Obsidian Wings

A brook, run, creek, branch, or stream runs through it

by Doctor Science

There are many important, time-sensitive things going on in the world. This post is about language, art, and geography, and is not time-sensitive in any way.

I was recently linked to Derek Watkins' map of generic terms for streams and other small watercourses:

your blindsight Friday open thread

by liberal japonicus

Blindsight is the rare neurological phenomenon where someone experiences enough brain trauma to prevent them from seeing normally. Thus if you ask them to tell you what object you are holding in front of them, they can't answer. But ask them to guess what color the object is, they will say something like 'it feels like it is X' and be right.

A recent Salon piece interviews an e-book author, Chris Collins, who wrote about Simon Lewis, the producer of the first 'Look who's talking' movie, who was involved in a horrific car accident that left him with the condition. Salon, being Salon, focusses on the fact that Lewis is apparently attempting to get back into producing but is apparently unable to produce dreck. Fortunately, the Atlantic has an excerpt that is the initial part of the e-book and led me to check out the company offering it, Atavist. Lewis also taught himself to write again after the accident and has a book entitled Rise and Shine, which I haven't gotten, but probably will. 

The e-book is an interesting venture itself, an attempt at multimedia long form journalism. The iPad version has various bells and whistles and is $2.99, while the Kindle and Nook versions are $1.99. Two other titles I'm enjoying are Defender, the story of Manute Bol and Piano Demon, the story of Teddy Weatherford. 

I'm still not sure if I will keep buying, but as a proof of concept, I think the whole venture is quite interesting and I recommend all three of the stories. 

So an open thread for what you are reading, what you aren't reading and anything else that strikes your fancy.

Lofgren's article lifted from the comments

by liberal japonicus

Count-me-in posted, via Steve Benen, this link to a former Republican congressional staffer who quit because he was fed up and bob_is_boring, (who I am sure isn't, but that is his handle) wondered why it hadn't been front paged. So here it is.

It is an interesting piece, and a few have picked it up, notably James Fallows, Mike Tomasky, and the previously mentioned Steve Benen.

I don't really have anything to add to it, but I do think that there is a common thread, despite the surface differences, between the political situation in the US and watching Naoto Kan get run out of office, but I can't quite put my finger on it. 

Unrelated to that, but interesting in a depressing way is the Legistorm page that details Lofgren's salary and the comments that have found their way there.

Unfortunately, I don't see anyway out of it, the cycle is a downward spiral. What do y'all think?

 

Your typhoon/hurricane Sunday open thread

by liberal japonicus

I'm in Kyoto for a conference. It was a bit iffy, as Typhoon #12 (Japanese number them rather than name them) was scheduled to park itself over Osaka. I took the shinkansen up, which had no problem, but many of the regular train lines south of the area were stopped because of the water the storm system was dumping. However, it seems to have passed by, but being in Kyoto was an interesting experience because there were virtually no Japanese out and the only people wandering around seemed to be foreign tourists.

Anyway, weather or whatever grabs you. Have at it.

Who's going to pay for this mess? Hurricane Irene Division; plus bonus Open Thread

by Doctor Science

If anyone tries to claim that Irene was "no big deal", I plan to punch them in the neck. Here in NJ (within range of my fist) there are no such people, fortunately for us all.

Our house had very little trouble during Irene, only a little water in the basement. We're plenty stressed, though, because the salle where my husband fences was very heavily damaged by flooding.

The door here was punched open from the *inside*, by floodwaters that had smashed a wall on their way in. Credit: BCAF.

Not from the Delaware River, which we'd been worrying about; instead, the creek next to the building overflowed in a surprising flash flood -- probably from the reservoir on the hill.

Several days after the flood, no official explanation for the water surge has been given, though water company officials acknowledge that some water may have spilled from the reservoir as two days of steady rain filled it up.

Sounds to me as though the finger-pointing has barely begun.