First Looks category archive
“But There’s No Other Possible Explanation” 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Eugen Dimont, Bella Ren, and Maurice Schweitzer explore why persons use “social” media to “share” conspiracy theories which they do not actually believe. A snippet; follow the link for the complete article.
Remember, “social” media isn’t.
The Elephant in the Room 0
Der Spiegel interviews evolutionary biologist Victoria Herridge on biotech company Colossal’s intention to genetically engineer woolly mammoths, which have been extinct for millennia. She is, shall we say, at best lukewarm to the endeavor. Here’s a snippet:
Herridge: Of course! When you have tools like that in your hand, you think less about your own behavior and its consequences. It worries me that we humans prefer to be interested in such shiny, high-tech projects as with the mammoth rather than in pragmatic species conservation projects that, if managed well, can actually make a difference.
Follow the link for the rest. It is worth your while.
The Disinformation Superhighway 0
Do not forget, “social” media isn’t.
I’m Watching an Episode of The Addams Family . . . 0
. . . and it reminds me of my internet friend (who I once had breakfast with in Newark, Del.), Shaun Mullen.
He is still missed.
Break Time 0
Off to drink liberally.
The Wall-Eyed Piker 0
The rain came, and the wind blew, and the wall came tumblin’ down.
Fingerprints Don’t lie . . . 0
. . . or do they?
Recommended Listening 0
Bob Cesca’s interview with John Amato, accomplished saxophonist and founder of one of the most important websites you can add to your bookmarks, Crooks and Liars.
Aside:
I admit, it takes me a while to catch up with my podcast listening list.
Recommended Listening 0
The Clock Struck One, by Fergus Hume.
It starts off slow, but, by fourth chapter, quickly picks up speed.
Maskless Marauders 0
Story via Delaware Liberal.
Aside:
That’s the school district where my kids went to school. Back then, it showed no signs of insanity.
Recommended Listening 0
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes.
In the early 1970s, the BBC ran two televison series, The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes and The American Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, dramatizing tales from the early days of mystery stories. These volumes compile the stories dramatized in those series.
Some of the stories are quite good; others, not so much. But they are all interesting, especially if you are a mystery buff like me, for the light they shed on the early days of the mystery genre. The contrasts between the British and American stories are also of note.
My especial favorite is “The Absent-Minded Coterie,” from the second volume of The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes. It is timely still; indeed, it presages all those phone calls you are getting telling you that your car’s extended warranty has expired.
The tales by R. Austin Freeman, creator of fiction’s first forensic detective, and by the Baroness Orczy, best remembered as the creator of the Scarlet Pimpernel, are also quite good. The others, well, hear for yourself.