Columns
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Writers Should Go To Prison
“Today, however, being chained to the desk, as the expression goes, is no longer a guarantee of productivity. Who can stick with the blank page when the click of a mouse opens up a cocktail party of chattering friends, a…
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More Google, More Problems
“A striking number of Google+ accounts have been deleted in the last 24 hours as the new social network struggles with its community standards policy around real names…” Over at ZDNet, Violet Blue has a roundup of what looks to…
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Chandler Meets Fleming
“Your hero, Philip Marlowe, is a real hero. He behaves in a heroic fashion. My leading character, James Bond, I never intended him to be a hero.” — On the occassion of Raymond Chandler’s birthday, Carolyn Kellogg over at Jacket…
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The Rumpus Sunday Book Blog Roundup
And it’s official: the word hipster finally means absolutely nothing now that it has showed up as a shelving category in a bookstore in the Hamptons. The Supreme Leader in Iran has decided to attack “poisonous” books and likened these…
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If You Want To Know Why We Moderate Comments Here…
Anil Dash has a really good semi-ranty piece out called “If Your Website’s Full of Assholes It’s Your Fault” which really is a must-read, I think. We moderate comments here pretty strongly–you can read our comment policy here if you…
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Alan Moore on Superheroes
Actually, there’s a lot more to this interview with Alan Moore than just his view on superheroes–it’s largely about The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: 1969, which should be released next month–but I really enjoyed this bit on the problem with…
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Science Saturday
GIven the heat wave crushing the US lately, this piece on the link between hot weather and violence is really interesting, especially if you’re reading it from the comfort of an air-conditioned room. National Geographic gets at the reasons behind…
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Whisk in the Mouth
Editor’s Note: We don’t usually run reviews that are conversations between two writers, and we don’t usually run reviews on Saturday, so you’re getting a doubly special treat today. Here are Hilary Plum and Zach Savich discussing Filip Marinovich’s And…
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The Latest from Oslo
The death toll as of this writing is 91. According to The Guardian’s live coverage, “Norwegian foreign minister Jonas Gahr Støre has said some of those killed on Utøya probably died from drowning as well as from gunshot wounds.” In…
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Saturday Morning Links
Good morning from Iowa! Yes, I have relocated from one place of blistering heat and humidity to a midwest in the middle of a heatwave with BONUS! a real winter to boot. Stay tuned for posts about my attempts to…