found drama

• How We Became the United States of France
  at Time.com (via Beyond the Beyond):

  You just know the Frogs have only increased their disdain for us, if that is indeed possible. And why shouldn't they? The average American is working two and half jobs, gets two weeks off, and has all the employment security of a one-armed trapeze artist.

• Five Thoughts On The Popularity Of Steampunk
  via Bruce Sterling's "Beyond The Beyond": my comment starts:

  More so than “expecting Star Trek and [getting] Blade Runner“, we were all expecting to be Da Vinci or Thomas Edison and instead we get DRM wars and corporate-owned patents.

• Looks like megamergers and big-box stores have finally killed American publishing
  Bruce Sterling's "Beyond the Beyond" (at Wired.com): Sterling on that NY Mag piece about "the demise of publishing"
• Watching DFW: State Fair Twirlers and Cruise Ship Service
  via OMNIVORACIOUS: videos of DFW reading
• 10 Questions with Neal Stephenson
  at Goodreads

About Rob Friesel