January 2009
11 posts
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Regarding Anathem and the dreaded science fiction...
I received Neal Stephenson’s new opus Anathem for Christmas. It’s a big, beautiful, absolutely glorious SF book. Maybe I should qualify that with a “so far,” since the book is nearly 900 pages long and I’m only about 150 in. Regardless, it’s a wonderful and I am thoroughly enjoying it.1
But what’s curious about the book is its approach to the dreaded SF...
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Even Obama gets a W-approved nickname →
The NYT’s description of Obama’s first full day as president notes that when Obama reached the Resolute Desk this morning he found the continuation of an old tradition:
He read the note left behind by George W. Bush, which was sitting in a folder on top of the desk, with a note marked “44.” Mr. Obama was in the office alone for a brief time, aides said, starting his day after a...
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“We can’t get good at something solely by reading about it. And we’ll never make...”
– Merlin Mann: Real Advice Hurts
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Google Quick Search Like Quicksilver from Google →
I’ve been using the new Google Quick Search app for a few days now and I really like it. A few quick notes:
It gives me instant access to my Google Docs. This is awesome.
Google says that it’s a “prototype,” and they’re not kidding. The app runs smoothly for the most part, but every once in a while it starts hogging one of my CPUs and I need to kill it.
The app...
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“Writing a page every day gets me more than a novel per year — do the math — and...”
– Cory Doctorow’s writing advice from his article Writing in the Age of Distraction. Also important: no research while writing, and ditching the word processor for a plain old text editor.
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“It was my private little joke. I never discussed this angle with Blaustein or...”
– Screenwriter Edmund Nort discussing his take on the original Day the Earth Stood Still’s Klaatu. Even after 50+ years the film still stands up. (That Christ comparison, by the way, is pretty apparent even on casual viewing.)
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Palm Pre: everything you ever wanted to know →
Engadget runs through all known information about the Palm Pre — hardware, software, user experience, and everything else. It’s a comprehensive look at the phone that has the promise to both
revitalize Palm and
give Apple a run for its money.
It’s a very exciting time. We’re right in the middle of the cell phone version of the personal computer revolution.
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“There has been a measurable cultural change in society’s commitment to literary...”
– Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, as quoted in this NYT article about a measurable increase in fiction reading. We can probably thank Oprah and Stephanie Meyer for this increase.
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Pushing Daisies Will Keep You Hanging On A Bit... →
So not only did ABC cancel one of the best shows on TV, but they’re also not going to even bother showing the remaining episodes? Thanks a lot, geniuses.
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