Hard Of

Hard Of

I think the phrase “hard of hearing” is rather fascinating. It doesn’t make any intuitive sense. While we can think of it in the sense of something having hardened and become less flexible, or in the sense of something having become hard to do, we don’t use this phrase in any other way.

The tall, dark wizard in the blue robe with white stars—who Evan would come to know as Falstaff—

plucked the slurpee off Evan’s tray with long boney fingers. He peered deep into its sugary murk. “Explain this foul potion. What are its effects?” “It’s called a slurpee,” Evan said. "It’s a refreshing drink. Especially when it’s hot out.” A round of knowing ahhhhhs circled the room. “A health elixir,” someone spoke from the back, nodding with authority. “Well, sort of.”…
Above-Average post

Above-Average post

I've been somewhat obsessed with mental fallacies ever since I read The Undoing Project, Michael Lewis's book on Amos Tversky and Danny Kahneman. (These led me to two other great books on the topic, including Kahneman's Thinking Fast & Slow, and Leonard Mlodinow's Drunkard's Walk, which are two books I'd put on the list for anyone wanting to have a better understanding…
The Accounts

The Accounts

Baby, you may know about the Devil who sits upon my shoulder and the Angel on my other But let me tell you about the Accountant who sits behind his mahogany desk
Image of The Wizards' Attic

A SILHOUETTE LOOMED OVER EVAN. FROM SOMEWHERE, A DISTANT, UNPLEASANT VOICE—ONE HE RECOGNIZED—SPOKE: 

“Hey kid. Kid. Wake up.”Evan stirred, the world coming into focus: the dark walls and ceiling of the Attic’s storefront, the towering bookshelves of games, a smacking sound as the figure hovering over him slapped at Evan’s cheeks. Evan’s bones and back groaned. Then Evan groaned at the sight of the City Surveyor’s weasel face.
Hyperion / Fall of Hyperion:

Hyperion / Fall of Hyperion:

I have a rule about finishing books I’m not enjoying. Don’t. I have another rule about bad reviews, which is that I try to avoid writing them. So I'm breaking both rules here, largely because I broke the reading rule for Fall of Hyperion and now I feel compelled to write a review to atone for it. Do two wrongs make a…