The Best of 2013

Oh yes. It’s that time again, and the gloves are off, and the wisdom teeth are out. First up, some epigraphs. Most people who survive a devastating disaster want the opposite of a… Continue reading →

“You Ought To Be Protected”: On Shaming

Dear readers, I’m back. I’ve gone, and returned, before. But I’m really feeling it this time. To put it simply: I need this blog to live. Intellectually speaking, I need it in order… Continue reading →

Someone Up There Likes Me, or, What A Resurrection Really Feels Like

The reason why today’s imagist fiction isn’t the rescue from a passive, addictive TV-psychology that it tries so hard to be is that most imagist writers render their material with the same tone… Continue reading →

Why Does Kryptonite Hurt Superman?

Recently, a lot of you have been wondering — in anticipation of this summer’s hottest new blockbuster, Ender’s Game — why it is, exactly, that kryptonite is so damaging to Superman. The reason… Continue reading →

this message will self-destruct: sherlock holmes and the adventure of the hapless interpreters

The most blatant example is human language, where people often attribute meaning to words in themselves, without being in the slightest aware of the very complex “isomorphism” that imbues them with meanings. This… Continue reading →

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… Continue reading →

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… Continue reading →

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… Continue reading →

The Social Netflix

Dear readers, No matter what I’m doing, whether I’m being social, or working, or procrastinating, or flirting, I’m rarely all that far away from a screen. That’s particularly true now that I’ve got… Continue reading →

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… Continue reading →