Get Cynical

(via Buzzfeed)

So far, the app I use the most on my iPhone is the Stanza e-book reader. I had shied away from e-readers up until getting an iPhone but the chance to have a library of public domain books at my fingertips persuaded me to put my prejudice of non-paper books on hold long enough to install the Stanza app.

I haven’t used a Kindle or any other e-reader before so I have nothing to compare Stanza with but I was surprisingly pleased at how well the interface worked (tap on the right to turn a page, left to go backwards and center for bookmarking or to see how far into the book you are) The text is highly customizable and once adjusted to your personal tastes, is quite easy on the eyes.

But what to read, what to read? The Stanza reader comes with a connection to Project Gutenberg and a half dozen other sites with books that are in the public domain. I downloaded about 25 books before remembering to breathe.

So far I’ve only read short stories. The first one was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (It comes pre-loaded. And I don’t think I had actually ever read the book). Since then it’s been all Lovecraft.

The Call of Cthulhu
At the Mountains of Madness
The Dunwich Horror
The Shadow Over Innsmouth
The Rats in the Walls
Pickman’s Model

I have downloaded the Kindle App for the iPhone, but I just haven’t gotten around to playing with it yet.

Oh, and I finished House of Leaves. Remember how I said you either loved it or hated it? Well, I meh’ed it. The Zampano story was entertaining. The Truant story was boring. And having to turn the book upside down or sideways to read some of the text was infuriating.

A pastrami sandwich from Carnegie Deli. (Image from here)

From Think Progress:

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civil award, and is given to individuals who have contributed to: 1) the security or national interests of the United States, 2) world peace, or 3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

In his new book, Speechless: Tales of a White House Survivor, former Bush speechwriter Matt Latimer reveals how politicized the revered Presidential Medal of Freedom became during the Bush administration.

Latimer writes that administration officials objected to giving author J.K. Rowling the Presidential Medal of Freedom because her writing “encouraged witchcraft” (p. 201):

I’m starting to see this on a daily basis now. I’m not sure what the kids are calling it but I do know the technical term for it is LOOKATMELOOKATMELOOKATME rings.

From The Girl with The Golden Mind:

If I’m not washing my hair, it doesn’t get wet – simple as. I wash my hair once, maybe twice a week. If that makes you go ‘eurgh’ consider this: hair washing is no joke. You have to wash condition and at least blow-dry your hair before doing anything with it, which can involve straightening irons and tongs. This could take about 45 minutes, maybe more if some major styling is going on. Extensions have to be delicately handled.

Now you see why, of a morning, you don’t see women with Afro hair or extensions with dripping wet, fresh-from-the-shower hair that will drip-dry in time for strolling into the office. When I tell you I’m staying indoors to wash my hair, that’s not an excuse: it’s an operation, not something to do in the shower after soaping your pits’n’bits. Also, moisture has to be added to hair after washing. Out come the hair oils, moisturisers and good old hair grease for that scalp.

Also, you don’t mess with the final ‘do, weave or not. Partners and relatives are issued with special cards which entitle the holder to caress hair at will. Unauthorised contact is met with a swift roundhouse kick to the head. I kid, I kid! I love having my hair played with, but only if it’s un-weaved. And yes, permissions are guarded jealously.

(via Joe My God)