1 - Just got my copy of Alternate Presidents in the mail and tore through it. If you like counter-histories and/or a taste of science fiction, check it out. You will not be disappoint(...ed). Several favorites:
-Ben Franklin becomes president and thoroughly mocks the institution. The piece is written from the perspective of a befuddled and distraught John Adams, and only gets funnier as you realize just how much Ben Franklin Doesn't Give A Shit About Your Problems. (Colonial-period memes are the next big Internets trend, you watch).
-Theodore Roosevelt wins the 1912 election. I actually did a counter-history of my own on this - easily one of the most fascinating scenarios for its effects on the World Wars, twentieth-century environmentalism, and the Great Depression, no matter how you see his third term going. More on this in a later post.
-Michael Dukakis is actually a fucking alien. (I don't think I need to keep talking, do I? Go buy the book, it's like three dollars with shipping).
You will be seeing a substantial amount of counter-historicizing coming from Fifteen Charisma in the future. If I could switch my major to Political Science/Alternate Histories, I would. Excuse me while I schedule an appointment with my counselor. And my psychologist.
2 - A friend of mine at UConn started his own blog, Maximum Overdrive: Expert Musings. Hopefully this guilts him into sharing his readership. At any rate, vindictive and sardonic internet commentators have to stick together, so if you enjoy Fifteen Charisma, I recommend subscribing to MOEM as well.
[Note: Don't be surprised if this area reads "We are at war with Maximum Overdrive. We have always been at war with Maximum Overdrive" at any given strategic interval. In other news, chocolate is being rationed...and I would start talking in Newspeak right now if I was any more of a nerd/was any more clumsy with references.]
3 - I listened to Daft Punk's "Aerodynamic" twelve times on repeat to get myself through an awful essay on Adrastus, star of thirty-odd lines in the Iliad. My head hurts (but it's a beautiful, synthesized hurt). In related news, that shrink needs to move up in my schedule.
4 - Jones Soda Co. continues its trend of excellence. Other than Green Apple (His Noodly Appendage's greatest gift to man), I've tried Grape, Cream Soda, Root Beer, M.F. Grape, Watermelon, and now Cherry. Every one scores somewhere between "awesome" and "glorious nectar of the gods").
Also, every screwcap doubles as a fortune cookie (except for the edibility part...I think). Mine insisted that the tides of change are coming. I have already begun preparations for the coming of Lord Cthulu.
5 - Need help studying for chemistry? Well, I don't, and I love college for that. But if you made the mistake of taking Orgo 231 or find yourself in the School of Engineering with no way to escape, Tom Lehrer is here to help. Even if you're just a liberal arts major with a sick sense of humor, the esteemed Harvard professor has plenty to offer.
Enjoy poisoning pigeons in the park,
--kd
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"3 - I listened to Daft Punk's "Aerodynamic" twelve times on repeat to get myself through an awful essay on Adrastus, star of thirty-odd lines in the Iliad. My head hurts (but it's a beautiful, synthesized hurt). In related news, that shrink needs to move up in my schedule."
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