I am just finishing a marvelous book about cartography and the discovery and naming of America, The Fourth Part of the World: The Race to the Ends of the Earth, and the Epic Story of the Map That Gave America Its Name (by Toby Lester, Simon & Schuster, 2009).  The Fourth Part of the World [...]

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Meet the ubmbROLLa:

As this blog notes: “It’s a draggable umbrella designed by Qian Jiang & Yiying Wu. Apparently, it’s for people who are so accustomed to traveling with a rolling suitcase, that they can’t make the switch to an umbrella.”

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Plagiarism either makes you a bad person, or bad people are plagiarists, or both.  Either way, it’s obviously a moral crime, not an ethical economic one.  This morning brings yet another example of someone made to do penance:
Nick Simmons, the son of the rock star Gene Simmons, sought to make a name for himself in [...]

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Here are two videos about XXX products.  With the Vancouver Olympics in full swing, many of us are extra-attentive to all things Canadian, so the second — which features Canadian native and NBA superstar Steve Nash actually promoting XXX products — is especially compelling.  The IP angle, naturally, is whether anyone thinks that the second [...]

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Readers of this blog will be familiar with my affinity for vampire stories, and the fact that in recent months I’ve been particularly partial to Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga, although I must admit (I’m sure to Mike Madison’s great relief) that my fascination with the series is waning and I’m trying to expand my “literary” [...]

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From Pittsburgh to Washington DC and north to Baltimore and Boston, cars in giant snowbanks mean that the thoughts of property law professors turn again to an eternal phenomenon:  If I dig out a parking spot to free my car, do I “own” the resulting parking space?  If so, why, and in what sense?  Yes, [...]

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Most of the country is facing some rather grim weather. Classes have begun. Grades are in. The holidays are over. There is work to do. Many things may be getting you down. So I offer this tune as a small pick-me-up for those who may need it. If the music doesn’t work for you, perhaps [...]

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Seems shocking because generally librarians are a superior class of people!

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Erich Segal died the other day.  He was famous (or infamous) as the author of “Love Story,” the book and then movie that gave us the line, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”  The movie was a smash but is utterly forgettable; if you’re looking for a throwback experience featuring its star, Ryan [...]

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The Simpsons get Rick Rolled:

The Christians get Rick Rolled:

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Dangerous Minds meets Harry Potter in this vid from CollegeHumor:

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.
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Here’s just a little free association for what I hope are ongoing happy holidays for everyone. Sherlock Holmes opens on Christmas Day and is a front runner for holiday films I want to see. I happen to think that Robert Downey Jr. is in a great groove. I loved his acting in Chaplin and am [...]

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Via Language Log I learned about the great “meep” ban of 2009 (a high school principal in Danvers, Mass. warned students there not to say  “meep” in school,  connecting the word with disruptive behavior), but via the Salem (Mass.) News I picked up some extra flavor:  The warning followed intimations that students were organizing their [...]

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Via Gordon Smith, I learned the other day that In-n-Out, the California-based burger chain known as much for its cult status among its fans as for the quality of its food, is expanding into Utah.  In-n-Out started in Southern California — source of its distinctive palm-tree silhouette — and in the 90s expanded to Northern [...]

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Today’s Charlotte Observer reports the story of Clair Watkins, a senior basketball player who got one of those coveted “early commitments” from basketball powerhouse Duke. According to the story, Duke offered Ms. Watkins a promise of admission to Duke and a full basketball scholarship, a scholarship that Duke planned to honor for 4 years. [...]

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Given that the Twilight sequel, New Moon, opens this week, I just have to blog about something Twilight-related.  I’ve been writing lately about celebrity privacy rights, and the right of publicity – and considering the extent to which celebrities should be legally protected against paparazzi intrusions.  Of course, there are other ways for them to [...]

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You be the judge.
1976

Pastime Paradise – Stevie Wonder
1995

Gangstas Paradise – Coolio
1996
By the way, I suggest that anyone wanting a great album acquire Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life.
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