Monday Medley

What we read while hiding from North Korea…

• Roger Ebert, the most famous movie critic in the country, died last week at the age of 70. His health troubles over the last few years had been well-documented, but his legacy and impact as a critic will persist for generations. Ebert, of course, was known for his enthusiasm for movies, but he was great to read when he hated a movie as well. He will be missed…

• Shane Carruth, the writer/director/star of Primer, has a new movie coming out.

• A guide to the Infinite Jest references in last week’s episode of Parks & Recreation.

• Matt Taibbi on the future of Too Big To Fail banks. Speaking of banks, what’s the future for Bitcoin?

• Apple’s latest endeavor: a new $5 billion office.

• Wondering what Hitler’s former food taster is up to these days? Then boy do we have a link for you…

Monday Medley

What we read that wasn’t about Michelle Obama’s hair…

• Did Nate Silver get something wrong?

• A veteran of the war in Afghanistan reflects on what he did.

• In defense of the post office.

• In the same week that PBS aired a great special on the lack of major prosecutions in the finance industry, President Obama nominated a new head of the SEC who illustrates the revolving door between regulators and the regulated.

• Some growing evidence of President Obama’s war on whistleblowers, as John Kiriakou was sentenced to more than two years in prison and a former government expert now works at the Apple store.

• Obama’s second inauguration was a significant moment for gay rights, but will his words translate into action?

• On the origin of Siri.

• Vanity Fair profiles the refreshingly candid Jennifer Lawrence.   And Roger Ebert discusses the year’s best documentaries.

• Fruitvale was the big winner at Sundance.

• Still more about the life of Aaron Swartz, his recent funeral, and the prosecutorial persecution that likely contributed to his death.

• Michael Weinreb on Donald Westlake, whose novels serve as the source for the new movie, Parker.

• Child labor and bonded workers help make your Apple products.

• Will the military ever stop growing?

• Slavoj Zizek on Zero Dark Thirty.

• A typical college syllabus.

Monday Medley

What we read while trying to find Ann Romney a job…

• The Trayvon Martin case took another turn last week, as George Zimmerman was arrested and charged with second degree murder. Meanwhile, a teacher in Michigan was fired for teaching the issue. And a little background on “Stand Your Ground” laws.

• Jonathan Franzen bashes the comma-then construction.

• Deadspin’s Drew Magary veers away from sports to detail the premature birth of his child.

• The Department of Justice sued Apple and several e-book publishers for price fixing in violation of federal Antitrust laws: here is a review of some key excerpts from the complaint. Amazon, of course, is thrilled.

• The Atlantic got more headlines with its cover story on Facebook and loneliness — “How Facebook and Twitter Are Saving and/or Wrecking the World” are easily marketable these days — we enjoyed their profile of video game innovator Jonathan Blow a tad more.

• Do drones make it too easy for America to wage war? There are already more wars than most Americans can keep track of…

• How liberals have turned their backs on Bradley Manning.

• Will Wilkinson and Bryan Caplan debate whether political/ideological labels are IQ-draining. Meanwhile, Will Wilkinson is (gradually) changing his career.

• Ashley Judd offers a scathing indictment of the media’s dissection of her face.

• Now that Rick Santorum has dropped out, making Mitt Romney’s nomination all but official, it’s time for the really important question about the 2012 election: Does it even matter?

• Ever want to live in an Ikea? How about a town owned and developed by Ikea?

• Matt Taibbi is no fan of President Obama’s JOBS Act.

• When even “good” schools fail to prepare students for college.

• When people cared about fonts.

• Has the NYPD turned on Commissioner Ray Kelly?

• A real love story…

• These animals aren’t mad, just disappointed.

Monday Medley

What we read while Mega Millions disproved rational choice theory…

• John Calipari won his showdown with Rick Pitino, the ex-Wildcat coach and Calipari’s former mentor. Of course, the Louisville-Kentucky rivalry predates those coaches. Chuck Klosterman, meanwhile, fears what a Kentucky championship could mean for college basketball’s future. John Gasaway ain’t buying it.

