Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Well! I probably won't try that again. For one thing, someone who emailed me privately used the word "unhinged." And someone else "slightly" agreed.

I can't help repeating that I have no quarrel with the state's decision to intervene in Texas. I merely have a discomfort, perhaps poorly communicated, with some of the resulting cultural criticism. And it's probably unwarranted as well, because one of my more news-aware friends informs me that, far from my sentimental vision of the compound children rolling hoops and pulling taffy, they were not allowed to play at all.

So! Anybody read any good books lately, or been anyone's mother?

There's a long article in the Telegraph about the benefits of idle parenting. Yes! *raises fist in air*

The Telegraph is just on fire: here's one about how Daphne DuMaurier wrote Rebecca.

When I was designing R.'s "Chess club president" costume for Disco Knights, I trawled the Internet for inspiration, making sure I hit all the nerd conventions. (And don't bother abusing me for that. This is junior high musical theater. It's like commedia dell'arte.) I discovered that it is possible to purchase not only a Naughty Librarian costume, but also a Techie Becky. My closet is full of way better Naughty Librarian costumes than that.

Here's an article in the New York Times about the Monty Hall Problem and its implications for psychological studies. The cognitive and mathematical issues raised are definitely worth wrapping your mind around, but I have a more prosaic explanation for the experiment described in the sidebar: when given a choice between blue and red m&ms, monkeys think, "Ick! Blue food?" and when given a choice between blue and green m&ms, monkeys think "Ick! Blue food?" I was against the blue m&m myself; and I still miss the light brown m&m.

Now I am off, armed with Aspergum because I have a sore throat I need to ignore, for a day in the city.