Sunday, January 09, 2005

Young Cell Users Rack Up Debt, One Dime Message at a Time. In the last two years, text messages have become a rage among teenagers. But text-messaging can be expensive. By LISA W. FODERARO. [NYT > Technology] 1:17:22 PM    comment []

Sociology in Cafe Society. Just before Christmas, a new cafe opened up outside the main gates of the University of Arizona. The coffee is good and it’s a shorter walk than the alternatives. The people are friendly, too. One of my colleagues was chatting with the owner, Danny, last week — he’s often behind the bar serving customers. Danny asked whether my friend taught at the university, and then in what department. “Sociology,” my friend said, which is usually enough to move the conversation to some other topic. But instead Danny said “Oh, my uncle was a sociologist — he was pretty well known in Europe years ago, but you’ve probably never heard of him. “What was his name?” asked my friend. “Oh, Mannheim,” says the owner. “Karl Mannheim?!” says my friend. “Wow, you know his first name!” says Danny. Small world. Sociologists know that already, but the point of that insight is precisely that you don’t know about every case. There are probably other connections of this sort in my acquaintance network that I’m completely unaware of. Yours, too. [Crooked Timber] 1:17:21 PM    comment []

BTD SUNDAY COMICS [Begging To Differ] 1:16:50 PM    comment []

Mayday? Payday! Hit the Silk!. Now that other forms of compensation are simpler for shareholders to scrutinize, chief executives may be quietly bundling potential riches in outsized retirement plans. By TIMOTHY L. O'BRIEN. [NYT > Business] 1:16:41 PM    comment []

Exit, Snarling. An important moment in modern culture may have occurred when Jon Stewart of Comedy Central went on CNN's "Crossfire" last October and decided to be serious. [NYT > Opinion] Earlier coverage and links from A blog doesn't need a clever name. 1:11:36 PM    comment []

Lost & Found Sound and Beyond. Francis Ford Coppola weaves twelve radio documentaries together with his own reminiscences and home recordings, including his 1977 "interview" with five-year-old daughter Sofia Coppola. [WNYC New York Public Radio] 1:08:44 PM    comment []

Free Agents: Be Careful What You Sign Up For. Not to wish anything bad on baseball free agents, but this year's class of rich and richer just might want to think about the spectral presence of Jason Giambi. By GEORGE VECSEY. [NYT > Sports] 1:04:31 PM    comment []