light reading.

 

passion. some clips from my first solo CD southern crossing. adventures in uruguay, argentina, and brazil things I did in 99. how do you measure a year in the life hedonist's paradise. a flattering newspaper review of my music the woods, the beach, the court, the fire. powerful words from a modern master of the sunday sermon

::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   :: Every now and then someone asks what I'm reading online, and what sites I frequent. I've refrained from doing one of those dreadful links pages, but now that Sean McMains's "brainsausage" has been discontinued, I figure there may be a place at the table. The web can really be a fascinating experience. How ironic that we use the same metaphor for going from site to site that we do for flipping through the channels of television: "channel surfing" is what you do when you're bored or tired of a show; but on the web you "surf" precisely because your interest or curiosity has been piqued. Here's what I've been reading.   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   JAN 25.  it's a more wonderful town. gary kamiya's bold thesis: pottersville is much cooler than bedford falls.   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   JAN 17.  freezing, baths, death, moms. ahh, we love ann lamott, and here's why: strange, sidelong tales of redemption that steer clear of the touched-by-an-angel treacle of christian culture what we have to lose. more dalrymple: a heartfelt analysis of why civilization is both under attack and worth defending   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   :: 2 0 0 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   SEPT 29.  talk about ambitious. you thought the ascii star wars was a stretch? how about gershwin's rhapsody in blue, sung by a barbershop quartet? it's astounding oh, to be in england. a compelling idea: that an honest leviathan state is more to be feared than a dishonest one. theodore dalrymple compares england's quality of life to italy's, and guess who wins?   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   MAR 13.  beauty and the beast. the number 666 is not only the most notorious number in christendom; it also happens to be mathematically very interesting their banner over me. yes, it's where truly great banner advertising goes to die. an afternoon's worth of entertainment   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   JAN 23.  you're going to regret this. the practice of making pictures with only simple text ("ascii") characters is as common as the :) — and a paradoxical one it is, reversing the process by which pictograms became letters in the first place. and now, ladies and gentlemen, star wars in ascii. (hey, wasn't that a song by john denver?) knee deep in the hoopla. ever wonder how they come up with a name like 'integra' or 'lucent'? turns out they hire people (at exorbitant rates) to develop corporation names. this is one of the funniest articles i've read in a long time, partially because it reads like a christopher guest libretto. promise me that only after you've read it you'll follow this link   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   :: 2 0 0 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   DEC 30.  gene, gene, the disappearing machine. no such thing as a gene? a scientist postulates that the "century of the gene" is over a giant slice of pi. a famous article on two brothers obsessed with the number (the guy in the movie was based on them)   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   NOV 18.  man of the moment. the ultimate symbol of modern-day suburban america is... ben franklin fill in the blob. here's what's wrong with all those standardized tests that politicians prescribe purple. ingenious and beautiful. my only question is, how did they get that domain?   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   NOV 1.  vote your conscience. the SelectSmart site gives you a little quiz to see where your political beliefs lie, then matches you to the closest candidates. you may be surprised the explainer explained. dennis miller may be the most literate commentator in the history of football — or at least the biggest show-off. the good folks at britannica have a hilarious site that explains all the obtuse references he makes, and then, conan-like, misunderstands them completely   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   OCT 28.  lots of tongue. a spirited defense and inquiry into the much maligned "spanglish" reach past the illusion. a fascinating history of a famous picture — the scholar poking his head behind the sky and seeing the machinery of the ptolemaic cosmos — and what its uses over the years tells us about our own prejudices (like the false idea that medievals thought the earth was flat)   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   OCT 23.  nonviolence. if your enemy only understands force, then force must be used, right? wrong. here's a brilliant, and well designed, site with a 20th-century history of folks who got it done without violence. interesting use of the narrative present tense, by the way fall reading. lapis asked prominent folks for a 21st-century reading list   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   OCT 3.  looking out for No. 1. get healthy by — drinking your urine? the age-old question. why do men have nipples?   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   OCT 1.  dancin' fever. ever heard of the st vitus' dance? crazy, man   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   SEPT 14.  walk like an italian. a traveler takes on the subject and meaning of an ancient tradition: cruising, old-world style the hipper brother of charles matthew and chris. brubeck, that is: a history of darius brubeck's involvement in the jazz scene — and, inevitably, the politics — of south africa. what's interesting here is the wealth of shocking side facts: miles and dave were pals... and boxing fans? burt bacharach studied with milhaud? lenny bruce was the brubecks' babysitter!? someone didn't know fats domino was black?   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   SEPT 6.  the net is dominated by colossal boobs, after all. how well do web filters protect you from the evil internet? ask sherril babcock. the doomsday clock. a look at the bulletin of the atomic scientists logo — the visual sound bite of the cold war era — and its clock hand's 14 moves provides an overarching history of the cold war. here's a longer history as of 1995   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   SEPT 2.  a spoonful of sugar. someone had a great answer to the perennial question of how to make science attractive. ah am prayin' for yew. if you ever wondered whether the onion had a christian equivalent, wonder no more.   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   ::   AUG 29.  death! danger! cat massacres! vanishing genitalia! a haphazard journey through some of the notable mass delusions and hysterias of the past thousand years. great reading. truth! progress! yep, richard rorty — that scoundrel of philosopher/theorists — has a new book out. here's a pretty evenhanded review.