Confessions of a Book Pirate
“In truth, I think it is clear that morally, the act of pirating a product is, in fact, the moral equivalent of stealing… although that nagging question of what the person who has been stolen from is missing still lingers.” This here is the kicker; the spectre that looms over all forms of electronic copying. And the reason why the question still lingers is because ‘piracy’ is just as easily compared to the second-hand marketplace as it is to outright stealing — and nobody would call someone who buys second-hand books or music a thief, would they? [c/o Kottke] Permalink   ·

Charles Bukowski and the Computer
Reading this makes me sad at how little the literary world has embraced the digital age. They can’t all be reactionary luddites, surely [c/o MetaFilter]. Permalink   ·

Serendipity Killed the Cat
For Dave Pell, ‘controlled serendipity’ is more like an uncontrollable addiction. In my view, guess it depends on whether those doing it are doing it for others or themselves; the difference is significant. Permalink   ·

‘Controlled Serendipity’ Liberates the Web
Someone at the NYT discovers link-blogging, even though hundreds if not thousands of people have been doing it for YEARS! Everything said here, everything quoted by others, it can all be said of blogging in general — or at least blogging as it was a decade ago [c/o LinkMachineGo]. Permalink   ·

How to use a semicolon
I may have blogged this before, but it’s worth posting again. Indeed, the ‘divine semi-colon’ is nothing to be feared. Permalink   ·

The 24-Hour Cycle at Clean Rite Laundromat
I love stories like this. Is there anything like it outside of the US? It’s such a contrast to my local laundrette, where I’ve never met another sole (apart from the guy who takes in the binliner full of clothes). Permalink   ·

Your pal, John K.
A fan of John Kricfalusi (of Ren & Stimpy fame) wrote to the man himself, and received a more than generous reply. This is for all of us who are too scared to say hi to our heroes (although I’ve shaken the hand of mine, and he complimented my shirt). Permalink   ·

Some visualisations of stories and narratives
I’d like to see one for The Wire, or The Sopranos. Or The Simpsons. Or better yet: one tracking crossovers between different movies/series (cf. The Tommy Westphall Universe Hypothesis). Permalink   ·

Jonathan Lethem on the streets of Brooklyn
An interview with the author of The Fortress of Solitude upon the release of his latest, Chronic City. According to Lethem, the Brooklyn he loves is marked by “a definitive incompleteness”. Couldn’t the same be said for any city-with-a-soul? Permalink   ·

Looking into the past
Is there an augmented reality app for this kind of thing? If there isn’t, there should be. Just imagine the possibilities! Permalink   ·

Everything I Learned About Game Design I Learned From Disneyland
People can scoff about theme parks all they want, but there’s nothing like the attention to detail that imagineers bestow upon every element of the Disney experience. That’s the key to the whole shebang. Permalink   ·

The 50 most intriguing games of 2010
New games for the Wii are conspicuous by their absence. Nintendo, what are you doing? Permalink   ·