Digital vs. analog Nancy
In today’s Nancy, children debate the advantages of reading in pixels and print. Highly inventive stuff from Olivia Jaimes.
Orange Crate Art
Today’s Saturday Stumper
“Whispery direction.”
Intellectual prostration
Deborah Birx prostrates herself.
Feelings and beliefs
The Delphic orifice speaks.
A National Emergency Library
The Internet Archive has suspended waitlists for all books in its collection to create a National Emergency Library.
“Pretty smart”
Willard the Wizard of Wanless’s World of Wonders tells “his great joke.”
Pitching Ghostwriter
“Ghostwriter rewards the patient, the loyal, the attentive. If that means some fans will reach adulthood without ever learning who Max Mouse is, so be it.”
“Dear Mrs. Mermet”
Excerpts from Robert Walser’s letters. Starts weird, gets weirder fast.
Canned fish
The New York Times looks at sardines and tuna. Mainly at tuna. But the sardines are in there pitching.
Blackwings on parade
At Blackwing Pages, Sean has invited pencil fans to share photographs of their Eberhard Faber Blackwing collections.
Inventory
We were willing to pay for the convenience of shopping in a nearly empty store. And we tipped our cashier and bagger mightily. I suspect that many people are doing so.
Adults? Anyone?
The adults in the room must step forward — or, if necessary, leave the room — and tell the truth, plainly and clearly. There’s too much at stake.
Rachel and Elaine shining
Rachel, via Elaine’s tweeting, now rules a portion of the Internets.
“Big sales”
From Robertson Davies’s World of Wonders.
“The Zone”
Filling a fountain pen, riding a train, saying “Parcheesi,” and smelling a kneaded eraser.
“Believe in the pencil”
The Tampa Bay Times reports on the importance of the pencil in orchestral music.
“Opening up”
Donald Trump* just acknowledged that medical experts do not agree with his idea of “opening up” the country just weeks from now. The mind blanks at the glare, as Philip Larkin wrote.
“But still — a travelling showman”
From Robertson Davies’s The Manticore.
Teaching in a pandemic
“As you know, there’s a pandemic,” I said. One student raised his hand: he wanted to show everyone a photograph of an ornately designed violin, with lines carved or burned into the wood.
Swabs, stocks, and stupidity
Three observations from Donald Trump*’s afternoon propaganda show.
More on getting books
Buying and borrowing in a pandemic.
Live-streaming music
From NPR: a list of live-streaming performances to watch at home.
“Ceci n’est pas un président”
Hat, valise, eye, president: today’s Zippy offers variations on a theme by René Magritte.
As if 9 were 15
If six days have already gone by, why does Mike Pence continue to say “fifteen days to slow the spread” and not “we now have only nine days”? Instead of urgency, we get a special blend of stupidity and dishonesty.
Mr. Businessmen
It’s surprising but not surprising to hear a president of the United States in 2020 refer to “businessmen,” and not, say, business owners.
Danny Ray Thompson (1947–2020)
Baritone saxophonist and flutist with the Sun Ra Arkestra.
Today’s Saturday Stumper
“$2000 appliance, circa 1983.”
Old squares
In The Atlantic, Natan Last, crossword constructor, writes about “The Hidden Bigotry of Crosswords.”
Poor Dr. Fauci
Now with music.
Support your local or not-so-local independent bookstore
Three Lives & Co. and other bookstores.