“Brilliant, experienced; ego surplus, sensitivity deficit”
–The Economist (Nov. 27, 2008), on the strengths and weaknesses of Lawrence Summers.

A friendly reminder from Pushkin as the holidays commence...

… tell me,
how are your kith and kin today?
And here my sentiments impel me
for your enlightenment to say
how I interpret this expression:
our kin are folk whom by profession
we have to cherish and admire
with all our hearts, and who require
that in the usual Christmas scrimmage
we visit them, or without fail
send them good wishes through the mail
to ensure that till next time our image
won’t even cross their minds by stealth …
God grant them years and years of health!

–A. Pushkin, Eugene Onegin, trans. Charles Johnston

For those unfamiliar with the current season of The Office, please excuse the inside joke. Those following the current season, however, will understand my elation this morning when, to my surprise, I beheld the following item in my office’s vending machine and concluded that Dwight Schrute had paid us a visit:

For those who do not use Facebook, rejoice; today, the day after election day, has brought out the worst in people. I have been monitoring comments related to last night’s events and have compiled this brief report based on my findings (click the image above to see a larger version).

For those who do not use Facebook, rejoice; today, the day after election day, has brought out the worst in people. I have been monitoring comments related to last night’s events and have compiled this brief report based on my findings (click the image above to see a larger version).

Kantian ethics, redux, again...

…or, Michael Rosen, “Robbing the Grave of Immanuel Kant” (TLS 15 Oct. 2008): a review of Allen W. Wood’s Kantian Ethics. (Next issue of TLS is slated to include an article on Rothko by Julian Bell.)

Played 15 times [Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

A catchy new lo-fi tune from Lambchop (“Slipped Dissolved and Loosed”).

“Don’t Just Do Something, Talk” (LRB 9 Oct. 2008): An otherwise rarely composed Slavoj Žižek reflects on the financial crisis.

Understanding the economic crisis from a variety of points of view: University of Chicago faculty provide their perspectives

(Lifehacker.com’s take on Google’s big news.)

(Lifehacker.com’s take on Google’s big news.)

“The Thinker,” NYTimes Magazine, Sept. 18, 2008.

“The Thinker,” NYTimes Magazine, Sept. 18, 2008.