Thursday, July 31, 2003


Free Reads -- Toni Bentley
Friedrich -- Ah, the ballerina Toni Bentley! Sexy, passionate, brilliant -- and I've never seen her dance. I'm a huge... posted by Michael at July 31, 2003 | perma-link | (6) comments

Puzzle for the Day
Friedrich -- I was reading Ni Vu Ni Connu (here), the blog of a Montreal freelancer named Martine -- tres... posted by Michael at July 31, 2003 | perma-link | (12) comments

Wednesday, July 30, 2003


Bad Boys 2 With Aaron
Friedrich -- Guys' night out last night with Aaron Haspel, the God of the Machine himself (here). What better way... posted by Michael at July 30, 2003 | perma-link | (7) comments

Elsewhere
Friedrich -- * I just noticed that all-around visual guy and occasional 2Blowhards commenter John Leavitt (a guest posting by... posted by Michael at July 30, 2003 | perma-link | (7) comments

Jeremy Shearmur on Sale
Friedrich -- Another good Teaching Company lecture series has gone on sale, Jeremy Shearmur's Ideas in Politics. I enjoyed the... posted by Michael at July 30, 2003 | perma-link | (1) comments

Free Reads -- Felicity on Music
Friedrich -- One of the best blog postings I've read in a long time: an amazing piece by Felicity McCarthy... posted by Michael at July 30, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Tuesday, July 29, 2003


The Upside of the Downturn
Friedrich -- Assuming that we're still living in the wake of the dot-com crash, and making all necessary noises about... posted by Michael at July 29, 2003 | perma-link | (18) comments

Free Reads -- Chris Bertram on Stewart Brand
Friedrich -- An excellent posting by Chis Bertram at Crooked Timber about Stewart Brand's essential book How Buildings Learn, here.... posted by Michael at July 29, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Ten Things I Like About Being A Parent
Michael: I’ve decided to (in my own small way) to imitate Charley B and do ten posts about things I... posted by Friedrich at July 29, 2003 | perma-link | (4) comments

Monday, July 28, 2003


Bad Boy Film Viewing
Friedrich -- Is your film-viewing bad-boy still alive? Your inner Tarantino, the drunk-on-amoral-sensations moviegoer who wants crazy-edgy-daring-nutty filmgoing experiences --... posted by Michael at July 28, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

Free Reads -- Free Markets Good for Health?
Friedrich -- Free marketers, rejoice. Dr. Raj Persaud reports in The Scotsman (here) on research showing that people who yearn... posted by Michael at July 28, 2003 | perma-link | (2) comments

Sunday, July 27, 2003


Grumbling about Econ -- Frank Knight
Friedrich -- Part of the fun of following economics, it seems to me, is trying to figure out your beefs... posted by Michael at July 27, 2003 | perma-link | (7) comments

Grafitti and The Moving Finger
Michael: As a good Libertarian leaning right winger I am a strong defender of property rights, so I’m a bit... posted by Friedrich at July 27, 2003 | perma-link | (6) comments

Friday, July 25, 2003


Yet More Elsewhere
Friedrich -- Good god, but I'm in a happy, link-y mood this week. And why fight it, eh? * Virginia... posted by Michael at July 25, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

"Envy," Immortality and Genes
Michael: Have you heard of an essay titled “Envy” that’s causing some buzz in the literary world? Appearing in the... posted by Friedrich at July 25, 2003 | perma-link | (5) comments

More Elsewhere
Friedrich -- * Tyler Green at Modern Art Notes (here) points out that the first-rate (and largely jargon-free) British art... posted by Michael at July 25, 2003 | perma-link | (1) comments

DVD Review -- Adaptation
Friedrich -- Am I the only person in the world not dazzled by the two Charlie Kaufman/Spike Jonze collaborations, "Being... posted by Michael at July 25, 2003 | perma-link | (17) comments

Thursday, July 24, 2003


Good News
Friedrich -- * I don't spend a lot of time surfing the (yawn) political blogs simply because I find (yawn)... posted by Michael at July 24, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Brian on Arts Subsidies
Friedrich -- One of the innumerable postings I haven't yet been able to pull myself together to write is on... posted by Michael at July 24, 2003 | perma-link | (8) comments

Charlie B Part 4
Friedrich -- Ain't it always the way? The moment I pull my sorry self together and put up links to... posted by Michael at July 24, 2003 | perma-link | (9) comments

Always Drive the Speed Limit
Michael: There is something you should know before you get in a car with me. I have been officially designated... posted by Friedrich at July 24, 2003 | perma-link | (6) comments

Free Reads -- Harold Bloom
Friedrich -- Harold Bloom: the Last Good Critic, or a tiresome old gasbag? Jennie Rothenberg interviews him for The Atlantic... posted by Michael at July 24, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

