Making sense of dating—sort of.

"The globalization of the SYF reflects a series of stunning demographic and economic shifts that are pointing much of the world—with important exceptions, including Africa and most of the Middle East—toward a New Girl Order. It’s a man’s world, James Brown always reminded us. But if these trends continue, not so much."

Did you dudes catch that little segment on PBS last night about analog recording versus digital? I did. It was alright. I don't think of these things in terms of a battle, mind you, where there's a bruised but happy winner and a bloody and beaten loser, but mainstream media seems to like taking that approach. I guess it's more palatable that way. To me, there's room in this world for both methods. Have you seen Ultimate Fighting Championship? Now, that's a battle. Analog versus digital? Not so much.

Is it cheating when athletes use the placebo effect to their advantage?

Gerard McBurney seems to share my Oliver Sacks blind spot (<I>Uncle Tungsten</I>, notwithstanding). I still haven't read <I>Musicophilia</I> and although I still intend to, I'm now less convinced that I will find it compelling.

J Mascis' soaring solo comes to a sudden end. Elizabeth walks into my office, tentatively.