So It Begins

Yes, it’s a bit quiet around here — that’s the sound of the school year beginning anew. You’ll notice that we’ve added, at bottom right, some choice selections for your own personal reading list. Have a nice long Labor Day weekend. We’ll see you in a few. . . . . Continue Reading »

Kurt Vonnegut Explains Drama

Derek Silvers shares a fascinating talk given by Kurt Vonnegut in which the novelist explains why people have such a need for drama in their life . [Vonnegut] said, “People have been hearing fantastic stories since time began. The problem is, they think life is supposed to be like the stories. . . . . Continue Reading »

Did Dune Doom Science-Fiction?

An interesting discussion at LibraryThing on Dune ‘s effect on the science-fiction genre : One of my favourite things about SF is that the sheer amount of stuff that those authors pack into these books is unbelievable. Case in point: Double Star , by Robert A. Heinlein – in less than 200 . . . . Continue Reading »

Quotables 9.5.09

About 10 percent of infants die in their first year of life in Africa—still shockingly high, but considerably lower than the European average less than 100 years ago, let alone 800 years past. And about two thirds of Africans are literate—a level achieved in Spain only in the 1920s. . . . . Continue Reading »