2011
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You’re Welcome
Here’s your time-waster for the day: play rock-paper-scissors against a computer. There’s no lizard or Spock options here, but it’s early days, right?
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Wisconsin Roundup
It’s been interesting watching the conventional wisdom turn on this story. It’s been a rare feeling for me lately–union member, progressive, educator–to see the public come around to my way of thinking on a subject. The euphoria of early 2009…
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Science Saturday
NASA’s Glory satellite fails to reach orbit. It was supposed to study the effect atmospheric particles have on the climate. This is the second time this has happened which might make one wonder if Koch Industries is building the rockets…
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Saturday Morning Links
This week for me contains both Mardi Gras and Spring Break. Unfortunately, my hangovers hurt too badly these days for me to give this convergence the honor it deserves. This is one of those stories that’s utterly unsurprising when you…
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Throw Me Something, Mister: Mardi Gras Dispatch #3
Recurring dispatches from Benjamin Morris covering New Orleans Mardi Gras, 2011: “I thought I’d be happy with just one!” Kellie says, her slender frame weighed down under two full pounds of beads. Around her neck they gleam in a perfect…
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Story Time: Danielle Evans
It’s Friday. What better way to relax than to let someone read to you. Watch author Danielle Evans read her short story, “Wherever You Go, There You Are,” from NPR headquarters.
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Banned Books Welcomed Home
Controversial books once banned in Egypt and Tunisia are starting to appear again in stores. Cairo’s Tahrir Square, now famous as the site of tense political protests, will soon be the site of a large book fair. “Everyone around the…
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Neko Case’s Muscle Car-‘Splosion!
What’s better than going for a ride in Neko Case’s car? Winning it in a raffle, of course. And if that raffle benefits a good cause? Well, that’s one very thoughtful Mercury Cougar.
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Diagnosing Genius
Frederick Chopin wrote music in the grip of vivid hallucinations, possibly caused by temporal lobe epilepsy. Countless artists – Edgar Allan Poe, Sylvia Plath, William Blake, and Lewis Carroll, to name just a few – have also been diagnosed with…
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Pick-Up Lines and Library Fines
Finally a social science experiment attempting to answer the age-old questions: “Can Atlas Shrugged find love with the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test? Is attraction possible between a Jonathan Franzen reader and a die-hard Elizabeth Gilbert fan?” Speed dating at the library might…
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Why Not Read It Three Times?
“Then I heard about the book from a friend so I ordered it and the book arrived and I read it almost immediately and then I read it again and one more time for good measure.” Roxane Gay reviews The…
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iPad 2 Roundup
A skinny but charismatic Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad 2 on Wednesday. You can get your new device basically everywhere starting next Friday. AT&T is offering new non-contract, “postpaid” billing for iPad 2 data use. For those recent iPad purchasers…