hangovers, midweek edition

I'm still behind on email. Apologies.

1. Mostly, I suggest you dive headlong into the many fascinating answers to the Edge's 2005 World Question: what do you believe in that you can't prove? That's what I did. (Note to budding Mundane SF writers: your entire career could be included in these answers.)

2. The Mumpsimus mulls over recent deaths, including yesterday's of Lexington's own Guy Davenport. He has many relevant Davenport links. I'll add only this personal remembrance by a former student from today's local paper, which includes some great personal anecdotes (and headsmacking ones):

Much later, as I was completing my bachelor's degree, I decided to try graduate school. I hoped to study creative writing. I asked Davenport whether he might write me a letter of recommendation to a certain second-tier university in another state. "I will," he said. "But wouldn't you rather go to, say, Johns Hopkins?"

"What? Sure. But Johns Hopkins would never consider someone like me."

The English department at Johns Hopkins University was home to one of the country's oldest, most highly selective and prestigious creative writing programs.

"The chairman there owes me a favor," Davenport said.

Within days, I received a personal letter from that chairman, awarding me a coveted slot in Johns Hopkins' Writing Seminars. Such was Davenport's clout.

The local obit yields the info that he donated his body to the UK Medical Center. For more on what happens when you donate your body to science or medicine, read Mary Roach's Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers.

3. I want this T-shirt. (Via Boing Boing.)

4. Christopher's explains the Nebula prenomination system for beginners. Congratulations to the other preliminees.

5. The Best of Pixies album is the best gym music evAR.

6. Tim Pratt divulges the Annual Tropism Awards for 04.

7. The Gray Lady, she do know oatmeal.