Blinks

Somehow all of my links have migrated over to Tumblr? Here are a few things I've had starred in my reader waiting to be shared, or have already shared on Tumblr and wanted to share here as well.

On Reading Snow In Turkish
Before long, rather than feeling as though I had  been strapped blind to some infernal machine, I opened my eyes to find that I was actually riding a bicycle very slowly, peddling haltingly but definitively forward down an unfamiliar street.  At first, the effort of keeping my momentum and balance prevented me apprehending the architectural features of this new territory... Umberto Eco once said that the most intimate you can become with a text is when you translate it. Second best is reading it in the original, even if it's a struggle. This reminded me of my early experiences with Latvian literature, and we all know that's all I want to talk about lately, so this feels fitting to share. (See also, from the archives: Translator, Indeed)

Whatever Happened To Alternative Nation?
Steven Hyden looks back at the alternative music of the 90s, year by year. Bonus: Barrett Chase reminds us how long ago the 90s really were.

Generation Why? by Zadie Smith
When a human being becomes a set of data on a website like Facebook, he or she is reduced. Everything shrinks. Individual character. Friendships. Language. Sensibility. In a way it’s a transcendent experience: we lose our bodies, our messy feelings, our desires, our fears. The ever-eloquent and insightful Zadie Smith continues to push all of my jealousy buttons at once with a great essay on Facebook/online personas. In response to the above, however, I would contend that those who view a person solely based on what they see in his or her Facebook profile/Twitter feed/About page on the blog are thinking too narrowly, and need to revisit their thoughts on life and people in general. I still don’t feel “trapped” by Facebook or offended by the shift in online communication, mostly because I don’t give it very much time/power in my life. ZS does acknowledge that “software may reduce humans, but there are degrees.” Perhaps the problem isn’t what Facebook is doing to us, but what we’re allowing it to.

The Neglected Books Page
As if my reading list needed any padding. Still, this feels a bit like browsing a musty old used bookstore with footnotes on every book. (via HTMLGIANT)