The Grifters – Jim Thompson
Thompson understands tragedy. He understands that sometimes entertainment should hurt, should annoy. That truth, for a cynical world, lies in cruelty rather than the easy fix of happy ever after. Why is happy ever af[…]

I was watching the Eurosport coverage of Roma-Juventus tonight. It was a magnificent game, with Emerson and Cassano really terrific for Roma, who won 4-9. You’ll be less than astonished that when things went wrong, Montero got himself sent off.[…]

Taste the Kettle Difference: in point of fact extensive tests appear to prove that the “Kettle Difference” wd be better termed the “Kettle Same” – some of which may relate back to these important results, of course. Anyw[…]

Passing Through: this week’s new Freaky Trigger article is by Jerry The Nipper – a piece on heartbreak, making sense of it, and Baxendale. If you don’t like Baxendale then you should read it anyway – I don’t enjoy Baxend[…]

Very Mild Peril: an entire blog devoted to discussion of the ratings/guidelines you get on videos![…]

Talent In A Previous Life: bubbly pop-blog in a sort of Popjustice/Enthusiastic But Mediocre mould – I like its weekly TOTP review, particularly as I never see that show anymore.[…]

The Guggenheim Museum of Contemporary Art, Bilbao, Spain
In 1997 a strange thing happened to the Basque city of Bilbao. Amid the industrial gloom of its docks, an apparition was reported. The man behind the apparition was Frank Gehry, a Canadian with[…]

Do Not Pass Go: very interesting Guardian article from a while ago about the ‘solvability’ of various boardgames by AI and the tension between human champions and computer opponents. (So interesting in fact that I think I’ve blogged[…]

After a miserable morning of standardized exam-taking in Brookline, Massachusetts, I happened upon a combination Russian grocery store and cafe. The cafe, on the second floor, is a giant space, with bare white walls, a massive skylight, and white-fin[…]

Old punks, beware, eh? Apparently, not even John Lydon going walkies is enough to halt the roll of the reality-media machine. Don’t say that he’s getting responsible in his old age? I can’t help wondering if he truly got into a ta[…]