filed in Books on Oct.29, 2009
Okay, I need to take a few posts and think about the recent books I have read. This afternoon I “finished” Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. Yeah, it doesn’t sound very exciting, but her novel Gilead was truly beautiful. I put finished in quotes because I have to admit that I skimmed the final third because [...]
filed in Books on Oct.27, 2009
Rarely do I read a children’s book that I instantly love. I can be a bit of an English snob, and a clanging rhyme or forced rhythm can turn me against an author, as I think ”C’mon, the books are only twenty pages long–can’t you at least craft a competent poem?” So how surprised was [...]
filed in Music, Stuff on Oct.22, 2009
I made a lot of fun of Best Buy’s slogan last year, as though purchasing a product could really bring one joy. Yeah, almost every store sells myths and aspirations as much as products. Best Buy just decided to be the obvious one with their “You…Happier!” slogan. It wasn’t even done in the manner of [...]
filed in Gaming on Oct.21, 2009
Is it possible for technology to go too far, and for video games to become too realistic? I’m not asking this in the Grand Theft Auto sort of way, wondering whether realistic mob violence is a good influence on the preteen. I’m questioning it in connection to Fifa 10 and their GameFace technology.
GameFace is not some [...]
filed in Science on Oct.15, 2009
I was reading an article about anxiety in the New York Times Magazine last night (yes, it’s from September 29—the Sunday Times takes me two weeks to read at times!) and it reminded me of how useful it is to be aware of and honest about your strengths and weaknesses. No, this has nothing to [...]
filed in Issues on Oct.07, 2009
Like most cities, Columbia is in a bit of a financial bind. They are discussing various ways to make up lost tax revenue in order to maintain city services. But if you’re the local police force, I’m not sure this is the answer:
The Downtown Traffic Unit cited 17 bicyclists for riding on the sidewalk, four for [...]
filed in Politics on Oct.04, 2009
I don’t have any particularly favorable or unfavorable feelings towards our state’s junior Senator, Claire McCaskill. She is a Hickman graduate (Go Kewpies!), so she gets points for that. She seems to have made a bit of a name for herself, primarily thanks to backing Obama early in the primaries and then being richly rewarded with substantial prominent face [...]
filed in Music on Oct.02, 2009
Okay, it’s easy to hate Pitchfork.com for their ability to make or break an indie band, but I have to agree with at least a few of their choices for the Top 200 Albums of the 2000s. Out of their top twenty, I would probably include the following in my top ten:
Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois
The Avalanches’ [...]