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Charlie Stross Talks Happy Slapping, Robot Chauffeurs with Paul Krugman
I just came across this transcript of a conversation between Paul Krugman and the sci-fi writer Charlie Stross. They talk about why flying cars are a bad idea, what kitchens…
How Idioms Might Save the World
“…I was astonished (original meaning = struck by lightning) by something Bob Mankoff … said in a Charlie Rose Show interview. He said he thought of “humor as a necessary…
Smart People Talk Short Stories
In a post last week titled More Crappy News for Short Story Writers, I lamented what I considered to be a lost opportunity for the big publishing houses. They could,…
Africa and Science Fiction
Nnedi Okorafor has an essay over at The Nebula Awards site about Africa’s relationship with science fiction, as well as a discussion on Penguin’s decision to make science fiction ineligible…
The Rumpus Sunday Book Review Supplement
This week, Rumpus books reviews a novel, a collection of prose poems, and a debut collection of short stories set in Louisiana.
Rumpus Sunday Book Blog Roundup
I’m hoping to God that it’s just temporary, but for whatever reason, the book blogs are suddenly all worried about ethics, whether it’s what to do about reading writers with…
Poetic Lives Online: Links by Brian Spears
Alison Flood, writing in The Guardian implores her fellow citizens to vote in the BBC’s poll for the nation’s favorite poet. She’s worried that there will be a rehash of…
One Way Translation Matters
A German court recently ruled that Nazi slogans translated into a language other than German would not necessarily run afoul of that nation’s anti-Nazi laws. According to the article, the…
Bobby McFerrin Hacks Your Brain
World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival on Vimeo. The “Don’t Worry Be Happy” guy plays an audience like a…
Shameless Self-Promotion
Self, in this case, being a member of The Rumpus, not me personally. Kaui Hart Hemmings, author of The Descendants, the blog How to Party With an Infant and our…