Books To Jump Up and Down Over
The Call by Yannick Murphy: The always interesting author of Here They Come and Signed, Mata Hari returns with a novel that whips up a worldview from a rather quirky set of limitations: namely, the call logs that a veterinarian maintains as his son is unexpectedly put into a coma and an unforgiving economy denies him work. What emerges is a surprisingly optimistic, often funny, and very moving account on how one family uses acceptance and forgiveness as a way to atone for hard knocks. (Bat Segundo interview with Murphy)
Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber: Forget Franzen and Eugenides. If you're looking for a social novel that counts, Diana Abu-Jaber is the author you're looking for. Building from the free-form exploration of consciousness and identity in Crescent and the gripping procedural structure of Origin, Abu-Jaber's latest novel is her finest, equally fluent with gutterpunk culture and smarmy real estate men. It has been suggested by The Washington Post's Ron Charles that you will likely gain some pounds while reading this novel. This is certainly true. Abu-Jaber's description of food is so precise that it often made me want to do more cooking. But I very much admired the way in which Abu-Jaber presents all her characters as unwitting victims of rough capitalism, which permits them some dignity even as they perform terrible acts.
The Last of the Live Nude Girls by Sheila McClear: This memoir isn't so much about the decline of the Times Square peepshow, as it is about one young woman's efforts to pull herself up by by her bootstraps when presented with few economic options. Filled with self-introspective candor and a quiet dignity, McClear's story is one that might befall any of us in these volatile times. While McClear does get back on her feet, her book leads one contemplating the terrible fates of other young women now moving to New York and falling into deadlier vocations. (Bat Segundo interview with McClear)
Privacy Archive
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Google Chrome is Bad for Writers & Bloggers
Posted on September 3, 2008 | 34 CommentsSo Google has released a new browser called Chrome. But I’ll never use it. And it’s because Chrome’s EULA wishes to take anything that I type into my browser window... -
“Am I Being Detained?”
Posted on May 11, 2008 | 2 CommentsThe Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be... -
A Tumultuous Privacy of Storm
Posted on November 5, 2007 | No CommentsThe Register: “This appears to be more than a mere argument in support of the constitutionality of a Congressional email privacy and access scheme. It represents what may be the... -
And They Wonder Why We Raise a Stink About Habeas Corpus
Posted on September 22, 2007 | No CommentsWashington Post: “The U.S. government is collecting electronic records on the travel habits of millions of Americans who fly, drive or take cruises abroad, retaining data on the persons with... -
Take Care with the Noun Phrases You Type Into the Ether
Posted on September 12, 2007 | No CommentsSiva Vaidhyanathan: “Google’s not required to ensure that the search engine that would guide people to these books actually delivers good results. Google is not required to make sure that... -
Google: Enabling Stalkers, One Feature at a Time
Posted on August 23, 2007 | 3 CommentsGoogle: “Starting today, Google Maps users can add a map to their website or blog just by copying & pasting a snippet of HTML. This new functionality enables Google Maps... -
A Special Message from Google
Posted on August 10, 2007 | 1 CommentOur Business Referral Representative program has proven so successful that we are, at long last, launching our Total Information Acquisition program. In our ongoing efforts to expand the Google database... -
Privacy Invasion Spills Over Into Print
Posted on August 6, 2007 | 3 CommentsThe Google Maps Street View was one thing. But a certain magazine, which I will not name or link to, has offered a map of New York for literary enthusiasts.... -
Sudafed Users Are Terrorists!
Posted on December 18, 2006 | 6 CommentsI went to pick up some Sudafed this morning and was shocked that I had to show my photo ID. Apparently, thanks to the PATRIOT Act, your driver’s license is... -
When Revelations Go Bad
Posted on September 8, 2006 | 4 CommentsWhen Simon Owens tried out his Craig’s List social experiment, he was discreet and respectful enough to edit out names, phone numbers, and photographs out of the responses. Unfortunately, as... -
Today in Investigative Journalism: A Widow Who Loves Her Micturating Dogs
Posted on August 9, 2006 | No CommentsNew York Times: “No. 4417749 conducted hundreds of searches over a three-month period on topics ranging from ‘numb fingers’ to ’60 single men’ to ‘dog that urinates on everything.’…It did... -
One Step Closer to Bester’s “The Demolished Man”
Posted on March 25, 2006 | No CommentsForbes: “Carnegie Mellon researcher Tanja Schultz says one possible application is a “silent” cell phone that can detect and translate unuttered phrases like ‘I’m in a meeting’ and ‘I’ll call... -
Books Subject to Governmental Approval
Posted on March 12, 2006 | 2 CommentsThe Book Standard reports that the House of Representatives have added a clause to the Children’s Safety and Violent Crime Reduction Act of 2005 in which books which offer “any... -
Note to the Government
Posted on February 9, 2006 | No CommentsI am not afraid, you bastards. Accuse my friends and me of terrorism all you want. But I will not let it sully the sting of my pen. If that... -
Blind Zeal as Expertise
Posted on December 30, 2005 | No CommentsTimothy Naftali, a so-called “expert” in the history of intelligence and spying, has no clue what he’s talking about. The following interview is intended to be a discussion attempting to... -
Why Current MTA Procedures Operating In Clear Violation of the Fourth Amendment Are a Terrible and Invasive Idea
Posted on December 29, 2005 | No CommentsLanguor Management: “He was getting more and more suspicious of me, and aggressive. I couldn’t for the life of me think of anything I could have possibly done but I... -
Reason #426 Why Ohio Sucks
Posted on December 23, 2005 | 705 CommentsEXHIBIT: The Ohio Patriot Act -
When You’re a Fink, You’re a Fink All the Way
Posted on September 13, 2005 | No CommentsIf you have a Yahoo email account and you eventually find yourself writing about something that might be considered inexplicably dangerous (if not now, then perhaps in the not-too-distant future),... -
And So the Invasiveness Begins…
Posted on August 26, 2005 | No CommentsThe FBI has issued the first demand for library records under the Patriot Act. The library in question is apparently somewhere in the Bridgeport, Connecticut. The ACLU said that it... -
Big Google is Watching You
Posted on November 18, 2004 | 1 CommentGoogle Scholar is a very helpful resource. Say you need to find an obscure or out-of-print book. Well, punch it into Google Scholar, type in your ZIP code, and, shazam,... -
Harbingers of Horrific Plans
Posted on January 14, 2004 | 2 CommentsBad reviews? Shoddy placement? Nope. Bruce Stockler says the biggest obstacle to publicizing a book is obituaries The University of Michigan has launched a 20,000 volume digital collection. It uses...