Author Archives: williamjcobb

Death of an MFA Program, an Insider's View

Posted on February 5, 2012 by williamjcobb

So as is becoming known throughout the university world and blogosphere, Penn State cut the funding for its MFA program, of which I’m the director, and we’ve chosen to cease admitting new students, rather than expect them to pay many … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Education, writing | Leave a comment

"Cave of Forgotten Dreams" Now on Netflix, as well as "Atrocious"

Posted on January 31, 2012 by williamjcobb

So although the (dubious, limited) charm of Netflix streaming wore off long ago, I do sometimes find something interesting there if I troll enough, and there are two new films I recommend: Werner Herzog’s remarkable documentary about 32,000 year-old-cave art, Cave … Continue reading →

Posted in Film | Leave a comment

Update on "Contagion" Post and Fears of a Bird Flu Pandemic: Researchers Have Cooked Up Super Bird-Flu in a Lab!

Posted on January 22, 2012 by williamjcobb

So after mentioning that I had watched Contagion recently and posting some musings about pandemic/bird flu fears, which is in the background of my new novel, The Bird Saviors, I was slightly taken aback by the recent news that two … Continue reading →

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News On the Cormac McCarthy Front: Baby Eater No. 2 Speaks! Plus a New, Original Screenplay by CM

Posted on January 20, 2012 by williamjcobb

So for all the Cormac McCarthy fans out there, of which I am a most enthusiastic one, here’s an odd bit of info that just fell into my lap about the film version of The Road (2009). Before I saw … Continue reading →

Posted in books, books/film, Film, The West, writing | Leave a comment

On "Contagion": The World Is Ending Because Gwyneth Paltrow Cheated on Her Husband

Posted on January 15, 2012 by williamjcobb

So I finally got around to watching Contagion last night, which I’ve been mildly curious about since there’s a hardcore virus epidemic at the core of the story, and in my new novel there’s a flu epidemic angle as well. … Continue reading →

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A New and Suspiciously Warm Year

Posted on January 9, 2012 by williamjcobb

So after three weeks of offline holiday fun in the snowclad confines of southern Colorado, I’m back in Pennsylvania and noticing what a strange (don’t know about brave) new world it is—one without much of a winter. The excellent website … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, The West, Weird Science | Leave a comment

On Nicholas Carr's "The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains"

Posted on December 14, 2011 by williamjcobb

So in between dressing up stuffed animal rabbits as Rapunzel and noticing that leopard-skin tights, boots, and earmuffs seem to be popular among mallrats, I’m reading Nicholas Carr’s The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains (2010). It’s … Continue reading →

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"The Descendants" & Kardashian Wannabes

Posted on December 14, 2011 by williamjcobb

So like all good (and not-so-good) Americans I ended up at a mall (in St. Louis) today, amused by the Kardashian/Jersey Shore wannabes with their alien-life-form hair and Cleopatra-on-meth eye makeup, getting a Teddy bear made from scratch, which was … Continue reading →

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For Weather Freaks & Geeks: the NOAA El Nino Page

Posted on December 9, 2011 by williamjcobb

So if there’s one positive spinoff outcome of our collective Climate Change fears, it’s a greater understanding and respect for the science behind understanding climate and weather. {All Republican presidential candidates can now leave the room (like they’d be here … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, The West | Leave a comment