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Author Archives: awtraughber
Habit and Habits
Seth Godin recently posted some thoughts on habit, mainly through the lens of things like anger. I’ve been thinking a lot about habit lately, through the lenses of faith (James Smith) and psychology (Charles Duhigg). Godin says: Habits are great … Continue reading
Jonathan Safran Foer and the Danger of Being an Archivist
Graduation season has come and gone, and a few commencement addresses have risen to the top of the optimistic consciousness. Joss Whedon said something about everybody dying. At least one high school speaker ripped up his speech and recited the … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Internet, Teaching
Tagged Commencement Addresses, Jonathan Safran Foer
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The Desolation of Smaug Trailer Arrives
True, we’re all waiting expectantly for The Man of Steel to fly into theaters this weekend, but the knowledge that the first trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug makes that wait a little bit sweeter. An international version … Continue reading
Is a Blog Better than Having Friends?
I’m not sure I’ve ever bought a book with the intent of only reading half of it, but that’s what I did with Sherry Turkle’s Alone Together. The first half, about robots and relationships, didn’t really catch my attention. But … Continue reading
David Brooks and How C. S. Lewis Was Right
One of the books I enjoyed the most over spring break was David Brooks’ The Social Animal. Brooks says lots of things, and most of them well, in the book. He creates two characters and tracks their imaginary lives through … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Internet
Tagged C. S. Lewis, David Brooks, The Abolition of Man, The Social Animal
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David Foster Wallace and “This is Water”
David Foster Wallace has been popping up a lot lately, so much that I’m contemplating making 2013 the Summer of Infinite Jest. We’ll see. A few years ago, DFW gave a commencement address that has become quite the sensation. A … Continue reading
Absent-Mindfulness, Distance-Learning, Nicholas Carr, and the Internet
I wonder if anyone has tried to coin the term absent-mindful. Absent because I haven’t been very present here lately (some might also not very present in other places, but more on that later). Mindful because in my absence … Continue reading
Proposing a Liturgical Tweak
Whatever shortcomings my non-liturgical self sees in liturgical services, the frequent and uneditorialized reading of Scripture is not one of them. Over the last couple of years, I’ve tried to attend a local evensong service. Psalms and songs, Old and … Continue reading
Posted in Faith, The Long Story
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Being Mosby: Straight As of a Different Kind
The ending of last night’s How I Met Your Mother was brutal. The show often uses Ted Mosby as a way to communicate something about the single life: it comes at it from almost every direction and isn’t afraid of … Continue reading
Spring Break Reading Detour
Spring break starts for me in less than 24 hours. And while I’ll probably take my time getting my grades done and will even go work in my classroom some over break, it’s the fact and the feeling of a … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Faith, Movies, Teaching
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Space Enough, and Time 