* “There comes a moment in the life of every literary critic when they need to give up and admit they’re never going to be a novelist. [ . . .] I don’t, in short, have a novelist’s soul.” Though I disagree with this: “Novelists appear to dwell most deeply in their childhoods.”
* “Ethernet at 40: [Bob Metcalfe, Ethernet’s inventor] reveals its turbulent youth.” Ethernet is still, even when wireless is a viable alternative. In some circumstances running a cheap ethernet cable from a router to a desk, couch, or other work station can still be a real win, especially given how even very long ethernet cables from Monoprice.com only cost a couple of dollars. Ethernet cables last forever, aren’t subject to the level of interference wireless is, and, in many conditions, have faster data transfer speeds than wireless.
* “The Dissertation Can No Longer Be Defended,” which makes points that should be obvious to damn near everybody involved in the humanities section of academia.
* Three views of consumption and the slow economy.
* Riding Around Paris With Olivier Zahm, Fashion’s Most Libidinal Editor.
* “A warning to college profs from a high school teacher,” which is actually about the stakes of student testing.
* New York Times “journalist” John Broder lies in Tesla motors review, gets called out for it.
* “Deep Inside: A Study of 10,000 Porn Stars;” highly data-driven and should be safe for work.
* New York real estate: a study in price escalation.
* Megan McArdle: “How to Make the Most of Your Higher Education.” The bit about not majoring in English, and not getting a PhD in it, resonates, especially as someone who did the one and is doing the other.
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