Square Pegs

We are, frankly, still reeling from the idea that Culture will soon be coming to Los Angeles. What next, we worry, sculpture gardens and charades? See, right now, one can safely sit in a public place, reading a book. If Culture appears, people might see the book and attempt to make conversation. You know, talk about the book. The book you are trying to read. There is a better than 50% chance that this conversation will result in the divulging of key plot points or the ending. We must stop Culture before it stops us. Los Angeles is not emotionally […]

How, then, are we supposed to find art? Bookstores are shoulder-to-shoulder bestsellers. Television is filled with that Donald man. Movies, well, when we start thinking Foul Play is the best of the season’s crop…. Music? Unless you’re very lucky in your local radio choices, you’re not getting anywhere near the breadth of available tunes. How do you find new, interesting stuff Last week, we announced the formation of the Litblog Co-Op. We will remind you of its mission because it’s worth repeating: What would happen if a bunch of your favorite literary blogs got together four times a year and

Far be it for us to gloat. Hmm, that is so untrue we feel the urge to backspace. Urge passed. Allow us to suggest that Rupert Murdoch (or his designated minion) should read our words of wisdom every day. It is mid-2005 (give or take a few months) and he is saying this, now? In a speech to American editors in Washington, Mr Murdoch issued a stark warning to the industry, arguing that the web was “a fast-developing reality we should grasp”. He said consumers wanted “control over the media, instead of being controlled by it”, pointing to the proliferation

We’re going to be honest here — we’d totally forgotten there was a product called Encarta until the husband told us that they’re introducing a wiki sort of concept to facilitate updates. We say sort of concept because Microsoft will retain editorial control and employ fact checkers (something we’ve considered around here, but why mess with success). It will be interesting to see how this concepts plays out. In the meantime, we are going to offer a money-saving tip. Based on this information. . . Encarta entries are available for free though Microsoft’s MSN search engine, or through a paid

The Happy Booker (or as we like to call her THB: Girl Detective because she figured out our secret identity and our top secret email address with her decoder ring) is in a tizzy week. Another gentleman caller is prowling the neighborhood; apparently there will be goings on in her backyard. The neighborhood council will certainly be discussing this at our next barbecue. There is still talk around the mailboxes about someone shouting “Party Over Here!” at 3 a.m. House Guest

We are going to suggest something radical: reading and writing are making a comeback. We are not suggesting that the Golden Age of Reading and Writing is imminent, but we are seeing an interest in the subjects. When we were in Austin (after the great escape), we spent a lot of time in various geek workshops at SXSW. While the mix of people attending the conference was amazing, we believe it’s fair to say the majority of the group were programmers and designers. Yet, repeatedly, panelists stressed the need for good writing. The critical nature of good writing. Moreso, we

Before we dwell on the fact that we’re still working through last week’s news, let us take a moment to dwell on the fact that we actually followed a story from start to finish. Put another way, there was a topic that didn’t disgust us halfway through — those are the stories, you know, that lead to us making up endings. Anything to avoid the inevitable train wreck. The fine people of Salinas, with a little help from their friends (no really, it’s going to be one of those days; we only hope our brain is distracted), have managed to

You’ve heard about expecting the worst and hoping for the best? Authors don’t do that. They expect the worst and then spend time trying to discover how much lower they can go. Trust us when we say that people who devise clever ways to murder other people can go pretty low. Holly Black (who says she’s the Queen of Caffeine, which must mean we are her loyal subject) has offered a few ways to jumpstart your neuroses: Book not completed by contract date. Book completed by contract date, but terrible. Only copy of book blows out of car in friend’s

Perhaps it’s us. Maybe our view of a Dickensian world is unfairly bleak. Maybe the gray browns of orphanages and back alleys are our projection. Or maybe it’s this quote: The $113 million project will recreate the Victorian era when young children worked in sweatshops, Britain ruled over a vast empire and Dickens penned classic works like “Bleak House” and “The Pickwick Papers.” Yes. Nothing like spending the day buying overpriced beverages and standing in line to ride the sweatshop rollercoaster. Great Expectations for British Dickens Theme Park

We cannot count the number of times we’ve said “just because Hunter S. Thompson does it, it doesn’t mean you have to do it, too” to the husband. Who generally replied, “Yes it does.” Needless to say, since he heard about the cannon, nothing less will make him happy. Gonzo king to go out with a bang