Um. What? Panic at the Disco meets the Beatles.  Are we ready for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Emo Pop Group?  Popmatters essay

NPR’s All Song’s Considered discusses coming Portishead, Death Cab, Cloud Cult, and My Morning Jacket albums.  With clips! Cloud Cult’s "Everybody Here is a Cloud" is amazing.  I’m unsure about the Death Cab clip, though I love them so.  NPR audio

Pithiness in the wild.  Wooster Collective image

Story from John McCain’s early career.  Slate story

The future ubiquity of technology.  NYT: Technology story

Slow news day, sorry.

As usual, we will be discussing articles tomorrow.  I’d like to see some original works from you.  Think of an issue that matters in your life, something you enjoy or wish could be changed, then write about it.  Remember, this is not a chance to "report" on something—you should write a persuasive piece.  If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, go over some previous analyses that you’ve written, find an attached article, then write the issue as it should be argued.

Check out my previous post on invention from the Winter’s Night Blog if you’re still stuck, or would like some guidance on clarifying your position/point.

Good luck!  I can’t wait to read them.

Just a reminder.  Clean up the latest draft, email me a copy and bring one to school tomorrow.  We will be presenting them to the class, then working out the logistics of putting this thing together.

NPR’s John Ridley interviews rapper MF Grimm, novelist Jodi Picoult, and Joss Whedon about moving from their original mediums (music, prose, and TV, respectively) to graphic novels.  NPR Story

Quick reading list:

• The Tenth Circle, an excellent half novel / half comic book about a father’s strained relationship with his daughter
• If you are looking to study dialogue (for any type of fiction writing), check out Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men Vol. 1-3, or any of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes.  No really.  Good stuff.

Amazing story of student initiative and giving.  NPR Story

"Rickrolling," memes.  NYT Story

Autism: The Musical review.  Popmatters story

Popmatters reviews Spirits in the Material World, a reggae tribute to The Smiths.  Popmatters Story

Treehugger revisits a "what the future holds" issue of Modern Mechanix from 1968.  Treehugger Story

Analysis of one of author Tobias Wolff’s prevalent topics (lying), and what this topic says about literature.  Slate Story

Article by Louis Menand about the "comics scare" during the Cold War Era.  A great overview; definitely worth reading if you’ve never heard of the Comics Code.  NYT Article

Discussion of Nine Inch Nails’ latest album.  You know: the free one.  Popmatters Story