Calvin Trillin: About Alice

I just listened to this interview at the 92nd Street Y. Very funny and touching. I don't think anyone makes me laugh out loud as much as Trillin does, and with so little effort. At least it seems effortless. I never knew I loved poetry this much.

Trillin claims he wrote the shortest poem of all time, it is about the social implications of the OJ Simpson case:

OJ
Oy vey


Below is an hour long interview between Charlie Rose and Trillin right around the start of the Iraq war. At one point Trillin talks about getting thrown out of dinner parties because of his views about the war. Hard to remember when that was such an unpopular position.

TEDtalks are terrific

TEDtalks

Coldplay

Sometimes I find them hokey -- but irresistible (as is this movie)

Byrne

Podcasting

It really has enhanced my life. I hardly ever listen to music when I go for my walks. I download various shows and interviews, usually through Itunes, but occasionally through the websites that the shows are themselves broadcast. And mostly for free. You can subscribe to most NPR (Fresh Air, Leonard Lopate and This American Life to name a few) and C-Span book shows, and the podcasts will automatically update. Many of those shows will charge a fee if you try to download them later, though not a large one. One does not have to have an ipod to take advantage of this, the files can usually be transferred to a competing device.

Lately I've been delving into Itunes U -- and am currently going through some interviews sponsored by the 92nd Street Y (NYC). They have a few interviews that touch on science between Robert Krulwich and various writers and researchers. I listened to his interview of Oliver Sacks, played by Robin Williams in Awakenings. Krulwich is a science reporter for NPR and co-hosts the Radiolab show.

I must say I look forward to my walks -- and don't feel as deficient in my reading. I am also a convert to listening to interviews, I don't feel a need to see the person. In fact, walking seems to allow me to listen without distraction. My only complaint is that some of my best thoughts seem to come in go while I am on my walks, and while I return, the thoughts leave me.