Update 18

So, I'm intently typing away, and suddenly I come to the point where I'm supposed to explain my theory of life, the universe, and everything. Well, it isn't my theory, it has grander origins than that. But, it is the theory that my little book presumes when discussing pop-culture and its purpose and whether some particular piece of it is any good.

This is Pascal, by the way. I've included him for visual
interest.

I came to this point and the first thing I thought to do was to begin arguing for the theory; laying out evidence and so on that show the theory to be true. Then I stopped, because I realized I had to choose which arguments to use, and which to leave unspoken. (This theory, being true, has a number of arguments in its favor). This stalled me a bit. Then I got to thinking a little more, and wondered whether I should argue for it at all.

Update 1 - Bibliography

When I decided to write a book, one of the first things I thought was “I’ve got to have a bibliography.” Really, this wasn’t because I had any clear notion of why I should have one. It was a reflexive thing. Like not wearing sneakers to a formal dinner party, I had the distinct impression of an obligation to have references. Not satisfied (in this instance) with mere sense of obligation, I’ve been thinking a bit about why to do this kind of research for a book (and why I didn’t think I had to do it for the blog) while simultaneously putting the bibliography together.

The following is a little of my thinking about that subject, then I’ll show off how the bibliography is going (because I use mind maps for taking notes, and they look really cool).

Some Thoughts