Morning Coffee (10/5/15)

(A bit of personal news - we had a death in the family over the weekend, so I may miss a day or two of posting this week as I'm traveling to the funeral, etc. Thanks for understanding.)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week and my take on Dr. Ken, which I really did not like.

And in more sad news: Henning Mankell has died.

I recommend Colbert's monologue on the Oregon shootings.

Gun violence in America, in 17 maps and charts

I thought from the beginning that Peeple sounded more like a reality show attention-grab than a real app, so I'm glad Snopes agrees. And NY Mag has some interesting stuff on the topic, too. I still can't decide if these people are evil or just hilariously naive; my main question is still about the supposed millions in funding they've gotten.

Putin’s Credo: Never Let Them See You Sweat

We Can Now 3D Print Ribs !!!

Brains are so fascinating! The day I ordered pizza that 'doesn't exist'

Why Do We Admire Mobsters?

What It's Like Speaking a Different Language from Your Parents

Important Sources of Protein for Introverts

Morning Coffee (9/10/15)

Not a link, but: I watched the Colbert Late Show premiere on demand last night - it will forever baffle me that there are enough people routinely awake that late to make late night TV a thing, because I AM NOT - and it was so enjoyable, and I think that's the first time I've watched an entire episode of any network late night show, so well done, CBS. (Oh wait, I do have a related link: if you're interested in the business of TV, this interview with CBS CEO Les Moonves is great.)

New emoji are coming! Everyone's talking about the taco and burrito but I'm pretty excited about CHEESE. (I'm always excited about cheese, regardless of context.)

This makes me feel so much better about my entirely emotional attachment to the monarchy: Long live Queen Elizabeth: Why monarchies are better than republics

Related: If you're a certain kind of person (like me) you probably want to click through 49 slides of the Queen's hats.

And: Sixty Years of Queen Elizabeth II Faking Fascination With Extremely Mundane Things Even if you don't like the monarchy philosophically: this lady has a job and she works extremely hard at it.

I will never tire of reading about the maple syrup cartel, and Louise Penny should really consider this for a future book. (Hi Tahleen!)

I would also like someone to write me a novel about high-powered South Korean teachers, please.

Here's that "living like Victorians" thing everyone was going on about yesterday, in case you were, um, living like a Victorian and somehow missed it. You guys know I love history and even I thought I was going to break my eyeballs from rolling them so hard at this. (Having had open heart surgery makes these things pretty clearcut: I would not have wanted to be born much earlier than I was, because then I'd be dead.)

"Put simply, if a tech company introduced the human as a product engineered to drive cars, it'd go out of business."

Ayn Rand's Charlotte's Web

Morning Coffee (8/27/15)

On-Air Murders Highlight How TV News Crews Are Exposed at Every Angle

Even if you don't care about this specific thing, this is fascinating from a data analysis standpoint: Almost None of the Women in the Ashley Madison Database Ever Used the Site

Harry Potter isn’t over, but what happens when a fandom grows up?

Libby really GETS me: Fantasy-casting a week of 'Late Show With Stephen Colbert' guests

The year without a summer is fascinating.

I love this: Twelve Habits of Happy, Healthy People Who Don’t Give a Shit About Your Inner Peace

Gotta love a good reply allpocalypse.

Oh geez: Good Morning, Wake Up, You’re Going To Be Late For School

Morning Coffee (8/26/15)

Heh: Christie Says "Pushy" Granite Staters Don't Like to Wait for Answers He thinks New Hampshire is pushy? HE'S FROM NEW JERSEY.

Reporter: Do you write all your tweets?
Trump: People are shocked at how smart I am.
Reporter: Do you type your own tweets?
Trump: Thank you.

Eee! My friend Susan Adrian's new book Nutcracked has been officially announced. It's about Christmas AND ballet AND magic, and I read an earlier draft and loved it. Don't worry, I'll remind you when it comes out.

I am so curious to see how Colbert's new show shapes up.

Interesting: Connecticut to Require All 11th Graders to Take the SAT It's not mentioned much in the story, but I'd hope this would make it more likely for some underprivileged students to consider college, since the SAT will now be free and something all students take, rather than a separate thing that must be sought out and purchased.

Hear, hear: Can Walton Goggins Just Be in Everything, Please?

UM: "At one point, the Beatles asked Stanley Kubrick to direct them in “The Lord of the Rings.” John, Paul, George and Ringo would respectively play Gollum, Frodo, Galdalf [sic] and Sam."

Great House Therapy: Marilla and Matthew’s God-Fearing Avonlea Orphan Sanctuary

Morning Coffee (1/13/15)

I'm running late but SO MUCH EXCITEMENT today. Okay.

First: New Avengers trailer!

Second: Holly Black's The Darkest Part of the Forest is out today and it's incredible and you should go read it immediately.

Third: Robin Wasserman's first adult book is coming out next year and I am already beside myself with excitement.

Fourth: Get your Converse ready to win a copy of Susan Adrian's awesome debut novel Tunnel Vision next Tuesday!

Fifth: Colbert's Late Show will premiere on September 8th!

Sixth: New Kelly Clarkson song!

Seventh: Arthur is doing Downton Abbey!!

Eighth: Don't forget to save Alice!!!

Morning Coffee (12/9/14)

Here's President Obama on The Colbert Report.

Hasidic Enclave Keeps Its Secrets Amid Elusive Rebbe's Tight Control

I need to get reading: I've read none of the Times's 100 notable books of the year and only two of the notable children's books.

Emails Where Shit Got Real

The Comprehensive Guide to Dating a Book Nerd

These statistics about common names are interesting but I'd like to see it with different spellings of the same name combined, as well.

How Well Do You Know “You’ve Got Mail?” (I got two wrong and I'm so ashamed.)

Heee: Local Woman Asked to Leave Friend Group Due to ‘Weak Personal Brand’

Morning Coffee (6/24/14)

John Green was on The Colbert Report and it was great.

Awesome: "One of the nice perks about being president is that anybody will hand you their baby. I get this baby fix 2 or 3 times a week."

Update: Into the Woods changes possibly less terrible than previously reported.

Oh good: Judge Upholds Policy Barring Unvaccinated Students During Illnesses

The Supreme Court doesn't understand software, and that's a problem

"David Glowacki, a theoretical chemist, was forcibly ejected from a performance of Handel’s Messiah last week when he attempted to crowd surf."

Heh, this is perfect: The Convoluted Calculus of Rating Books

There's a quidditch documentary coming!

Discarded Descriptions of Women from My Contemporary Hard-Boiled Detective Novel

Morning Coffee (5/2/13)

Eeee! The Civil Wars are releasing a new album!

What happened to Hollywood's portrayal of female journalists?

We DO need some GChat etiquette standards.

We've got our first hard evidence of cannibalism at Jamestown.

Thank you, Claire Messud.

Whoa: Play Tetris forever.

Who really lives at One Hyde Park?

In case you missed this, as I did, Stephen Colbert and Alan Cumming took on "Accidental Racist." The results are as delightful as you'd think.