Category: articles
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Punk folk — what is it?
I recently sent the following picture to Kyle and Doug Welch as well as Mark 9: You read that right. The name of this band we met in Salem, Massachusetts during Uncon 2016 is: Scrummy the Dirtbag & his shitty kids Now. Turns out that the lead man “Scrummy” is an economist by day. Kiel…
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Facebook names
That moment when Facebook names its new drone the same name you used for a worldwide surveillance A.I. in your last novel. #skynet #Aquilla
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Union Square Sticky Notes
If you’re wondering why Union Square sticky notes have started to fill the walls in between your walk from the 4, 5, 6 trains to the Q, N, R, W lines, it’s a story that starts with an art installation called Subway Therapy. On election night, Subway Therapy decided to give a simple way for people to…
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Myth Stories Map: Queens Museum Exhibit on American Folklore
As a student of American myths, American folklore, American tall tales and American legends, I loved this myth stories map from the Queens Museum: There’s a great piece over at Slate on the map. They say: This map, by social realist artist William Gropper, was created to showcase the diversity of national myths and folk stories…
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Writer Vices
What we call a “personality trait” these days the medievalists called a character flaw. Ironically enough, almost every four-point personality test you can take is derived from their four humors: melancholy, sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric. Blood letting as a psychological remedy (we still use leeches for the surgical variety) grew out of the idea that something…
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Harry Rides THE DANGER
Around this time of year some five years ago, I rode some carnival rides with a kid named Harry: He’s a pretty particular kid with a set way of doing everything: …and if you watch his arms on this kiddie coaster, you can see that he gets excited. REALLY excited. And he expresses his…
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New York Dictionary : Walking Shorts
what New Yorkers mean when they say walking shorts :
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From Unaware and Compliant to Unaware and Non-Compliant
According to Bill Clinton’s NEA, the best kind of citizenry is not one that’s unaware and compliant. It turns out to be one that’s aware and non-compliant one. From his lips:
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Celebrate Time
“Technological civilization is man’s conquest of space. It is a triumph frequently achieved by sacrificing an essential ingredient of existence, namely, time. In technical civilization, we expend time to gain space. To enhance our power in the world of space is our main objective. Yet to have more does not mean to be more. The…
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We sleekit cowrin timrous beastie
We sleekit cowrin timrous beastie, O, what a panic’s in thy breastie! Thou need na start awa sae hasty, Wi’ bickering brattle! I wad be laith to rin an’ chase thee, Wi’ murd’ring pattle! I’m truly sorry man’s dominion, Has broken nature’s social union, An’ justifies that ill opinion, Which makes thee startle At me,…