"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter." —Mark Twain
Maps? I love ’em! Well, maybe except for this one: View Book Bans and Challenges, 2007-2010 in a larger map The Pentagon has figured out a way to take a book out of circulation without actually banning it. Here’s a good anti-censorship manifesto from the writer who was recently “disinvited” from a youth book fair. […]
NPR, the only radio station I can stand listening to for more than five minutes in a row, is in full horse race mode as mid-term elections near, obsessing over poll numbers, and — what a surprise! — breathlessly advancing the mainstream media meme that Republican and Tea Party candidates are going to win big. […]
“Son, I’ve played sick, drunk, divorced, and on the run. Bad Blake hasn’t missed a goddamn show in his whole fucking life.” — Jeff Bridges as Bad Blake in Crazy Heart (2009). If you think I’ve been posting a lot of DVD reviews lately, you’re right. I’m doubling the frequency of DVD review posts in […]
I went to the annual Tucson Classics car show at St. Gregory’s Preparatory School this morning. As usual, I couldn’t resist snapping a few photos. Last year I concentrated on classic grilles and engines; this year I thought I’d concentrate on automotive lore from rock’n’roll. Like this: Lincolns were huge, heavy cars; you rarely saw […]
I’m back: 9 days, 2,700 miles, and one sore butt later, it’s time to say a few words about my motorcycle trip. When you ride a motorcycle, everyone wants to know what you do when it rains. The answer is: you keep riding. Rain was a factor the first three days. I hit a bad […]
While I was off on my Gypsy Tour (about which I will soon be blogging), I checked out my blogs on my new Android cell phone. What I saw were two-inch by four-inch versions, so tiny you couldn’t read what was there . . . like looking through a telescope backwards. I decided to do […]
As you know, I’ve been working on my motorcycle (thanks, Ed!). All the fixing, adjusting, lubricating, and tweaking has been in preparation for a long solo ride through Arizona, Nevada, and California. Launch date is just a few days away, and my concerns have shifted from maintenance to packing. What to bring, and how much? […]
When you see one of these, you may as well give up: Yes, I was visited by the Blue Screen of Death earlier this week. My PC’s hard drive suddenly failed, and none of the files on it were recoverable. Fortunately, I still had all the original system CDs that came with my computer, along […]