60s and 70s Science Fiction Madness

To prove: If you pursue the absurd far enough, eventually you break through to the sublime.

1. "Barbarella" (1968).

2. John Carpeneter's freshman directorial effort, "Dark Star" (1974).

3. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century theatrical pilot opening: Buck dreams of space disco queen Erin Grey for 500 years while adrift in space.

4. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: Twiki falls in love.

5. "Starcrash" (1979).

QED.

Tyler Cowen on Growing Income Inequality and Our Unequal Future

1. Cowen's new book on our unequal future: "Average Is Over." Economist review of "Average Is Over." Daily Beast review of "Average Is Over."

2. "The great reset": In 2012, real median household income was 8.3% lower than in 2007.

3. New results on labor market polarization.

Strange Synergy

1. Tyler Cowen's reflections on the economy and society in the new world of big data and ubiquitous computing.

2. "Billy Mordor"'s reflections on cyberpunk and the end of golden-age sci-fi: technology transforms our social problems, it does not solve them.

More Wisdom of the Desert

"One of the elders used to say: In the beginning when we got together we used to talk about something that was good for our souls, and we went up and up, and ascended even to heaven. But now we get together and spend our time in criticizing everything, and we drag one another down into the abyss." (From The Wisdom of the Desert [selections from the Verba Seniorum], Thomas Merton, translator, p. 95.)

The Wisdom of the Desert

"The story is told that one of the elders lay dying in Scete, and the brethren surrounded his bed, dressed him in the shroud, and began to weep. But he opened his eyes and laughed. He laughed another time, and then a third time. When the brethren saw this, they asked him, saying: Tell us, Father, why you are laughing while we weep? He said to them: I laughed the first time because you fear death. I laughed the second time because you are not ready for death. And the third time I laughed because from labours I go to my rest. As soon as he said this, he closed his eyes in death." (Thomas Merton, trans., The Wisdom of the Desert [Selections from the Verba Seniorum], p. 105.)