Recent posts
Rumpus Articles
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The Joys Of Overland Travel
In my opinion, the worst part about travelling is flying. It’s expensive, it’s boring, the food is awful, the people are usually not that interesting, the environmental and financial impact is profound and it takes a long, long time, especially…
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An Agrarian Revolution In Detroit (And Oakland)
“Were I an aspiring farmer in search of fertile land to buy and plow, I would seriously consider moving to Detroit. There is open land, fertile soil, ample water, willing labor, and a desperate demand for decent food. And there…
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“Lying has to be verbal. Do I believe that?”
“Ricky Jay is an actor, bibliophile, historian of magic, arguably the greatest living sleight-of-hand artist, and a master of the art of deception. He seemed to be the perfect person to consult on the relationship between deception and lying. After…
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Random Media Notes
Rupert Murdoch has vowed to charge for all online content. Partial-birther Lou Dobbs brags about support from CNN. HuffPo blogger slams HuffPo for headline: “What were you thinking?” (via Mediabistro) The O’Reilly, Olberman “truce” is in shambles: O’Reilly strikes back.…
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The Cost of a Thing
A couple months ago, we wrote about Matthew Crawford’s book Shop Class as Soulcraft, and around the same time I read another interesting review of the book, by Caleb Crain. (I refrained from posting about it at the time to…
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“Notes & Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus”
Bobby McFerrin (yes, as in “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” Bobby McFerrin) demonstrates how the pentatonic scale is hard wired in all of us at the 2009 World Science Festival. (via @karllong)
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Searching the Library of Babel
About six months ago, as I was nearing the end of Jorge Luis Borges’ Selected Non-Fictions, I came across the chapter titled “Prologues to The Library of Babel.” The chapter began with a list of authors whose works were selected…
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Diagnosing the Mad Cat Artist
This week the Rumpus will be in Yorkshire, England. Or at least the triumvirate will be. On exhibit there at the Chris Beetles gallery until September 13 will be the work of “cat artist” Louis Wain, who died in 1939.…
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Morning Coffee
Is your time too valuable to spend doing errands and chores (obviously if you are reading this it is)? Might we suggest “instead men?” “How Is America Going to End?“ The inside scoop from the world’s leading futurologists. Plus “Choose…
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Big Man Japan @ Just Press Play
“With Tokyo constantly under attack by giant monsters, of course you need giant ultra-heroes to defend its citizens; but when something that catastrophic had become the mundane for almost a century, what happens to the hero’s status in society? Do…
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The Man Who Invented Borges
Dzanc Books is one of my favorite recently-minted small publishers, and not just because their first two titles were by my brilliant friend Roy Kesey. Just check out their mission statement for an idea why I like them. They have begun…