In Memoriam: 2008

Studs Terkel, William F. Buckley Jr.

Bobby Fischer, Arthur C. Clarke

Harold Pinter, Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Paul Newman

photos: Magnum via Slate

J.D Salinger Turns 90

Happy birthday Mr. Salinger. Wherever you are.

A Christmas Miracle Of Science

An incredible breakthrough in science has just been announced: Gay scientists have isolated the "Christian" gene.

Holiday Shopping Bonanza

Your holiday shopping woes end here: The Pessimist's Mug.

The Year In Review

The end of the year ranking we've all been waiting for is finally in: Wired's Top Ten New Organisms of 2008.

Photo: coming in at #2 - Leptotyphlops carlae (aka a really, really small snake)

Sharon Van Etten

Remember the name: Sharon Van Etten. Via MBV.

Taking Design Just A Little Too Far

The Electroman Surge Protector.

Time Crimes

Found over at Designboom: Bobby Neal Adams is an American photographer whose works looks at the transformation of the human body as it ages.

Losing Track Of Time

Faceless LED watch designed by Hironao Tsuboi for 100%.

Mercury Rising

Getting in just under the wire, the best line of 2008 goes to David Mamet.

Mamet's play "Speed-The-Plow" has been running on Broadway with Entourage star Jeremy Piven in the leading role. Piven just announced he will be dropping out completely after missing a few performances. The actor said he hasn't been feeling well and attributed his condition to a high mercury count. When asked to comment, Mamet had this to say:

“I talked to Jeremy on the phone, and he told me that he discovered that he had a very high level of mercury. So my understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer.”

(Photos: On the left, the star of HBO's Entourage; On the right, a transparent instrument for measuring temperature by insertion into the rectum)

The Spirit Of Giving

A thief who robbed the home of a UK couple, returned to the scene of his crime to give back a diary that was among their safe's contents. The diary was one of the few remaining mementos the grieving parents had of their only daughter who died while traveling on holiday.

Attention Holiday Shoppers

One Story is a literary magazine that contains, simply one story. Every three weeks subscribers are sent One Story in the mail.

"Our mission is to save the short story by publishing in a friendly format that allows readers to experience each story as a stand-alone work of art and a simple form of entertainment. One Story is designed to fit into your purse or pocket, and into your life."

"We believe that short stories are best read alone. They should not be sandwiched in between a review and an exposé on liposuction, or placed after another work of fiction that is so sad or funny or long that the reader is worn out by the time they turn to it."

One Story publishes each writer only once. Many of them have gone on to win various literary awards. The perfect Christmas gift. Visit their site here.

Bedtime Stories

Patricia Piccinini is an artist. A creator. Get familiar with her work here.

Getting Things Done

Daily Routines is a blog dedicated to examining how writers, artists and other interesting people organize their days. It gives insight into the difficult process of self-discipline required of all artists. A valuable resource of procrastination justification.

Hard Times All Around

From the Wall Street Journal:

According to a new survey by Prince & Assoc., more than 80% of multimillionaires who had extra-marital lovers planned to cut back on their gifts and allowances. Still, only 12% of the multimillionaire cheaters said they plan to give up on their lovers altogether for financial reasons.

Of course, any study of millionaires and their mistresses should be taken with a large grain of salt. The survey–a subset of a larger wealth study–polled 191 individuals with a minimum net worth of $20 million who said they had lovers of at least a year or more (this to screen out the one-night stands, etc.). About two thirds of the respondents were men and one third women. All were married and all had personal control over their finances, meaning the women and men surveyed were the primary wealth holders in their homes.

....The most surprising stats in the study relate to gender and what might be termed “length of service.” Fully 82% of men in the study said they planned to lower the allowances to their mistresses, while more than three quarters planned to provide fewer gifts, less expensive gifts and fewer perks, like jet rides, resort vacations and top restaurant meals.

....The duration of the relationship also seems to play a role in the economics of high-end cavorting. The study found that more than two thirds of the millionaires who had been with their lovers for three or more years planned to cut back. That compares with less than half for those with a tenure of one to three years.

Here are a few of the public comments that followed the article online:

by Hardchoices:

Before September the 15th, I’d promised my mistress both a breast enhancement and a liposuction for the Holidays. Now I can only afford one or the other…so she’s going for the enhancement next month.

But, if things get much worse she’ll have to choose between enhancing just her right or just her left breast. Truth be told, I don’t really care. I love her just the way she is now.

by Mr. Contrarian:

If the wealthy are essentially “selling off” their mistresses, then it would seem that we may be on the verge of a buyer’s market. Thus, the middle class can afford to be happy again!

by Polyga-miss:

Mistresses???!!! Hell, I’m gonna have to “lay” off half my WIVES go!!! And boy will I miss them….but at least I get to keep my truck.