Friday Varia and Quick Hits

It’s been a chilly week here in North Dakotaland. The days are rarely above zero and the nights are unfathomably cold. I usually don’t mind seasonably appropriate weather, but I’m finding these days rather unpleasant.

Fortunately, I have plenty of reasons to stay indoors. I have books to read, music to listen to, and plenty of work. Plus, there are a three interesting fight cards (including “The Return of Nico Ali-Walsh on Valentine’s Day). There’s the Daytona 500, the NBA All-Star game, and both the US Men’s Cricket Team and the Australia Men’s Cricket Team in action (although I use the word “action” broadly to describe the lackluster effort shown by the Aussie men’s squad in their ODI series in Sri Lanka).

I’d be remiss not to remind folks that this was a NEW BOOK WEEK. Congratulations to Eric Burin for the massively expanded and revised version of Picking the President: Understanding the Electoral College. You can read about it here. Or grab a free PDF copy here.

Other than that, I can offer a modest list of quick hits and varia:

• Capitalism.

• The Square Structure on Mars.

• Meditations in an Emergency.

• Mass Migrations.

• To a Young Poet.

• Noodlings’ (Not) Varia.

• Omega FOiS.

• What I’m reading: Nora Goldschmidt, Fragmentary Modernism: The Classical Fragment in Literary and Visual Cultures, c.1896 – c.1936. 2024.

• What I’m listening to: Marshall Allen, New Dawn. 2025.