In light of Aaron Swartz‘s alleged JSTOR data theft, Maria Bustillos wonders whether his actions even constitute a crime. George Monbiot goes even further, alleging that academic publishers “make Murdoch look like a socialist.”
Theft and Academic Publishing
A Censor’s Tour
Recommended reading: Peter Hessler writes about spending a week on tour with his Chinese censor.
Excerpted
From the book I’m reading right now: “My mother’s output, starred and pseudonymous, appeared regularly in one of those little, irregular periodicals so limited in readership that they might be called incestuous. Subscription was by invitation only, and contributors would go into a rage over a misplaced comma and brood for days if their poems were understood.”
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The Thirsty North
Newsflash: people in cold states drink a lot more than people in warm states.
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G to the Gatsby
Baz Luhrmann’s much-delayed Great Gatsby film adaptation may justify its long post-production schedule after all. In an announcement this past week, it was made clear that Jay-Z is “composing the upcoming film’s original score.” The film’s latest trailer can be found here.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Books
“The [book] review’s pre-eminence is irrefutable: most people are acquainted with far, far more books through reviews than they could ever hope to read. And that is, generally, to the good.” Joseph Mackin explores why we write and read book reviews for the New York Journal of Books.
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Meeting the Locals
If you’re like me, you probably assumed you’d never read the phrase “George Saunders in O, the Oprah Magazine”, but this is where his latest piece has turned up. As part of a creative way of presenting a list of books to read, the author imagines what reading material he’d give to an alien who wants to know what it’s like to be human. For more on his work, go read our own Elizabeth Minkel on his legacy and recent collection.
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Be Quiet, I’m Reading
“Hamlet’s famous last words—’The rest is silence’—are less punning than ironic, since both his parting, eloquent gasps and his death play out amidst a growing bassline beat. ‘What warlike noise is this?’ Hamlet asks as the poison takes hold. The drums and commotion signal the arrival of the Norwegian crown prince Fortinbras, who bursts into the quiet of the massacred Danish court. From the beginning of Hamlet, we’re taught to think of sovereignty as a manipulation of sound waves.” What does silence mean in this age of constant digital noise? The Literary Hub takes a look.
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