Monthly Archives: September 2011

Reading Daniel Yergin's "The Quest" & a Witty Post About Truthiness

Posted on September 27, 2011 by williamjcobb

So I’m reading the much-talked-about new tome on energy and the future, Daniel Yergin’s The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World, just published. So far I’m not particularly impressed, especially after Dwight Garner’s rave review in … Continue reading →

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Australian Horror on Netflix: "The Reef," "Arctic Blast," and "Primal"

Posted on September 18, 2011 by williamjcobb

So I was at first excited by the streaming-video options of Netflix months ago, but the charm actually rather quickly wore off and I agree with some of the popular grouching about it—basically that Netflix has a rather limited list … Continue reading →

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"127 Hours" as Big-Budget "I Shouldn't Be Alive," With a Nod to the Great "Touching the Void"

Posted on September 17, 2011 by williamjcobb

So I finally got around to watching the much-acclaimed/suspect film of Aaron Ralston’s self-amputation, 127 Hours, and actually thought it was pretty good, even if my hotel owner/chef in Green River, Utah held a grudge against Ralston for not paying … Continue reading →

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Climate Change Coverage in the NY Times

Posted on September 8, 2011 by williamjcobb

So I have decidedly mixed feelings about most of our media, no matter how much I read or watch it, as I imagine most of us do. (I make a point to read CNN just to see the latest blather … Continue reading →

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On a Novel Titled "The Bird Saviors"

Posted on September 6, 2011 by williamjcobb

So a few months ago I blogged about finishing my new novel ms., The Bird Saviors, & how the completion occurred by describing a rather simple detail—a man drinking a glass of water—that has greater implications and reverberations than one … Continue reading →

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Review of Justin Torres's novel(la) "We the Animals"

Posted on September 4, 2011 by williamjcobb

So my review of Justin Torres’s debut novel, We the Animals, appears today in the Dallas Morning News, here: http://www.dallasnews.com/entertainment/books/20110902-book-review-we-the-animals-by-justin-torres.ece It’s a good, short book. I point out that it’s closer to a novella than a full-figured novel, but that’s … Continue reading →

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The Know Nothing Party Defies Gravity, Wins Elections?

Posted on September 1, 2011 by williamjcobb

So it’s driving me (slightly) crazy to read the idiocy coming out of Rick Perry’s mouth, echoed by a chorus of other Republican presidential contenders. Paul Krugman in the NY Times sums up their anti-science idiocy well here: What strikes … Continue reading →

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