• It was a rough week for fans of President Obama’s health care law, as the oral arguments at the Supreme Court did not bode well for the individual mandate, which puts the entire bill in jeopardy. Molly Ball of The Atlantic and Jonathan Chait at New York are already wondering what will happen if the bill gets struck down. Orin Kerr opines on the individual mandate oral argument. Meanwhile, health care keeps getting more and more expensive, with few solutions in sight.

• Speaking of The Atlantic, its Facebook timeline now stretches back into the 19th century.

• Splitsider remembers the greatest April Fools’ Day joke of them all.

• How did the Daily Mail become England’s biggest paper?

• Senator Rand Paul, fresh off blocking more needless drug laws, blocked a bill ramping up sanctions on Iran.

• Who killed last summer’s debt deal?

• Someone speaks up about fraternity hazing at Dartmouth. We’re just glad to see a prominent university other than Duke come under fire for once.

• A Marxist analysis of modern capitalism. And speaking of modern capitalism: An underage prostitution ring, brought to you by Goldman Sachs.

• Is there a separate legal system in America for Muslims? It certainly seems that way sometimes, based on what people pay attention to.

• Kurt Vonnegut’s response to the burning of his books.

• Two interesting looks at copyright law: A story on Apple’s war with Android, and a look at how copyrights kill books.

• Speaking of Android: Is it an Android phone or a condom?

• Tyler Cowen reports on remembering e-books compared to paper books.

Monday Medley

What we read while debating the merits of Spandau Ballet…

• Duke’s loss to Lehigh – the second 2-seed upset on Friday, after none for 11 years – pretty much killed our brackets. But President Obama is sitting pretty. Maybe he used this model for his.

• Though John S criticized Grantland’s The Wire bracket, he was happy for Michael K. Williams and Omar.

• This American Life has retracted one of its most popular stories, about Mike Daisey’s trip to an Apple factory in China. Apparently, Daisey made a lot of it up. So I’m sure Apple’s labor practices are totally fine…

• Greg Smith, a former executive at Goldman Sachs, explained why he left the much-maligned corporation. Will this be the end of vampire squid culture?

• Community is back! Here’s everything you need to know to start watching.

• It was a rough week for the guy from the “Kony 2012″ video. He made a less successful video.

• What ever happened to the cast of Boy Meets World?

• Advice from Jack Kerouac.

Monday Medley

What we read while pondering the benefits of open marriage…

• The Giants are going to the Super Bowl! Get ready to see this play a thousand times (which still isn’t enough).

• Etta James passed away at the age of 73. Though known primarily for her song “At Last”, she released an album last November. She was a prominent figure in the West Coast R&B scene, and if you are wondering what will.i.am or Hayley Williams thought about her, click here.

• So Wednesday’s Internet blackout, which included Wikipedia and a long list of other sites, in protest of the SOPA and PIPA bills was largely successful. Several lawmakers withdrew support and the bills have been put on hold. Nevertheless, Democrats remain committed to some version of the laws, and the MPAA is threatening lawmakers who oppose it, despite the benefits of online piracy. The government did go after Megaupload last week, shutting it down in an uncomfortably draconian manner. There is hardly an anti-copyright/intellectual property trend about it.

• A terrifying story about female infanticide. Though, on the plus side for women, Jay-Z is going to stop saying “bitch” in his songs!

• Andrew Sullivan wrote an impassioned defense of President Obama for The Daily Beast. It’s somewhat compelling, but many liberal critics are quick to point out Sullivan’s omissions, like an atrocious record on civil liberties.

• In other political news, Chuck Todd criticized Stephen Colbert’s Super PAC, while  Molly Ball wondered how serious Colbert is.

• A fascinating account of how Apple makes iPhones, and how it relates to American manufacturing.

• Bill James lists the 100 best pitchers’ duels of 2011.

• Dane Cook had a rough set last week…

• The Onion was catering to Josh’s interests this week, with articles on the Supreme Court and Miranda July.

• NPI-favorite John Mulaney will be doing a Comedy Central special next week and he accordingly gets a Big Profile.

Monday Medley

What we read while–BOO!

