Commentary on technologies of reading, writing, research, and, generally, knowledge. As these technologies change and develop, what do we lose, what do we gain, what is (fundamentally or trivially) altered? And, not least, what’s fun?
By: Alan Jacobs
March 30, 2010
Friends, further health issues will probably keep things quiet around here for a little while. I’ll get back into the blogging rhythm ASAP.
March 29, 2010
Let me return to my previous comments on Jason Kottke’s distinction between old and new forms of reviewing, and to other people’s thoughts. For instance, the question that my commenter Michael raises: “To what extent can reviews be docetic?” — a reference to the Christian heresy called Docetism, which claimed that Jesus was...
March 26, 2010
So, how’s my little Google boycott going? It’s a work in progress. I have ditched Gmail — though I admit, I had a couple of days of weakness not long ago, when I found myself missing Gmail’s wonderful system of filters, labels, and stars, which I had taken considerable time adapting for my use. But I recovered my nerve and set it...
March 26, 2010
The annual prize for the oddest book title has been won by the splendidly eccentric Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes, by Dr Daina Taimina. Last year’s winner was The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-milligram Containers of Fromage Frais.The Diagram prize has been awarded annually by The Bookseller magazine since 1978....
March 25, 2010
I don’t want to give my friend Joe Carter too much of a hard time, but there’s some bad craziness going on here. The Pilgrim’s Progress is not a novel, nor, without stretching a point, is Charlotte’s Web. And the only way you get The Hunt for Red October in here is by opening the field to every team. Worst of all:...
March 25, 2010
Here’s Tim Carmody on the issues raised by the Kottke post on product reviews I was talking about the other day. No time to say more now, but do read it — it’s smart.
March 24, 2010
Jason Kottke seems to like it when Amazon reviewers give a book, or some other item, a low rating because of availability issues: “the early reviews for Michael Lewis’ The Big Short are dominated by one-star reviews from Kindle owners who are angry because the book is not available for the device.” Compare this with traditional...
March 23, 2010
Ezra Klein’s response to the current books-that-most-influenced-me meme is interesting: He says that in such conversations, “I always feel like a fraud.” Though he lists some books, he continues, These books meant a lot to me, but they were much less influential in my thinking — particularly in my current thinking —...
March 22, 2010
Thomas Mallon has collected a book of letters, and laments the loss of letter-writing culture. Louis Bayard thinks things may not be all that simple: There is, in short, a reflexive melancholy to Mallon’s self-appointed mission, and I’m not convinced that all his belletristesse is merited. (Then again, waiting for the mailman has...
March 20, 2010