Notes from dissertopia

Breathlessly: Just got back from a working vacation at the beach, lots of things to say about Claudia’s recent comment (unless someone else wants to jump in first), didn’t call Mom on her birthday again (still a bit of a habit). To top it all off CUT just won Nationals again. But, a couple of friends are getting back to Syracuse after a long stay in Mexico this week, and that reminded me of the time we sat down next to Jim Boeheim for a breakfast at Mother’s Cupboard. If you are sitting down to breakfast and want something to read with your huge pancakes, and coffee, you can check these out.

James Wolcott on the Seventies | vanityfair.com

“When one ponders the 70s (as I, working on a memoir of the period, do), the word “pretty” doesn’t jeté to mind. Nor do the words “dulcet” and “fastidious.” From surviving artifacts, it’s easy to draw the impression that everybody was living in rubble and yelling like Vincent Gardenia. Post-Watergate cynicism caked the consciousness of the political and popular culture, providing a thick, gritty texture.”

Airminded · Post-blogging the 1909 scareships

“Starting tomorrow, I’m going to try some more post-blogging. It’s 100 years since the phantom airship wave of 1909, when mysterious aerial visitors appeared in the night skies over Britain. Or at least, stories about mysterious aerial visitors filled the newspapers of Britain. It’s hard to tell from this distance: the only evidence we have about the scareships are the press reports, which could be a problem if you are interested in a possible underlying reality. But then again, since the number of (alleged) phantom airship witnesses is relatively small, the press was the only way most people would have learned that their sky was being invaded by Zeppelins every night. So for them as for us, the stories are the event itself. (The phantom airship scare did not take place, perhaps?)”

FT.com / Comment / Opinion – What’s a flu like you doing in a host like this?

“A virus does not have feelings, exactly. It infects without foresight, malice or mercy. But to understand a disease, it is important to look at things from the point of view of the organism – virus, bacteria or worm – that causes it. Take virulence, for example, the degree of damage a pathogen does to its host.”

Exclusive First Listen: Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse Team Up With David Lynch : NPR Music

The songs on Dark Night of the Soul were written by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse, but feature a different singer on each track. The album was initially going to be released with a book of photos by director David Lynch in July. But a dispute with EMI records may delay or kill the project. You can stream the album from NPR music (this link).