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Monthly Archives: December 2005

Off to the South Carolina sLowcountry

22-Dec-05

I’m leaving DC later today for Xmas at home in Beaufort, South Carolina. Posting will be light or nonexistent next week; great things await after the new year, fine friends. Great things, I tell you. Stay tuned.
And Godspeed and happy holidays and all that stuff. Give yourselves a big hug and a kiss from […]

Breaking News: Maradona Now Skinny, Still a Nutcase

22-Dec-05

CNN:
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Diego Maradona made a remarkable return to the football field when he played for 68 minutes in a charity match in Rio de Janeiro.
But he was later arrested by police at Rio de Janeiro airport, for causing a disturbance after missing his flight to Buenos Aires.

$100 Laptop: A Misguided Gift?

21-Dec-05

Reason’s Kerry Howley says the much-hyped $100 laptop isn’t what people in the developing world really need:
Gifting, we discover every Holiday Season, is an incredibly inefficient mode of exchange. The first week of January is a customer-service-line filled nightmare, our collective attempt to correct judgments people who love us make about what we really want: […]

BFB2K5 Linklove

20-Dec-05

Big ups to the folks who’ve linked to the Bloggers’ Favorite Books of 2005 round-up so far:
– Dana at #1HS
– Mark F. at BoingBoing
– Wendy
– Nick at Blogebrity
UPDATE : more links from Maud Newton and Ben’s Journal.
UPDATE 2: Baylen Linnekin at To the People and Library Autonomous Zone pile on the linklove.
UPDATE 3: Kristen Murray […]

Bloggers’ Favorite Books of 2005

20-Dec-05

For the third year running, I asked some of my favorite bloggers to weigh in on their favorite books of 2005.
As in previous surveys, respondents weren’t limited to titles published this year, but simply any book they discovered during the last 12 months that made a lasting impression on them. (I’m happy to say, […]

Chronicles of Narnia Rap Video

19-Dec-05

The most recent Saturday Night Live was largely lame, but it did feature a fantastic Chronicles of Narnia rap video.
(Via BoingBoing.)

Evo Morales, President of Bolivia

19-Dec-05

This is an historic moment for Bolivia and all of South America. The continent has elected its first-ever indigenous president, Evo Morales: coca legalization proponent, self-proclaimed “nightmare” of Washington, and pal of Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro. And he won convincingly. Here’s a good article providing some context from the NYT.
My quick take: Evo’s election […]

“Authentic” Travel Experiences

18-Dec-05

Matt Gross has a thoughtful essay in today’s New York Times about notions of experimental travel and the search for “authentic” experiences.
(Via World Hum.)

Bolivia Votes

18-Dec-05

Bolivians are voting for a new president today.
I haven’t been able to find any news on how the voting has shaped up so far, but the best analysis I’ve seen is from Bolivia expert Miguel Centellas, who says Evo Morales is set to win — but may ultimately be hamstrung by a lack of […]

He vs. She

16-Dec-05

Mars and Venus meet in a creative writing class.

Fantastic Web-Based Word Processor

16-Dec-05

Writely is an exceptionally useful Web-based word processor that I recently discovered. I hate having to fire up MS Word each time I want to jot down some notes, and Writely works right in your Web browser. You can edit HTML formatting, save docs as PDFs, manage collaborative editing, spellcheck, access files via multiple computers, […]

“Eight-year-olds, Dude”

15-Dec-05

How come no one told me that the entire “Big Lebowski” screenplay is available online as a text file?! I need to know these things.
Big+Lebowski

Cute Overload

15-Dec-05

This is entirely not my kind of thing because I am such a badass, but because I love my readers, and I know many of readers would love this, I give you…
CuteOverload, the blog devoted to all things cute. OMG sooooooooo adorable
cute

All Eyes on Bolivia

15-Dec-05

Will this indigenous man — a former coca farmer — be the next president of Bolivia? No one knows for sure. The election is on Sunday.

Jim Anchower Pays DY a Visit

14-Dec-05

Jim Anchower’s real-world simulacrum pays Defective Yeti a visit. Hilarity ensues.