Two from the NYT that I think are worth noting.
I can’t decide if this is the most stupid or most awesome article they’ve published recently, so I report, you decide: Is Jousting the Next Extreme Sport?
“I want to see another guy get paralyzed,” a boy in front of me squealed, waving a toy sword.
Both Lawrence and I had the same reaction to this quote, which was a flashback to an early Tank McNamara strip during a particularly bloody period in auto racing. The strip featured a child asking his father, “Are we going to see someone get killed?” and the father responding “Only if we’re lucky, son.” (Edited to add: Lawrence says he thinks the strip was referring to hockey. I’m pretty sure it was auto racing, but I’ve edited this post to indicate that our memories differ. If anyone has the strip, or a copy of Another day, another $11,247.63
Interestingly, there seems to be a split between American jousting, which originated more within the Renaissance fair culture, and European jousting, which has a high regard for historical accuracy.
The other article that intrigued me is this piece by Kerry Howley (who’s written some good stuff for Reason) about cryonic suspension and the husband-wife conflicts it causes.
Cryonet, a mailing list on “cryonics-related issues,” takes as one of its issues the opposition of wives. (The ratio of men to women among living cyronicists is roughly three to one.)
I was particularly amused by this article because the centerpiece, Robin Hanson, is also featured prominently (and amusingly) in Tyler Cowen‘s book, Discover Your Inner Economist