Hypotyposis on a Good Day

Notelets for Valentine's Day

Amazon Glitch Unmasks War of Reviewers (NYT). A glitch at the amazon.ca (the Canadian affiliate of amazon.com) revealed the identity of many previously anonymous reviewers, confirming some interesting patterns for anonymous reviews (e.g., book authors who post positive reviews of their own books; authors answering their critics; people manipulating the book lists feature). This article made me question the weight I had put in the reviews -- and make me want to put more value on named, trusted reviewers. At the very least, it's helpful to know the reputation of a reviewer and some understanding of the motivation behind the reviews.

The current issue of the New Yorker is incredibly engaging. Some of the pieces that I've read are:

• Nancy Franklin writes about The Apprentice, which I've gotten hooked on. Somehow it speaks to some the current challenges I have in my own life.
• An amazing piece by David Grann on the Aryan Brotherhood, thought to be one of America's most murderous prison gangs. You'll get a taste of the article through reading the online interview with Grann. What hellish placess are these prisons. I wondered what influence the power of the Christian gospel can have in such dark places. It's time to learn more about ministries such as the Prison Fellowship; I once delivered Christmas gifts to children of prisoners in Richmond as part of the Angel Tree organization.
• A nice piece by the classical music review Alex Ross on how classical music got to there its current place in the US, weaving in his own how he grew up on classical music but discovered the joys of "popular music" as he got into his 20s.

The hoops that a restauranteur has to jump through to open a new pizzeria in South Berkeley does seem excessive. Where's my gourmet pizza?

I was surprised to find Avenue Books on College Ave in Berkeley closed. There's no sign on the store windows explaining the situation; the answering machine sounds business as usual. I always did wonder how long it would stay in business, however. OK -- here's a Berkeley Daily Planet article from January on the closing. Later: one of my housemates told me about that there were going-out-of-business sales throughout January. How did I miss them?

I should read The Berkeley Daily Planet more often -- I was intrigued by stories such as Big Food Court Planned for Gourmet Ghetto:

Already signed up to move in are Kirala, south Berkeley's well known sushi restaurant and Cesar, the popular tapas-bar started by ex-Chez Panisse manager Richard Mazerra, who has agreed to help Modarressi as a consultant for the project. On the waiting list are a number of other restaurants that are trying to meet the qualifications Modarressi and Mazerra have set out for the food. Other shops the pair are currently considering include a rotisserie and chocolate store. Several local wine producers have also been approached about possibly creating a small co-op space.

"We're not going to rent to just anyone," said Modarressi.

I signed and sealed my ballot for the UC Administrative Professionals Election.

Posted by rdhyee at February 14, 2004 10:43 PM