Posts by author
Paul Collins
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Steaming Mug
So a decade ago, hack advertisers needed to make everything cyber-this and i-that. Fifty years ago, everyone was selling a Space-whatsit, and a hundred years ago it was all radium-whatever. Radium Razor Blades! (I’m serious.) But let’s say it’s 1848: now…
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The Victorian MFA Debate
The next time you get into a debate over the value of a creative writing MFA, try this handy visualization exercise: imagine that everyone involved is wearing a monocle.
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International 826
Very happy indeed about this: the Guardian is reporting that an “826 London” is in the works. The project founders have a blog here, and the first planning meeting was just a few weeks ago: Among the themes being considered…
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The Book of the Dead
The NY Times recently reported that Verizon wants to get rid of phone books in New York:
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Pleasant Dreams
Some books are born to greatness, some achieve greatness, and apparently others have greatness thrust upon them in the form of an Amazon gift card. This hasn’t gotten much play yet outside of California news blogs, but it should. When…
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The Napoleon of Not a Clue
Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the most incoherent book title of 1907:
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Do We Get Jetpacks This Time?
A New Scientist Histories column from ’05 noted that the last really huge volcanic eruption led to the invention of the bicycle:
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Greetings from 1896
There’s no way to embed it here, alas, but the Times of London has video of the newly discovered 1896 film that appears to be Australia’s first movie: “Patineur Grotesque shows a bearded man, dressed in a top hat and smoking a…
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War Without Tears
From Peter Parley’s Annual for 1865: “peaceful combat, without the horrors of actual warfare.” It’s…
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The Return of Dr. Viper and Reverend Bruiser
Robert Darnton has a great post over at NYRB on precursors to blogging:
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The Underground Scene
(Thames Tunnel as it appeared on Friday, via Flickr.) Oh, how I wish I was in London this weekend…