• A great World Series concluded Friday night. As usual, the great series caused a lot of debate. Jonah Keri listed the 21 craziest things about Game 5 (only one of which was Bullpengate). That game alone was so fraught that Will Leitch needed an extra day to get over it. Of course, things got better for him in Game 6, with the Cardinals TWICE pulling off shocking comebacks, leading Tim McCarver of all people to come up with the call of the postseason. Plenty of writers tried to put the game into perspective, but perhaps Roger Angell’s scorecard sums it up best. Of course, St. Louis ended up coming out on top, and Keri tried to determine if the Cardinals were the most unlikely champion ever. Meanwhile, Joe Poz called all this back in August…

• Where did the seven-game series come from, anyway?

• In non-World Series news, Aaron Sorkin is writing a Steve Jobs biopic (“You know what’s cooler than an iPod? An iPod Nano!”), but has everyone forgotten his true masterpiece, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip?

• This satire of The Mentalist is funny even if you’ve never seen a second of the show.

• Matt Taibbi continued his coverage of the Occupy Wall Street protests, while also exposing Rick Perry’s ignoble reign in Texas.

• Don’t read this if you enjoy seafood.

 

Monday Medley

What we read while Al Davis told Steve Jobs to “Just win, baby!”…

• Steve Jobs passed away last week at 56. His influence on the world of technology was obviously unmistakable. But perhaps almost as great was his influence on people, including Bill Gates. His career was inspiring, from his introduction of the Mac in 1984, to his ouster from Apple a few years later, to his triumphant return and introduction of the iPod and iTunes. He was the “new archetype for the American businessman.” Not everyone was so laudatory.

• Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders, also died last week. He was 82. A summary of his complex legacy.

• Breaking Bad‘s fourth season ended last night, and Vince Gilligan and cast members like Bryan Cranston, Dean Norris, and Giancarlo Esposito have been doing rounds of interviews to promote the finale.

• In other TV news, Harry Shearer made a plea for the cast of The Simpsons, who quickly folded in exchange for two more seasons of the show. And Dan Harmon of Community was profiled in Wired.

• A Google book review.

• Is Twitter a sustainable business?

• This profile will make you resent Michael Lewis.

Monday Medley

What we read while Irene thankfully didn’t affect the VMAs…

• NPI-favorite Michael Schur teamed up with The Decembrists to make a video based on the NPI-favorite Eschaton scene in NPI-favorite novel Infinite Jest by NPI-favorite writer, David Foster Wallace. NPI really enjoyed it.

• Speaking of DFW, the New York Times Magazine tried to blame him for bad blog writing.

• Steve Jobs resigned from Apple for health reasons. Whether or not you’re an official member of the cult of Jobs, there’s no denying his profound influence. This Rolling Stone interview, given during his decade-long exile from Apple, shows his intelligence and prescience. Apple, of course, is still in good hands, and new CEO Tim Cook has some great ideas…

• Miranda July has a new movie out, The Future,  which garnered a very positive review from Roger Ebert, who ranked July’s first film, Me and You and Everyone We Know, as one of the best of the Aughts. New York Times Magazine had a feature on July last month.

• The New Yorker details the politics and impact of Clarence Thomas and his wife. Reason Magazine points out Jeffrey Toobin’s inconsistent position on Thomas’s influence on the Court.

• Jeffrey Sachs discusses the dishonest debate about America’s deficit.

• Is the Colbert Super PAC funny or serious? Or both?

• Joe Posnanski talks about pitchers and the MVP award, Jonah Keri tries to figure out how the Angels keep winning, and Joe DeLessio tries to figure out if Jeff Nelson ever effectively used “the old Jeff Nelson.”

• An interview with Paul Rudd.

• Inspirational posters from The Wire.

iPad Inevitability

I will not be getting an iPad. For one, I can’t afford one. But even if I could, I don’t really see the value of it. It’s too big to carry around comfortably, and most of its functions seem like they can be performed by other tools. It functions as an e-reader, but the Kindle and other devices supposedly have better screens for reading. You can play music on it, but it’s much bigger and more cumbersome than an iPod, and you can’t share libraries on the same network like you can with a laptop. You can do things like type and watch videos on this, but not as well as you can do them on a laptop or an actual TV, and the iPad makes them only marginally more convenient.

Can I see the value of being able to watch Parks & Recreation on the subway? I guess, but I’d probably rather just wait until I get home. Basically, I can’t see the iPad allowing me to perform any function I currently crave.

But here’s the thing: I know that, eventually, I’m going to get one.