Amazon
Glitch Unmasks War of Reviewers (NYT). A glitch at the amazon.ca (the Canadian
affiliate of amazon.com) revealed the identity of many previously anonymous
reviewers, confirming some interesting patterns for anonymous reviews (e.g.,
book authors who post positive reviews of their own books; authors answering
their critics; people manipulating the book lists feature). This article made
me question the weight I had put in the reviews -- and make me want to put more
value on named, trusted reviewers. At the very least, it's helpful to know the
reputation of a reviewer and some understanding of the motivation behind the
reviews.

The current issue of the New Yorker is
incredibly engaging. Some of the pieces that I've read are:

• Nancy
  Franklin writes about The Apprentice, which I've gotten hooked on. Somehow
  it speaks to some the current challenges I have in my own life.
• An amazing piece by David Grann on the Aryan Brotherhood, thought to be
  one of America's most murderous prison gangs. You'll get a taste of the article
  through reading the online
  interview with Grann. What hellish placess are these prisons. I wondered
  what influence the power of the Christian gospel can have in such dark places.
  It's time to learn more about ministries such as the Prison
  Fellowship; I once delivered Christmas gifts to children of prisoners
  in Richmond as part of the Angel
  Tree organization.
• A nice piece by the classical music review Alex Ross on how classical music
  got to there its current place in the US, weaving in his own how he grew up
  on classical music but discovered the joys of "popular music" as he got into
  his 20s.

The hoops
that a restauranteur has to jump through to open a new pizzeria in South Berkeley
does seem excessive. Where's my gourmet pizza?

I was surprised to find Avenue Books on College Ave in Berkeley closed. There's
no sign on the store windows explaining the situation; the answering machine
sounds business as usual. I always did wonder how long it would stay in business,
however. OK -- here's a Berkeley
Daily Planet article from January on the closing. Later: one of
my housemates told me about that there were going-out-of-business sales throughout
January. How did I miss them?

I should read The Berkeley Daily
Planet more often -- I was intrigued by stories such as Big
Food Court Planned for Gourmet Ghetto:

Already signed up to move in are Kirala, south Berkeley's well
known sushi restaurant and Cesar, the popular tapas-bar started by
ex-Chez Panisse manager Richard Mazerra, who has agreed to help
Modarressi as a consultant for the project. On the waiting list are a
number of other restaurants that are trying to meet the qualifications
Modarressi and Mazerra have set out for the food. Other shops the pair
are currently considering include a rotisserie and chocolate store.
Several local wine producers have also been approached about possibly
creating a small co-op space.

"We're not going to rent to just anyone," said Modarressi.

I signed and sealed my ballot for the UC
Administrative Professionals Election.