2011
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Golden Gate Covers
“Pick up a random copy of a novel set in San Francisco, and there’s a good chance the book’s cover will feature the bridge – even if it has as much to do with the story as a stale loaf…
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“Decision Fatigue”
The exhaustion of decision-making is now scientifically validated. This essay looks at how decision fatigue, or “ego depletion,” manifests, in examining settings such as the courtroom, the grocery store, and even Ceasar’s decision to march on Rome. Decision fatigue can…
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Novelists and NASA
The publisher Tor/Forge and NASA will collaborate on the creation of “science-based science fiction.” The budding relationship will allow writers to consult scientists about the facts behind their stories. “GSFC’s Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP) Office will host a select group…
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Is That Review For Real?
Amazon.com’s got a new scandal on its hands involving sketchy sale-boosting—buying positive customer reviews. And this is no website-specific phenomenon. Yelp, Citysearch, TripAdvisor are guilty of hosting the fake review as well. Price tags and 5-stars are increasingly associated, undermining…
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FUNNY WOMEN #62: Call It What It Is
I go to the League For Undocumented Students. I have an appointment to see one of their counselors.
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An East Coast Earthquake?!
The East Coast just experienced an earthquake of 5.8 magnitude, which is mild in geological terms but shocking otherwise. All of us here living too far to experience the effects of the earthquake hope all you east coasters are safe…
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Tao Lin/ Ben Lerner Conversation on Poetry/A Novel About Poetry
Tao Lin interviews the poet and novelist, Ben Lerner for the Believer. After three poetry collections, Lerner just published a novel, Leaving Atocha Station (Muumuu House excerpts it here). It turns out his poetical prowess is just one of Lerner’s…
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Chatting Through the Ages
This n+1 piece tracks the history of conversation, in different mediums. The vastly diverging worlds of talking vs. conversation vs. chatting online have all experienced their own evolution. Even just focusing on chat itself reveals a trajectory perpetually informed by…
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Magazine Review #7: Annalemma, Issue 8: Creation
Annalemma’s eighth issue is dedicated to “the creators, the people who make things, the people who use ingenuity and creativity to work around barriers. To the people who adapt to fit their surroundings, to the people who aren’t satisfied with…
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The Personal is Political
Narrated by young Nuri, Hisham Matar’s second novel, Anatomy of a Disappearance, tells of a father abducted by a corrupt regime—a story that closely resembles Matar’s own life.
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David S. Atkinson: A Book Club Member Reviews Luminarium
When I read the inside cover, I did not think I was really going to enjoy reading Luminarium. The summary made the book sound like something Robert Lundlum would write after he’d downed a few mescaline caps, despite what was…