Daniel R. Thorne's Blog, page 3

No Laughing Matter

I used to joke that, “Americans are a very self-loathing people; it’s one of the things I really can’t stand about us.” I stopped telling that joke because whenever I did, to my disappointment, no one ever seemed to get it. The funny thing about America is that when ever you’re trying to be funny […]

Franglish – Part I

After about a year and a half total in France I have a small collection of “Franglish” pictures, so I thought I’d share some of the highlights. These are all 100% real things that I’ve found being sold in grocery/department stores throughout the country. There are some that seem like they were made by putting […]

Chez McDo

Right when you walk in, you can tell you’re not at a truck stop on the border with Kansas any more. The French incarnation of McDonald’s has wallpaper, it’s got light fixtures, it’s got plants, and it’s altogether different from the injection-molded booths, fluorescent lighting, and off-white tiled floors of the American version I remember. […]

The “Meaninglessness” of Physics

I don’t understand physics. The theoretical variety in particular; I don’t understand electromagnetism, I don’t understand relativity, and I don’t understand quantum mechanics (although, as readily avowed by those who work on it, there isn’t anyone who does, so that one goes down a bit easier), and now, having just finished Lawrence Krauss’ book Fear […]

You Don’t Have to Be Charlie, But You Must Fight for Those Who Are

Last Saturday night (or, well, I suppose by then it was Sunday morning) I found myself in the kitchen of a Parisian apartment, in the genial company of wine, music, and conversation, and as the latter found its way through the former to the infamous assault on the staff of Charlie Hebdo, I took the […]

Special Farces – The Problem of Stolen Valor

The very first time I was on a naval base (Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, CT for the curious), visiting my brother who was then newly enlisted, we had occasion to stop by the uniform shop for some of his necessary accoutrements, and I was surprised to find that right there, along side […]

The Great 20th-Century Funnel – On the Gulf Between Television and the Internet

You might be thinking that it’s just a question of time. And in a way you’d be right. There really is a significant difference between what can be said and done in three minutes and what can be said and done in nineteen. Anyone who has ever spoken at length in front of a group […]

The “Next!” Factor – On the Nature and Varieties of Bad Talent

American Idol, Pop Idol, America’s Got Talent, Britain’s Got Talent, The X Factor. There’s slight variation, sure, but I don’t think many people outside of those who create them would belabor the distinctions. In the 13 years since Pop Idol debuted on British television in 2001, the familiar trope of a long-suffering panel methodically wringing […]

We Need to Talk About “The ‘N-word'”

Ladies and gentlemen… *sigh*… nigger. Some of you are offended right now. Some of you were offended when you saw the headline. Some people are just plain offended, in a general sense, but I’ll assume for the sake of getting anywhere that you, dear reader, are a reasonable and thinking person who is not already […]

Millions Sold: The Books at Every Thrift Store

Recently I’ve taken to a small obsession, and that is the thrift store book section. It’ll never really substitute for a proper bookstore; it doesn’t offer much for atmosphere, they don’t generally want you to stay for too long, the cataloging leaves something to be desired, there’s no inventory, there are no comfy chairs, they […]