You know things are lookÂing bleak when comÂeÂdy starts makÂing fodÂder out of depresÂsion themes. Here’s a bit that tells you how to go from office workÂer to homeÂless drifter in sevÂen easy steps. (Video courÂtesy of HowÂcast)
via ValÂleyÂwag
“ComeÂdiÂan, actor and satirist Chris Elliott has made a career of blurÂring truth and absurÂdiÂty. Elliott wrote and perÂformed for Late Night With David LetÂterÂman, and went on to perÂform in othÂer teleÂviÂsion proÂgrams, includÂing SatÂurÂday Night Live.” Here he is in conÂverÂsaÂtion with writer Dave Eggers (A HeartÂbreakÂing Work of StagÂgerÂing Genius). The video is courÂtesy of Fora.TV, and you can watch it here.
In a quick three minÂutes, you can watch the someÂtimes cocky author of The CorÂrecÂtions read from an essay on bird watchÂing, courÂtesy of BigThink.com, where you can also find more videos with intelÂlecÂtuÂal heft.
For more thoughtÂful video, also see our YouTube playlist and the relatÂed colÂlecÂtion: IntelÂliÂgent Life at YouTube: 70 EduÂcaÂtionÂal Video ColÂlecÂtions.
As US stock declines, ChiÂna’s stock keeps going up. It’s the stoÂry of the decade, realÂly. Here’s footage from ChiÂna’s first space walk this past week …
From The DaiÂly Dish:
“Clouds move across the sky on Mars. The sun risÂes. Snow falls — but nevÂer touchÂes the ground.”
I first postÂed this one durÂing the dead of sumÂmer, so it seemed worth revisÂitÂing this now that we’re all a bit more focused .…
Over at the InterÂnet Archive, you can find George Orwell’s clasÂsic, 1984, availÂable as a free audio book. As you’ll see, the recordÂing is proÂfesÂsionÂalÂly done. You can downÂload the full zip file here. Or alterÂnaÂtiveÂly you can get the indiÂvidÂual mp3 files, or stream them, from this page. On a more perÂmaÂnent basis, you can find Orwell’s 1949 work housed in our Free Audio Book ColÂlecÂtion along with lots of othÂer free texts. Or see it on our list of Life ChangÂing Books.
This post is a twofer. First, I get to tell you about FiveChapters.com, a web site that posts new ficÂtion in kind of a novÂel way. Almost a throwÂback to the 19th cenÂtuÂry, FiveChapÂters pubÂlishÂes short ficÂtion in serÂiÂal forÂmat. Each week, they present a stoÂry in five parts, and you can folÂlow along as the week unfolds. Now (and here’s the secÂond part), let me menÂtion that FiveChapÂters showÂcased last week a stoÂry from Scott Hutchins, a good writer and colÂleague of mine. It’s called $30,000. Here it goes.
Thanks to a heads up from one of our loyÂal readÂers (thanks Bob!) you can see a new artisÂtic trend that’s turnÂing books back into trees. Good stuff.
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