Ban the Back-Up Beeper!
A city is no place for piece and quiet. There are always everywhere. This is especially true in the daytime. Whenever I have a few days off from work, I’ve found that the noises...
Category: Nonfiction
Act III Failures
This article is about the ends of stories, so of course it contains major spoilers. Almost every narrative follows a three act pattern: beginning, middle and end. Act I sets up the premise and...
The Problem with Rivers
Rivers make terrible borders. They’re fine in the short term, but the problem with rivers is that, over the centuries, they move and change. If you’re an 18th century explorer surveying the wilderness, it’s...
Television Inflation
When it comes to currency, the more you print, the less it’s worth. This is a basic law of economics, and it doesn’t just apply to the money supply. If there are only three...
How Weird Al Invented Reality TV
“Weird Al” Yankovic is a national treasure. For over 30 years, he’s made humorous parodies of pop hits. From Michael Jackson to Nirvana to Lady Gaga, Weird Al’s career has changed with the times....
Who’s Afraid of Big Government?
You often hear politicians complaining about Big Government, even though they work for the government. Our fear of government in the United States borders on pathological. After all, there’s nothing wrong with government per...
A Casual Vacancy Review
J.K. Rowling has come out with her first post-Harry Potter book, The Casual Vacancy. And while it’s not fair to compare the book to Harry Potter, it’s almost impossible not to do so. Perhaps...
Episode 2: Who Owns Star Wars?
Just a couple weeks ago, I made the argument that George Lucas doesn’t own Star Wars. My argument was that, while he retained the legal rights to the sci-fi franchise, he had lost creative...
Fixing the Electoral College
Every four years, Americans complain about the Electoral College, only to forget all about it once the election is over. And while a single blog post will lead to reform, I’d still like to...
No Smoking
I hate cigarettes. I always have. If there’s even a whiff of smoke in the air, I can smell it. And while I certainly have my share of bad habits, smoking is not one...
