things right and having a bad time of it. I've had days like that, and felt much the same way.
Check out Star Wars Kid on YouTube. a chubby boy clumsily plays at being a Jedi knight in his school studio and, fatally, videos the whole thing and then, doubly fatally, leaves the tape behind. The video has been watched 19 million times in its YouTube version and 900 million times in a version with authentic Star Wars music and sounds. That poor boy is Star Wars Kid forever.
I'd have thought, in this era of celebritism, most people would be glad to have celebrity in whatever form it came their way. Oh, yeah, Alec Baldwin doesn't need the bad publicity, but Star Wars Kid could easily take pride in just being known as Star Wars Kid. What is the kid doing that all of us haven't done ... when were kids? He's playing, for God's sake. Just like the people who stand in front of their loudspeakers and pretend to conduct the symphony they're listening to are playing. I do silk reeling while listening to music.
I almost envy Rebney living in that shack on the mountain with his dog. As for what Bryan says about "a very American form of loneliness," I'm not so sure. Some of the happiness moments of my life have occurred when I've been by myself in the middle of nowhere. It isn't loneliness. It's a delicious feeling of aloneness. There are certain Americans who revel in that feeling. And, of course, there are others who just feel lonely, the way one can on a crowded city street.
You can easily see Winnebago Man and Stars Wars Kid if you go to YouTube. I just watched them. Rebney strikes me as a pretty amiable pro just trying to get things right and having a bad time of it. I've had days like that, and felt much the same way.
Thought for the day ...
As long as men are free to ask what they must, free to say what they think, free to think what they will, freedom can never be lost and science can never regress.- Marcel Proust, born on this date in 1871
Friday, July 09, 2010
Thought for the day ...
One act of beneficence, one act of real usefulness, is worth all the abstract sentiment in the world. Sentiment is a disgrace, instead of an ornament, unless it lead us to good actions.- Ann Radcliffe, born on this date in 1764
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Indeed ...
... REMEMBER, THESE ARE THE SAME INTERNATIONAL ELITES WHO LECTURE YOU ABOUT YOUR “CARBON FOOTPRINT.”
I can't make up my mind if it's hypocrisy or ignorance at work here.
I can't make up my mind if it's hypocrisy or ignorance at work here.
Blogging report ....
Blogging has been sporadic for a number of reasons. For one thing, I have been busy trying to meet deadlines. But my blogging is also in a state of transition, reflecting my life, which has also been in transition. Of course, everyone's life is always in transition. Life, like the weather, is a chaotic system.
But patterns do emerge. In my case I am only now beginning to settle into a routine replacing the one I had followed for so many years when I was employed. I think I tried to maintain a simulacrum of that after I retired, and I don't think that was a good idea. Actually, it wasn't an idea at all, just a mater of reflex, a habit. Underneath lay a certain anxiety, an unsureness over what exactly I should do next.
Lately, I have found myself, for some reason, feeling more relaxed, prepared to do at any moment whatever it occurs to me to do at that moment. I also find myself more open to improvisation, with less of a need to follow any clear and distinct plan of operation.
I think this change will start to be reflected more and more on this blog. Which is good. If anything should reflect one's life as one lives it, a blog of this sort should.
But patterns do emerge. In my case I am only now beginning to settle into a routine replacing the one I had followed for so many years when I was employed. I think I tried to maintain a simulacrum of that after I retired, and I don't think that was a good idea. Actually, it wasn't an idea at all, just a mater of reflex, a habit. Underneath lay a certain anxiety, an unsureness over what exactly I should do next.
Lately, I have found myself, for some reason, feeling more relaxed, prepared to do at any moment whatever it occurs to me to do at that moment. I also find myself more open to improvisation, with less of a need to follow any clear and distinct plan of operation.
I think this change will start to be reflected more and more on this blog. Which is good. If anything should reflect one's life as one lives it, a blog of this sort should.
Thought for the day ...
Death never takes the wise man by surprise, he is always ready to go.- Jean de La Fontaine, born on this date in 1621
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
You don't say ...
... 'Climategate' was 'a game-changer' in science reporting, say climatologists.
Update (vis the intrepid Dave Lull): 'Climategate' review clears scientists of dishonesty over data.
This doesn't bother me and doesn't preclude the outcome mentioned in the earlier link. I don't want Phil Jones persecuted. I think that he 's basically a good man and a good scientist. And he's acknowledged mistakes. Now, Michael Mann of Penn State? I don't put him on a par with Jones. But the point of all this is not to get even with people, but to clear the way for discovery of the truth.
(Bumped.)
"The release of the emails was a turning point, a game-changer," said Mike Hulme, professor of climate change at the University of East Anglia. "The community has been brought up short by the row over their science. Already there is a new tone. Researchers are more upfront, open and explicit about their uncertainties, for instance."Apparently, the National Academy of Sciences has not learned of this: Writing for PJM Helped Make Me Enemy of the State Number #38.
Update (vis the intrepid Dave Lull): 'Climategate' review clears scientists of dishonesty over data.
