Maybe — but probably not, at least not in the U.S. — there is a literary role for Twitter. That’s the premise behind an interesting Salon report on the latest cellphone-based fad in Japan (of course, Japan): keitai shôsetsu, or “cellphone fiction.” In short, it’s short short fiction, maybe 500 words or less, that was [...]

Besides Life Getting Complicated as my sabbatical leave begins, there is also the little something called research and writing that I must do. Unlike a certain friend who will remain unnamed who is planning on spending sabbatical time taking tennis and Photoshop lessons (okay, just in afternoons after a mornings of work), need to decide [...]

Okay, so I’ve gained a wee bit of new knowledge via Twitter today. Mr. Gaiman (between book signings for his Newberry Award-winning The Graveyard Book) mentioned in a tweet this morning that the first Saturday in May is Free Comic Book Day in North America. Participating comic book stores are giving away free comic books [...]

I do not like karaoke. Ever since forced to sing “My Way” in Japan once long ago, I have had a strong aversion. However, I should mention that on that occasion it was in a group of four that included my undergrad Japanese history mentor, Henry D. Smith, an ex-punk rock band member whose name [...]

Aachen is downright awesome, historically and now. Here is where the coronation of Charlemagne was held on Christmas Day, 800 and 30+ kings after that. The chapel palace, pictured above, is Germany’s first World Heritage Site and is arguably the site where Europe first began to take shape. The present city retains its medieval feel [...]

That’s about the only explanation I have for no posts in April (until now). Even now I shouldn’t be fiddling on the web while I have several chapters to read for my next class session. We’re reading Ian Condry’s book Hip-Hop Japan this week; had fun with it in class today as we talked about [...]

At the Easter Vigil last Saturday, Safa, Henry, and Philip all were baptized in The Cathedral of the Incarnation. The two eldest also had Confirmation (Safa as Cecilia and Henry as Sebastian — yeah, I know, a virgin martyr and a famously gruesome death with various psycho-sexual overtones) and First Communion, so they are up-to-date [...]

According to media critics cited in this NYTimes article, Obama is a Mac while Clinton is a PC. Besides the obvious age factor (Obama is young and hip; Clinton is sooooo 20th century), the candidates’ respective branding and web presence break along Mac/PC lines. Obama’s web site features soothing soft background space, and a relatively [...]