armchair cultural observation since 1995

Quotations rss

SXSW a ‘Times Square billboard-sized commercial’

A veteran SXSW goer from Minnesota explains why she’s sitting the festival out this year.

The Missing Philly Accent

Now, Silver Linings Playbook is full of powerful and realistic performances. And that film does justice to the high level of fanaticism surrounding the Philadelphia sports franchises (as well as real sports fans in general). As Grantland’s Zach Baron put it, Silver Linings Playbook is the best sports movie in years because its about ‘how we live with sports in the context […]

Is Tumblr Facebook 2.0?

“Tumblr has become the place where young people express themselves.”

A site that’s easy to dislike

This one is for anyone who has searched for sports information online and ended up with a God-forsaken slideshow with a misleading headline.

‘House of Cards’ a great moment for great television

Netflix’s foray into exclusive content with ‘House of Cards’ is a win for television.

The problem with presenteeism

The jobs with the most contact with the public are the least likely to provide sick days, such as the hospitality and food-service industries. For example, when you go to purchase a cup of coffee or eat a restaurant, know that almost all (76%) of the people serving you are likely to show up to work sick, […]

Sitting the smoking of our generation

Is sitting the next public health crisis?

The paradox of self-help

It turns out it isn’t “the unemployed crazy lady sitting on the couch eating potato chips” who reads self-help.