We had a talk last night by Alan Lightman of MIT, a theoretical physicist and novelist, best known as the author of Einstein’s Dreams. He spoke for about an hour about his own background, and the similarities and differences between the worlds of science and the arts. One of the differences he mentioned was the… Continue reading The Art and Science of Naming Things
Category: Pop Culture
Strunk and White Is Not for You
I tagged Geoffrey Pullum’s rant against The Elements of Style for del.icio.us a few days back, because it struck me as interesting, but I didn’t have time to say more. In the subsequent days, I’ve seen a bunch of “Preach it, Brother Pullum!” responses, most recently from revere. I’ve also received the copyedited manuscript of… Continue reading Strunk and White Is Not for You
Six Questions (an attempt at a musical “meme”)
The other day, I wanted to hear the seasonally-appropriate Hold Steady song “How a Resurrection Really Feels” (“She crashed into the Easter Mass, with her hair done up in broken glass, She was limping left on broken heels and she said ‘Father, can I tell your congregation how a resurrection really feels?’”), so I punched… Continue reading Six Questions (an attempt at a musical “meme”)
Tobias Buckell Is Outnumbered…
…what with his wife, Emily, giving birth to twins. It sounds like he’s pretty happy with this state of affairs, though. Go leave him a congratulatory comment. Or, better yet, go buy one of his books— they’re great fun for you to read, and will help keep Toby supplied with the vast number of diapers… Continue reading Tobias Buckell Is Outnumbered…
Pop Culture Interlude: Left-Field F-Bombs
I spent most of yesterday huddled under a pile of blankets on the couch– being feverish and light-headed is great if you’re in a Pink Floyd song, but not so much if you’re trying to be a functioning adult. It seems to be the Thing That’s Going Around this term, though, and while I’m feeling… Continue reading Pop Culture Interlude: Left-Field F-Bombs
Physics for Kindergarteners
The monthly Sigma Xi email newsletter for April included a link to Magic World Media, a new company producing children’s books about science: Magic World Media was founded in 2008 by scientists in order to offer children a view into the mysterious ways of life and the universe through books and other forms of media.… Continue reading Physics for Kindergarteners
The Hold Steady at Valentine’s, Albany
Everything I’ve read about the Hold Steady says that they’re a great bar band, which always seems a little improbable. I mean, the songs are complicated, with tons of words and odd subject matter (“I dig those awkward silences, ’cause I grew up in denial, and I went to school in Massachusetts”), and Craig Finn… Continue reading The Hold Steady at Valentine’s, Albany
Tolkien, Religion, and the Death of Western Culture
I was rather surprised when Friday’s quick post about Tolkien spawned a lengthy comment thread full of people arguing against the suggestion that The Lord of the Rings is affected by Tolkien’s Catholic faith. I’m no Tolkien scholar, but my impression of the field is that this is simply not a controversial statement, that there… Continue reading Tolkien, Religion, and the Death of Western Culture
Tolkien Not Religious?
Arts & Letters Daily had a link to a City Journal article about religious symbolism in science fiction, which attempts to claim that there has been a recent swing toward Christian symbolism in the genre (at least, in movie and television SF– the only books mentioned are forty-ish years old). There are a number of… Continue reading Tolkien Not Religious?
Hugo Nominations Announced
The nominees for this year’s Hugo Awards were announced last night. The most important category is, as always, Best Novel: Anathem by Neal Stephenson (Morrow; Atlantic UK) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury UK) Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Tor Teen; HarperVoyager UK) — Free download Saturn’s Children by Charles Stross (Ace; Orbit… Continue reading Hugo Nominations Announced