as a matter of fact it’s all dark: cyberpunk, language, and the two worlds

Emma Becciu, one of the most gifted interpreters I’ve ever known, has begun a language & translation blog. A lot of it is in Italian; if you can’t read that, turn on Chrome’s… Read More →

in case of emergency

(SCENE. Kugelmass and Nicholas Bourbaki are chatting via Skype. To Kugelmass’s right is a small, unkempt mattress, strewn with gummi bears and Walter Benjamin essay collections. To his left is a painting that… Read More →

Yes, We (Shere) Khan: The Life of Pi, A Film About The Simple Bare Necessities

First, you have to watch this short video. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. -Matthew 7:15 Why should you run? Can it… Read More →

the minor fall and the major lift, part one: on mozart

Note to the reader: the two performances above are both excellent realizations of Mozart’s musical ideas, even though, in both videos, the performers look totally ridiculous. I mean, just so bad. Like Monty… Read More →

No, sir, it’s a completely baked Alaska

What follows is the Google chat transcript of a knock-down, drag-out battle between myself and the ferocious Tristan Matthews on the subject of John Green, and more specifically his very Donna Tartt-like novel Looking… Read More →

the new aesthetic?

Source: new-aesthetic.tumblr.com via Joseph on Pinterest “ Perhaps you have already observed that in Casablanca, life is cheap. *** A few days ago, theorist Ian Bogost published an article in The Atlantic that features this… Read More →

On Writer’s Block and Responding to the Joker comments

Dear readers, Happy Indian summer, everybody! Even if you’ve already headed back to school, or are working an eight-to-five, there’s a dreamlike haze to August, a feeling as though there’s still one or… Read More →

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stranger: Heath Ledger’s Joker

(x-posted to The Valve) Dear readers, this is about the film The Dark Knight and will, of necessity, be crammed absolutely full of spoilers. *** It seems we are still too close to… Read More →

Look Back In Anger: The Death of Literary Studies

(x-posted to The Valve) Amardeep Singh at The Valve drew my attention to this article by William Deresiewicz, writing for The Nation, and also to the outstanding response written by CR and posted… Read More →

A Little Something You Can Touch: HBO’s Wire and the Politics of Visual Media

(x-posted to The Valve) Spend some on a little something you can touch. A new car, a new coat…it’s why we get up in the morning. -The Greek You want it to be… Read More →