Paperless

I used to be a bookseller. I worked in little bookstores and big bookstores, on college campuses and in shopping malls. I participated in the growth of the big-box stores that now dominate bookselling, helping to set up a few of them. Don't like those stores? Don't worry, they won't be around for long. Even while I was working there I used to tell my co-workers that our jobs would soon be joining scriveners and icemen in the dustbin of history. Someday we'd all have electronic tablets, I'd say, and when we wanted a new book we'd use it to go to the bookseller's website, buy it, and have it in our hand in seconds. Someday is a lot closer now. Amazon's new Kindle may not be the last word, but it is a big jump. Like it or not, the revolution is here. I, for one, welcome this future.

Don't get me wrong. I love paper books. I've got thousands of them. I've even been known to read them from time to time. I'll probably haunt used bookstores for years to come. But what I love most about books is that they are a delivery system for words. When I'm reading I don't want to be paying attention to the book. I want to be focused on the words. Sure, it's cool that my copy of The Lost World was printed before I was born, that it's slightly browned pages have a real honest to goodness rag edge, and that it even smells nice, but when I'm reading I don't notice any of that. It's not the book I'm reading, it's the story.

Nothing to Say

Lately, I haven't felt "compelled to share my thoughts with the world." I've recently had a couple of major things happen in my life, and just now I don't feel like talking about it. I like to blog about things that interest me. It is, after all, a state of mind, and I haven't had a mind to bloviate of late.

Writing, I find, often leads to more writing. It loosens the ligatures, to paraphrase Virginia Woolf. So who knows, perhaps even this post, about nothing, will lead to something.

They're Creepy and They're Kooky

Mysterious and spooky.

Piddling in the Champagne

As you may have heard, Don Shula, desperately clinging to the old Dolphin's perfect season in the face of the Patriot's near-inevitable crushing of all previous records, has recently stated that any such achievement this season should come with and asterisk. Sad. Pathetic really. Beyond the obvious fact that one video camera removed in the first quarter of the first game of the season has made no difference whatsoever, there is a certain air of hypocrisy. Mike Litke points out the fact that Miami's perfect team was created as a direct result of cheating.

I can see why Shula wants to take a punch at the Pats (missing widely and providing fuel for the angry men of Foxboro when they next visit with the Dolphins), but why do you suppose he aimed a shot at Roger Goodell? He all but called the commissioner a liar who had covered up even more serious crimes. Does Shula have some other agenda here? Is he deliberately trying to discredit this new commissioner? Or is he even aware of what it was that he said? Either way it is, as I said, sad. This asterisk leads to a footnote on an otherwise classy career.

"The Building That Threw Up On Itself"

MIT now says that there are serious design flaws in its new Stata Center. Really? You think? I'm stunned.

And Then There Was One

All hail the Colts -- the first team to seriously challenge My Beloved Patriots this season. I've been telling folks that this would be another blow-out, but the Colts were just way too good. I admit, I used to think of them as being all about Peyton Manning and his laser rocket arm, but that's just dumb. They are the complete package, a terrific all-around football team. Today, the Patriots were just a little better. Next time? Perish the thought. My blood pressure is bad enough as it is.

Now comes a well-deserved week off, then back on the road to 19-0.

Best Sports Drink. Ever.

Scientists have discovered the perfect re-hydrating drink to replenish your body after a workout. It promotes health and well being. It tastes great. It is bread in a bottle. Its freshness renews the spirit, yet it is as old a civilization itself. It is the wonder beverage of the ages. Is there nothing it can't do?

Amazing Grace

This is how a real Trekkie checks out in style. Just don't forget to drop your katra off with your nearest old country doctor.
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Save the Giblets

What, Dan Akroyd wasn't available?