Beach Reading
By Mitch Berg
I’m pleased as punch to note that two of my favorite, er, let’s say “niche” publications are still in business.
I was working at Cray Research fifteen years ago when I encountered The Journal of Irreproducible Results, which is to science what The Onion is to news. What I didn’t know was that the JIR’s history goes back over half a century. And while their usual fare revolves around parodies of scientific publications (and since I was a technical writer at the time, the format certainly resonated), this bit here is near and dear to any blogger that runs a comment section.
The Wittenburg Door and I go back even further; a high school classmate of mine served as its editor back in the late eighties. It’s like…well, here’s another Onion reference; it’s The Onion of religious writing. The Door has always been a hand-to-mouth project – but when it occurs to me to go read it (every couple of years, lately) it’s always a great read.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:48 am
“which is to science what The Onion is to news.” . . . and what SitD is to the Blogosphere!
Come on, you knew I couldn’t leave that set up alone *laughing*
This post explains so much to the transitioning of this site. Thanks! It helps tremendously to now know your deep rooted influences!
May 8th, 2008 at 9:44 am
“Transitioning”. . . you keep using this word; I do not think it means what you think it means.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Ryan, I just double checked Websters, and yeap, pretty spot on for what I mean. Now I haven;t seen the updated Luntz/Rove dictionary so there very well could be a different definition that is the exact opposite of what it really is, but that would not be the standard mainstream one.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:41 am
It’s right on the ScaifeNet homepage, flash. Jeez, for someone who seems to talk soooo much about ScaifeNet… 😉
May 8th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Right, Flash. I have no doubt that YOU’VE seen some sort of imaginary “transition” going on here. I’m pretty well accustomed to your ScaifeNet nuttery. You’re perfectly welcome to wallow in your delusions; hey, it’s the Internet, where delusions abound. Delusions aside, this is pretty much the same SitD I started reading years ago. Any “transition” that has taken place has done so in your head only.