Free Reads -- Phillip De Vous on Portland
Friedrich -- Oh, it's a conundrum, isn't it? I mean, here I am, all in favor of strong property rights... posted by Michael at July 24, 2003 | perma-link | (6) comments

Wednesday, July 23, 2003


Free Reads -- Alexander Zaitchik on Romance Writers
Friedrich -- One of the many cuckoo notions college lit studies left me with was that the people who write... posted by Michael at July 23, 2003 | perma-link | (13) comments

Free Reads -- City Journal
Friedrich -- Hard to believe, but City Journal, one of the very best magazines anywhere, puts all its content up... posted by Michael at July 23, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Tuesday, July 22, 2003


Elsewhere
Friedrich -- * Steve Sailer is best-known for his brainy essays about race and genetics (here's a good recent example),... posted by Michael at July 22, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

East Meets West
Michael: Ever since you quoted from Alistair Shearer's The Hindu Vision: Forms of the Formless (in your posting Hindu Art... posted by Friedrich at July 22, 2003 | perma-link | (2) comments

Cars or People?
Friedrich -- For whose benefit are suburbs built -- people? Or their cars? Lisa Rein and Robin Shulman report in... posted by Michael at July 22, 2003 | perma-link | (4) comments

Monday, July 21, 2003


"The Housekeeper"
Friedrich -- I wasn't expecting much of The Housekeeper, the new Claude Berri movie about a middle-aged, recently-dumped man and... posted by Michael at July 21, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

Sunday, July 20, 2003


Why Entrepreneurs Make For More Inspiring Reading
Michael: Thanks for the link in your posting, The Contempo Trade Book-Publishing Biz, an Intro to The NY Times Magazine's... posted by Friedrich at July 20, 2003 | perma-link | (1) comments

Saturday, July 19, 2003


The Contempo Trade Book-Publishing Biz, an Intro
Friedrich -- I don't know of a better snapshot of the contempo NYC-centric trade book publishing world than Lynn Hirshberg's... posted by Michael at July 19, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

Guy Who Inspired "Six Degrees" Dies
Friedrich -- Did you ever see John Guare's "Six Degrees of Separation," either as a play or a movie? It... posted by Michael at July 19, 2003 | perma-link | (2) comments

Bestseller Lists
Friedrich -- Have you ever given bestseller lists much thought? I certainly never would have, had I not followed the... posted by Michael at July 19, 2003 | perma-link | (19) comments

Friday, July 18, 2003


Paul Johnson on art
Friedrich -- I know you're as much of a fan of the British historian Paul Johnson as I am. What... posted by Michael at July 18, 2003 | perma-link | (1) comments

Francois Ozon Redux
Friedrich -- Inspired by his movie Swimming Pool (my brilliant, amazing, etc. posting about it is here), I treated myself... posted by Michael at July 18, 2003 | perma-link | (4) comments

Public Choice
Michael: At various times you’ve discussed how learning more economics has let you see larger and more meaningful patterns in... posted by Friedrich at July 18, 2003 | perma-link | (22) comments

Thursday, July 17, 2003


An Actress Connects with her Inner Power
Friedrich -- Here. Best, Michael... posted by Michael at July 17, 2003 | perma-link | (2) comments

Free Reads -- Jamie Diamond visits Michael Bay
Friedrich -- I first met the type a hundred years ago when I spent a little time in L.A.: pop-culture... posted by Michael at July 17, 2003 | perma-link | (10) comments

Wednesday, July 16, 2003


Tacit Knowledge -- Horror Movies
Friedrich -- Do you go for horror movies? I almost never do, unless they've got some other angle -- unless... posted by Michael at July 16, 2003 | perma-link | (13) comments

Free Reads -- David Weddle on Film Theory
Friedrich -- Have you bothered following the development of academic film theory since we left our movie-besotted college years behind?... posted by Michael at July 16, 2003 | perma-link | (13) comments

Back from the Dead
Apologies to anyone who tried to leave a comment on our blog over the last 12 hours or so. Our... posted by Michael at July 16, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Tuesday, July 15, 2003


The Music Business and Its Gatekeepers
Michael: I read an interesting article on the music industry in The New Yorker of July 7 . Titled “The... posted by Friedrich at July 15, 2003 | perma-link | (7) comments

Paris, City of Romance?
Friedrich -- Maria Farrell over at Crooked Timber thinks not, here. Best, Michael... posted by Michael at July 15, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

18 and Over Only, Please
Friedrich -- Ero-blogging bliss, here. Who knew Portuguese could be such a sexy-looking language? Maybe life in Brazil actually is... posted by Michael at July 15, 2003 | perma-link | (1) comments

