Other
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THE CHENEY DOCTRINE
I’m sick of torture. And the fact that we’re one of the countries way up there on the J.D. Powers annual “torture reliability” list makes me unwell as well. As does talking AROUND torture. What this country needs is an…
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Morning Coffee
From one our personal favorite blogs: questions young people ask. Images from the 1973 Iranian children’s book, The Story of a Silkworm. Speaking of whimsy, check out this Finish environmental art. Taking participatory art to something of a logical extreme,…
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Sgt. Leonard Matlovich’s Grave
I believe this to be the saddest headstone I have ever seen (click the image to enlarge). It belongs to Technical Sergeant Leonard Matlovich (1943-1988), a Vietnam War veteran, recipient of the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, and advocate…
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Morning Coffee
Japanese shipyard gone feral. We are pretty sure this is what the next Pixar movie is going to be about. (via Metafilter) Kerouac as fantasy baseball enthusiast. From New Scientist, half of all raindrops fall faster than thought possible. I…
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THE EYEBALL: Illusions
Remember when The Illusionist and The Prestige both vied to be the winter 2007 movie about magicians? No? Anyway, transport yourself back to those fabled days of January and February 2007. I know what you’re thinking. You were too busy…
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Poetic Lives Online: Links by Brian Spears
Blogging in the poetry world tends to slow in the summer months in my experience, but we’re not quite there yet, so there’s plenty of bloggy goodness from this week. Here’s a taste. Charles Bernstein asks if art criticism is…
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Did You Miss?
Some great interviews this week: with Lena Dunham, Philippe Lioret, Carlos Cuarón, and James Toback. We searched for an unassailable masterpiece, talked about phobias in 2666, and followed Dan Baum’s story. And in case you have problems keeping up, you…
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Our Robot Overlords are Coming
And we’re helping them learn. Okay, that’s a bit apocalyptic, and I for one welcome our new robot overlords, when they eventually show up. The link is to the latest tweenbot story from Engadget, where a group of roboticists in…
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The Benefits of Tickling
Cabinet of Wonders takes an in-depth look at tickling as pain relief, and at the medical benefits it can provide. At my wedding, one of my groom’s vows was a promise to tickle my feet. This was only half-facetious: foot-tickling,…
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Brian’s Saturday Morning Links
Not enough sleep? Echoes of a faint hangover? Then it’s time for Saturday Morning Links. Dahlia Lithwick and Doug Kendall point out that conservative politicians who are upset about empathetic judges probably ought to stick a sock in it. Whether…
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An Oral History of Myself #3: Dan
In 2005 I began interviewing people I grew up with. Because I left home at thirteen and spent four years in group homes, my social network was significantly wider than most people of that age. What’s most interesting about these…
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Morning Coffee
Passive-aggressive notes. Bird’s eye view photography is pretty rad. Jason Hawkes has figured this out. The Big Picture has figured out that Jason Hawkes has figured this out. Dinosaur comics. We must have linked to this before but yesterday’s strip…