Suzie Lopez:

’The Wake has been called “the most colossal leg pull in literature” and even Joyce’s patron fell out with him over it. But Wake scholarship is thriving more than ever. In the words of Joyce Scholar Sam Slote almost “any analysis will be incomplete.” After Ulysses, Joyce was interested in the subconscious interior monologue, our dreaming lives. He also wanted to shatter the conventions of language to form an almost eternal every-language. It sounds somewhat like the dial of a radio in Joyce’s time, static turning into myriad languages. Joyce intentionally made passages more obscure to evoke radio. PHD candidate Yuta Imazeki has calculated “numbers of portmanteaux and foreign words in the radio passage” that are higher in frequency than any others; intentionally obscure. So is it an indecipherable ruse or a harbinger of hypertext? Could it even be… therapeutic? As a self-taught enthusiast, how did I even get into this?…’

Via Literary Hub

’Jon Stewart was once asked to describe his importance as a political commentator on The Daily Show. He replied: “On a scale of zero to 10, I’d go with a zero, not very important.”

That was dead wrong, according to a new study that suggests Stewart’s 2015 departure from the left-leaning show caused not only a drop in ratings, but also a slight drop in voter turnout in the 2016 presidential election – enough to tip the scales in favor of President Donald Trump.…’

Via Big Think

’All life as we know it relies on carbon and water. But researchers speculate this doesn’t have to be the case..…’

Via Big Think

NASA astronomer Michelle Thaller explains how the universe itself has been a salve for her fears:

’The universe chooses people to be interested it, she says. What has the universe chosen you for?…’

Via Big Think

Dementia, disrespect, and loneliness – that is not your future, says aging expert Ashton Applewhite:

’The best anti-aging advice? Stop stereotyping old people! Cultural messaging about the pitfalls of old age causes undue stress that prematurely ages the brain and shortens life spans.
People who have a positive outlook on aging can live 7.5 years longer than those who buy into cultural stereotypes about getting old.…’

Via Big Think