In which a group of graying eternal amateurs discuss their passions, interests and obsessions, among them: movies, art, politics, evolutionary biology, taxes, writing, computers, these kids these days, and lousy educations.

E-Mail Donald
Demographer, recovering sociologist, and arts buff

E-Mail Fenster
College administrator and arts buff

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Architectural historian and arts buff

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Entrepreneur and arts buff
E-Mail Michael
Media flunky and arts buff


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  1. Coming of Age
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  10. Art Deco


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Our Last 50 Referrers







Wednesday, April 30, 2003


Coming of Age
Michael: The other night the wife and I saw “Raising Victor Vargas” a film written and directed by Peter Sollett.... posted by Friedrich at April 30, 2003 | perma-link | (13) comments





Tuesday, April 29, 2003


Hate and Minorities
Michael: I recently read a paper entitled the “Political Economy of Hatred” (which you can read here). The author, Edward... posted by Friedrich at April 29, 2003 | perma-link | (9) comments




Link-o-rama
Friedrich -- I just finished Roger Scruton's new book The West and the Rest (here). I enjoyed it, and got... posted by Michael at April 29, 2003 | perma-link | (4) comments





Saturday, April 26, 2003


Digi-Cinema Developments
Friedrich -- More bulletins on the state of the digi-cinema from someone who doesn't really know anything, and who wastes... posted by Michael at April 26, 2003 | perma-link | (22) comments




Hot New Buildings
Friedrich -- What the heck, why not a change of pace? Here's news from the establishment (ie., avant-garde/big-media/prizewinning) architecture world... posted by Michael at April 26, 2003 | perma-link | (8) comments





Friday, April 25, 2003


Architecture and Sex
Michael: Thanks for putting me onto Hugh Ferriss, the great architectural draftsman and illustrator. (Well, I guess I should say... posted by Friedrich at April 25, 2003 | perma-link | (8) comments





Thursday, April 24, 2003


I don't know why I worry
Friedrich -- You're no doubt tired of hearing me complain about how the poohbahs of the architecture world refuse to... posted by Michael at April 24, 2003 | perma-link | (5) comments




Tacit Knowledge -- 30
Friedrich -- Much as you do, I enjoy taking note of the rules of thumb people in entertainment, the media... posted by Michael at April 24, 2003 | perma-link | (12) comments




Pic of the Day
Michael: Your posting on Art Deco led me, by some mental alchemy, to remember the architectural drawings of Antonio Sant’Elia.... posted by Friedrich at April 24, 2003 | perma-link | (4) comments





Wednesday, April 23, 2003


Art Deco
Friedrich -- So I notice that there's a big Art Deco show at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London,... posted by Michael at April 23, 2003 | perma-link | (11) comments




One of My Rave Faves
Michael: The New York Times of April 23 has a special section entitled “Museums.” Since museums are some of my... posted by Friedrich at April 23, 2003 | perma-link | (8) comments





Tuesday, April 22, 2003


Computer Games and Me Redux
Michael: Given your interest in—and frustration with—video games, perhaps a new direct-to-disc film, “Scourge of Worlds” will intrigue you. It’s... posted by Friedrich at April 22, 2003 | perma-link | (6) comments




Link-o-rama
Friedrich -- Will Duquette writes about how a math/econ/techie guy like himself also keeps up a major interest in reading... posted by Michael at April 22, 2003 | perma-link | (1) comments




Computer Games and Me
Friedrich -- Despite age, fatigue, and ever-increasing self-absorption, I still make the occasional effort to get in touch with the... posted by Michael at April 22, 2003 | perma-link | (18) comments





Monday, April 21, 2003


Women and Men, Chapter 7,623,088
Friedrich -- Do you have any luck getting your wife to talk about ideas, art and politics? I pretty much... posted by Michael at April 21, 2003 | perma-link | (11) comments




Policy Break--Traffic Congestion Charges
Michael: I don’t know about you, but I’ve been following the news of London’s initiative to reduce traffic in the... posted by Friedrich at April 21, 2003 | perma-link | (7) comments





