In the New Yorker...

[Front-Ranger]

"The Battle for Attention" by Nathan Heller is supposedly about everyone's shrinking attention span due to technology. However, that does not explain why we name three-hour movies as Best Picture and read 10-page articles like Heller's. There are flaws in the argument. But the most interesting part of the article, to me, was the discussion of the Order of the Third Bird. It's a semi-secret society of people who congregate to look at paintings and such. Do any of my friends here belong or know of this group?

[Jeff Wrangler]

Their names are so similar that I have a tendency to confuse Peter Hessler and Nathan Heller.

[serious crayons]

I actually think one argument in favor of Heller's argument is that I started it last night and I haven't finished it. And ditto for the many other issues of the New Yorker that I have open to some interesting sounding story that I haven't finished. And ditto for the pile of books on my bedside table. And the books and samples I have downloaded to Kindle. And the browser pages open on my phone that have reached 400+. And the tabs I have open on my laptop that I believe have now reached about 8 million. I did watch a three-hour movie and I do hope to get through his article, but being able to keep my attention on any one thing is almost impossible these days.

[Front-Ranger]

That's pretty strong evidence, serious!

[Front-Ranger]

I devoured the article on the thefts from the British Museum in this week's issue.

[Jeff Wrangler]

I devoured the article on the thefts from the British Museum in this week's issue.

I'm reading that one now. If nothing else it's encouraged me to add the British Museum to the list of places I would want to visit if I ever get to London.

Meanwhile, I forgot to mention that thanks to that article on converting office space into apartments in New York, we now know Jake Gyllenhaal's address, or one of them, or maybe one that used to be. I've already put the issue in the recycling, so I can't post it here. 

It's in the West Village. In the 1970's at least the West Village was practically a gay enclave. The Stonewall Inn is in the West Village. Then the gays moved up town a bit to Chelsea (hence the moniker "Chelsea Boys"), and now I understand it's moved farther up town to Hell's Kitchen.

[Front-Ranger]

I'm reading that one now. If nothing else it's encouraged me to add the British Museum to the list of places I would want to visit if I ever get to London.

It's worth planning a trip just to go there! The Rosetta Stone, a complete pyramid, the Elgin marbles, the Athena of Samothrace--no, that's in the Louvre. An Assyrian wall, and my personal favorite, the Lewis chess pieces!

[Front-Ranger]

I bet you will like John McPhee's article in this week's issue, Jeff!

[Jeff Wrangler]

I bet you will like John McPhee's article in this week's issue, Jeff!

I usually do enjoy his articles. 

[serious crayons]

I've read parts of it. It's in sections, some better than others. One section is funny.