Author Archives: williamjcobb

On “Die My Love”: Jennifer Lawrence Channels Her Inner Kristi Noem, and Does Not Write the Great American Novel

Posted on January 27, 2026 by williamjcobb

So after a lot of pre-release buzz the Jennifer Lawrence film Die My Love fizzled at the box office and did not get much attention. (Note: Minor spoilers ahead.) That’s a bit unfortunate, as it has the terrific performance of … Continue reading →

Posted in "Die My Love" film, books/film, Film, Jennifer Lawrence film, Love of Dogs, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“The Salt Path” (2025): An Underappreciated Film That Includes Actual Humanity

Posted on January 24, 2026 by williamjcobb

So my wife and I are inveterate backpackers—the seasoned, often bedraggled kind. We’ve backpacked in many locations from Denali National Park in Alaska (perhaps the “wildest” backcountry) to Yellowstone and the Wind Rivers in Wyoming and many others. But truth … Continue reading →

Posted in "The Salt Path" Film (2025), Backpacking Adventures, books/film, Economics, Film, Raynor Winn's "The Salt Path", Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Our “White Lotus,” Or Life as a Set-Jetter

Posted on January 20, 2026 by williamjcobb

So last year my family got the itch to take an unplanned springtime beach vacation. Long story short: We had nothing booked, and only a vague notion of where we might want to go. Florida is nice enough, sure, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Andaman Sea, HBO's The White Lotus, Photography, Prestige TV, Set-Jetting, Thailand Adventures, Uncategorized, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On Sleeping With Dogs

Posted on January 17, 2026 by williamjcobb

So I sleep with dogs. (You got a problem with that?) Actually that should be “dog,” singular, a particularly cantankerous Beagle-Terrier mutt named Swishy. Although in my head I think “dogs,” plural, because Swish is not the first dog I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Love of Dogs, Photography, Sleeping With Pets, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Year Without a Winter (in the Southwest): 2025-2026

Posted on January 16, 2026 by williamjcobb

So here’s a story that hasn’t been featured much in the news media: The Southwest has had a pitiful winter so far—parched and warm. It’s drier than a tumbleweed here in south-central Colorado. And it’s worse elsewhere south and west … Continue reading →

Posted in 2025-26 Drought, Climate Change, Michael Mann's The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars, The West, The Year Without a Summer, Uncategorized, Weird Weather | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

How To Write a Book About the Wind: On Simon Winchester’s “The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind”

Posted on January 14, 2026 by williamjcobb

So I have to begin with a confession: I’m most definitely a fan of the much-acclaimed nonfiction writer Simon Winchester. One of my first Winchester reads and still one of his finest (and my favorite) was Krakatoa: The Day the … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Climate Change, Simon Winchester, Simon Winchester's "The Breath of the Gods", Uncategorized, Weird Weather, writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Ten Years Left of Humanity, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the A.I. Bomb: On Two Visions of the Upcoming A.I. Apocalypse: Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares’ “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies” and Mustafa Suleyman’s “The Coming Wave: AI, Power, and Our Future”

Posted on January 12, 2026 by williamjcobb

So I recently read the somewhat-infamous bestseller by Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares, If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All (2025). It’s a white-knuckled warning about the imminent peril of ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence). … Continue reading →

Posted in A.I., A.I. 2027, A.I. Apocalypse, A.S.I. (Artificial Super Intelligence), Annihilation, books, Economics, Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares' If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies, Mustafa Suleyman's The Coming Wave: A.I., Power, and Our Future, Uncategorized, Universal Income, writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

On Yasunari Kawabata’s “The Lake” and the Pleasures of “Old” Books:

Posted on January 10, 2026 by williamjcobb

So one of the downsides of our irritating Consumer Culture is that we’re programmed to be always looking for the next New Thing—be it car, refrigerator, book, movie, or significant other. It can lead to a niggling feeling that our … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Ross Sorkin's "1929, books, Consumer Culture, Simon Winchester's "The Breath of the Gods", Vladimir Nabokov, Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita", writing, Yasunari Kawabata, Yasunari Kawabata's "The Lake" | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bobcats Not in Bad Decline: CivilWarLand Is Here, and Bobcats Are Invading

Posted on January 9, 2026 by williamjcobb

So my title today is a nod to my writer-friend’s excellent book of stories, George Saunders’s CivilWarLand in Bad Decline (of which I have a rare first edition). With all the ICE chaos and MAGA mayhem it’s a relief to … Continue reading →

Posted in Bobcats, Photography, The West, Uncategorized, Wildlife | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Friendly Aliens Who Will Pull Our Plug: On “Pluribus” and “Bugonia”:

Posted on January 8, 2026 by williamjcobb

So I’m still a skeptic as far as alien visitors are concerned but it seems I’m bumping into extraterrestrial stories whenever I turn on the TV. Following the epic success of Better Call Saul (one of my favorite series of all time) … Continue reading →

Posted in Alien Intelligence, Annihilation, books/film, Climate Change | Tagged , | Leave a comment