Platypus of Truth

As 2010 is about to wrap up, I thought I'd wind down the year with a highlights list from 2010's Platypus of Truth: A foray into Sci-fi. Summation of my thoughts on video games with an interesting "found" poem. A stab at entering the fray of Tolkien criticism. A little Hellboy review. An attempt at film criticism. Wherein I make full confession of my most favourite Narnia book. Musings on Lewis and video games. A comical breakout into the field of cooking. Looking at this list, it seems that 2010's Platypus of Truth has followed the stayed tradition of mild-mannered, non-offensive, odd-ball, and mildly irrelevant literary and cultural musings.  It may not be high-traffic and exciting, but we value a little peace and quiet down at this end of Lake Internet.  So, from my mossy hole in the riverbank, I and the Platypus pronounce this year another smashing success.  Best wishes to all in 2011, and remember: the Platypus speaks ...

The next installment in my "books I should have read by now" series is "A Canticle For Leibowitz."  Of the three books in this series ("The Name of the Rose," "Ender's Game," and "A Canticle For Leibowitz"), I find myself most in agreement with the world-picture presented in this book (at least in as far as I understand it in one reading).  Now this presents me with an interesting question: did I like this book best of the three simply because I found myself most in sympathy with its presentation of the world?  Ok, maybe that's a banal question, but the Kantian side of me keeps demanding that it's unvirtuous and the Foucaultian side of me keeps insinuating that it all boils down to self-interest.  Forgive me Father; I ate a lizard. Rather than engage in therapeutic web confession, however, I think I'll take a stab at describing what I found to like about this book. Debunking the Myth of Progress: "A Canticle ...

After almost a year of utter darkness, Homestar Runner is back with a 5min 55sec Decemberween short; anastasis and all...

*All images copyright James R. Harrington 2010

*All Images Copyright James R. Harrington 2010

*All Images Copyright James R. Harrington

Rawr.  Ph33r teh Shr00m! *Image Copyright James R. Harrington 2010

Yesterday, while trying to get traction in grappling with a discussion about the arrest of the founder of Wiki-Leaks, one of my students broke through the dead-lock with a robust and thoughtful analysis of the role of order vs. liberty in Assassin's Creed.  Three cheers for the role of the middle brow in helping make big ideas accessible!

Disclaimer: I try as much as possible not to be political on this blog, so please read the following post in as non-partisan a light as possible. I'm a member of the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University.  We're a close-knit bunch over at Torrey.  I like to see what my fellow chums are up to and celebrate their successes and achievements as they find their places in the wider world.  In that light, I'd like to draw attention to Jonah Goldberg's "Proud to be Right: Voices of the Next Conservative Generation."  Now, fair warning, I found much in this book to agree and disagree with.  There's plenty is this book to get your blood boiling or elicit a hearty cheer (In spite of what the name suggests, it's not strictly a party-line book).  However, I want to mention "Proud to be Right" not so much for its politics as for the fact that four out of the twenty-two contributers to this collection of essays are Torrey chums.  Considering that ...