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March152010

The Wavy Rule, a Daily Comic by Pollux: Daylight Saving Time

Filed under: The Wavy Rule   Tagged: , , ,

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March132010

R.I.P. John Kane, New Yorker Cartoonist, Ukulele Player, Mensch

Filed under: In Memoriam   Tagged: ,

Emily Gordon writes:

I was very sorry to hear from illustrator and cartoonist Derek Van Gieson that John Kane passed away a few days ago. John, a New Yorker cartoonist, was also a dedicated musician and devotee of that small instrument with a big heart, the ukulele. He sent me many ukulele links and had a YouTube channel dedicated to them; I'll find it to link to, but right now, the thought makes me too sad.

Here's Derek writing eloquently on what made John so special.
John may have been getting up there in age by the time I caught up with him, but he was more animated and on the ball than any twelve youngsters combined. He was always going out to exhibitions, learning about some new technology, or improving himself via activities like judo. One of his most recent passions was taking up the uke. He had five models last time I remember. He'd watch Youtube clips and learn from the masters. I know he drove Sam and Sid nuts with all of his uke talk as there was usually something happening in that realm that he was very enthusiastic about. After lunch we'd walk down to the subway and talk music shop or just shop about guitars. He always had a unique theory he was thinking about or a new way of experiencing something that he'd often share. More often than not, I'd come home from The New Yorker luncheons, thinking I was one of the luckiest bastards in the world to be in the court of these fascinating gentlemen. Eventually our friendship became quite solid and if I didn't make it one tuesday for lunch, either John or Sid would get ahold of me to ask me what the hell happened. I can't really express how much that meant to me.
But read the whole post. It really captures the person John was, and the person we will all miss whether we were friends, acquaintances (like me), or fans of John's dynamic, lovable, slightly unhinged cartoons. (continued)

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March122010

Emdashes: The Panel! At SXSW Tomorrow Morning. Be There!

Filed under: On the Spot   Tagged: , , , , , ,

Start your day right with the panel I'm moderating! It's called "Why Keep Blogging? Real Answers for Smart Tweeple." Sorry about the usage of "tweeple"; it was entirely mobilized to tempt South By Southwest-type people, and that it has done. We're very excited to share our blogging experiences and argument for the vitality, warmth, and future of blogs with what one of our panelists, Scott Rosenberg, calls "Geekstock." I've never seen so many iPhones and Threadless tees in one place! I've spent the day sampling panels with Josh Fruhlinger, who's also on the panel and who keeps getting recognized by his "Apartment 3-G"-mad fans.

Emdashes will be represented--along with The Comics Curmudgeon (Fruhlinger), The Old Hag, Jezebel, Politics Daily (Lizzie Skurnick), Loud Poet (Guy Gonzalez), and Wordyard (Rosenberg). We'll talk about books, too, because Skurnick has published two--including Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading (which I have read more than twice, since I've read both the book and, several times each, the Jezebel posts that started it all)--and Scott Rosenberg has published the brilliantly titled and equally brilliantly written Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It's Becoming, and Why It Matters.

Here's the description. Please join us; it's going to be a rollicking powwow, and full of enthusiasm and energy--a good mood to be in for the rest of the day. See you there and come introduce yourself! If you're not already following Emdashes on Twitter, we are, of course, @Emdashes.

Why Keep Blogging? Real Answers for Smart Tweeple

Now that we think in 140-character strings and live through Facebook, it's tempting to throw out the blog baby with the bathwater. These seasoned bloggers explain the vitality of this still-revolutionary medium--the resources, community, continuity, and space for real ideas that only blogs can provide--and its infinite future potential.

--Emily Gordon (continued)

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March122010

The Wavy Rule, a Daily Comic by Pollux: Winds of March

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March122010

Loosening Up With Alex Ross

Filed under: Little Words   Tagged:

Jonathan Taylor writes:

At the site of Britain's Royal Philharmonic Society, you can read Alex Ross's March 8 lecture, "Hold Your Applause: Inventing and Reinventing the Classical Concert."

At the New Yorker site, you can read Ross's 2008 piece on the subject, "Why So Serious?". (continued)

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March112010

Winging It: What Species is Tilley's Butterfly?

Filed under: Letters & Challenges   Tagged: , , , , , ,

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Pollux writes:

What species is Eustace Tilley's butterfly?

Back in May 2009 I posited the suggestion that Tilley's nameless butterfly, which to me symbolizes creative inspiration, is a
Clouded Sulphur, whose scientific name is Colias philodice. The Clouded Sulphur's range includes New York. Is it possible Rea Irvin had a specific butterfly in mind? (continued)

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March112010

Cherished and Cursed: Louis Menand and Stephen J. Whitfield Discuss Salinger's Catcher in the Rye

Filed under: Looked Into   Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Pollux writes:

"But how so transparently charming a novel can also exercise a peculiar allure and even emit disturbing danger signals may serve as an entrée into post-war American culture..." So writes Stephen J. Whitfield on his landmark commentary on Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye.

Stephen J. Whitfield's article for the December 1997 issue of the The New England Quarterly, called "Cherished and Cursed: Toward a Social History of The Catcher in the Rye," is considered one of the Journal's most popular articles.

And, in light of Salinger's recent passing, Louis Menand will be interviewing Whitfield in a new podcast.

Read Whitfield's fascinating article, listen to the podcast, and join the discussion today! (continued)

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March112010

The Wavy Rule, a Daily Comic by Pollux: Punch and Judy and Neytiri

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March102010

The Wavy Rule, a Daily Comic by Pollux: Caveat Emptor

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March102010

Beat That: James Wood Investigates David Foster Wallace at the 92nd St. Y

Filed under: On the Spot   Tagged: , , , ,

Martin Schneider writes:

There is a fantastic event coming up at the 92nd Street Y this month—New Yorker literary critic James Wood does a "First Read" of David Foster Wallace's adventurous, uneven, maddening, delightful, never-boring short story collection Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. The event is on Monday, March 22, at 8:15pm, and has a hipster-friendly pricing policy: $19 admission, but only $10 for those 35 and younger (ID will be checked, people, so no funny business).

I had the great pleasure of seeing Wood speak at the 2008 New Yorker Festival, and his intelligence, gentleness, and patience were extraordinary. As a longtime fan of Wallace, I'm genuinely excited to hear what (continued)

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See me speak at SXSW 2010 (http://sxsw.com)
2008 Webby Awards Official Honoree
2009 New Yorker Desk Diaries
Inkleaf Studio illustration