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Comic-Con is a little thing that geeks do. That might actually be a thought that has run through the head of an average person in America. Every July they see news stories about a great number of bearded pop culture-loving men and (a growing number every year) women who descend upon San Diego, California, for an annual ritual celebration of all things popular media. The titular medium Comics, the overwhelming presence of movies and, of course, a healthy smattering of television. There is even a place where you can get an autograph from Star Trek: The Next Generation star Brent... Continue reading

Since Orb won the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago, the world has gotten to know the strapping colt, how he was painstakingly bred by one of the first families of American horse racing — even how he got his right nostril caught and stretched in his stall last fall and how he has won five straight races since. via www.nytimes.com Continue reading

And this is not even to dwell on all the time he devoted to indulging his passions for fishing and hunting. That is how we think of him when we squint and say his name: mythic life of action in the natural world. While that part of Hemingway is not untrue, it’s also the case that he was a far more tormented and sickly soul, both physically and emotionally, than we ever really guessed. In a way, he was a far more indoor soul as well. A man “wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it,” George Orwell... Continue reading

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Most people’s knowledge of librarianship is a mash-up of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in Desk Set, some warm and fuzzy memories from an elementary school class visit, Rupert Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, even fuzzier memories of all-nighters in their college libraries, and maybe a high-minded article or two about the Digital Public Library of America. via www.publishersweekly.com Continue reading

First Apple built maps, and now Facebook wants its own mapping service. In the tech industry, maps have become essential, primarily because of the explosion of mobile devices, on which maps are a critical application. Maps are also seen as the gateway to commerce, both online and in the real world. via www.nytimes.com Continue reading

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When he wrote “2001: A Space Odyssey” 45 years ago, Arthur C. Clarke offered extraordinary visions of the future—including HAL, the artificially intelligent computer—that continue to provide insight into the human condition. But in 1968 even Clarke couldn’t have envisioned that a top-ranked U.S. research university would continue his legacy by focusing on his greatest gift: imagination. That reality will be celebrated this month with a series of free events marking the public launch of the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination on the UC San Diego campus. via ucsdnews.ucsd.edu Continue reading

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Writing a novel (or a story, for that matter) is confusing work. There are just so many characters running all over the place, dropping hints and having revelations. So it’s no surprise that many authors plan out their works beforehand, in chart or list or scribble form, in order to keep everything straight. After the jump, you’ll find a mini collection of those planning papers, so you can take a peek into the process of some of your favorite authors, from James Salter to J.K. Rowling. via flavorwire.com Continue reading

Google keeps trying to read our minds. via bits.blogs.nytimes.com Continue reading

It’s every crazy dog lady’s dilemma. We are in desperate need of a glass of wine, or five, after a long day at work, but we can’t stand to leave our precious pup behind at home. via www.utsandiego.com Continue reading

Women's immune systems hold the secret to longer lifeHow listening to 'sad songs' heals the bluesGrey hair 'a thing of the past' after scientists discover why follicles become discolouredNasa's planet-hunting spacecraft crippled after loss of wheelsCloning breakthrough by US scientists via www.telegraph.co.uk Continue reading

The verdict is in. The new One Book, One San Diego selection has been chosen. Starting in October, this will be the book that the entire community will come together to read for one extraordinary purpose—to enrich our lives through reading, and discover new worlds while sharing a common experience. via www.kpbs.org Continue reading

In Kevin Drum's latest feature, he imagines a bleak future where robots begin taking all of our jobs. Though he predicts this will happen about three decades from now, the concept obviously isn't new. The word "robot" first appeared in a 1920s Czech play (see below), which concludes with human destruction. The plot line started to seem more realistic when robots began performing complex industrial tasks. By 1961, a giant robot arm called Unimate took a welding job on the General Motors factory floor. Throughout the last century, robots—both imaginary and real—have fascinated us with their skills, quirks, and eerie... Continue reading

2 GULP by Mary Roach. Norton. A science writer’s pilgrimage down the digestive tract; by the author of “Stiff,” “Spook,” “Bonk” and “Packing for Mars.” via www.nytimes.com Continue reading

In a viral YouTube video from October 2011 a one-year-old girl sweeps her fingers across an iPad's touchscreen, shuffling groups of icons. In the following scenes she appears to pinch, swipe and prod the pages of paper magazines as though they too were screens. When nothing happens, she pushes against her leg, confirming that her finger works just fine—or so a title card would have us believe. via www.scientificamerican.com Continue reading

Ernest Hemingway rose by 6 o’clock in the morning, no matter what escapades had taken place the night before, and he wrote his first drafts in pencil on onionskin typewriter paper. He tracked his daily word count on a chart – so as not to fool himself, he said. via www.csmonitor.com Continue reading

Since the publication in 1920 of F. Scott Fitzgerald's first novel, "This Side of Paradise," his life and career have been scrutinized, studied and dissected in countless critical essays, articles and biographies. via www.latimes.com Continue reading

Every month, Elliott Klug or one of his business partners walks into the Colorado Revenue Department with a messenger bag holding thousands of dollars in cash and watches as state employees start counting. via www.businessweek.com Continue reading

The University of South Carolina Press (USC Press) has named bestselling author Pat Conroy editor-at-large of Story River Books, their new South Carolina-based original fiction series. “The University of South Carolina has always played a role in my life and the intellectual life of South Carolina,” says Conroy who credits Jonathan Haupt, director of the via www.publishersweekly.com Continue reading

DURING THE SECOND HALF of their 53-year marriage, Robert B. Parker and his wife, Joan, settled into an unusual living arrangement. Parker, the creator of the hard-boiled Boston detective Spenser, lived on one floor of their big Cambridge Victorian; Joan, a powerhouse philanthropist, lived on another. The decision seemed odd to some, but to those who knew them well, their thinking was realistic and romantic at once. via www.bostonglobe.com Continue reading

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“The Great Gatsby” has returned to the big screen with all its American flamboyance and contradictions. via www.greenvilleonline.com Continue reading