Saturday, April 19, 2003


Web Surfing
Friedrich -- William Shawcross is best known for his book "Sideshow," in which he made the case that Nixon and... posted by Michael at April 19, 2003 | perma-link | (2) comments




Free Reads -- "Theory" in crisis
Friedrich -- Good news from Emily Eakins in today's New York Times: the literary "theory" biz is in crisis. (You... posted by Michael at April 19, 2003 | perma-link | (2) comments





Friday, April 18, 2003


What I Owe to Peter Paul Rubens
Michael: Art of whatever stripe (paintings, music, movies, etc., etc.) can and often does infuriate, frustrate, bore and generally make... posted by Friedrich at April 18, 2003 | perma-link | (8) comments




James Spader
Friedrich -- Showing each other they care The Wife and I just caught up with Secretary, which you semi-recommended some... posted by Michael at April 18, 2003 | perma-link | (13) comments





Thursday, April 17, 2003


Depressing Realities of Affirmative Action
Michael: I just got done going over “Myths and Realities About Affirmative Action” by Stuart Taylor Jr. on The Atlantic... posted by Friedrich at April 17, 2003 | perma-link | (17) comments




Comedy for the Ages
Michael: Thanks for the link to Dave Barry’s column on taxes (which you can see here.) After reading Mr. Barry’s... posted by Friedrich at April 17, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments





Wednesday, April 16, 2003


Econ for Morons
Friedrich -- A young 2Blowhards visitor recently took note of a posting some months ago in which I made the... posted by Michael at April 16, 2003 | perma-link | (19) comments




Culture and Scale-Free Networks
Michael: In the May issue of Scientific American, there is an article by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi and Eric Bonabeau on “Scale-Free... posted by Friedrich at April 16, 2003 | perma-link | (6) comments




Idolatry Redux
Michael: I know you’ll be glad to hear that the “mainstream” press is slowly but surely following the lead of... posted by Friedrich at April 16, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments





Tuesday, April 15, 2003


History Lecture Series Recommendations
Friedrich It's a bizarrely stuffy 80 degrees here in NYC. After a week of chill and damp, people look shellshocked... posted by Michael at April 15, 2003 | perma-link | (11) comments




The Internet and Social Memory
Michael: Thanks for sending me the link to the page on Rebecca Alzofon's website dedicated to Pierre-Paul Prud’hon and his... posted by Friedrich at April 15, 2003 | perma-link | (2) comments




The Ever Increasing Prosperity of the Public Sector
Michael: Today, of course, is tax day. Every year we got through the rigamarole of filing taxes, and the very... posted by Friedrich at April 15, 2003 | perma-link | (2) comments




Web Surfing
Friedrich -- I remember liking the hotwired early books of Richard Price -- "The Wanderers," "Ladies' Man," etc. But, though... posted by Michael at April 15, 2003 | perma-link | (2) comments




Tax Time
2Blowhards regrets to announce that tax season has proved so traumatic this year that we have been temporarily unable to... posted by Friedrich at April 15, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments





Friday, April 11, 2003


Art and Religion in the Dia Generation
Michael: Did you see the story in the New York Times Magazine of April 6 on “The Dia Generation”? (You... posted by Friedrich at April 11, 2003 | perma-link | (7) comments




Michael Polanyi
Friedrich -- Thinking about the "tacit dimension" Do you still read much philosophy? I do, though in spasms. But I've... posted by Michael at April 11, 2003 | perma-link | (4) comments





Thursday, April 10, 2003


Web Surfing
Friedrich -- A quick tribute to the courageous and entertaining Steve Sailer (here), who I don't link to often enough... posted by Michael at April 10, 2003 | perma-link | (20) comments




Free Reads -- Horowitz at the Ville
Friedrich -- Are you a fan of lefty-turned-righty David Horowitz? Sometimes I'm appreciative, sometimes I'm not. He's carried a slobby,... posted by Michael at April 10, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments




American Public School Education and Its Discontents
Michael: Thanks again for putting me on to a posting by Jane Galt on education. She argues that the major... posted by Friedrich at April 10, 2003 | perma-link | (7) comments





