$85 in time and materials

At GQ, Bruno Maddox's lament for old-school pornography. (Link courtesy of Alexandra.)

Obelisks!

At the Guardian, Philip Pullman on the last man who knew everything:

how the human vocal organs worked, the fact that giants probably didn't exist but dragons probably did, how to make a magic lantern, what the Potala palace in Lhasa looked like, and the habits and appearance of the celebrated juvenile Tartar demon and murderer, Phut.

The book he's reviewing sounds wonderful.

The Widener deeps

At Hilobrow, Matthew Battles on the Benjamin Translation Machine...

Piracy vs. obscurity

(But Stephen King might have gotten carried away with his phrasing.)