"I'm a Mac." "And I wrote Freedom." Miss Jonathan Franzen's technoconsumerism rant in the Guardian? Or Jennifer Weiner's subsequent self-defense and Twitter explanation? Catch up on both, and the subsequent Franzen memes and comics, via the Franzenfreude Tumblr, "a medium he probably hates more than Twitter."
Independents' day? While Franzen's Guardian essay bemoans the disappearance of the independent book store, Slate's Matt Yglesias spotlights a steady increase in the number of independent booksellers between 2009 and 2013.
And speaking of Twitter... Our good friends at Second Wind recently launched a Twitter account. Give 'em a follow and join us as we cheer them on select Sundays at the Badlander.
For the workshop crowd: "...it was John Stuart Mill who crystallised the importance of having your ideas challenged through engagement with others who disagree with you." In his essay at Aeon Magazine, Nigel Warburton challenges the notion of the solitary genius.
While we're praising audiences: Be sure to check out the line-up for the President's Lecture Series at the University of Montana, which will host such writers as Mark Leibovich and Chris Hedges in the coming year.