Intro to Podcasts: Myths & Legends

Everyone seems to go through a mythology and folklore phase as a kid. Whether you were interested in Greco-Roman, Arthurian, or Egyptian (like me), the Myths & Legends podcast retells all those classic stories in a modern voice. From the misadventures of Loki to tales from Nepalese folklore, this podcast weaves stories for you like Scheherazade herself.

Originally posted 9/15/17 on Latest and Greatest

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Book Rec: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

I've lived my whole life near enough Salem, Massachusetts for an easy weekender, but I've never done so. I mean, it's roughly the same time as my usual monthly trek to see my long-distance paramour, just the opposite direction, and yet, I've never gone. It might be that I'm worried the mystique will wear off; or, just as likely, that the mystique will increase to the point where I'm another silly tourist, dropping dollars left and left on callous reminders of a deeply misogynistic rampage-turned-horror movie twaddle. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane , by Katherine Howe, is an immensely effective way of checking yourself before you wreck yourself when getting into the mythos of Salem. I'll quote the author biography on the back flap for some insight into what this book is really about: "Katherine Howe is completing a PhD in American and New England Studies, and is a descendant of Elizabeth Proctor, who survived the Salem with trials, and ...

Movies to Watch on the Big Screen

I have been meaning to make this post for three months, but I stand by the premise. If at all possible, go watch these three movies on a big screen with a big speaker and some overly-salty junk food. I promise you, it's how they should be watched. Black Panther You thought the three-month comment was a joke, huh? Nope, I've been meaning to write about the awe-inspiring Black Panther movie since I watched it. So much has been written about it now, much of it really beautifully complex, and all of it by people smarter than me, so go read all those thinkpieces about Killmonger and T'Chaka and Wakanda's places in narrative and morality. Gosh, this was a stunning movie: the sumptuousness of the colors and the soundtrack, the compelling characters, the way it navigated through real-world consequences and history without feeling a need to blame or console the characters or the audience for being complicit. A truly masterful work. Tomb Raider I'm a huge fan of the p...

Book Rec: Blackfish City

"Money is a mind, the oldest artificial intelligence. Its prime directives are simple, its programming endlessly creative. Humans obey it unthinkingly, with cheerful alacrity. Like a virus, it doesn't care if it kills its host. It will simply flow on to someone new, to control them as well. City Hall, the collective of artificial intelligences, is a framework of programs constructed around a single, never explicitly stated purpose: to keep Money safe. What would it take to rival something so powerful? What kind of mind would be required to triumph over this monstrosity? What combination of technology and biology, hope and sickness? How can we who have nothing but the immense magnificent tiny powerless spark of our own singular Self harness that energy, magnify it, make it in something that can stand beside these invisible giants, these artificial intelligences, weighty legal words on parchment and the glimmering ones and zeros of code in a processor somewhere? You sco...

And Not to Yield

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