Apologies for the lack of updates recently. It's summer, you know. Also, I've been transferred to a new department at work, and my now larger work load doesn't give me a whole lot of time to post here. As soon as I get used to my new schedule, I'll post again regularly.
In the meantime, The Believer has a great article detailing the goings-on at the most recent MLA Convention in San Diego. The convention is one of the largest academic conferences for humanities scholars in America, and the article's first-hand account provides a succinct and accurate (or at least congruent with my personal experience) picture of contemporary academia. It's a balanced piece, written by a journalist who claims he once had an admiration for professors that most youths reserve for astronauts. I think that this enthusiasm allows him to shed some fresh light on why academics do the things they do (ie. write Baudrillard-fueled essays on The Bachelor), without resorting to a knee-jerk anti-intellectual rejection of such matters, or the wide-eyed wonderment of being in the same room as some of the most notable brains around.
Speaking of notable brains, it turns out that Stephen Hawking was wrong about the destructive capabilities of black holes. Apparently stuff can get out. If that don't brighten your day, I don't know what will.
And finally, the New York Times has a nice piece on the variety of intelligence among humans, focussing mostly on what kinda smarts you need to be successful on Jeopardy.
In the meantime, The Believer has a great article detailing the goings-on at the most recent MLA Convention in San Diego. The convention is one of the largest academic conferences for humanities scholars in America, and the article's first-hand account provides a succinct and accurate (or at least congruent with my personal experience) picture of contemporary academia. It's a balanced piece, written by a journalist who claims he once had an admiration for professors that most youths reserve for astronauts. I think that this enthusiasm allows him to shed some fresh light on why academics do the things they do (ie. write Baudrillard-fueled essays on The Bachelor), without resorting to a knee-jerk anti-intellectual rejection of such matters, or the wide-eyed wonderment of being in the same room as some of the most notable brains around.
Speaking of notable brains, it turns out that Stephen Hawking was wrong about the destructive capabilities of black holes. Apparently stuff can get out. If that don't brighten your day, I don't know what will.
And finally, the New York Times has a nice piece on the variety of intelligence among humans, focussing mostly on what kinda smarts you need to be successful on Jeopardy.