https://slackersmuse.com/tags/2024/ Recent content in 2024 on Slacker's Muse Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us Tue, 03 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://slackersmuse.com/posts/br_mythologies/ Tue, 03 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://slackersmuse.com/posts/br_mythologies/ A Review: Mythologies Title of Work: Mythologies Author: Roland Barthes Format: Published: 1957 Started: Finished: 2024-09-03\ Posted: Goodreads Rating: 4/5 The modern myth, for Barthes’ purposes, seems to fall somewhere between the traditional/folk story (think Greek myths: Icarus, Pandora, Persephone and Hades, etc.) and the more contemporary usage meaning a widely held belief that is, in fact, false (think: goldfish only have a three second memory, MSG is bad for you, Mythbusters in the good ol’ days of Discovery channel). https://slackersmuse.com/posts/br_thebroomofthesystem/ Mon, 22 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://slackersmuse.com/posts/br_thebroomofthesystem/ A Review: The Broom of the System Title of Work: The Broom of the System Author: David Foster Wallace Format: Published: 1987 Started: Finished: 2024-07-22\ Posted: Goodreads Rating: 3/5 High 3. Long, often boring but sometimes very not-boring in ways that just about made up for the prevailing boringness. Little moments of witty humor, dumb sex puns and double entendre, and other more clever linguistic tricks. I like that kind of stuff. https://slackersmuse.com/posts/br_theoverstory/ Sun, 28 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://slackersmuse.com/posts/br_theoverstory/ A Review: The Overstory Title of Work: The Overstory Author: Richard Powers Format: Published: 2018 Started: Finished: 2024-04-28\ Posted: Goodreads Rating: 5/5 It’s good in a sort of East of Eden way but with an entirely different flavor profile. A splash of Grapes of Wrath too, empathy for the downtrodden and exploited–maybe more like us than we thought. Very eco-centric. The slow and rich lives of trees and what they may teach us if we slow down and give them time time to share what they’ve learned in their hundreds of millions of years of experimentation. https://slackersmuse.com/posts/br_dumbingusdownthehiddencurriculumofcompulsoryschooling/ Tue, 16 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://slackersmuse.com/posts/br_dumbingusdownthehiddencurriculumofcompulsoryschooling/ A Review: Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling Title of Work: Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling Author: John Taylor Gatto Format: Published: 2002 Started: Finished: 2024-04-16\ Posted: Goodreads Rating: 5/5 Finished on the plane. It’s a skinny book of essays but with big ol’ implications and ideas. Has me feeling all transformed and revolutionary, sheesh. Recommend to any teachers, students, citizens, parents, or folks just feeling like there must be something more, like the life we’ve been given, told is the best way, the only way, sounds a little hollow when you wake up long enough to knock on the shell. https://slackersmuse.com/posts/br_thesnowsofkilimanjaroandotherstories/ Sun, 07 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://slackersmuse.com/posts/br_thesnowsofkilimanjaroandotherstories/ A Review: The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories Title of Work: The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories Author: Ernest Hemingway Format: Published: 1936 Started: Finished: 2024-04-07\ Posted: Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Ten stories in my edition and 6/10 struck me as excellent. Good writing in the rest, good ideas. The best carry the collection.