I had an enormous crush on Amelia Earhart growing up. In the mid-nineties, when the internet was still in its awkward infancy and I stumbled on Ric Gillespie’s rudimentary web page for TIGHAR and his obsession to prove that Earhart and her navigator crash landed on Nikumaroro atoll and died there waiting a rescue that never came. I remember being so captivated that even in those college-poor days I managed to donate something to help fund one of his organization’s expeditions to the tiny speck in the Pacific that has got to be one of the most remote places on earth. But I became disillusioned pretty quickly. I think it was the single-focus, Nikumaroro-or-bust attitude that wouldn’t allow any other possibilities which turned me off the quickest. And while there are so many Amelia Earhart conspiracies and supposed-explanations, Gillespie has been a tireless pitchman for his theory.

So when the headlines decrying the Earhart mystery solved, I had a feeling Gillespie’s TIGHAR would be involved. Outside does a nice job explaining why the Nikumaroro scenario doesn’t stand up to much scrutiny. 

Tim Pratt

Over the weekend someone asked me what my favorite short story was. I froze up, couldn’t think of any! I finally dredged up Salinger’s “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” because it was the first short story that really rocked me back on my heels. But afterwards I thought about the question, and this is the story I came up with, “Impossible Dreams” by my literary crush, Tim Pratt. I’d heard and fell in love with this story before I knew who Tim Pratt was – that came about through his Marla Mason urban fantasy series of books. Then I found his short stories, discovered he wrote this, and it’s been all proverbial moony eyes from the back of the classroom.  There are so many things I love about this story, but the biggest thing that truly inspired me was his tone – and this is consistant through his other works – it’s very conversational, very easy to read and flows so effortlessly. He doesn’t intimidate with his prose, and in the process tells an engagingly charming story that shook the dust off the old Romantic in me.

Give it a read and see if it strikes you like it did me. Or, if you prefer listening to reading, the science fiction podcast, Escape Pod, read this back in 2007, and it’s still online. 

Molly Ringwald’s essay about her complicated relationship with John Hughes’ films is extremely thoughtful and nuanced. “How are we meant to feel about art that we both love and oppose?” she writes late in the piece, and that works as a perfect thesis. More than just her reflections, she also reached out to some of the other actors involved for their opinions.

FYI: The New Yorker has a paywall, but like any good dealer, the first three article reads are free.

Ugly Delicious

Chef David Chang is one of my culinary heroes largely because he doesn’t give an F about pretense. After opening his Momofuku restaurant in New York he’s had a pretty high profile as a celebrity chef. He also started the now-defunct Lucky Peach magazine, which I have almost every issue. So when I heard he had a new show… well, I’ll just cut to the chase: it’s as awesome as I could have hoped. I’ve only seen the first two episodes: “Pizza” and “Tacos”. Why didn’t I binge it all? I’m savoring them like a fine dessert.

I heard about this story on the NPR Politics  podcast from their “Can’t let it go” section, but it’s apparently gone viral. You have to read this story, but the takeaway is don’t cool pepperoni on an open window sill…