It's also worth noting that technobabble is bad Star Trek. It's not like it's an integral part of the franchise.

That part of the Wall doesn't divide much of anything. It's inbetween a street and the Spree river. It doesn't hinder anyone's mobility.
Also consider that with the rapid growth of Berlin in recent decades a lot of that part of the city's history has already been lost. Simply forgetting history is not a good thing.

That wouldn't really have the same impact, I think. And it's also as much about the street art that's on that stretch of Wall as it is about the Wall itself.

While I'm all for making fun of David Hasselhoff, tearing down one of the last (and thanks to the East Side Gallery, one of the most iconic) parts of the Wall still standing, just to build some condos or some shit is a terrible idea. So, good on him for speaking out against it.

Well, even the Iranian regime couldn't argue with the perfection that was A Separation.

Not much reading this week, only finished Cranford. Also spilled tea on it, so now I have to replace it for the library. Idiot. Maybe I can keep the ruined one, it's not too bad.

SCHWING!

Or why not adapt the Soviet version of it, The Wizard of the Emerald City? The first book is kind of a loose translation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but there are a number of sequels/prequels that have nothing to do with the original.
I loved them as a kid growing up in the post-Communist bloc.

Fine writing as usual, Sean. You are the Jonathan Swift of our age.

So, did you do "Once more unto the breach" instead? That's shorter, right? And pretty kickass as well.

It was my first Shakespeare play that I read outside of school. And the one that made me a fan of the Bard as well. It's still my favorite.

Maybe being a freighter captain in Star Trek isn't really all that different from backpacking in our world. You just travel wherever you want to, experience different cultures, see the galaxy. And you only actually haul stuff on the side, or maybe to make some money for when you travel outside of Federation space.
Basic…

So true. That's one of my biggest literary pet peeves.

You highly overestimate the maturity of the average 23-year-old.

I remember lots of blood and slicing off of various limbs.

Modern history does discuss that whenever there are sufficient sources. But any writings or art that survive are usually concerned with the lifes (and deaths) of the elite. And archeological evidence also often tends to be things like monuments or luxury goods. It's difficult to find things that shed light on the life…

Thanks, I didn't know that existed. Though I suppose the BBC has adapted every 19th century novel at some point or other. ;)

I unwittingly slipped into Gaskell Appreciation Month by picking up another work of hers, Cranford, a delightful trifle about one third the length of North and South, that's less concerned with Big Ideas and more a low-key portrait of small-town society in the vein of Austen. It's sometimes funny, sometimes sad, often…

I don't think anyone would be surprised by that.

Yeah, you do not want to drop the ball when Coach Taylor is watching.