Monthly Archives: February 2011

Review of Karen Russell's "Swamplandia!"

Posted on February 28, 2011 by williamjcobb

Here’s a url to my review of Karen Russell’s debut novel, Swamplandia! that appeared in today’s Dallas Morning News. It’s a good, fun read, not a great literary book, closer to a Young Adult novel than most reviews are acknowledging, … Continue reading →

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Aimee Bender reads "The Fake Nazi" & Timothy Egan Sees Through the Facebook Craze

Posted on February 26, 2011 by williamjcobb

So Thursday night I’m in the (not quite final, as I’m still feeling it) throes of a sinus infection, weak and tired and congested, home in my cold Pennsylvania house, shivering and threadbare, listening to the mice scrabble in the … Continue reading →

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"Out of the Wild: Venezuela": "Survivor" Meets "I Shouldn't Be Alive"

Posted on February 25, 2011 by williamjcobb

For days now I’ve been pinned by a boulder of work and only last night realized I had to saw off my arm like that (dubiously motivated) Aaron Ralston dude in 127 Hours . . . . So I watched … Continue reading →

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Supercomputer Cheats on "Jeopardy," Ray Kurzweil and "The Singularity Is Near"

Posted on February 18, 2011 by williamjcobb

So I actually watched a bit of “Watson” the computer on Jeopardy, and it was obvious the computer seemed to have a huge advantage in timing, that he wasn’t pressing that buzzer gadget that slowed the humans down, particularly noticeable … Continue reading →

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J. D. Salinger Bio Sounds Good, and a Writers Party in Austin, circa 2006

Posted on February 11, 2011 by williamjcobb

So back in 2006 I was at an opulent writers’ party, a post-event thing at the Texas Book Festival, standing next to Frank McCourt and Maureen Down, Richard Ford and Jay McInerny, who today is reviewing a new biography of … Continue reading →

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Hype Aversion to Facebook & Twitter, Nod to Evgeny Morozov's "The Net Delusion"

Posted on February 6, 2011 by williamjcobb

Leave it to the folks at the Urban Dictionary (who sometimes seem to have too much time on their hands: check out the P-words and you’ll get an idea of what I mean) to come up with a term for … Continue reading →

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In the Footsteps of Richard Alley: Mark Hertsgaard's "Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth"

Posted on February 6, 2011 by williamjcobb

So today’s NY Times Sunday Book Review has a review of what sounds like a good book in the climate change library, HOT: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth, by Mark Hertsgaard, here: I asked Richard Alley, in our parking … Continue reading →

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Climate Change Expert Richard Alley in the Parking Lot, Obama in the House

Posted on February 4, 2011 by williamjcobb

So yesterday President Obama visited Penn State and I wasn’t able to go, having to teach a class at that time, but the whole town (and my students) were atwitter with excitement, and irritation, because the traffic was all screwed … Continue reading →

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