Blackberry, or no...?

This is an interesting article on how modern technology--e-mail, cell phones, etc.--will play out with Obama as president. He's been more plugged in to technology than any president before him, and they're wondering how much of a security risk this would pose. The article fails to discuss how interesting it is that we've come so far, but have done so little in terms of protecting our privacy via these new means of communication.... Anyway, it's a good, short read.

Chabon

I've been on a bit of a Michael Chabon kick lately. Having read The Final Solution--a short novel about an unnamed detective who is, quite clearly, Sherlock Holmes--I tried The Yiddish Policemen's Union, and loved it. So, in the last month, among a half dozen other books, I finish The Amazing Adventure of Kavalier and Clay, as well as The Mysteries of Pittsburgh.

Kavalier and Clay, a book many consider his magnum opus (a designation I always find bizarre, and especially here, given that he's not only not dead, but not even 50), was tremendous. Lengthy, beautifully designed, encompassing a vast array of topics, and with characters so rich and lifelike they still seem like people I knew personally, it is also a vastly American novel. The New York City that existed during the golden era of comic books (Kavalier and Clay are cousins, who create a hugely popular--for a time, anyway--comic book called The Escapist) is recreated in technicolor, or, more appropriately, a million shades of gray. There aren't too many colors available for use in the blossoming city, and, though it has a somewhat noir-ish feel, it still smacks very much of being life-like. This is, and always has been, Chabon's forte.






Which brings me to The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Chabon's first novel. It is a coming-of-age tale about a young man named Art Bechstein, who struggles (often histrionically) with his sexuality, both homo- and hetero-. This book, like Kavalier and Clay, exhibits Chabon's mastery of characterization, as well as his uncanny ability to portray place; the catch, though, is that these powers are only in seed here, which still makes for better reading than many other long-time authors, but still leaves a bit to be desired when compared to books like Kavalier and Clay and The Yiddish Policemen's Union. I suppose it's pretty unfair to make the comparison now. It might even be pointless--nearly every good author gets better over time (though many have been known to crest sometime between their forties and sixties). That said, even The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is well worth the time to read.




If you get a chance, check something of his out. He's a really compelling essayist, too, though I haven't read his new-ish collection, Maps and Legends. But I have, so far, read four of his novels, and not one of them has been a disappointment. I look forward to catching up on the rest, and seeing what else he will offer in time.

Palin and the AG

This article in The NY Times about Sarah Palin's involvement in churches near where she lives in Alaska is quite interesting. If you read the whole way through--it could've used some good editing--it starts to seem that Palin and fam left the local Assemblies of God church because it was a little too extreme (speaking in tongues, healing, etc.). What's also interesting is that the McCain/Palin campaign won't even make a comment. They've been pretty strange about trying to protect Palin so far, and I'm begging to wonder why. It's getting bizarre having her so sheltered from the media scrutiny other high-profile politicians always deal with immediately when put in a prominent position. I hope this isn't an indicator of how they'd run the office.... Anyway, that's neither here nor there. Check out the piece if you get a minute. If you grew up AG, it's actually interesting. If not, she just probably seems crazy.

This is Genius

This article explains how web security words are helping digitize old books and newspapers, etc. It's pure genius! It's this sort of thing that makes so much sense--a bit like recycling, in a way. Check it out.

This is Just What the Brewers Need

ESPN has a nice little article on the Brewers' almost supernatural ability to choke during early August. The highlight of the article is the video of Prince Fielder pushing Manny Parra in the dugout. The camaraderie, I suppose, will help them get back on top of the NL Central in no time!

My New Favorite Place...Flooded and is Ruined

We recently had the honor of a once-in-a-lifetime (unless you live in a flood plain) flood in Oshkosh and our basement was blessed with some sump pump overflow. It was, to say the least, really awesome. Here are a few pictures of the water party...























































There is a silver lining, though, to all this. It has gotten me one step closer to a house without any carpeting. I haven't lived any place with carpeting for a while and now I remember why I hate it so much. Also, we paid the $110 a year fee for the sump pump overflow insurance, so instead of being stranded we have enough to take care of pretty much everything that we lost... That, in this first year of marriage, is the sole occasion I can recall where my judgment won out over Corrine's (she suggested we didn't need it). I will revel in this meaningless and stupid victory...and then start cleaning the basement floor with acrid chemicals.

Oh, Come On...

If another president is elected in America via fear-mongering (what else can explain the support of this kind of shit?), I will be very, very tempted to relinquish what's left of my faith in the American people...and I really don't want that to happen. I care very much about this increasingly ridiculous country. I know there are huge swaths of people who haven't lost their critical faculties, so why does anyone buy into the notion that federal agencies can ever override the judicial system entirely? For all those people who, like completely illiterate fools, keep insisting the judicial branch is re-writing the Constitution, look at the executive one. The whole system is losing its efficacy because the President thinks he's a monarch, not because courts have made certain rulings people don't like. If you can't tell, I'm nearing the end of my rope on subjects like these.... (Here's to hoping the article was monstrously inaccurate in terms of McCain's real thoughts on the subject...)