Category Archives: Media

Faces and Noses, con’t.

Posted on June 12, 2016 by Fenster

Fenster writes: I wrote here about Neil Postman’s influential early 90s view that broadcast news was morphing to entertainment. And how that argument–insightful as it was–missed the notion of actual media bias, replete with intention about actual content, that came down … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Politics and Economics, Uncategorized | Tagged Boston Globe, Neil Postman, sundayarts | 5 Comments

The Nose in Front of One’s Face

Posted on June 12, 2016 by Fenster

Fenster writes: Neil Postman was an author, academic and media critic, best known for his book Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985). According to Wikipedia: The book’s origins lay in a talk Postman gave to the Frankfurt Book Fair in 1984. … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Politics and Economics | Tagged media bias, Neil Postman | 3 Comments

Saving The New Republic

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Fenster

Fenster writes: Chris Hughes is the young and photogenic owner of The New Republic. Sorry, that’s Chris Pratt. I mean Chris Evans. This is the Chris Pratt that is not Chris Hughes. Oops, that’s Chris Hemsworth. This is Chris Pratt. … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Politics and Economics | Tagged Chris Hughes, The New Republic | 3 Comments

L’Affaire Jenner: A Conversation

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes: Transcribed, annotated, anonymized, and edited for spelling from a discussion group elsewhere on the web. The participants include: AK, shopkeeper, female, 42 CB, researcher, male, 39 MM, retired US Navy, male, 54 CM, copywriter/translator, male, 54 JL, financial … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Personal reflections, Science, Sex, Trends | Tagged bruce jenner, caitlyn jenner, sex, transgender | 6 Comments

Quote Du Jour: Bullshit Dumps

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Baseball men often like to attribute the success or failure of a team to clutch performance. Those of us who study baseball systematically know that his is largely untrue, that the number of runs a team scores is … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Politics and Economics, Sports | Tagged Bill James, bullshit dumps, media, politics, psychology | 2 Comments

Quote Du Jour

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: As Paleo Retiree likes to say, “It was the 70s.” “We’d like to undress him and watch his fashion turn to passion,” drool the editors of Playgirl, under a photo of — Calvin Klein! What is the blue-eyed, … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Media, Sex | Tagged Calvin Klein, O.J. Simpson, swingin' 70s, Ted Kennedy, Woody Allen | 2 Comments

TNR on Trigger Warnings X 3

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Fenster

Fenster writes: Not content to let the matter rest after one go at the subject of trigger warnings, The New Republic has now published/posted three articles on the subject in less than a week. The different approaches to the topic … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Media | 6 Comments

Back to … the Marshall McLuhan Future

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Glynn Marshes

Glynn Marshes writes: A couple days ago, University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Reynolds, a.k.a. the blogger Instapundit, penned a column for USA Today titled “Politicians benefit from American tribal warfare.” Tribalism, Reynolds writes, “is the default state of humanity.” … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Media, Politics and Economics, Technology | Tagged Marshall McLuhan, media, politics, technology, tribalism | 15 Comments

Our Favorite Things from 2014

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: For approximately the 14th year in a row my pop music taste slid into middling mediocrity, but I’m perfectly OK with that. I long ago abandoned caring about or following new music. I loved The Black Keys’ “Turn … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books Publishing and Writing, Food and health, Linkathons, Media, Movies, Music, Performers, Personal reflections | Tagged 2014 year in review, Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Amazon, Amazon Music, beer, Belle & Sebastian, Bill Burr, Chvrches, Cohen Film Collection, D. W. Griffith, Darwyn Cooke, donald westlake, emily browning, ESPN, Eva Green, Facebook, George V. Higgins, Ginger Baker, goses, Hachette, Hayao Miyazaki, John Milius, John Turturro, Karina Longworth, Marc Maron, Marco Bellocchio, Meghan Trainor, Michael Connelly, Natalie Moore, Pawel Pawlikowski, Penny Dreadful, podcasts, Sarah Polley, Steve Sailer, Stuart Murdoch, Taylor Swift, The Black Keys, The Cloisters, The Nerdist, Tom Stoppard, Vanessa Paradis, Winsor McCay, Yik Yak, Zishy | 14 Comments

Twink Chic?

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: Some ads that caught my attention as I’ve made my usual rounds in NYC in recent days: Twinks are in? And even black guys now open their mouths like women and wear buns? Of course we who visit … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Sex, Trends, Women men and fashion | 8 Comments