“I don’t believe in this fairy tale of staying together for ever. Ten years with somebody is enough.” Who said it?
The road to Hell is paved with good travel writing
#26: Do Travel Writers Go To Hell?: A Swashbuckling Tale of High Adventures, Questionable Ethics, and Professional Hedonism by Thomas B. Kohnstamm (2008) I don’t know much about Brazil beyond the fact […]
Edward Abbey's uncompromising voice in the desert
#7: Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey (1968) Once more, I feel late to the party. I had no idea who Edward Abbey was, yet nearly every nonfiction writer I’ve read so far […]
Nota Bene #123: Behold the Chickenosaurus
“There ought to be limits to freedom.” Who said it?
Nota Bene #121: Birds of an Ancient Feather
“Television is an invention whereby you can be entertained in your living room by people you wouldn’t have in your house.” Who said it? The answer is at the end of this […]
9/11 and the lessons of Three Wise Men
by Matt Gallagher I slept through 9/11. When people hear or read that statement, they tend to think I’m speaking metaphorically. “Ahh,” they say. “Weren’t we all?” While I do appreciate my […]
Kindles, books and libraries
OK, so I got a Kindle. This is a major step, for someone who is as much of a book junkie as I am. Actually, more like a book magnet. And after […]
Aliens and the Imagination
What is an alien? Someone not of my own species? Of my own country (cue political flatulence)? Of my own neighborhood? How about of my own planet? How have governments used UFOs? […]
Utopias and other imaginary worlds
What makes a good Utopia? Are there minimum critical success factors that would allow the vagaries of human nature to be overcome? Does it mean a four day work week and personal […]
Who owns the story of the future?
Back to the British Library this evening for another interesting panel discussion as part of their Science Fiction series, this one on “Who owns the story of the future?” Given the extent […]
Progressive Culture | Scholars & Rogues 