Square Pegs

Once upon a time, we took great pride in the fact that we always finished books. For reasons more perverse than practical, we would slog through to the bitter end, if only to figure out how the thing got published. Then books started piling up, littered with bookmarks stuck in the middle, some closer to the beginning than we’d care to admit. Still, we maintained the fiction of finishing everything we started long after it became apparent that we were fooling nobody. This, of course, is not something we’d admit in public. We have our reputation to consider. Also there […]

We cannot say why we’re amused by this item, except that we do appreciate hubris. Even more so, we appreciate people calling out those with excess hubris. This isn’t the first time Page Six has been accused of lifting gossip from others, and it probably won’t be the last. We’re not so sure about honor among gossip columists (do they have their own guild?), but we do know it’s important to properly credit the work of others. Without requiring they pay for the privilege. C.J.: Reheated item was fresh here

Comic books and characters, together again for the first time. Right. Anyway, for those looking for immortality (and what with the 24-hour day not being enough, who isn’t?), Neil Gaiman has generously offered to help. You can live forever as a cruise ship. Or rather your name can live forever, emblazoned on the cruise ship in Gaiman’s upcoming Anasi Boys. Bidding is already fast and furious (and, sadly, too rich for our blood). From the auction: All proceeds from this auction will benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that specializes in the defense of First

See, if they were charging, we wouldn’t be able to bring yet another New York Times article to your attention. One, we might suggest, that has actual topical relevance to this blog. Endings. Writing them, to be specific. As it turns out, what goes up must come down. Or stories must end. Hmm, perhaps this is how the soap opera evolved. They couldn’t figure out how to wrap all the storylines up. Actually, due to a variety of reasons (like, oh, not wanting people to know how things end in this fast-paced ifnormation era), television series are pushing the writing

Far be it for us to read something and wonder if perhaps someone is looking through the wrong end of the binoculars, but, well, that does seem to be the case for Mr. Atwood: “A big part of the motivation for newspapers to charge for their online content is not the revenue it will generate, but the revenue it will save, by slowing the erosion of their print subscriptions,” Mr. Atwood said. “We’re in the midst of a long and painful transition.” Let us get this straight. Print subscriptions are dropping. Online readership is growing. Online ad sales are up.

We totally stole the headline from Arts Journal. We have no shame, and it is one of our favorite poems. Besides, what, pray tell, other possible headline could there be for a lead like this: In this era of first-person shooters, successful video games seem to require lots of shooting, explosions and other assaults on the senses. But who says you can’t write a game about the poetry of Emily Dickinson? Arts Journal Battle for the Belle of Amherst

Well, we escaped from the Texas State Capitol building. Barely. Thank goodness for our innate nosiness, or we’d still be stuck in the dungeon. If we may make a suggestion, perhaps better signage would be appropriate. Also, better security — it is rare that we long to see someone in uniform wielding authority, but today, it would have been welcomed. Yes, all of this is beside our real point. Except for the part where today’s adventures are something that would happen in a comic strip. See how we cleverly tied things together? Comic strips are facing the same challenges as

Though it’s hard to tell, we’re deep in the throes of research. No, we are not making this up to pretend we have an excuse for not following through on our major (ha!) proposal for addressing the woes authors face due to the burgeoning resale market. We are doing true and actual research. This involves…stuff. Like looking at financial statements. Those are the things with numbers. There will be a sea change in how art is sold to the public. Likely, this will happen in the music industry, despite their myriad missteps. Technology and consumers have outpaced the industry, and

For a lot of reasons, we hope this is the real thing. If not, we hope the author is having a great time. And, no, not a clue why we feel this way. We were delayed in Burbank (???) for two hours due to fog. The brain may be recharging more than a few neurons. formerlyROSIE

What is it called when you read someone else’s email? Eavesreading? Well, we eavesread a lot. Such is the hazard of putting words where we can see them (also, if you don’t want us looking, close your curtains). Last night, we were reading the husband’s blogs over his shoulder and this article caught our eye. Sure, we’re Veen fans (mostly from a different perspective), but that wasn’t what caught our eye. Let’s just say the eye is drawn to red. Two in the morning, Montréal