Evan Kirchhoff's Honda
Friedrich -- What was stolen is now found, and only two blocks away. Evan Kirchhoff's postings about the disappearance and... posted by Michael at July 15, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

Booze and the Writing Life
Michael: I was leafing through the August issue of Vanity Fair, when I stumbled across “The Road to Samarra.” This... posted by Friedrich at July 15, 2003 | perma-link | (13) comments

I Am a Glowing Ball of Pure White Spirit
Friedrich -- I'm just back from another Bikram yoga session, and I do feel like a glowing ball of pure... posted by Michael at July 15, 2003 | perma-link | (10) comments

Monday, July 14, 2003


Sex and Lucia
Friedrich -- I noticed at the video parlor that the Spanish movie Sex and Lucia is now available on DVD.... posted by Michael at July 14, 2003 | perma-link | (12) comments

Terry Teachout Now
Friedrich -- A few postings ago I was feeling mighty pleased with myself for being the first blogger (I thought,... posted by Michael at July 14, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

What I Did on my Summer Vacation
Michael: As you know, sometimes it takes a while to get your film developed and show people what you did... posted by Friedrich at July 14, 2003 | perma-link | (13) comments

Saturday, July 12, 2003


Hindu Art
Friedrich -- Ommmmmmmmm I've stumbled across an excellent book on Indian art, Alistair Shearer's The Hindu Vision: Forms of the... posted by Michael at July 12, 2003 | perma-link | (11) comments

Lecture Series on Sale
Friedrich -- A few of the Teaching Company's best lecture series have just been put on sale. * Two econ... posted by Michael at July 12, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Free Reads -- Emily Eakin on Christopher Alexander
Friedrich -- Dept. of Wonders Never Cease: The New York Times, showing a little respect (if grudging) for Christopher Alexander... posted by Michael at July 12, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

Saturn Devouring My Children
Michael: Speaking of epochal cultural shifts, does anybody other than me remember back in the 1990s that Generation Y types... posted by Friedrich at July 12, 2003 | perma-link | (8) comments

Friday, July 11, 2003


Free Reads -- Virginia Postrel on Panty Lighting
Friedrich -- Legislators in Texas hoping to conserve energy have passed a law that more or less mandates flourescent bulbs... posted by Michael at July 11, 2003 | perma-link | (10) comments

Free Reads -- The Man Who Made the Interstates
Friedrich -- David Sucher (here) spotted a US News and World Report special package on building and architecture here. I... posted by Michael at July 11, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Prettyboys Straight Guys Like
Friedrich -- The handful of reviews of the new "Pirates" movie I've looked at all say that Johnny Depp gives... posted by Michael at July 11, 2003 | perma-link | (24) comments

Thursday, July 10, 2003


Lynn Sislo's Back
Friedrich -- Very glad to see that Lynn Sislo's back blogging. After enduring a nightmarish stretch with an evil webhosting... posted by Michael at July 10, 2003 | perma-link | (1) comments

Terry Teachout, Blogger
Friedrich -- I'm thrilled to discover that Terry Teachout, one of the country's best critics -- he writes about theater... posted by Michael at July 10, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

Self-Deprecation and Ego
Friedrich -- Dropping my usual affable/genial/modest act for a brief posting, I'm here to confess that I have a pretty... posted by Michael at July 10, 2003 | perma-link | (21) comments

The Empire Strikes Back
Michael: The struggle to make public elementary and secondary schools accountable for the education they dish out kind of resembles... posted by Friedrich at July 10, 2003 | perma-link | (9) comments

Free Reads -- Business Week on Work Hours
Friedrich -- I never know whether to trust these reports, but this piece by Louis Braham from Business Week online... posted by Michael at July 10, 2003 | perma-link | (14) comments

Free Reads -- Alice on Punk
Friedrich -- Another inspired, merrily whimsical (and incisive, ballsy, etc) posting from Alice Bachini, here. Hippies vs. Punk is her... posted by Michael at July 10, 2003 | perma-link | (2) comments

Sex Tips
Friedrich -- Do we love this here for its openness and matter-of-factness, etc? Or does it make us instead think... posted by Michael at July 10, 2003 | perma-link | (7) comments

Wednesday, July 9, 2003


Video Game Blues
Michael: I want to announce a very minor milestone of contemporary cultural history. This is the first movie-style billboard ad... posted by Friedrich at July 9, 2003 | perma-link | (12) comments

Free Reads -- Bohemian Porn
Friedrich -- Remember Maurice Girodias? Legendary French publisher of porn novels? (As well as the guy who finally brought out... posted by Michael at July 9, 2003 | perma-link | (2) comments

