lost songs

Did Christopher Marlowe know he would die young? Did he seek out a life that would guarantee that? Did he enter that tavern in Deptford expecting fatal violence--if not for him, for others?
The context of his times suggests a more liberal attitude towards the young dying and great old age reserved for a very lucky few.

Modern fatalism seems to have greater diversity. A notable collection of fools--mostly middle aged white men in California--are investing great sums of money in the pursuit of life extensions. That they pursue this after the prime of their life, and with certain knowledge that their efforts will fail, is perhaps a greater error than those who take real risks in the pursuit of cheating death by a hair.

"Delight in your youth.....Fear God and obey His commandments...."

liver and onions special

Was Mark Rothko a sculptor or a painter? The same question could be asked about Jackson Pollock. When the dust settles, who else will be remembered from 20th century American art? (Architects are excluded from this.)

Towers of ilium puts the odds of tax cuts passing at around 60%--and maybe not by the end of the year. 2018 feels far away.

Richard Serra, Norman Rockwell, and Georgia O'keefe.

almost real news

The media analysts at towers of ilium have spent the better week distilling the truth for the sake of our loyal readership. So, with no further delays:

-The war between Steve Bannon and mainstream Republicans is mostly a sham. Nothing will be reliable except election results in next year's midterms. Roy Moore is headed for the Senate before that happens but his effects will be negligible in the greater scheme of things.

-Puerto Rico is in bad shape. The scandal involving Whitefish Energy has legs. Hopefully, there will be some good stories there, and more importantly, the power grid will be restored soon.

-The other shoe is dropping for some Internet giants. Russian spies are mildly amused.

-New housing starts in Massachusetts fell sharply on a year over year basis. Is this a sign of an economic downturn or simply a consequence of exhaustive permitting processes and the challenges of land acquisition for development? Renovations to homes appears to be a robust business.

seasonal remedies

New England folk tend to regard autumn as a mixed blessing. It's a good time to get work done, especially after the idiocy of the summer. There's a sense of false urgency created by the holidays, but everyone accepts that things won't get finished till the spring. 

Winter always brings a sense of accomplishment. The sun rests, but the blaze of headlights on the highways in the evening makes us all feel virtuous. Brave wanderers, bold conquerors all.

update on the AI

The algorithm employed by towers of ilium has been sacked. Editorial staff decided that the AI--known around the office as "Kenny"-- needed to spend more time with its family or some equivalent social experience. Regular programming will resume.

no more auction block

The Amazon headquarters game has nearly reached its peak of absurdity. As of this morning every town and hamlet in Massachusetts has submitted a proposal. Some of the same people who were touting the Boston Olympics are now leading the cheering section for Amazon. We can be certain that Bezos is currently in secret negotiations with Atlanta--squeezing as many financial incentives and legal exemptions as he can. Most likely it will end up being a fully automated headquarters with no human presence at all-- just banks of computers with AI programs that write AI programs and robots to repair the robots that make the robots that deliver cardboard boxes to the last remaining humans on the planet.

Rex Tillerson is trying to get Saudi Arabia to form an alliance with Iraq to counter Iran in the Middle East. Perhaps he can make a pitch for Amazon while he's on the ground there. Nothing to lose, after all.

dreams of a better land

Towers of ilium is testing an algorithm that would replace its staff of costly journalists and deliver this blog's hard-edged commentary more reliably. A sample follows:

"Fear fear cats large doom Trump modernism betrayed calendar time time bulletin book book dead gone lost fear sky turning painted broken lies the bread of life pumpkin spicy write sing die repeat rinse shiny shattered drink child water rising"

The focus groups are delighted.