Author Archives: smellincoffee

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About smellincoffee

Citizen, librarian, reader with a boundless wonder for the world and a curiosity about all the beings inside it.

Laughter is Better than Communism

Posted on January 26, 2017 by smellincoffee

Laughter is Better than Communism: Politics, Wit, and Cartoons180 pages© 2014 Andrew Heaton  A couple of years ago I stumbled upon Andrew Heaton’s “EconPop”, a series of videos in which he used popular films to illustrate economic concepts in a … Continue reading →

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On Bikes

Posted on January 26, 2017 by smellincoffee

On Bicycles: 50 Ways the New Bike Culture Can Change Your Life© 2011 ed. Amy Walker384 pages On Bicycles collects fifty cycling pieces, collecting in categories on why biking is awesome, how gear can make it better, how biking can … Continue reading →

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Podcast of the Week: EconTalk discusses "Dreamland"

Posted on January 25, 2017 by smellincoffee

On Monday, Russ Roberts of EconTalk sat down to talk with Sam Quinones about his book, Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opium Epidemic.  That book has been on my radar for a couple of years (and was how I … Continue reading →

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The Digital Divide

Posted on January 25, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Digital Divideed. © 2011 Mark Bauerlein 368 pages For those who often think about the way the internet has transformed every aspect of our society — our daily social interactions, the ways we shop and work, etc — The Digital … Continue reading →

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Brief note

Posted on January 24, 2017 by smellincoffee

My wireless adapter failed over the weekend, and I’m expecting a new one in either tomorrow or Thursday. (I’m a typing terror with a keyboard, but my tablet key-fu is only fair.) In the meantime I’ve been reading, so expect … Continue reading →

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The Big Necessity

Posted on January 21, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Big Necessity: the Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why it Matters © 2008, 2014 Rose George 238 pages In its initial publication, The Big Necessity may have been an eye-opening look into how many human beings still suffer … Continue reading →

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A reading on the Presidency: The Ship of State Turns Not Easily

Posted on January 19, 2017 by smellincoffee

Another reading from The Twilight of the Presidency: Newton’s first law holds that a body at rest will remain at rest and a body in motion will continue in motion along the same line until acted upon by an outside … Continue reading →

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A reading on the Presidency: A Man Divided?

Posted on January 18, 2017 by smellincoffee

The president really has two jobs. The first that has received is that of his managerial role, his responsibility for handling the nation’s affairs. Coupled with that is his role of personifying the nation and becoming thereby the unifying factor … Continue reading →

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Dynamite from a Film Student

Posted on January 18, 2017 by smellincoffee

Last night I discovered a series of video “essays about art”, or artistic case studies, commenting on various films of the last few decades.   So far I’ve enjoyed nearly ten of them, and have been utterly impressed with the … Continue reading →

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In the Land of the Tiger

Posted on January 15, 2017 by smellincoffee

In the Land of the Tiger: A Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent© 1997 Valmik Thapar285 pages Imagine a Planet Earth episode focused entirely on India, and then presented in book form. The result is In the Land of the … Continue reading →

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