On William Gibson On Burroughs, Sterling, Dick, Libraries, The Uncanny, The Web
When I was fortunate enough to interview him a few years ago, I found his voice fascinating... that trace of Southern drawl, but colored by a few decades in Canada. He speaks slowly, but always in those fully-formed, intricately crafted sentences.
Looking forward to his return to full-on SF...
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On How Is Gmail's New Interface Going To Screw Up Your Life?
"Fast: Compose messages right from your inbox."
Wasn't I doing this already, more or less?
"Simple: Redesigned with a clean, streamlined look."
Sounds good! Alas, not actually true.
"Powerful: Check emails as you're typing, minimize drafts for later, and even compose two messages at once."
AAUGH. This is not fast, clean, or streamlined. This is multitasking insanity. "Check emails as you're typing"? Could I please just type as I'm typing? "Compose two messages at once"? Do I need a second keyboard for this? And/or an Aderall prescription? And does getting old inevitably involve becoming a Luddite?
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On We Should Have Killed These Internet Pioneers Back In the 1990s
"Perhaps we would be saying 'Thanks' to the newspaper publishers who were tough enough to confront a threat that would eventually destroy our industry."
Wait, this guy thinks that newspaper publishers AREN'T the ones who destroyed the industry?
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On Ross Douthat on Abortion: A Case of Op-Ed Malpractice
"Witherspoon's right-wing organ" is such an evocative phrase.
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On We Must Build An Enormous McWorld In Times Square, A Xanadu Representing A McDonald's From Every Nation
Anyone ever been to the Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta? They had (when I was there in the '90s, at least) an area where you could sample all kinds of weird soft drinks that the Coca-Cola Co. bottles and sells in other countries. Some were delicious, some were vile, some were just head-scratchers. Anyway, it was the highlight of the place, which was otherwise just a bunch of advertising paraphernalia.
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On The 17 Best Failed TV Shows Of The 80s (As Judged By Their Openings)
@Eric@twitter Yes... Crime Story was basically a premium cable series before premium cable series existed. It looked way too good, and had a way too complex plotline, for network TV. Probably why it lasted only 2 seasons.
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On The 17 Best Failed TV Shows Of The 80s (As Judged By Their Openings)
@RebeccaKW Truly awesome show! Sort of a younger sibling to Miami Vice -- produced by the same team, with a similar glossy style, but set in early 1960s (not 1950s) Chicago the 1st season, then Vegas the 2nd season. A cops v. gangsters epic, obviously. And ahead of its time in being semi-serialized instead of strictly episodic.
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On 150 Years Of Riding In A Hole In The Ground
Did not realize the 1 train had a first-class car! I do know that the F train has a dining car, however. I seem to end up on it most mornings, judging by all the people eating their breakfasts around me.
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On The Ugly-Beauty Of Brutalism
@Liz McDonnell@twitter The remnant of Marcel Breuer's Pirelli tire factory! I was there a few years ago. So cool. A shame that Ikea didn't leave the whole thing and put their store inside it. Seems like it would have been a great fit, aesthetically. But with Ikea, the bottom line always trumps the aesthetics.
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On South Brooklyn Has Lost Its Real Estate Mind
Horrifying!
Fortunately, Brooklyn continues way, WAY south of the locations herein referred to as "South Brooklyn".
I live in Kensington, aka the northern part of the Brooklyn that is south of "South Brooklyn", and it is still pretty reasonably priced! (Please don't tell anyone.)