This doesn't bother me and doesn't preclude the outcome mentioned in the earlier link. I don't want Phil Jones persecuted. I think that he 's basically a good man and a good scientist. And he's acknowledged mistakes. Now, Michael Mann of Penn State? I don't put him on a par with Jones. But the point of all this is not to get even with people, but to clear the way for discovery of the truth.
(Bumped.)
Thought for the day ...
One could write a history of science in reverse by assembling the solemn pronouncements of highest authority about what could not be done and could never happen.- Robert A. Heinlein, born on this date in 1907
Quandary ...
... Is the Lobster Zone disturbing?
I object to boiling lobsters both because it is unnecessarily cruel and because it isn't the best way to cook them. Lobsters should be steamed. I don't think they can live at a temperature higher than 98 degrees. Steaming puts them into a gentle, fatal sleep. It also does not cause adrenalin to rush through their bodies, as dropping them into boiling water does -- which is turn makes the flesh tougher and less sweet.
BTW, I think Scott is right: There is something creepy about the Lobster Zone.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Another review ...
... of The Language God Talks.
I haven't read the book, but I get the impression that the rambling discursiveness the reviewer complains of is simply indicative that it is an old man's book. The very last books of John Cowper Powys had the same quality. We should learn to appreciate this, not be put off by it.
I haven't read the book, but I get the impression that the rambling discursiveness the reviewer complains of is simply indicative that it is an old man's book. The very last books of John Cowper Powys had the same quality. We should learn to appreciate this, not be put off by it.
Lifework ...
... The Singing Line. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I like that bit about Pavarotti and the cab, maybe because Pavarotti once actually bumped into me.
I like that bit about Pavarotti and the cab, maybe because Pavarotti once actually bumped into me.
And the winners are ...
... the IBPC's Winning Poems for May 2010. And here is the Judge's Page: Fiona Sampson. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
Thought for the day ...
The fiery force is nothing more than the life force as we know it. It is the flame of desire and love, of sex and beauty, of pleasure and joy as we consume and are consumed, as we burn with pleasure and burn out in time.- Harold Norse, born on this date in 1916
Monday, July 05, 2010
Good Lord ...
... Think You're Operating on Free Will? Think Again.
Whoever wrote this headline ought to learn to think, period. He could start by getting his terms clear. I doubt if anyone would deny that our choices are influenced by all sorts of things. Influence, however, is not determination. Nor do many people doubt that all sorts of mental processes take place unconsciously. No one who writes would deny that. Nor is it necessarily so that, in order to be free, a choice must be conscious.
Something else to ponder ...
... Beware those Black Swans. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Almost every major idea in conventional economics fails under the modification of some assumption, or what is called "perturbation", where you change one parameter or take a parameter henceforth assumed to be fixed and stable by the theory, and make it random.
Thought for the day ...
Since the day of my birth, my death began its walk. It is walking toward me, without hurrying.- Jean Cocteau, born on this date in 1889
Sunday, July 04, 2010
My (inadvertent) bad ...
... I failed to include my friend Susan's review in my list of Inquirer reviews (inadvertent, because when I did the post, it wasn't on the page): 'The Nobodies Album': A mystery, and so much more. (Hat tip to Dave Lull, who can find anything on the web, God bless him - you owe Dave one, Susan).
In praise of diatribe ...
... The wisdom of changing your mind. ((Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
As Maynard Keynes put it: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?"
As Maynard Keynes put it: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?"
But I don't like the word fundamentalist used as Mark uses it. I think it should be used to refer to the movement in favor of "the fundamentals" of Christianity that started, if memory serves, at the Princeton Theological Seminary in the 1920s. That some calling themselves "fundamentalists" may be deplorable does not mean the idea behind fundamentalism is deplorable. We should try to go easy on the pejoratives.
Dialogue ...
... The atheist and the rabbi: Arguing about God with Christopher Hitchens.
David's Why Faith Matters is a wonderful book. And David is a wonderful person.
David's Why Faith Matters is a wonderful book. And David is a wonderful person.
Thought for the day ...
Our Creator would never have made such lovely days, and have given us the deep hearts to enjoy them, above and beyond all thought, unless we were meant to be immortal.- Nathaniel Hawthorne, born on this date in 1804
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Thought for the day ...
Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy.- Franz Kafka, born on this date in 1883
Friday, July 02, 2010
This week's batch ...
... of TLS Letters: Do animals point?, Neapolitan gesture, Who knows?, and more!
Thought for the day ...
Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, be fortified by it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.- Hermann Hesse, born on this date in 1877
Thursday, July 01, 2010
I must demur ...
... Mr. Mimic.
Sammy was a good deal more than a mimic, as I think this clip demonstrates. His version of this song is the best by anyone ever. Period. What I think McWhorter overlooks is that Sammy simply had one of the greatest voices ever.
Here he is with another Newley song:
Sammy was a good deal more than a mimic, as I think this clip demonstrates. His version of this song is the best by anyone ever. Period. What I think McWhorter overlooks is that Sammy simply had one of the greatest voices ever.
Here he is with another Newley song:
Thought for the day ...
I write of the wish that comes true - for some reason, a terrifying concept.- James M. Cain, born on this date in 1892
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