News of the Day

+ Yesterday, Yahoo News reported that a boy in Mexico glued himself to his bed in order to avoid school. Who wouldn't want to go to school? I think this might be a bad sign that he's not going to grow up to be a nerd. Poor kid.

+ An interesting new web site launched yesterday. Called Big Think, it's billed as a sort of "YouTube for intellectuals" where people can hear interviews and talks by big thinkers as diverse as Richard Branson, Ted Kennedy and Deepak Chopra. I haven't had much time to explore it yet, but the New York Times has a fascinating story on how it began.

+ Everyone's favorite 19th-century chick lit author, Jane Austen, is getting the red carpet treatment in the coming weeks on PBS' Masterpiece Theater with its Complete Jane Austen series. It all starts this Sunday, Jan. 13 with the debut of "Persuasion" in which Anthony Stewart Head, aka my imaginary librarian boyfriend Giles, has a featured role. And don't forget, the new series marks the debut of Gillian Anderson as host of Masterpiece Theater. Check your local PBS listings for times.

+ From Kotuko and the Consumer Electronics Show comes this funny little movie about Bill Gates' Last Day at Work. It's worth watching just for Bono's reaction to Gates' Guitar Hero riffs.

+ And finally, it looks like we have a nice group going for the new Park Bench book club. Don't forget to vote for your choice of the first book discussed. Right now, it's pretty much a dead heat between The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Digging to America and Room With a View with Pale Fire just a few steps behind.