Reading right now

• Consciousness Explained - Dennett
• Five Golden Rules - Casti
• A Theory of Religion - Stark & Bainbridge
• Argall - Vollman
• The Scar - Mieville
• Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Clarke

Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 12:01 a.m. -
This is the sort of thing I don't usually link to, but it's a damn fine (and pretty quick) read. David Foster Wallace, one of the few authors - maybe the only one? - whose work I have enjoyed without fail, offered this commencement address at some smartypants Ohio libarts college in May. The transcription has a few irritating errors, but pretend it's a reader's copy and go forth boldly. It would have been nice to have had this laid out for me when I was 21, and it's a good capsule of Things to Remember even now.

Monday, June 27, 2005 - 04:27 p.m. -
SCENE: Laundromat it University District of large Northwest city. ROB is sitting on an old and uncomfortable wicker bench editing some papers. THE MAN WITH NO FRONT TEETH is sitting nearby and trying to open a sealed plastic package containing a phone.

THE MAN WITH NO FRONT TEETH: Hey, you got a knife?

ROB (looking up): What?

THE MAN WITH NO FRONT TEETH: Hey, nice smile - that's nice that you so quick to smile.

ROB: I do my best.

THE MAN WITH NO FRONT TEETH: You got a knife?

ROB: Sorry, man.

THE MAN WITH NO FRONT TEETH (smiling big): Here's some advice - don't ever tell someone you don't got a knife.

ROB (laughing): Good call.

THE MAN WITH NO FRONT TEETH: You gotta say 'Yeah, I got one, but I don't let no one else use it.'

Thursday, June 23, 2005 - 11:13 a.m. -
Very nice conversation between two young uns. NSF-ReadingOutLoudAt-W. Oh, kids. You are humorously inappropriate! Because you do not understand!

Very Important Persons

• Dalton
• Dexter
• Janet
• Jill
• Jonathan
• Larry
• Michael
• Paul
• Shanti
• X