Daily Office: Wednesday
¶ Matins: Poverty comes to the suburbs, on the coattails of “the free market.” (Fast Company; via The Infrastructurist)
¶ Lauds: Here’s something for the cockles of everyone who believes that the world in general and Western Civilization is Going To Hell in a Handbasket: “Dante’s Inferno: Do Classic Poems Make Great Video Games.” We don’t mean just the concept; Jamin Brophy-Warren’s interview with game designer Jonathan Knight is a Must Read. Oh, yeah. (Speakeasy)
¶ Prime: Cringely plants his fist on exactly what is wrong with “productivity” in his column about the nation’s hunger for start-ups.
¶ Tierce: Were we wondering why we hadn’t given ChatRoulette a try? Not quite. But Jonah Lehrer has the answer: we can enjoy its attractions without enduring its drawbacks.
¶ Sext: The extremely touching story of Timothy McSweeney.
¶ Nones: Even as schools all over the country are abandoning foreign-language instruction overall, an interest in learning Mandarin seems to be picking up. Will it last? Probably not. We agree with Norman Matloff (NYT)
¶ Vespers: Maud Newton writes about being intimidated by other writers’ work, noting that Joan Didion had to stop reading Henry James because he was so overpowering. But we like Jack Pendarvis’s comment best.
¶ Compline: To while away the snow-bound after-dinner hours, follow Mike Deri Smith on an edifying tour of corruption around the world, from Russia to the Jersey Shore. Well, the conclusion is edifying, anyway. (The Morning News)