Oh, damn. We say the good die young, because for some people ninety-plus years just isn’t long enough. From io9: One of the leading lights of the science fiction world, editor and author Frederik Pohl, passed away this weekend after a career that defined the genre for decades… Pohl was known for his mind-bending, often …
Open Thread: Aquaerobics for Cats
(via the Atlantic) Anyone else remember why British humorist Alan Coren published a collection titled Golfing for Cats with a swastika on the cover? NYMag‘s Vulture blog has an anniversary interview with Chris Carter: On September 10, 1993, a strange series called The X-Files infiltrated Friday nights on Fox, with brooding story lines involving government …
The Way We Live Now: Golden Balls
Missed posting this last week. From the NYTImesDealbook, “Platinum Card & Text Alert Via Pawnshop”: Linda Ballard, 61, uses the word “love” to describe her banking relationship, lauding the ease of cashing her bimonthly paycheck, the convenience of text alerts about her balance and the features on the platinum card that she was upgraded to …
Early Morning Open Thread: Happy Labor Day!
. Professor Krugman has a history lesson: It wasn’t always about the hot dogs. Originally, believe it or not, Labor Day actually had something to do with showing respect for labor. Here’s how it happened: In 1894 Pullman workers, facing wage cuts in the wake of a financial crisis, went on strike — and Grover …
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Long Read Watch: “We, the Paranoid”
I’m inherently suspicious of anything written by a Reason contributor, but I might actually have to buy a copy of United States of Paranoia. Might even suggest it for a Book Chat here, but that would just confirm what you’ve always suspected, right?
Long <del>Read</del> Watch: “We, the Paranoid”Post + Comments (55)
Open Thread: What Might (Not) Have Been
Ah, the inexorable March of History. From John Grey’s TNR review of a Margaret Thatcher biography: … When, after several unsuccessful attempts elsewhere, she presented herself as a potential parliamentary candidate before Conservative Party members in Finchley in 1958, she expected “that the usual prejudice against women will prevail and that I shall probably come …
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Sunday Garden Chat: Rump of Summer
From faithful commentor Marvel: It’s been one of those best of times/worst of times kind of weeks, garden-wise. Stuff’s ripening and threatening to rot on the vine if I don’t get my, um, rump, in gear and DO SOMETHING! So, I’ve been harvesting and eating, picking and pickling, forging and freezing, scooping up great armloads …