Bend is gorgeous, so no, that's not more depressing.  Or not more depressing than a shut down potato distribution plant anywhere else.

Where were you guys when I was trying to think of a user name?

Salman Rushdie, The Enchantress of Florence.  Gorgeous!

I liked The Year of the Flood more than Oryx and Crake, but this is perhaps because I read it first, not knowing anything about either.  Or, because I loved the richness of biotechnologically-driven dystopian detail in The Year of the Flood more than the more focused story of Oryx and Crake.  In any case, both books…

Admittedly, I didn't watch the clip, but I can't resist pointing out that DLR's autobiography (www.amazon.com/Crazy-Heat-D… is awesome.  Really.  Exciting stories, rambling stream of consciousness delivery, frequent philosophizing.  We need more like this.

Do people really have so little to do that they re-watch TV shows?

Actually, ADSLLA, a lot of my classes are for non-scientists (gen ed classes), and the kids in them don't seem to know much about books, history, art, ….  I don't think non-science majors read more books than science majors. 

"Building Stories" by Chris Ware — a giant, episodic graphic novel in 14 different pieces (pamphlets, hard-bound books, posters, …) all collected in a giant box.  It's great, though consistently bleak.  And the format, though super-cool and interesting, makes it hard to read in bed.

When teaching about phase transitions I often bring up the fictional ice-9, and am always happy that a few students are aware of Vonnegut, and sad that it's only a few.  So it goes.

Thinking back, most of the movies I've felt most intensely about were ones I saw myself  — somehow, not having other people I know around me makes it easier to connect with the 'screen'.  Maybe when you're with people, like someone else pointed out, there's a distraction that's hard to avoid in caring about what…

Thinking back, most of the movies I've felt most intensely about were ones I saw myself  — somehow, not having other people I know around me makes it easier to connect with the 'screen'.  Maybe when you're with people, like someone else pointed out, there's a distraction that's hard to avoid in caring about what…

Is there anything else out there that sounds like Calexico, especially their more western-film-score-ish, mariachi-ish with trumpets, etc. songs, which I love?  Suggestions?

Is there anything else out there that sounds like Calexico, especially their more western-film-score-ish, mariachi-ish with trumpets, etc. songs, which I love?  Suggestions?

I'm with Smacky the Frog.  And I'm not even old enough to have vinyl…

I'm with Smacky the Frog.  And I'm not even old enough to have vinyl…

The movie is great, too.

The movie is great, too.

Yes, it's good!  It's true that it's smug, but it's entertaining and clever, and some chapters (on uncovering cheating in Sumo wrestling, for example) are really fascinating.  The best thing about it: a chapter on the economics of gangs and drug dealing led me to Sudhir Venkatesh's "Gang Leader for a Day" — an awesome…

Yes, it's good!  It's true that it's smug, but it's entertaining and clever, and some chapters (on uncovering cheating in Sumo wrestling, for example) are really fascinating.  The best thing about it: a chapter on the economics of gangs and drug dealing led me to Sudhir Venkatesh's "Gang Leader for a Day" — an awesome…

That's ok; Electric Box 2 is fantastic!