This Just In--Winner of the Saturnalia Book Prize

I learned this afternoon that fellow blogger Martha Silano and poet (uh, probably the wrong order there) has just won the 2010 Saturnalia Book Prize for her poetry. Read about her response here.

Don't know what the Saturnalia Book Prize is? Well, neither did I. You can read about them  here, though. Although it looks like I may have scooped their official announcement. A first for this blog, believe me.

Super Sad True Love Story--a trailer.

No, I haven't read it yet either. But I think the author would approve...

Red Remover

I don't  know if this game actually teaches you physics, as Slate magazine's Procrastinate Better column so  hopefully has it, so much as nicely exploits its principles, but it is fun. Although I've followed the link from their site a few times, sometimes it hasn't worked for me, so here's another way to gain access.

Matchbook Story--another batch of Exquisite Corpses

Kyle Petersen has just posted the results of the Exquisite Corpse game played at the launch party for Matchbook, Volume 2. Since I was there, I'll take a little credit (but not much) for authorship in these.

And my friend Susan McCloskey was chosen as pick of the week this week! Check it out!

Oh, and don't forget that you too can submit a 300 character story. Just go here and you'll see how to do it. It's fun. 

Philosophy Bites

Yes, I can hear some of you out there saying, Amen to that, Sister! Philosophy does bite. And I might have agreed with you--until now. Through some series of links on which I am already not quite clear, I came across this website, which offers free short podcasts on philosophical topics--it's kind of like those Audioforum lectures you always see advertised with famous professors, except that these are short, free and, well, manageable.

Actually, in theory, I like philosophy, as long as it is, uh, dumbed down enough for me to comprehend. Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder was about my level, mainly because it was originally written for children, and there's a popular book called Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar, which is about understanding philosophy through jokes that I enjoyed skimming through.
Anyway, you can go to Philosophy Bites and listen to a sample and if you like it sign up for their email. I just got one last night about Meaning in Life by Susan Wolf. This was a relatively straightforward piece, but I liked the way she laid it out. I do think she was a bit hard on Sudoku, though. And unlike Wolf, I don't even attempt them.

Just a Reminder

Did you remember to do your July 1st eavesdropping today? I almost did myself, but remembered suddenly while I was at a large gathering, so have some material if I'm so inclined. There's still 40 minutes to go, California time, so if you're sittitng in some San Francisco bar, shoulder to shoulder with some conversationalists--go for it!