Wednesday, April 9, 2003


A Nagging Question
Michael: My little boy is at an age (he’s pushing two) where an extra foot or so in height opens... posted by Friedrich at April 9, 2003 | perma-link | (19) comments





Monday, April 7, 2003


Whence the Publishing Consensus?
Friedrich -- One of the odder phenomena that leaped out at me back in the days when I followed publishing... posted by Michael at April 7, 2003 | perma-link | (28) comments




Shameful Movie Pleasures
Friedrich -- It took a little coaxing -- OK, it took a lot of arm-twisting -- but a number of... posted by Michael at April 7, 2003 | perma-link | (18) comments




Battle of the Metaphors
Michael: In another 2blowhards investigative reporting coup, I’ve gotten my hands on some top-secret L.A. City Government emails about Frank... posted by Friedrich at April 7, 2003 | perma-link | (6) comments




Webporn
Friedrich -- A few musings after a short spell of porn surfing. I'm struck less by the quantity of porn... posted by Michael at April 7, 2003 | perma-link | (22) comments




Pix for the Day -- Robert A.M. Stern
Friedrich -- I'm often puzzled by the architectural press. Why aren't they giving regular coverage not just to the thinking... posted by Michael at April 7, 2003 | perma-link | (13) comments





Sunday, April 6, 2003


Lynn Sislo, blogging again
Friedrich -- After too long a wrestle with Movable Type -- blogging's easy? hah! -- Lynn Sislo finally has Reflections... posted by Michael at April 6, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments




Philosoblog, R.I.P.
Friedrich -- I hadn't surfed by Jim Ryan's Philosoblog (here)in a couple of days. When I did stop by this... posted by Michael at April 6, 2003 | perma-link | (1) comments





Saturday, April 5, 2003


Proving Jesse Right
Michael: Jesse Helms once remarked, "Sooner or later, you can always trust a Communist to act like a Communist." As... posted by Friedrich at April 5, 2003 | perma-link | (32) comments




Movie List -- I Liked, They Didn't
Friedrich -- One movie critic I know dislikes lists -- best-of or otherwise. Why? I'm not really sure. I suspect,... posted by Michael at April 5, 2003 | perma-link | (54) comments





Friday, April 4, 2003


Signs of Intelligent Life
Michael: One of our correspondents forwards some remarks made by Spike Lee at DePauw University on the state of the... posted by Friedrich at April 4, 2003 | perma-link | (6) comments





Thursday, April 3, 2003


Web Surfing
Friedrich -- 2Blowhards visitors will want to check out  Tim Hulsey's new blog, My Stupid Dog, here. Tim (self-described as... posted by Michael at April 3, 2003 | perma-link | (5) comments




Another Posting I'll Never Get Around to Writing
Friedrich -- A posting I've been planning to write for so long that I've finally become certain I never will... posted by Michael at April 3, 2003 | perma-link | (16) comments




Growing Pains
Michael: My son, who is pushing two, has been a slow “talker.” While he seems to understand a very wide... posted by Friedrich at April 3, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments




New and Improved
Michael: Just thought I'd drop you a note that I've added a lot of pix to my posting on Lucian... posted by Friedrich at April 3, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments




Kaurismaki and Noe with Aaron Haspel
Friedrich -- Made it to a couple of art movies the other day in the company of the God of... posted by Michael at April 3, 2003 | perma-link | (4) comments





Wednesday, April 2, 2003


Free Reads -- Stanley Rothman on Affirmative Action
Friedrich -- I'm a few days late getting to this, as I often am, but even so: did you run... posted by Michael at April 2, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments





Tuesday, April 1, 2003


Another "Intellectual"
Michael: I’ve managed, over the years, to avoid learning much about Noam Chomsky, except that he was a linguistics professor... posted by Friedrich at April 1, 2003 | perma-link | (40) comments




Salingaros on Deconstruction
Friedrich -- If you’ve got a little curiosity about contempo architecture and you take a peek at its coverage in... posted by Michael at April 1, 2003 | perma-link | (10) comments