Free Reads -- Female and Male Writing Styles
Friedrich -- I seem to be the last person on the web to run across this piece, but just in... posted by Michael at July 9, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Our Condolences
Michael: Our frequent commenter, Yamdallah, has recently endured great loss. (You can read his rather stunning post here.) On behalf... posted by Friedrich at July 9, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Tuesday, July 8, 2003


El Grullo
Friedrich -- I've noticed something, I'm wondering how to explain it, and I'm hoping you've got some ideas. What I've... posted by Michael at July 8, 2003 | perma-link | (15) comments

Crooked Timber
Friedrich -- Some classy bloggers (including two of my faves, Chris Bertram and Henry Farrell) have just kicked off a... posted by Michael at July 8, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Monday, July 7, 2003


Rethinking "Kitsch"
Michael: As I was glancing through the July-August issue of The American Scientist I came across an interesting article on... posted by Friedrich at July 7, 2003 | perma-link | (8) comments

Kors Courses on Sale
Friedrich I've sampled a pretty good number of The Teaching Company's lecture series. Among the best are two by Alan... posted by Michael at July 7, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Sunday, July 6, 2003


Swimming Pool
Friedrich -- Are you tempted to see the new French movie Swimming Pool? I caught it a few weeks ago... posted by Michael at July 6, 2003 | perma-link | (7) comments

Free Reads -- Emily Bearn on Barry White
Friedrich -- The Telegraph's Emily Bearn once visited Barry White at his black-and-gold San Diego mansion. The legend, it's pleasing... posted by Michael at July 6, 2003 | perma-link | (4) comments

Saturday, July 5, 2003


Terminator 3
Friedrich -- Sorry to report that I found "Terminator 3" super-skippable. I'd been looking forward to it. The buzz was... posted by Michael at July 5, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

This Movie is Me
Friedrich -- Your lovely "Animal House" posting -- and how pleasing that such a lowdown comedy has prompted such personal... posted by Michael at July 5, 2003 | perma-link | (24) comments

The Nature of Order, Now
Friedrich -- FYI, Volume One of Christopher Alexander's much-anticipated, much-delayed magnum opus The Nature of Order is finally available. This... posted by Michael at July 5, 2003 | perma-link | (4) comments

The Politics of Animal House
Michael: A few days ago I came across a website devoted to the movie “Animal House,” (which can be seen... posted by Friedrich at July 5, 2003 | perma-link | (10) comments

Friday, July 4, 2003


More on Libeskind
Friedrich -- Daniel Libeskind, the architect chosen to design what's to be constructed at the WTC site, has written some... posted by Michael at July 4, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

Thursday, July 3, 2003


A Modest Proposal for the Brazilian Rainforest
Michael: A long time ago you raised the issue of how us right-wingers fail to deal with the environment in... posted by Friedrich at July 3, 2003 | perma-link | (7) comments

Wednesday, July 2, 2003


Free Reads -- Gaydar, Camp, LBD and More
Friedrich -- I noticed the comment where you mentioned that you're puzzled by camp (as in gay-humor camp, not summer... posted by Michael at July 2, 2003 | perma-link | (2) comments

New Traditionalist Art
Friedrich -- You -- and anyone else who's interested in the phenomenon of tradition re-asserting itself in the arts --... posted by Michael at July 2, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Where Are They Now, and How Do They Sell?
Friedrich -- Book Magazine (which is evidently sponsored by Barnes & Noble) had the good idea of tracking down well-known... posted by Michael at July 2, 2003 | perma-link | (6) comments

Warner Brothers Cartoons and the Business of Art
Michael: Have you ever considered how peculiar a phenomenon the artistic quality of Warner Brothers’ cartoons of the 30’s, 40’s... posted by Friedrich at July 2, 2003 | perma-link | (8) comments

Generation Gaps
Friedrich -- There's something zeitgeisty happening that puzzles me. For about 15 years, I've been hearing from friends who are... posted by Michael at July 2, 2003 | perma-link | (23) comments

Haspel on Cult Critics
Friedrich -- I love the way some bloggers sometimes get possessed -- and who knows why? Aaron Haspel is one... posted by Michael at July 2, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Tuesday, July 1, 2003


Brian on Bridget
Friedrich -- Brian Micklethwait does some mischievous writing here. Hard to summarize exactly what he's up to, but he manages... posted by Michael at July 1, 2003 | perma-link | (1) comments

Guest Posting -- Publishing in Britain
Friedrich -- This note just in from a visitor from England who wants to remain anonymous, and who has a... posted by Michael at July 1, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Worst Movies
Friedrich -- Felix and Turbokitty have put forth a Top-Ten Worst Movies Ever list, and already the comments, suggestions, jeerings... posted by Michael at July 1, 2003 | perma-link | (4) comments